For two months of the year, visitors to Harbin in northeast China can brave the -40 degree temperatures to see the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival's sculptures illuminated in spectacular colors at night. Stay cozy and enjoy the sights of the 2019 festival from home with this Smithsonian Magazine article. A little closer to home, (seb) will be hosting iceless ice skating and snow tubing on the Library Plaza on campus this Friday.

Lunar New Year Celebration Continues

We're very excited by the response to our Lunar New Year celebration and our new Asian Studies shirts. If you haven't stopped by our office (Fine Arts 548) yet for New Year treats and a shirt, the event continues today and tomorrow. Although the food giveaway will end tomorrow, Asian Studies students are welcome to pick up a shirt any time this semester.

Spring 2022 Graduation Application Deadline: February 15

If you are planning to graduate this May, be sure to submit your graduation application before next week's deadline! The Registrar's website has everything you need to know. 

URCAD 2022 Applications Are Now Open

UMBC is a campus that recognizes its students' research at all levels; URCAD is the annual celebration of undergraduate research and creative achievements. If you've completed a big research or creative project this year, URCAD is a fantastic opportunity to share your expertise and accomplishments with the campus community and the public. The deadline to apply is February 18. Learn more at URCAD's website. Dr. Oyen is a great resource if you have questions about how to apply. 

Virtual Internship and Career Fair - February 25

The Career Center's popular Internship and Career Fair event will take place virtually later this month. More than 85 employers have already signed up, and they're all eager to meet UMBC students and recent graduates. For more information, and how to sign up to attend, visit the Career Center's website. 

Covid-19 Booster and Flu Shot Clinics - Feb 17 and March 3

If you're able, and haven't yet had a chance to get your seasonal flu vaccine or a Covid-19 booster, Retriever Integrated Health is hosting additional clinics on campus on February 17 (next Thursday) and on March 3 (also a Thursday). You can make an appointment on their website.

Roses are Pink, Chip's Tongue is too; for Valentine's Day, She Wants to See You!

Swing by the RAC on Valentine's Day (Monday next week, Feb 14) to hang out with Officer Chip! She and her entourage will have prize giveaways for all her Valentines, too. Check myUMBC for more information. 

Virtual Involvement Fest - This Week! 

The clocks have changed and the days are short, and the semester is continuing here at UMBC. In Seoul, the annual Lantern Festival is underway - a two-week celebration of lights and festivities which includes floating huge, colorful lanterns down Cheonggyecheon Stream through the center of the city. The 2021 festival is taking place now through November 21, and even if you can't get to Seoul in person, they have a variety of online events scheduled which you can check out! 

Reminder: Spring 2022 Advising and Registration!

Do you still need advising for Spring 2022? Asian Studies majors should fill out this Google Form to prepare for advising. Remember that you cannot add classes to your schedule without registration clearance, and you can't get registration clearance without making an advising appointment. For more information, visit our Advising Guide. 

There are hundreds of classes offered this Spring - how do you know which ones to choose? Your advisor (Dr. Oyen, if you're an Asian Studies major) can help you narrow things down. We also have a helpful guide to all the Spring 2022 courses that count towards Asian Studies, including their GEP designations! 

Event: Online Discussion with Angie Kim, Author of "Miracle Creek" - November 17

Join the Dresher Center, the Dept of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication, and Asian Studies next week in welcoming author Angie Kim to campus virtually to discuss her award-winning novel Miracle Creek! The online event will take place on Wednesday, November 17, at 4:30pm EST. For more information and to RSVP, visit MLLI's myUMBC page. 

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

• Now - Spring 2022 Advising and Registration (see above)
• Now - Winter 2022 Registration
• Nov 10 (tomorrow) - deadline to drop an individual class with a "W"
• Nov 17, 4:30pm - online discussion of novel Miracle Creek with author Angie Kim (see above)
• Nov 25-26 - Thanksgiving Break, no classes
• Dec 2, 4pm - online Humanities Forum lecture "A Lord, A Pauper, and an Artist: Putting People Back Into Samurai History" with Dr. Vaporis

[thumbnail image description: A photograph taken at night of a river running through a crowded urban area. A stone bridge crosses the river near the top of the photograph. Several large, colorful lanterns on barges, in the shape of fairy tale characters such as a knight, Peter Pan, and others, glow warmly as they float on barges down the river.]

• Guaraní (2015, Paraguay) - Part road movie and part coming-of-age drama, the film portrays two generations of Paraguayans whose views of the world seem centuries apart. The long journey will make Atilio and Iara understand the real meaning of traditions and family bonds.
  Screening will take place on February 22 from 7-9PM in Fine Arts 215.
• The Crow's Nest (2014, El Salvador) - The first fiction film from El Salvador to be produced since 1969 and the first ever to see a worldwide release, The Crow’s Nest follows Don Cleo, a humble piñata salesman who receives an extortion letter at his doorstep. If he doesn’t pay $500, a small fortune for him, within 72 hours, he will be killed. Don Cleo quickly decides to gather the money through friends, but the harder he tries to raise the funds, the deeper into trouble he gets. If Don Cleo hopes to survive, he’ll have to face his fears and stand up to his tormentors. Screening will take place on March 1 from 7-9PM in Fine Arts 215.

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain 

Altered State: Painting Myanmar in a Time of Transition presents paintings by 36 contemporary artists from Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma. Created following the transition period of 2011, when a military-backed civilian government replaced oppressive rule by military junta and the country once famous for its seclusion re-entered the world stage, the paintings illustrate current artistic practice in Myanmar and present a series of creative viewpoints on a rapidly changing society.

Paintings included in Altered State: Painting Myanmar in a Time of Transition are from the collection of contemporary Myanmar paintings of Ian Holliday, the Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Hong Kong. Presentation of the exhibition at UMBC is supported in part by an arts program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Friends of the Library & Gallery, the Libby Kuhn Endowment, and individual contributions.

Gallery hours:
Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday until 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 – 5 p.m.