Bowie State University

Bowie State University

Bowie State University ("Bowie State"), located on 355½ acres (1.4 km²) in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Located north of the suburban city of Bowie, Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland. Bowie State is Maryland's oldest historically black university and one of the ten oldest in the country .

BSU has 25 undergraduate majors, 19 master’s programs, two doctoral programs and 9 post-baccalaureate certificate programs in disciplines as diverse as computer science, education, human resource development, organizational communication, and nursing, and two doctoral programs. In partnership with the University of Maryland University College, Bowie State University became the first historically black university to include overseas studies. It was also the first university in the nation to offer a bachelor degree in pedology. Programs also include a rare doctoral degree in education leadership, a program for educational administrators.

In 1995, NASA and the National Science Foundation awarded $27 million as one of only six schools in the nation declared Model Institutions for Excellence in science, engineering, and mathematics. This led to a strengthening of the already growing computer science program; in 1999, the Maryland Higher Education Commission approved the schools additional focus in computers and technology. Since then new technology related programs including music technology and a strengthened computer science department have been added.

The university is also home to The Maryland Center, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 providing community services. In partnership with the federal General Services Administration, the campus also host the Bowie State University’s Telecommuting Center, which has state-of-art workstations and is opened 24-hours day, 7 days a week. The telecommuting Center can be used by anyone..

Bowie State's history began in 1865 when the Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of Colored People established the Baltimore Normal School in Baltimore, Maryland to train African American teachers. In 1908 the school was renamed Normal School No. 3 after the state Board of Education provided funding for and assumed control of the institution. By 1914 the school had moved to Prince George's County, Maryland and become known as Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie. From 1911 until 1921, Don Speed Smith Goodloe served as principal and in 1914-15 built the Don S. S. Goodloe House, which was added in 1988 to the National Register of Historic Places. It became the Maryland State Teachers College at Bowie in 1935 and Bowie State College in 1963. On July 1, 1988, Bowie State achieved university status, reflecting the significant growth of the school's programs, enrollment and service to the local area. On the same day, it also became one of the constituent institutions of the newly formed University System of Maryland. .

In 1925, a two-year professional curriculum in teacher education was created and was later expanded to a three-year program. A four-year program was created in 1935 for the training of elementary school teachers. With approval from the State Board of Education, the program was expanded in 1951 to include training for junior high school teachers. Ten years later, a teacher-training program for secondary education was established. In 1963, a liberal arts program was started. .

Bowie State College was authorized to grant its first graduate degree, a Master of Education, in 1970. The school's first doctoral program would also be in the field of education, with a Doctorate of Educational Leadership, earned by sixteen students during the May 2005 commencement .

In 2005, Bowie State University built a $1 million supercomputer in conjunction with Apple Computer, Inc. Xseed is a 224-node cluster based on Apple’s Xserve G5. The combination of this cutting edge technology puts Xseed among the world’s top 200 most powerful supercomputers on the TOP 500 list, which serves as a benchmark for ranking high-performance computing systems .

The campus comprises over 24 buildings with more than 988,897 square feet (92,000 m²) of space. The campus is located in Bowie, Maryland between the metropolitan areas of Baltimore (25 miles) and Washington D.C. (17 miles). An on campus MARC Train Station and Metrobus stops provide access to local transit. It is a wireless campus equipped with Wi-Fi and public computer labs across campus for student use.

Twenty-three percent of students live on campus in seven residence halls. Cultural performances, lectures and sporting events are among the frequent on campus events. Built in 1921, the oldest building still in use is Harriet Tubman Hall. The $17.6 million School of Business and Graduate Studies is the newest building on campus. Other recent additions to the campus include the Bowie Place dormitory, the New Science Building, and the $6.5 million Center for Learning Technology (CLT) that is a state-of-the-art facility serving the computer science and computer technology programs.

On campus, the Bowie State Satellite Operations Control Center (BSOCC) is an orbiting satellite operation and control center allowing students to gain the hands-on experience in such a facility. In 2003, the center went fully operational. It is a joint venture operated by the university, the Honeywell Corporation, the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA in Greenbelt, MD .

In September 2007, the University began negotiations with Prince George's County for the transfer of 214 acres (0.87 km2) of land to the school. According to county documents, the land, valued at $1.3 million, would cost the University nothing if used "for educational uses including facilities that benefit the welfare of students and faculty in their educational experience at the University." The addition of this land would grow the University by 63%. The main focus for the land is the development of additional dorms for students to reside on the campus. The land will also be used to establish several retail busiensses that will cater to both students and the community .

The Department of Public Safety (BSUDPS, BSUPD or Campus Police) is the primary law enforcement agency for the university and is charged with the protection of life and property within its 338.5 acres (1.370 km²) of jurisdiction. The BSUPD is aided by the Prince George's County Police Department for major felonies (e.g., murder, rape, etc) and other incidents deemed appropriate by authority.

The Department of Public Safety reports directly to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life. In addition to enforcing laws of the State of Maryland and statutes of Prince George's County, the BSUPD is charged with enforcing regulations of the University and as such, regulations are enforced internally and handled by the Dean.

Bowie State's athletes compete in the Eastern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, participating in the NCAA's Division II.

They compete and/or train on-campus in Bulldog Stadium, the Leonidas James Physical Education Complex, and A.C. Jordan Areana.

