CSEE Professor Samuel Lomonaco will give an invited talk on “The Strange World of Quantum Computing” as art of the NASA Goddard Engineering Colloquium Series at 3:00pm Monday, March 10 in the Building 3 Auditorium.

Abstract: Quantum computers have the potential to greatly increase computational power beyond the capabilities of conventional computers by exploiting the bizarre quantum properties of the subatomic world. This talk will give an introductory overview of quantum computing in an intuitive and conceptual fashion. No prior knowledge of quantum mechanics will be assumed.

Despite the unusual weather, there was a great turnout for Leadership Panel this past Wednesday, February 26th.  For those who could not attend, additional information is posted below. 

SALAR KHALEGHZADEGAN, RESEARCHER, BRADY UROLOGICAL INSTITUTE & SIDNEY KIMMEL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER, JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, CLASS #2 LEADERSHAPER, 2012-13 FRANCE & MERRICK FELLOW, & UMBC ALUM (CLASS OF ‘13)

 It was after his freshman year that Salar realized he wanted to get involved.  Salar described several leadership roles he had while at UMBC, notably Health Leads, Baltimore Collegetown Network’s Class #2 LeaderShaper and Class #3 On-Site Coordinator.  He described true leadership as knowing and admitting when you've made a mistake.  It is highly beneficial to take the time to work with your group to get their suggestions about how to improve the next time.

 As a past participant in with Summer Urological Research Experience (SURE), Salar recommends this summer internship -http://urology.jhu.edu/research/sure.php.  The application is due March 3rd (SOON!).  Per Salar, the website is pretty informative, the online application easy to complete.  He welcomes any questions at skhaleg1@umbc.edu.

 POULOMI BANERJEE, STRiVER (2013 WINTER PARTICIPANT, 2014 SUMMER COACH)

Poulimi shared "my adviser, Jen Dress, always tells us that when we started in our positions, none of us were technically qualified. It's the experience we got by being in the leadership positions that strengthened our leadership skills and made us qualified. I think that if there's a leadership opportunity, big or small, students should take that opportunity regardless of their experience and skills so that they can gain leadership skills. The great thing about STRiVE is that students learn about how and where they can find those opportunities and make the most out of them."  Poulomi also emphasized that one should not underestimate what they can contribute.  She described that she did not expect she would serve in a leadership role until later in her UMBC career.  She looks forward to her ASB experience with the Gesundheit Institute, eager to connect with and cheer up children who are working through major health challenges.

With great excitement, Poulimi encouraged members to consider STRiVE, which traditionally has been held over Winter Session.   The first Summer Leadership Session will be held May 27th-31st.  Applications will open on Monday, March 3rd at http://my.umbc.edu/groups/lc

Poulimi is happy to answer any questions at sb52379@umbc.edu.

 EMMA GREGER, FELLOW, 2013-14 FRANCE & MERRICK SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Emma shared how influential her Honors College Team Leader Sunaina Khandewal was when Emma was a freshman in the Honors College Forum.  With Sunaina's encouragement, Emma volunteered at Education Based Latino Outreach (EBLO), where Sunaina was the Service-Learning Intern through The Shriver Center.  When Sunaina graduated, Emma became the EBLO Intern.

Emma shared how much she loved being a WOOLIE during Welcome Week.  It was in this leadership role that she experienced the importance of being flexible and thinking quickly on your feet when things don't go as you initially planned.  “Plan B” can be an excellent experience for all of those involved.

As a Scholar her junior year and now as a Fellow, Emma values the network and opportunities for collaboration gained through the France & Merrick Scholarship Program.  Emma is currently applying to the Peace Corps while finishing her last semester as an undergraduate.  Emma welcomes any questions at egreg1@umbc.edu.

Applications for 2014-15 are due by April 1st.  Please see the attachment for application requirements.  

JULICIA COLEMAN, CHOICE JOBS FELLOW, THE CHOICE PROGRAM  Important support systems got Julicia to where she is today.  Julicia provides that to youth through The Choice Jobs Program, placing youth in vocational settings to promote employment readiness.  She described the benefits and challenges in working with youth at the Flying Fruit Fantasy Shake stands at Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor.  There is so much to learn about the food industry (managing a business, safe handling of food, etc.).  Additionally, figuring out a balance between mentor and supervisor can be challenging, especially considering that many of the youth are used to people talking at them.  Julicia recently was promoted as Service Coordinator to lead the team of Fellows in the Prince George’s County, where the program just expanded.  

