All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Now that the U.S. Geological Survey’s Maryland-Delaware-Washington, D.C. Water Science Center is on campus at bwtech@UMBC, research partnerships with faculty and career opportunities for students are growing.

For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently awarded a three-million-dollar grant to UMBC, USGS, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Princeton University to provide real-time, wireless, online data on Baltimore’s Gwynn Falls watershed. As the USGS-UMBC team’s eco-research reputation increases, more opportunities for student internships and employment will take root. Just ask Lonnie Lanham ‘98.

Lanham, a geography and environmental systems (GES) major with a certificate in Cartography, connected with USGS during his last semester at UMBC thanks to the advice of GES mentors like Joe School, Keith Harries and Tim Foresman. His internship and work experience in departmental laboratories helped Lanham land a job at USGS combining his geographic information systems (GIS), mapmaking, technical illustration and Web design skills.

“The experience that I gained while actually working within my major was very valuable,” Lanham said. “I feel that it gave me a definite edge when it came to getting ‘a real job.’” Lanham has remained at USGS since, working his way up from webmaster to lead information technology specialist for the USGS Center.

In his job, Lanham makes sure a multitude of USGS servers, workstations, network equipment, printers, scanners, cameras, data projectors, hand-held devices, and as he puts it, “lots of other things that a geography major would not likely want to get involved with,” are all working reliably. He credits several USGS officials for their mentorship, including USGS acting chief information officer Paul Exter, publications unit chief Jean Hyatt and Jim Gerhart, director of the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center.

Dan Soeder, hydrologist and information and outreach coordinator for the USGS Center, notes that while the USGS is seeking to be more efficient and streamlined in staffing, they are always looking for talented interns to fill highly competitive student positions. “We want to attract students who demonstrate the talent, skills, and abilities the USGS needs,” Soeder said.

“The work is fascinating and there are many opportunities in the Federal Government as well as in the private sector,” said Lanham. “A major in the arena of environmental sciences, especially geography, can offer a good foundation on which to build a career.”

Students, faculty and staff looking to learn more about the USGS should attend the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center’s Open House event on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

(10/19/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

UMBC Presents Work by Award Winning Playwright, Alumna

Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, is emerging as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, which will be performed at UMBC October 17-21, received the 2007 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights. In addition, her play Like a Cow or an Elephant was awarded the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights and was produced at the DePaul Theatre School in Chicago. She was also the winner of the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer’s Award, is a three-time recipient of Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Foundation Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2007 Sundance Theatre Lab and Princess Grace Award. Corthron’s plays have been developed with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Stage (Baltimore), African Continuum Theatre (D.C.) and at the Julliard School.

Corthron says UMBC’s theatre department helped to prepare her for the challenges of a career in theatre, encouraging her to understand the business of theatre as well as the research and work that goes into a production. Classes in script analysis gave her an appreciation for dramatic literature and helped to inspire her passion for writing.

She also believes that taking classes in theatre will benefit non-majors as well. “Even taking a class in dramatic literature can help you to learn about the human experience,” says Corthron. “You read about people who have to make decisions and work through problems. Or, if you choose to get involved in a production, when you are in character you have to figure out how you will work with that person is going through. In theatre, you learn to understand other perspectives, empathy and compassion.”

Lynn Watson, chair of the theatre department, says that students are benefiting from working with Corthron’s play. “As I watch the actors in rehearsal and work with them on the text of Wild Black-Eyed Susan’s (as a voice specialist, I coach our students as well as professional actors in speech and text), I’m particularly struck by the sophistication of Kara’s writing. She has a keen ear for the emotional underpinning of a casual comment. Her characters are believable and identifiable working class people living in a region where jobs are drying up yet she imbues their speech with poetic imagery and lyricism. Her ability to intermingle lyricism and rough urgency in the speech of contemporary characters is exceptional.

