February 22, 2007 Cash-Prize Contests, Lessons from Pros to Mark Entrepreneurship Week at UMBC Erickson Speech, Business Idea Contests Highlight Events as UMBC Spreads Entrepreneurial Spirit Across Campus Photo Caption: Read more about UMBC's entrepreneurial community online. CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Real world lessons and real cash prizes will highlight Entrepreneurship Week USA activities at UMBC next week as the University builds on momentum from a recent $2 million grant from the Kauffman Foundation to spread entrepreneurship education and training across campus. Two business idea competitions for a total of $4,000 in cash prizes kick off the week on Monday, Feb. 26. The first contest is a student business plan competition with $1,000 at stake. Later that day the “Fillmaster Challenge” begins. The contest offers a $3,000 prize for the best idea on an alternative market niche for a precision purified water dispenser system developed by Fillmaster Systems, Inc. The device currently helps pharmacists prepare reconstituted drugs more accurately and safely, but could easily adapt to other uses. Real-world lessons from experienced entrepreneurial experts fill out the rest of the week as Retirement community and media entrepreneur John Erickson, founder and CEO of Erickson, Inc., will speak to students. Erickson’s latest venture, Retirement Living TV, a network aimed at those ages 55 and older, recently expanded to reach over 26 million households nationally through DirecTV as his retirement communities continue to expand nationwide. Erickson speaks from noon to 1 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 28, in UMBC’s Commons building room 312. Earlier in the week, Ellen Hemmerly, executive vice president of the UMBC Research Park Corporation, will speak on the successful growth of techcenter@UMBC and bwtech@UMBC, the University’s on-campus, high-tech business incubator and accelerator programs. The incubator and research park have grown from concept to a high-demand location for startup and emerging tech companies in the region. A recent, independent economic impact study of the techcenter and research park documented 841 direct jobs at the two facilities, which support more than 2,000 total jobs statewide and generate $2.1 million in income and property taxes for counties in the Baltimore region. Hemmerly will speak in The Commons room 331 from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tues., Feb. 27. "The Kauffman grant allows us to take entrepreneurship programming to the next level," said Vivian Armor, director of the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship at UMBC. Armor hopes the week’s activities expand awareness that entrepreneurship can be found beyond traditional definitions of business. “Entrepreneurship can play an important role in all disciplines," Armor said. "Faculty and students pushing the envelope in science and technology, breaking new ground in the creative arts or crafting new solutions to society's problems can all be entrepreneurs. Some people don't even realize what they are doing is entrepreneurial." For a full schedule of Entrepreneurship Week USA events at UMBC, please visit www.umbc.edu/entrepreneurship. Posted by crose February 12, 2007 UMBC Theatre Faculty in the News UMBC's Department of Theatre faculty and alumni recently received favorable reviews in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and the Washington City Paper. A production directed by Xerxes Mehta, professor of theatre, was reviewed in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post. The double bill of one-act plays by Harold Pinter--The Collection and The Lover--also included set and costumes by Elena Zlotescu, associate professor of theatre, and Lynn Watson, chair and associate professor of theatre, was dialect consultant. The Pinter plays were produced by Rep Stage, the professional theatre company in residence at Howard County Community College. The new artistic director of Rep Stage is theatre alumnus Michael Stebbins. In addition, Assistant Professor of Theatre Colette Searls' direction of Vigils at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, DC was favorably reviewed in the Washington Post and Washington City Paper. Posted by elewis February 07, 2007 Andrew Sears, UMBC Information Systems, Discusses Booming IT Job Market on Maryland Public Television Andrew Sears, chair and professor of UMBC's Information Systems department, was recently an in-studio guest for Maryland Public Television's "Business Connection." Sears discussed how the information technology (IT) job market is doing much better than conventionally thought. According to Sears, trends like decreased outsourcing, increased hiring and even signing bonuses for talented IT grads all add up to a booming IT job market for the Class of 2007. Sears was invited by the show's producers based on UMBC's growing reputation as a statewide and national leader. According to the January 2007 issue of Computing Research News, UMBC ranks # 2 in IT degrees awarded by major US research universities. UMBC also continues to be the largest producer of information technology graduates in Maryland. To watch the video online, visit the UMBC Informations Systems department's website. Posted by crose TV Growing Up Fast at UMBC Feb. 16 Open House to Celebrate Retirement Living TV’s New $1.3 Million UMBC Studio as Students Get Into the Action MEDIA ADVISORY: CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu It’s lights-camera-action at UMBC as Retirement Living Television (RLTV), the fast-growing, first-of-its-kind, cable network devoted exclusively to people age 55 and over, has transformed the university’s on-campus TV studio from dusty to dazzling thanks to over a million dollars in new equipment. UMBC will celebrate its strengthening partnership with Retirement Living TV on Friday Feb. 16 with an open house event featuring UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski, Erickson founder and CEO John Erickson and RLTV president Brad Knight. UMBC communications faculty and students will be on hand as RLTV production staff demonstrate the revamped studio and discuss the programs produced there. RLTV began as a media offshoot of Erickson Retirement Communities and has since grown to reach 25 million U.S. households thanks to national broadcast partnerships with DirecTV and Comcast. The network recently began producing two programs -- “The Voice” and a yet-to-be-named advocacy show -- at the UMBC studio. UMBC communications students will soon get hands-on experience as six interns from different disciplines are set to begin work in the studio. RLTV airs daily in the Baltimore area on CN8 The Comcast Channel and on DirecTV. WHAT: An Open House of the new, $1.3 million Retirement Living TV Studio at UMBC, featuring interview opportunities with RLTV, UMBC and Erickson executives along with UMBC students and faculty and RLTV production staff. See demonstrations in the Control Room and tour the facilities. WHEN: Friday, Feb. 16, noon-2 p.m. WHERE: In the studios on the second and third floors of Academic IV Building, A Wing, UMBC. The refurbished studio has already increased internship opportunities for UMBC students and will further research collaboration between the University and the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC. RLTV will eventually broadcast its programming from a new $20 million TV production and information technology facility currently under construction at bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park. For more information on Retirement Living Television, visit rl.tv. Posted by crose January 22, 2007 UMBC Political Scientist Tom Schaller on “The Colbert Report” Watch the video online. CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Can Tom Schaller, UMBC’s resident expert on national politics and an associate professor of political science, handle the “truthiness?" Schaller and his latest book Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South, took the national stage Monday night as a guest on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” For the record, host Stephen Colbert, a native of Charleston, S.C., didn't put Schaller "on notice" or tell him his advice for Democrats to forget the South and focus on the Midwest and Interior West states was “just plain wrong." Watch the video online. Posted by crose December 30, 2006 UMBC Qualifies for Final Four of College Chess at Pan-Am UMBC-Hosted Tournament Draws Positive Media Coverage CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu WASHINGTON, D.C. – The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) chess team qualified for the "Final Four of College Chess" by placing third in the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, “The World Series of College Chess," held this weekend in Washington, D.C. The top four U.S. teams at the Pan Am will advance to the Collegiate Final Four round-robin tournament to be held in Dallas on March 24 and 25, 2007. Other qualifying teams were UT-Dallas, the winner of the 2006 Pan-Am, along with Miami-Dade College and Duke University. UMBC was the host for a successful 2006 Pan-Am tournament that drew media interest from around the nation and region, including the New York Times, an Op-Ed and feature in the Baltimore Sun and a Washington Post story. Adithya Balasubramanian, a 10th grade player from Tabb High School in York County, Virginia, was the winner of the scholastic tournament at the Pan-Am. He is the top-rated junior player in Virginia and qualified for a four-year scholarship from UMBC with his victory. More information online: www.umbc.edu/chess/Pan-Am2006 Posted by crose December 19, 2006 Kevin Eckert, Dean of The Erickson School, to Appear on WYPR's "Maryland Morning" Eckert to Discuss Innovative School's New Undergraduate Major in Management of Aging Services CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – Kevin Eckert, Dean of The Erickson School at UMBC, will be a featured guest on WYPR-88.1 FM's “Maryland Morning With Sheilah Kast” on Wednesday, Dec. 20. In a segment scheduled for broadcast at 9:20 a.m., Eckert will discuss The Erickson School's new undergraduate major in the management of aging services, the first of its kind in the country. Posted by crose December 15, 2006 ‘Cuban Cyclone,’ ‘Polish Magician’ and ‘Kiev Killer’ Descend on the Nation’s Capital Reigning Champion UMBC is Host for Pan-Am Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, Dec. 27-30 at Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C. CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu WASHINGTON, D.C. – The “Cuban Cyclone,” the “Polish Magician” and the “Kiev Killer” bring their take-no-prisoners game plan to Washington on December 27. They are determined to keep the title they reclaimed last year in Miami, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) won its record seventh title at the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, “The World Series of College Chess.” Intercollegiate chess won’t land players on the “jacked-up” segment of a football television network near you. It won’t inspire a contract holdout, develop a left fielder with home-run pop or prevent an NFL wide receiver from “talking trash.” Nonetheless, intercollegiate chess is intense. Its competitors are fierce. Mental acumen and physical stamina are essential. UMBC, a place where pep rallies for the chess team are routine, is serious about continuing its reign as national collegiate champions. UMBC features such recruits as American freshman Ryan Goldenberg of West Haven, Conn., and colorfully nicknamed grandmasters such as Katrina “the Kiev Killer” Rohonyan of Ukraine, Pawel “The Polish Magician” Blehm and “The Cuban Cyclone” Bruci Lopez. The competition runs December 27-30 at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., near the intersection of K Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Admission is free and spectators are welcome. The Pan-Am is one of the world’s most celebrated intercollegiate chess tournaments. Since its 1946 inception, five years before Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World,” dozens of universities throughout the