By UMBC Retrievers News

What would you say is your greatest asset on the soccer field?

Speed. The team constantly says that I’m the fastest player in the conference. That’s my asset.

You’re just a sophomore and you’re already among the scoring leaders at UMBC.

It’s really exciting, and that’s another goal for next season and the season after for me to achieve. It’s really, really exciting. And it’s a motivating factor.

Heading into your first conference tournament, what are your emotions and expectations for yourself and the team?

I’m nervous, but in a good way. It’s exciting. I expect the team to do really well. If we come out with our ‘A’ game, we’re going to blow this conference away. My personal expectations are really high. I just need to stay mentally focused and do my thing and everything will fall into place after that.

Talk about any differences you see in the team from last year to this year that allowed you to reach the postseason this year but not last year.

As a unit, we’re more cohesive and we work together. We want it this year. People stay after to practice the littlest things to get them right, and that makes us successful. We work hard. We had the talent last year, but I don’t think our heart was really in it. This year, we come out with a lot of heart and we’re really focused mentally, and we just go out there and do it.

What made you choose UMBC?

I didn’t even know about UMBC until I came here my junior year and met with Dr. Hrabowski [UMBC president]. He was really the one that influenced me. And then I met Michelle [Salmon, head coach] and played for her club team, and I really liked her coaching style and personality, so I came here for an official visit. I liked the team. It’s like a family unit, and I really liked that. And the school – it’s not too small and not too big. And it’s a really cute campus and I really just really liked it. I felt at home when I came.

What has been your favorite moment on the soccer field?

This season, when I scored the goal that sent us into overtime against New Hampshire. That was pretty sweet.

What’s something most people would be surprised to learn about you?

I really, really love classical music. But I love to dance too. Most people know I like to read, and I like to be by myself to think a lot. But I like to hang out, too.

You excel in the classroom, as well. How do you balance the academics with athletics at such high levels?

It’s a talent, I guess – good time management. I learned it from my mother. She was very adamant since I was really young to balance school. School comes first. I always had to do my homework before I could go to soccer practice. I use my planner, and my PDA is always with me. I stay focused, I don’t let distractions get me, even though they are there.

Describe your emotions when you score a goal.

It’s just a rush of adrenaline. I could be winded, make a 50-yard sprint and score, and then turn around and sprint to my teammates. I feel no pain, no exhaustion. I just feel really, really pumped up, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s get another!’ It makes me really excited.

What do you do in your spare time?

I read and watch cartoons. SpongeBob SquarePants is my favorite cartoon. It just numbs my mind and lets me get away for a little bit. I like to listen to classical music to relax.

Louis Cantori, Political Science, in Newsday.com
Louis Cantori, professor emeritus of political science, was quoted in “Little Outcry Raised on Iraq.” Cantori, a former marine, said Americans barely notice the rising deaths of American soldiers because they are easily distracted. The article appeared in Newsday.com on October 24, but was originally published in the Baltimore Sun.

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun
Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, said Lt. Gov. Michael Steele will not win the Governor’s race solely on black votes. Instead, Schaller estimates Steele needs 80 percent of those votes. Schaller appeared in the Baltimore Sun’s “African-Americans Key Constituency for Steele” on October 26.

UMBC in the Baltimore Business Journal
Three Baltimore-area companies working with UMBC received awards from The Maryland Development Technology Corp. to transfer technology companies from laboratories to the marketplace. “Tedco Awards $820K for Tech Transfer” was published in the Baltimore Business Journal on October 24.

Maurice Berger, CAVC, and Kathy O’Dell, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Participate in "The 1980s: An Internet Conference"
Maurice Berger, curator, Center for Art and Visual Culture, and Kathy O’Dell, associate dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of visual arts, are participants in "The 1980s: An Internet Conference," a two-week online symposium that explores this time period’s impact on art and life in America. Berger will moderate the event. The symposium is available on the Georgia O’Keefee Museum Research Center’s Web site at www.okeeffemuseum.org from October 31 to November 13.

Jeneba Daramy, ’07, to Compete in Miss Africa International 2005
Jeneba Daramy, ’07, will represent Sierra Leone in Miss Africa International 2005: Celebrating the Beauty and Culture of Africa. In one of her competitions, Daramy, an International Studies and Africana Studies double major with a minor in French, will read "Country Matters," a poem from "Homecoming," the third volume of poetry awaiting publication by Jonathan Peters, associate professor of Africana studies. The pageant will be held the Warner Theatre, 13th Street, between E & F Streets, N.W., Washington D.C. on Saturday, October 29. Tickets prices range from $25 to $75 and can be purchased by calling 202-397-SEAT or at www.missafricainternational.com.

Two UMBC professors are exploring their longtime interests in the paranormal from different perspectives. Mark Alice Durant, associate professor of visual arts, examines how artists are influenced by the paranormal, while Stephen Braude, professor of philosophy, is a recognized expert in parapsychology.

Artists and the Otherworldly

Durant’s latest project is “Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology and the Paranormal,” which he co-curated with Jane Marsching, assistant professor at Massachusetts College of Art. The exhibition opens at UMBC’s Center for Art and Visual Culture on October 20 and features 28 contemporary artists whose work employs modern communication technologies (photography, film, video, computers, radio, Internet and digital media) to explore culturally inbred questions/superstitions concerning parallel worlds to our own.

“I’ve always been interested in marginal histories in art—the quirky and the absurd—and loved ATOS—all things outer space,” said Durant. “There’s a lot of scholarship around photography and the paranormal. Photography has always been used as evidence in a variety of environments, so it’s not surprising that it was adopted by people who wanted to prove the existence of other worlds.”

