All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Jeffrey Davis, Political Science, in the New York Times

Jeffrey DavisIn the wake of the release of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report on C.I.A treatment of detainees in secret prisons following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Political Science Associate Professor Jeffrey Davis wrote a letter to the editor in response to the December 10 New York Times article, “Panel Faults C.I.A. Over Brutality and Deceit in Terrorism Interrogations.” The complete text of the published letter is below:

Prosecuting those who commit torture is not optional. Article 7 of the Convention Against Torture, signed by President Reagan in 1988 and approved by the Senate in 1994, requires the United States to prosecute those found within our borders who commit torture. The foundation of our democratic system is one of laws. If we regard those laws — be they the laws prohibiting torture or the laws mandating prosecution — as optional, that foundation is eviscerated. The Senate report released this week paints a clear picture of the depravity that thrives when our basic laws are ignored.

To read Davis’s letter, along with other responses to the New York Times article, click here.

UMBC Humanities Faculty Discuss Serial in The Guardian

Serial, a spin-off show from NPR’s “This American Life,” is a podcast in which reporter Sarah Koenig reinvestigates the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a Baltimore County high school student. In the series, Koenig, a former Baltimore Sun staff writer, conducts numerous interviews and delves deeply into figuring out what led to the conviction of Adnan Syed, Hae’s ex-boyfriend, for her murder. An article published December 8 in The Guardian looks into why the podcast has drawn so much interest.

Nicole King

Nicole King, an associate professor of American studies, is quoted in the article and comments on the narrative style of the podcast when looking at it in the context of Baltimore.

“People are so caught up with ‘whodunnit’,” she tells [Nicky Woolf, the article’s writer]. “The Hollywood ending.” For people here, she says, there will need to be some sort of a payoff – a denouement – which real life rarely, if ever, provides.

Steph Ceraso

In addition, Steph Ceraso, an assistant professor of English, and Tanya Olson, a lecturer of English, are both referenced in the article as having started to use the podcast as a teaching tool in the classroom.

Tanya Olson

“The podcast raises all kinds of interesting questions about storytelling, memory, ethics and the research process,” Ceraso said. She discovered that some students in her class knew the families involved in the case and it sparked a heated discussion about ethics and storytelling.

To read the complete article “In Baltimore, Serial’s murder mystery is not just a whodunnit-it’s real life,” click here.

Dale Bittinger, Admissions, Describes “House of Grit” on Midday with Dan Rodricks

Dale Bittinger, assistant vice-provost for admissions and orientation, visited WYPR’s Midday with Dan Rodricks to discuss the concept of “grit” in education. He was joined by Elaine Tuttle Hansen, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and Natalia Walker, principal of KIPP Baltimore.

The conversation began with a discussion of grit and how it has become a buzzword in education. Bittinger shared the history of grit at UMBC and how it has been a part of our campus culture since its founding in 1966. Bittinger also described “House of Grit,” UMBC’s new admissions marketing campaign. “The House of Grit campaign really allowed us to focus on the individuality of the students on our campus, but at the same point in time, the community that makes UMBC such a place that it is.”

Bittinger emphasized that intelligence and grit are not mutually exclusive. He gave the example of Billy Heavner, goalie on the men’s soccer team, and how he excels in academics with a 4.0 G.P.A. and also has grit on the soccer field.

Click here to listen to “Grit in Schools” on Midday with Dan Rodricks. Find out more about the “House of Grit” here.

MLLI Faculty and Students Featured in Russia Beyond the Headlines, Voice of America

Russian fashion show

On December 7, the UMBC Russian Club presented an evening of Russian song, cuisine, and fashion to promote cross-cultural understanding and to look beyond recent news headlines of strained diplomacy between the United States and Russia. The event was held in the University Center Ballroom, with support from the Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication (MLLI) department, the Russian Embassy, and the Russian Center for Science and Culture.

The event received news coverage from Russia Beyond the Headlines and Voice of America (article in Russian). Russian instructor Vira Zhdanovych and Elena Volosina ’15, MLLI, brought the event to UMBC to bring awareness to Russian culture and were featured in the news coverage along with MLLI Associate Professor Steven Young.

“I believe that the real culture of a nation, you can’t learn by watching the news or only paying attention to politics, but by talking to real people, eating food, listening to music,” said Volosina, president of the UMBC Russian Club. “From this conversation comes a deeper cultural understanding. This is how you introduce your culture to outsiders.”