For more info on the Choice Jobs’ Paid Summer Internship, review the position description below. ACT SOON as interviews have already begun! The majority of the full-time AmeriCorps Fellowship positions (stipend, benefits, an Educational Award) are open in late spring/early summer.  You can begin the interview process now!  For more info on The Choice Program, go to www.choiceprograms.org

KRISTEN GUY, PROGRAM MANAGER, BALTIMORE COLLEGETOWN NETWORK’S LEADERSHAPE PROGRAM Kristen became a LeaderShaper when she was an undergraduate at Towson University.  A number of leadership roles followed, to include LeaderShape On-site Coordinator and SGA President.  Her leadership skills were constantly being put to the test.  Kristen highly recommends the book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni.  Playing to group members’ strengths are critical in having a cohesive team.  Contact Kristen with any questions at kguy@baltimorecollegetown.org.

Baltimore Collegetown Class #5 LeaderShape - deadline March 13th -http://www.baltimorecollegetown.org/resources/leadershape/about-the-program/

HANNAH SCHMITZ, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, THE SHRIVER CENTER’S SUMMER PUBLIC SERVICE INTERNSHIPS (GOVERNOR’S SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, WALTER SONDHEIM, JR. MARYLAND NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, & MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

 The newest member of The Shriver Center, Hannah’s experience runs deep in leadership in the field of higher education (to include West Chester University and Drexel University).  In her role, Hannah liaises with these unique public service internship programs to ensure that state-wide participants will have meaningful experiences.  Hannah recently attended a hearing at the Maryland State House of Delegates with several UMBC students who testified to promote the expansion of the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Summer Internship Program to become a year-long experience (for more info, go to http://my.umbc.edu/groups/shriver/news/41765). When working on teams, it is important to meet your colleagues where they are.   Hannah emphasized that being a leader means knowing when to lead and when to follow.

Shriver Center Paid Summer Public Service Internship Programs - varied deadlines, close soon! - http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/students/the-scholars-programs/

Exploiting Probabilistic Information for Spectrum Sensing
and Utilization: towards Efficient Wireless Coexistence

Prof. Xiangwei Zhou
University of Illinois, Carbondale

11:45am Friday, 7 March 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

With the rapid growth of wireless devices and applications, the electromagnetic radio spectrum is considered to be in short supply. To overcome spectrum scarcity and satisfy emerging user demands, cognitive radio, which can sense and adapt to the surrounding spectral environment, has been introduced to enhance the utilization of the spectrum. However, it is a challenging task to design a robust and cost-effective system involving identification and reuse of spectrum opportunities changing over time, frequency, and space. In this talk, I will focus on efficient spectrum sensing and utilization techniques for dynamic spectrum access. In particular, I will emphasize the importance of exploiting probabilistic information unique to such a system. I will present novel techniques from the perspectives of both a single user and a multi-user network. In the end, I will discuss further extension of the work to enable the coexistence of heterogeneous wireless networks.

Xiangwei Zhou received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011. He received his M.S. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and his B.S. degree in Communication Engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. Since 2013, Dr. Zhou has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as an Assistant Professor. Prior to that, he was a Senior Systems Engineer with Marvell Semiconductor, Santa Clara, California, from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Zhou’s general research interests include wireless communications and statistical signal processing, with current emphasis on cognitive radio and heterogeneous coexistence, cyber-physical systems, and cross-layer optimization. He is now serving as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications.

Host: Mohamed Younis, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

Exploiting Probabilistic Information for Spectrum Sensing
and Utilization: towards Efficient Wireless Coexistence

Prof. Xiangwei Zhou
University of Illinois, Carbondale

11:45am Friday, 7 March 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

With the rapid growth of wireless devices and applications, the electromagnetic radio spectrum is considered to be in short supply. To overcome spectrum scarcity and satisfy emerging user demands, cognitive radio, which can sense and adapt to the surrounding spectral environment, has been introduced to enhance the utilization of the spectrum. However, it is a challenging task to design a robust and cost-effective system involving identification and reuse of spectrum opportunities changing over time, frequency, and space. In this talk, I will focus on efficient spectrum sensing and utilization techniques for dynamic spectrum access. In particular, I will emphasize the importance of exploiting probabilistic information unique to such a system. I will present novel techniques from the perspectives of both a single user and a multi-user network. In the end, I will discuss further extension of the work to enable the coexistence of heterogeneous wireless networks.