Durant first met Marsching, an artist who works with issues of belief, representation, science, and perception, when both were teaching at Syracuse University. They co-organized a panel on 19th-century photography and the paranormal for a College Art Association (CAA) conference in 2002, and in 2003, Durant and Marsching guest- edited the fall issue of CAA’s Art Journal, which explored photography and the paranormal. After that experience, Durant said he began thinking about the influence of the paranormal on contemporary art. “Artists have always been interested in creating other worlds through fantasy and imagination—that’s the basic gesture of creation. In ‘Blur,’ instead of using paintbrushes and marble—the artists use modern communication techniques like radio, the Internet and digital imaging.”

Some of the art in “Blur” is serious, while other pieces are more satiric or playful. It includes work from UMBC’s Special Collections by thoughtographer Ted Serios, reputed to be able to print images from his mind onto photographic paper. (Fourteen works by Serios held in Special Collections are currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their exhibition “The Perfect Medium” which continues through December 31.) Other work includes Zoe Beloff’s 3-D video re-creations of séances; Jeremy Blake’s animated abstract painting on the mythic icon of superstition; and Chrysanne Stathacos’ aura photographs.

In the future, Durant and Marsching plan to continue exploring how artists are inspired by the paranormal and hope to co-edit an anthology of essays on the topic.

A Philosophical Perspective

Stephen Braude is currently spending his sabbatical writing his next book. “The book will be largely autobiographical and will document some of my own case investigations--successful and unsuccessfu--as a series of cautionary tales,” he said. “It includes a case I’ve presented several times to audiences at UMBC: a woman in Florida whose body breaks out spontaneously and under careful scrutiny in what looks like gold leaf.”

Braude's book also includes his attempts to study a psychic superstar he caught cheating, as well as the concept of synchronicity and how best to make sense of meaningful coincidences that seem to be more than mere chance occurrences. Braude received a grant from the Bial Foundation in Portugal to write his book; next year he'll be the keynote speaker at the foundation's annual research conference.

The author of four previous books, Braude has been interested in the paranormal since graduate school, but decided to pursue scholarship in logic, philosophy of language and philosophy of time before letting his curiosity about the subject take over. “Then I recalled my earlier experience and knew that if I valued the truth as much as I professed, I needed to look into the matter.

“After satisfying myself that there was something worth studying seriously, I resolved to become an insider in the community of scientists and academics doing research in parapsychology,” said Braude, who is past-President of the Parapsychological Association, an affiliate organization of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Braude played a significant role in bringing Serios work, some of which is on view in “Blur,” to UMBC’s Special Collections. “Ted’s principal investigator, Jule Eisenbud, was a close friend and kindred spirit,” said Braude. “When Jule died, his family assigned me the task of going through his papers.” The family also gave permission for Serios’ work—including original photos, films and signed affidavits from witnesses—to be deposited in Special Collections.

Braude also wrote an article on Serios for the traveling exhibition now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is currently advising Chris Carter, executive producer of the “X Files,” on a screenplay about Eisenbud’s relationship with Serios.

“Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology and the Paranormal” is on view at CAVC through December 17. Admission to the exhibition is free. The Center for Art and Visual Culture is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located in the Fine Arts Building. For more information, call 410-455-3188 or visit www.umbc.edu/arts.

By Tom Moore

Watch three QuickTime clips about the exhibition:
Artist *John Roach discusses Transmissions from Beyond
Artist *Miya Masaoka discusses Piece for Plants
Co-curator *Mark Alice Durant discusses the exhibition

From October 20 through December 17, UMBC’s Center for Art and Visual Culture (CAVC) presents “Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology, and the Paranormal,” organized at the CAVC by Mark Alice Durant and Jane D. Marsching. This major traveling exhibition features 28 contemporary artists whose work employs modern communication technologies (photography, film, video, computers, radio, internet, and digital media) to explore culturally inbred questions/ superstitions concerning parallel worlds to our own.

From the infamous Cottingham fairy photographs through Victorian spiritualist images to recent grainy images of Sasquatch and sky-borne saucers, photographs have attempted to provide the material of proof of the otherworldly. The earliest photographic images rendered a detailed impression of the subject’s materiality, and, through the process of doubling and repeating, seemed to destabilize reality by producing the ghost image, a dematerialization of the three-dimensional world.

In response to this strange new technology, some Victorian minds associated photography with the occult, believing the human eye did not see at all, that human perception was blind to the spirit world. Occultists conjectured that the air was charged with floating images and disembodied spirits, and they set out to prove their claims by documenting episodes of visitations. Photography was the perfect tool conscripted in this effort.

Today, the amount of attention devoted to paranormal phenomena--UFOs, demonic possession, psychics, ghosts--in the media indicates that photography’s early fascinations have not disappeared. Millennial angst, bewildering leaps of science, wildly improbable technological inventions and ever-decreasing wilderness as human sprawl grows exponentially, make other worlds once again appear possible, even probable, and definitely alluring.

Our escalating desire to prove the existence of another dimension--no matter which one--is linked to photography and its history of providing us with our proofs. Seduced by the invisible in the face of the mediums relentless and dull dependence upon the physical, photography as a tool of fact (in science), fantasy (in spirit photography) and invention (in the hands of artists) is exploring new frontiers once again.

