All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Dennis Coates, Economics, Provides Perspective on Economic Impact of the Baltimore Orioles

With buzz surrounding last week’s 2015 home opener for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, economics professor Dennis Coates was in the news discussing what the recent success of the team means for business.

Dennis CoatesIn a Baltimore Sun article, Coates shared that if the team weren’t doing so well, money spent in and around Camden Yards would simply be spent in other areas of the city. “All we’ve really seen is a shift from one set of entertainment activities to another,” Coates said. “That’s not creating any big boost to the economy; it’s just moving around.”

Coates added that out of town visitors are what bring new tourism dollars to Baltimore and the team isn’t necessarily a draw to visitors. “The bottom line is it’s good for the Orioles, but it doesn’t do anything significant for the rest of the Baltimore economy,” he said.

In another Baltimore Sun article, Coates discussed the Hilton Baltimore convention center hotel losing $5.6 million last year despite the success of the nearby Orioles. “I don’t have a crystal ball to say whether it will always be a money-loser,” said Coates. “But it’s not a good sign if they can’t do well when the Orioles are doing well.”

To read all recent news coverage involving Coates, see below:
Orioles and sponsors look to ride 2014 success into a new season (Baltimore Sun)
City-owned Hilton lost $5.6 million last year (Baltimore Sun)
Why Baltimore is not likely to land new pro sports teams (Baltimore Business Journal)
Walker, Vos: City, county need to offer more for new arena (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

UMBC’s Psychology Training Clinic Featured in the Baltimore Sun’s April Education Section

Rebecca SchactIn its April education section, the Baltimore Sun published an article on programs that prepare students to provide effective, evidence-based care for patients. UMBC’s Psychology Training Clinic, part of the Psychology Training, Research, and Services Center at the South Campus Research and Technology Park, was featured in the article. Rebecca Schacht, a clinical assistant professor of psychology and director of the clinic, was quoted extensively in the story and discussed the new clinic, which provides low-cost therapy for people struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Graduate-level students provide care under supervision of licensed psychologists.

“This is really the standard for training,” Schacht said. While students also train in community outpatient clinics, “you don’t get as much oversight there. It allows us to have more contact with our students to train them in evidence-based treatment.” Patients at the clinic agree to be recorded, and then the professors review the tapes with the students. “It benefits the students and the patients because there’s a lot more focus,” Schacht added. “You really think more deeply about each person.”

Students at the clinic study the latest research which benefits patients and Schacht noted the training at the clinic will provide the field with effective practitioners. “One of the biggest determinants in whether people get better is the relationship with their therapist,” she said. For more information about the clinic, click here.

Christopher Corbett, English, in Vox

Orphans PreferredMore than 150 years after the first mail was delivered via the Pony Express, Vox published an article examining the service that lasted for only 18 months. Christopher Corbett, professor of the practice in the English department, was quoted in the article. He is author of Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express.

“In the American memory, that man is still riding across the country,” said Corbett when reflecting on the Pony Express. He also discussed how the mail service’s business model played a major role in its undoing.

The business was always doomed. “It hemorrhaged money from the first day,” Corbett said. “It was a bit of a madcap idea from the get-go … the structure of the business was deeply flawed.”

In the article, he also described the legacy of the Pony Express in American memory: Corbett says the appeal of the Pony Express is obvious: it’s an American myth without American tragedy. The bloodshed, suffering, and seediness of the Wild West aren’t part of the myth of the short-lived delivery service. “It’s a benign memory of the Old West,” he says. “It’s a powerfully romantic figure on the back of a fast horse.”

To read the full article in Vox, click here.

Ann Christine Frankowski, Center for Aging Studies, in the New York Times

An April 13 article in the New York Times took an in-depth look at the Henry Rayhons case which has drawn national attention in recent weeks.

