Amber McGuigan, Social Work/Economics
May 25, 2006
Forty-Sixth Commencement

President Hrabowski, Provost Johnson, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, family, friends, and, of course, fellow students: I am truly honored to serve as valedictorian of the class of 2006 and to have the opportunity to share some thoughts with you about my experiences at UMBC.

When I began at UMBC four years ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Having known a young girl who had struggled through many years in the foster care system, I had decided that the needs of abused and neglected children were great and urgent. I was determined to study social work and law and to pursue a career in forensic social work with children and families. However, like many of you, my orientation to college life was marked by a dizzying expansion of opportunity. It only took a matter of weeks at UMBC for my self-assurance to crack, as I quickly became aware of just how many great and urgent needs there were to address.

I don’t believe that my experience is unusual. It seems to me that one of the outstanding characteristics of UMBC’s culture is an emphasis on raising awareness—of injustice, of potential danger, of need, of opportunity. I don’t find this at all surprising. We college students have an unprecedented level of access to information, and a greater ability to choose our paths in life than those who came before us. Those who focus their energies on raising awareness recognize our potential and hope to move us from knowledge to action.

Several weeks ago, I attended a rally in D.C., to call for an end to violence in Darfur, Sudan. Of all the notable speakers present, ranging from Michael Steele to George Clooney, I was most struck by a line from the Rev. Al Sharpton. He stated with conviction that none of those present could sit comfortably in their living rooms as long as innocent blood was being spilled anywhere in the world.

That’s a tall order, I thought to myself, but I would guess that most of you have also been issued challenges like this. Maybe it didn’t come from Al Sharpton, but from a mentor, professor, or loved one. Maybe it wasn’t about genocide, but about disease, poverty, ignorance, or hatred, saving your community, providing for your family, or some combination of these.

It seems to me there are three ways we can respond to such expectations: 1) we can tune them out and concern ourselves with our own affairs, 2) we can allow ourselves to become paralyzed by the burdens, or 3) we can consider our opportunities and choose to dedicate ourselves in some specific way to the good of others. This last option is decidedly the most difficult, but, if we can do it, will prove to be the most rewarding. I think that in order to make those tough choices and fully dedicate ourselves, we need to keep a few things in mind.

The first is the importance of passion. Two summers ago I interned with a community organizing group in Camden City, New Jersey. I chose the job because I had grown up near Camden and felt passionately about its renewal. My passion served me well there and I have no doubt that it was crucial to any successes I experienced. That being said, after three months I was gone. Others that I worked with, some of whom spent decades in struggling neighborhoods, lived passion in its original meaning—the endurance of suffering. Lives such as theirs remind me that real passion is beyond a feeling, and includes a willingness to sacrifice for good when doing so has great cost.

The second thing we need to remember is to be mindful of our gifts. As we prepare to graduate, something that only a tiny fraction of the world’s population has the honor of doing, it is especially appropriate to consider the great gift of education, and the many ways in which it can be used. There are also other gifts: our skills, talents, intelligence, material resources, creativity, time, energy. The list goes on. But in taking this inventory of our assets and possessions, we should not lose sight of the fact that not just our resources, but our very selves, are gifts which we can offer for the world.

I believe that the way to be both effective and happy is to live as a gift which finds fulfillment only in its giving. If we think of ourselves, not primarily as laborers or carriers of burdens, but as gifts, we will be less likely to become overwhelmed by the needs of others, and more likely to find joy in our sacrifices. If we recognize ourselves as gifts, and value our own contributions, we will be more inspired to contribute faithfully. And if we are conscious that every person we encounter is in some way a gift to us, we will foster a sense of gratitude that will refresh and sustain us in our lofty pursuits.

Each of us, regardless of our career choices, are bound to encounter needs—in our families, our communities, our nation, and our world. As we have received much, much is expected. We can rise to the occasion, if we will foster the willingness to give of ourselves, and the dedication to continue giving when it hurts. On this day, which is a wonderful celebration of our accomplishments, we should be sure to express our gratitude to those who have given of themselves on our behalf. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family, whose examples of loving sacrifice challenge me to give freely and faithfully, and to thank you, my professors and colleagues, whose gifts of time and effort have expanded my horizons and taught me much about myself and my world. I wish you all the greatest success, for yourselves and for those whose lives you will touch.

Thank you.