“For our students, the opportunity to play these roles has made for marvelous acting lessons,” adds Watson. “As actors dig into it, the play constantly yields up more and deeper layers. It’s exciting to see Kara’s talents passed on through her play to the development of another generation of UMBC theatre students.”

A schedule and ticket information for Wild Black-Eyed Susans is available online. The production is also part of UMBC’s Homecoming and Family Celebration events. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/homecoming.

(10/15/07)

UMBC Collaborative Digital Storytelling Project Wins International Award

A pioneering and unique Digital Storytelling Project created by UMBC and Charlestown Retirement Community and funded by Retirement Living TV (RLTV) has won a Bronze Telly Award. The prestigious Telly Award cites the Digital Storytelling Project as being among the world’s best in local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as among the finest in video and film production. This year’s Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

The Digital Storytelling Project is the nation’s first three-way partnership between a media company, a university and a retirement community. UMBC students (hands-on with the media technology) worked with Charlestown residents (autobiographical story and narrative) to create a series of 17 digital stories and music in two-to-three minute videos. The project was organized and supervised by UMBC’s New Media Studio.

“Being able to be a part of such a powerful project like the Digital Storytelling Project has not only expanded my awareness of the powerful influence that new media can have on society, but has also allowed me to develop my skills in creative thinking, communication, team work and technology,” said interdisciplinary studies senior Cathryna Brown. “To have received the honor and recognition of a Telly award makes me proud because it shows that we are accomplishing our goals and opening America’s eyes to the beauty of living beyond retirement.”

RLTV, a cable network dedicated to informing, involving and inspiring people aged 55 and over, was launched in September 2006. The RLTV network roots are in Erickson Retirement Communities, the National Institutes of Health, non-profit research foundations, UMBC’s Erickson School and leading gerontologists across the country.

Winners received their Telly Award statues at a September 12 ceremony at Charlestown

(10/3/07) © 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

Dresher Center Expands Humanities Scholarship at UMBC

A recent gift from the Dresher Foundation will expand the scope and reach of UMBC’s James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, originally established in 1996 as the Center for the Humanities. A dedication will be held Tuesday, September 18, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

“The new Dresher Center will engage scholars, students, visiting fellows and the community with the wide-ranging perspectives of scholarship in language, linguistics, literature, philosophy and ethics, history, culture, gender, race and ethnicity,” said Rebecca Boehling, director of the Dresher Center and associate professor of history.

The Dresher Center is also home to the Humanities Forum, an annual series of speakers and events, and the Humanities Scholars Program, which provides financial support and special academic experiences for outstanding UMBC undergraduates concentrating in the humanities. The center will begin sponsoring grant-writing workshops and forums for UMBC and visiting scholars to present their works in progress.

Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences John Jeffries said, “The Dresher Center for the Humanities marks a significant step forward for UMBC. Research and teaching in the humanities are central to UMBC, as to any research university. While humanities scholarship at UMBC is already exceptional, as demonstrated by the level of faculty publications and distinctions, the new Dresher Center will not only enable additional support for faculty and student research but will also make UMBC’s humanities scholarship better known both on campus and off.

“With Rebecca Boehling as director and Michele Osherow as associate director, and with endowment money from the Dresher Foundation and other sources as part of UMBC’s capital campaign, the Dresher Center is already off to a splendid start,” Jeffries added.

Please click here to RSVP to the Dresher Center dedication.

(9/7/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

lumnus Ian Ralby Receives Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Alumni Scholarships Support Students Committed to the Advancement of Minorities

Several UMBC alumni have recognized that not all prospective college students or current UMBC students have the financial resources and community support to attend the University or continue their studies if he or she is an existing student. In an effort to support and inspire current and future UMBC students, these alumni have established two scholarships, the Second Generation Scholarship and the Esperanza Endowment Fund, to provide financial assistance to outstanding UMBC students committed to the advancement of minorities.