In Voice of America, Zhdanovych and Volosina expressed the hope that “they have been able to initiate a new tradition to strengthen the mutual understanding of peoples through culture and beauty(translation).”

Russian Chorus

Fashion designer Evgenia Luzhina-Salazar headlined the evening and presented a collection of her work. The event featured musical interludes from the UMBC Russian Chorus, the Lada Children’s Theater, singer Victoria Sukhareva and Russian composer and virtuoso guitarist Sergey Kirichenko.

The ballroom was filled with UMBC students, faculty, and staff, as well as many people from off-campus, including representatives from the Russian Embassy and Russian Center for Science and Culture.

To read “Maryland university highlights connection with Russia in cultural evening,” click here. To read the article in Voice of America, click here (article in Russian).

Note: Randianne Leyshon, the author of the Russia Beyond the Headlines article, graduated from UMBC in 2009 with a B.A. in MLLI, magna cum laude.

Grit & Glory: NCAA Men’s Soccer Semifinals

College Cup FB Cover PhotoThe UMBC Men’s Soccer Team will travel to Cary, North Carolina, for a semifinal match in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship against the University of Virginia on Friday, December 12, at 5 p.m. This marks the first time in UMBC history that one of our teams has advanced to the Final Four in a Division I tournament.

We’re all very excited here at UMBC and we want you to be involved in this historic occasion no matter where you are. Whether you watch the game decked out in black and gold at a local restaurant or travel to Cary to see the action firsthand, you can find all the information you need on our College Cup website.

Go Dawgs!

School of Public Policy Hosts Forum on Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC)

Public Policy Forum

Maryland is in the process of implementing a new all-payer model for hospital payment. Under this system, the federal government permits the statewide Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) to regulate hospital prices. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the all-payer model effective January 1, 2014.

On Friday, December 5, the UMBC School of Public Policy hosted a forum at the Columbus Center in downtown Baltimore to examine how hospitals and health care providers are adapting to the new model and its effect the people it serves.

Robert Murray, President of Global Health Payment LLC, and Donna Kinzer, Executive Director of the HSCRC, provided detailed overviews of the history of hospital payments in Maryland and a description of the new system and how it shifts focus to patients with the goal of improving health outcomes and controlling costs. Kinzer discussed how the new model will increase efficiency and will align payment with new ways of organizing and providing care.

Following Murray and Kinzer’s presentations, Stephen Jencks, an independent consultant and member of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, shared how the new model can save costs by increasing care such as prevention, effective management of chronic disease, and care that responds to family and patient preferences.

Stuart Guterman, Vice President for Medicare and Cost Control, The Commonwealth Fund, examined trends in hospital spending nationally and discussed the relationships between hospital payments and costs to talk about the HSCRC’s impact in Maryland in a national context.

The forum, titled, “Controlling Hospital and Health Care Spending in Maryland in the Era of Budget Caps,” was sponsored by the UMBC School of Public Policy, the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR), the Hilltop Institute, CareFirst, and LifeBridge Health. The event was organized by UMBC Public Policy Professor David Salkever. For more information, click here.

Meet our Newest Alums: Donovan, Amazu, Fung Chim, and Connor

UMBC is always full of hard-working people who aspire to do great things, and the class of 2014 is no exception. Today, we wanted to share with you what some of our recent graduates are planning to do with their Retriever education.

After winning the Maryland Sea Grant to
study the health of the Chesapeake Bay, Donovan2014-0162_modMitchell Donovan, M.S. geography and environmental systems, was also able to present his work at the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee’s Chesapeake Bay workshop. Donovan’s research has been used to justify amending future models of sediment and contaminant sources. He now plans to fulfill his Fulbright Research Grant at the University of Turku, Finland, and earn his Ph.D. in watershed sciences at the Utah State University.

Chinwendu Amazu, biochemistry and molecular biology, came in to UMBC as a Meyerhoff Scholar, a MARC U*Star Trainee, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholar. With her hard work she joined the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society. Amazue also  won the Faculty Award for Excellence in Biochemistry, Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Award, among others. Along with tutoring her peers in general and organic chemistry, Amazu has worked with research scientists at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She plans to continue working towards an M.D./Ph.D. at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Cho Fung Chim, psychology, used his
talents while at UMBC to work as a research Chim2014-0183_modassistant at Robin Barry’s Couple and Family Research Lab and in Charissa Cheah’s Culture, Child, and Adolescent Development Lab. For his honors thesis, Chim managed all of the work, from beginning to end. He wrote the research question, completed the literature review, and analyzed the collected data. Graduating with a 4.0, he now plans to continue his work with family counseling, especially those who have immigrated to the U.S., and
pursue an M.A. in counseling psychology at
Johns Hopkins University.

