Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE) is piloting a new advising website, supporting students in computer engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering. The new site was developed by students through the spring 2015 course “Principles of Programming Languages,” taught by CSEE lecturer Shawn Lupoli.

Searching for a real-world project to focus on, the students identified a need to update the CSEE department’s advising sign-up process. Lupoli oversaw the development of the project and coordinated the implementation of the new advising sign-up system. Joe Popoloski of Next Century, a technology development company in Baltimore, provided feedback throughout the course on the development of the tool, and the site was recently tested by a group of freshmen and sophomore students, who offered feedback on the user experience. UMBC students Jeanice Hwang ‘15, biological studies, and Jeremy Suon ‘17, computer science, developed the application model that is being used during the fall 2015 semester.

Cathy Bielawski, director, undergraduate student services, provided support and guidance to the students, many of whom had not previously programmed web-based applications or used databases in other computer science classes. The project allowed students to get useful HTML coding experience, and to benefit from the results of their work. More than 200 students signed up for advising during the first week of the site pilot.

Lupoli shares that in addition to gaining familiarity with “different programming paradigms” and employing programming languages in a project-based setting, students also benefit from the opportunity to learn how to work collaboratively in a group.

CSEE has a history of exciting collaborations with Next Century. The company previously supported a UMBC course that enabled students learn the fundamentals of software engineering through developing a student alert system. The students in that software engineering course presented their work to clients in an industry setting.

To explore a collaboration opportunity with “Principles of Programming Languages” or to learn more about this course and the advising system, email Shawn Lupoli at slupoli@umbc.edu. To learn more about broader opportunities for companies to partner with faculty and departments to provide enriching, real-world learning opportunities for students, contact Allison Jones, associate director of corporate relations at ajones9@umbc.edu.

The economics department Student Investment Fund was highlighted in a Baltimore Sun July education supplement article featuring student entrepreneurship at colleges and universities in Maryland. The fund began in 2010: “The primary objective of the fund is to provide participating students an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in security research, valuation of risky assets, asset allocation, and portfolio management, and, in turn, to increase the marketability of UMBC students in industries such as equity research, investment banking, commercial banking and corporate finance,” said Chunming Yuan, an assistant professor of economics and faculty adviser to the program. Bradlee Kilgore ’15, economics, is also quoted in the article and participated in the fund as an undergraduate. He is now an associate analyst at T. Rowe Price. “We are able to act as security analysts and portfolio managers, which gives those of us who want a career in the financial industry hands-on experience,” he said. Michael Gardner and Nathan Hefner, founders of NeighborhoodNet, were mentioned in the article for winning the second annual Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition coordinated through the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship. They won $5,000 and a membership at Betamore for their software platform that supports community association websites. Michael Leung, a junior computer science major who served as team lead for HueBots, was quoted in a separate article featuring colleges and universities staying ahead of the curve with technology. He talked about how many people at the Microsoft Image Cup were impressed with the UMBC team’s game because it was fully completed while others were still in the development stages. “The judges were blown away and everyone loved it. Even though we did not win first prize, they all know who UMBC is now.” To read more about the HueBots competition, read “Gaming Gets Real,” on the UMBC website. Note: The online version of the Baltimore Sun education supplement is not yet available. 

Richard Forno, assistant director for UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, addressed the Southwest Baltimore Economic Forum on February 24, 2015.

He considered such questions as: What is cybersecurity? How safe is your network? What threats are there to our government?