UMBC in the New York Times
UMBC was featured in the New York Times' Editorial Observer for its innovative approach to increasing American scientists, and more specifically, the University’s methods for increasing minority scientists through the Meyerhoff Scholars program. The editorial, “Why American College Students Hate Science,” was published on May 25. It was based on a study conducted by UMBC that was published in Science magazine, which detailed how the program works and highlighted its success in preparing students for a career in research.

UMBC in the Arizona Republic
On May 13, the Arizona Republic published, “Islamic Sorority Sets Out to Dispel Female Stereotypes,” which first appeared in the Washington Post. The article is about a new sorority, Gamma Gamma Chi, which had its first rush in Maryland at UMBC.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0513sorority0513.html

Ronald C. Dillon Jr.’ 97, in the Baltimore Sun
Ronald C. Dillon, Jr. ‘97, economics, appeared in “Owens Heads the County’s Leadership,” a May 14 Baltimore Sun article that profiled the seven-member Anne Arundel County Council. Dillon, who represents Pasadena and northeastern Anne Arundel, is serving his first term.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ht.ar.officials14may14,0,3086277.story?coll=bal-local-arundel

Tom Beck, Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, in the Baltimore Sun
Tom Beck, chief curator of the Library Gallery, was featured in the Baltimore Sun’s “Explaining the Ideas Behind the Pictures.” In the May 14 article, Beck recounted his childhood dream of becoming a photojournalist and described how he is using his passion of photography in academia. One of Beck’s fellow curators considers him to be extremely devoted to his work and instrumental in bringing distinctive artwork to the local community." Tom Beck is one of the most committed curators I have ever met - deeply knowledgeable and intuitively connected to photography," says Darsie Alexander, senior curator for contemporary art at the Baltimore Museum of Art. "The collections at UMBC are vast and idiosyncratic, a great resource for this community."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/aetoday/bal-ae.beck14may14,0,4050905.story?coll=bal-aetoday-headlines

Anthony Johnson, CASPR, in the News
Anthony Johnson, director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research and professor of physics and computer science and electrical engineering, appeared in a May 16 Optics.org article, “$15m Funding Boost for New Sensor Center,”
on a new multimillion dollar engineering research center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The center, named MIRTHE, for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment, will combine the work of faculty members and students from six U.S. universities including: UMBC, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, Rice University, Texas A&M University and City College of New York. Researchers in the Princeton-based Center will produce extremely sensitive devices that can detect minute amounts of chemicals found in the atmosphere, emitted from factories or exhaled in human breath. Johnson is one of the deputy directors for the Center.
http://optics.org/optics/Articles.do?channel=technology&type=news&volume=12&issue=5&article=15&page=1

The development of the Center also appeared in “Diagnosis Out of Thin Air,” a May 19 Baltimore Sun article.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.sensors19may19,0,7187271.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

On May 21, the Star-Telegram printed the Baltimore Sun’s story in “Laser-based Breath Test May Help Detect Diseases.”
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/14634531.htm

Joby Taylor, Shriver Center, Appears in the Baltimore Sun
Joby Taylor, director of the Shriver Peaceworker Program, wrote, “Embracing Diversity is Our Real Strength,” which appeared in the Letters to the Editor section of the Baltimore Sun. In the letter, published on May 21, Taylor said, “…diversity requires everyone, not just immigrants, to do some cross-cultural work.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.21mmay21,0,6980390.story?coll=bal-opinion-letters

Warren Belasco, American Studies, in Insider Higher Ed
Professor of American studies Warren Belasco’s upcoming book, Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Foods was mentioned in the May 22 Inside Higher Ed’s “The Quest for Crossover Books” about the latest trend in University presses – publishing books that sell not only in campus bookstores, but all major bookstore retailers.
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/05/22/books

On May 24, Belasco was quoted in “Food Showcase,” a Baltimore Sun article about ethnic foods in the Baltimore area.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/bal-fo.festival24may24,0,6601061.story

Jeffrey Halverson, JCET, on WTOP Radio
On May 23, Jeffrey Halverson, associate director of JCET and affiliate research associate professor of geography and environmental systems, explained what causes natural cycles of Atlantic hurricane activity on WTOP Radio.
http://www.wtop.com/?sid=799685&nid=93

