If you're an IS major, The iSchool Inclusion Institute is a GREAT opportunity to spice up your undergraduate academic career here at UMBC!

    "The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is an undergraduate research and leadership development program that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. Only 25 students from across the country are selected each year to become i3 Scholars.   i3 prepares students for the rigors of graduate study and empowers students to create change and make an impact on the people around them."

This experience would:

> look superb on any Resume'

>provide lots of networking!

Follow the link provided to learn more and see what other research projects students in your field have worked on!

From Twitter to gender differences, Information Systems can be applied to a diverse range of topics. Pick one and get started today!

Also, check out President Hrabowski with a group of i3 Scholars in the picture!

By Jasmine Malhotra, Graduate Coordinator for Cultural Programs with Student Life’s The Mosaic: Center for Culture & Diversity

UMBC’s Critical Social Justice (CSJ) Week 2015 will be February 16 -20th. As we get closer to the week and all the exciting events that will take place, you may be wondering how you can participate. What makes planning a social justice event different than planning any other event?

First, before planning a social justice event, discussion, or activity, it’s important to understand what social justice means. We recommend doing some more research on your own. A great article to read is “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue around Diversity and Social Justice” by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens. We also encourage you to read Amelia Meman’s CSJ blog post “Why ‘Critical Social Justice.’”  Have more questions about the Critical Social Justice campaign? The Women’s Center or Student Life’s Mosaic Center staff will be offering drop-in info sessions, so stay tuned to the CSJ Facebook page for details.

Here are a few tips to help you start your event planning.  You can also check out the Critical Social Justice Toolkit for more information on engaging in difficult dialogues. Once you have your basic plan, send us your idea here and get ready to help make a difference!

Social Justice Event Planning Tips: 

Step 1: Planning to plan: Pick people whom you can depend on and who are truly committed to making this event happen. Be mindful of diversity – both visible and invisible – and invite people to join you with various social identities so you can really understand your event from all different perspectives.

Step 2: Choosing your theme or what aspect of social justice you want to bring attention to: There are tons and tons of different subtopics, related to social justice from inhumanity towards animals to unequal access to education. Pick a topic that your whole group agrees on and is passionate about.

Step 3: Do some research on your topic to understand who the least advantaged group is and how there is unequal power. Try to understand the issue from multiple perspectives and think about how it impacts people locally and globally. Why and how is this power inequality perpetuated and why does it matter?

Step 4: While it’s impossible to educate people on the entire scope of a particular social justice issue through just one program, think about ways you might introduce people to the central ideas and relevance of the issue. Look for inspiration online and brainstorm ideas with others involved with your event. Find an interesting way to engage the community in your event while also making them understand your issue. The best types of events are often the ones in which people are involved and engaged. Get creative with your idea!

Step 5: Plan the details of your event (e.g. reserving a space, buying materials, publicizing the event, etc. ) and make sure all the planners know what their role is in making the event happen.

Step 6 (Optional but usually helpful): Have opportunities for additional reflection after your event, whether it’s a discussion space or time for writing responses or other thoughts. Also, give participants ideas on how the can stay educated on your topic though further reading, videos, and online resource pages. Share how they can help create change around this topic with potential theme-related service opportunities and advocacy materials.

Dr. Stephen Freeland, an astrobiologist from the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, thinks that convergent evolutionary pressures are strong and that we are bound to run into other human-like creatures out in the universe. Dr. Kevin Omland, evolutionary biologist from the Department of Biological Sciences, challenges that claim and counters with the observation that evolution works rather unpredictably and thinks that the lifeforms that we will encounter in space will be beyond our imagination as intelligence is just one possibility.

The debate will take place from 4:00 to 5:00pm on Wednesday, December 3 in Lecture Hall 2 in the Chemistry building on the UMBC campus. It is sponsored by the Biology Council of Majors and is part of their B-Ethical series.