July 27, 2006

To: Undergraduate & Graduate Students

Fr: UMBC Bursar’s Office

Re: Important Fall 2006 Tuition & Fee Information

We hope you are enjoying your summer. As the fall semester nears and you finalize your plans for the academic year, we would like to take this opportunity to share some important information to assist you.

The approved tuition and fee rates for the fall 2006 semester are available at www.umbc.edu/bursar/tuition. Fall semester tuition and fee bills will be available online via myUMBC to all registered students beginning in August.

Please note that UMBC has now moved to an electronic billing (e-billing) system effective for the 2006-07 academic year and paper bills will no longer be mailed. In addition to electronic bill notification via email, e-billing enables students to view their bills and make payments at any time, from any location. The site is easy to navigate and secure. Once a student registers for e-billing, parents and other designees will be able to create their own login to the student’s e-billing account. For more information, please visit www.umbc.edu/bursar/ebilling.

If you are still exploring options to finance your education, we encourage you to take a moment to read more about the following resources offered by the University:

**Monthly payment plan – Pay your tuition and fees in monthly installments. There is still time to sign up! More information is available at www.umbc.edu/bursar/mpp.

**Financial aid – There is still time to apply for financial aid. In addition to limited need-based aid, loan options are available to all students regardless of need. Parent loan options are also available. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/financialaid.

We would also like to tell you about a way for your family to stay informed about University news and resources. The UMBC Parent Connection e-newsletter is published every other Friday. Family members can sign up or request more information about the UMBC Parents Association by e-mailing parents@umbc.edu.

For more information about student billing, please visit www.umbc.edu/bursar, e-mail bursar@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2288. For more information about financial aid, please visit www.umbc.edu/financialaid, e-mail finaid@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2387.

We look forward to seeing you this fall.

The American Association of Museum's 2006 Publication Design Competition awarded First Prize to Museums of Tomorrow: A Virtual Discussion in the category of Scholarly Journals.

Designed by Professor and Chair of Visual Arts Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo, Museums of Tomorrow: A Virtual Discussion is the eighth title published by the Center for Art and Visual Culture (CAVC) as part of their Issues in Cultural Theory series and the third publication produced by the CAVC in partnership with the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. All three publications have won First Prize in the category of Scholarly Journals.

Dennis Coates, Economics, on CNN
Dennis Coates, professor of economics, appeared on CNN's “In the Money” on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July, 23. Coates discussed stadium subsidies and economic benefits of sports teams for local communities.

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the News
On July 24 Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, was quoted in the Washington Post’s “Long-Shot Candidate May Harm Cardin.” Schaller commented on Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin’s political standing as it relates to the other five Democratic U.S. Senate candidates.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/23/AR2006072300696.html

Schaller’s latest column, “It’s time for Maryland’s Comptroller Schaefer to Retire,” appeared in the July 21 Washington Examiner. Schaller, who in March said Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer should end his political career when his term ends, retracted his statement, saying: “Schaefer should resign right now and withdraw from the September 12 Democratic primary before doing any more damage to himself, his reputation, his party, and even Republican governor, Robert Ehrlich.”
http://www.examiner.com/a-185526~Tom_Schaller__It_s_time_for_Maryland_s_Comptroller_Schaefer_to_retire.html

Brian Souders, Study Abroad, in the Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun included Brian Souders, coordinator of UMBC’s Study Abroad programs, as a source for its July 21 article, “Broaden Your Horizons.” The article focused on the study abroad programs offered at local universities.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/visitor/college/bal-oncampus-studyabroad,0,1809109.story?coll=bal-features-specials

Aliza Scharf ’06, Social Work, in the Jewish Times
On July 21, Aliza Scharf ’06, social work, appeared in the Jewish Times’ “Summer College Students Volunteers.” This summer Scharf worked as an intern for Hillel of Greater Baltimore. The organization teamed up with several other Jewish organizations to establish its first summer program, which includes charity work and social events.
http://www.jewishtimes.com/News/5804.stm