Americas have participated. The 2006 Pan-Am includes teams from Yale, Duke and Dartmouth. Its international flavor is embodied by such schools as the University of Toronto, the Catholic University of Peru and Miami Dade College, a rising chess power thanks to an influx of top Cuban players. The tournament is open to any college or university team from North, South, or Central America. The tournament also includes the Pan-Am scholastic team individual and team championships for students in grades 1-12. The top individual scholastic winner will be offered a four-year scholarship to UMBC, a $69,416 value. On Dec. 27 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the weekend kicks off with a fast-paced exhibition match with a top cash prize of $1,000. The match will feature live, play-by-play commentary from chess authorities master Craig Jones and former UMBC player senior master William “The Exterminator” Morrison. Among the highlights for UMBC at the 2005 Pan Am were a sweep of Harvard and victories over archrival the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), winner of the previous two Pan-Am titles. The Retrievers won their first title in 1996 and then embarked on a five-year championship streak from 1998 to 2002. UMBC and UTD are the undisputed top two teams in the nation, and among only a handful of schools nationwide that attract the world's best chess players with full scholarships. The top four teams from the Pan-Am will go on to face each other in the Final Four of College Chess to be held March 24 and 25, 2007 in Dallas. More information online: www.umbc.edu/chess/Pan-Am2006 Posted by crose December 14, 2006 The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Awards $2 Million to Fund Entrepreneurship at UMBC Initiative Seeks to Develop Entrepreneurs Outside of Business, Engineering Schools CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has been awarded a $2 million grant to build UMBC entrepreneurship programs across the campus, joining a select group of colleges and universities receiving funding for entrepreneurship endeavors through the Kauffman Campuses Initiative. The Kauffman Foundation initiated the three-year-old Kauffman Campuses Initiative to catalyze entrepreneurship programs outside of business and engineering schools. The Kauffman Foundation grant complements two substantial commitments already received by UMBC to support its Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship. The first commitment is $1 million from Constellation Energy Group. The second is $1 million from the Herbert Bearman Foundation to establish The Bearman Family Chair in Entrepreneurship at UMBC. The Kauffman Foundation grant acknowledges the success and potential of the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, created six years ago through a gift of $1 million from the Alex. Brown Foundation to develop a leading university entrepreneurship center for the Baltimore region. UMBC has developed three broad strategies to make entrepreneurship education a common and accessible experience for students in all majors: exposure of students and faculty to entrepreneurs and their expertise, creation of formal education opportunities and development of programs to give students and faculty experience in entrepreneurial settings. UMBC, recognized for its culture of entrepreneurship education despite the absence of a business school, joins a prestigious group of institutions selected by the Kauffman Foundation for funding. The others are Arizona State University, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, New York University, Purdue University, Syracuse University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. UMBC learned of its selection after a campus delegation, led by President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, presented its proposal before an independent panel of judges at Kauffman Foundation headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., on December 12. “This partnership gives UMBC the opportunity to take entrepreneurship programming to the next level,” says Vivian Armor, director of the Alex. Brown Center. “It will allow UMBC to expand course offerings for current undergraduates, graduate students and working professionals. It will improve programming that exposes students and faculty to important entrepreneurial concepts. Finally, the partnership will help develop systems to support individuals as they work to launch successful business ventures or address urgent challenges facing our communities through social entrepreneurship.” The Alex. Brown Center supports the kind of entrepreneurial creativity and action exemplified by the creation of OpenPosting.com, the first online classified community for college students. Students Wan Hsi Yuan and Jason Servary, members of the Center’s student-run CEO Club, created the site. It has 1,500 registered users and receives roughly 4,000 page views per day. Entrepreneurship at UMBC also thrives via the Alex. Brown Center’s summer entrepreneurship institute. In summer, 2006, UMBC’s first Faculty Summer Institute was held for eight faculty members representing the departments of music, dance, theater and visual arts. The institute was created to broaden faculty exposure to concepts of entrepreneurship and integrate into their curricula career development skills, internships and mentoring relationships with established entrepreneurs. Participation by faculty was determined based upon proposals that demonstrated interest in learning more about entrepreneurship. Winning proposals from faculty included the exploration of marketing and audience development initiatives, the development of courses to help students understand professional careers in the arts and arts and non-profit organization management. The Center also serves as one of the University’s partners in the ACTiVATE program, funded by the National Science Foundation to address the unique needs of accomplished women interested in starting technology companies. Eight women in the ACTiVATE program, established two years ago, now lead their own tech companies. The Alex. Brown Center’s activities are complemented by such other initiatives as techcenter@UMBC and bwtech@UMBC, which offer specialized support geared specifically toward research and technology businesses. Through UMBC’s Shriver Center, a national leader in promoting community-based service and internship programs, businesses are introduced to undergraduate and graduate students interested in internship experience in career-related fields. “The Alex. Brown Center augments the excellent education UMBC offers by giving students the proper toolset to interface with business leaders in their field of choice,” said Greg Barnhill,” chair of the Alex. Brown Center Board of Visitors and partner and member of the board of Brown Advisory Securities. “We offer students guidance on how to deal with people on a daily basis, compose quality written communication and verbalize opinions effectively.” The grant is awarded with the expectation that UMBC will raise an additional $8 million toward entrepreneurship programs during the next five years. The Kauffman Campuses Initiative began in 2003 with $25 million in funding to eight schools that provided entrepreneurship education within liberal arts, engineering and other non-business programs. Selection of this latest round of Kauffman Campuses schools was based on a series of criteria, including the ability to generate a partnership with other foundations and funders and the potential to create new representative models. “Our initiative is creating a cultural change and making the entire university system more entrepreneurial,” said Kauffman CEO Carl Schramm. “We want all students, not just those in business schools, to see the value of thinking like entrepreneurs. We want them to be able to recognize and seize opportunity when it presents itself, no matter what field they find themselves in.” About the Alex. Brown Center Established in 2000 through a gift of $1 million from the Alex. Brown Foundation, the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship is the hub of entrepreneurial-based activity at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). It provides an active link between the academic community and the corporate environment. Since its inception, the Center has worked closely with the Baltimore business community to create one of the leading university centers for entrepreneurship in the country housed at a mid-sized university. Information about the Alex. Brown Center is available at http://www.umbc.edu/entrepreneurship. About the Kauffman Foundation The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works with partners to advance entrepreneurship in America and improve the education of children and youth. The Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Information about the Kauffman Foundation is available at www.kauffman.org. Posted by crose November 27, 2006 UMBC Astronomer Helps Discover Possible New Black Hole Previously Unknown Black Hole’s Speed, Power Surprises NASA, European Space Agency Team Illustration Caption: An artist's impression of a possible new black hole ripping gas and matter from the star it orbits. Click on the illustration to view a European Space Agency gallery of images and animation related to this story. CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu An international team of astrophysicists including Volker Beckmann of UMBC/NASA-Goddard has discovered a possible new black hole near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The previously unknown black hole surprised scientists by suddenly “switching on,” emitting strong pulses of radiation as it began consuming gas from the star it orbits over 26,000 light years away from our solar system. The discovery, detailed in a letter published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, was made using NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) satellites. In an ESA press release, Roland Walter, an astronomer at the INTEGRAL Science Data Centre and lead author of the research results, said "The galactic center is one of the most exciting regions for gamma-ray astronomy because there are so many potential gamma-ray sources.” Beckmann, a research assistant professor at UMBC’s Joint Center for Astrophysics and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was part of the team who used NASA's Swift satellite and ESA's INTEGRAL satellite to spot the tell-tale gamma ray outburst. The research team includes scientists from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Poland, the United States and Spain. According to Beckmann, potential new black holes are scarcer than commonly thought. “We know about 10 stellar systems in which we’re pretty sure that there's a black hole involved, and 10 more are good candidates,” he said. “What really surprised us was the intensity of the radiation it emitted and how quickly it became an obvious black hole candidate.” The team found that the black hole’s unusually strong gravitational pull ripped off layers of the star it orbits, drawing them into its maelstrom. “We’re not sure why this black hole is letting off occasional bright outbursts of radiation instead of a steady stream,” said Beckmann, “But we suspect these powerful emissions are caused by big chunks of the star’s matter falling into the black hole.” "This detection was possible because of the capability of NASA's Swift satellite to respond quickly to new objects showing up in the sky,” said Neil Gehrels, chief of NASA/Goddard’s Astroparticle Physics Laboratory and leader of the Swift satellite team. The possible new black hole has drawn the attention of the international astronomy community, having been viewed by all major X-ray telescopes in space including: NASA's Chandra telescope, the Japanese JAXA and NASA collaboration Suzaku and the ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray satellite. Posted by crose November 20, 2006 Erickson Technology, Broadcast Divisions to Build at UMBC Research Park CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) announced today that Erickson Retirement Communities will construct a $20 million building at the university’s