Second Generation Scholarship
A group of African American alumni started the Second Generation Scholarship in 1986 as a means to give back to the campus and become more involved in UMBC. The scholarship provides $1,000 to continuing students whose money for college often decreases the longer they stay in college. With the scholarship, students are able to remain at UMBC and eventually graduate. Although the scholarship amount varies each year, recipients have received awards ranging from $500 to $1,000. Among the requirements, scholarship candidates must be currently enrolled or have taken a course in Africana studies and demonstrate a commitment to improving the lives of minorities through community service, extracurricular activities or other community involvement.

Aamena Chadry, a senior bio-psychology and pre-medicine major, one of two 2006-2007 Second Generation Scholars and a two-time recipient said, “Being a full time student, it’s hard at times trying to manage all the finances that an undergraduate education requires. The Second Generation Scholarship has decreased a burden to a great extent by paying for my books that my classes require every semester.”

(For more information, contact Kim Robinson in the Office of Institutional Advancement at 410-455-3700 or the Office of Alumni Relations or call 410-455-2632.)

Esperanza Endowment Fund
The Esperanza Endowment Fund, established in February 2007 by five Latino members of the Black and Latino alumni committee, supports students of Latino ancestry and also promotes awareness of the rich Latino and Hispanic heritage of UMBC alumni and students. The committee hopes to endow this scholarship by raising $25,000 in the next five years, ensuring that it becomes a permanent resource for future generations.

“I think it’s important that we are able to give back. People who support initiatives like this are providing tools to encourage students to finish school and promote future leaders,” said committee member Joe Morales ’00, who earned a biochemistry and molecular biology degree and is now a patent attorney.

The Committee will sponsor a brunch, Legends of Excellence: 40 Years of Inspiring African American and Latino Students, to acknowledge the extraordinary individual contributions of faculty and staff who have significantly impacted the lives of UMBC’s African American and Latino students over the past 40 years. The event will be held on April 14 from 11-2 p.m. in the UMBC University Center Ballroom. Funds raised will support the newly created Esperanza Scholarship Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship.

Contributions to support the Esperanza Endowment Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship are also being accepted at http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/support (under “other designation,” type Esperanza Fund or Second Generation Scholarship), or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 410-455-2632 or alum@umbc.edu for more information. For details on Legends of Excellence, including the award recipients, visit http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/legendsofexcellence.

(3/16/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

UMBC Presents Roundtable on Environmental Issues, Hosts Former VP Al Gore

This year’s Mosaic Roundtable –“If now what then, if then what now?”– is a timely opportunity to showcase UMBC’s faculty and student research on the environment, an area of emerging focus for the university. “If now…,” a multidisciplinary discussion of former Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar-winning film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” is a prelude to Gore’s upcoming lecture at UMBC on May 8, part of The Maryland Forum lecture series.

The Mosaic Roundtable, sponsored by UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program, on Monday, April 9 will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on the 7th Floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery. The week prior to the event, the Interdisciplinary Studies Council of Majors and the Campus Climate Initiative will host free film screenings of “An Inconvenient Truth.” Founded in 2002, the Mosaic Roundtable is an annual discussion of controversial, timely issues. More information about Mosaic and the screenings is available online.

Roundtable participants are:

Scott Farrow, Chair
Department of Economics
Scott Farrow’s current research focuses on risk management and micro-economic performance while his teaching focuses on benefit-cost analysis and the economics of risk management. His work related to global climate change includes academic articles on methods to quantify the precautionary principle and economic approaches to sustainability as well as his authorship of Making the Environment Count on which then-Senator Gore held hearings.