Bowie State has many academic clubs, fraternities, honor societies, organizations, sororities, and student associations on-campus. The computer, education, French, and history clubs are just few examples of the academic clubs. The art guild, concert and marching bands, jazz and brass ensembles, and others allow students to explore the fine and performing arts. Each National PanHellenic Council Organization, including Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Iota Phi Theta, is highly respected and well represented. Also present on campus are social organizations such as Groove Phi Groove, Swing Phi Swing, Alpha Nu Omega and Chi Eta Phi. The honor societies represented at BSU include: Delta Mu Delta, Lambda Pi Eta, and Sigma Tau Delta. The student newspaper, The Spectrum, and WBSU Radio allow for students to monitor campus events and news..

The Symphony of Soul, also known as SOS, is the name of the marching/concert/pep band at Bowie State University. Adolph E. Wright is the Director of Bands at Bowie State University, where he has successfully built the SOS from 30 members, upon his arrival at BSU in 1998, to 185 members by the fall of 2001. Under the leadership of Mr. Wright the "Symphony of Soul" has received rave reviews following collegiate performances, as well as when representing the University abroad. Each year, the SOS takes a trip to Montreal, Canada to perform for the Montreal Alouettes. During the fall, students always expect the usual impromptu parade through the campus by the SOS. They were also a part of the NFL 2007-2008 season opener as they performed the National Anthem with Aretha Franklin and shared the stage with other recording artist such as Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and others. The SOS was featured in the Original Battle of the Bands held at RFK Stadium and its drumline was named as one of Showtime Magazines top ten amongst HBCU’s.

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Christa McAuliffe

Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe (September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986), better known simply as Christa McAuliffe née Sharon Christa Corrigan, was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. McAuliffe was born in Boston, Massachusetts and received her bachelor's degree in education and history from Framingham State College in 1970 and a Master of Arts from Bowie State University in 1978. She took a teaching post as a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire in 1982.

In 1985, McAuliffe was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project and she was scheduled to become the first teacher in space. As a member of mission STS-51-L, she was planning to conduct experiments and teach two lessons from Space Shuttle Challenger. On January 28, 1986, her spacecraft disintegrated 73 seconds after launch and she was one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. After her death, schools and scholarships were named in her honor and in 2004 she was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Born Sharon Christa Corrigan on September 2, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, McAuliffe was the oldest of five children of Edward Christopher Corrigan (1922-1990), an accountant, and Grace Mary (George) Corrigan, a substitute teacher. She was part Irish, Lebanese, German, English, and Native American. McAuliffe's mother is of part Maronite Lebanese origin through her father (McAuliffe's grandfather) and is a niece of historian Philip Hitti.

McAuliffe attended Framingham State College in her hometown, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in education and history. A few weeks later, she married her longstanding boyfriend Steven J. McAuliffe, whom she had met at Marian High, and they moved closer to Washington, DC so Steven could attend the Georgetown University Law Center. They had two children: Scott and Caroline, who were nine and six respectively when she died.

The Council of Chief State School Officers, a non-profit organization of public officials in education, was chosen by NASA to coordinate the selection process. Out of the initial applicant pool, 114 semi-finalists were nominated by state, territorial, and agency review panels. McAuliffe was one of two teachers nominated by the state of New Hampshire. The semi-finalists gathered in Washington, DC from June 22-27, 1985 for a conference on space education and to meet with the National Review Panel that would select the 10 finalists.

In the autumn of that year, both she and Morgan took a year-long leave of absence from teaching (NASA paid their salaries) to train for an early 1986 space shuttle mission. While not a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps, she would be part of the STS-51-L crew and would conduct experiments and teach lessons from space. Her planned duties included basic science experiments in the fields of chromatography, hydroponics, magnetism, and Newton's laws. McAuliffe was also planning to conduct two 15-minute classes from space including a tour of the spacecraft called "The Ultimate Field Trip" and a lesson about the benefits of space travel called "Where We've Been, Where We're Going, Why." The lessons were to be broadcast to millions of schoolchildren via closed-circuit TV.

After being chosen to be the first teacher in space, McAuliffe was a guest on several television programs, including Good Morning America, the CBS Morning News, the Today Show, and the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She had an immediate rapport with the media, and the Teacher in Space Project received tremendously popular attention as a result.

On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded Space Shuttle Challenger with the other six crew members of STS-51-L. Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of all seven crew members. According to NASA, it is in part because of the excitement over McAuliffe's presence on Challenger that the accident had such a significant effect on the nation. Many schoolchildren were viewing the launch live, and media coverage of the accident was extensive.

Barbara Morgan, McAuliffe's backup, became a professional astronaut in January 1998. Morgan flew on the space shuttle mission STS-118 aboard Endeavour (the orbiter that replaced Challenger) to the International Space Station on August 8, 2007. She became the first teacher to successfully reach space, 21 years after the Challenger disaster.

McAuliffe's remains were buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, NH. She was honored at many events, including the Daytona 500 auto race in 1986. The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord and the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State College are named in her memory, as are asteroid 3352 McAuliffe, the crater McAuliffe on the Moon, and a crater on the planet Venus that was named McAuliffe by the Soviet Union. Approximately 40 schools around the world have been named after her, including the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Scholarships and other events have also been established in her memory. The Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference has been held every year in Nashua, New Hampshire since 1986, and is devoted to the use of technology in all aspects of education. The Nebraska McAuliffe Prize honors a Nebraska teacher each year for courage and excellence in education. Grants in her name honoring innovative teachers are provided by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Social Studies.

