Relationship Violence Awareness Month (RVAM) brings people together to create and generate discussion and skill-building on how to prevent relationship violence in our schools, workplaces, and communities. While providing support and care to survivors of relationship violence is an everyday action, this awareness month also carves out intentional moments to honor and believe survivors’ stories and experiences. As we continue this work throughout the pandemic, it is also critical for us to consider how the intersections of covid-19 and social isolation have exacerbated relationship violence over the past several months.  

Since most of campus remains learning and working remotely, we won’t be able to physically come together this October to do this critical work in person. The Women’s Center and all of our campus partners including the Office of Equity and Inclusion, University Health Services, the Counseling Center, Green Dot, We Believe You, and Retriever Courage, and more will nonetheless continue to promote awareness and prevention this month. 

Learn - Throughout the month of October, the Women’s Center will be focusing on various topics and issues related to relationship violence awareness and prevention. Key themes we will be exploring include: The Covid-Crossings of Relationship Violence, Relationship Violence’s Matrix of Oppression, and Un/Healthy Relationships for Young Adults. 

We’ll be sharing weekly postings to help guide your self-learning that will include relevant webinars or events, podcasts or blogs, and on and off-campus resources. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) to engage in this content for learning and skill-building. Leave us comments or ask questions.

Witness - Last April, the Women’s Center in partnership with survivors created a zine in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The stories, the poems, and images are timeless and are relevant today as they were in April. Please help us bear witness to the experiences of survivors by reading Survivors to the Front: A Call to Witness. We will also reshare images from our virtual Clothesline Project and post images from past Clothesline Project displays hosted on campus. 

Come Together - The We Believe You discussion group meets weekly on Wednesdays at 4pm. Survivors of power-based violence are welcomed to join this virtual community hosted by the Women’s Center with support from the We Believe You student org. Email womenscenter@umbc.edu for more details on how you can join this virtual discussion. The We Believe You student org also hosts General Body Meetings. Follow their myUMBC page or email them at webelieveyou.umbc@gmail.com for more information. Aspiring allies and survivors are also invited to join the work of the Inclusion Council by expressing their interest to be a part of the sexual misconduct workgroup.

Stay tuned to our myUMBC page for other events or webinars we may promote throughout the month hosted by our campus and/or off-campus partners.

Do not hesitate to reach out for questions, concerns, or care.

TurnAround, Inc. Helpline (Available 24/7): 443-279-0379; Office: 410-377-8111

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 24/7, confidential and free: 1-800-799-7233 and through chat. 

The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 24/7, confidential and free: 800-656-HOPE (4673) and through chat.

Additional Maryland resources are available via OEI’s website

Visit Retriever Courage for a more extensive list of off-campus resources and support

Follow the Women’s Center on myUMBC,  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for RVAM updates and information throughout the month of October.

Hello Everyone!

CWIT Student Council is proud to announce we are offering semesterly packages! The first 150 people to sign up will get a package from CWIT SC, so sign up fast before we run out. Some of the items include… actually, fill out the form to find out. Also, if you are currently a part of the LLC (on or off campus) you will be receiving your package later on so no need to subscribe. 

If you have any questions, please contact fwatson1@umbc.edu or ondalam1@umbc.edu.

All the best,

CWIT Student Council

In a recently published story, the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences highlighted the public health impact of more than a decade of NIH funded research in the Ghosh laboratory.  The technology development is a result of multiple research projects over the years that explored fundamental processes involved in controlling exposure of toxic pollutants to aquatic organisms and humans. An innovative technology, developed with funding from the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP), successfully delivers amendments that immobilize and degrade polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in aquatic environments. The technology has proven effective in the field and resulted in millions of dollars in estimated cost savings at cleanup sites.

Read the whole story: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/centers/srp/phi/archives/remediation/sedimite/index.cfm

Understanding how cells respond to stress

We have a tutorial meeting today! We'll be going off of what we did last time and cover how to put art assets in your game, and what to consider when it comes to making and using these assets.

if interested, join the general voice chat in our discord during free hour from 12 - 1pm

The link to our server is here: https://discord.gg/k9QKByV

Come hear about how to become a research-entrepreneur, and how to commercialize and patent your research.

For more  information contact:

Are you looking for a job or internship? Do you need help navigating the process? Looking for tips to improve your resume or interviewing skills? Not sure what jobs will be a good match? Then the Career Success Club is for you!

Together we will learn about effective resumes, job searching, and networking - or whatever the group needs. It will be an opportunity to share resources, connections, and stories to help each other make career decisions and set goals. We will keep each other accountable to the goals and action steps we create. 

Hearing from peers who are currently in (or have been) in the same situation can give helpful insight and generate new ideas and perspectives. If you ever wished there was a class about selecting and getting a job - this experience is for you (but don't worry, it is not a class and the only "homework" will be working towards your personal goals).

The Career Success Club is open to all UMBC students and 2020 graduates. We will meet weekly for five weeks and participants are expected to attend all virtual meetings. Once the group is established, we will work to find the best time for us to all meet. Please be prepared to make an ongoing commitment throughout the semester.

Sign-up by completing this brief form: https://forms.gle/4jeUwDyyT7GnBGxs9

YOU MUST REGISTER BY 10/5/20

for vibration data analysis and online portal development

ACTIVEcharge LLC is seeking a Programmer Intern for the development of vibration signal acquisition/analysis program. This position provides exciting opportunities to contribute to an integrated structural monitoring platform using battery-free wireless sensor nodes.

Job Descriptions:
• Program development: vibration signal conversion (analog to JSON) and merge to the vibration signal analysis code
• Display analyzed information in a web portal

The ideal candidate will have a BS or MS degree in computer science or electrical/mechanical engineering, with a strong background in programming skills. The candidate must have experience in handling sensor data conversion (analog to JSON) and commercial microcontroller kit (e.g., Arduino Yun) or single board computer (e.g., Raspberry Pi). The intern should also be able to create a web portal and display analyzed information in intuitive graphical formats. This intern position will start in October 2020.  Application should be sent to contact@ACTIVEcharge.us with a cover letter and resume.

Required Skills:
• Computer programming language (e.g. MATLAB, Python, Arduino language)
• Data acquisition from microcontroller system (e.g. Arduino Yun, Raspberry Pi)
• Web programming (to create portal)

Desired Skills (not required):
• NI DAQ with LabView (function generation, data acquisition)
• Experience with wireless transmission module (e.g. ZigBee) and vibration sensor (accelerometer)

About ACTIVEcharge:
ACTIVEcharge LLC is a university startup founded in 2018, working on energy harvesting and autonomous wind turbine system monitoring without battery replacement. Located in Washington D.C./Baltimore area, we are collaborating with multiple federal/state agencies, research labs, and industrial partners. More information at https://ACTIVEcharge.us 

PhD Student Research Assistantship, Environmental Engineering