He served twice in the Executive Office of the President, in the Department of the Interior, and carried out domestic and international consulting work for Dames & Moore, Inc. Consulting clients and funding sources have included: the US Environmental Protection Agency, ExxonMobil, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, American Chemistry Council, Harvard Institute for International Development (for the US Agency for International Development) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Jeff Halverson, Associate Director
Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology
Associate Professor
Department of Geography and Environmental Systems
Jeffrey Halverson’s present research and teaching interests focus on the climatology and severe storms of the Mid Atlantic region, including nor’easters, severe thunderstorms and tropical cyclones undergoing extra-tropical transition. Prior to UMBC, Jeffrey Halverson investigated severe storms for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He also worked at NASA Headquarters, where he helped manage NASA’s Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) and NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Activities (NAMMA) experiments to study the birth and intensification of hurricanes. He has extensive field experience investigating hurricanes, serving both as an Instrument Scientist for NASA’s ER-2 high altitude research aircraft and as Mission Scientist on NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft.

Halverson writes a regular column for Weatherwise magazine. Most recently, he wrote the scientific content for author Stefan Bechtel’s new release, Roar of the Heavens (Citadel Press), which tells the story of the catastrophic Hurricane Camille flash flood in Nelson County, Virginia.

Robert Neff, Assistant Professor
Department of Geography and Environmental Systems
Robert Neff has been studying human dimensions of global climate change for the past 10 years. He has published findings of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Assessment, which was part of the national assessment of the impacts of climate change in the late 1990s, and more recently has published findings of the Human-Environment Regional Observatories (HERO) project, which was funded by a five-year grant from NSF to enhance infrastructure for studying vulnerability to climate change and variations.

Neff wrote his master’s thesis on the economics of a gasoline tax and his Ph.D. dissertation on greenhouse-gas emissions from transportation in urban places. He is currently working with the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, an NSF-funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) study site to analyze energy-consumption patterns in multiple urban places. Neff is the chair of the Human Dimensions of Global Change Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the national disciplinary organization for geographers in the United States.

Ellen Handler Spitz, Honors College Professor of Visual Arts
Honors College
Department of Visual Arts
Ellen Handler Spitz teaches interdisciplinary seminars in the arts and humanities. She lectures internationally and is the author of numerous articles and five books: Art and Psyche, Image and Insight, Museums of the Mind, Inside Picture Books, and, most recently, The Brightening Glance.

Spitz was recently named a 2007 summer fellow at the Erikson Institute for Education and Research. She held fellowships at the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, the Bunting Institute (now the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study), the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, the Camargo Institute in France and the Center for Children and Childhood Studies at Rutgers.

Moncie Wright, President
Campus Climate Initiative
Moncie Wright is the first student to present at a Mosaic event. A senior environmental science major, she is the president of the Campus Climate Initiative, an organization devoted to reducing UMBC’s impact on global warming

As a student at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), Wright was mentored by Chris Fox, head of the CCBC Environment Project, who has studied global warming for 20 years. After receiving her A.A. in Environmental Science Technology, Wright transferred to UMBC in fall 2005. While attending the 4th Annual N.E. Climate Conference in 2006, she learned how hundreds of schools across the country were combating global warming on their campuses and working with administrators to reduce their campuses’ impacts on climate change. When she returned to UMBC, Wright started the Campus Climate Initiative and did independent research under the guidance of geography and environmental systems professor Chris Swan on an invasive species.

The Campus Climate Initiative is completing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and the group also applied for an EPA grant to investigate student attitudes and perceptions toward energy efficiency. In addition, the Campus Climate Initiative is performing energy efficiency research.

Wright is also a member of the Campus Sustainability Research Group and treasurer for the Geography and Environmental Systems Council of Majors.

(4/2/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

UMBC Music Department Building Global Reputation

UMBC’s music department continues to distinguish itself as an academically and musically talented department, and the world is listening. Faculty, staff and students in the department are building connections with renowned composers, music conservatories and other music institutions worldwide. Here are just a few programs offered by the department and performances that are bringing international recognition to UMBC:

Music of Japan Today 2007
UMBC Camerata Performs at Carnegie Hall
Italian Exchange Program

Music of Japan Today 2007
UMBC’s music department will host Music of Japan Today 2007, one of the largest events of Japanese contemporary music outside of Japan, and the only festival to combine scholarly presentations with musical performances. The three-day symposium will explore and celebrate the development and evolution of Japanese music with performances, lecture-recitals, panel discussions and paper presentations from the widest possible range of disciplines and expertise.

