�Our Civic Voices� Gives Students Chance to Speak

College now feels attainable to students at Federal Hill Preparatory School in Baltimore, thanks to a UMBC afterschool program focusing on social studies. Assistant Professor of Political Science Tyson King-Meadows and students from his class, “Our Civic Voices,” visited Federal Hill Prep biweekly in spring 2009, engaging students in activities surrounding civic issues and self-governance.

The students at Federal Hill Prep, a school that does not have any social studies teachers, had mixed academic levels. That mix was not expected in the initial planning stages of the project.

“It was a task for us,” said King-Meadows, “because we hadn’t originally intended on Federal Hill Prep being the site for this project.”

For months, King-Meadows, his student assistant and The Shriver Center had designed a curriculum based on another school’s needs. That school had a dedicated social studies teacher. When that school canceled at the last minute, Lori Hardesty, program coordinator of Service-Learning/K-16 Partnerships at The Shriver Center, connected UMBC with Federal Hill Prep. That connection proved to be the perfect match.

“One of the goals of The Shriver Center is to be a resource to UMBC faculty, to help connect their students with more applied learning experiences into their courses/curriculum which could come in the form of  service-learning, internships, performance,” said Hardesty.

The project was divided between readings and discussions and special events. Students were asked to read specific books throughout the semester and the Civic Voices team then engaged the students in class discussion. Each activity was geared toward a particular lesson or situation.

 “The experience empowered students, and real bonds were formed. They felt comfortable talking about their concerns, and asking UMBC students what they cared about,” said Katie Dix ’10, political science major and student leader.

Several special events included “I AM speeches,” in which students gave presentations in a UMBC auditorium. The Federal Hill Prep students also took two field trips, one to UMBC for a college visit day and another trip to Washington, D.C., where they received a tour of the capitol.

“Everyone was glowing after giving their speeches,” said Sherry Barr, Federal Hill Prep teacher. “They really enjoyed talking about who they were, where they were from and something that concerned them. The list ranged from trash, gangs and drugs to homework.” 

When asked why such a program is important, King-Meadows spoke emphatically about the quality of political participation among America’s youth.

“We do young people and the political community a disservice by not enhancing their preparedness for civic activity. To me, America must prepare its citizens for self-governance at a very early age,” said King-Meadows. “If a child can learn to tie a shoe, he or she can learn that government officials determine the quality of the roads and sidewalks those shoes will walk on.”

For more information on the Our Civic Voices project, contact Tyson King-Meadows at 410-455-2194.

(7/2/09)

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

A Food Pioneer

It’s no surprise to UMBC Professor of American Studies Warren Belasco that food is entering mainstream curricula at American colleges and universities.

A number of academic institutions are using Belasco’s latest book, Food: The Key Concepts (Berg Publishers), as a required text in undergraduate courses examining how food can be viewed in the contexts of history, culture and the environment.

“This book is really an introductory overview of how one would teach food,” Belasco said. “The book is dedicated to students at UMBC because they really shaped it. Students don’t hesitate to tell me what they think.”

Samantha McGarity ’09 recently completed Belasco’s foundation American Studies course on American food.

“We looked at every part of food and consumption: Why do we eat what we eat? How do we eat what we eat? How was the food produced?” McGarity said. “I realized just how much I don’t know about the food industry. It forever changed the way I look at what’s on my plate.”

In an early chapter, Belasco cites the ordinary act of toasting a slice of white bread to illustrate the comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to food. He suggests that toasted white bread can trigger study of why some cultures value processed white grains more than whole grains, where toast fits in one’s morning ritual and who invented the sandwich.

Belasco spoke recently with the Washington Post about the implementation of food courses at Yale, several University of California campuses and the University of New Hampshire. The report called him “a pioneer” in the discipline.

With more than 25 years of experience as a food scholar, Belasco has served for the past five years as editor of Food, Culture & Society, an international multidisciplinary research journal.

He returns to the UMBC classroom after a 2008-09 sabbatical. He will continue to engage students in food topics that most never envisioned, such as his vision of a “sustainable hamburger” that governments, the food industry and agricultural scientists could develop as a departure from grain-fed, high-fat burgers.

“The basic pattern of a semester is to start with an appreciation of how food creates community and identity. I call this the ‘Oh, wow’ stage,” Belasco said. “From there, we move quickly to the ‘Oh, no’ stage: the problems with meat production, animal rights, environment and the obesity epidemic.”

As students become aware of these challenges, lively conversations emerge.

“The course is never the same two years in a row,” Belasco said.

