A. Charles Catania, professor of psychology, is retiring at the end of the spring 2008 semester after serving in the department for 35 years. The department will host his retirement celebration on Thursday, May 29, 4-8 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Elaine O'Heir at oheir@umbc.edu by Tuesday, May 20.

The Office of Undergraduate Education is now accepting letters of nomination for the first annual Jakubik Family Endowment. The family of current and former members of the UMBC community has created an endowment to recognize outstanding UMBC staff. Stan Jakubik, his wife, Jan, and daughter, Stephanie, hope the award will recognize staff who play a critical role in supporting student success. The awardee will receive $500 in recognition of his or her service.

The campus continues to mourn the loss of Meyerhoff Scholar Jamie Heard. We wanted to share with the UMBC community the following statement written by Jamie, "Life is Beautiful," reflecting his philosophy of life.

-President Freeman Hrabowski

John Sturgeon, Professor of Visual Arts, has been named the Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences for Academic Year 2008-09. This professorship is supported by an endowment created by Roger C. Lipitz and the Lipitz Family Foundation "to recognize and support innovative and distinguished teaching and research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County."

The Department of Africana Studies invites you to join with us in honoring Professor Willie B. Lamousé-Smith on the occasion of his retirement from the University at the end of this academic year. The reception honoring his 33 years of service to the UMBC community will take place on Friday, May 16, at 3:30 p.m. in the UC Ballroom. RSVP by May 12 to Wanda Soares Nottingham (wsoares@umbc.edu, ext. 5-2158).

Human Resources has announced the Employees of the Quarter for April 1-June 30, 2008:
Colleen Lindbeck, assistant director/client services manager for the Office of Financial Aid, and Diane Butler, information technology data control clerk lead for the Office of the Registrar.

The Social Sciences Forum presents UMBC's first annual Liptiz Lecture on Monday, April 28, at 4 p.m. in the Albin O. Kuhn Library, 7th Floor. Carlo DiClemente, Lipitz professor of the arts, humanities and social sciences and professor of psychology, will discuss "Making a Difference? Evaluating the Complicated Process of Behavior Change."

Become a RecycleManiac and join in our efforts to make UMBC #1.

UMBC’s resident expert on presidential elections, Tom Schaller, will appear on WJZ Channel 13 news to comment on “Super Tuesday’s” Feb. 5 primary elections.

Human Resources has announced the Employees of the Quarter, effective January 1-March 31, 2008: Arthur Brown, administrative assistant II for International Education Services (Non-exempt), and Margarita “Magui” Cardona, senior grants and contracts manager for the Office of Sponsored Programs (Exempt).

On December 6, UMBC presented awards to members of the campus community for years of service, and also honored its 2007 Employees of the Quarter.

The UMBC Camerata will be part of the University Chorale performing at "Christmas in Washington" . The program will be televised on TNT, beginning December 12 at 10 p.m., and then throughout the holiday season.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students: Thinking about starting your own business? Enter your idea in the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition. First prize is $1500. The deadline to enter is February 15 -- it will be here sooner than you think. Start brainstorming today!

Renowned writer, critic and essayist Thomas Mallon will speak on Tuesday, December 4, 4-6 p.m., at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. A reception and book signing will follow.

Contrary to long-held beliefs that brain power inevitably declines as we age, the mind actually experiences a surge of creativity and brain function well into the second half of life, says Gene Cohen, MD, PhD, who will present his groundbreaking research on “Creativity and Aging” at UMBC on December 3.

Commencement is right around the corner -- Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 10 a.m. in the RAC. Assistance is needed from 8 a.m. until the end of the ceremony, about noon.

The Department of Human Resources congratulates Employees of the Quarter Debra Arnold and Kay Smith.

Open to ALL undergraduate and graduate students, this event will prepare students to successfully compete in both the UMBC and Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) Mosh Pit Business Plan Competitions.

Michael Romary has given notice of his retirement as of September 16, 2007. He served the campus for 17 years in the Library Reference Department.

In partnership with the Office of Student Life, the American Red Cross will hold an emergency blood drive Friday, August 17 on Main Street in The Commons, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The sponsor code for this drive is 1863.

While 60% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, only 5% donate on a yearly basis. Please show your support and schedule your donation today. For your convenience, you can schedule your appointment online at www.membersforlife.org/rccm/mobilesch/login.php?sponsorcode=1863 or please feel free to call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543) or e-mail bellchrys@usa.redcross.org.

Each participant will receive a $10 gas card (3-4 weeks post-donation) and t-shirt, and will be entered into a $250 gas card raffle.

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UMBC Joint Center for Astrophysics scientists and their colleagues at Oxford University used a speed-gun technique typical of the highway patrol to clock three separate clumps of hot iron gas whipping around a black hole at 20,000 miles per second, over 10 percent of light speed.

The best way to relieve congestion on Route 32 between Interstate 70 and Route 108 in Maryland is to adopt the State Highway Administration (SHA) plan to widen Route 32 to four lanes, according to a study by graduate students in UMBC's Department of Public Policy.