Robert Allen, Theatre, in the Baltimore Sun
On July 20, the Baltimore Sun’s “Theatre Project Expands Lineup” mentioned that “demotic,” a production by Robert Allen, assistant professor of theatre, will be one of the Theatre Project’s non-subscription productions this year. The full name of Allen’s work is, “demotic: of or pertaining to the current, ordinary, everyday form of a language; of or pertaining to the common people.” Visit http://yin.arts.uci.edu/~players/demotic/index.html for more information.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/lifestyle/bal-to.theatcol20jul20,0,7273722.column?coll=bal-artslife-today

7/21/06

Andrew Miller, Geography and Environmental Studies, in the Baltimore Sun
On June 19, the Baltimore Sun quoted Andrew Miller, associate professor of geography and environmental studies, in “City to Pay More to Insure Property,” an article about the city of Baltimore facing higher insurance premiums because of the potentially damaging hurricane season. Miller said the city could suffer from intense flooding if hurricanes pass to the west, sending wind up the Chesapeake.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.flood19jul19,0,5755667.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Don Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
In the Baltimore Sun’s July 19 “Poll Indicates County Could Be Election Key,” Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, provided political analysis on a Baltimore Sun survey that polled Maryland voters on their choice for governor. The article particularly focused on the results of Howard County residents who participated in the poll.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.poll19jul19,0,6011119.story?coll=bal-local-howard

Dennis Coates, Economics, in the Baltimore Examiner
Dennis Coates, professor of economics, wrote an opinion on the financial impact NFL games have on communities. The editorial, “Increasing NFL Games Reduces Taxes,” appeared in the Baltimore Examiner on July 18. It is based on the research findings of a survey conducted by Coates and Craig Depken, of the University of Texas at Arlington, in which the researchers compared “monthly taxable sales and sales tax collections in 126 Texas communities over the period from January 1990 through April of 2006.”
http://www.examiner.com/a-178897~Dennis_Coates__Increasing_NFL_games_reduces_tax_revenues.html

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the News
Associate Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller appeared in the July 17 Annapolis Capital’s “Schaefer May be in Trouble This Election Year.” Though Schaller said in the article, “I think he can be beat,” referring to Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, who is seeking reelection, he later noted, “I think it helps him that he’s got two candidates splitting the Schaefer-alternative vote.”
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/07_17-37/GOV

On July 13, Schaller appeared in the Baltimore Sun’s “Making a Pitch for Voting.” As primary season approaches, many community organizations with political affiliations are setting up voter registration drives throughout Maryland to increase their base of voters. The article stated that over the last four years, neither Democrats nor Republicans have significantly increased their pool of voters. "The needle has not moved since Ehrlich became governor, and that is a surprising, empirical fact," said Schaller.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.register13jul13,0,7664390.story?page=1

A Real Clear Politics’ article, “Revising America’s Purple Mountains,” mentioned Schaller’s new book, Whistling Past Dixie, How Democrats Can Win Without the South, which states Democrats can have a successful election year if the party gains support from voters in the West.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/07/revisiting_americas_purple_mou.html

Schaller’s book appeared also in “The South and the Democrats’ Future,” in the July/August 2006 edition of American Enterprise Institute’s Political Report. The article overviewed three strategies that Democrats could employ to win the presidency and majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Schaller argues that Democrats should ignore the southern states and concentrate on building rapport with southwestern and mountain states and minorities.
[Article on Page 3.]
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.24654,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

UMBC Ebiquity Lab in the Washington Post
The Washington Post’s Security Fix Weblog cited UMBC’s Ebiquity Lab’s research on detecting spam Weblogs, or splogs. Splogs are Weblogs that contain plagiarized or machine-generated content. They are published on the Web to carry advertisements and also boost a search engine’s ranking of affiliated Web sites. Identifying such false Weblogs has become a major problem for search engines like Google.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/07/microsoft_stabs_at_blogspam_po.html