Included in the exhibition are works by Mark Amerika, Zoe Beloff, Diane Bertolo, Jeremy Blake, Corrine May Botz, Susan Collins, Gregory Crewdson, Paul DeMarinis, Spencer Finch, Ken Goldberg, Susan Hiller, Marko Maetamm, Miya Masaoka, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Maria Miranda and Norie Neumark, Mariko Mori, Paul Pfeiffer, Fred Ressler, John Roach, Ted Serios, Leslie Sharpe, Chrysanne Stathacos, Thomson & Craighead and Suzanne Treister.

“Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology, and the Paranormal” will be accompanied by a 200-page fully illustrated catalog, with essays on the significance of paranormal and the supernatural in contemporary culture. Published by the Center for Art and Visual Culture, as the ninth title of its Issues in Cultural Theory series, Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology, and the Paranormal will be distributed internationally by Distributed Art Publishers (DAP), in New York.

Events associated with the exhibition include:

*The Paranormal Party (7-10 p.m., October 28). Costumes are optional but encouraged. This event is sponsored by the CAVC, the UMBC Alumni Association, the UMBC Student Events Board and the UMBC Student Government Association. Admission is free.

*A Panel Discussion (6-7:30 p.m., November 3, Kuhn Library Gallery). Moderated by Mark Alice Durant, curator and professor of visual arts at UMBC and Jane D. Marsching, curator and assistant professor, Studio Foundation and Studio for Interrelated Media, Massachusetts College of Art, the panel will include Lynne Tillman, novelist, critic, essayist and professor/writer in residence at the University at Albany; artist Diane Bertolo, and Jeffrey Sconce, associate professor in the Screen Cultures Program, Northwestern University. Admission is free.

By UMBC Retievers News

Marcus Gross
Men’s Soccer
Senior, Defender
Barnstaple, England

At the midpoint of the season, how do you feel about the team’s progress and have your expectations for the year changed?

The expectations are still the same. It was a disappointing start, but I think we have come together as a team on the field. The results of late have been excellent, and we hope to continue that and go to the playoffs and the NCAA Tournament.

Is collegiate soccer in the US what you expected?

I think it is everything I expected and more. The media attention, the passion behind the game, the quality of the soccer, the quality of coaching. I have been really delighted with it.

What do you like best about UMBC?

The friendliness of the people, the staff, the coaches and the other student-athletes. Everyone is interested and concerned how you are. It is kind of a family atmosphere here.

What have you missed most while in the States?

Soccer on television isn’t on as frequently as it is in England. I miss family and friends, but I have made some really good friends here so that sort of eclipses that. I guess I miss the everyday soccer environment which you have in England because it’s the number one sport.

Thank goodness that __________ has been here with me at UMBC. Why?

Matthew McGowan, probably because of the “English” connection. There are a lot of things that we can relate to and we are going through the same experiences.

Do you think that soccer is increasing in popularity in this country?

Definitely. Just in the time that I have been here, it’s gotten so much bigger. The US national team doing well is huge, the MLS is getting stronger all the time. When I go home, you can tell the difference that US soccer is growing all the time.

What is your favorite moment on the soccer field (goal, assist, an excellent tackle, e.g.)?

I think stopping a really good goal-scoring opportunity for a team. Making a last-ditch tackle when everyone expects the player to score and you come up with a defensive play. But there is nothing like scoring a goal, even as a defender, it’s a great feeling.

People that don’t know me well, don’t realize what about me?

Some people, when they watch me play, they obviously see that I am quite intense, quite emotional, but off the field, I am a quiet guy. I like to read and do my own thing. There is a lot more to me than just being an athlete.

What do you think your involvement will be with soccer after you finish your collegiate career?

That’s up in the air right now. It would be great to have an opportunity to continue to play over here, but whether that’s going to be the case, we’ll find out soon. If not, then I probably will end up pursuing soccer in England where they are more opportunities to play.

Do you plan to go home after graduation or will you attempt to stay in the States for another degree or job?

To play here professionally, if I had the opportunity, I’d look into it. I’ve had a girlfriend for six months, so she is trying to get me to stay. To be honest, I am so up in the air. Hopefully, there will be a decision made for me.

Thomas Blass, Psychology, in the Courier-Journal
Thomas Blass, professor of psychology, was quoted in “A Hoax Most Cruel,” a Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) article about a bizarre series of strip-search hoaxes committed by a caller impersonating a police officer. Blass, probably the world’s top authority on Stanley Milgram and his famously controversial obedience experiments, explained how humans are more likely to obey orders from perceived authority no matter how cruel the instructions may be.
http://www.courierjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/NEWS01/510090392/1008Hoax

Paige Harmon, ’09, in the Freelance Star
Paige Harmon, ’09, is a “potent scoring machine,” according to “Hartman a Fresh Sensation at UMBC,” a Freelance Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) article. At the date of publication (October 12), the biochemistry major was the American East Conference Player of the Week for scoring a UMBC record of four goals in the team's 9-3 victory over Robert Morris on October 9.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/102005/10122005/136604

Raquel Schuster-Herr, Former Instructor, in The Quindecim
Raquel Schuster-Herr, former part-time instructor of Spanish, was among the four new instructors profiled in The Quindecim, the student-run publication of Goucher College. As mentioned in “Back For The First Time: The Q's New Faculty Profiles, Continued,” Schuster-Herr is a visiting assistant professor of Spanish at Goucher College. This article was published on October 12.
http://www.thequindecim.com/media/paper618/news/2005/10/12/Features/Back-For.The.First.Time.The.Qs.New.Faculty.Profiles.Continued-1018366.shtml