In 1990, McAuliffe was portrayed by Karen Allen in the TV movie Challenger. The spaceship on the 1996–1997 children's science-fiction series Space Cases, about a group of students lost in space, was called "Christa". In 2006, a documentary film about McAuliffe and Morgan called Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars aired on CNN. The film, produced by Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges, commemorated the 20th anniversary of McAuliffe's death. The 75-minute feature version was narrated by Susan Sarandon and included an original song by Carly Simon.

McAuliffe's parents worked with Framingham State College to establish the McAuliffe Center for Education. Her husband Steven remarried and became a federal judge in 1992, serving with the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire in Concord. McAuliffe's son Scott completed graduate studies in marine biology and her daughter Caroline went on to pursue the same career as her mother: teaching. On July 23, 2004, McAuliffe was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush.

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Project NEXUS

Originally a collaboration among University of Maryland, College Park (UM), (a large, primarily majority population university), Bowie State University (BSU), Maryland (a smaller, historically black university) and Hands On Science Outreach, Inc. (HOSO), (a national organization developing and administering informal science education classes for children), it has evolved into a collaborative with Coppin State University (CSU), (Maryland) and available informal science education internships. The award was made in 2005 and with continued NSF approval, is planned to run until 2010.

The key assumption is that science educational practices require systemic reform within the undergraduate science subject matter and education classes, prospective teachers’ field based experiences, and professional development during new teachers induction years (NSF, 1993; NRC, 1997; Sunal, Wright, & Day, 2004).

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0455752. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

To what extent of success (and for what reasons) undergraduate elementary teacher education majors, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, with demonstrated interest and performance in science, can be recruited and prepared to teach upper elementary/middle science in a manner consistent with Standards-based recommendations?

The proposed project will promote quality science education by developing and testing an exemplary model that will prepare, support and sustain upper elementary and middle level specialist science teachers. Project NEXUS teachers will benefit from a baccalaureate program that features connecting undergraduate science content with pedagogy seminars and method courses, supported internship experiences with adolescent students in informal education contexts, field placements in urban professional development schools (PDS) and ongoing innovative educational experiences addressing the needs of minority and urban students, participation in an induction LISTSERV, and continuous university, public school district, and informal education support during their induction years. Participants in the 5-year project include 150 new specialist science teachers and 40 practicing mentor teachers (formal and informal science education domains).

A primary measure of success for this study consists of documenting in Project NEXUS how many interns are recruited, prepared, and then teach Standards-based science to upper level students. The total impact of the innovation in Project NEXUS will be obtained by comparing with current baseline data to what extent the elementary education teacher programs at UM and its partner university, now Coppin State, are able to recruit and prepare new teachers who take upper elementary/middle level science teaching positions and teach in a Standards-based manner, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups. The small studies in Project NEXUS are essential to add to our understanding of the reasons for the outcomes of Project NEXUS.

To what level of success and for what reasons is it possible for undergraduate academic advisors to recruit undergraduate college students with academic majors and minors in content, particularly those who are members of underrepresented groups, to be science specialist upper elementary/middle school teachers?

A case study was conducted during Y1 of Project NEXUS. The focus was on documenting and interpreting the recruitment efforts made in Project NEXUS. Participants included the education and science content advisors at UM and BSU (n=12) as well as the Project NEXUS leadership and representatives from the UM College of Education Minority Institute and Minority Achievement and Urban Education (n=5). Data consisted of individual and focus group interviews with the advisors, and observation data of advisor/advisee interactions. In addition, all minority candidates who were successfully recruited by the advisors were be invited to complete an Closed-ended question|open ended]] survey that asked them to share the reason(s) for their decision to teach science to upper elementary/middle level students. Based on a review of the survey responses by the Project NEXUS leadership, a purposive selection of new minority recruits that represent the range of reasons for choosing to study elementary teacher preparation (approximately n= 10) was invited to participate in a focus group conversation. The focus group conversation was audiotaped and later transcribed. The question explored in the focus group conversation was why currently underrepresented groups in science are drawn to (or possibly not) to teach science to upper elementary/middle level students.

In addition, during fall of Y1 of Project NEXUS, baseline data on graduates from the UM and BSU elementary education teacher preparation programs were obtained by use of a survey sent out in the mail. This baseline data will be used in Y5 of Project NEXUS to compare the results of Project NEXUS. The baseline data was collected by use of a 51-item survey instrument developed and field-tested by the Project Director of Project NEXUS (McGinnis) in earlier NSF-funded research, “MCTP New Teachers Beliefs and Practices of Mathematics and Science.” The instrument will be revised by elimination of the items related to mathematics (23 items). The new instrument (“New Teachers Beliefs and Practices of Science”) will be administered mid-year to all the UM and BSU new teachers’ during their first year of teaching.

To what level of success and for what reasons does participation in undergraduate science content courses that exemplify the use of an inquiry perspective affect the recruitment and preparation of teacher interns, particularly those who are members of underrepresented groups, to be science specialist upper elementary/middle school teachers?