on-campus research and technology park bwtech@UMBC. Erickson will move its information technology (IT) department, its adult living national broadcast network Retirement Living TV (RL-TV) and its private charitable foundation to the 110,000 square-foot building, expected to be completed by mid-2008. The move will increase research collaboration and internship opportunities between the Erickson organization and UMBC students and faculty in The Erickson School and visual arts, communications and information technology programs. The Erickson School at UMBC grew out of Erickson founder John Erickson’s vision for interdisciplinary research and education to improve life for older adults. Since its start in January 2005, the School has launched an undergraduate major in management of aging services, expanded an executive education program for senior housing and care professionals and is planning a professional master’s program. Current research partnerships between The Erickson School and the Erickson organization include developing new computer technology applications for seniors’ housing, support for three gerontology doctoral students’ studies of older adult health and well-being and proposals to make selected Erickson communities National Institute on Aging research sites. "We look forward to expanding our partnership with UMBC in a way that will help us to more effectively shape the future of aging studies in the United States and to enhance the operational components of our company that will help to redefine it," said John Erickson, chairman and CEO of Erickson Retirement Communities. “UMBC is delighted to strengthen our relationship with Erickson Retirement Communities,” said UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “Together we will shape innovative approaches combining healthcare, public policy, information technology and communications to meet the needs and interests of the aging Baby Boom generation.” RL-TV will house its corporate headquarters and three production studios in the new facility. The network recently signed a national broadcasting agreement with DirectTV to expand its viewing audience to over 24 million homes. Retirement Living TV produces programming focused on health, finance, politics and living for people over the age of 55. RL-TV recently partnered with UMBC’s New Media Studio to produce pilots for two programs and is expected to collaborate further with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center and College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Erickson’s IT department will work with UMBC on advanced research in health informatics, real time data applications, information assurance, data security and wearable computing. The department will move 60 professionals and a high bandwidth data center to the new building and is expected to hire 10 to 15 UMBC graduates per year as the company grows. Founded in 1998, the Erickson Foundation funds research projects aimed at improving best practices in active aging and aging with choices. The Foundation is currently conducting research on walking studies, ergonomics, balance control, nursing, memory and other senior wellness and lifestyle issues. The Erickson facility will be the fifth bwtech@UMBC building. Ellen Hemmerly, executive director of the UMBC Research Park Corporation, says demand for office and lab space at UMBC remains strong. "Many outside businesses and emerging tech firms from our incubator continue to express interest in locating on our campus," Hemmerly said. "We continue to welcome companies that seek all the advantages of growing their business at UMBC." Construction is underway for the park’s third building, a new home for the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) MD/DE/DC Regional Water Science Center. Ground is expected to be broken for the fourth building -- an 110,000 square-foot, $22 million multi-tenant facility-- in the first half of 2007. Both the USGS and multi-tenant buildings are being developed by Corporate Office Properties Trust. About Erickson: John Erickson launched Erickson Retirement Communities with the 1983 opening of Catonsville, Maryland’s Charlestown, now the nation’s largest campus-style retirement community. Today, Erickson Retirement Communities operates 16 campuses housing more than 18,000 people in eight states. Two more communities are set to open in the near future. The company is noted for its progressive approach to recruitment, training and development, and has broadened its business lines with the addition of a managed health plan for residents. Mr. Erickson has also shown his commitment to the interests of individuals over the age of 55 with his September 2006 launch of Retirement Living, a television and Internet media company. More information is online at www.EricksonCommunities.com and www.RL.TV. About bwtech@UMBC: bwtech@UMBC is a state-of-the-art, 41-acre research and technology community. UMBC began planning for a new research and technology park in the early 1990s, based on the success of other U.S. parks and the vision of the late Michael Hooker, UMBC president from 1986-1992. The first building was completed in 2001. To date, UMBC’s research park and technology incubator have received public and private sector funding from the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, the U.S. Department of Commerce, The Abell Foundation, and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO.) bwtech@UMBC is part of Baltimore County's Southwest Enterprise Zone, making companies moving to the park eligible for credits on real property and income taxes, as well as credits for job creation. Posted by crose November 01, 2006 Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture Exhibition on MPT 11/1 The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture's "Raymond Loewy:Designs for a Consumer Culture" exhibition will be featured on MPT's "ArtWorks This Week" on Wednesday, November 1. Professor David Yager, the Center's executive director, gives a tour of the exhibit and a look into the mind of industrial designer Raymond Loewy. For more information, visit www.mpt.org/artworks/thisweek. For more information on the exhibition and upcoming arts events at UMBC, visit www.umbc.edu/arts. Posted by elewis October 31, 2006 University Teams to Kick Off Voting Technology Competition Computer Science Students from UMBC, George Washington, Stanford, Others Hope Contest Yields Ideas for More Secure Electronic Voting CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu WASHINGTON, D.C. – As worries increase about the reliability and security of electronic voting machines a week away from the General Election, a team of computer science students and professors from UMBC and George Washington University will announce on Thursday at the National Press Club the start of a new national competition aimed at sparking ideas for better electronic voting technology while raising college students’ awareness of the political process. Organized by UMBC professor of computer science Alan Sherman and funded by the National Science Foundation, the University Voting Systems Competition (www.vocomp.org) will take place throughout the academic year. The UMBC/GW team will compete against teams from Stanford, Rice, Newcastle (UK), Wroclaw (Poland), and other universities to design and implement innovative voting technologies. Teams must post their voting system designs online in January 2007 for review by peers and a panel of judges including IT experts from Microsoft, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and MIT. Teams that advance to the next round of competition will be required to demonstrate their systems in a student government or similar real-world campus election in May. Five finalist teams will be chosen to travel to Portland, Oregon, on July 16-18, for the final competition which will include a judged mock election along with academic presentations, critiques, and invited lectures by national experts on voting. According to Sherman, an expert on cryptology and the security of voting systems, the judging criteria include reliability, security, privacy, ease of use for voters and election officials, and accessibility to the disabled. “There is a need for better voting technologies that are more secure, reliable, accountable and easy to use.” Sherman said. “This competition will inspire innovation and involvement, and establish the feasibility of competitions as a way to gauge the security of voting systems.” PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS: Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006 2 - 3pm National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20045 Posted by crose October 24, 2006 UMBC's ACTiVATE Program to be Featured on "The Digital Spin" With Mario Armstrong Women Entrepreneurs Training Program is Focus of WEAA 88.9 FM Show, Wed., October 25, 7-8pm CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu UMBC's ACTiVATE program, which trains women from business and science backgrounds in entrepreneurship, will be the focus of the Wednesday, Oct. 25 "Digital Spin With Mario Armstrong" show on WEAA 88.9 FM. Stephen Auvil, director of UMBC's Office of Technology Development (OTD), and ACTiVATE participants Kris Appel and Eva Mitter will be Armstrong's guest for the show. ACTiVATE is a year-long, competitive program to train women with significant technical or business experience to be entrepreneurs and to create start-up companies from inventions from Maryland research institutions and federal agencies. Armstrong covers technology for Baltimore & Washington-area National Public Radio affiliates and television stations. He is also co-founder of the Urban Video Game Academy. Posted by crose UMBC Names 12 Business, Science Leaders to College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences Advisory Board Biotech, Pharma, NASA, and NSA Execs to Advise College, Build Connections CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) announced today the appointment of 12 leaders selected from the Mid-Atlantic region’s business and scientific community to serve on the Dean’s Advisory Board for UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. The Board will help expand awareness of the College’s programs, research and resources and strengthen partnerships with public and private research laboratories, key industry leaders and policymakers. Board members, who will serve three-year renewable terms, will advise the Dean on critical issues including workforce education and training; academic program and curriculum development; faculty recruitment; collaborative research funding; and opportunities for students and alumni. “UMBC is fortunate to have the counsel of such a diverse group of outstanding scientists and businesspeople,” said Geoffrey Summers, Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences at UMBC. “The Board will strengthen the College’s connections with top researchers in bioscience, medicine, homeland security and environmental and space science — fields vital to economic growth, innovation and opportunity in Maryland and beyond.” The Board will be chaired by biotech entrepreneur and UMBC alumnus Sheldon Broedel, Ph.D. Broedel is a co-founder and CEO/CSO of AthenaES, a biotechnology products and services firm located at the University’s on-campus business incubator, techcenter@UMBC. Broedel, who received his doctoral and master's degrees in Microbial and Molecular Genetics from UMBC, has 19 years of industrial experience, holds three issued patents and has designed and launched 68 products. He also serves on the Science Advisor Board for Villa Julie College and is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine’s department of Microbiology and Immunology. “It is an honor to serve my alma mater alongside a team of exceptional minds from government and business,” said Broedel. “Like me, they know from experience that UMBC is a place committed to scientific excellence, with talented faculty and students eager to share their skills with industry.” The other Board members announced today are: Ron Baker, Manager, Cosmetic Claim Development & Support, Procter & Gamble; Paul Behrens, Director of Physiology, Martek Biosciences; April