(2/16/09)

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

A Prototype for Collaboration

 

Engineering and art come together in finding innovative ways of using 3D rapid prototyping at UMBC. Dr. Anne Spence and artist Chad Eby discuss how they apply this new tool in the classroom and in the studio.

Watch the video, produced by UMBC’s New Media Studio. View Program in QuickTime:  

For optimal viewing experience, viewers should
download Quicktime 6

Visit the streaming media@UMBC Web site.

 

 

A Prototype for Collaboration

Engineering and art come together in finding innovative ways to use 3D rapid prototyping at UMBC.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering’s rapid prototyping printer is used to create instant prototypes of mechanical elements before their actual fabrication is done. The process gives freedom and speed to research projects when mechanical fabrication is necessary. Now, a UMBC artist is using rapid prototyping to produce computer-generated sculpture. Will artists join engineers on future design teams?

Anne Spence, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Chad Eby, a student in the Imaging and Digital Arts MFA program, discuss how they apply 3D rapid prototyping in the classroom and in the studio.

Watch the video, produced by UMBC’s New Media Studio. View Program in QuickTime:  

For optimal viewing experience, viewers should
download Quicktime 6

Visit the streaming media@UMBC Web site.

 

 

A Smart Move

Young students will learn the importance of transportation efficiency and team building at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) State Championship at UMBC on Saturday, January 30. The competition stresses the importance of education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), helping students collaborate and develop necessary skills at an early age.

Sixty four teams (chosen from qualifying rounds) will compete by building programmable, motorized robots from LEGOs while researching and reporting on specific topics. The theme of this year’s season is “Smart Move” and focuses on modes of transportation. Teams are judged on the technical characteristics of their robot, how well it performs tasks, the quality of the team’s project and how well the team works together.

The competition has become increasingly popular over the years. 

“If you have not seen one of these competitions, go,” said Jonathan Wray, secondary mathematics instructional facilitator for Howard County Public Schools. “It rivals American Gladiators and any other major competitive sports event.”

“We’ve grown from less than 100 teams last year to more than 160 FLL teams in Maryland,” said Anne Spence, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and FLL affiliate partner for Maryland. “That growth partly reflects increased interest in science, technology and engineering among students and educators – and because FLL is a lot of fun.”

Spence’s research focuses on the awareness and interest in engineering career opportunities for students in K-16 with the hope of increasing their participation in all areas of engineering. Her efforts are being developed in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education, local educational agencies, community colleges, other four-year institutions and key businesses.

Also included at the championship will be a FIRST Robotics Competition, an engineering program for high school students; the FIRST Tech Challenge, a mid-level and affordable robotics competition for high school students; and an expo by the Junior FIRST LEGO League for children ages 4-9, where they will demonstrate what they’ve learned about alternative energy.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.

FLL is an international program for children created in partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Company in 1998.

The championship will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., in the Retriever Activities Center and is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Anne Spence at aspence@umbc.edu. 

(1/19/10)

A Tale of Two Nuclear Cities

Chernobyl is a household word for nuclear disaster; few Americans, however, know the story behind two fate-entwined cities in the U.S. and former U.S.S.R. which each emitted three to four times more radiation than the Chernobyl meltdown.

In April, UMBC history professor Kate Brown received a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship to complete her book “Enriched by Plutonium: the tandem history of the secret cities plutonium built,” which aims to put these cities in the cross hairs of human history.

For nearly a half century, the cities of Richland, Wash., and Cheliabinsk-40 in Russia manufactured in secrecy the most volatile and lethal product in human history: Plutonium.

Brown hopes to shatter ideological assumptions cultivated during the Cold War by exploring remarkable similarities between the American and Soviet plutonium cities.

Top secret, highly restricted and socially engineered, these government-run communities developed on parallel paths into model cities. Each received awards for planning, community development and education. At the height of Cold War tension, some politicians feared Richland was too “socialisitic”, while some Soviet officials called Cheliabinsk-40 too “materialisitic” and “bourgeois.” Both suffer a deadly legacy of radioactive contamination.

“I will argue that in creating the means to destroy each other, the two cities came to resemble one another,” Brown said.

Brown has interviewed dozens of residents and plant operators in both cities and has accessed U.S. federal government and Communist Party personal archives. After making one more research trip to the Urals in Russia this summer she plans to complete her book by the end of the Guggenheim Fellowship year.

Sixty-two disciplines and 68 academic institutions are represented by 2009’s Guggenheim Fellows. Since its establishment in 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has granted more than $273 million in Fellowships to nearly 16,700 individuals, including scores of Nobel, Pulitzer and other prizewinners.