A pre-test, post-test study design was used to assess the impact of the transformed courses on the sophomore teacher interns’ learning (attitudes and beliefs dimensions). The instrument used was a revised version of a valid and reliable data collection tool, “Attitudes and Beliefs of the Nature of and the teaching of Mathematics and Science” (McGinnis, et al, 2002). The revised instrument used for both the pre-test (administered the first day of the courses) and the post-test (administered the last day of the courses) consists of 19 science items taken verbatim from the original survey. The pre-test, open-ended items were 1) Are you enrolled in an elementary education teacher preparation program?, 2) Assuming you did have to teach, what grade levels would you teach science?, and 3) How would you teach science?

The post-test open ended items would ask interns to respond to: 1) To what degree and for what reason(s) their science course encouraged them to seriously consider teaching upper level/middle level science; and 2) to what degree and for what reason(s) their science course encouraged them to teach science in an inquiry-based manner. The sample includes all the teacher education interns who expressed interest in teaching upper elementary/middle level science and who are enrolled in the designated transformative science content course at both UM and BSU during Project Year 2 (28). The Likert item data has been quantitatively analyzed to report means by item and to look for statistically significant changes between the pre-and post-administrations of the survey. The open-ended items will be analyzed using the qualitative technique of open coding to look for trends and patterns. Data has been disaggregated to highlight minority students’ responses.

The research articles resulting from this Y2 study report the role of a transformative science course in recruiting elementary education interns, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, to teach upper elementary/middle school science in a Standards-based manner. Both quantitative and qualitative empirical data are reported.

To what level of success and for what reasons do field-based placements in after school informal science education programs that serve adolescent students affect the recruitment (and preparation) of college students, particularly those who are members of underrepresented groups, to be science specialist upper elementary/middle level teachers?

During Y2, in the fall, 2006 we piloted the training of undergraduate teacher interns placed in Hands on Science Outreach (HOSO) afterschool courses. Our pilot group consisted of 4 interns, 1 male and 3 females (all African American). We adapted HOSO’s training for Adult Learners to two 3 hour training sessions for our teacher interns.

In the spring, 2007 we scaled-up our training of undergraduate teacher interns placed in HOSO. Our scaled-up group whom we were able to recruit consisted of 1 male and 24 females (a mixture of Black/ African American, Asian, Hispanic, and White backgrounds). We further refined our training to consist of a 1 hour orientation session and a follow-up 2 hour training session. This version of the HOSO training was evaluated to fit seamlessly in the academic programs of undergraduate teacher interns.

Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies have been used to investigate this question. Quantitatively, data collection consists of participant responses to a pre-and post-test survey Likert survey that examine the intern’s attitudes and beliefs regarding teaching science to upper elementary/middle level students. The instrument used is a revised version of a valid and reliable data collection tool, “Attitudes and Beliefs of the Nature of and the teaching of Mathematics and Science” (McGinnis, et al, 2002). The revised instrument used for both the pre-test (administered the week before interns begin the HOSO apprenticeship) and the post-test (administered the week following completion of the HOSO internship) consists of 19 science items taken verbatim from the original survey. Qualitatively, data collection consists of pre-test open-ended items that includes: 1) What grade levels do you want to teach science? 2) How do you intend to teach science?, and 3) For what reason(s) are you participating as an Adult Leader’s apprentice in the HOSO after school informal science program? Post-test open ended items will include:1) To what degree and for what reason(s) did the HOSO after school science course encourage you to seriously consider teaching upper level/middle level science?; and 2) to what degree and for what reason(s) did the HOSO after school internship encourage them to teach science in an inquiry-based manner?

A comparison study was also conducted that examines the responses of the Project NEXUS participants’ and a sample of matched elementary major teacher candidates (selected to include subjects from UM and BSU) who do not participate in the informal science internship (n=30). The sample that does not participate in the HOSO after school informal science program has responded to the same Likert items taken from the revised McGinnis instrument “Attitudes and Beliefs of the Nature of and the Teaching of Mathematics and Science.” The instruments was administered the same weeks that the Project NEXUS HOSO participants responded to their instruments. Pre-test open-ended items for the non-HOSO participating sample included: 1) What grade levels do you want to teach science? 2) How do you intend to teach science?, and 3) For what reason(s) are you not participating as an Adult Leader’s apprentice in the HOSO after school informal science program? Post-test open-ended items for the non-HOSO participating sample will include: At this time, 1) What grade levels do you want to teach science? 2) How do you intend to teach science? In addition, a selection of Project NEXUS interns participated in a small number of case studies (n=6) that included documentation and interpretation of their experiences during their HOSO informal science education placements. At least four of the case studies feature minority teacher candidates who represented, respectively, UM and BSU (two from each institution). Data consist of ongoing audiotaped and transcribed interviews with the interns, weekly intern email journal reflections on their experiences, Adult Leaders’ observations and reflections on the interns’ participation as HOSO apprentices, and researcher field notes. Open coding, analytic induction and constant comparison will be used to analyze the data.

The anticipated research article that results from this Y3 study will report the role of the informal science field placement for elementary education interns, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, to teach upper elementary/middle school science in a Standards-based manner. Both quantitative and qualitative empirical data will be reported.

To what level of success and for what reasons participation in a transformative science methods course and a senior year PDS placement in an urban environment that includes an organizing theme of data collection and statistical analysis affects the recruitment (and preparation) of college students, particularly those who are members of underrepresented groups, to be science specialist upper elementary/middle level teachers?