Brys, Manager, Biosciences, Battelle; Stacey Franklin, Vice President, BioTech Primer; Peter Hughes, Chief Technologist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Peter Kiener, Senior Vice President of Research, MedImmune; Alvin LaVoie, Director, Emerging Technologies, Rohm and Haas; Jerry Skotnicki, Director, Chemical and Screening Sciences, Wyeth Research; Terry Turpin, Chief Scientist, Essex Corp; Nancy Welker, Chief Technical Officer, National Security Agency; George Young, VP, Business Development, GRACE Davison. UMBC’S College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences includes the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. The College has more than 100 full time faculty members, and includes approximately 1500 majors in 7 undergraduate programs and 280 graduate students in 13 graduate programs. These four departments administer close to half of the Ph.D. programs at UMBC. Research expenditures currently are nearly $13M per year. More information online at http://www.umbc.edu/CNMS/ Posted by crose October 17, 2006 Managed Care Boosts Access to Health Services for Children Enrolled in Maryland Medicaid UMBC Researcher Todd Eberly Wins National Dissertation Award CONTACT: Anne Roland, UMBC Public Policy Department 410-455-8457 anne@umbc.edu The Maryland Medicaid managed care program has had a positive impact on the receipt of preventive health services by black, white, and Hispanic children and adolescents, as well as black and Hispanic adults, according to a new study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Following a nationwide trend, Maryland implemented the HealthChoice managed care program in 1998 as a means to control Medicaid costs. Under managed care, the state contracts with private insurers to provide preventative health care services to Medicaid enrollees, such as well child visits, immunizations, and physicals. However, there had been conflicting research on whether managed care meets the needs of socially vulnerable populations, particularly minorities. Medicaid currently covers 600,000 Maryland residents, including 30 percent of the state’s children. Studies have shown that a significantly larger percentage of black and Hispanic Americans are covered by Medicaid than white Americans, but these populations make less use of routine health procedures and services. These disparities in the use of health care services are significant because studies have shown that a lack of preventive care puts disadvantaged populations at greater risk of serious health problems later in life. Todd Eberly, a researcher at the Center for Health Program Development and Management at UMBC, analyzed health care data for Medicaid clients in Maryland before and after the adoption of managed care to determine whether the program has had any impact on the preventive care use. He found that Maryland’s managed care program has had a positive impact on the receipt of primary preventive care by black, white, and Hispanic children and adolescents, as well as black and Hispanic adults. All children and adolescents experienced increases in the use of preventative health services, but increases for black and Hispanic youths were significantly greater than for their white peers. “The improvements for minority youth were particularly noteworthy,” said Eberly, “because children are especially vulnerable. Access to preventive care is key to the promotion of good heath and quality of life.” Eberly, who received his Ph.D. in Public Policy at UMBC in 2006, conducted the research for his dissertation, which has been selected for the 2006 Annual Dissertation Award from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). He will receive his award this week in Minneapolis at the NASPAA Annual Conference. Posted by crose Dr. Bill Thomas, Innovative Authority On Aging, Offers Lecture At Erickson School On Nov. 9 Developer Of The “Eden Alternative” And “Green House” Approach To Long-Term Care To Deliver 7 P.M. Lecture CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu Dr. Bill Thomas, an international authority on later life and eldercare, will deliver a talk, “What Are Old People For?” at The Erickson School on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Thomas has been long recognized as an innovator in formulating approaches to long-term care. Thomas has brought plants, dogs, cats and birds into nursing home facilities to share with patients. This unique approach, known as the Eden Alternative, shifted attention toward enhancing the emotional well-being of residents. Thomas is focused now on a new endeavor, the Green House Project. With a five-year, $10 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he is developing a plan to replace more than 100 nursing homes in the United States with groups of smaller homes. Each will house eight to ten residents in private rooms. The grant will result in the creation of Green House projects in all 50 states. The lecture will take place on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library. To RSVP and for further details, please contact The Erickson School toll-free at 1-877-853-0439 or e-mail Kristanna Jones at krista@umbc.edu. Recently, U.S.News & World Report described Thomas as a “revolutionary” thinker whose “startling common-sense ideas and his ability to persuade others to take a risk” bring critically needed approaches to the science of aging. “Bill Thomas is a pioneering thinker who inspires legions of people who have committed their study and careers to the business and science of aging,” said Dr. J. Kevin Eckert, dean of The Erickson School. “We know that his lecture will be another inspiring evening and are delighted to present it at The Erickson School.” Thomas graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1986, and he was selected by the Mead Johnson Foundation as one of the top Family Medicine residents in the country during his three-year residency at the University of Rochester. He earned board certification in Family Medicine in 1992 and added a certificate in Geriatrics in 1994. Thomas also maintains a part-time appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor in Family Medicine for Upstate Medical Center. Thomas is the recipient of a three-year fellowship from the global nonprofit organization Ashoka, which searches the world for individuals with unprecedented ideas for community change. He won the America's Award, established by Norman Vincent Peale and sometimes called "The Nobel Prize for Goodness" in 1997. Thomas has published six books, including "What Are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World." Named 2005 “Book of the Year” by the American Medical Writers Association, it explores the virtues concealed within the necessity of aging. Thomas also recently authored "In the Arms of Elders: A Parable of Wise Leadership and Community Building." His books "Learning from Hannah" and "LifeWorth Living" explore the concept of the Eden Alternative and its impact on long-term care. Thomas is currently working on a book about the relationship between aging, health and healing. About The Erickson School: The Erickson School was established at UMBC in April 2004 with a $5 million commitment from John Erickson, CEO and founder of Erickson. The school focuses on credit and non-credit professional education, research, and policy in aging services and care. UMBC, an Honors University in Maryland, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education, and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Gerontology. More information online at: http://www.umbc.edu/erickson Posted by crose October 12, 2006 CommUniversity Fest to Give Whole Family Free Samples of UMBC Fun, Free Events to Expand Minds, Move Bodies Oct. 21 CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Note to Media: High-resolution photos are available for download at the bottom of this advisory. UMBC is throwing the biggest party in its 40-year history on Saturday, Oct. 21, and the public is invited to enjoy CommUniversity Fest, a day of free activities for all ages reflecting UMBC's diverse mix of arts, culture, athletics and intellect. Feed Your Head with thought-provoking lectures and discussions by UMBC faculty on topics ranging from politics and infinity to parenting and rock n’ roll. Or put the fun back in “fundamental laws of physics” with a hands-on engineering lesson using balls, hot-air balloons and biplanes. Soak Your Senses in free arts exhibits, audio tours and gallery crawls, plus live music and dance performances by alumni and student groups. Cruise Down Memory Lane with a classic car show or savor the spirit of the Orioles 1966 World Series victory with Baltimore Sun sports columnist Peter Schmuck. Playtime for Kids of All Ages features face painting, carnival games, rock climbing wall, moon bounce, a soccer clinic by Baltimore Blast players, a parade of 40 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and a giant-size chess challenge against members of UMBC’s world championship team. Event Details: UMBC CommUniversity Fest Saturday, Oct. 21 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Erickson Field (in front of Albin O. Kuhn Library & across from Erickson Hall) UMBC 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 All events are free and open to the public. Free parking on campus. Rain or Shine. For more information and a full schedule of events, please visit http://www.umbc.edu/communiversity/ or call 410-455-8000. Note to Media: High resolution photos & captions related to this advisory are below. Click on the smaller photo to access a high-resolution copy. Contact Chip Rose, UMBC News, at 410-455-5793 or crose@umbc.edu if any questions about downloading. Caption for photo above: UMBC's mascot dog will lead 40 other Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and volunteer owners and breeders from across the region in the "March of the Retrievers." The parade of 40 dogs starts at the "True Grit" status outside UMBC's Retriever Activities Center on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 12:15 p.m., continuing to the Commons and ending at the Soccer Field. Caption for photo above: UMBC professors Anne Spence (left) and Taryn Bayles put the fun back in "fundmental laws of physics" as they present "Balls, Balloons, and Bi-Planes: Hands-on Engineering for the Whole Family," from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday on UMBC's Erickson Field. Caption for Photo Above: UMBC student dance performances are among the many arts and culture events open to the public at CommUniversity Fest. Caption for photo above: At 1 p.m., UMBC Men's Soccer takes on Hartford University, followed by a soccer clinic led by UMBC Alumni, now pro players for the Baltimore Blast. Posted by crose October 03, 2006 UMBC Public Policy Professor Don Norris to Appear on WBAL-TV 11, Discuss African-American Vote in State Elections CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – Dr. Donald Norris, professor of public policy and director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) at UMBC, will appear from 11:30 a.m. to Noon on Sunday, Oct. 8 on the WBAL-TV (Ch. 11) program 11 TV Hill. Norris will discuss the importance of the African-American vote in various Maryland political races as the Nov. 7 general election approaches. MIPAR serves as UMBC’s premier center for applied scholarly research on significant issues of public policy and links the analytical resources of the University with public policy makers in the state and region. Norris has been the director of MIPAR since 1989. He holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia. He is a specialist in public management, urban affairs and the application, management and impacts of information technology in public organizations. Posted by mlurie September 28, 2006 Barak, Woodward, Gore Headline 'The Maryland Forum' Speaker Series at UMBC Sept. 28, 2006 CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – The Maryland Forum, a prestigious speaker series at UMBC in partnership with the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce (AAACCC), will debut this fall with an appearance by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 24. The