Barry Lanman, Martha Ross Center for Oral History, in the Arbutus Times
Barry Lanman, director of the Martha Ross Center for Oral History, authored “Halethorpe Heritage: A Story of a Maryland Community," a project initiated by the Halethorpe Improvement Association that documents the area’s history. The article, “His Story Writing Book on History of Halethorpe,” was published in the Arbutus Times on October 14.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=805&NewsID=668178&CategoryID=5768&show=localnews&om=1

Heather Molesworth, Pre-Nursing, in the Gazette (Frederick County)
Heather Molesworth, a Pre-Nursing student, was one of three students who won a $2,000 Maryland State Fair scholarship, according to “Middletown Native Earns Scholarship,” a Gazette (Frederick County) article on October 13. The Middletown, Md. resident will use her scholarship to help pay her tuition at UMBC. Molesworth, a long-time contest participant and frequent winner, received a “Supreme Champion” award for her jersey cow at the Great Frederick Fair this year.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/101305/middnew194127_31896.shtml

UMBC Entrepreneur Internship Program in the Catonsville Times
An article about UMBC’s entrepreneur internship program was published on October 14 in the Catonsville Times. The article, “Interns' Experience a Credit to Program,” had several sources from UMBC including: Christine Routzahn, project director (Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship); Samantha Pittman ’07; David Bach, president and CEO of Scientific Products (a techcenter@UMBC company); Melissa Taylor ’05 and manager of marketing and design for Athena Environmental Systems (a techcenter@UMBC company).
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=351&NewsID=668203&CategoryID=8381&show=localnews&om=1

UMBC in the Baltimore Business Journal
UMBC was mentioned in “YMCA Opening its First Howard County Childcare Center” for being one of the childcare centers operated by the YMCA of Central Maryland. The article was published in the Baltimore Business Journal on October 11.
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/10/10/daily10.html?jst=b_ln_hl

UMBC in the Baltimore Times
According to the Baltimore Times, recipients of the Granville T. Woods Scholarship attend several local universities including the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The scholarship program, administered by Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), requires that interested students enroll in BCCC and commit to transferring to a four-year institution.
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=62564&sID=4

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Washington Post
Tom Schaller, assistant professor of political science, said although the early endorsement issued by The Service Employees International Union Local 1199 for Mayor Martin O’Malley was expected, it was a major move because it helps mobilize constituents. The article, “O'Malley to Get Early Union Endorsement,” appeared in the Washington Post on October 15.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/14/AR2005101401969.html

In the Baltimore Sun, Schaller explained that candidates running for an office may switch parties for “ideological reasons” or benefit from the opposing party’s “momentum and fundraising.” “In Harford, Democrats' Loyalty on Dotted Line,” was published on October 14, about democratic candidates in Harford County who seek an endorsement from the New Harford Democratic Club and become registered Republicans after winning their candidacy.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.duncan08oct08,1,5170765.story

Earlier this month, Schaller appeared in “Duncan Concludes Ground Campaign” published in the Baltimore Sun on October 8. According to Schaller, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan may need an endorsement from a U.S. congressman or senator to heighten his recognition with voters.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.ha.pledge14oct14,1,2704463.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

10/14/05

UMBC in the Owing Mills Times
UMBC and its research parks were mentioned in the Owings Mills Times on October 6 in “Base Realignment Could Generate Jobs.” According to the article, “Baltimore County could gain more than 2,000 new high tech jobs over the next five years as a result of the realignment of military installations in Maryland.” The article further stated that the growth in jobs and new residents could benefit the University and the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=809&NewsID=666008&CategoryID=5830&on=1

UMBC Entrepreneur Internship Program in The Jeffersonian
The next generation of UMBC entrepreneurs are getting their start with internships at small, start-up companies across the region. The Shriver Center and Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship at UMBC were highlighted in a front page story appearing on October 4 in The Jeffersonian for coordinating the UMBC Entrepreneur Internship Program. This program has provided 68 students with major-related experience and exposure to the rewards and challenges of entrepreneurship.

Geoff Summers, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Promotion in the Baltimore Sun
Geoff Summers, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, was profiled for this latest promotion in the Baltimore Sun’s Health & Science “Names in the News” section on October 7.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.names07oct07,1,7048078.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Pranam Kolari and Li Ding, UMBC eBiquity Research Lab, Co-authored Article in SDA Asia Magazine
Pranam Kolari and Li Ding, Ph.D. students and research assistants in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, co-authored “BPEL: Rounding Off the Essentials.” The article explains the “capabilities of BPEL and its associations with other technologies and formalisms. The authors further discuss some of the “existing BPEL engines, their extensions to BPEL and motivation behind these extensions.” BPEL (BPEL4WS) is the “Business Process Execution Language for web services, a popular web service composition.”
http://www.sda-asia.com/sda/article/psecom,id,41,nodeid,1,_language,Singapore.html

Don Norris, MIPAR, in the Baltimore Sun
In “Running Mates Speculation Percolates,” an October 11 Baltimore Sun article, Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, said there is no assurance that Baltimore Mayor Martin O’ Malley and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan will choose African-American running mates.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.mates11oct11,1,2208970.story?page=2&coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines

On October 8 in “Duncan Concludes Ground Campaign,” Norris appeared in the Baltimore Sun analyzing Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan’s “Listening and Learning Tour” as his way of gaining recognition with voters for the Md. Gubernatorial race.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.duncan08oct08,1,5170765.story

Brandon Price, CEO of Cognate Therapeutics, in the Baltimore Business Journal
A Baltimore Business Journal article, “Cognate's New CEO is Biopharmaceutical Veteran,” highlighted the 30-year career of Brandon Price, the newly appointed CEO of Cognate Therapeutics, a techcenter@UMBC company. The article was published Monday, October 10.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/10/10/daily5.html