5/19/06

eBiquity Research Group in Information Week
UMBC computer science and electrical engineering students and faculty in the eBiquity research group appeared in Information Week again for the second in a series of articles on how fake Web logs known as spam blogs or splogs are polluting the results for internet search engines and skewing the web advertising market. The article, “Spam Blogs Pollute Internet Searches,” was published on May 12.
http://www.informationweek.com/internet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187202576&subSection=E-Business

5/12/06

Five UMBC Student-Athletes To Be Featured On FOX Sports Net “NCAA On Campus” Show
Four members from the UMBC women’s basketball team and a member from the women’s track and field team will be featured on Fox Sports Net’s “NCAA On Campus” after the five spent spring break working for Habitat For Humanity in the St. Benard Parish in New Orleans, La. “NCAA On Campus” is a monthly, 30-minute look at college sports that features NCAA student-athletes and competitions.
http://www.umbcretrievers.com/sports/news/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=2757

bwtech@UMBC in Corridor Inc.
In Corridor Inc., Jim Stout, CEO of Invoke Systems and Ellen Hemmerly, executive director of bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, were highlighted in "Growing Research Clusters," about the growth of university-based research parks.
http://www.corridorinc.com/content/view/81/0/.

AVIcode, techcenter@UMBC company, in the Baltimore Business Journal
AVIcode, a techcenter@UMBC company, was featured in the May 5 Baltimore Business Journal’s “AVIcode Lands Customer, Growth Capital. According to the article, AVIcode attracted a new business partner, TMA Resources Inc., which hired AVIcode “to find coding errors, performance bottlenecks, security problems and other so-called "root-cause" information.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2006/05/01/daily41.html?t=printable

UMBC Men’s Lacrosse in the News
UMBC’s men’s lacrosse team has appeared in several publications throughout the past week. Some of the articles mention the team’s preparation for the America East Conference Tournament, which was held on Sunday, May 7. Others highlight the Retrievers for capturing the conference title by defeating the University of Albany.

On May 5, the Baltimore Sun’s “On Roll, UMBC Poised for Postseason Run” focused on the team’s emergence as a possible NCAA contender.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/lacrosse/bal-sp.umbc05may05,0,6775859.story?coll=bal-college-lacrosse

The team’s victory was covered in the May 7 Baltimore Sun’s “UMBC Secures NCAA Spot.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/lacrosse/bal-umbc07,0,4925792.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

The win was also covered by the Times Union (Albany, Ny.) in “Danes’ Hopes for Fourth Title Dashed” on May 8.
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=479453&category=SPORTS&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=5/8/2006

Eugene Perelshteyn ’04, Computer Science, in the Washington Times
Eugene Perelshteyn ’04, computer science, has gained the ultimate chess title – grandmaster (GM). According to the Washington Times’ “Perelshteyn Gets Final Norm,” published on May 6, Perelshteyn earned the title after competing in his last tournament where he “tied for first with Dutch GM Loek van Wely and Israeli GM Ilya Smirin, all at 7-2.”
http://washingtontimes.com/entertainment/20060505-090232-3727r.htm

Kriste Lindenmeyer, History, in the Baltimore Sun
Kriste Lindenmeyer, chair and associate professor of history, was quoted in “Immigration Debate Old as U.S.,” a Baltimore Sun article published on May 7. "I think it is fascinating that not that long ago we were talking about outsourcing, the huge problem of good jobs going to China and India, and then within a two-week period, the whole focus shifts to undocumented immigrants," said Lindenmeyer.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.immigration07may07,0,2230848.story?coll=bal-ideas-headlines

UMBC’s Computer Mania Day in the Baltimore Sun
On May 8, the Baltimore Sun covered UMBC’s Computer Mania Day in “Cynthia Rowley, The IT Girl.” Held on May 6, the event, which seeks to encourage young girls to pursue careers in computer science and technology, featured fashion designer Cynthia Rowley. Claudia Morrell, executive director of the Center for Women and Information Technology, which sponsors the half-day event, said, "Girls don't like to be thought of as geeks. What we're trying to do is counter the image through our role models that people in technology are geeks. Our true goal is to get them to open their minds, to understand that IT is in every career that they choose today and that IT itself offers tremendous career opportunities."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bal-to.rowley08may08,0,4719772.story?coll=bal-features-headlines

Robert R. Provine, Psychology, in ABC News.com
Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology, appeared in a May 7 ABC News.com report on why people laugh. In “Ha Ha! The Intriguing Origins of Laughter,” Provine said, "We laugh 30 times as much when we're with other people than we do when we are alone."
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1927927&page=1