Maryland Forum, held at the UMBC Retriever Activities Center, continues with three other notable speakers: • Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward (7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 8) • Former Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken, Jr. (April, 2007, TBD) • Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore (7 p.m., Tuesday, May 8, 2007) “Our campus is delighted to be the host site for The Maryland Forum. Our mission as a public research university includes stimulating the intellectual and cultural life of the region. Therefore, we are also pleased that our partnership with The Maryland Forum will continue to build UMBC as a destination for cultural programming,” said UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski. Tickets for UMBC faculty, students and staff for each speaker are $5 (cash and campus ID account only) and can be obtained at the information desk in The Commons, beginning Oct. 9. When presenting their ticket, UMBC faculty, students and staff must show their UMBC identification card. For the general public, tickets can be purchased by calling 1-866-49-FORUM, online at www.themarylandforum.com and by mail at AAACCC, P.O. Box 346, Annapolis, MD 21404. Prices are $100 for the series and $35 for a single lecture. UMBC alumni are offered the opportunity to buy up to two tickets at a discounted price of $85 (series) or $25 (single lecture). The Maryland Forum offers an opportunity for the general public to interact with world leaders, Pulitzer Prize winners, former national and international statesmen and authors in an informal setting with a central, convenient location. “Growing and nurturing the mind knows no jurisdictional boundaries,” said AAACCC President Bob Burdon. “We are grateful to UMBC and President Hrabowski for forming this partnership with us.” Proceeds from the speaker series will benefit the AAACCC educational foundation, which supports education programs and scholarships throughout the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan region. Posted by mlurie September 27, 2006 UMBC, U. Maryland & USRA Join Forces with NASA Goddard to Create New Center for Space Science and Technology Partnership Builds on Astrophysics, Other NASA Research at UMBC CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Picture Caption: Jane Turner (left) and Ian George of UMBC's Joint Center for Astrophysics in the UMBC Physics Building telescope dome. The team of UMBC, the University of Maryland, College Park and the Universities Space Research Association has been selected by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to establish and operate the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST). CRESST will bring together NASA Goddard researchers and scientists from the Maryland campuses and USRA to build upon the many capabilities and strengths in space science of the participating organizations. CRESST research will initially focus on the study of neutron stars, black holes, and extremely hot gas throughout the universe. The Center also will work to increase the involvement of minority and women scientists in space science research and to facilitate university student participation in such research. The Center will be supported through a five-year cooperative agreement from NASA with funding anticipated to be $7.5 million per year. A five-year extension is possible. The university partnership group will operate and provide funding for a management/scientist support office. "This is a great day for Maryland,” said Maryland Senator Barbara A. Mikulski. “The creation of CRESST is the kind of collaboration between our universities and government laboratories that fosters discovery, innovation, creates new technologies, new ideas and helps Maryland remain a world class center for space science and exploration. As the Senator that funds NASA and our other great federal science agencies, I applaud the creation of this institute and hope to expand cooperation among our universities and government laboratories to keep Maryland competitive." "This is a fitting reward for UMBC's investment in astrophysics, and a great opportunity to expand the research and educational activities performed here,” said Ian George, director of the Joint Center for Astrophysics and associate professor of physics at UMBC. “This award further bolsters UMBC's position in only its 40th year as one of the leading research universities in the mid-Atlantic region,” George said. In support of NASA strategic science mission objectives, CRESST will carry out observational, experimental, and theoretical research in three general areas: -- The Sun and Solar System, stars, galaxies, and the universe at large; -- The informational and computational sciences related to the unique needs of data systems required to interpret space science data; -- The development of technology required to achieve these scientific challenges. CRESST is the latest addition to UMBC’s relationship with NASA. UMBC is ranked 13th nationally among all universities in research funding received from NASA. UMBC is already home to several other multimillion-dollar NASA research centers in collaboration with the Goddard Space Flight Center, including the Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology (GEST) Center, the Joint Center for Earth Systems and Technology (JCET), the Center for the Advanced Study of Photonics Research (CASPR) and the JCA. According to George, NASA partnerships like CRESST will help bring more internationally-recognized space scientists to UMBC. “UMBC scientists are making major contributions to currently flying NASA high-energy astrophysics missions like the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), and the forthcoming Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission, scheduled to launch in August 2007,” George said. George noted that UMBC scientists were also involved in the NASA Swift and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) missions. “What’s really exciting is the impact CRESST will have on students, “said George. “UMBC has recently started both undergraduate and graduate-level astrophysics courses, so CRESST will help us to expand astrophysics education and research.” About Space Science at the University of Maryland, College Park: Through its highly regarded departments of astronomy and physics, the University of Maryland, College Park brings to this collaboration internationally recognized expertise in many areas of space science, including high-energy astrophysics, galaxy structure and dynamics, star formation, planetary science, space physics, gravitational theory and particle astrophysics. Maryland also has a long history of collaboration with the Goddard Space Flight Center in research and educational programs. About USRA: The Universities Space Research Association is a national consortium of 100 universities established in 1969 by the National Academy of Sciences. USRA operates programs and facilities in space-related science, technology, and related education. USRA has been an important participant in space science at NASA Goddard for many years, working alongside NASA researchers in conducting space science research, leading-edge instrumentation and technology development, and effectively communicating space science news and information to the educational community and the general public. For more information, go to www.usra.edu. Posted by crose September 19, 2006 Brad Simpson on WYPR's Marc Steiner Show, September 20, Noon CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu Assistant Professor of History Brad Simpson is scheduled to be a guest on WYPR's (88.1 FM) Marc Steiner Show on Wednesday, September 20 at noon. Simpson, who teaches the history of U.S. foreign relations and international history at UMBC, will discuss President Bush's speech to the United Nations and the war in Iraq. For more information on the show, please click here. Audio archives of past stories are posted after their original air date. Posted by elewis September 13, 2006 TWO EXECUTIVE EDUCATION COURSES OFFERED AT ERICKSON SCHOOL OF AGING STUDIES: OCT. 24-27, NOV. 1-4 “FINANCE, UNDERWRITING AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS” AND “DEVELOPMENT” TO ANCHOR FALL SCHEDULE CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – The Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) teams once again with the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC) to offer a set of Executive Education courses. The series continues at UMBC with two sessions, “Finance, Underwriting and Investment Analysis” on Oct. 24-27 and “Development” on Nov. 1-4. "‘Finance, Underwriting and Investment Analysis’ and ‘Development’ combine several of the most important ingredients of successful seniors housing and care,” said Kevin Heffner, CAE, CFRE, who recently joined the Erickson School of Aging Studies as its new Director of Executive Education. “Finance, Underwriting and Investment Analysis” is led by Ray Braun, President, Chief Operating Officer & Financial Officer of Health Care REIT, Inc. The course, scheduled for Oct. 24-27, is designed for lenders and equity investors as well as financial professionals within management and development companies. The course will compare seniors housing and care facilities to other real estate asset classes. It will also explore the issues of business-versus-real estate components and how to measure each. “Development” is led by Phil Golden, Chief Operating Officer of Brightview Senior Living. The course, scheduled for Nov. 1-4, is designed to examine the entire development process of the professionally managed company. The course includes a thorough overview of complex aspects of the seven segments of the development process. It also examines the critical roles of strategy, market and consumer research, financial feasibility and site selection. Assessment of the difference between project-financing viability and market viability will be a central component of the sessions. “Ray Braun of Health Care REIT and Phil Golden of Brightview Senior Living are two of the most respected leaders in their fields,” Heffner said. “The two programs promise to provide attendees with knowledge, real-world experience, and networking opportunities that they simply cannot get anywhere else. “We're very fortunate,” Heffner added, “to have Ray and Phil leading the teaching teams. ‘Finance’ and ‘Development’ are two of the signature courses of The Erickson School's Executive Education program.” About The Erickson School of Aging Studies: The Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC was established in April 2004 with a $5 million commitment from John Erickson, CEO and founder of Erickson. The school focuses on credit and non-credit professional education, research, and policy in aging services and care. The Executive Development Program at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC is presented in partnership with NIC, a nonprofit organization that has been the leading source of business and financial information for the senior living industry since 1991. For the last six years, NIC has conducted executive development courses in operations, management, sales, marketing, development, finance, and service quality for emerging industry leaders. UMBC, an Honors University in Maryland, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education, and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Gerontology. For further details, please call the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC at 443-543-5622. More information online at: http://www.umbc.edu/erickson # # # Remaining 2006 NIC Executive Education Courses At the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC Sales and Marketing Led by David Smith, President, One on One, Service to Seniors September 18-21, 2006 Finance, Underwriting and Investment Analysis Led by Ray Braun, President, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, Health Care REIT, Inc. October 24-27, 2006 Development Led by Phil Golden, President and COO, Brightview Senior Living November 1-4, 2006 Organizational Excellence and Continuous Quality Improvement Led by Tony Ingelido, Vice President, Asbury