The Cuban Cyclone, The Polish Magician and The Kiev Killer are headed to Kansas, and they're out for revenge. Residents of Wichita may feel they aren't in Kansas anymore later this month when the international, intellectual sport of college chess brings top UMBC players from Cuba, India, Poland and the Ukraine to town for the 2004 Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament, the Super Bowl of college chess.

As the education department prepares for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) visit to UMBC, its chair, Mary Rivkin, reflects on the fact that "It takes a university to create a teacher."

The quiet floor of the Social Sciences Building that is home to UMBC's Center for Health Program Development and Management (CHPDM) is an unassuming location for research that affects the healthcare of many poor and disabled Marylanders. But as they prepare to celebrate their tenth anniversary at UMBC, the expert researchers at CHPDM continue to impact healthcare policy at all levels of government.

The Staff of Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery invites all new and returning students and faculty to visit the library in person or via the Web.

With the goal of strengthening connections to the external community, UMBC is sponsoring a new public policy forum series.

UMBC's Departments of Public Policy and Information Systems will debut a new graduate certificate program in electronic government (e-gov) this fall. The program is the first in the Baltimore/Washington area focused on skills needed to increase and improve online transactions and services offered by federal, state and local government to individuals and businesses.

The Division of Professional Education and Training (DPET) at UMBC is responding to the staffing needs of regional high-tech industries by offering two graduate programs in Systems Engineering (SE) this fall.

As Americans try to make sense of the abuse and torture of Iraqi POWs at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison, Thomas Blass, UMBC professor of psychology at UMBC and author of the book The Man Who Shocked The World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram, sees connections to Milgram's famous and controversial experiments on obedience to authority.

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Combining his training in and passion for African literature and black folklore, as well as his knowledge of Sierra Leonean history, Africana studies professor Jonathan Peters has written three plays that are set in and honor his country of birth. On March 17, Dr. Peters will discuss his plays and the history of Sierra Leone during the Faculty/Staff Social Hour in the Fireside Lounge of The Commons. The social hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m.; Dr. Peters talk will take place during the first half hour of the event.

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At a memorial service on campus February 17, President Freeman Hrabowski paid tribute to Dr. Eliot Shimoff, professor of psychology and one of UMBC's founding faculty, who passed away in January.

Our colleague, teacher and friend, Professor Joe Arnold of the Department of History, died on Monday, January 5, 2004. The following tributes from members of the campus community testify to Dr. Arnold's extraordinary contributions to the campus and to his field.

While its work often remains unseen, the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) maintains an almost constant presence at UMBC. AVFD is UMBC's primary provider of fire and rescue services, but also offers opportunities for training and field experience for UMBC students majoring in emergency health services. With the fire department in the midst of the first capital campaign in its 65-year history, the UMBC community now has the opportunity to give back to AVFD for its many years of service to UMBC and the surrounding community.

At UMBC's Family Day 2003, Presidential Teaching Professor and Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics Alan Rosenthal discussed teaching, learning and why he's glad his daughter attended UMBC.

Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express, a new book by Christopher Corbett, UMBC English department instructor and Retriever Weekly advisor, is an entertaining history of the Pony Express.

Even before September 11, 2001, Anne Brodsky, an associate professor of psychology and affiliate professor of women's studies at UMBC, was already risking her life to tell the story of Afghan women under the oppression of the Taliban and other fundamentalist Islamic factions and she continues that fight today.

The Long and Short of It: Essays and Poems is a new book by psychologist and Presidential Teaching Professor Robert H. Deluty. Published by Gateway Press in July 2003, the book consists of six essays and over two hundred poems; many of the latter are senryu, unrhymed 3-lined poems that address interpersonal and intrapersonal events.

According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, in 2002, Baltimore had 17 code red days. Eighty-nine percent of Maryland residents live in areas with marginal, serious or severe air quality problems. How are UMBC researchers helping to improve air quality in Baltimore?

Three hundred sixth and seventh grade girls from Baltimore and Howard County Public Schools will spend a half-day with some of the top women in information technology (IT), learning about how technology can be an exciting part of their lives now and in the future. Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, will launch the four-hour "Computer Mania Day" program to be held at UMBC on Saturday, May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Retriever Activities Center Foyer.)

In a rare U.S. appearance, religious scholar and best-selling author Karen Armstrong will discuss the rise of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim fundamentalism as a response to modernity in an upcoming Humanities Forum lecture at UMBC. Armstrong's talk, "The Battle for God," will be held Tuesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.

Women's History Month, an annual recognition of women's accomplishments both past and present, has quickly become a natural element of the academic landscape.

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The Student Involvement Center (SIC) is an oasis for students who want to give something back to the UMBC and Baltimore communities.