Warren Belasco, American Studies, in the New York Times
Warren Belasco, professor of American studies, was quoted in the May 10 New York Times’ “A Food Crusader's Alarm Is Supersized” about the book, Fast Food Nation, authored by Eric Schlosser. Belasco, who, according to the article, previously gave the book an unfavorable review said: "It's been a wonderful device to wake people up if they haven't thought about this before, which is 99 percent of the people."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/10/dining/10fast.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Margie Burns, English, Writes Article for the Washington Spectator
Margie Burns, an adjunct instructor of English, has authored the "The Iraq War and Administration Profiteering at the Top, a Washington Spectator article that will be published on May 15. The article discusses how Washington insiders including relatives of President George W. Bush continue to benefit financially from the war.

UMBC in the Washington Post
On May 8, UMBC was mentioned in “Introducing a Rare Kind of Rush,” a Washington Post report on Maryland’s first rush for a new sorority, Gamma Gamma Chi. The sorority could perhaps be the first Greek organization centered around Islamic beliefs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/07/AR2006050701010.html

Softball’s Melanie Denischuk in the Baltimore Sun
Melanie Denischuk, one of the nation’s top softball players, will call UMBC home, according to the May 10 Baltimore Sun’s “Denischuk Transfers Her Power to UMBC.” Denischuk has played softball at junior colleges in Oklahoma and Florida, and lastly, at Auburn University. Denischuk, who leads the NCAA in RBIs, is “tied for second in home runs and is third in slugging percentage.” She is “among 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.umbc10may10,0,7304290.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

Duff Goldman ’97, on “Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
Duff Goldman ’97, philosophy and history, was a guest on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on May 10. Goldman, chef and owner of Charm City Cakes (http://www.charmcitycakes.com), presented a tiered cake modeled after a motorcycle to Leno.
http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/guests/

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Washington Post
Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, appeared in the May 5 Washington Post’s “Anne Arundel County Executive Plans to Challenge Schaefer.” Janet S. Owens, Anne Arundel county executive, is the second candidate to announce her bid for Maryland’s Comptroller. Schaller believes: “Owens's entry into the race will "split the anti-Schaefer vote" and "virtually guarantees" that Schaefer will win.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050400880_2.html

5/5/06

Tom Beck, Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, in the News
Tom Beck, chief curator of the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, was interviewed about the exhibition “Reflections from the Heart: Photographs by David Seymour” by Susan Stamberg for National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” The interview aired on March 23.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5295557

He was also interviewed about the exhibition by Connie Colla on Comcast’s CN8 “Your Morning” show on May 2. The exhibition is curated by Beck and is a collaboration of UMBC, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography. The exhibition will be on view at the Corcoran through June 4. It will be shown at UMBC from September 11 through December 11, 2006, then will be shown at the George Eastman House from January 21 through April 30, 2007.

Tom Blass, Psychology, in Science Magazine
Tom Blass, professor of psychology, was mentioned in the April 14 Science magazine article “Tuned Out” about Raj Persaud, a member of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and host of the BBC's popular radio show “All in the Mind,” for “continuing allegations of plagiarism." Persaud stepped down from the radio show and King's College is investigating the charges. According to the article, the popular British psychiatrist plagiarized several works of Blass in three different publications. All three publications have issued a retraction.
www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/312/5771/193a?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Persaud&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT&eaf

Ellen Handler Spitz, Honors College, in the News
Ellen Handler Spitz, Honors College professor of visual arts, lectured at the Krannert Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on April 19-20, was interviewed by Redbook magazine on April 13 and was a guest on Illinois Public Radio (NPR) “The Afternoon Magazine" on April 11. Spitz discussed and was interviewed about her new book, The Brightening Glance.

