To apply:

URCAD.umbc.edu

(200-word abstract required)

Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) features research, scholarship, and creative work carried out by UMBC undergraduates. Student work is shared through oral presentations, posters, artistic exhibits, performances, and film. URCAD is April 22, 2020!

All current undergraduates who have conducted research, scholarship or creative work in the last year may apply to present their results at URCAD. 

Application Deadline: 2/14/20

Written by Jenika Brown, OAPA Peer Advisor

Who says there can only be one leader? At UMBC you’re never short on opportunities that allow your light to shine as bright as gold! Make a difference in the UMBC community, forge everlasting relationships, or simply add new, advantageous skills to your resume by taking on various leadership roles on campus.

Join a Student Organization

Whether it be a club sport or a sorority/fraternity, you are bound to implement and gain leadership skills, while also becoming part of a supportive family! Serving on an organization’s executive board will allow you to enact skills that you will need in the workforce, as well as help you to initiate positive changes on campus or in the community. Check out this link for a full list of our incredibly diverse organizations.

Get a Job on Campus

Put some extra money in your pocket, and extra skills on your resume. Most student positions on campus promote leadership, teamwork, and responsibility. Log in to your UMBCworks to find open positions right here on campus!

Still don’t know where to start? Let me give you a hand

•  Join forces with the SGA! As an undergrad student you’re already a part of the SGA, you might as well assume a role and work hand-in-hand with faculty to implement the change you want to see! The 2020-2021 candidate application is open now.

• Campus residents stand up and get involved with the RSA! UMBC is not just your school, it is your home. Engage with residential life staff to make the most out of your on-campus living experience.

•  Orientation Peer Advisor (OPA) – Be a part of a close-knit team of students who welcome new students and their families to campus during the summer and winter terms during New Student Orientation.

•   Welcome Week Leaders (Woolies) – As part of the Woolie team you will serve as a resource to all incoming students during Welcome Week, supporting students in their transition to campus and helping them connect to events and upcoming opportunities.

• IHU Peer Facilitator – IHU Peer Facilitators are an integral part of all Introduction to an Honor’s University (IHU) courses, assisting instructors in course preparation, lesson implementation and serving as a resource to students throughout their time in the course.

• Become a part of the A-Team AKA Undergraduate Admissions! Help incoming students with everything admissions!

• Join the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising (OAPA) as a Peer Advisor! This may sound like a shameless plug...but I can assure you it’s not. This is in fact a very prideful plug! Despite being very shy, working as a Peer Advisor has made me self-assured due to the tasks entrusted to me. Not to mention, my interpersonal skills have increased immensely due to the diverse students I interact with and help daily. We’re hiring now by the way...so if you want, go to UMBCworks and either type in Peer Advisor or the Job ID: 9313716 and apply now!

Appointment Tutoring

Located in Sherman Hall, B wing Room 345.

For every 100 level and 200 level class at UMBC.

Math and Science Tutoring Center

Located in AOK Library, First Floor

Drop in tutoring for STEM courses at UMBC.

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 10-7

Friday: 10-3

The Writing Center

This post is written by Kay Hinderlie, a student staff at the Women’s Center. Kay is a senior at UMBC, majoring in psychology.

Imagine it’s the first day of your semester. After locating your class, you find a seat and reach into your backpack for your class materials. You check to make sure your phone is on silent, to keep your goofy ringtone from interrupting the lecture. The class begins and you finally look up from your desk. You look around and are quick to realize the situation you’re in for the rest of the semester. In the class, everyone looks pretty similar, and you’re the only one in a wheelchair, that has kids, of a different skin color, wearing a hijab.

If you have a marginalized identity (and experienced something like the situation above), you’re probably familiar with microaggressions. They are usually a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (Merriam-Webster). By now, you might be tired of having to speak for your whole race and/or ethnicity, frustrated by the task of constantly re-explaining your pronouns, exhausted by not being taken seriously in a class as a woman in a male-dominated academic field. In these moments you may not feel comfortable with confronting the person (or people) committing these microaggressions. Speaking up could cause resentment, especially if the aggressor is in a position of power. 

For me, as a queer person of color, handling microaggressions has often taken the form of de-escalating the situation in the moment, and though it’s a necessary survival skill, I forget to tend to the ways microaggressions have personally affected me. I’ve been taught how to handle microaggressions from a young age, but I’ve never been given a blueprint of how to heal and bounce back from these instances.

This brings me to the onus behind this blogpost: How can marginalized groups heal from the effects of microaggressions?

People who experience microaggressions can benefit from learning how to recover from them. Victims of microaggressions can learn to process the effects of the things said or done to them, and let go of the burden put on them by their aggressor. Though microaggressions can be broad and general, developing coping skills is a personal journey that involves individual decision making and finding what fits best for you. There’s no one way to heal from a microaggression; it looks different for everyone. One could cope using mindfulness and meditation, by journaling, reading, drawing, doing arts and crafts (links below). It’s important to find what works for you to help process microaggressions and feel good about yourself. Trying coping mechanisms is often a process of trial and error, but worth the effort. 