Services, Inc. TBA Risk Management TBA Posted by mlurie September 08, 2006 UMBC LAUNCHES SHERMAN “STEM” TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM $5 MILLION GIFT FROM GEORGE AND BETSY SHERMAN FUELS INITIATIVE TO TRAIN SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHERS FOR URBAN SCHOOLS; KICKS OFF $100 MILLION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, LARGEST IN UMBC HISTORY CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – A leadership gift of $5 million from George and Betsy Sherman will fund the Sherman STEM Teacher Training Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), a program that will dramatically increase the number of UMBC graduates who move immediately into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teaching careers in at-risk and challenged schools in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland. The gift is a cornerstone of UMBC’s new $100 million capital campaign, the largest in the University’s history. Through the Sherman STEM Teacher Training Program, UMBC seeks to become one of the nation’s leading institutions for training STEM teachers to work in at-risk schools. The program will provide scholarships for undergraduate and transfer students and fellowships for recent college graduates or mid-career professionals pursuing UMBC’s Master of Arts in Teaching. “There is no more important education issue right now to the U.S. and to Maryland than getting more students interested in science and math,” said Dr. Geoffrey Summers, dean of the UMBC College of Natural & Mathematical Sciences. “In fact, if we add four physics teachers per year in Maryland public schools, we will double the rate of physics teachers that Maryland currently produces.” The Sherman gift anchors a $100 million capital campaign ― chaired by John Erickson, CEO of Erickson ― which will seek endowment gifts, annual gifts, grants and gifts-in-kind to support academic initiatives strategically important to the development of UMBC, the region and the nation. The campaign will launch publicly in September with $63 million already raised. A report from the National Academies designed to assess America’s ability to compete in the 21st century, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” calls for the recruitment of 10,000 new science and math teachers each year through competitive scholarships in math, science and engineering that lead to a bachelor’s degree accompanied by a teaching certificate. George Sherman, retired president and CEO of Danaher Corporation and his wife, Betsy, a former teacher, chose UMBC as a partner to improve K-12 STEM education in urban schools. The $5 million gift began with $1 million to support the existing Sherman Family Teacher Scholars Program in the UMBC Department of Education. A university widely recognized for its excellence in technology, science and teacher training, UMBC is well-positioned to fulfill the Shermans’ vision. Within five years, UMBC will host 50 Sherman Scholars (undergraduate students) and 10 Sherman Fellows (graduate students) annually. The inaugural Sherman STEM cohort will be assembled for fall, 2006 from existing UMBC students whose studies are concentrated in the STEM disciplines. “World events of the past five years have further weakened one of our nation’s most competitive advantages: our ability to train, produce and retain graduates in science and technology,” George Sherman said. “The international marketplace is clearly growing and developing at a faster pace than we are right now. To win this race, we must start training tomorrow’s talent today. UMBC’s leadership and faculty are superb and are providing the fresh thinking needed to address contemporary issues.” Said UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, “This leadership gift from George and Betsy Sherman reflects the generosity and vision of two people closely connected to our campus for a long time. It demonstrates their commitment to preparing teachers for the youth in America and their confidence in UMBC’s ability to train teachers who will improve the quality of science and math education in Maryland.” Summers, dean of the College of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, added, “Students get to college and don’t realize what a rewarding career teaching can be. Moreover, a very small percentage of science teachers actually earned their undergraduate degree in science. This program will allow us to work with students early in their college career and develop their interest in teaching math and science in public schools where the need for such education is great.” For an overview of the UMBC $100 million capital campaign, click here. Posted by mlurie September 05, 2006 UMBC Computer Science Research in Wired Magazine eBiquity Group's Research Part of Article on Spam Blogs Research on detecting "splogs" by UMBC Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Professors Tim Finin, Anupam Joshi and Tim Oates and PhD students Pranam Kolari and Akshay Java was cited in an article in the September issue of Wired Magazine. Splogs are spam weblogs that are automatically generated to host advertisements or to raise the rank or affiliated web sites. The UMBC eBiquity Group recently published a study showing that more than half of the active English language blogs were actually splogs and has a number of ongoing blog related research projects. Posted by crose August 29, 2006 Anne Spence on WYPR 88.1 FM's "Maryland Morning," Wednesday, Aug. 30 Mechanical Engineer to Discuss Improving Science, Math Education in Baltimore County Schools CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu Anne Spence, UMBC assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is scheduled to be profiled at 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30 during Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast on WYPR-88.1 FM. She will discuss her ongoing leadership role with the UMBC-BCPS STEM Partnership. The partnership between UMBC and Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) is an innovative project that facilitates the implementation, testing, refinement and dissemination of promising practices for improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) student achievement. The project also facilitates teacher quality and retention in selected high-needs elementary, middle and high schools in Baltimore County Public Schools. Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast airs from 9-10 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays on WYPR-88.1 FM. More information about the program is available at http://www.wypr.org/MD_Morning.html. Audio archives of past stories are posted after their original air date. Posted by crose Anne Brodsky on WYPR's "Marc Steiner Show" Wednesday, Aug. 30 Advocate for Muslim Women to be Part of Show on Afghanistan CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Anne Brodsky, UMBC associate professor of psychology and director of the Gender and Women's Studies program, is scheduled to be part of a panel of experts on Afghanistan for the noon to 1 p.m. hour of WYPR 88.1 FM's "Marc Steiner Show" on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Brodsky has traveled and worked with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) and other women's rights groups in the Middle East for over five years. She is the author of "With All Our Strength," which chronicles her work with the group as Afghan women risked their lives to seek work, education and basic human rights under the Taliban regime. Posted by crose August 15, 2006 $1.5 Million NIH Grant Boosts UMBC's Research on HIV, Cancer Powerful Instrument to Be Shared by Other UMBC Labs Studying Retroviruses CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Dan Fabris, associate professor of chemistry at UMBC, is one of just 14 researchers nationally to receive a NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) High-End Instrumentation grant announced today. The $1.5 million grant will fund the purchase of an extremely powerful, high-resolution, mass spectrometer that greatly boosts UMBC's capabilities to analyze nucleic acids for research on drug resistance by HIV, other retroviruses and cancer. The Fabris lab was the only one in Maryland to receive the NIH NCCR instrumentation grant this year, making UMBC one of just a handful of U.S. institutions to have such a powerful mass spectrometer. The custom built instrument, a hybrid, 12 Tesla quadrupole-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (Q-FTICR) mass spectrometer, won't arrive at UMBC for another six months or so. It will be shared by several other labs at the University working on research that could lead to new and more effective inhibitor drugs for AIDS therapy. "This is extremely exciting for many of us at UMBC," said Fabris, who has studied the nucleic acid structure of HIV since joining the faculty of the Chemistry and Biochemistry department in 1999. "We are particularly happy that this grant will not only expand our lab's capabilities, but will also benefit the work of other researchers in UMBC's departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Sciences and possibly other labs in the Baltimore area." "The High-End Instrumentation program provides numerous investigators access to essential equipment, often benefiting entire research communities and dramatically advancing their research projects," said Barbara M. Alving, M.D., Acting Director of NCRR, in an NIH press release. "These awards spur the kind of scientific discoveries necessary for the development of treatments for a broad spectrum of diseases." Other NIH NCCR High-End Instrumentation grants went to hospital labs in Boston and university labs at Purdue, Stanford, UCLA, U. Cal Santa Barbara, U. Penn., Yale and others. Posted by crose August 14, 2006 New Web Site Encourages Maryland Voters to Look and Learn UMBC Public Policy, Information Technology Experts Team Up With State Board of Elections for Voter Info Site CONTACT: Anne Roland, UMBC Public Policy Department 410-455-8457 anne@umbc.edu A new web site at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County uses state-of-the-art technology to help voters in Maryland access information that will help them make decisions about voting in the upcoming 2006 Primary and General Elections. The web site, called the Maryland Voter Information Clearinghouse (mdelections.umbc.edu), is a joint project of the Maryland State Board of Elections and UMBC’s National Center for the Study of Elections (NCSE). SBE asked researchers at UMBC to design new publicly accessible, easily searchable databases for voter information. “It’s where, who, and how,” said NCSE Director and Professor of Public Policy Donald F. Norris. “The site is actually three separate databases that each give Maryland voters information to help them learn where to vote, who is running for office, and how candidates are financing campaigns.” “We initiated the Center last summer with the goal of using the academic and research capabilities of UMBC to apply expert analysis, study, and educational techniques to the various programs at the State Board of Elections,” said Linda Lamone, State Administrator of Elections. “This project is a good example of how well that partnership is working. UMBC’s multi-disciplinary approach to this project has lead to a terrific outcome for all Maryland citizens.” Visitors to the site can look up information on candidates for federal and state offices, and search the state’s campaign finance database, which includes publicly available reports on campaign finance activity for all candidates, political action committees (PACs), and parties. Registered voters, after entering required information, can verify their voter registration information, learn their voting districts, and find their polling places. "These web-based tools leverage departmental expertise in the areas of database design and implementation, human-centered computing, and accessibility, providing a great opportunity for Information Systems faculty and students to apply what we teach in the classroom to develop important tools for the citizens of Maryland,” said Andrew Sears, Chair and Professor of Information Systems. Dr. Sears is Associate Director of NCSE. The National Center for the Study of Elections is a center within the UMBC Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (MIPAR), in partnership with UMBC’s Department of Information Systems, the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and the State Board of Elections. The Center provides technical assistance and research support to the State Board of Elections, and also conducts studies about voting technologies, election administration, and other issues related to voting and elections. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/mipar/ncse. Posted by crose August 04, 2006 Inaugural Wyeth Fellow Announced as UMBC and Wyeth Research Finalize Partnership CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Wyeth Research, having signed a formal agreement establishing a three-year partnership, have awarded the inaugural Wyeth Fellowship to Orrette R. Wauchope, a Ph.D. candidate studying synthetic organic chemistry. The partnership includes graduate fellowships for talented students conducting research in fields of joint interest to UMBC faculty and Wyeth scientists. Students selected for the two-year fellowships will be designated Wyeth Fellows and will receive an annual stipend and mentoring support from an industry scientist at Wyeth Research. As the inaugural 2006 Wyeth Fellow, Wauchope was recognized as a rising Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Wauchope will have the opportunity to present his or her research findings to a group of senior scientists at Wyeth Research. His doctoral research is being conducted under the guidance of Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a 2006 Jefferson Science Fellow for the U.S. Department of State. Wauchope’s research focuses on the design and methodological development of chemical agents that potentially serve as anticancer, antiviral and antiparasitic catalysts. Wauchope is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Brooklyn College, where he majored in chemistry. “Orrette has a keen interest in the use of synthetic organic chemistry to solve problems in medicinal chemistry,” said Dr. Jerauld S. Skotnicki, senior director of chemical and screening sciences with Wyeth Research. “His Ph.D. project with Professor Seley-Radtke is quite challenging and will enable him to enhance, apply and expand his interests and skills. “As the Wyeth mentor, I am looking forward to the interactions and to contribute to their program. The Wyeth Fellowship exemplifies the ideal partnership of two innovative cultures from two distinct sectors, bringing out the best in people and their science.” The Wyeth-UMBC partnership includes a three-year commitment to Gold-Level sponsorship for UMBC’s annual life science symposium - A Look Ahead: Futures in Biomedical Research. A signed memorandum of understanding between UMBC and Wyeth was completed on July 25, 2006 at the Wyeth Research facility in Collegeville, Pa. An additional Wyeth Fellow will be selected in the second year of the partnership. “I am privileged to have mentoring support from the scientists at Wyeth,” Wauchope said. “I will have the opportunity to share and discuss aspects of my research in an industrial setting with chemists who possess years of experience.” Wyeth, headquartered in Madison, N.J., is a global leader in pharmaceuticals, consumer health care products and animal health care products. The company is a leader in the discovery, development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life people worldwide. With research and development programs focused on small molecules, vaccines and biotechnology, Wyeth is exploring more than 60 new therapies for medical conditions such as diabetes, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. UMBC is a mid-sized, public research university located between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. UMBC is a major center for cutting-edge research in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The campus is home to more than 20 research centers and institutes. UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences includes the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. These four departments administer close to half of the Ph.D. programs at UMBC. The College has more than 100 full time faculty members, and includes approximately 1500 students in 7 undergraduate programs and 280 students in 13 graduate programs. Research expenditures currently top $13M per year. For inquiries directly to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals: Gerald Burr Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Office: 484-865-5138 Cell: 484-686-6998 Email: burrg@wyeth.com Posted by crose EXECUTIVE EDUCATION COURSES CONTINUE AT ERICKSON SCHOOL OF AGING STUDIES, SEPT. 18-21 “SALES AND MARKETING” TO BE LED BY DAVID SMITH CONTACT: Mike Lurie Office: 410-455-6380 Cellphone: 443-695-0262 mlurie@umbc.edu BALTIMORE – The Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) teams once again with the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC) to offer a set of Executive Education courses. The series continues at UMBC on Sept. 18-21 with a four-day seminar, “Sales and Marketing,” led by David Smith. David Smith is president of One On One, Service to Seniors, a consulting group based in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Smith has nearly 20 years of hands-on sales and marketing experience and is also co-owner, developer, and manager of the The Gatesworth at One McKnight Place and Parc Provence, both nationally acclaimed senior housing communities in St. Louis. A number of high caliber guest lecturers from the senior living industry will join Smith in facilitating discussions on best practices. The four-day, interactive course focuses on how to generate higher occupancies and faster fill rates using better marketing and sales practices. Specific course work includes discovering customers’ wants and needs, segmenting markets through research, understanding the relationship of pricing and value, and obtaining honest feedback. Students also learn about the science of promotion and how to develop leads, design an effective marketing plan and use successful selling techniques. Finally, the best way to manage the marketing and sales process is discussed, including the use of mystery shopping and sales training. Smith has been a regular contributor to the NIC Executive Education program at the Erickson School. He is also a frequent lecturer and presenter at NIC, ALFA, ASHA and other industry conferences. Instructor Profiles: Anthony Mullen Chair, Research Committee National Investment Center Anthony J. Mullen brings almost twenty years of experience in seniors housing and care to NIC. He has been an executive officer in three major companies within the industry, and was the founder and CEO of Traditions of America, a mid-Atlantic builder of active adult communities, which he sold in 2000. He has experience across the entire spectrum off the continuum of care. Mr. Mullen was also a founder of the NIC, where he served on the Board and Executive Committees for 12 years. Mr. Mullen has been one of the industry's leading applied researchers, and has developed key industry guidelines for understanding penetration rates for general feasibility purposes. He has published several groundbreaking articles in the field and has won awards for his pioneering research on absorption rates. A certified public accountant, Mr. Mullen holds a Master's degree from Drexel University and an undergraduate degree from St. Joseph's University. Daniel P. Rexford Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Erickson Retirement Communities Mr. Rexford is the Executive Vice President of Marketing. He is responsible for developing and implementing the marketing and sales strategies for all Erickson continuing care retirement communities. He also served as the Executive Director of Charlestown, Erickson’s flagship community in Catonsville, Md. He originally joined the company in 1990, as the Director of Marketing for Charlestown. Prior to joining Erickson, Mr. Rexford managed the marketing and operations for two companies that provided technical services to the National Cancer Institute, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Treasury, General Services Administration, and Department of Defense. Brian C. Swinton Retired, Executive Vice President Sunrise Senior Living Brian Swinton has been an industry pioneer and leader for the past 19 years. Starting in 1986, he headed the team that created Marriott’s Brighton Gardens, one of the nation’s most successful assisted living concepts, while at the same time he headed the sales and marketing efforts for the entire Marriott Senior Living Division—the nation’s leading provider of quality tier senior living at the time. He also spearheaded the successful Marriott CCRC prototype, Stratford Court, and was a key executive in the development of life care communities (i.e. The Fairfax, The Quadrangle, The Colonnades), senior condominiums (i.e. The Jefferson), and senior cooperatives (i.e. Maplewood) for Marriott. Following a successful 7 year stint at Marriott, Brian joined The Forum Group team as Senior Vice President in 1993 and again spearheaded the development of another assisted living mainstay, the cottage concept, Hearthside (now MapleRidge), and successfully headed the sales and marketing, product development and construction aspects of the company resulting in the company’s sale to Marriott in 1996. Mr. Swinton joined Sunrise in 1996 as Executive Vice President where he once again headed the sales and marketing efforts, as well as market feasibility, customer and employee satisfaction and product development. He also headed the innovative Sunrise concept, At Home Assisted Living, currently in major markets around the country. Brian has served in various industry positions including Chairman of the National Council on Senior’s Housing (NCOSH), an affiliate of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). He also served as a director and vice president of the National Association of Senior Living Industries (NASLI) and participated in dozens of conferences speaking on a variety of industry topics. Mr. Swinton holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with Distinction from Harvard Business School specializing in Marketing and Real Estate. Margaret Wylde, Ph.D. President/CEO ProMatura Group, LLC Margaret Wylde began conducting research on mature consumers more than 25 years ago. ProMatura Group, LLC, the company founded by Wylde, has played an integral role in understanding what mature consumers want and practically applying this information to seniors housing, service sector, retailers and consumer product developers. Wylde’s mature market, senior housing, product research and development experience includes work for Fortune 100, and start-up corporations, for large companies and single proprietorships, for national associations, and state agencies (see list of Clients). Wylde’s knowledge and expertise of senior housing business issues come from practical day-to-day experience. During her career Wylde has designed, developed and managed seniors housing properties. Wylde’s knowledge of the senior housing industry is widely recognized as being among the industry’s best. Her contribution to the industries serving mature consumers has been to conduct both proprietary and publically disseminated research. Recent research completed by ProMatura include: a study of 1,056 independent living residents and the communities they chose; a comparative study of independent living residents and a matched sample of household who have chosen not to move to an age-qualified community; a multi-year study of 4,500 60+ households to learn their awareness, knowledge, attitudes and opinions about seniors housing; a study of 12,600 satisfaction surveys from residents of independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities; surveys of 1,023 residents of assisted living communities throughout the 48 contiguous states, and a survey of 1,500 adults between 45 and 64 years of age about their responsibilities for parents and other relatives. These studies, and dozens more, were completed for the American Seniors Housing Association, the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC) and the Assisted Living Federation of America. NIC is the premier organization that focuses specifically on financing senior housing developments and the myriad of issues that affect how these properties are financed. Wylde serves on the Boards of Directors of the American Society on Aging, the National Association of Home Builders Seniors Housing Council and LifeSpec Cabinet Systems, Inc. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center for Universal Design at Florida State University, and the Association of Marketing & Sales Executives in Senior Housing. Wylde was a Forum Group Board member during its successful acquisition by Marriott Senior Living Services. Her other professional affiliations include the International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Seniors Housing Association, the American Statistical Association, Assisted Living Federation of America, American Marketing Association, Human Factors Society of America, and the Gerontological Society of America. Wylde has authored four books, dozens of technical papers and articles, and is a prolific contributor to trade and business publications and scholarly journals. Her most recent books include Boomers on the Horizon: Housing Preferences of the 55+ Home Buyer published by Builder Books in 2002, Building for a Lifetime: The Design and Construction of Fully Accessible Homes published by The Taunton Press. She is a frequently sought after speaker, providing keynote addresses to many different audiences. Specific Areas of Expertise: finding answers and putting information to work; mature consumers, attitudes, opinions and behaviors; research design and analysis; practical application of primary and secondary research to the design and development of seniors housing communities, technology use by mature adults, human factors of older adults, Federal regulations of accessibility. About The Erickson School of Aging Studies: The Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC was established in April 2004 with a $5 million commitment from John Erickson, CEO and founder of Erickson. The school focuses on credit and non-credit professional education, research, and policy in aging services and care. The Executive Development Program at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC is presented in partnership with NIC, a nonprofit organization that has been the leading source of business and financial information for the senior living industry since 1991. For the last six years, NIC has conducted executive development courses in operations, management, sales, marketing, development, finance, and service quality for emerging industry leaders. UMBC, an Honors University in Maryland, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education, and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Gerontology. For further details, please call the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC at 443-543-5622. More information online at: http://www.umbc.edu/erickson # # # Remaining 2006 NIC Executive Education Courses At the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC Sales and Marketing Led by David Smith, President, One on One, Service to Seniors September 18-21, 2006 Finance, Underwriting and Investment Analysis Led by Ray Braun, President, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, Health Care REIT, Inc. October 24-27, 2006 Development Led by Phil Golden, President and COO, Shelter Properties November 1-4, 2006 Organizational Excellence and Continuous Quality Improvement Led by Tony Ingelido, Vice President, Asbury Services, Inc. TBA Risk Management TBA Posted by mlurie August 01, 2006 Warren R. Devries is New Dean of Engineering & Information Technology at UMBC Former National Science Foundation Official to Pursue Business Partnerships, Innovation CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) announced today the appointment of Warren R. DeVries, former National Science Foundation official and department chair of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, as its new Dean of Engineering and Information Technology (IT). DeVries is a leader in the national drive for excellence in engineering education and is also well known in his field for his pioneering research in manufacturing processes and systems. Since 2002, he has served as Division Director for the NSF’s Division of Design and Manufacturing Innovation, where he led a staff of 15 and managed an annual budget of $65 million. DeVries came to the NSF on assignment from Iowa State University, where he was a Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. DeVries said he believes that UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology will thrive in the 21st century by developing: diverse knowledge-enabled graduates, faculty and staff who advance the frontiers of scholarship and innovation to benefit society, and partnerships with government and industry to create new opportunities that have an impact beyond the bounds of the campus. DeVries, whose initial responsibilities at the NSF included work with the Small Business Innovation Research program, said that he would like to use his experience to spur innovation through education, research and industry partnerships, especially with small or startup technology-based firms. DeVries said he first became acquainted with UMBC programs and faculty during a visit to the campus over a decade ago. “I saw that exciting things were really starting to happen here,” he said. Another strong impression was that “When you come into UMBC’s campus, the Research and Technology Park is right at the front door. I think that’s very interesting and an important opportunity,” DeVries said. “I’d like to work with faculty and staff building on UMBC’s reputation for integration of education and research covering the whole spectrum of innovation, from discovery of new knowledge and creativity to that first commercial step of a small technology businesses,” DeVries said. “This isn’t only important for the economic vitality of Maryland and the nation, but because knowledge and people are key to the research-education-innovation cycle its part of the University’s mission," said DeVries. "Students benefit too, since according to NSF data, the largest fraction of science and engineering graduates today, about 36 percent, are employed by small technology-based firms.” Another of DeVries’ priorities will be giving students a multidisciplinary education that prepares them to be competitive in today’s global economy. He pointed out that the College of Engineering and Information Technology’s name is indicative of the multidisciplinary opportunities in the College at UMBC. “In order for our students to have a good life and career, we first need to provide a relevant and solid education,” DeVries said. “We’ll need a truly global view so that our graduates not only have good career opportunities, but also aspire to be leaders in their chosen fields.” In addition to being a member of the Iowa State faculty, DeVries has also held faculty positions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Madison. DeVries has supervised 11 Ph.D. students and nearly 40 M.S. students, and he has overseen more than $4 million in total research and educational contracts and grants. He has authored or co-authored numerous technical papers, as well as two textbooks, and taught graduate and undergraduate courses. He received his Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and also received a B.S. in Letters and Engineering from Calvin College. DeVries has served on the Board of Governors and as Senior Vice President for Engineering for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and on the Board of Directors and as President for the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). He is a Fellow of both the ASME and the SME. DeVries replaces Dr. Shlomo Carmi, who served as Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology and Professor of mechanical engineering since 1996. Carmi, who was the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Senior Vice President for Engineering Education from 2003 to 2006, will continue to serve UMBC as a member of the mechanical engineering faculty. DeVries begins his appointment at UMBC August 1. Note to Media: To download a high-resolution, color photo of Dr. DeVries, please click on the image at the top of this release. Posted by crose July 26, 2006 NASA Scientists Conduct Census of Nearby Hidden Black Holes UMBC Astrophysicist, International Team, Searching X-Ray Sky CONTACT: Chip Rose, UMBC News 410-455-5793 crose@umbc.edu Scientists on a quest to find hidden black holes in the local universe have found surprisingly few. The observation implies that if these hidden black holes exist - and most scientists are convinced they do - they must be from the more distant, earlier universe, a concept that has interesting implications for galaxy evolution. This work constitutes the first census of the highest-energy part of the X-ray sky, where the most dust-enshrouded black holes are thought to shine. A team from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., conducted the census, comprised of nearly two years of continuous data from the European Space Agency's International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, or INTEGRAL, satellite. "Naturally it is difficult to find something we know is hiding well and which has eluded detection so far," said Volker Beckmann of Goddard and the Joint Center for Astrophysics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, lead author on a report in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal. "INTEGRAL is a telescope that should see nearby hidden black holes, but we have come up short." The X-ray sky is thousands to millions of times more energetic than the visible sky familiar to our eyes. Much of the X-ray activity is from black holes violently sucking in gas from their surroundings. Recent breakthroughs in X-ray astronomy, including a thorough black hole census with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, have all dealt with lower-energy X-rays. The energy range is roughly 2,000 to 20,000 electron-volts. Optical light, in comparison, is about 2 electron volts. The INTEGRAL survey is the first of its kind to glimpse into the largely unexplored higher-energy, or "hard," X-ray regime of 20,000 to 40,000 electron-volts. "The X-ray background, this pervasive blanket of X-ray light we see everywhere in the universe, peaks at about 30,000 electron volts, yet we really know next to nothing about what produces this radiation," said co-author Neil Gehrels of Goddard. The theory is that hidden black holes, which scientists call Compton-thick objects, are responsible for the peak at 30,000 electron volts. These X-rays are so energetic that they would penetrate even the most dust-enshrouded black holes yet remain beyond the range of powerful lower-energy X-ray observatories such as Chandra. High-energy light in general is harder to focus than optical and lower-energy (longer-wavelength) forms of light. As a result, INTEGRAL doesn't have the resolution to make sharp images like Chandra and Hubble can. "Basically, the higher you go in energy, the harder it is to detect faint sources," said Chris Shrader of Goddard, another co-author. "This is why no hard X-ray mission has been able to study many individual objects in the distant universe. That would require a next-generation telescope. But INTEGRAL is now the first to resolve the local universe." INTEGRAL can obtain an unbiased count of black holes in the local universe by virtue of seeing even those that are hidden. Of all the black hole galaxies that INTEGRAL detected---that is, galaxies with supermassive black holes in their cores actively accreting gas---about 40 percent were unobscured black hole galaxies, called Seyfert 1 galaxies. About 50 percent were somewhat obscured black hole galaxies called Seyfert 2 galaxies. And less than 10 percent were the heavily shrouded "Compton thick" variety. This implies that if hidden black holes make up the bulk of the X-ray