10/07/05

AVIcode in the Washington Post
AVIcode, a techcenter@UMBC company, was profiled in the Washington Post’s “Start Up” section on September 26.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092501069.html

Don Norris, MIPAR, in the Baltimore Sun
Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, said Howard County Democrats need to choose a “consensus candidate” for the Howard County Executive seat. Republicans have already voiced their support for Christopher J. Merdon, while Democrats continue to review their best candidate. “Race More Open at Top” appeared in the Baltimore Sun Howard County Edition on September 26.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.guzzone28sep28,1,3257592.story

Norris also appeared in the Baltimore Sun on September 27 in “Rough Campaign Looms for O’Malley.” Norris claimed the attacks from Md. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan towards Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley signal the start of the campaign.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/elections/bal-te.md.omalley27sep27,1,7054054.story?page=1

UMBC Visionaries in the Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel
The Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel’s article “Information Technology Forum to Feature 'UMBC Visionaries'” announced the forum on September 30. The forum, “The Future of eGovernment” was held on October 4.
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/093005UMBC.shtml

Kriste Lindemeyer, History, Lectures at UW-Green Bay
Kriste Lindemeyer, associate professor and chair of the history department, was one of three historians to lecture at the 20th Anniversary of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Historical Perspectives Lecture Series. Lindemeyer’s presentation was entitled, “American Freedom and American Public Policy, which was centered on the lecture series’ theme of freedom. The anniversary occurred September 22-23.
http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/photoarch/events/05freedom.htm

10/14/05

Susan Martin, Student Affairs, Receives “Dissertation of the Year” Award
Susan Martin, Assessment and Research coordinator for Student Affairs, was awarded the “Dissertation of the Year” by the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA). Martin’s dissertation, A Pragmatic Exploration of the Multicultural Competence of Community College Student Affairs Practitioners, was a mixed-method study used to gather background information about community college practitioners and to explore the relationship of various demographic, educational, and experiential factors to multicultural competence as defined by Pope and Reynolds. Susan will present her research at the SACSA conference in November.

By Jack Prostko, Director, Faculty Development Center

(Please feel free to add comments and/or information on your own experiences on getting students to read at the end of this article.)

A teacher can enter the classroom . . . with severely misplaced expectations. Having spent many years in a highly literate environment, we tend to take a similar level of literacy in our students as a given. Many of them, on the other hand, have gotten along reasonably well without getting too entangled with the subtleties of the written word.

--Robert Leamnson: Thinking about Teaching and Learning:
Developing Habits of Learning with First Year College and
University Students (p. 31).

A common complaint among students in the mid-semester evaluations I conduct is that their professors’ reading requirements are unrealistic--that the texts are too hard, that there’s too much to read, or that the books or articles are irrelevant and never reviewed in class.

By now, faculty know that students generally do not do everything we ask them to do in order to prepare for class. In the latest National Survey of Student Engagement report, 43% of full-time students report spending 10 hours or fewer studying each week--a finding consistent with NSSE surveys in previous years. (http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/2005_inst_report/NSSE_overview_rev.pdf, p. 11.)

While these numbers are troubling, no one seems terribly surprised by the truth. In the faculty survey (FSSE) which complements the NSSE, results show that “faculty members expect students to study about twice as much as students actually reported,” but that if asked to guess how much students actually do study out of class, faculty perceptions are fairly accurate. (http://www.indiana.edu/~nsse/fsse/pdf/fsse2005_overview.pdf, p. 5.)

If we assume that students are willing to put more time and effort into their schoolwork (an optimistic but necessary assumption if we hope to improve matters) then what is causing this lack of application--especially in regard to reading before class? And what practical strategies can we use to encourage greater attention to reading and study?

Many students enter college with limited reading strategies--indeed most approach all of their reading tasks the same way, and with one essential goal: to get through the material as quickly as possible. Yet we know that our own professional reading strategies vary tremendously according to the time we have available and the goal we set for the task. One focus of our teaching, then, should be to help students develop readings skills and strategies appropriate to the kind of material we’re asking them to understand. As Ken Bain notes in his study of excellent teachers (What the Best College Teachers Do), “we found among the most effective teachers a strong desire to help students learn to read in the discipline” (p. 56).

Second, many students haven’t been trained in reading with a specific set of goals in mind--for example, for arguments or in order to distinguish the major issues from the details or examples; they tend to approach all reading in the same fashion. Again, in disciplines whose vocabularies and conceptual structures may be unfamiliar to many students, we must provide assignments that help them develop the capacity to read for specific reasons and finish assignments with clearly outlined accomplishments.

Based on examples I’ve seen at UMBC, here are some suggestions for methods of encouraging more and better reading in classes:

• Provide guided reading questions that help students read with a purpose. Ask questions about the major concepts or issues so that students learn how to identify them and the examples or details which support or explain those concepts. Refer to these questions in class.

• Construct on-line, open book, reading quizzes. Many faculty members have used the resources of Blackboard to construct simple quizzes that force students to read and digest the information in readings; many students say such weekly attention to the textbook helps them keep up with the material.

• Require students to post questions and responses on class discussion boards. Good class discussion can often be jump-started by requiring that students ask and respond to a certain number of questions each week. It’s not difficult to skim through contributions in small classes; in large classes, Karen Readel of Geography and Environmental Systems has students keep track of their own contributions over the semester and turn in a portfolio with a certain number of their best questions and responses.

• Discuss and model reading approaches in class. Especially in introductory level classes, spend some time going over readings (and providing methods for taking notes on or using the information in them).