Ann Christine Frankowski, Autonomy symposium

Ann Christine Frankowski, associate director of the Center for Aging Studies, was quoted in the article and discussed how dementia symptoms tend to fluctuate and patients can often be lucid in the morning and significantly impaired in the afternoon. “What may be appropriate on one day may not be appropriate the next week, or at a different point that same day,” she said.

In the article, Frankowski also discussed what she has discovered in her research with some staff member attitudes towards sex in assisted living facilities:

In other facilities, though, Dr. Frankowski said: “I find staff members saying ‘It’s wrong. Old people don’t do this, they had spouses in the past, they have family member that would be concerned.’ ”

“Sometimes they will say to the resident, ‘Do you really want your daughter to know about this?’ And the staff members do really and truly believe they are doing the right thing.”

To read the full article in the New York Times, click here.

V-E Day 70th Anniversary Concert (4/24)

Churchill_waves_to_crowds (1)MLLI
Friday, April 24 | 6:30-8 p.m.
ITE Building Room 104

Victory in Europe Day—known as V-E Day—commemorates May 8, 1945, the date when the World War II Allies (including the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union) formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The UMBC Russian Club with support of the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication and the American Association of Russian Language, Culture, and Education (AARCE) is presenting a 70th anniversary concert for V-E day with music, song, and dance.

The event will feature the UMBC Russian Chorus, Russian School Metaphor, Potomac Russian Academy, Perspectiva Russian School, Musical Theater Zerkalo, East-West Cultural Center – Dance Group “Kalinka,” and Dance Studio Olympus.

Communicating Climate (4/20)

JCET-Logo1Celebrating 20 Years of JCET Climate Research: Climate affects all residents of the Earth but we all have different perspectives and ways of talking about it.

The UMBC Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology and the UMBC Sustainability Working Group invite the campus community to a symposium focused on communicating the results of scientific climate investigations. A panel of noted climate researchers will contribute their knowledge of Earth’s climate a discussion prompted by questions from the broader UMBC audience.

This Communicating Climate symposium also celebrates the integration of art and science with renowned musician and composer Kenji Williams who will perform the multi-media presentation, “Beautiful Earth.”

Communication Climate will take place on April 20, 12:30 – 6 p.m. in the UC Ballroom.

UMBC Earth Day Events 2015 (4/16-4/24)

sustainabilityCelebrate sustainability and Earth Day with an array of academic, social, service and awareness events here at UMBC:

EcoFest: Green Festival
Mon, 4/20 | 10am-2pm | The Quad
(Rain location: Gameroom)
A Green Festival with music, games, speakers, performances, food, crafts, giveaways, and more! Hosted by Students for Environmental Awareness.

Communication Climate Symposium
Mon, 4/20 | 12:30pm-6pm | UC Ballroom
Presentations and poster session featuring research related to climate change. Hosted by Joint Center for Earth Technologies, UMBC partnership with NASA.

Beautiful Earth (Part of the Climate Symposium)
Mon, 4/20 | 3:30pm | UC Ballroom
An artistic multi-media presentation, featuring live Native American Music, and more. Hosted by Joint Center for Earth Technologies, UMBC partnership with NASA.

Rachel Carson & Her Sisters
Tues, 4/21 | 4pm-6pm | Library 7th Floor
As part of Earth Week at UMBC, Dr. Robert K. Musil will present a talk on his book Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment. Hosted by EDU, GES, GWS, and more.

5k for Earth Day
Wed, 4/22 | 11am-1:30pm | The Quad
A 5k race through various green areas on campus! Those who sign up and run will receive a free 5k for Earth Day t-shirt and snacks at the race!

Earth Day at URCAD
Wed, 4/22 | 9:30am-4pm | UC Ballroom
The annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day will feature a eco-friendly new paperless system. This year, the day falls on Earth Day, so stop by for giveaways and information. Hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Green Office Reception
Thursday 4/23
In the first year of the program, several offices have earned Green Office Certification by completing a checklist with the help of a training and toolkit. At this reception we will recognize and celebrate the offices who first adopted the green makeover. Hosted by the Climate Action Steering Committee.