A pre-test, post-test mixed methodology study of the Project NEXUS cohort’s beliefs and teaching practices will be conducted. We will disaggregate data to highlight the responses of the minority interns. We will use in totality the existing valid and reliable instrument developed earlier by McGinnis et. al (“Attitudes and Beliefs About the Nature of and the Teaching of Mathematics and Science”) to measure the variables. In addition we will add the following open-ended items to the pre-test: 1) What grade levels do you want to teach science? 2) How do you intend to teach science? We will add the following open-ended items to the post-test: 1) What grade levels do you want to teach science? 2) How do you intend to teach science?, and 3) and 2) to what degree and for what reason(s) did their science methods course and their field based PDS placement encourage them to teach science in an inquiry-based manner that included a focus on data management and statistical analysis? The Likert item data will be quantitatively analyzed to report means by item and to look for statistically significant changes between the pre-and post-administrations of the survey. The open-ended items will be analyzed using the qualitative technique of open coding to look for trends and patterns. Data will be disaggregated to highlight minority students’ responses. In addition, a number of qualitative case studies (n= 10) will be conducted of UM and BSU interns as they experience in their senior year the semester long transformative science methods course and their yearlong PDS urban field placements. At least 6 of the participants will be minority teacher candidates, representing both BSU and UM (3 from each institution). Data will consist of ongoing audiotaped and transcribed interviews with the participating interns, weekly intern email journal reflections on their experiences, the science instructors’ observations and reflections on the interns’ participation in the science methods course, and researcher field notes. Open coding, analytic induction and constant comparison will be used to analyze the data. Also, during their science methods course, a field- tested HOSO calendar product will be used in as a research data collection instrument regarding the interns’ understanding of data management and statistical analysis as well as the role of informal science in promoting Standards-based science teaching and learning.

Two research articles will result from this Y4 study in Project NEXUS. One will report the role of the transformative science methods course that includes an instructional theme of data management and statistical management in recruiting elementary education interns, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, to teach upper elementary/middle school science in a Standards-based manner. Both quantitative and qualitative empirical data will be reported. A second study will examine the role of a senior level yearlong PDS urban field placement in recruiting elementary education interns, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, to teach upper elementary/middle school science in a Standards-based manner.

To what extent of success (and for what reasons) undergraduate elementary teacher education majors, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, with demonstrated interest and performance in science can be recruited and prepared to teach upper elementary/middle science in a manner consistent with Standards-based recommendations?

This overarching research question in Project NEXUS will be answered in Y5 of Project NEXUS by comparing the performance of the UM and the BSU Project NEXUS elementary teacher preparation program in producing new teachers who take upper elementary/middle level science teaching positions, particularly those from currently underrepresented groups, with current performances of the two teacher preparation programs (baseline data collected fall 2005). A t-test will be used to examine for significance in differences. Baseline performance data that will be collected by use of survey methodology in Y1 of Project NEXUS will consist of post graduation UM and BSU new teacher information on the grade level teaching positions they have taken and on their reported beliefs of science as a discipline and teaching practices, disaggregated by the interns’ demographic background. Evidence of success will be measured by if there is a significant increase of the number of Project NEXUS new teachers who take upper elementary/middle level teaching positions and who express beliefs of science as a discipline and teaching practices in alignment with Standards-based recommendations (baseline data, Year 1). The data described above will be collected by use of a revised 51-item survey instrument developed and field-tested by the Project Director of Project NEXUS (McGinnis) in earlier NSF-funded research, “MCTP New Teachers Beliefs and Practices of Mathematics and Science.” The instrument will be revised by elimination of the items related to mathematics (23 items). The new instrument (“New Teachers Beliefs and Practices of Science”) will be administered mid-year to all the UM and BSU new teachers’ during their first year of teaching.

In addition, a small number of qualitative case studies (n=8) will be conducted in the spring of their first year of teaching of the BSU and UM new teachers who report that they are teaching in upper elementary/middle level schools and in a manner in alignment with Standards-based recommendations. The case study participants will include graduates from both UM and BSU, including the majority (n>5) representing currently underrepresented groups. Data collection will include interviews (individual and focus group), artifact analysis of their lesson plans, and reflective email journal responses. A central area of investigation will be their perspective on to what level of impact (if any) the various aspects of Project NEXUS had on their job decision-making and on their instructional decision-making.

Two anticipated research articles will result from this Y5 study. One will report the survey results of the new teachers responses to our survey compared to our baseline data set collected during Y1 of our 5-year study. A second study will report the case studies of the new teachers.

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Brenda DoHarris

Brenda DoHarris is a writer who was born and raised in British Guiana (now Guyana).

She is a professor of English at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland and a graduate of Columbia University and Howard University where she received a PhD in English. The first Guyanese woman to run in Guyana for office of presidency of a trades union, she became actively involved in the Guyanese political movement for democracy during the 1970s.

She has travelled widely in Africa, the Caribbean and China, where she attended the U.S.\China Joint Conference on Women's Issues. Her area of scholarly interest is post-colonial women's literature.

Her novel, The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers is a fictional exploration of a young Black woman's coming of age in British Guiana of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Told against the backdrop of political and racial turbulence, the novel employs a first-person narrative format and proffers a well defined portrait of the main character's recollection of her family life, her oppressive school teachers, her friends' doomed inter-racial romance and her thoughts on race and identity.

