A year after the Baltimore Uprising of 2015, UMBC’s Denise Meringolo and alumnus Joe Tropea recently joined WYPR’s “Midday” program to discuss their work to gather and preserve a diverse range of perspectives and experiences from the events of last year.

Meringolo, an associate professor of history and director of public history, and Joe Tropea ’06, history, ’08 M.A., historical studies, are collaborating on a project to archive materials from the Baltimore Uprising through a website that was launched last year. Since the project began, there have been thousands of submissions from community members.

“It’s really the work of public history to be working with communities, not just for them, and not just producing historical interpretations with the eye of having publics read them, but really working with people to develop interpretations that help them think about who they are, what’s going on around them, and how the tools of history can help them arrive at a deeper understanding and achieve their personal goals,” Meringolo explained during the segment.

Meringolo described how the website was launched quickly last year when her students wanted to be responsive to narratives that were being shared in the national news about the events surrounding Freddie Gray’s death. They wanted to find a way to represent the complexity of what was happening and to allow community members to control their own narratives and represent how they were feeling.

Joe Tropea, who is now digital projects coordinator at the Maryland Historical Society, heard about the website and collaborated with Meringolo on the project.

“We sensed the importance of what was going on. It was obvious to us that this was something people will study years from now, so we made a decision to get proactive about it,” Tropea shared.

Listen to the complete segment “Crowdsourcing History” on the WYPR website. Read more about the Preserve the Baltimore Uprising 2015 Archive Project.

Image: Denise Meringolo. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. 

What to Recycle: 

Aluminum cans, metals, paper, cardboard, glass, plastics.

Paper: In academic and administrative areas, paper is collected separately. 

What to Compost: 

DO NOT COMPOST: No liquids, grease cooking oil, plastic, Styrofoam, metal or glass. If you are not sure, do not throw the waste item into the compost bins. 

All food, food soiled paper, plants. 

Food 

• fruits & vegetables
• meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, bones
• rice, beans, pasta, 
• bakery items, 
• cheese and 
• eggshells. 

Food soiled paper:

• includes waxed cardboard
• napkins & paper towels
• uncoated paper plates,
• tea bags
• coffee grounds/filters
• wooden crates
• pizza boxes

Plants: 

• floral trimmings
• tree trimmings
• leaves, grass, brush and weeds

The Collaborative Theatre Company, producers of last season’s sellout hit, The 39 Steps, announces a call for résumés for The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance. The Elephant Man will open the 28th Season at Fells Point Corner Theatre on September 2nd, 2016 and run through October 2, 2016.

We are looking for talented artists to fill the following design positions:

• Costume Designer
• Sound Designer
• Props Master

and the following technical positions:

The Collaborative Theatre Company, producers of last season’s sellout hit, The 39 Steps, announces auditions for The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance. The Elephant Man will open the 28th Season at Fells Point Corner Theatre on September 2nd, 2016 and run through October 2, 2016. We are looking for a racially diverse cast. All roles are considered open.

Audition Dates: Friday, May 6th from 7PM-9:30PM

Saturday, May 7th from 10AM-1PM

Callbacks: Monday, May 9th from 7PM-9PM

Nestled in the back of room 109 of the Information Technology and Engineering building, Dan Bailey, head of the Image Researching Center (IRC) is being captured. He sits in the center of the room, in a open metal rig with cameras that are surrounding him. IRC staff walk around him, fine tuning each of the camera settings as they make their final preparations.

The lights turn off, and within a second a bright flash illuminates the room. The lights turn back on, and a staff member exclaims “got it” as another successful 3D capture has been performed at the IRC. In the next few hours a powerful computer will start to build a 3D scan of Dan Bailey.

“Being able to capture a 3D model is just a priceless ability,”

Outside of the room sits Dr. Marc Olano, a professor of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, who helps run the studio. Olano and Bailey worked with Direct Dimensions Inc, a company based in Owings Mills, Maryland, and funded the space through a $180,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Olano told Stephen Babcock, a reporter at Technical.ly Baltimore that “Being able to capture a 3D model is just a priceless ability,” and “That flash is the first step.”

Dr. Marc Olano outside the capture room. Here, he can view the 3D models and manipulate them.

The system is smart enough to ignore all the cameras around the person or object and instead finds unique points of features to focus on. In addition, there are projectors that help capture something that doesn’t have enough detail to focus on by projecting more detail onto a person or object so the person can find it.

Between captures, there are a couple of tools that are used to help calibrate the space. One tool is a pole that is used to help position the cameras using tape on the pole that gives reference points for the center and edge of the frame for the cameras.

For capturing, there is a calibration dummy made out of cardboard construction tubes with a lot of different clothing patterns. This is essential in making it easier to build a 3D model of the dummy, as the reconstruction process can find the shape of the object and camera positions simultaneously, but if the part of the object or person you are scanning is too featureless, it can have trouble solving for both of those at once

After the image is captured, the computer starts building a 3D model out of 90 images. Zooming in on the image, you can actually see each individual polygon that makes up the image.

3D scans of Marc Olano and Dan Bailey done in the capture studio.