Brown studies and teaches Russian and Eastern European History, focusing on ethnicity and nationalism. Her recent book, A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic  Borderland to Soviet Heartland won the American Historical Association’s prestigious George Louis Beer Prize.  Brown is the recipient of fellowships from numerous institutions, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Social Science Research Center.

(5/1/09)

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

Addressing the Scarcity of Roles for Women

Inaugurated in 2006, UMBC’s annual IN10 International Short Play Competition seeks to address the scarcity of strong roles for young women in contemporary American plays. By creating a national competition for 10-minute long plays that feature solid acting opportunities for young actresses, the Department of Theatre hopes to help commence a new era in contemporary American playwrighting. The national winner is awarded a cash prize and performances at the Festival. Additionally, each year the IN10 Festival commissions new works by noted American playwrights.

This year’s festival, which runs March 4 through 8 in the UMBC Theatre, features new theatrical works for young actresses and all audiences, including the winning play of UMBC’s IN10 International Short Play Competition, Confirmed Sighting by Patrick Gabridge.

Artistic Director Susan McCully has commissioned new works by renowned playwrights Lee Blessing, Kia Corthron and Caridad Svich:

Into You (Lee Blessing): Following her recent assault, a nursing student implicates her roommates in brutal game of crime and punishment when she exacts a secret revenge.

Trickle (Kia Corthron): Supply-side economics works its dramatic arch through the lives of five women in this cunning play about who gets bailed out and who is dumped upon.

Confirmed Sighting (Patrick Gabridge): A young professor searching for a rare bird in an Arkansas swamp finds an unlikely ally in a savvy local, but can she be trusted?

Stepping on Water (Caridad Svich): Lotti’s restlessness and yearning to escape her insular hometown takes poetic flight through her passionate longing for the beautiful Spanish girl next door.

The Festival features direction by Colette Searls and Jennifer L. Nelson, set design by Daniel Ettinger, sound design by Terry Cobb, dialect direction by Lynn Watson, light design by student Matthew Klein, and costume styling by students Christiane Markus and Ulrich Lindqvist.

A performance schedule and ticket information are available online.

(2/27/09)

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

Black + Gold = Green

Green is the new black and gold on Thursday, February 5, as both the National Teach-in on Global Warming and Recyclemania kick off at The Commons Main Street. Both events are geared toward educating the campus and area communities about global warming and the importance of recycling through a series of activities, panel discussions, art displays and more.

Through its participation in the National Teach-in on Global Warming, UMBC joins more than 600 colleges and universities nationwide to discuss and reiterate the importance of finding solutions to global warming. UMBC will showcase its sustainability initiative and celebrate what the Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) has done so far in order to fulfill the climate commitment President Freeman Hrabowski signed in 2007.

The day’s events include a fair of local green businesses, government agencies and climate action groups at The Commons Main Street; sustainability performing and visual arts works and films; campus-wide open classes on global warming across disciplines; and a panel discussion on action and legislation to avert climate change. On the panel will be Wayne Gilchrest, former Maryland congressman and co-chair of the Climate Change Caucus; Sarah Zaleski, coordinator of the Baltimore City Office of Sustainabilty; and Donald Boesch, professor of marine science and president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and Chairman of the Maryland Governor’s Climate Change Commission.

“UMBC students, faculty and staff have a unique opportunity to take part in the National Teach-in on global warming and learn about the challenges we face and about the policies we need to implement on campus and at all levels of government,” said Virginia McConnell, professor of economics and co-chair of the CCTF.

Alongside the Teach-in will also be the start of UMBC’s annual Recyclemania, a ten-week recycling competition in which schools nationwide collect and record the weight of products about to be recycled. Although the official kick-off is February 5, a two-week trial period began for UMBC and other colleges and universities on Sunday, January 18, in order to get accustomed with collecting and reporting.

2009 marks the third year in which UMBC has participated alongside more than 400 schools nationwide in Recyclemania, capturing several second-place awards in various categories in 2008. Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate, and students will have opportunities to participate in various recycling based activities on February 5 at The Commons. Free T-shirts and more information on recycling also will be handed out. Students are invited to bring recyclable materials to the event for collection.

“I’d like to see more people recycle on campus and help educate others about recyclable materials,” said Donna Anderson, manager of landscape and grounds. “Wherever there’s a recycling bin, please use it. And if there isn’t, let Facilities Management know, and there will be one there in the future.”

The Teach-in kicks off at 11 a.m. at Main Street in The Commons, and activities will continue throughout the day. For more information, visit the sustainability website at www.umbc.edu/sustainability. A link at the top of the page will include a full listing of events.

For more information about Recyclemania, visit www.recyclemania.org/ or contact Donna Anderson at dleak@umbc.edu.

(1/27/09)

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