Her latest novel, "Calabash Parkway," is about Guyanese immigrant women in Brooklyn, New York, women who struggle against the odds to gain legal residence.

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Toni Braxton

Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards and has sold over forty million records worldwide. Her number-one single, "Un-break My Heart", is the second biggest selling single by a female singer in Billboard history. Braxton has a contralto vocal range.

Braxton topped the Billboard 200 with her 1993 self-titled debut album and continued that streak with her second studio album Secrets, which spawned the number-one smash hit "Un-Break My Heart". After filing for bankruptcy, Braxton returned with her chart-topping third album, The Heat. Her most recent albums were More Than a Woman, her last release under the Arista label, and Libra, her first and only release on Blackground.

Braxton was involved in the 7th season of the reality show Dancing with the Stars. Her professional partner was Alec Mazo. She was eliminated from the show on October 21, 2008 on Week 5 of the competition. She was confirmed to be one of the headliners for the Dancing With The Star Winter Tour.

Toni's father was a clergyman, and the Braxton kids were raised in a strict religious household. Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir. She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr who heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.

Braxton and her four sisters (Traci, Trina, Towanda, and Tamar) began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990. Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

With Braxton's low register sounding similar to that of Anita Baker, Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.

On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton. The album, which was primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts and no 2 in the UK. More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and "How Many Ways".

Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album). Toni Braxton was certified 8x Platinum and has sales of over 15 million worldwide.

In 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, Secrets. Braxton has said about the album: "The motivation for this album was to include a little bit of everything. Our aim was to come up with material that would have a familiar 'feel' to the people who bought the first album without being musically redundant." Along with Babyface, Braxton also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album. Braxton was the co-executive producer of the album and co-wrote two of its songs, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which was also later included on Diana Princess of Wales Tribute, a Princess Diana memorial album.

With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High" (which became Braxton's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 singles chart), the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart. "You're Makin' Me High" also topped the R&B singles chart for two weeks and saw similar success in Europe and Asia. The album's second single, "Un-Break My Heart" (written by Diane Warren) — which would later become the singer's signature song — became the biggest hit of her career spending eleven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and also topping the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks as well as reaching no 2 in the UK Other singles from the album included the double A-side "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him" (which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart) and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" which featured Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured. After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets is certified 8x platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 20 million copies, concreting Braxton's superstar status.

Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Hot 100 Singles Artist — Female, Top R&B Artist — Female (singles and albums), Top Hot R&B Singles Artist — Female, Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist, and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, while "Un-Break My Heart" became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single and the Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track of the year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.

In 1998, Braxton filed for Chapter 7 protection from a reported $3.9 million debt. All of her personal household possessions were tagged and marked for sale to pay off her creditors, including her prestigious awards. The humiliating and highly publicized bankruptcy taught her a lesson, she says. In the middle of the bankruptcy proceedings, Braxton was able to pursue her acting dreams when she was offered the role of "Belle" in Disney's musical, Beauty and the Beast, a role she played on Broadway beginning September 1998. She replaced Kim Huber and remained with the show through February 1999 where she was then replaced by Andrea McArdle. Braxton was the first African American woman to play a Disney character leading role on Broadway.

In early 1999, Braxton and LaFace resolved their legal conflict. Issued with a brand new contract worth a reported $25 million, a satisfied Braxton continued to record for the label. Though the legalities with her LaFace and Arista subsided, Braxton saw a steep sales decline with her forthcoming releases with the label.

In January 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. By June 2000, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 chart. Braxton's music video for "He Wasn't Man Enough", which also featured actress Robin Givens, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Female Video and Best R&B Video and a Billboard Music Video Award for Best R&B Clip of the Year.

The Heat, meanwhile, was released on April 25, 2000. Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart with first week sales of 205,000, it remained in the top 20 for fifteen consecutive weeks. Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster; also included in the staple were Rodney Jerkins, and new beau musician Keri Lewis. Braxton herself also took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks. "Gimme Some", a track on "The Heat", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.

The albums second single, "Just Be a Man About It", peaked at number thirty-two on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B Charts. The third single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at number ninety-eight on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance & Club charts. The fourth single, "Maybe", peaked at seventy-four on the R&B charts.

By the end of the year, The Heat was certified 2x platinum. Also in February 2000, Braxton performed alongside Enrique Iglesias and Christina Aguilera during the Super Bowl Halftime show.

Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist — Female, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist — Female, and Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist — Female. She also received the 2000 Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Braxton also picked up her sixth Grammy Award for "He Wasn't Man Enough" which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album was nominated for Best R&B Album. It won Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2001 American Awards, her third win in a row.

While gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. Subsequently, the album was released as planned and received very little promotion from the label or Braxton herself, due to a complicated pregnancy that confined her to bed rest. Braxton accused the company of being unwilling to compromise and punishing her from not putting her career over family.

On the show VH1 Inside Out — Family Comes First, she documented the hardships of being pregnant with her second child at the same time as promoting an album.

In November 2002, Braxton's fourth studio album More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number thirteen, with first week sales of 97,000. The first single, the The Neptunes-produced, "Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked at number eighty-six on the Hot 100. The two singles that followed ("A Better Man", "Lies, Lies, Lies") also failed to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely. Meanwhile, a promotional vinyl was sent out to DJs for "Give It Back"/"Let Me Show You the Way (Out)".