Tree Beautification & Clean-Up
Friday 4/24 | 12pm-3pm | Commons Garage
Weeding, mulching, and staking of trees planted by the Commons Garage. Hosted by Facilities Management, SEA, ETF, and PSS.

Undergraduate Commencement Seating for Faculty/Staff Guests

11824560134_4c44bb3b31_zIf you, you spouse, or your child are graduating this spring in UMBC’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 21, please contact Leslie Waters in the Office of Institutional Advancement at lwaters@umbc.eduor ext. 5-8652 as soon as possible.

We are able to provide reserved seating for up to six guests for these UMBC faculty and staff members. Please contact us ASAP so we can plan accordingly. Thanks.

Rebecca Boehling, History, Returns to UMBC in 2016

boehlingRebecca Boehling, history, Judaic studies, and gender and women studies, will be returning to UMBC in January 2016.

Boehling has been on temporary leave from UMBC in order since the beginning of 2013 to serve as the director of the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Germany, a center that preserves and archives documents on Nazi persecution, forced labor and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany and its occupied regions. In her time in Germany, Boehling worked to transform ITS into an international center for documentation, information and research.

Yelena Yesha, CSEE, Discusses Northrop Grumman Partnership in The Washington Post

yeshaThe Washington Post reported on a new partnership between Northrop Grumman and UMBC that explores using cybersecurity tools to analyze health data.

Yelena Yesha, computer science and electrical engineering, is leading the project and commented on the partnership, saying that they plan to evaluate millions of patient records. Tools originally developed to examine cyberthreats and security risks will be used to go through the data. This will allow the researchers to examine a large amount of data to see trends in conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Click here to read “Northrop Grumman, UMBC team to study health data for populations” in The Washington Post.

Cynthia Matuszek, CSEE, Co-Authors Study on Google Image Searches, Professions, and Gender

Cynthia Matuszek, computer science and electrical engineering, co-authored a study that found that Google image search results underrepresent female professionals, use stereotypes, and influence gender bias. Matuszek recently came to UMBC from the University of Washington, where her coauthors are based.

The researchers analyzed top Google image search results for over 40 professions and found that women were underrepresented when compared to data from the Bureau of Labor statistics. They also found that the image results affected perceptions of female representation in those occupations. “It’s part of a cycle: How people perceive things affects the search results, which affect how people perceive things,” Matuszek told The Washington Post.

Click here to read “What one simple Google search tells us about how we view working women” in The Washington Post.

Additional Coverage:

Be Careful What You Google (The Atlantic)
Google Image Search Has A Gender Bias Problem (Huffington Post)
Google Search thinks the most important female CEO is Barbie (The Verge)
On Google Images, the most influential woman CEO is Barbie! (The Economic Times)
Why gender bias in the workplace continues to exist (Human Resources Online)
Female CEOs under-represented on Google Image Search: Study (Tech2)
Who’s a CEO? Google image results can shift gender biases (Phys.org)
Barbie is the ‘top women CEO’ on Google Images (Times of India)
Is Google Search Biased Against Female CEOs? (Science 2.0)
Study puts Google image search results to the gender bias test (GeekWire)
On Google Images, the most influential woman CEO is Barbie! (NewKerala.com)
Who’s a CEO? Google image results can shift gender biases (UW Today)

COEIT and CNMS Host AAAS “Communicating Science” Faculty Workshop

AAAS19On Friday, April 10, the College of Engineering and Information Technology and College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences hosted a “Communicating Science” workshop for STEM faculty, organized through UMBC’s Office of Institutional Advancement. Over 40 faculty registered for the day-long event.

Speaker Linda Hosler from the Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) presented strategies for communicating scientific research to public audiences and media. Faculty honed concise, accessible messages about their scientific research and practiced presentations on camera and in an interview setting. The workshop also helped researchers identify pathways and opportunities to communicate about scientific research with a range of audiences, from policy makers and funding agencies, to news media, to students and colleagues in other fields.

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