The symposium features performances and lectures by three world-renowned composers: Hiroyuki Itoh, Hiroyuki Yamamoto and Shirotomo Aizawa, and special guest performer Retsuzan Tanabe, master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. Three student groups (the Chamber Players, Percussion Ensemble and students in the American Contemporary Music certificate program) UMBC faculty and guest musicians from the region and international new music centers will also perform.

Co-directors E. Michael Richards, associate professor of music, and Kazuko Tanosaki, director of the certificate program, co-founded the event 15 years ago as faculty at Hamilton College in New York. “Japan has a long musical tradition (over 1500 years) and a variety of music,” said Tanosaki. “This symposium examines how western culture and traditional Japanese music influence the country’s contemporary music,” said Richards.

Music of Japan Today receives support under the auspices of the Embassy of Japan. It also receives funding from the Northeast Asia Council and Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Japan Foundation, the Japan Commerce Association of Washington DC and UMBC.

For a schedule of the events, visit www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/calendar/.

UMBC Camerata Performs at Carnegie Hall
The UMBC Camerata, a select chamber choir, has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, one of the nation’s premiere concert halls, on April 2. The group, under the direction of David Smith, will perform with famed English choral conductor and composer John Rutter.

The Camerata will perform Rutter’s “Magnificat,” a piece the Camerata performed last fall at UMBC in preparation for the prestigious opportunity. Camerata member Catherine Gerlach, a freshman mechanical engineering major, is a fan of Rutter’s work. She began singing his compositions while in high school when she performed in a female-only musical group. “Just to be seen with the man himself is a chance of a lifetime,” said Gerlach.

Smith hopes to continue providing his students the opportunities to learn and work with some of the world’s greatest musicians and conductors. Just last October, the group sang with award-winning, multi-platinum country artist Kenny Rogers at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore.

Students traveling to New York are still in need of financial support. Persons interested in contributing tax-deductible donations toward the trip should contact David Smith at 410-455-2922 or smithdav@umbc.edu.

Italian Exchange Program
UMBC faculty and students now have the opportunity to participate in the music department’s newest exchange program in Italy. The program is a result of a collaborative work between faculty in the department, particularly Linda Dusman, chair and professor of music, and faculty at the Conservatorio “G. Nicolini” di Piacenza in Italy.

Last November marked the program’s beginning with the exchange of two faculty members – Dusman and Carlo Alessandro Landini, chair of composition at the Conservatorio. Due to differences in the Conservatorio’s academic semester and UMBC’s, when Landini came to campus in November, he finished Dusman’s course in instrumentation, while Dusman began Landini’s composition course in Italy. While there, Dusman worked one-on-one with Landini’s students, whose ages ranged from 16 to 40. Graduate students at the Conservatorio also had the opportunity to coach with Dusman in “Incontro con Linda Dusman” (“Encounter with Linda Dusman”), a concert of music written by Dusman. At UMBC, Ruckus, the professional contemporary music ensemble, premiered Landini’s new work, “Coming to Life. Generation, Transition, Interlocking of Phases.” Landini’s work was commissioned by Ruckus to commemorate UMBC’s 40th Anniversary.

“This program establishes a European connection for our department and especially for our student-singers,” said Dusman. “This experience will give them the opportunity to study singing in Italy, which is the source of the European operatic tradition.”

Dusman hopes the program will take place annually. The first student from the department is currently studying in Italy. Peter Kuyatt, a music education major and guitarist, started in January and will remain until June. Kuyatt is interning at a middle school in Italy where he is learning the techniques that Italian music educators use in the classroom.

(3/26/07)

UMBC Announces New Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

UMBC has recently added several new degree and program track opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. With these programs recently approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the university continues to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in their careers and employers with talented graduates in a variety of fields.