Prior to the release of the album, a dispute erupted between Braxton and Irv Gotti when he played a rough cut of "No More Love", a song that he produced for the album that was to be the first single. Disapproving of Gotti broadcasting the unfinished track, Braxton withheld it from being released. The same year, Braxton was further annoyed when Jay-Z used the same sample of 2Pac's "Me And My Girlfriend" that she had already used on her track "Me & My Boyfriend" for his and Beyonce's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Furious, Braxton lashed out in a radio interview, accusing Jay-Z and producer Kanye West of taking money out of her children's college fund.

Many fans, and allegedly Braxton herself (only because of her bittersweet relationship with Arista at the time) considered this to be her worst album. Unlike her previous releases, with More Than a Woman, Braxton delved into hip hop with a bevy of guest rappers including Baby and Loon. The album has sold 435,000 copies in the U.S., falling short of expectations.

In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for fourteen years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records—headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. The change of scenery, however, did not ultimately help her recording career. As had been the case during her final years at Arista—Braxton's fifth album, and first release on Blackground, Libra was released with scant promotion and accumulated poor sales.

In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released "Please"—the first single from her fifth album, Libra. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued on September 27. Unfortunately for Braxton, her troubles with weak album promotion and lack of label commitment weren't over. "Please" peaked at number thirty-six on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The album lacked promotion by Blackground, causing it to go under the radar of many.

Despite this, Libra still managed to debut at number four on the Billboard 200 selling 114,593 copies in the first week. Libra also peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Although that is strong for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet another commercial disappointment for Braxton.

The albums second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" received less airplay and peaked at number sixty-seven on the R&B chart. The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence of the single and lack of label support. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 431,000 copies.

Almost immediately after Libra's release, Blackground halted promotion of the album and later scrapped plans for a re-release. An upset portion of Braxton's fanbase created an online petition to encourage J Records to sign her. Braxton's fans later hoped that "I Wanna Be (Your Baby)" would be a next single off from Libra due to her performing at numerous events, including Good Morning America in December 2005, but it was not to be.

Braxton, meanwhile, recorded a song with Il Divo titled "The Time of Our Lives". The song was used as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem and was performed at the championship's opening day in Berlin, Germany on June 9. The song was also performed at the closing ceremonies making Braxton and II Divo the first artists to be asked perform for the opening and closing ceremonies. The song peaked at number seventeen in Germany. As a result Edel Records decided to re-release Libra in Germany, including a new album cover, artwork, and the new anthem.

Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of American Idol 5 where she performed Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks.

On May 19, 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that Braxton would replace Wayne Newton as the casino's new headlining act on August 3, 2006. The show, entitled Toni Braxton: Revealed, was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through March 2007. Braxton Later confirmed that she was extending her show through August 2007. The show became the first headlining show from an African American performer in Las Vegas to enter the top ten Vegas shows charting. Due to the success of the show, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through August 2008. The singer subsequently took time off after being hospitalized for chest pains in April 2008. The show was later cancelled, and it was announced that the show was officially shut down in order for the singer to focus on her health.

Braxton has been released from her contract with Blackground after a number of disputes with former manager Barry Hankerson.

On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S District Court in Manhattan against Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing," in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records. According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that "Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista" and telling Braxton that "Arista was not interested in working with her anymore." Braxton also accused Hankerson of failing to send her on request copies of accounting statements, lying about deals that he made on her behalf and engaging in a vendetta against her by refusing to provide information to other managers that she sought to employ to manage her career.

The suit was settled with Braxton returning a $375,000 advance to Hankerson—who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album—and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also limits the companies in which Braxton can sign with.

In early August, various internet websites including TMZ.com and In Touch Weekly magazine began announcing that Braxton would be appearing on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars.

The full cast of the next season of the show was confirmed on August 25, 2008 on Good Morning America, which confirmed Braxton as a contestant in the season with her partner being Alec Mazo.

It was announced Toni Braxton, Lance Bass, Maurice Greene, and Marlee Matlin are the headliners for "Dancing with the Stars" winter tour starting in December 2008 and finishing in February 2009.

It has been announced that Braxton recently signed to Atlantic Records. Braxton is currently selecting songs to record for her album, while competing on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Atlantic Records hopes to have music out by Braxton in early 2009.

In November 2008's issue of Jet Magazine, Toni Braxton sat down with interviewer Marti Parham and disscussed her time spent on "Dancing With The Star" as well as dealing with her son's autism. Braxton also talked about recently being signed to Atlantic Records and the debut of her up-coming single, "Get Loose", an up-tempo track. She added that the complete CD is scheduled to come out next year, 2009. She also hinted at a cooking show with fellow "Dancing With The Stars" competitor, Rocco DiSpirito in 2009.

Toni Braxton has teamed up with Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas of The Underdogs for her upcoming album on Atlantic Records. The production duo previously collaborated with the artist on the tracks “Supposed to Be” , "Finally" and “I Wanna Be Your Baby” .

Other musicians backing Braxton on the as-yet-untitled project are Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Beyonce Knowles), The Writing Camp: Evan “Kidd” Bogart, Erika “E-Nuri” Nuri & David “DQ” Quinones (Britney Spears, Christina Milian), Soulshock & Karlin: Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin (Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige), Claude Kelly (Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston) and Nadir “Red One” Khayat (Enrique Iglesias, Lionel Richie).

