National Society of Black Engineers Chapter Excels in Academic Competition

While UMBC is known for its accomplished chess team, another campus group is gaining acclaim for blending the life of the mind with the spirit of competition.

For the second consecutive year, UMBC’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) represented the university remarkably well in a series of academic competitions against peers from across the country.

Teams of UMBC students (all of them scholars from the Meyerhoff, MARC U*STAR or other prestigious programs) swept the competition at the NSBE’s Fall Regional Conference, defeating teams from the University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pittsburgh and others. UMBC teams placed first and second in the Academic Technical Bowl (ATB) and also won the Undergraduate Students in Technical Research (USTR) event.

The ATB is a “Jeopardy!” style quiz bowl that tests knowledge of engineering, science, math, African-American history and other topics. The USTR is an individual undergraduate research competition and –among 12 finalists from around the region – Meyerhoff Scholar Ozell Sanders won first place, earning a $200 prize. Both the ATB first place team and Sanders will move on to compete at the NSBE National Conference in Orlando, Florida, against other regional winners from across the U.S.

“I’m really proud of our NSBE chapter winning both ATB and USTR again this year,” said Brandon Johnson, a senior mechanical engineering major, economics minor and president of UMBC’s NSBE chapter. “I think this is a testament to the strength of the UMBC chapter and, of course, to the quality education we receive here.”

According to Johnson, the son of UMBC physics professor and CASPR director Anthony Johnson, the NSBE contests require focus and preparation from team members. “We go over strategies and usually practice against each other with questions that might be asked in the real competition,” Johnson said.  “We also assign certain topics to each team member depending on there major and what classes they’ve taken. We try and split the teams up so there are a variety of different technical majors on each team.”

Despite the Meyerhoff Program’s reputation for camaraderie and peer support, according to Johnson, they still enjoy competing against each other. “A friendly rivalry ensues, and we definitely play to win,” Johnson said. “The closeness of the Meyerhoff program allows us to be very supportive of each regardless of the outcome. When it comes to competing against other schools, I feel that our pride in our NSBE chapter and the academic excellence that the Meyerhoff program has instilled in us combines for a strong competitive spirit.”

“UMBC’s NSBE chapter continues to help shine a bright light on the campus, the strong academic reputation that we enjoy and the overwhelming support the organization receives from the administration and engineering and science faculty,” said LaMont Toliver, director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and advisor to the chapter. “In my humble opinion, because of its deep and historical commitment to academic excellence, community service and a diverse membership, NSBE continues to be one of the most impressive and premier student organizations at UMBC and throughout the country.” 

The first place ATB team includes Meyerhoff Scholars Marie Baronette, Malcolm Taylor, Imhotep Jackson, and Johnson. The second place team consists of Meyerhoff Scholars Mike LoCastro, Natee Johnson, Berook Alemayehu and Dianne Weeks.

(1/15/08)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Flag Football Heads to National Championship

In a year of athletic achievements on the varsity level, it is only fitting that success on the intramural level would follow. On the heels of a quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA tournament by the men’s lacrosse team and the first-ever NCAA March Madness appearance by the women’s basketball team, one of UMBC’s co-ed flag football teams is advancing to the NIRSA National Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Winning the UMBC Championship the last two years, the Warrior Machine participated in the NIRSA Mid-Atlantic Regional flag football tournament this fall. Being defending champions was not a prerequisite for the Mid-Atlantic tournament, however, UMBC wanted to send its strongest team for the school’s third appearance. The Warrior Machine picked up a couple of players from other UMBC teams to round out their roster at 15, assuming the name UMBC Warriors.

After two days of play, the Warriors outlasted 14 other coed teams, defeating local rival the University of Maryland College Park, on their home field, for the right to compete in the National Championship in January. Historically, the team that wins the Mid-Atlantic Regional makes an impressive showing in the National Championship. “During the third day of the tournament we had to play three games; it became a battle of condition and will. The games were significantly longer and more physically taxing putting a stronger emphasis on preparation and warm-ups,” said Joe Palmer, team captain and quarterback.

With a team comprised exclusively of juniors and seniors, it is not always easy to find time outside of academics for flag football. But the team members have played alongside one another most of their time at UMBC. “Each of us wants to be a part of this and not finding a way to make time for the team is potentially letting down 14 other people,” senior Alex Pyles said.

Though members of the team are actively involved in many other campus organizations ranging from the Golden Key Honor Society to the SGA to The Retriever Weekly, the members are focusing their efforts on fundraising for their trip to Dallas. They are currently selling tickets to win massages and plan to do their third 50/50 raffle at the December 22 men’s basketball game against Hampton.

Eager to take the field on a national stage, Pyles said, “we will proudly take the field at the University of Texas, Dallas in black and gold, four letters visible on our chest: UMBC. We are proudly taking the name of the university that we have called home with us.”