UNDERGRADUATE

Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Communication Studies
As communication becomes increasingly digital, interactive and pervasive, knowledge of new media technology is essential. The B.A. in Media and Communications Studies is an interdisciplinary program that combines a liberal arts education with an understanding of the dynamic and complex changes in communication, culture and knowledge. Students will gain critical media literacy while learning to use relevant new technologies to communicate effectively. Internships and capstone projects will introduce students to the worlds of radio, television, print and web journalism; public relations and advertising; non-profit policy work and advocacy; as well as careers in education, health and administration. Students in the program must complete an additional major, minor or certificate. Visit the Media and Communications Studies web site at www.umbc.edu/mcs or contact program director Jason Loviglio loviglio@umbc.edu) in the Department of American Studies for more information.

Bachelor’s Degree in Gender and Women’s Studies
Gender and Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that seeks to understand and articulate how gender makes a difference – in the lives and experiences of women, as well as men; in the practices and institutions of human societies; and in the cultural products of societies, such as art and literature. Emphasizing the importance of historical, cross-cultural, and international perspectives, Gender and Women’s Studies critically examines the intersections of gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and ability to make visible structures of power that otherwise remain hidden. Graduates with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies enter careers in business, education, public service, healthcare, social services, law, politics and news media. Contact program director Anne Brodsky (brodsky@umbc.edu) in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program (www.umbc.edu/wmstudies/) for more information.

Bachelor of Arts in Physics Education
There is a chronic shortage of secondary school science teachers, especially physics-trained teachers, in Maryland and throughout the U.S. In response, UMBC has created a Bachelor of Arts in Physics Education that will graduate fully trained physicists who are able to teach physics at the secondary level. The program is offered in collaboration with UMBC’s Department of Education. Contact program director Philip Rous (rous@umbc.edu) for more information.

Program Track in Computer Science: Game Development
Program Track in Visual Arts: Animation and Interactive Media The Baltimore/Washington region is ranked third in the number of computer game companies nationally. Employers are looking for talented programmers and artists to meet increasing demands in the gaming field. Based on employer feedback, UMBC has created a game development track for students pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science, and an animation and interactive media track for students pursuing a B.A. in Visual Arts. Visit http://gaim.umbc.edu/ for more information, or contact program directors Marc Olano (olano@umbc.edu) in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering or Eric Dyer (dyer@umbc.edu) in the Department of Visual Arts.

Program Track in Health Administration and Policy: Public Health
The Health Administration and Policy Program (HAPP) is designed for career-oriented students who recognize that health and health care in the U.S. are major public concerns and plan to seek employment in one of a variety of administrative, supportive, planning, research or policy positions. The new track in Public Health provides students the opportunity to add courses in the natural sciences as part of their program requirements. Visit www.umbc.edu/happ or contact associate program director Joyce Riley (riley@umbc.edu) in the Department of Sociology for more information.

GRADUATE

Master’s Degree in Professional Studies: Biotechnology
Designed for current and aspiring biotech professionals, the M.P.S. in Biotechnology program incorporates advanced life science courses with regulatory and management courses. In addition to providing advanced instruction in the life sciences, the program provides practical instruction on how to successfully bring new products to market. The program also includes coursework in leadership, management and financial management to a life science-oriented business. Visit the M.P.S. Biotechnology program web site (www.umbc.edu/biotech) or contact program director Rick Wolf (biotechinfo@umbc.edu) for more information.

Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Degree in Geography and Environmental Systems
The environment is an emerging focus on the UMBC campus, and the graduate programs in Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) will emphasize the kinds of interdisciplinary collaboration needed to address critical problems affecting the natural environment and human society. Students will have the opportunity to earn an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in three areas: Environmental Systems, including water resources and earth-surface processes, ecosystem science and atmospheric processes; Human Geography, with an emphasis on coupled human-natural systems including impacts of human activities on the environment, the socioeconomic consequences of environmental degradation and environmental policy; and Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing. Visit the GES graduate program web site (www.umbc.edu/ges/GES_graduate_program) or contact program director Andrew Miller (miller@umbc.edu) in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems for more information.

