• Kayla Addai | Biological Sciences 
  Identification And Characterization Of A Bacteriophage That Infects The Species Streptomyces Mirabilis 
  Mentor: Steven Caruso
  UC Ballroom | 10 – 11:30 a.m.
• Gabriela Salas | Gender and Women’s Studies 
  The Use And Accessibility Of Contraception For College Aged Female Students At UMBC 
  Mentor(s): Amy Bhatt
  UC 312 | 10 – 10:15 a.m.

• Shadia Musa | American Studies 
  Combating Academic Inequity: A Community Based Approach To Cultivating A Love For STEM Within Students Of Color 
  Mentor(s): Tamara Bhalla
  UC 310 | 2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
• Lydia Coley | American Studies 
  “A Model Negro Village”: How Environmental Racism Affects The Health Of African-Americans In Cherry Hill 
  Mentor(s): Nicole King
  UC Ballroom | 1 – 2:30 p.m.
• Maia Parker | Education 
  Is Baltimore City Meeting The Needs Of Students: The Integration Of Latinx Students Into Baltimore City Schools 
  Mentor(s): Jennifer Mata-McMahon
  UC Ballroom | 1 – 2:30 p.m.

John Martinez

Mentor: Corrie Parks, Visual Arts
Location: Fine Arts Recital Hall | Time: 2:15 – 2:30 p.m.

What You Mean To Me, a 2:15 minute animated short film, is about a hulking, daisy creature that falls in love with a small, daisy flower and his attempt to help it in in order to gain the flower’s love. This piece is a self-portrait, based on my first love. I wanted the style of the film to come off as soft and heartwarming, so I used pastel colors and round shapes to achieve that tone. Animated in Photoshop, I was able to digitally draw everything and puppet the individual parts of the creature and flower so that I could move the parts frame by frame. By composing the music myself, I could match the timing of the visuals to the music, emphasizing the visuals and adding harmony to the whole piece. The decision to not include sound effects was to add more focus on the emotion that the body language of the creature and music create. In the end, the individual pieces of the short film come together to present a relatable, bitter sweet story of love that could not be.

URCAD is April 24th!

The Women's Center will be closing early (at 4:30 pm) on April 18th for Take Back The Night!!! 

If you need to use the lactation room after 4:30 pm, please email Jess Myers at womenscenter@umbc.edu.

Join the Women's Center on Commons Main Street on Thursday, April 18th at 6:15 pm and let's take back the night!!

Events and activities include: 

-Community Resource Fair and Craftivism (including the opportunity to make Clothesline Project t-shirts, lavender sachets, and Dear Survivor letters) and We Believe You discussion group hosted in the Women's Center post-march. 

There is limited seating for the speak-out. We recommend you arrive early. As seating fill up, we encourage you to make your way up to the balcony area on the 2nd floor of The Commons.

Stay tuned by liking the Women's Center on Facebook and following us on Instagram and Twitter. #UMBCtbtn is the official hashtag, so follow us there, too! You can see pictures from past years Take Back the Night on our blog.

For more information about UMBC's Take Back the Night, you can visit our What You Need to Know about TBTN blog series. Posts include more information about the survivor speak-out, the march, Greek Week involvement, and the post-march craftivism. More posts will be shared and/or updated leading up to 2019's event.  

Want learn more about what Take Back The Night is? Visit www.takebackthenight.org for more information.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello! My name is Celeste Chung and I am a second semester senior pursuing a degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology. I am on the pre-pharmacy track and actually just accepted admissions to the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy for the class of 2023! I hope to go into clinical pharmaceuticals and specialize in pediatrics. 

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

I spent my whole sophomore year as a Learning Assistant for CHEM 351 and continued as an SI pass leader for Summer 2018, Fall 2018, and now Spring 2019! This past year, I was also the President of Phi Sigma Sigma. 

How and why did you get involved in beinga SI PASS Leader?

After being a learning assistant for a year, I realized how much I love teaching other students, especially in Organic Chemistry. Although being an asset in the classroom was rewarding and fun, I felt like I could give better assistance to students in an active learning setting. SI PASS sessions create a comfortable environment for students to work through problems, ask questions, and even teach each other. 

What is your favorite thing about being a SI PASS Leader?

The most rewarding part about being an SI PASS leader is the feedback I received from students after an exam or after the semester was over. I loved hearing that my techniques and explanations helped others understand fairly complex concepts. Last semester, I had a group of students that felt that they really benefited from my sessions and continued to attend every session of the semester!

Why should students utilize SI PASS?

Students should take advantage of SI PASS because it is an environment where students are encouraged to talk through concepts of difficulty. It isn't a learning setting where I stand up and lecture the concepts. Instead, students practice problems that challenge them to understand material conceptually and be able to replicate that material to all types of problems. It also gives students a chance to teach other students what they know and bounce ideas off of each other. 

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a SI PASS session? 

SI PASS sessions aren't lectures, so students should come prepared with knowledge about the material taught in their lectures by the professor. SI PASS gives students an opportunity to practice problems to build off the knowledge learned in lectures. 

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

For anyone taking CHEM 351 this semester, my sessions are every Tuesdays and Thursday's from 4:00-4:50 PM in Sherman 150!

Maia Parker

Is Baltimore City Meeting The Needs Of Students? The Integration Of Latinx Students Into Baltimore City Schools

Mentor: Jennifer Mata-McMahon, Education

Location: UC Ballroom | 1 – 2:30 p.m.

With the recent influx of Latinx immigrants the demographics of Baltimore City have changed within communities and schools, which has lead to a need for schools to adjust. While some schools now have a majority Latinx population others have a small percentage, however, many of the obstacles faced by the schools in order to support the students are similar. Integration,viewed as a systemic support of students academics, culture, community, and language, plays a large role in the success of the children coming into these schools. By analyzing how Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) assist in integrating Latinx students, it is clear that by incorporating different cultures, it benefits all students. By interviewing 12 school administrators and 12 ESOL coordinators/teachers from six BCPS, a better understanding of the services provided to assist Latinx students’ integration was achieved, as well as a description of the perceived impact these services have on students’ overall success.

URCAD IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24TH!