Seeking Biology or GES student to work full time on outdoor summer research on the Eastern Shore for credit or pay. Looking for two students with basic computer skills. Prior GIS/GPS experience a plus as well as any outdoor field experience. For details contact Dr. Bernard Lohr. blohr@umbc.edu. For other summer research opportunities, go to http://www.umbc.edu/undergrad_ed/research/opportunities/summer.html

Photo Credit: Jedda

Don’t get me wrong breakfast food is amazing. Waffles, pancakes, French toast… need I go on?  But when you wake up 20 minutes before class there really is no time to be Betty Crocker in the kitchen. So what do you do?

Skip it.

You dream up all kinds of lunch combinations as your stomach grumbles through 9 am lecture. By lunch time you are more than ready to bite your arm off.

The point being, breakfast can no longer be syrup-drenched deliciousness.

Our college lives are too fast paced (read: lazy) to deal with actual cooking. So it is all about the convenience factor.

For about 18 years of my life, I skipped breakfast. Sleep> Food. Enough said.

I soon grew frustrated of having a grumbling stomach all throughout my morning lecture. I was pretty sure everyone in the lecture hall heard me as well.

My solution?

I want my first meal of the day to be a healthy- grab and go deal.

Most days I eat groyo ( I tend to make some words up) Granola + yogurt = amzingness!

Not only is this a no mess breakfast, it keeps me full.  Some days when I am in a jam bars are the best idea, Special K and Cliff just to name a few.

If eating food as soon as you wake up is not your thing, try grabbing a smoothie. Tricking yourself into getting something to eat is the way to go.

In case your eyes blurred over what I just wrote.

Recap Top 5 Reasons why you should eat breakfast:

1)     You can spend valuable lecture time focused on physics and not dreaming of lunch.

2)     Everyone can hear your stomach grumble. Yes it is that loud.

3)     Eating in class can make said 8am physics lecture fly by.

4)     By properly nourishing your body you can have a lazier productive day!

5)     Break/fast. Get it? You have been fasting for 8 hours.

True or False?

Q: You can lose weight by skipping breakfast.

A: False. Skipping the first meal of the day leads to more binging and munching between lunch and dinner.  By eating early in the day you can jump start your metabolism and burn fat all day long!

- Sana

The UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame was instituted in 1970’s, and has grown to include 96 members. Hall of Famers are chosen by a committee of athletic alumni based on their excellence on the fields and courts and their subsequent graduation from UMBC.

Visit the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame online

Distinguished Alumna/us of the Year Award

Established in 1988, the Distinguished Alumna/us Award was presented to an alumna/us who has achieved national recognition for excellence in his/her profession or field of endeavor.   This award was presented until 2003. Past recipients were:

2003:    Diane L. Bell-McKoy ’73
2002:    Ram S. Mohan ’92
2001:    Richard Chisolm ’82 and William Whiteford ’80
2000:    Dr. Tayebeh Pourmotabbed ’86
1999:    Robert G. Seasonwein, Esq. ’71
1998:    Charles L. Bevins, M.D., Ph.D. ’76 & ’86
1997:    Dr. Charles A. Taylor, ’73
1996:    Dr. Richard Lytel ’75, Dr. Lauren A. Schnaper ’71 and Peggy Southerland ’75
1995:    Dr. Jo Ann E. Argersinger ’74
1994:    Dr. Blair Grubb ’76
1993:    Ruth Williamson ’77
1992:    Dr. Stephen Vicchio ’73
1991:    Dr. Rita Berndt ’71
1990:    Dr. Paula Grabowski ’76
1989:    Dr. Robin West ’76
1988:    Dr. Winston Griner ’74

Outstanding Alumna/us Award

Established in 1991, the Outstanding Alumna/us Award was presented to an alumna/us who received recognition for the contributions s/he had made to his/her profession or community, and for the individual’s volunteer participation and advancement of UMBC.   This award was presented until 2003. Past recipients were:

2003:    The Honorable Adrienne A. Jones ’76
2002:    Paul W. Behrens ’80 and ’83
2001:    Karen Johnson ’85
2000:    Jennifer Anne Cooper ’94
1999:    Roosevelt Hairston, Jr., Esq. ’87
1998:    George Thomas Grace, M.D. ’77
1997:    Richard S. Foster ’73 and Richard Moreland ’83
1996:    W. Jack Mullen ’72 and Kimberly Joseph ’83
1995:    Dr. Scott M. Rifkin ’81
1994:    Nathan Chapman, Jr. ’80
1993:    The Honorable Dana Levitz ’70
1992:    The Honorable David Young ’74
1991:    The Honorable Lawrence LaMotte ’71

