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Accolades for UMBC Film/Video Makers   When the doors open for the 2004 Maryland Film Festival (May 6-9 in Baltimore), the work of UMBC faculty, students and alumni will take center stage. Among the highlights of the Festival will be a new feature film, Saved!, by Brian Dannelly (Visual Arts ’97, Magna Cum Laude), which had been featured in the 2004 Sundance Festival and is scheduled for national theatrical release later this month. Dannelly credits UMBC with much of his success. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from UMBC, he went on to become a directing fellow at the prestigious American… Continue Reading Accolades for UMBC Film/Video Makers

Focusing On Cyber Security   Whether we’re banking, shopping, voting or working, as American life becomes more dependent on information technology (IT), the security of that information becomes more vital every day. April 26-30 is Information Assurance (IA) Awareness Week at UMBC, with a slate of speakers and hands-on demonstrations to alert faculty, staff and students to possible threats and to show them how to secure their computer systems. This event, the first of its kind at UMBC, is a collaboration between Alan Sherman, director of the UMBC Center for Information Security and Assurance (CISA), and associate professor of computer… Continue Reading Focusing on Cyber Security

Fieldwork with the O’s While spring brings the return of baseball season and Baltimore’s beloved Orioles, the O’s avian namesakes aren’t due to migrate back to Maryland for another few weeks. But when they do come back, it’s a sure bet that Meyerhoff Scholar and biological sciences and chemistry double major Elizabeth Humphries will be watching. For the many undergraduates involved in research at UMBC, the return of warm weather means it’s time for fieldwork. For Humphries and other students under the mentorship of evolutionary biologist Kevin Omland, spring is the time to trade lab coats for binoculars. But this… Continue Reading Fieldwork with the O’s

From Grad School to Google Computer science doctoral student and Graduate Student Association (GSA) Vice President Tom Armstrong has a very full calendar for the rest of the spring, followed up by a summer internship with one of the Web’s hottest companies: Google. As a second year Ph.D. student, Armstrong fills the bulk of his time with research in the intersection of computer science and linguistics at the CORAL (Cognition, Robotics and Learning) Lab, led by Professor Tim Oates. But like many graduate students, Armstrong also juggles his own coursework with teaching undergraduates (a section of Computer Science 203, Discrete… Continue Reading From Grad School to Google

Empowering UMBC’s Students  For Student Government Association President Scott Nicholson, public service has become a way of life. Service with the SGA and other student organizations has offered him the opportunity to bring about positive changes that will benefit the entire UMBC community. Nicholson, a native of Los Angeles, California, had never been involved with the SGA before beginning his term as president, but had served the campus as a resident assistant, a tutor and conversation partner for students learning English as a foreign language and a member of University Health Services’ Men Against Violence program. Originally recruited by last… Continue Reading Empowering UMBC’s Students

Protecting the Urban Environment   Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, issues such as traffic, sprawl and pollution impact the quality of life of all Marylanders. The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE), a multidisciplinary research center at UMBC, is on a mission to advance understanding of the environmental, social and economic consequences of the ongoing transformation of the urban landscape. “I want to make CUERE a center of excellence in environmental research and education with visibility at regional, national and international levels,” says CUERE Director Claire Welty. CUERE draws talent from a cross-section of… Continue Reading Protecting the Urban Environment

Capturing UMBC’s First America East Championship  After leading the Retrievers to their first-ever championship title in the America East Conference, Swimming and Diving Head Coach Chad Cradock has once again proved that the equation “Cradock + UMBC” yields only success. Cradock, a native of Barrie, Ontario, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMBC in 1997, was a four-year letter-winner for the Retriever Swimming and Diving program. “I really enjoyed my experience as an athlete at UMBC,” said Cradock. “The friends that I made here are friends that I’ll have for a lifetime, and the whole school experience was… Continue Reading Capturing UMBC’s First America East Championship

Mentoring Outside of the Classroom  Tim Oates, assistant professor of computer science, is a fixture in Potomac Hall on Wednesday evenings, greeting students as they leave for dinner or return from class. He is one of several UMBC professors who participate in the Faculty Mentor Program. In addition to scheduling regular “office hours” in the residence halls, faculty mentors offer programs on topics such as studying for tests and applying to graduate schools. Research indicates that students who have contact with faculty outside the classroom are more likely to graduate, are more likely to exhibit higher levels of achievement and… Continue Reading Mentoring Outside of the Classroom

Leading the Way for Student-Athletes UMBC has built a tradition of successful student-athletes who are not only great competitors at their sports, but also provide leadership on and off the field. High jumper Ed Warner confirmed his place in this elite group with his participation in the NCAA’s Leadership Conference, held last summer in Orlando, Florida. Accomplishments on and off the field earned Warner one of only 300 spots at the conference. During the 2002-03 indoor track seasons, he won the high jump at the Terrapin/PVA Indoor Track Meet with a leap of 2.09 meters, was the runner-up in the… Continue Reading Leading the Way for Student-Athletes

Rowing to Two World Records Graduate student Amanda Lea Miracle can now add world record holder to her already long list of accomplishments: 4.0 GPA, Presidential Award Scholarship, Ford Scholarship, graduate teaching assistantship and several published research articles. On January 17 and 18, Miracle set the women’s world record for longest continual row on an erg, or rowing, machine at 25 hours non-stop—with only an allotted 10-minute break per hour—rowing for a total of 176,766 meters. In doing so, she also set the world record for the individual 24-hour row in the heavyweight women (age 20-29) category, rowing for a… Continue Reading Rowing to Two World Records

Driven to Win Spring is around the corner, and it’s once again time to prepare for the big race. The drivers strap on their helmets. The pit crew fine tunes the engine. Right feet twitch in anticipation of flooring the gas at the first wave of the green flag. It’s not NASCAR; it’s a car-obsessed club of mechanical engineering students right here at UMBC. For over two decades, members of UMBC’s chapter of The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) have designed, built, tested and raced a pint-sized but powerful dune-buggy style car in a national contest that pushes their reflexes… Continue Reading Driven to Win