Through learning some of my own coping mechanisms I’m more able to let go of the weight felt by microaggressions. For example, I like to watch anime when I feel overwhelmed, not only because of the drawn out fight scenes that are fun to watch, but because even though most of the anime I watch follows the “hero’s journey” archetype. The simple and predictable nature paired with the individualized character development in each story gives me a chance to take a break from overthinking. Watching anime, laughing at it, being in awe of it allows me to calm and collect my thoughts and feelings.

During the times when people may feel actively marginalized in their identities, it’s important to find an outlet to express their frustrations and disappointment. Whether facing social, psychological, or physical challenges, the burden of being marginalized in any way can be large, so it’s important to find space to release burdens and be validated and uplifted by others. These spaces can look like many things: a group of friends, family members, a therapist, forums, social media (Twitter and Tumblr are some good ones), journals, blogs etc. For the sake of your mental health, it’s important to find ways to vent and take the burden of carrying marginalized identities off of your shoulders by receiving empathy and validation from others.

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to have and share spaces specifically designated for people looking for empathy in their identity. UMBC, for example, hosts many spaces on campus where students can find a feeling of security to let out their frustrations and concerns. Places on campus include the Mosaic Center, the Pride Center, and the Women’s Center. 

Regardless of where you are and what resources exist, your ability to build and maintain resilience has to be prioritized.

So it’s a new semester, you’re the only person who looks like you in the classroom. I can’t guarantee that microaggressions will happen, nor can I guarantee that they won’t. Whatever happens, I encourage you to find support. I see you. I believe you. You matter.

Resources:

Safe Spaces in Maryland

APA on Microaggressions

Harvard Gazette- Impacts of Microaggressions

Name: Aren Warner

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: AECOM

Position Title: GIS Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Geography and Environmental Systems

Current Class Level: Senior

Work Term: Spring 2020

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

As a GIS intern in the water division of AECOM, my main roles consist of collecting, editing, and mapping geospatial data for ongoing water infrastructure projects with clients in both the private and public sectors. These projects can be on the scale of a local city, county or across several states under a large corporation. This variety of work creates a diverse day-to-day workflow for me. I have been able to learn the submission process for data edits or newly created/updated maps to the client and how to receive and respond to any incoming feedback from these submissions. With newly edited or received data, I have also been able to use my skills in cartography to create maps for later use in online GIS services such as ArcGIS Enterprise. I also get the opportunity to go into the field for data collection using Collector for ArcGIS, a new and valuable tool for real-time geospatial data entry directly from a worksite.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I first heard about this internship from my advisor last fall. As my graduation is expected in May of 2020, I informed them that I was actively searching for upcoming job opportunities or internships that could extend into a full-time position after graduation. They connected me with a UMBC alum who would later become my supervisor. I filled out an application and was fortunate enough to be brought in for an interview where I was offered employment soon thereafter.

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

The work environment at AECOM Baltimore is incredibly friendly and tight knit. The team I work with relies on cooperation, so help is always available from other team members. I also feel incredibly valued as an intern for I have responsibilities that I never thought that I would be given. The fast-paced nature of my job and the ability to directly contribute to projects has been incredible.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

One of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing my work making a difference in a project and watching it all come together. My impact is clear when my team thanks me for my input in a discussion or thoughts on a workflow. As we all submit our individual components to an ongoing task and mark it complete, I get a sense for just how important my work really is.

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

Connections are very important, but of those connections, the most important are those that know you the best. Someone who has detailed knowledge of your professional ambitions can personally find job opportunities in an environment of overwhelming possibilities. Before talking to my advisor, I felt like I had too many options to choose from and didn't know what the right choice would be. After they connected me to this internship, I have never been more positive on knowing what I want to do for a career. 

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

Beginning Sunday, March 1, 2020 the following route names, configuration, and scheduling changes will go into effect at UMBC Transit:

Arbutus - Route Map (Weekdays & Weekends) — The existing Arbutus/MARC route will be renamed to Arbutus. The new route will increase service to downtown Arbutus - East Dr. (OCA Mocha), and shorten the time it takes to get to the Satellite Lot. 

BWI MARC - Route Map (Weekdays - See Arundel for weekend BWI MARC service) — The current Arbutus/MARC route will be split into two routes with BWI MARC being an entirely new route. The new route color will be black and service will be closely aligned to the MTA 201 and MARC train schedules. This route will provide access with a bus stop at the RAC circle on the outbound trips, and will service the loop on the inbound trips.

Arundel - Route Map (Weekends) — The existing Arundel route will now service BWI MARC/Amtrak Station / MTA 201 Commuter bus, on both outbound and inbound trips to Arundel Mills Mall. 

Downtown - Route Map (Weekdays & Weekends) — This route will now provide access with a bus stop at the RAC circle on the outbound trips. Stop #5. Greene St. & Fayette St. (UMB) is officially changed and moved to stop #5. Baltimore St. & Greene St. (UMB)

For further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office. 410.455.2454