UMBC Sailing Team in the Baltimore Sun
UMBC’s Sailing team was mentioned in the April 27 Baltimore Sun’s “Your Ship Has Come In” about Baltimore’s Waterfront Festival, a four-day event held at the Inner Harbor.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-li.out27apr27,0,3817277.story?coll=bal-live-headlines

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Washington Examiner
Associate Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller’s latest Washington Examiner column was published April 28. In “Tailwind Now a Headwind for Md. Republicans in 2006,” Schaller explains the challenges Maryland Republicans face in the upcoming elections. The column also was published in the Baltimore Examiner.
www.examiner.com/a-92163~Thomas_F__Schaller__Tailwind_now_a_headwind_for_Md__Republicans_in_2006.html

UMBC in the News
UMBC was featured in the April 25 Washington Examiner about the construction of two new buildings that will be apart of UMBC’s burgeoning research park. In “UMBC Growing as Technology Center,” Ellen Hemmerly, executive director of UMBC Research Park Corp., said, “The new space will create more opportunities for students and economic development for the Greater Baltimore region.”

On April 30, UMBC was mentioned in the Health Notes section of the Baltimore Sun. According to “Community Colleges in Sonography Training Effort,” UMBC will work with Harford and Cecil Community Colleges to offer training in diagnostic medical sonography for the state's northeast region this year.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.health30apr30,0,6572241.story?coll=bal-local-harford

Don Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, was quoted in the Baltimore Sun’s “Duncan Chooses Simms as Md. Running Mate.” In the April 28 article, Norris said Doug Duncan’s choice of Stuart Simms, Baltimore’s former state's attorney, shows the importance of black voters. "It's a competition between the two [Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O’ Malley] for the African-American vote," Norris said. "Because the African-American vote is huge in the Democratic primary."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.duncan28apr28,0,462306.story?page=2

On May 3, Norris appeared in the Baltimore Sun’s “Arundel Executive Ponders a Run for State Comptroller.” Norris said Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens “would be a credible candidate whether she ran for Congress or comptroller, given her experience presiding over one of Maryland's largest counties.”
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.owens03may03,0,5805402.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

UMBC Student Sam John in the Baltimore Sun
Sam John, a political science major and vice president of UMBC’s College Democrats, was quoted in the May 1 Baltimore Sun’s “D.C. Rally Urges Action on Darfur” about a Washington, D.C. rally that was held to call for the end genocide in Darfur, Sudan. John, who attended the rally, said, "It's nice to see people finally taking notice of it, even though it's been happening for years.”
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.march01may01,0,2352365.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Carlo DiClemente, Psychology, Receives John P. McGovern Award
Carlo DiClemente, professor and chair of psychology, is the recipient of the John P. McGovern Award given by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The award is presented to an individual who has made highly meritorious contributions to public policy, treatment, research or prevention, which has increased our understanding of the relationship of addiction and society.

Douglas Nivens, Political Science, Named David L. Boren Scholar
Douglas Nivens, a political science major, was recently awarded the National Security Education Program’s David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship. This highly competitive award will provide Nivens with support for a full year of undergraduate study abroad (2006-2007) at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. He will continue his study of Korea, begun at UMBC, and pursue his interest in international conflict and cooperation in the region. Nivens aspires to become a foreign service officer after completing his education.

For information about the program and application procedures for 2007-2008, contact Nancy L. Miller, coordinator of prestigious scholarships, at nlm@umbc.edu or ext. 5-6865. A program for graduate students is also available, which combines study in the U.S. and abroad. Boren Scholars study both languages and other substantive fields in countries of strategic interest to the U.S.

5/19/06

Marjoleine Kars, History, Honored with Franklin Research Award
Marjoleine Kars, associate professor of history, received a Franklin Research Award from the American Philosophical Society to carry out research in England and the Republic of Guyana for her project on a massive slave rebellion in eighteenth-century Dutch Guyana.

MLL Student Vanessa Lee Nakoski Wins Professional Staff Senate Scholarship
Vanessa Lee Nakoski, modern languages and linguistics major, is the winner of this year’s UMBC Professional Staff Senate Book Scholarship Award. Nakoski was chosen out of 29 highly qualified candidates and will receive a $500 gift credit to be used toward her purchase of textbooks at the UMBC bookstore for next year.

David Yager, CAVC, to Speak on the Future of Museums
David Yager, distinguished professor of visual arts; director of the Center for Art and Visual Culture; and director for the Center of Convergent Design, is one of the speakers for “Museum Musings: Rethinking the Museum.” The Koshland Science Museum and the Office of Exhibitions and Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences are hosting this discussion, which focuses on the history and future of museums. The discussion takes place on June 15 from 6-8 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/events/upcomingevent.jsp?id=214.

