Greetings UMBC Community,

We have been seeing an increase in Google Calendar being used as a new type of method for phishing. In several instances, these calendar invites are added to a user's calendar without their permission, leaving the user confused as to how the invite appeared and potentially exposing the calendar to other cybersecurity threats. These calendar invites may contain phishing links or malicious content that could be disguised as a legitimate meeting or event.

On December 19th, we will be updating our default settings for Calendar invites. Events from individuals external to UMBC will only be added to your calendar automatically if they are from a known sender or if you manually approve them from your email inbox. To make a sender known, you can click "I know the sender" on their calendar invite. Remember to always report spam if you see a calendar invite that looks suspicious.

If you wish to revert the settings on your calendar to the original setting to accept calendar invites from everyone, you can do so by following the instructions in this FAQ after December 20, 2025.

As winter break is approaching, here are also some cybersecurity reminders to help keep your UMBC account safe:

• Update and shut down all computers that will be unused for the duration of the break,

• Keep an eye out for phishing emails and report them to security@umbc.edu,

• Please validate that before signing into a UMBC-related website from a link, always hover over the link first and ensure the domain in the URL clearly contains "umbc.edu",

• Use the GlobalProtect VPN if you are a staff member working from off-campus.

If you have questions regarding this change you can reach out to security@umbc.edu. We wish everyone a happy and safe Winter Break.

We are excited to share a recent publication by Dr. Matthew E. Fagan, Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems at UMBC, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

In "The responsible use of global remote-sensing datasets," Dr. Fagan and co-authors Naomi B. Schwartz and Ruth S. DeFries examine how global remote-sensing data are increasingly used to analyze Earth's systems at unprecedented scales. The article highlights both the power and the limitations of these datasets, emphasizing the importance of transparency, uncertainty awareness, and appropriate application in scientific research and decision making.

The authors outline three key considerations for responsible use of global datasets:

• What we map, including blind spots and sociocultural biases in data coverage
• How we map, focusing on model uncertainty and transferability across regions
• Where we make inferences, particularly the risks of drawing fine-scale conclusions from coarse-resolution data

This work calls for stronger best practices, improved metadata, and clearer communication of uncertainties to ensure global datasets are used responsibly and equitably.

Read the full article: The responsible use of global remote-sensing datasets

The Dresher Center for the Humanities will once again host a writing group during the 2025 Winter Session. This would be a writing accountability group format where we come together and write.

The format is flexible, but the group would ideally work twice a week for 90 minutes in a hybrid format. The Dresher Center conference room (PAHB 216) could be available for those interested in writing together on campus. Additionally, lunch will be offered after one of the writing sessions.

This writing groups open to faculty, graduate students, and staff working on humanities-related projects.

Sign up here

The Bookstore's Winter Hours have begun! 

Monday–Friday: 8 AM to 4 PM

The Bookstore will be closed on most weekends, but you can visit: bookstore.umbc.edu for information on special weekend events and Team Store hours!