For more information on the team, e-mail Joe Palmer at jpalm1@umbc.edu.

(12/11/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Faculty Violinist Airi Yoshioka Honored for Music Education and Outreach

Assistant Professor of Music Airi Yoshioka was recently honored with the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach. The $10,000 award recognizes outstanding musicianship and includes a program of her live performances on prominent New York City classical music radio station WQXR.

A violinist and graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Yoshioka plans to use her award to start a Web site for music teachers and music education majors with resources for exploring teaching skills and personal development as a musician.

She has created two programs at UMBC that provide music majors teaching experience in local elementary schools. Teaching Artist Fellows collaborate with classroom teachers to give each child an opportunity to make connections with music from his or her own perspective. Instrumental Fellows learn to teach their respective instruments in a group setting. (The Teaching Artist Fellowship was originally known as the Burchard Fellowship, in honor of Robert Burchard, professor emeritus of biological sciences, who established the award.)

Yoshioka has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Canada as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician. She was an original member and concertmaster of The New Juilliard Ensemble, is a founder of the Damocles Trio and a member of various new music ensembles, including Ruckus, UMBC’s resident new music ensemble. Yoshioka taught music at New York City public schools through the Morse Fellowship program, Lincoln Center Institute and the New York Philharmonic, and brings her aesthetic education work to Japan this fall.

UMBC Teaching Artist and Instrumental Fellows often pursue careers in education. For example, Charlene Woo ’05 received a master’s degree in education from the Johns Hopkins University and is currently teaching in a first grade classroom where every student takes music lessons. Robert Zuzin ’06 has built a reputable guitar studio while sustaining an extensive performing career.

(11/27/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Students Collaborate with Elementary and High School Students to Map the Community

Fourteen UMBC cartography and graphic design students are collaborating with seven elementary and high school students from Baltimore city and country schools to research and create maps that focus on important issues in their community. The project, “Mapping Their Community,” is the latest outreach program coordinated by the University’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC).

The UMBC mentors are teaching elementary and high school students the relevance of maps and visual literacy in their lives, as well as critical geography and graphic design skills. Students gather information for the maps, develop the technical and conceptual development of designs and participate in group discussions and critiques.

The exhibition includes over 100 maps by participating students and additional maps and designs by their UMBC mentors. It will be on view from November 29 through January 5 at The Commons and Department of Visual Arts hallway gallery at UMBC. A winner from each school will be announced at a public opening reception on November 29, 5-7 p.m., at the CADVC. 

”Mapping Their Community” concludes in the spring with bus trips for the participating students to see a map exhibition at the Walters Art Museum. Selected maps from “Mapping the Community” will also be shown in a weekend exhibition at the Museum in April.

Schools involved in “Mapping Their Community” include the Academy for College and Career Exploration, Augusta Falls Savage Institute of Visual Art, Baltimore City College, Lansdowne High, Samuel F.B. Morse Elementary, Towson High and Woodlawn High.

(11/27/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Faculty and Staff Experts Discuss �Mental Illness and the Campus Community�

UMBC faculty and staff experts from across the campus will discuss “Mental Illness and the Campus Community,” at this year’s Mosaic Roundtable, sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies (INDS) program. The free, public event will be held Tuesday, November 27, 4-6 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.

“Substance abuse, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and other dimensions of mental illness have reached crisis proportions on campuses nationwide, and suicide is among the top three causes of death among college students. One in three Americans will experience a form of mental disorder at some point in their lives,” said Patricia LaNoue, INDS director. “The Mosaic Roundtable, created to address complex issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, is one way we can contribute to sharing knowledge and provide an opportunity for the campus community and the public to ask questions.”

Speakers for this event are:

J. Lavelle Ingram, director of University Counseling Services, who will address what kind of support is available at UMBC, what behaviors signal danger and reasonable responses.

Charles Milligan, executive director of the Center for Health Program Development and Management, will discuss patient confidentiality and counselors’ responsibilities in protecting the safety of third parties.

Carlo DiClemente, professor of psychology, will address addictions and the overlap between drinking, drug use and mental illness, as well as how abuse can contribute to emotional programs and mental illness.

Carolyn Tice, associate dean of the School of Social Work, will focus on how the media portrays people with mental illness – stigmas and stereotypes – and how these portrayals serve as a barometer of social awareness and public beliefs.

For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/mosaic.

(11/16/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Peaceworker Alumni Remain Engaged in Baltimore Communities

While nearly 85 percent of UMBC’s Shriver Peaceworker Fellows originally come from outside the Baltimore region, 60 percent have settled and remain engaged in service careers in local communities.

“With 100 percent of Peaceworker alumni continuing in public service careers and more than half staying in our region to engage in community service careers, the Shriver Peaceworker Program is proving to be a ‘creative-class’ infusion for the City,” said Program Director Joby Taylor ’05, Ph.D. language, literacy and culture.