Two Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Professors Receive Patent
Govind Rao, chair and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, and Iordan Kostov, research assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, was issued a patent entitled, “Device for Discrimination of Fluorescence Lifetimes and Uses Therefor,” (patent number U.S. 7,041,986) issued on May 9. This invention provides methods for determining fluorescence lifetime of a fluorophor or an optical sensor using frequency domain gated detection.

The patent can be viewed in its entirety on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at http://www.uspto.gov. Information about patents, copyrights, trademarks and start-up companies can be found on the Office of Technology Development's Web site at http://www.umbc.edu/otd.

Alan Sherman, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Issued Third Patent; Study To Be Presented at Accurate Voting Conference
Alan Sherman, associate professor of computer science, was issued a patent for “System and Method for Key Distribution in a Hierarchical Tree” (U.S. Patent Number 7,043,024) on May 9. This is the third patent Sherman has received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“An Examination of Vote Verification Technologies: Findings and Experiences from the Maryland Study,” a paper authored by Sherman and Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, et al, was accepted for presentation at the Accurate Voting Conference in Vancouver on Aug. 1.

Glenn Williams ‘01, Receives Thomas J. Fleming Award
The book, Year of the Hangman: George Washington's Campaign Against the Iroquoi, authored by Glenn Williams ’01, M.A. history, has received the American Revolution Round Table's Thomas J. Fleming Award for Outstanding Revolutionary War book of 2005. Williams earned his master’s in historical studies at UMBC and is currently director of the U.S. Army Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration as well as the U.S. Army Center of Military History Battlefields Parks section.

UMBC Chess Wins Internet College Chess League Tourney
UMBC won the Internet College Chess League (ICCL), the third and final major college chess championship this year. UMBC is the undisputed top college chess team for the second time since 2003 having won the "grand slam" of college chess, taking first at all three events: the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, the President's Cup and ICCL.
http://www.tatiana.net/iccl/

Other notable UMBC chess accomplishments this year:
UMBC's Alexander Onischuk, modern languages and linguistics, won the US Chess Championship. Pascal Charbonneau ’06, economics, and former team captain Eugene Perelshteyn ’04, computer science, qualified for the title of International Grandmaster. Katrina Rohonyan, computer science, earned the title of Woman International Grandmaster.

UMBC will host the 2006 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship Dec 27-30, in Washington, D.C.

5/12/06

President Hrabowski To Receive Medal From Teachers College, Columbia U.
UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski is one of nine professionals from various disciplines to receive Columbia University’s Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service. Hrabowski will receive his award on May 16. The recipients represent such fields as philanthropy, medicine, journalism, government, academia and entertainment.
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news/article.htm?id=5617

UMBC Staff Member and Alumnae Among Daily Record’s Top 100 Women
Claudia Morrell, executive director of the Center for Women and Information Technology; Stephanie Hill '86, economics; and Anna Williams '78, social work and African-American studies, are among the Daily Record’s Top 100 Women. The award recognizes successful female professionals who serve as mentors and work in their communities.
http://www.mddailyrecord.com/guestbook/2006top100women.html

Christopher Hofmann, Biological Sciences, Recognized as Emerging Public Policy Leader in U.S.
Christopher Hofmann, a biological sciences graduate student, was recognized for his recent honor as one of two emerging public policy leaders in the U.S. by the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Jamie Smith Hopkins ’98, Wins Three National Association of Real Estate Editors Awards
Jamie Smith Hopkins ’98, English, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, received the National Association of Real Estate Editor’s top three individual awards for covering the regional housing market in 2005.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.jamie04may04,0,2662854.story?coll=bal-business-headlines

Katherine Seley-Radtke, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Receives Jefferson Science Fellowship
Katherine Seley-Radtke, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was recognized for her Jefferson Science Fellowship from the U.S. State Department, one of just six awarded nationally.

Christoph Irmscher, English, Wins SSHRCC Award
Christoph Irmscher, professor of English, and Eva-Marie Kroller, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, have been awarded a major research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) for their collaborative work-in-progress, The McIlwraith Family: An Intellectual and Cultural Biography.

Govind Rao, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Patents Bioreactor and Bioprocessing Technique
Govind Rao, chair and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, was issued a patent entitled, "Bioreactor and Bioprocessing Technique" (patent number U.S. 7,041,493) on May 9. This invention combines bioprocessing with optical chemical sensing technology to monitor, measure, control, adjust and ultimately optimize multiple bioprocess parameters in a single and/or multiple bioreactors. The patent can be viewed in its entirety on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at http://www.uspto.gov/. For more information about patents, copyrights, trademarks or start-up companies, visit the Office of Technology Development's Web site at http://www.umbc.edu/otd.