7/14/06

Jason Loviglio, American Studies, in the Baltimore Sun
Why are so many American athletes and teams losing international competitions? Jason Loviglio, associate professor of American studies, provided several reasons in the July 9 Baltimore Sun’s “There is World of Reasons for U.S. Struggles Abroad.” "There does seem to be a common thread; no one's saying it, but this might be the twilight of America's super-hegemony. When you talk about international economics, the driving engine, we're now looking at America and other places. So there is that common thread in sports,” said Loviglio.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.steele09jul09,0,1462510.column?coll=bal-sports-columnists

Dan Ritschel, Center for History Education in the Howard County Times
Dan Ritschel, director of the Center for History Education (CHE), appeared in the July 6 Howard County Times’ “Grant to Foster ‘Master Teachers.’ ” The CHE and Howard County recently received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation to help 30 county teachers enhance the teaching of American history.

Tom Schaller, Political Science, Column in Washington Examiner
Associate Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller’s latest Washignton Examiner column, “Playing Catch-Up: Building a Center-Left Infrastructure,” discusses the various ways the Democratic Party is attempting to restructure its infrastructure.
http://www.examiner.com/a-169816~Tom_Schaller__Playing_catch_up__Building_a_center_left_infrastructure.html

Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, Biochemistry, Named to Md. Stem Cell Research Commission
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appointed Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, professor of biological sciences, as one of 15 members selected to the newly formed Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission. Gov. Ehrlich announced the full list of the 15-member commission on July 6.
Ostrand-Rosenberg is the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff chair in biochemistry at UMBC.

For a list of commission members with brief biographies, see:
www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.stem07bjul07,0,1081958.story??track=sto-relcon

For full coverage of the announcement see:
The Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.stem07jul07,0,6532907.story

The Business Gazette
http://www.gazette.net/stories/070706/businew154457_31962.shtml

The Baltimore Business Journal
http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2006/07/03/daily22.html

Don Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun quoted Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, in the July 5 “Schaefer’s Words Stir Criticism” concerning the remarks Comptroller Donald Schaefer made about immigration and women. Norris said repeated politically incorrect comments from Schaefer could affect his chances of winning. “He would have to make a number of gaffes between now and the primary to lose it, but if he keeps it up he could do it. "Many, many people view his behavior as calculated. Many others say he's lost it. And it's hard to know which is true."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-schaefer0705,1,4861090.story

Robert Provine, Psychology, in the Independent (London)
In “Mr. Big,” a June 24 Independent (London) article, European comedian Dara O'Briain admitted his inspiration for comedy stems from Robert Provine’s book, Laughter. “It's fascinating stuff, it really is. Provine walks you through the very mechanics of laughter, and so for a comedian, it's an essential how to book,” said O’Briain.

7/7/06

President Freeman Hrabowski in the Baltimore Sun
The July 2 Baltimore Sun’s article, “Beyond Technology,” discusses Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, which touts the best new thinkers are those who use both the left and right sides of the brain. "Certainly, you need students to be comfortable with technology, and we certainly need more scientists. But we need people who are broad thinkers. And part of that breadth comes from taking humanities and social sciences," said President Freeman Hrabowski.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.educate02jul02,0,7872652.story?coll=bal-ideas-headlines

Dennis Coates, Economics, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburg Post-Gazette included Dennis Coates, professor of economics, as a source for its July 2 article, “Experts May Debate Immediate Benefit of Hosting All-Star Crowds.” Coates speculated that cities will only earn huge profits from mega-sporting events if they host one major event at a time.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06183/702561-28.stm

Shari Waldstein, Psychology, in the Baltimore Sun
On June 29, the Baltimore Sun quoted Shari Waldstein, associate professor of psychology and director of the behavioral medicine graduate program. In “Heart Problems, Depression Linked,” Waldstein claims a severe heart condition can impede blood flow to the brain.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.heart30jun30,0,5276259.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

