Quantum Cryptography Summer Workshop and Internship 2026

Funded by the NSF ExLENT Program for Students at Montgomery College (MC) and University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Are you interested in cutting-edge cybersecurity and quantum computing? Do you want hands-on experience with industry leaders? Join the AIM-PQC Program, a unique summer workshop and internship designed to prepare students for the future of post-quantum cryptography (PQC)!

Who Can Apply?

📌 Must be registered undergraduate students from UMBC & Montgomery College in STEM fields during the summer of 2026 (MC students will be selected separately)

📌 At least 18 years old at the start of the program and eligible to work in the US

📌 Basic programming experience (Python preferred) and cybersecurity knowledge

📌 Never participated in AIM-PQC before

📅 Application Deadline: Mar 5, 2026

For details, contact Prof. Lei Zhang  leizhang@umbc.edu

Join us for the UMBC Annual Research Symposium 2026, featuring poster presentations showcasing research from all colleges at UMBC. Whether you are presenting or attending, this is a great opportunity to share ideas, engage with research from across campus, and connect with fellow scholars.

Date: April 7, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: UC Ballroom

Who You Are:

• A graduate or undergraduate student from any college at UMBC who wants to share their research with the university community.

What to Expect:

• Poster Presentations from students across CAHSS, COEIT, and CNMS. Come and explore groundbreaking work from all corners of UMBC.

• $2,500 Prize Pool across four categories:

• BEST of CAHSS (College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences)

• BEST of COEIT (College of Engineering and Information Technology)

• BEST of CNMS (College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences)

• Provost's Choice Award

• People's Choice Award

• Buffet Lunch for All Attendees – Enjoy a catered lunch featuring a variety of cuisines to accommodate diverse dietary preferences.

• Limited Free Poster Printing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are encouraged to bring posters they have already prepared for previous conferences or presentations.

Whether you are presenting your research or just want to explore the exciting projects happening across UMBC, we welcome you to participate in this celebration of academic excellence.

Click the link here to register today, or scan the QR code in the flyer! Full URL below:

https://forms.gle/AYC5NiG917QULX8NA

Follow our Instagram @gears_umbc for other updates on events and things! 

The UMBC Quantum Science Institute (QSI) in conjunction with the Quantum Photonics Integrated Design Center (QuPIDC), a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center in which UMBC is a partner, invite undergraduate applications to its undergraduate research internship program. The experience is designed to provide research experience for students who are interested in the broad topic of quantum information science.

Students are expected to complete a research project under the supervision of a QSI faculty member for approximately 10 hours a week during the Spring semester. Students will have the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from QuPIDC partner institutions, including Purdue University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Northwestern University, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, the University of Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech.

The program runs during the Summer session. A stipend will be provided, with the total amount determined by the number of hours committed to the research program. 

Interested students should contact Dr. Matthew Pelton at mpelton@umbc.edu.

Candidates will be expected to identify a QSI faculty member who can serve as their research supervisor and to prepare a brief research proposal with the assistance of their supervisor.

For more information about the QSI and QuPIDC, see https://qsi.umbc.edu and https://science.purdue.edu/qupidc/.

Hello site admins!

This post has a lot of information in it. Please read carefully!

New Resources

The Sites team is excited to debut a few new self-help resources!

1. New Sites table class: Having table problems? Is Silktide flagging your table as causing 2D scrolling issues?  Our new Sites table class "umbc-table" may be able to help.

1. How to Add Alt Text in Sites: Not sure how to add alt text to an image in Sites? This article will walk you through the options.

2. The 3R Framework for PDFs: This resource will help with decisions about what to do with PDFs - reduce, remake, or remediate?

3. Two articles for site admins participating in the digital accessibility remediation process that walk through our new Sites accessibility tools:

• Accessibility Tools for UMBC Sites

• Archival Tools for UMBC Sites

Site Admin Training

All Site admins with a Silktide account need to complete 2 Silktide training courses to get full access to Silktide. Site admins identified for the Digital Accessibility Remediation Project will be asked to complete 3 additional digital accessibility training courses in Silktide.

Project site admins: The timeline of when your training should be completed will depend on when we begin working with your site, however we encourage site admins who are able to complete theirs in advance to do so.  If you aren't able to complete it in advance, we ask that you at minimum ensure you have a Silktide account established.