Xiangwei Zhou received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011. He received his M.S. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and his B.S. degree in Communication Engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. Since 2013, Dr. Zhou has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as an Assistant Professor. Prior to that, he was a Senior Systems Engineer with Marvell Semiconductor, Santa Clara, California, from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Zhou’s general research interests include wireless communications and statistical signal processing, with current emphasis on cognitive radio and heterogeneous coexistence, cyber-physical systems, and cross-layer optimization. He is now serving as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications.

Host: Mohamed Younis, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

Name:  Jahziel Paulines

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Chronic Diseases Informatics Program

Major(s)/Minor(s): Health Administration

Expected Graduation Year: May 2015

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service- learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I have to develop curriculum where patients are informed about their condition through a tablet. With each curriculum, I make questions and answers on a Word Document. Then I add images related to each question and audio record the statements that correspond to each question. After, I transfer all of the questions, answers, images and recordings onto Excel. The programmer then transfers everything onto the tablet. And once everything has been reviewed and ready to go, the tablet is ready to be used by patients.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I enjoy the peacefulness in the office. It helps me think and concentrate on the assignments assigned to me. I also like the assignments given. They're interesting and even though the assignments seem tedious, the work helps me pass through time.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I've gained a lot of insight on how the department runs every day. I learned about the responsibilities that other opportunities might not have. I also gained friendship. I've met most of the people who work in the department and was able to work with them well.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

When there are opportunities open for you, don't close them out. Take as many as you can and make the best out of it. At least stay with one internship and be consistent with it. Be the best intern you can be, get acknowledged, and put yourself out there. Hopefully the right one for you will be the last door open.

How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

There are things I've learned that I've never learned before, such as how to make a curriculum, how to complete excel and edit audio recordings. Because there are multiple assignments given, there are a lot of topics I've learned about. The experiences I've learned will definitely help me in my future.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

You're never too young to plan for your future. As long as you start somewhere, there's a possibility you will be everywhere. Work hard and play harder. In the end, your future will be brighter. Have some faith in yourself and believe. You'll get there.

During the last week, multiple internships have been posted to UMBCworks for students like you! Check them out (plus many, many more opportunities) by logging in to UMBCworks today.

ID: 9264117 – Journalism Intern (Men’s E-News)

ID: 9264146 – Paid Web Design/Update, and Social Media Intern (Baltimore-Washington Electric Vehicle Initiative)

ID: 9264162 – Summer Arts Administration Internships (Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation)

ID: 9264075 – Public Relations Intern (Weinberg Harris & Associates)

ID: 9264106 – Record Preparation, Digitization, & Electronic Archives (Maryland State Archives)

ID: 9264021 – Urban Archaeology Intern (Jewish Museum of Maryland)

ID: 9264022 – Exhibitions and Programs Marketing Intern (Jewish Museum of Maryland)

To access these positions, log in to your UMBCworks account (via the link in the Jobs & Internships Topic inmyUMBC) and find details and application instructions as well ashundreds of other job postings! 

Please note you MUST have an approved resume to apply to positions. To schedule an appointment, click on "Request a Counseling Appointment" via the UMBCworks homepage or call 410-455-2216.

Toward strong, usable access control for personal data

Michelle Mazurek
Carnegie Mellon University

1:00pm Thursday, 6 March 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

Users create, store and access a lot of personal data, both on their devices and in the cloud. Although this provides tremendous benefits, it also creates risks to security and privacy, ranging from the inconvenient (private photos posted around the office) to the serious (loss of a job; withdrawal of college admission). Simply refusing to share personal data is not feasible or desirable, but sharing indiscriminately is equally problematic. Instead, users should be able to efficiently accomplish their primary goals without unnecessarily compromising their privacy. In this talk, I describe my work toward developing usable access-control mechanisms for personal data. I review the results of three user studies that provided insight into users’ policy needs and preferences. I then discuss the design and implementation of Penumbra, a distributed file system with built-in access control designed to support those needs. Penumbra has two key building blocks: semantic-tag-based policy specification and logic-based policy enforcement. Our results show that Penumbra can enforce users’ preferred policies securely with low overhead.

Michelle Mazurek is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, co-advised by Lujo Bauer and Greg Ganger. Her research interests span security, systems, and HCI, with particular emphasis on designing systems from the ground up for usable security. She has worked on projects related to usable access control, distributed systems, and passwords.

Host: Penny Rheingans, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.