Master’s Degree in Professional Studies: Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Pending Approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission)
UMBC’s Master’s in Professional Studies: Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology program will be offered at the Universities at Shady Grove campus in Rockville. The program will offer an applied curriculum for early and mid-career students planning to enter or advance in the I/O workforce. It explores and integrates such topics as organizational behavioral management, human factors, and professional human resources practice, and culminates with a professional capstone experience. The program enables students to develop a portfolio while building strong relationships with faculty and industry professionals. Upon completing the M.P.S., students will possess advanced knowledge of organizational behavior management, ethical issues in organizational psychology, the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, the dynamics of teamwork, and employee motivation. Evening, weekend and select online courses will be available for busy professionals. For more information, contact Diane Alonso at 301-738-6318 or dalonso@umbc.edu or visit www.umbc.edu/shadygrove/iop.

Master’s Degree in Management of Aging Services
The newly formed Erickson School is offering an applied professional M.A. degree program focused on preparing leaders in practice and scholarship who will improve society by enhancing the lives of older adults. The unique program is designed for professionals working in the growing array of aging-related services, including in government, business and non-profit sectors. It will provide a solid interdisciplinary foundation in human aging, management and policy. Graduates will leave the program with the skills and knowledge to make a unique contribution to organizations addressing the needs of an aging society. Contact program director Leslie A. Morgan (lmorgan@umbc.edu) in the Erickson School (www.umbc.edu/Erickson) for more information.

Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering (Pending Approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission)
The Master’s of Science in Systems Engineering will provide the technical background required for successful systems engineers in the 21st century. The program is designed for engineering professionals who want practical experience that can be immediately applied on the job. Students will learn from industry experts how to develop complex systems that meet customer requirements. The core curriculum will consist of five courses developed and taught by senior systems engineers to equip students with the processes, techniques and tools required to practice systems engineering. These courses will address the entire systems engineering life cycle, including requirements analysis, systems architecture and design, modeling, simulation and analysis, and system implementation and testing. The elective portion of the program consists of courses that provide an overview of technical disciplines that lie at the heart of today’s systems and courses in a related technical discipline chosen to meet the specific career needs of each student. Contact program director Ted Foster (tfoster@umbc.edu) for more information.

(7/23/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

Realizing Their Potential: UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Through the Shriver Center at UMBC, hundreds of students stepped outside the boundaries of the classroom this summer and gained real-world experience by participating in an internship or co-op. These students were able to obtain professional opportunities, grasp the links between theory and practice and learn valuable job-related habits and skills at Wyeth Research, Maryland Department of Labor, Department of Defense, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Otto Bock HealthCare, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, W.R. Grace, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Department of State, GE and the Maryland Department of Transportation, among others.

Employers, on the other hand, were given a chance to evaluate potential new employees. John Sheridan, special agent and regional recruiter for the FBI, said, “At UMBC, I always meet a qualified, intelligent, eager and mature student body. UMBC should be very proud.”

Christine Routzahn, associate director of internships and co-ops, said, “The Shriver Center is dedicated to providing employers with the talent and energy that UMBC students offer. By complementing classroom teaching and research with the internship and co-op program, UMBC continues to develop our students as tomorrow’s leaders.”

Click here to read about some of UMBC’s summer interns and co-ops.

(8/29/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •

Realizing Their Potential:
UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Name: Nadeesha Ranasinghe Arachchige
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Graduation: December 2008
Placement: Wyeth Research

“What I liked most about my internship with the drug safety and metabolism group was the opportunity to work with extremely talented and skilled scientists in sophisticated labs.”

Duties:

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County • 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 • 410-455-1000 •