To request a Silktide account, go to umbc.edu/request and fill out the "Silktide Accessibility Scanning," which has a drop-down option to request a new account.

All site admins should complete these 2 courses in order to get access to the full Silktide capabilities:

• Getting Started with Silktide (20 mins)

• The Accessibility Module (10 mins)

Project site admins should complete these 3 additional courses:

• Don't Be Afraid Of… (15 mins)

• What in the World is WCAG? (60 mins)

• Introduction to Web Accessibility (40 mins)

These trainings will be available to you once you have a Silktide account and are available in Silktide's Academy under Courses, which can be found at this link: https://app.us.silktide.com/baltimorecounty/everything/academy/courses

Future Project Phases

The remaining phases of the Sites Digital Accessibility project have been identified. The full list of phases and websites in each phase is available on the Sites website. These phases are based on our best estimate, and timelines may not be exact.

Each phase is broken out internally into multiple waves in order for us to better track progress and to stagger how many websites we have at each step of the process, meaning not all sites in each phase will be contacted at the beginning of that phase. If you are concerned about when we will begin work on your site, you are welcome to fill out a Sites RT to inquire, but we ask folks to be patient with us as well.

Questions? Concerns?

Questions or concerns about Silktide, please head to umbc.edu/request and fill out the Silktide Accessibility Scanning form.

Happy Monday! Take a look at the events that will take place at The Mosaic Center this week: 

Monday, 2/23/2026 | Chai Chats 11:30 AM  - 12:30 PM (Cancleed, will be rescheduled) 

Wednesday,  2/25/2026 | Donuts & Dialogue 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 

Thursday, 2/26/2026 | SistaCare (Center for Social Justice Dialogue): 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM 

We hope to see you at our upcoming events and sponsorships! Questions regarding Mosaic programming can be sent to our email: themosaic@umbc.edu. 

The Mosaic Center and all events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

This Week in EA

• Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Essay Workshop Session

  Are you a U.S. citizen​ or national of the United States receiving a Pell grant and planning to study abroad? If so, you may be eligible for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship! This U.S. Department of State program enables students receiving a Federal Pell Grant to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. These awards offer up to $​8000 to support your study abroad plans. The program aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries or areas and world regions and to study languages, especially critical-need languages (those deemed important to national security). Veterans of military service are encouraged to apply, and preference is given to veterans when other factors are equivalent.
  Join us for an Essay Workshop Session to get your essay reviewed and learn application tips and tricks!

• Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 2PM – 3:30PM | Virtual

• "Made in Ethiopia" Screening and Q&A | March 5 | 4:30PM | Library Gallery

  Join the Asian Studies program  in the AOK Library Gallery on Thursday, 3/5/26 at 4:30PM to watch the screening of Made in Ethiopia! Our event will also include a Q&A with the filmmaker herself, Xinyan Yu, along with discussants, Tracy Tinga (MCS) and Guenet Abraham (Visual Arts). Learn more about the documentary that explores rapid industrialization and China's economic influence in Africa. Food will be provided during this event. This event has been organized by Asian Studies with support from the Global Asia Initiative's Course Expansion Grant.

Celebrate Study Abroad Day with The Forum on Education Abroad!

• Today, February 23rd, our community comes together to spotlight the transformative power of international education and the lasting impact global learning has on students, campuses, and the world. Study Abroad Day is all about bringing awareness, celebrating our work, and supporting the professionals who make global learning possible every day. Learn more here!

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

• March 1, 2026: Applications for Faculty-Led Programs in Kenya, Portugal, and Vietnam due

• March 5, 2026: Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Applications due for Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Academic Year 2026-2027

• March 10th, 2026: Summer (non-faculty led), Fall, and Academic Year 2026-2027 Applications due

• April 7th, 2026: Freeman Awards for Study in Asia Application due 

• Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Academic Year 2026-2027 advising is available now! Contact educationabroad@umbc.edu to schedule an advising appointment.

• Study Abroad 101 Sessions
  Monday | 2pm-3pm | Virtual
  Tuesday | 1pm-2pm | Virtual
  Friday | 11am-12pm | Virtual