UMBC and Claire Welty, Civil and Environmental Engineering, in the Baltimore Examiner
The Baltimore Examiner reported on UMBC’s newest bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park tenant, the United States Geographic Survey (USGS) Water Science Center. The USGS’s close proximity to the University, allows federal and university representatives to pool their resources to monitor the region’s Chesapeake Bay waterways and water supply. In the June 30 article, “UMBC Welcomes Geographers in Monitoring Water Resources,” Claire Welty, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Urban Environmental Research for Education, was also quoted.
http://www.examiner.com/a-164384~UMBC_welcomes_geographers_in_monitoring_water_resources.html

Andrew Miller, Geography and Environmental Systems, in the Baltimore Examiner
The Baltimore Examiner quoted Andrew Miller, associate professor of geography and environmental systems, on June 30 in “Record-Breaking Rain Saturates Ground, Feeds Mosquitoes,” about the recent rain storms that caused local flooding.
http://www.examiner.com/a-164402~Record_breaking_rain_saturates_ground__feeds_mosquitoes.html

Antonio Moriera, SPI USA Inc., in the Baltimore Examiner
The Baltimore Examiner interviewed Antonia Moriera, vice provost for academic affairs and CEO of SPI USA Inc., a bwtech@UMBC company, about a contract his firm acquired from the United States Trade and Development Agency to assess India’s ‘cold chain’’ for food storage. The article, “Local company Contracted to Assess India’s ‘cold chain’ For Food Shipment” was published on June 28.
http://www.examiner.com/a-162198~Local_company_contracted_to_assess_India_s__cold_chain__for_food_shipment.html

Mary Rivkin, Education, in the Christian Science Monitor
The June 29 Christian Science Monitor’s “For More Children, Less Time For Outdoor Play” quoted Mary Rivkin, associate professor of education, about the steady decline of children playing outside. Rivkin attributes fear of interaction with strangers, insects and the sun as possible causes for the shift in outdoor play.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0629/p13s02-lifp.html

Don Norris, Public Policy, in Local News
On July 5, Don Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, appeared in the Baltimore Messenger’s “Experts debate how much Cox will help Ehrlich.” Gov. Robert Ehrlich chose Kristen Cox as his running mate. Norris said Cox, who is blind, “is not likely to provide additional sway with Maryland voters.”
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=574&NewsID=730813&CategoryID=8012&show=localnews&om=1

On June 29, Norris appeared in the Washington Times’ “O’Malley Stumps As Governor Announces Bid.” According to the article, many of the observers who attended Martin O’Malley’s Annapolis Rally for entering the governor’s race found the timing distasteful. "The fact is that there's no love lost between these guys, and politics is a contact sport. They're both going to go at one another with the heavy artillery from now until the election,” said Norris.
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20060628-110402-3946r.htm

Norris appeared in the June 28, Baltimore Sun’s “Critical First Lady Takes Off the Glove” which reported on the comments Kendel Ehrlich, Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s spouse, made during the Maryland Municipal League conference. Norris said it is rare for a candidate’s spouse to make campaign jabs at the opponent.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.kendel28jun28,0,4062392.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

In WBAL-TV 11’s June 28 “O'Malley To File, Ehrlich To Announce,” Norris said the gubernatorial campaign between Baltimore City Mayor Martin O’Malley and Gov. Robert Ehrlich will be mean-spirited.
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/9439517/detail.html

In the June 24 Baltimore Sun’s “Departure Shifts O’Malley’s Focus,” Norris said gubernatorial candidate Martin O’Malley may have an easier time convincing Doug Duncan supporters to back him in the governor’s race because the primary focus of his campaign strategy involved ignoring Duncan. Duncan recently dropped out of the race, citing mental health issues. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.omalley24jun24,1,6395208.story

The June 23 Baltimore Sun’s “Simms Weighs Another Run” quoted Norris about former running mate for Doug Duncan and Baltimore State's Attorney Stuart O. Simms’ consideration of running for attorney general. Norris said Simms is not well known outside of Baltimore.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.simms23jun23,1,1838584.story?page=1

UMBC Men’s and Women’s Swimming Teams Named Academic All-American Team
The College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) named UMBC’s men’s and women’s swimming team an Academic All-American Team for the Winter/Spring semester of 2006. The CSCAA selected 417 teams that represent 249 schools to receive this honor. To qualify for the award the grade point average of the entire swimming and diving squad, including all team members on the eligibility list, must average at least 2.8 on a 4.0 scale.