The Peaceworker program at UMBC’s Shriver Center was founded by Sargent Shriver in 1994, and now has 100 alumni. The program focuses on finding ways for returning Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) to serve their states and communities when their missions abroad are completed.

Few people have had a greater impact on public service in America than Shriver, who founded and directed the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy. Both men envisioned a powerful impact of RPCVs on American society, and as a native Marylander, Shriver realized this vision concretely in the establishment of the Peaceworker program at UMBC, with an urban problem-solving focus on the Baltimore region. Shriver will be honored in an upcoming PBS documentary to be pre-screened on Thursday, November 15, at the Patterson Theater at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore.

“Shriver’s genius in the Peace Corps and Peaceworker programs was his ability to marshal a sense of ‘practical idealism,’ which is optimism about making a difference matched with realism about the hard work this involves,” said Taylor.

Peaceworker alumni working in the Baltimore region include:

Erin Hood ’07
Graduate Degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Public Policy focused on Human Services, with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Peace Corps Volunteer: Jamaica.
Peaceworker Fellowship: UMBC Coordinator for Service and Volunteerism to foster student’s sense of social responsibility through community service.
Where she is now: Director of Development, Community Mediation Program, Baltimore City

Brian Greenan ’05
Graduate Degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Intercultural Communications focused on Spanish language study and Latin American history and politics
Peace Corps Volunteer: Niger
Peaceworker Fellowship: Centro de la Communidad, serving Baltimore’s growing Latino community. As a mayoral fellow and then with the Downtown Partnership, he provided direct outreach to homeless persons in the downtown area for which he was given a commendation by the Baltimore City Council.
Where he is now: Organizer with Neighborhood Housing Services

Sarah Morris-Compton ’07
Graduate degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Public Policy focused on Human Services Policy
Peace Corps Volunteer: Turkmenistan and Kenya.
Peaceworker Fellowship: Coordinator of a service-learning project that linked college Web design classes to non-profit organizations at the University of Baltimore’s School of Information Arts and Technologies
Where she is now: Program Associate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore working on large-scale state child welfare and juvenile justice system reform.

Sargent Shriver’s legacy through the Shriver Center at UMBC was featured on WYPR 88.1-FM’s Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast on November 12. Click here to listen.

(11/13/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

An Eco-Opportunity Employer

Now that the U.S. Geological Survey’s Maryland-Delaware-Washington, D.C. Water Science Center is on campus at bwtech@UMBC, research partnerships with faculty and career opportunities for students are growing.

For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently awarded a three-million-dollar grant to UMBC, USGS, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Princeton University to provide real-time, wireless, online data on Baltimore’s Gwynn Falls watershed. As the USGS-UMBC team’s eco-research reputation increases, more opportunities for student internships and employment will take root. Just ask Lonnie Lanham ‘98.

Lanham, a geography and environmental systems (GES) major with a certificate in Cartography, connected with USGS during his last semester at UMBC thanks to the advice of GES mentors like Joe School, Keith Harries and Tim Foresman. His internship and work experience in departmental laboratories helped Lanham land a job at USGS combining his geographic information systems (GIS), mapmaking, technical illustration and Web design skills.

“The experience that I gained while actually working within my major was very valuable,” Lanham said. “I feel that it gave me a definite edge when it came to getting ‘a real job.’” Lanham has remained at USGS since, working his way up from webmaster to lead information technology specialist for the USGS Center.

In his job, Lanham makes sure a multitude of USGS servers, workstations, network equipment, printers, scanners, cameras, data projectors, hand-held devices, and as he puts it, “lots of other things that a geography major would not likely want to get involved with,” are all working reliably. He credits several USGS officials for their mentorship, including USGS acting chief information officer Paul Exter, publications unit chief Jean Hyatt and Jim Gerhart, director of the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center.

Dan Soeder, hydrologist and information and outreach coordinator for the USGS Center, notes that while the USGS is seeking to be more efficient and streamlined in staffing, they are always looking for talented interns to fill highly competitive student positions. “We want to attract students who demonstrate the talent, skills, and abilities the USGS needs,” Soeder said.

“The work is fascinating and there are many opportunities in the Federal Government as well as in the private sector,” said Lanham. “A major in the arena of environmental sciences, especially geography, can offer a good foundation on which to build a career.”

Students, faculty and staff looking to learn more about the USGS should attend the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center’s Open House event on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

(10/19/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Presents Work by Award Winning Playwright, Alumna

Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, is emerging as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, which will be performed at UMBC October 17-21, received the 2007 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights. In addition, her play Like a Cow or an Elephant was awarded the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights and was produced at the DePaul Theatre School in Chicago. She was also the winner of the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer’s Award, is a three-time recipient of Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Foundation Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2007 Sundance Theatre Lab and Princess Grace Award. Corthron’s plays have been developed with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Stage (Baltimore), African Continuum Theatre (D.C.) and at the Julliard School.