In early November 2008, a new song entitled "Melt (Like An Iceberg)" was leaked on the internet and is the rumored first single from Toni's new album "Pulse" out to release in 2009. Additionally, in mid-December 2008 the Rodney Jerkins produced "Get Loose" leaked from Toni's upcoming "Pulse" set to release in 2009.

Braxton dated football player Curtis Martin from 1997 to 1998. She then met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour. On April 21, 2001, they married. On December 2, 2001, she gave birth to their first child, a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born on March 31, 2003.

In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was reported that Braxton broke down in tears discussing her son, Diezel, who was recently diagnosed with autism. Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier, he could have been helped.

As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

As of August 2007, rumors surfaced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Toni stated to Access Hollywood that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health is in great condition. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast.

On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end on August 23, 2008, were canceled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).

Braxton has appeared on two Disney Broadway shows: "Beauty and the Beast" (as Belle) in 1998 and "Aida" (as Aida) in 2003. Her role in "Beauty and the Beast" marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway. In 2001, she made her acting debut in the feature film Kingdom Come. In August 2005, Braxton announced that she would be shooting a sitcom pilot for The WB's fall 2006 line-up, though plans to put the show into full-production fell through when The WB announced it would cease to exist in fall 2006 (as part of a merger with UPN to form The CW).

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Henry Frazier, III

Henry Frazier, III is a college football coach in the United States. As of completion of the 2007 season, his career record is 44 wins and 49 losses.

Fraizer's first collegiate head coaching position was the head coach at Bowie State University for five seasons, from 1999 to 2003. At Bowie State, his teams produced a record of 26 wins and 24 losses.

After Bowie State, Frazier was named the current head college football coach for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers located in Prairie View, Texas. He has held that position since the 2004 season and is the 23rd football coach at the school. His career coaching record at Prairie View was 18 wins, 25 losses, and 0 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him sixth at Prairie View in total wins and tenth at Prairie View in winning percentage (0.419).

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Martha Settle Putney

Martha Settle Putney (Nov. 9, 1916 – Dec. 11, 2008) was an American educator and historian who chronicled the roles of African Americans in the armed forces. After serving as one of the first black members of the Women's Army Corps during World War II, she devoted her life to researching and documenting the military service and achievements of black Americans. Following a period of employment with the War Manpower Commission after her discharge from the army, she entered the academic world, earning a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and pursuing a distinguished teaching career at Bowie State College (now Bowie State University) in Maryland, where she chaired the history and geography department, and later at Howard University, her alma mater, in Washington, D.C. Upon retiring from the faculty at Howard, she embarked on a writing career that included three books and over 20 journal articles. At the time of her death at age 92 she was working on a fourth book portraying the contributions of blacks in combat dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Martha Settle was born to Oliver and Ida Settle of Norristown, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1916. Her father worked as a laborer to support his wife and eight children.

As a young woman, she helped garner black votes for a candidate for Congress whom she had heard speak. The candidate won, and with his help she got a scholarship to Howard University, where she received a bachelor's degree (1939) and master's degree in history (1940).

Martha Settle was one of 40 African-American women selected for the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in 1943. She soon earned the rank of Lieutenant and was assigned to a basic training company at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. There, she was relegated to menial duties such as leading drills and teaching calisthenics. She asked for, and was granted, permission to attend Adjutant General's School in San Antonio to train for an executive or administrative position. This led to an assignment as commanding officer of a WAC Hospital Company at the Gardiner General Hospital in Chicago, a position she held for the rest of the war.

After the war, she returned to her job with the Manpower Commission, where she met William M. Putney. They were married in 1948 and had one child, William, Jr. Her husband died in 1965.

Making use of the G.I. Bill, she enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania and in 1955 received her PhD in European History. After brief stints at Morgan State University and Prairie View A&M University, she joined Bowie State College's history and geography department, which she chaired until 1974. She then returned to her alma mater, Howard University, where she held the position of Senior Lecturer until 1983.

Her second book, When the Nation was in Need: Blacks in the Women's Army Corps During World War II (Scarecrow Press, 1992), drew not only on the author's personal experience in the army but also from "archival records, manuscripts, documents, contemporary newspaper accounts and interviews, statements, and the personal files of those who served". It received the 1993 Outstanding Book on Human Rights award of the Gustav Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in America.

Dr. Putney was the editor of Blacks in the United States Army: Portraits Through History (McFarland, 2003), a pictorial collection whose paintings and sketches "depict black army personnel at war, as war casualties, at prayer, in peacetime assignments, in training, at play and at leisure, and as military musicians." Each illustration is accompanied by a narrative along with the artist's name, medium used, location of the original, and other information.

Dr. Putney published numerous articles in scholarly journals including the Maryland Historical Magazine, Journal of Negro History, Negro History Bulletin, and the Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

She also was a frequent contributor to the Northeast News, a community newspaper.

Dr. Putney was a member of the NAACP and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). She volunteered at the Smithsonian Institution and was on the editorial board of the Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

Dr. Martha Settle Putney died on December 11, 2008, at the Community Hospice of Washington in the District of Columbia. The cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On February 10, 2009, she was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

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