Rachel Brewster, Biological Sciences, Wins Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
The White House selected Rachel Brewster, assistant professor of biological sciences, as one of the 20 recipients to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, one of the most prestigious awards to honor investigators in the early stages of promising research and education careers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning independent careers.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=107118&org=NSF&from=news

7/21/06

Laure Drogoul, Visual Arts, Receives $25,000 Sondheim Art Prize; Eric Dyer ’95, Finalist
Laure Drogoul, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Visual Arts, was recently named the first winner of the $25,000 Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize. Her winning sculpture replicates a large-size traditional Japanese mask with blue eyes made from video screens. Eric Dyer, ’95, visual arts and assistant professor of visual art, was selected as one of the seven finalists.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/lifestyle/bal-to.award15jul15,0,4871804.story?coll=bal-artslife-today

http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=12045

Robert Deluty, Clinical Psychology, Publishes Ninth Book
Robert Deluty, associate professor of psychology, recently published his ninth book of poetry, Infinity in the Palm of One’s Hand (Gateway Press). “This is a well-crafted and striking collection of poetry that elicits a wide range of emotions,” said Nicholas Mazza at Florida State University. Purchase a copy of the book at the UMBC Bookstore or at selected bookstores in the Baltimore/Washington area.

Modern Haiku, an independent journal of haiku and haiku studies, also published three of Deluty's poems in its Summer 2006 edition.

7/14/06

Fow-Sen Choa, CSEE, Receives Patent
On July 11, Fow-Sen Choa, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, received a patent for his invention entitled, "System and Method for Generating Analog Transmission Signals," patent number U.S. 7,076,170. This invention improves upon the system and method for generating analog transmission signals. View the patent 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.

7/7/06

Bill Kinloch ‘00 Receives Promotion
Representatives at The Columbia Bank promoted Bill Kinloch ‘00, economics, to assistant vice president, branch manager. Kinloch oversees the daily operations of one of the bank’s branches and manages the tellers and customer service representatives.

Tim Nohe, Visual Arts, Creates Art for “+es+ Pa++erns” Exhibit
Tim Nohe, associate professor of visual arts, created a bus shelter image as part of an exhibition called "+es+ pa++erns," an exhibition of alternate surface treatments on such sites as MTA buses, bus shelter ads and street signs. Nohe’s art is located on Eastern Avenue at Bayview Hospital in East Baltimore. The composite is derived from NASA TERRA satellite imagery of the Chesapeake and Delaware bay systems. The exhibition will be on view at the Pinkard Gallery, Bunting Center, Maryland Institute College of Art. The opening reception takes place on Friday, July 14 from 6-9 p.m.

Graduate Student Glynn Hulley Receives AGU’s Outstanding Student Paper Award
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) awarded Glynn Hulley, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in atmospheric physics, the Outstanding Student Paper Award for his presentation entitled, “Improved Atmospheric Refraction Modeling for Satellite Laser Ranging: Horizontal Refractivity Gradient Effects at Optical Wavelengths.” Hulley presented his work at the AGU’s 2006 Joint Assembly.

The Employee of the Quarter Committee has named Janice O’Neill, business services specialist in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Christine Routzahn, associate director of the Shriver Center, the Employees of the Quarter. O’Neill received the nonexempt Employee of the Quarter award, while Routzahn won the exempt Employee of the Quarter award.

Janice O’Neill

Since coming to UMBC 23 years ago, O’Neill has continually grown and taken on increasing responsibilities in the College. She initially began working as an accounting clerk and then serving as an office secretary, budget associate and business manager over the years.