Connor2014-6863_modAfter facing a life-threatening illness, non-traditional student Amy Connor, biochemistry and molecular biology, stepped back from her work as an artist and found a passion for science. Her goal now is to “inspire young students to think critically and creatively about science.” Connor plans to obtain a master’s degree in education from UMBC and teach chemistry.

Find out more about the Class of 2014!

Chancellor Brit Kirwan is a Finalist for Marylander of the Year

kirwanUniversity System of Maryland Chancellor William “Brit” Kirwan has been selected as a finalist for The Baltimore Sun’s 2014 Marylander of the Year. The winner will be announced by the end of the year, and public vote will factor into the decision. Click here to vote for Chancellor Kirwan.
Dr. Kirwan has served as chancellor of the University System of Maryland since 2002 and is a national leader in higher education issues. He chairs the National Research Council Board of Higher Education and Workforce, co-chairs the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, and serves as a member on the boards of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Greater Baltimore Committee, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, and the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education.

Meet the Alumni Leadership: Erica Reaves ’04, ’11

Name: Erica L. Reaves ​’04, biological science, ‘11 M.P.P., public policy
Employer: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation​
Alumni leadership roles: Cohort Representative for the Meyerhoff Scholars, Publicity Chair for the Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni (CBLA), member of Omicron Delta Kappa ​

Q: Where are you from originally?elr
​Columbus, Ohio​.

Q: What’s your favorite UMBC memory?
Orientation Week, August 2000, ​and Quadmania 2001 (my first Quadmania, where I purchased my first cell phone).

Q: Why are you involved in an alumni board or chapter?
I really enjoy working with fellow alumni and UMBC staff to develop programs/events that promote school spirit and support UMBC’s dedicated students, faculty, and staff.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to support UMBC?
​UMBC is such a nurturing, diverse community of scholars. As a scholarship recipient, I feel compelled to give back — my time, money, and other resources — as much as possible. Despite the generosity of many, I know that individuals and their families miss out on having the UMBC experience because of financial constraints.

Q: If stuck on a desert island with a CD player and only one CD, which CD would that be?
Lauryn Hill, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Q: What is the most recent book you’ve read?
​I am currently reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell​.

Read more about the CBLA!

Anupam Joshi named an IEEE Fellow

CSEE Professor Anupam Joshi has been named an IEEE Fellow, recognized for his for contributions to security, privacy and data management in mobile and pervasive systems. This designation is conferred by the IEEE Board of Directors on individuals with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest and is recognized by the technical community as a prestigious honor and an important career achievement. No more than 0.1% of the total IEEE voting membership can be selected in xlargea year.
Dr. Joshi joined UMBC’s faculty in 1998 and currently is the Oros Family Professor of Technology and Director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity. He previously held faculty appointments at the University of Missouri, Columbia and Purdue University. He received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University and a B. Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. While at UMBC he has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in operating systems, mobile computing and security. He developed and teaches an Honors College seminar on “Privacy and Security in a Mobile Social World”. He has mentored nine Ph.D. graduates and a large number of M.S. students.
Joshi has made many contributions to the design, analysis and development of intelligent systems for mobile, social and secure computing. Twenty years ago he was one of a handful of researchers who recognized that mobility introduced new challenges for data management, security and privacy over and above those brought about by wireless connectivity. His key insight was to model mobile and pervasive systems as distributed systems that are both open, in that they do not pre-identify a set of known participants, and dynamic, in that the participants change regularly.
He observe that applications on mobile devices require greater degrees of decision making and autonomy as they become increasingly sophisticated and intelligent and can’t always assume connectivity to central servers. Entities in these pervasive computing systems must exchange information about the data and services offered and sought and their associated security and privacy policies, negotiate for information and resource sharing, be aware of their context, and monitor for and report on suspicious or anomalous behavior. Dr. Joshi has addressed these challenges across the stack, from network protocols to data management to policy controlled interactions between autonomous entities.
Much of his research has been done in collaboration with colleagues in industry such as IBM, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman and Qualcomm. It has been funded by not just them, but also NSF, DARPA, AFOSR, ARL, NIST and other federal agencies. Joshi has published prolifically with more than 200 publications in refereed journals and conferences, many of which are highly cited. He has served as the General or Program Chair of many key conferences including the IEEE International Conference on Intelligence and Security Informatics which will be held in Baltimore in May 2015.
The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for advancing technology for humanity. Through its 400,000 members in 160 countries, it is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed more than 900 active industry standards.
[This story was reposted from CSEE website]