• Connect lecture materials directly to sections of the text. Make the sorts of explicit links, in lecture, that you hope students will eventually be able to make themselves. Don’t assume they see the connections that are obvious to you.

• Ask students to summarize the major points in the readings. At the outset of class, choose a student and ask him or her to summarize the essential argument or topic of the reading assignment. Professor Lynn Zimmerman has had great success in large lecture classes asking a student to summarize the essential points of the previous lecture. In similar fashion, if it’s clear that you will begin each session calling on someone to provide a summary of the readings (or a question that the reading raises but doesn’t answer) then students will come prepared to provide a synopsis.

• Prepare projects, tests, or assignments that reflect attention to the important issues in the readings-—not simply the details which students might or might not have memorized.

  (Other useful suggestions are provided in Eric Hobson’s article, listed below, and available online.)

While we might be tempted to blame students for not studying enough, we must take some of the responsibility for their failure if we are encouraging procrastination and avoidance by assigning difficult reading materials without properly preparing students to understand them. While students need to be challenged, they must have methods of succeeding if they are going to continue to invest time in arduous tasks. Asking under-prepared students to spend hours with writing that is, to them, incomprehensible and inaccessible mostly leads them to invest time in activities they consider to be more productive.

Resources

Bain, Ken. (2004). What the Best College Teachers Do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard.

Hobson, Eric. (2004). “Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips.” IDEA Paper. No. 40. www.idea.ksu.edu (under “Idea Papers” in left column).

Leamnson, Robert. (1999). Thinking about Teaching and Learning: Developing Habits of Learning with First Year College and University Students. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Zimmerman, Lynn. (2001) “Engaging Students in the Classroom.” TLT Brownbag lecture.

(Please feel free to add comments and/or information on your own experiences below.)

By Jenny O'Grady

You have the idea. You have the drive.

So what separates the men from the boys, so to speak, when it comes to starting your own business? For five UMBC alumnae, the answer is simple: ACTiVATE.

“It’s a little scary to think about the risk of starting a business, but to me it’s more exciting to think about the future possibilities,” said Meta Lankford ’00, mechanical engineering, an aspiring tech-sportswear entrepreneur enrolled in the UMBC ACTiVATE program.

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, ACTiVATE (Achieving the Commercialization of Technology in Ventures Through Applied Learning Training for Entrepreneurs) focuses on training female entrepreneurs interested in creating technology-based start-ups.

Although Maryland universities currently generate an average of 500 invention disclosures per year, only about 12 start-up businesses result. ACTiVATE aims to help women entrepreneurs bridge that gap, allowing them to “learn by doing.” Working in teams, trainees in the program spend a year researching potential opportunities, creating business plans and proposing methods of commercialization, all while meeting regularly with entrepreneur mentors for guidance, networking and support.

The hands-on approach attracted Tonya R. Taylor ’90, information systems management, Lankford’s partner in creating their potential business, Active Bodywear, which employs technology from NASA. Currently, she is CEO and president of Rising Star Ideas, LLC, a web content management system provider.

“I decided to participate in the program because I am a struggling entrepreneur,” she said. “Over the years I have tried to start various businesses, and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to learn how to accomplish my endeavors a better way.”

In addition to Taylor and Lankford’s plan to create a sportswear line allowing for warmth or ventilation in extreme climates, three other UMBC alumnae are participating in ACTiVATE this year. Linda Burger ’86, information systems management, and Gloria Prettiman ’88, emergency health services, are working on applications of hyperspectral imaging technology. And Sharon Papciak, ’91 Ph.D. biological sciences, plans to commercialize a technology that will help identify new drug candidates for a variety of diseases.

Sharing their prior work experiences, while working diligently to create thorough business plans, the women of ACTiVATE hope the training will put them one step ahead of the competition when launch time rolls around.

“This has been an incredible experience with all of the available resources and network of people to share their experiences and provide guidance in all aspects of a start-up,” said Lankford.

ACTiVATE is currently accepting applications for a year-long program, which begins in January 2006. Applicants should have a strong business or technical background. For more information about ACTiVATE, visit the program online at www.umbc.edu/activate, call 443-543-5594 or e-mail Barbara Breslau, program manager, at breslau@umbc.edu.

The Office of Human Relations is establishing the new UMBC Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, and is embarking on a recruitment process to train campus mediators. Recruitment will begin with an orientation for faculty, staff, and students who might be interested in serving as mediators. The orientation will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 21 in Room 767 of the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

The goal of the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution is to provide an early intervention strategy to avoid unnecessary disruption and suffering that occur when interpersonal conflicts arise in the campus community.

The Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution will offer 45 hours of Basic Mediator training and 5 hours of Apprenticeship training. This model for mediator training will also provide an excellent foundation for anyone interested in pursuing the opportunity to mediate cases under the auspices of the Maryland Circuit Court or one of the state’s 15 community mediation centers.

Those who are interested but cannot attend the Oct. 21 orientation are urged to contact Adrienne L. Mercer at almercer@umbc.edu.

The mission of the UMBC Office of Human Relations is the development and implementation of programs that promote equal opportunity and respect for all members of the UMBC campus community. The Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution is consistent with that mission.

Funding for the Center will come, in part, through the UMBC annual budget and, in part, thought a seed grant from the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO).

Questions should be directed to Adrienne L. Mercer at 5-1606, or almercer@umbc.edu.

UMBC students, staff, faculty and alumni can support the creation of the Rainbow Center--a proposed education, resource and support center for the LGBTIQQA/queer community at UMBC--by signing the online petition at: www.petitiononline.com/rainbowc/petition.html.