5/5/06

Erickson Hall Wins National Residential Hall Honorary Award
A program created by residents in Erickson Hall has been awarded the National Education Program of the Month by the National Residential Hall Honorary. “American Sign Language In a Nut Shell” taught interested students how to communicate using sign language. The program was the brainchild of Kelly Subramanian, an Erickson Hall resident assistant. http://otms.nrhh.org/otm_psrogram.php3?otmid=29610&vid=3xx7ucsa

Govind Rao, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Patents Ion-Sensitive Fluorescence Optical Sensor
Govind Rao, professor and chair of chemical and biochemical engineering, was issued a patent entitled, Ion-sensitive Fluorescence Optical Sensor (patent U.S. 7,029,630) on April 18. This invention can be used in liquid media in the fields of biology, biotechnology, chemistry, medicine, etc. The patent can be viewed on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at http://www.uspto.gov. Information about patents, copyrights, trademarks and start-up companies, can be found on the Office of Technology Development's Web site at www.umbc.edu/otd.

UMBC Faculty, Students and Alumni Will Showcase Films in Md. Film Festival
Eight UMBC faculty and students and an alumna will have films screened as part of the 2006 Maryland Film Festival, one of the most significant festivals in the U.S., specializing in short films.
On Thursday, May 4 Eric Dyer ’95, visual arts and assistant professor of visual arts, was interviewed on the Marc Steiner Show (88.1 WYPR), along with other directors participating in the festival.
More details about the festival are located on www.mdfilmfest.com/2006/index.html.

In the Avant-Garde Shorts program:
“Cicada Songs” - Vin Grabill, associate professor of visual arts
“Everyday Bad Dream”- Fred Worden, assistant professor of visual arts
“Here” - Fred Worden
“Self Made Maps” - Nathan Duncan, visual arts undergraduate
“Smell of the Beast Pageant”- Aaron Oldenburg, Phil Davis, Neil Van Gorder, Imaging and Digital Arts (IMDA) graduate students

In the Narrative Shorts: Metaphysics program:
“Model KSS9004” - Phil Davis, IMDA graduate student
“Substrata” - Carol Hess, associate professor of dance

In the Opening Night Shorts program:
“Copenhagen Cycles” - Eric Dyer ’95, visual arts and assistant professor of visual arts

In the Animated Shorts program:
“Dragin’ On” - Katie Hirsch ’04, visual arts and computer science

During its 115th Commencement on Friday, May 26, Goucher College will award honorary degrees to both UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski and his wife, Jacqueline (Jackie) Hrabowski, vice president and director of community relations at T. Rowe Price. The honorary degrees are being conferred in recognition of the couple’s commitment to education and to developing a strong workforce in Maryland. Both Dr. and Mrs. Hrabowski will give brief remarks. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn behind Mary Fisher Hall on the Goucher campus. For details, please see: www.goucher.edu/x9632.xml.

Earlier this month, Dr. Hrabowski received the Columbia University Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service to Education. For more information on the event, which took place on the Columbia campus in New York City on May 16, please see: www.tc.columbia.edu/news/article.htm?id=5617.

The reading room of the special collections department of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery will be renovated immediately following the spring semester. Collections and services normally accessible by appointment through the reading room during the first and second summer sessions will not be available from May 25 to August 15.

Most noticeable among the improvements will be a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting, but also slated for upgrading is the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system (HVAC). With increasing frequency, the aging HVAC system of “Phase I,” the original library building, has needed repair.

“The special collections requires constant temperature and humidity for preservation of the valuable research collections housed there, and we are pleased that the renovation is going forward at this time,” said Tom Beck, chief curator.

Until Phase I opened in 1970, the Library was housed in other campus buildings. When the special collections was opened in 1974, it was installed in space originally occupied by the Departments of Accounting and Receiving, Acquisitions and Technical Services.

“The original carpeting is still there, a testimonial to its quality,” observed archivist Marcia Peri, “but it is now showing its age, and needs to be replaced.”

Staff areas of special collections will not be directly affected by the renovation. Responses to telephone calls and e-mails will have the same high priority as in the past, however, the reading room will not be available for visits by researchers or classes this summer.