Corthron says UMBC’s theatre department helped to prepare her for the challenges of a career in theatre, encouraging her to understand the business of theatre as well as the research and work that goes into a production. Classes in script analysis gave her an appreciation for dramatic literature and helped to inspire her passion for writing.

She also believes that taking classes in theatre will benefit non-majors as well. “Even takng a class in dramatic literature can help you to learn about the human experience,” says Corthron. “You read about people who have to make decisions and work through problems. Or, if you choose to get involved in a production, when you are in character you have to figure out how you will work with that person is going through. In theatre, you learn to understand other perspectives, empathy and compassion.”

Lynn Watson, chair of the theatre department, says that students are benefiting from working with Corthron’s play. “As I watch the actors in rehearsal and work with them on the text of Wild Black-Eyed Susan’s (as a voice specialist, I coach our students as well as professional actors in speech and text), I’m particularly struck by the sophistication of Kara’s writing. She has a keen ear for the emotional underpinning of a casual comment. Her characters are believable and identifiableóworking class people living in a region where jobs are drying upóyet she imbues their speech with poetic imagery and lyricism. Her ability to intermingle lyricism and rough urgency in the speech of contemporary characters is exceptional.

“For our students, the opportunity to play these roles has made for marvelous acting lessons,” adds Watson. “As actors dig into it, the play constantly yields up more and deeper layers. It’s exciting to see Kara’s talents passed on through her play to the development of another generation of UMBC theatre students.”

A schedule and ticket information for Wild Black-Eyed Susans is available online. The production is also part of UMBC’s Homecoming and Family Celebration events. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/homecoming.

(10/15/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Collaborative Digital Storytelling Project Wins International Award

A pioneering and unique Digital Storytelling Project created by UMBC and Charlestown Retirement Community and funded by Retirement Living TV (RLTV) has won a Bronze Telly Award. The prestigious Telly Award cites the Digital Storytelling Project as being among the world’s best in local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as among the finest in video and film production. This year’s Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

The Digital Storytelling Project is the nation’s first three-way partnership between a media company, a university and a retirement community. UMBC students (hands-on with the media technology) worked with Charlestown residents (autobiographical story and narrative) to create a series of 17 digital stories and music in two-to-three minute videos. The project was organized and supervised by UMBC’s New Media Studio.

“Being able to be a part of such a powerful project like the Digital Storytelling Project has not only expanded my awareness of the powerful influence that new media can have on society, but has also allowed me to develop my skills in creative thinking, communication, team work and technology,” said interdisciplinary studies senior Cathryna Brown. “To have received the honor and recognition of a Telly award makes me proud because it shows that we are accomplishing our goals and opening America’s eyes to the beauty of living beyond retirement.”

RLTV, a cable network dedicated to informing, involving and inspiring people aged 55 and over, was launched in September 2006. The RLTV network roots are in Erickson Retirement Communities, the National Institutes of Health, non-profit research foundations, UMBC’s Erickson School and leading gerontologists across the country.

Winners received their Telly Award statues at a September 12 ceremony at Charlestown

(10/3/07) © 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Dresher Center Expands Humanities Scholarship at UMBC

A recent gift from the Dresher Foundation will expand the scope and reach of UMBC’s James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, originally established in 1996 as the Center for the Humanities. A dedication will be held Tuesday, September 18, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

“The new Dresher Center will engage scholars, students, visiting fellows and the community with the wide-ranging perspectives of scholarship in language, linguistics, literature, philosophy and ethics, history, culture, gender, race and ethnicity,” said Rebecca Boehling, director of the Dresher Center and associate professor of history.

The Dresher Center is also home to the Humanities Forum, an annual series of speakers and events, and the Humanities Scholars Program, which provides financial support and special academic experiences for outstanding UMBC undergraduates concentrating in the humanities. The center will begin sponsoring grant-writing workshops and forums for UMBC and visiting scholars to present their works in progress.

Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences John Jeffries said, “The Dresher Center for the Humanities marks a significant step forward for UMBC. Research and teaching in the humanities are central to UMBC, as to any research university. While humanities scholarship at UMBC is already exceptional, as demonstrated by the level of faculty publications and distinctions, the new Dresher Center will not only enable additional support for faculty and student research but will also make UMBC’s humanities scholarship better known both on campus and off.

“With Rebecca Boehling as director and Michele Osherow as associate director, and with endowment money from the Dresher Foundation and other sources as part of UMBC’s capital campaign, the Dresher Center is already off to a splendid start,” Jeffries added.

Please click here to RSVP to the Dresher Center dedication.

(9/7/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