Members of the University community who wish to get involved with the initiative should contact Eric Grollman at egrollman@umbc.edu.

By Charles J. Fey, Vice President, Student Affairs

It is always sad to say goodbye to a friend and colleague, yet when they are leaving to retire to the good life, you are also very happy for him/her. Thus it is with these mixed feelings that I write to notify the campus community of the retirement of George Preisinger, special assistant to the vice president for student affairs and director of transportation services.

George has served UMBC since July, 1980 when he was hired as the director of the student union and student activities. He oversaw the development and opening of the University Center in 1986, moving into that facility from the old Student Center located in the current Academic Services building. George was asked to take on the direction of Transportation Services and to work in the divisional office of Student Affairs in 1998.

He served as a senator of the Professional Associate Staff Senate in 1995-96 and as president for two terms, first in 1983-84 and also this past year, stepping down on September 30.

George has been active in his profession, and held leadership positions in the Association of College Unions International, National Association of Campus Activities, the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS), and as president of the Maryland College Personnel Association (MCPA). He also served on the Alumni Association’s Board of Governors of his alma mater, Duquesne University. George has added to the knowledge base of his profession by authoring a chapter in the Monograph on the College Union and Student Activities in the Year 2000, and has presented at numerous conferences and workshops.

Prior to his service at UMBC, George was associate dean of students for student life, and the director of the Duquesne Union at Duquesne University.

George will now have time to do those things he loves to do at home and play just a little more golf. George and his wife, Diane, will continue to live in Catonsville and attend basketball games for the UMBC Retrievers. Go Dawgs!

George’s official retirement date is October 31, 2005, although he has taken leave for most of October. The Division of Student Affairs will host a retirement party will be held on Tuesday, November 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Skylight Restaurant & Fireside Lounge. All campus community members and alumni are cordially invited to attend. RSVPs should be sent to John Flister at flister@umbc.edu or at 410-455-3836. Contributions to a gift may be sent to Andrea Wynter in Transportation Services or to Robin Kearney in the Business Services Center in the Commons.

The entire UMBC community, particularly his friends and the many students and alumni whose lives he has touched and influenced, and his colleagues in student affairs wish him happiness and fulfillment in his retirement. Good luck, George and Diane!

On Monday, October 10, UMBC's Student Government Association will host “Around the World at UMBC,” the largest multi-cultural celebration ever to occur on campus. The event will bring together many student organizations for the purpose of furthering cultural awareness on campus and celebrating the diverse makeup of our campus community. UMBC has the distinction of being one of the most diverse universities in the nation with students from over 48 states and 108 countries.

From 12 to 2:30 p.m., on Main Street in The Commons, cultural student organizations will offer a variety of cultural foods (Caribbean, Vietnamese, Hispanic, Jewish, etc.) and presentations (Israeli self- defense, dancing, etc.).

Beginning at 7 p.m., also on Main Street in The Commons, the entire campus community is invited to hear from Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president of UMBC, as well as invited guests Kweisi Mfume, former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Susan Frick Payne, director of international affairs for the State of Maryland.

The Student Government Association will also unveil three banners with quotations dealing with diversity as well as inviting all attendees to sign a banner which states “Diversity is a UMBC value” which will be displayed in The Commons.

There will be a reception in The Commons immediately following this program, underneath the new international flag installation, which is representative of every student at UMBC.

For more information, please contact Brian S. Bailey at baileyb1@umbc.edu or Hima Raviprakash at hima1@umbc.edu.

Providing a distinctive undergraduate experience and supporting faculty development and research are an important part of UMBC’s strategic planning process. Two significant steps to enhancing these goals are the recent
reorganization of the College of Arts and Sciences into two new colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and the creation of the Office of Undergraduate Education. These changes also will expand scholarship, research and creative achievement experiences for both students and faculty.

Overseeing these new entities are Diane Lee, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education; John W. Jeffries, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and Geoffrey P. Summers, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Here, the three new deans discuss their priorities for the coming year.

Diane Lee, Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, Office of Undergraduate Education

With the creation of the Office of Undergraduate Education, Lee hopes to find new opportunities for collaboration across campus. “We want to bring people together in order to strengthen the undergraduate experience and provide an honors experience to every undergraduate.” said Lee. The Office of Undergraduate Education connects with offices and departments on issues and initiatives such as First-Year Seminars, the Introduction to an Honors University seminar, New Student Book Experience, Campus Connect and undergraduate research, including Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day, Undergraduate Research Awards and UMBC Review The office is also involved with other programs that promote student academic achievement and take a proactive approach to student engagement.

The Office of Undergraduate Education is now responsible for evaluating student academic affairs issues across all of the colleges that cannot be satisfactorily resolved at the department level, a role formerly handled in the college offices. “This change will assure consistency in how policies and rules are enforced, monitored and communicated across campus,” said Lee. In addition, the Learning Resource Center, which provides critical tutoring and other academic support to students, became a part of the office.

A major priority for the office is to work with undergraduate program directors and the General Education Committee in preparation for a fall 2006 launch of the new GFRs. The office is also focused on the development of an academic integrity tutorial and online tracking systems.

John W. Jeffries, Dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS)

A major priority for Jeffries for the academic year is examining whether his college should be further subdivided, and he has appointed a committee to study what would be in the best interests of the University. "This is not just an issue for the college but ultimately for the entire campus," said Jeffries. "We plan to invite college faculty and staff and then the UMBC community to discuss this issue in a variety of venues. The process will be accessible and transparent, and we will continue to keep everyone informed as it progresses."