Spearheading the coordination of moving the collections is Ruth Landy, who says: “The task of moving the collections is a daunting one, but we look forward to hosting students, faculty and researchers in a nicer space that will be slightly reorganized for increased efficiency.”

Contact Tom Beck, chief curator, at ext. 5-3827 or beck@umbc.edu.

Euripides (Mark Hendricks, left) and Aeschylus (Greg Ealick, right) square off in a poetic contest for the ages refereed by Dionysus (Alex Scally, center) in a free, outdoor performance of the classical Greek comedy Frogs.

While UMBC celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, a diverse group of talented students is doing its best to turn the clock back 2,500 years this weekend.

On May 11, 12 and 13, the grassy hillside between the Fine Arts and Chemistry buildings will be transformed to an ancient Greek natural theatre as student members of UMBC’s Ancient Studies Club and Theatre Council of Majors present a free performance of Frogs, the classical comedy by Aristophanes.

The play, which starts at 4:30 pm each day, is open to the public and the entire UMBC community and comes complete with authentic costumes and free Greek food made by members of UMBC’s Hellenic Association.

Frogs began thanks to the vision of director/producer Steve Killen, a senior ancient studies major and president of the Ancient Studies Club. “I often walked by the hillside and thought how it would make a perfect natural theatre for an authentic Greek drama,” Killen said. “We’ve worked very hard to make the production as close as possible to how it was performed 2,500 years ago.”

Frogs tells the story of how the demigod Dionysus, having grown despondent at the state of the arts on Earth after the recent death of master poet Euripedes, takes a sometimes perilous and often hilarious journey to the underworld to find a good poet. There he encounters the two great Athenian poets, Euripides (senior biological sciences/psychology major Mark Hendricks) and Aeschylus (visiting lecturer of philosophy Greg Ealick) as the two get ready to square off in a poetic contest for the ages.

The producers of Frogs made one concession to modern technology by amplifying the actors’ voices. While the production includes some theatre majors like freshman Alexander Scally (Dionysus) and received advice from UMBC theatre faculty members, the idea behind Frogs was for it to be an independent, all-volunteer labor of love created entirely by students from a cross-section of majors.

The real labor came over winter break as many of the crew and cast spent their winter break making the play their own by working two hours a day, three days a week on a unique translation of the play from Greek to English with the help of Ancient Studies associate professor Jay Freyman.

This type of dedication to academics is typical for the six Ancient Studies majors who worked on the translation, most of whom are seniors headed to prestigious graduate studies programs after completing undergraduate degrees at UMBC.

• Kristin Hulburt, stage manager/producer for Frogs, will attend the University of Chicago’s one-year intensive, interdisciplinary MA program in the humanities with future plans to pursue a Ph.D.

• Clare Ryan, who has several roles in the play, will attend Kings College London to read for M.A. in Classical Art and Archaeology.

• Rebecca Stephen, the play’s resident authentic Greek costume expert, earned a full scholarship for the combined M.A./Ph.D. program in Classical Archaeology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

• Joe Howley, co-salutatorian of the Class of 2006, was a finalist and alternate for the British Marshall Scholarship and UMBC’s nominee for the Rhodes Scholarship. He is editor-in-chief of The Retriever Weekly student newspaper. Howley will pursue a master’s of philosophy in classics at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

• Skylar Neil will spend her summer as an archeological intern with Anne Arundel County, Maryland’s Lost Towns Project, and will then pursue an M.A. in Classical Archaeology at Tufts University in the fall.

• Killen, who is not scheduled to graduate until fall 2006, will spend his summer narrowing down his graduate school application field and digging with an ongoing archaeological field research program excavation at Tel Beth Shemesh in Israel.
  

“In an age when so many of their generation are concerned with the immediate satisfaction of material wants, it is refreshing to find a group of students who pursue an intellectual exercise for its own sake, just because it is fun and intriguing to do and is healthy for the mind,” said Freyman. “The seriousness and depth of their analysis and discussion during these sessions would rival that of any graduate seminar.”

Important Note: The rain location for Frogs will be Lecture Hall 7, located in the UMBC Information Technology & Engineering (ITE) Building (building #21 on UMBC Campus Map).

For more information on the performance of Frogs, contact Kristin Hulburt at 240-460-7432 or Steve Killen at 443-851-3364.