“This [studio] serves as not only the intersection of art and computer science, but other disciplines as well.”

Olano believes that this 3D capture studio can go beyond computer science. “This [studio] serves as not only the intersection of art and computer science, but other disciplines as well.” When scanning in a person, it is possible to make that person into an animation model for use in video games.

Museums could ask to scan in historical objects so that one could rotate and inspect the object at any angle they want. People who have had amputations could get scanned and have something custom built for them. The possibilities for this space are immense and will continue to grow over time.

The 3D capture studio is still limited to only a few projects at a time but Olano hopes to open it up to more departments soon. You can view some of the scans the studio has done online here.

Katelyn Seale
B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine

With every conversation and interaction, I have had the opportunity to learn something new about people…I know that I am equipped to succeed in a medical career because of these experiences at UMBC.

Katelyn Seale, UMBC’s Class of 2016 valedictorian, is a future doctor determined to be sensitive to the diverse needs and life experiences of all of her patients.

Like many students in her medical school cohort, Seale will begin her program with a strong academic background in chemistry and biology, and robust hands-on research experience. “My hours in the lab struggling to explain or duplicate results have made me a stronger student and problem-solver,” she says.

She’ll also come in with a more unique skill set of building relationships beyond the lab, planning events, and connecting with people from many different communities, after three years on the executive board of UMBC’s Student Events Board and service through the Shriver Center. “With every conversation and interaction, I have had the opportunity to learn something new about people,” she says, sharing that her broader perspective “will be incredibly valuable in a medical field.”

Seale earned the Student Recognition Award for the chemistry and biochemistry department and was admitted into both Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies. Her UMBC education was supported by a President’s Scholarship.

Images: Through her work on UMBC’s Student Events Board, Seale planned the UMBC Color Run, a fun and healthy event for students; photo courtesy of Katelyn Seale. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Ashby Henningsen
B.A., Political Science; B.A., Global Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Parkville, Maryland
Plans: Intern, International Justice Mission

My friends in the Sondheim Scholars program represent the many individuals who have helped me grow, both intellectually and personally. They embody the best that this community has given me and taught me over the course of these past four years.

During his time at UMBC, Ashby Henningsen has developed lasting friendships with fellow Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars thanks to a shared commitment to personal growth and public service. For Henningsen, UMBC’s Class of 2016 salutatorian, that commitment focuses on human rights issues.

Henningsen has volunteered with the Refugee Youth Project and The Choice Program at UMBC’s Shriver Center. He has also interned for two nonprofit organizations in Baltimore, Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma and the Next One Up Foundation, and served as assistant news editor for The Retriever Weekly.

In 2015, Henningsen participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University, a seven-week program structured to introduce and strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, and public speaking. Through experiences inside and outside the classroom, he’s also further developed the critical analysis, professional writing, and speaking skills he’ll need to pursue a career in international affairs and public administration.

Henningsen graduates with a 4.0 GPA and Outstanding Scholar accolades from both political science and global studies. He will complete an internship with the International Justice Mission in Washington, D.C. in summer 2016, during the review period for his application to the Peace Corps.

Images: Ashby Henningsen poses with other UMBC Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar; photo courtesy of Ashby Henningsen. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

  As the winter chill finally starts to disappear, so do the hopes and dreams of UMBC students hoping to pass all their classes. “Hopelessness is at an all-time high as students everywhere are intentionally, and unintentionally, failing their courses. ‘Extra credit’ is the phrase that is frequently heard from their tired, depressed mouths-- so we decided to do something about it,” says SEB head chairman, Jessie Bee.

  Introducing the new, fun-filled UMBC Xtreme Obstacle Course! The obstacle course allows students who are willing to step up the chance to redeem themselves and earn extra credit. The course is comprised of four different obstacles, with the first one named the The Offender, where students stand on a narrow pedestal and face a large, circular assault mechanism. The objective is to dodge the oncoming metal bars that swing high speed at head and torso levels, all while emotionally dodging potentially offensive and esteem-destructing phrases hurled at them from an audio recording within the machine. Many students are expected to fail this section of the course.

  The second obstacle, called Type Til You Drop, is a high powered treadmill that is set to exceed the average sprinting speed of the typical UMBC student. The student must stay on the ultra-fast treadmill while simultaneously typing an essay on how important exercise is on an outdated laptop attached to the menu board. The speed will be adjusted according to the quality and word count of the essay. UMBC uses this obstacle to encourage physical and mental exercise growth among the student body.

  The third obstacle is one of endurance and measure, as it tests the student’s ability to maintain sanity and consciousness. Said student must down fifteen shots of 150 proof alcohol in under two minutes, then swim through a pool filled with leeches and a water/vodka mix. The university specifically set up these dynamics to test students’ ability to hold their liquor enough to perform the remaining tasks.

  The fourth and final obstacle is expected to be the most trying of all: the student, and whatever remains of their physical body, must walk through a fenced-in grassy area containing 15 Chesapeake Bay Retriever mascot puppies. The student must not interact whatsoever with the puppies, and can not smile, laugh, cry or faint.