“Janice puts our department [staff and faculty] first everyday,” said Terry Aylsworth, executive administrative assistant II in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

“She answers all their questions, helps them with payroll, travel, PeopleSoft, budgets, etc. and even takes the time to help someone in person if need be. Janice has worked closely with our administrative assistants to teach them new processes as they have occurred at UMBC.”

Janice previously served on the Nonexempt Excluded Staff Senate (NEESS) and on many other committees while at UMBC.

O’Neill will receive her award at the end of July.

Christine Routzahn

Routzahn began her career at UMBC and the Shriver Center in 1999 as a coordinator. She was promoted to assistant director in 2001 and then to associate director in 2004.

“Christine is an exemplary leader and advocate for her staff,” said Michele Wolff, director of the Shriver Center.

“She facilitates many accomplishments on behalf of the Center, the University and our stakeholders. For instance, the number of internships and co-op placements has increased by 23 percent over the past two years. Additionally, under her guidance and leadership, her staff continues to offer more applied learning opportunities to students, setting a record for the number of placements this past fall semester. The development of new campus partnerships led to new initiatives such as Campus Career Partners, Alumni Medical Fellows Program, Shriver Center practicum, a requirement for all Honors College students and funding to continue high profile internship programs for our best and brightest students.”

In addition to her regular job duties, Christine served two years on the Professional Staff Senate and two years as a Council of University System Staff representative.

Christine received her Employee of the Quarter Award on July 12.

Award recipients receive a check for $500, a personalized parking space, one day of administrative leave, a certificate, his/her name on the Employee of the Quarter plaque and an invitation to the annual service award ceremony for all the recipients.
A special thanks to everyone that nominated an employee for the award. Nominations previously submitted remain eligible for consideration for one year from the date received. The next selection of Employee of the Quarter recipients will occur in September for the October quarter. We encourage you to nominate employees that you feel are deserving of this award. Get nomination forms and additional information at: http://www.umbc.edu/hr/EOQ.html.

July 18, 2006

TO: The UMBC Community

FROM: Thomas D. Vogler, Assistant Vice President, Financial Services

All Financial Services offices located on the third floor of the Administration Building will be moving to the first floor of the University Center on Monday, July 24, 2006. These offices include: the Bursar's Office (Cashiering, Student and Off-Campus Billing), Accounts Payable, Petty Cash, Travel and Working Fund.

Please understand there may be disruption to normal services provided by these offices beginning Friday, July 21, through Tuesday morning, July 25, 2006. Every effort will be made to continue normal services during this time; however, if a particular service is not available, for assistance please call 410-455-3653 for Cashiering and Student and Off-Campus Billing and 410-455-3288 for Accounts Payable, Petty Cash, Working Fund and Travel.

The Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis & Research (MIPAR) at UMBC will partner with the British government, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and a range of U.S. and international organizations to present a symposium on new approaches to citizen participation in the information age.

The conference, International e-Participation and Local Democracy, will be held at the Baltimore Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel in downtown Baltimore on Thursday, August 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sessions will cover topics such as the innovative use of Internet communication technologies by local governments, how to engage citizens with disabilities through e-government and the future of online campaigning and voting.

Speakers include the Honorable Mary Kane, Maryland secretary of state; Linda Lamone, administrator for the Maryland State Board of Elections; and Donald F. Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, as well as e-democracy experts from the U.S. and Europe.

Visit the conference Web site for the agenda and registration information: www.edemocracysymposium.org

Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, a professor in UMBC's Department of Biological Sciences, is one of 15 members appointed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to the newly formed Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission. Gov. Ehrlich announced the full list of the 15-member commission on July 6.

Ostrand-Rosenberg is the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff chair in biochemistry at UMBC.

For a list of commission members with brief biographies, see:
www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.stem07bjul07,0,1081958.story??track=sto-relcon

For full coverage of the announcement from the Baltimore Sun, see:
www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.stem07jul07,0,6532907.story