Other important priorities for the college include raising the visibility and financial support for CAHSS departments and programs, addressing the need for additional full-time faculty, and enhancing recognition and support of the important research conducted by UMBC faculty in the arts, the humanities and the social sciences.

Geoffrey P. Summers, Dean, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS)

Summers hopes to raise visibility of both the CNMS departments' graduate and undergraduate programs. One priority is to create two advisory boards, one consisting exclusively of CNMS alumni and the other for leaders in industry and government. The purpose of these boards is to increase opportunities for these groups to connect with the college, to find new internship and employment opportunities for students, and new research opportunities and resources for faculty. Additional faculty and research foci are also goals for the college, in addition to finding ways to attract more outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to UMBC.

Summers added that CNMS is considering new interdisciplinary programs that connect the life sciences to the quantitative sciences, such as biophysics. "With a smaller college, the commonality among disciplines will be more apparent than in the past," said Summers, who said that he would also like the college to address K-12 teacher training in the sciences by participating actively in the ongoing initiatives on campus.

Read more about the reorganization in Insights online. Watch Insights and the UMBC homepage for future updates.

Dear Members of the UMBC Community:

I was deeply sorry to learn that one of our students, Nina Wang, a Biochemistry major and Meyerhoff Scholar, died on Saturday, October 1 of Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Nina wrote to me several times after learning of her diagnosis in spring, 2004. I have reflected on her e-mails and my conversations with her, and I thought you would find strength in her notes to me. Her words reflect not only her great inner strength, but also her extraordinary perspective on what's important in life.

Death is always hard to accept, but especially so when it involves such a young, vibrant human spirit. I thank Nina for inspiring me, and I know that she will continue to live in our hearts and minds.

I was particularly touched by the comment she made in her e-mail of July 25, 2004 about what she learned from her illness: "Miracles can really occur if they come from the heart."

Our thoughts and prayers are with Nina's family.

Freeman Hrabowski

May 6, 2004

Dear Dr. Hrabowski,

How are you? Let me introduce myself first. I am Nina Wang, a Meyerhoff Scholar. I don't know if you remember me from the Summer Bridge program.

I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma this semester and am currently going through chemotherapy. I am trying to be strong and to pull through. Going through chemotherapy and studying for these hard classes have been a real challenge for me. I am a very academically driven person, and I just can't let myself fail in my academics. I have been so stressed out, and on top of that, I have been sick every other week. I have talked to the Meyerhoff staff, and they have been so supportive. My fellow M's have also been so supportive (getting my work and helping me throughout the days I am at school). I am only 19 years old, and I have never ever thought about being diagnosed with cancer.

Maybe I just need someone to really talk to...

Nina Wang
Biochemistry Major, M-15

July 25, 2004

Dear Dr. Hrabowski,

How are you? Remember me? I hope you are enjoying your summer. I finally finished my last round of radiation. Yeah!

The last round of chemo hit me pretty hard. I became so thin, pale, and lost a lot of weight. They gave me a two-week break before starting radiation. Radiation wasn't bad. I actually drank aloe everyday (gross!) to relieve some potential side effects. I guess it helped. I gained most of my weight back, and some doctors tell me that I have recovered so well that hardly anyone can tell I just came out of a storm. My hair is slowly growing back, and I feel perfectly normal. The blood counts are going up, and everything looks pretty good.

I did finish my classes for the semester and did pretty well. I was disappointed with a B in Chem 102, however. I earned A's in Math 152 and Biology 100. Over the summer, I am finishing my labs for the science courses. As of now, I have an A in my Bio lab and am currently finishing my Chemistry lab. By the fall, I'll be right where I belong.

So, what have I learned through this whole experience? First of all, I realized that I am stronger than I thought I was. Before chemo, I basically lost all self-control - making it impossible to finish school, making me lose my long black hair, making me go through many other physical and emotional changes. Being different from everyone else really bothered and irritated me. However, I did make it. I wanted to finish my classes and I did. Miracles can really occur if they come from the heart.

I thank my loving family, the Meyerhoff staff, and my brothers and sisters who helped me through my physical impediments. My parents drove me to school everyday, and my brothers and sisters kept in touch with me and helped to get me notes, lectures, and anything I needed. The staff was so understanding, and everybody gave me encouragement, including you Dr. Hrabowski. I can't thank you enough.

I've learned to take care of my body and to eat what's healthy. Cancer is something that can come back anytime, and I never want to see it come back. I have gotten many books and done research about Hodgkins. You should see all the herbs and vitamins my mother gives me.

I can't wait to go back to school and really work hard. I want to make up everything I've missed out on. This experience has made me want to accomplish my dreams more than ever. My father told me that sometimes we need to fall back and stand steady before we make that bigger jump. I have fallen back, and I am ready to leap into the next part of my life.

I think I've grown up and matured a lot. I've become so much stronger spiritually and mentally. I sometimes want to share my experiences with people and hope to have an impact on them. Although this experience wasn’t a great one, I am happy it's over, and I can pick up where I left off and move on.

I hope you're having a great summer and hope to see you soon! Keep in touch.

Sincerely,
Nina Wang

December 20, 2004

Dear Dr. Hrabowski,

It's been a long time since we’ve talked. I've been swamped with work and finals for the past few weeks and just had a crazy semester trying to recover. Classes are going well.

My doctors had to do another surgical procedure on me, but it wasn't what they thought it was. Whew! So, as of now, I am good to go! I just have to go back for lots of blood work and checkups.

My hair is growing back, and some people can’t recognize me, which is funny because I don’t think I look any different. Hope all is well.

Wishing you and your family wonderful holidays and a Happy New Year!! Keep in touch.

Nina Wang