UMBC Named One of Baltimore’s Top Workplaces for 2014

15365064460_649cdd1abb_zThe Baltimore Sun has again named UMBC as one of Baltimore’s Top Workplaces. UMBC ranked no. 7 in the Large Employers category, which includes those with over 400 employees.

The list was compiled after analyzing the results of a confidential employee survey that measured job satisfaction, organizational health, and engagement. The survey was conduction by WorplaceDynamics, an independent research company.

A common thread that unites the companies and institutions on the Top Workplaces list is the opportunity to perform meaningful work. “The work I do and my team does is valued by UMBC, and I feel part of something important and meaningful,” one employee wrote. Another shared, “We truly make a positive difference in the lives of students, faculty, and staff. Our reach extends beyond to the global community as well.”

UMBC is distinctive as the only university on the Top Workplaces list, and also consistently appears on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s top academic workplaces list. 

Click here for more information.

UMBC: Men’s Soccer Advances to Final 4

Destiny’s Darlings

UMBC Men’s Soccer Kicks Into the Final Four

On a chilly night in Omaha, Nebraska, UMBC’s men’s soccer squad reached giddy heights that a Division I team in any sport at the university has never touched before: the Final Four of a national collegiate tournament.

After 110 hard-fought and scoreless minutes against the No. 12-ranked Creighton Bluejays, the Retrievers snatched a 4-3 win on penalty kicks.

UMBC’s “Road Warriors” (15-5-4) have travelled to four different stadiums and won four straight games against nationally-ranked opponents to earn their place among the elite teams in college soccer.

“We were destined to be here,” said UMBC men’s soccer head coach Pete Caringi, Jr. in a press conference after the victory.

The Retrievers played with immense composure throughout the first 90 minutes of the game, shutting down a Creighton squad previously unbeaten on its home field in NCAA tournament history. The two ten-minute overtime sessions were a study in contrasts. The Retrievers came close to scoring on a few occasions in the first overtime, while Creighton nearly snatched a victory in the second overtime period.

With a place in the NCAA College Cup on the line in a penalty kick shootout, standout sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner made an impressive stop on the first Creighton attempt and watched the second Bluejay attempt hit a goalpost. The Retrievers then scored on four of their five penalty kicks, with senior midfielder Mamadou Kansaye, senior defender Jordan Becker and junior forward/midfielder Michael Scott scoring penalties to set up a winning conversion by senior forward Kay Banjo.

“We feel like we belong here,” Heavner said in a press conference held after the victory. “We feel like we belong at this level….But we have more work to do.”

The UMBC men’s soccer squad has achieved this athletics milestone by taking a different path to success. The university and its athletics department share a vision to seek excellence for UMBC’s student athletes in the classroom as well as on the field.

In a recent interview with UMBC Magazine, UMBC athletics director Tim Hall said: “My own beliefs about intercollegiate athletics and academics are congruent with the leadership of the university. I believe that success in athletics and success in academics are not mutually exclusive. You can be successful and balanced in both.”

It’s a vision that’s paying off with a UMBC squad that is now in the Final Four.

Last week, Heavner was presented with the inaugural America East Elite 18 award, which recognizes student-athletes competing in conference championship matches who possess high academic and athletic achievements. In addition to being one of the catalysts on UMBC’s amazing postseason run, Heavner also maintains a 4.0 GPA as a major in financial economics.

The UMBC men’s and women’s soccer teams also earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Awards for the 2013-14 academic year for posting cumulative team grade point averages of 3.0 or better. UMBC was one of only 188 schools that had both men’s and women’s programs recognized in the NSCAA awards.

To see video highlights of the historic win, explore detailed game accounts and statistics, and obtain information on obtaining tickets to next Friday’s national semifinal game in Cary, N.C., head to umbcretrievers.com.

(Updated 12/5/2014)

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