UMBC marine biologist and vision scientist Tom Cronin, was part of a team of researchers studying the amazing eyes of Bythograea thermydron, a rarely seen species of crab that thrives in the extreme heat and darkness of thermal vents two-and-a-half kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to helping those in need by contributing to UMBC's Maryland Charity Campaign, members of the UMBC community volunteer with organizations it supports.

Director of Admissions Yvette Mozie-Ross discusses what's new in undergraduate admissions.

UMBC's Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), already known as "the best resource on women and technology on the web" by ABC News.com, is now one of the best sources of educational scholarships in the region for young women pursuing IT-related degrees, thanks to the new CWIT Scholars program.

14 miles offshore from Virginia Beach, UMBC physicist Wallace McMillan and a rotating crew of scientists are firing lasers into the night sky and launching weather balloons by day to make sure a new multi-billion-dollar NASA research satellite is working properly.

Off-campus visitors who meet with President Freeman Hrabowski often find themselves on the roof of the Administration Building for an aerial campus tour. In honor of Hrabowski's ten years as president, UMBC's Board of Visitors recently presented the University with a 16" x 56" painting of his favorite view -- appropriately titled The President's View -- by Baltimore artist Crystal Moll.

Uri Tasch has designed a revolutionary device that can save dairy and livestock farmers millions of dollars a year. Earlier this month, the Maryland Daily Record recognized the invention's potential by naming Tasch as one of the 2002 Innovators of the Year.

Did you know that approximately 316 UMBC alumni work on campus? There's a great resource for this growing constituency in the UMBC On-campus Alumni Chapter, led this year by its new president, David Servary '71. This year's officers also include Beverly Conner '87, vice president, and Michele Wolff '89, secretary.

Meet Phil Shockley, a junior information systems and political science major and the new president of the Student Government Association (SGA).

CHPDM, one of the largest research and policy organizations at UMBC, is heavily involved in healthcare policy in the State of Maryland. Since its inception, the Center has maintained a partnership with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygene (DHMH) to analyze and develop solutions for the Medicaid program. But in addition to working with federal agencies, private foundations and Maryland county agencies, it also provides a unique on-campus resource for students and faculty interested in policy sciences, healthcare policy, aging and long-term care issues.

Patricia LaNoue has been named the new director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. LaNoue served as the interim director for the past two years and has taught at UMBC for 14 years.

A cross-section of the graduates of the Class of 2002.

After 11 years as director of UMBC's Honors College, Jay Freyman has decided to return to teaching full time. James McKusick, currently chair of the English department, will become director on July 1.

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You know them by the look: wide-eyed, perplexed. It's spring, and a new crop of students and parents are navigating the campus. New freshman and transfer students are preparing for life at UMBC. Here's a look at when you can expect to see the newest members of the community and how to help make their first experiences here meaningful.

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A group of enterprising UMBC students are throwing themselves into an entirely different breed of mosh pit � a fierce but fun business plan competition sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and local companies.

Since September 11, Benjamin Barber's Jihad vs. McWorld, published in 1995, has become a bestseller and he has been called upon as a commentator on terrorism by media outlets worldwide. Now Barber comes to UMBC to discuss "Can Democracy Survive the War Between Jihad and McWorld?" at 3 p.m. April 10 in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery.

Junior biology major Erika Danna is on her way to San Francisco this month thanks to a prestigious undergraduate travel award from the American Association for Cancer Research.

UMBC junior Achaia Andoq is a political science major whose interest in activism inspired her to pursue a certificate in women's studies. Read more about this self-taught web developer who is making her mark on the Web and through a variety of organizations.

May Roswell, a UMBC founder who established the foreign languages department--now known as modern languages and linguistics--died on February 16. Known for her devotion to UMBC, even after her retirement in 1981, Roswell played a crucial role in establishing the University, setting high expectations for the campus and nurturing students. Angela Moorjani, professor of modern languages and linguistics, discusses Roswell's life and legacy and talks with her colleagues and former students.

Last semester, CS/EE faculty members Anupam Joshi and Gary Burt changed the way they taught CMSC 421 "Operating Systems." Instead of meeting in a lab to tinker with code, they required students to install operating systems on their own personal computers. The result was a more challenging and rewarding course for faculty and students. John Fritz, director of new media learning and development, interviewed Joshi and Burt about their experiences.

Tom Rabenhorst, Director of Instructional Cartography in UMBC's Geography and Environmental Systems Department, is completing a project more than a decade in the making -- new hiking maps for nearby Patapsco Valley State Park. Rabenhorst used global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to give hikers the most comprehensive maps in the park's history.

UMBC's full-time, 14-month certificate program in diagnostic medical and cardiac sonography is considered one of the best in the country.

Leading his team to victory in UMBC's fifth Pan-Am Intercollegiate Chess Championship isn't the only recent highlight for senior computer science major Eugene Perelshteyn. UMBC's Chess Team captain was honored with the Samford Fellowship, a $32,000 award from Chess in the Schools, given annually to the most promising player under the age of 25.

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Honor Roll: Humanities Scholars 10th Anniversary

UMBC Bookshelf