Alumni Community Leadership Award

Established in 1994, the Alumni Community Leadership Award recognized an alumna/us who had demonstrated, through dedicated service and leadership, including voluntary service beyond employment, a commitment to strengthening the community and creating positive change for society. This award was presented until 2003. Past recipients were:

2003:    Emily A. Byrne ’70
2002:    Elsa T. Collins ’95
2001:    Gary M. Brooks ’79
2000:    Cheryl Burke-Schwarz, D.V.M. ’82
1999:    James P.M. Atsaides, Ph.D. ’71
1998:    Anita Maddox Jackson ’80 and Karin Wagner Walker, M.Div., D.Min. ’85
1997:    Jack B. Neil ’77
1996:    The Honorable Thomas H. Dewberry ’73
1995:    Dr. Michael L. Zollicoffer ’80
1994:    Bobby Richardson ’89

UMBC Volunteer(s) of the Year

This award was presented until 2003. Past recipients were:

2003:    Robert A. Baruch ’89
2002:    Michael A. Rowe ’78 and C. Emmerson Small, II ’74
2001:    Scott E. Weber ’85
2000:    Jack Suess ’81
1999:    Maureen McCormick ’91
1998:    Diana Fertsch, M.D., Ph.D. ’82 and Stephen Rice ’79
1997:    Robert Dietrich ’70 and Mary “Mimi” Haw Dietrich ’70
1996:    Lori Smith-Watson ’85 and Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88
1995:    William Glover ’90
1994:    Michele Hayes ’85
1993:    James Andercyk ’88 and Jose Barata ’79
1992:    Tyrone Bullock, Sr. ’84
1991:    Edward Hodges ’82
1990:    Sandra Geest ’72, Mary Beth Schoch Engelbride ’84 and James L. Wiggins ’75

Learn more about Alumni Award winners.

Only four short years have passed since Rithy Chhay graduated from UMBC, but he is already on the fast track to success.
At just 26 years old, the computer science grad is a senior software engineer with Red Arch Solutions, a software and systems engineering firm in Columbia, Md. He’s a young husband, as well, and one of the core members of the recently re-energized Chapter of Young Alumni steering committee.
Then again, Chhay has been ahead of the game for most of his life, as least where computer science is concerned.
“I started writing my own computer programs when I was in middle school,” he explains, adding that he took several computer science classes in high school, including an Advanced Placement course. He describes his choice to continue studying computer science in college as “a natural progression.”
Chhay decided to pursue his studies at UMBC for several reasons. He liked the location, which was close to his family, and the cost was reasonable, especially with the merit scholarship he earned. Chhay’s decision was also influenced by his brother, Sinath Chhay, who graduated from UMBC in 1996. “He always spoke highly of the school,” Chhay says.
Chhay was invested in the UMBC community from day one. “I was actively involved with Greek life and Residential Life,” he explains, adding, “I worked as part of the desk staff for Potomac Hall and I was a resident assistant for two years in Erickson Hall.” He was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, giving him a close-knit group of friends with whom he still keeps in touch.
By combining what he learned in the classroom with the life skills he gained through leadership activities, Chhay had a solid foundation of lessons to take with him to the working world.
“Interpersonal relationship skills, teambuilding, problem solving, and time management – all of those things on top of what I learned from my coursework enabled me to be where I am today,” he says.
Chhay credits his calculus II class with Dr. Jagmohan Kapoor as being a particular turning point in his life. “I began to realize what my potential could be and what I could achieve if I really worked hard for what I wanted,” he explains. Dr. Kapoor’s class was important to Chhay’s future for another reason as well – it’s where he met his future wife, the former Lauren Boudra ’03, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Now that he’s out in the “real world,” Chhay has to use his multitasking skills even more than he did in college. He is currently balancing a career, a new marriage, and continuing his education. A computer science master’s candidate at UMBC, Chhay admits, “I’d be lying if I said balancing life, work and school was a walk in the park.”
In addition, Chhay’s involvement in the 15-member C-YA steering committee allows him to give back to the university that gave him his start. As a member of a group that is focusing on educational programming, he has been helping to organize upcoming Etiquette & Networking Dinner at the Brass Elephant, as well as a seminar on how to buy a home.
For Chhay, transitioning to the real world hasn’t been too difficult. “Life after college is definitely different,” he says, “but I always looked at college as my job.” With such a strong work ethic and positive attitude, Chhay is sure to be successful for years to come.
– Jennifer Matthews ’07
Originally posted August 2006