Bryan Vanek
B.S., Computer Science
Minor: Mathematics
Cum Laude
Hometown: Frederick, Maryland
Plans: Computer Network Operations Development Program, U.S. Department of Defense

If it weren’t for the incredible mentors, teachers, and students at this school, I would not be the security researcher and professional that I am today.

When Bryan Vanek transferred to UMBC from Frederick Community College, he focused on building connections with classmates and professors, which proved incredibly valuable as he developed a passion for computer science and cybersecurity, and sought out new opportunities to grow.

Vanek became president of UMBC’s Cyber Dawgs team, which took first place at the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. Following that major victory, he has continued to serve as Cyber Dawgs president, while also participating in other cybersecurity competitions, including the Wargames capture the flag event at the international DEFCON conference, where he placed 42nd overall.

The Center for Women in Technology provided mentorship and support to Vanek, who is a Transfer Scholar in Information Technology and Engineering (T-SITE) Scholar. He says that the Cyber Dawgs team and CWIT program have helped him to develop skills necessary for success in a computer science career. Vanek gives back by serving as a mentor in cybersecurity at Exerceo, a nonprofit which provides skill development opportunities to high school students, college students, and young adults.

Vanek also completed two internships at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) while at UMBC. These positions led to an exciting job offer for him, as a member of the Computer Network Operations Development Program at the DoD. Vanek credits “professors that continually showed a vested and fervent interest in my success” and UMBC’s connections with a robust networks of employers with empowering him to plan and pursue a cybersecurity career.

Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Katherine Dillon
B.S., Computer Science
Magna Cum Laude
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: Software Engineer, Google; M.S., computer science, UMBC

The CWIT program has prepared me to be a professional and take on leadership roles, and ultimately helped me get my jobs and internships. The friends I’ve made in CWIT served as such a great support system, and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Katherine Dillon came to UMBC with interest, but not much experience, in computer science, but through the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) was able to rapidly grow her knowledge of the field. Before long, she was conducting computer science research, taking graduate-level courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning, serving as a teaching assistant in computer science and interactive media, and volunteering through outreach opportunities, to inspire and support future computing students.

Dillon says the support she received from the faculty and staff at UMBC, particularly in CWIT and the Honors College, has been instrumental in enabling her to achieve her goals and continuously set the bar higher for what she would achieve next. Dillon conducted data visualization research under Penny Rheingans, professor of computer science and director of CWIT, and attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing as an Anita Borg Scholar. After the Grace Hopper Celebration, Dillon was offered an internship opportunity at Google in Boston. The following summer she completed another Google internship, this time in Germany.

After graduation, Dillon will work as a software engineer at Google in San Francisco, while also completing her master’s degree in computer science online through UMBC.

Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

The UMBC community gathered for the 2017 UMBC Alumni Awards on October 5 in the Linehan Concert Hall to celebrate individuals who have made impressive contributions to society through their work. The UMBC Alumni Awards are held annually as part of Homecoming week, which welcomes alumni and members of the community back to campus for a range of events. This year, eight awards were presented to alumni and members of the community across all Colleges and from a range of disciplines.

“I’m thrilled that the legacy of excellence embodied by these amazing individuals can be shared this evening and for many years to come,” said John Becker ’01, information systems management, president of the Alumni Association board.

“Tonight you will hear from people from a range of disciplines. You will get a sense of people who are already at the top of their fields and others who are rising stars,” shared President Freeman Hrabowski. “Across these disciplines you will see UMBC graduates, from undergraduates to Ph.D graduates, doing very well. Tonight we get a chance to celebrate a lot of grit, a lot of hard work, and wonderful moments of greatness.”

Mark Marten, professor and chair of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, introduced Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering, calling him a “powerhouse,” mentor, teacher, motivator and life coach. “Our honoree is recognized not only for his research and scientific expertise but also for his compassion for his patients, and his determination to pay it forward to the next generation of young scientists,” said Marten.

Today, Dzirasa is an associate professor of psychiatry, behavioral science, neurobiology, and neurosurgery at Duke University School of Medicine. He explains how he grew up in a family that was always “competing with integrity,” which helped shape him into the leader and person he is today. K. Dzirasa, who received the Outstanding Alumnus, Engineering and Information Technology Award, inspired the audience to “see one, do one, teach many.” Dzirasa’s two brothers also graduated from UMBC, including Delali Dzirasa ‘04, computer engineering, who received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the UMBC Alumni Association.

Kate Laskowski ’06, biological sciences and chemistry, the recipient of the Outstanding Alumna, Natural and Mathematical Sciences award was introduced by Jeff Leips, professor of biological sciences. Laskowski is a scientist in the department of biology and ecology of fishes at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany. She explained that her love of science began during the introductory biology course that focused on ecology and evolution that Leips taught, which she guest taught during her time on campus for the Alumni Awards. “Standing in the front of the classroom telling the students about the research that I now do, in the class that actually excited my interest in research was totally surreal,” she said. “It was one of these things that came full circle.”

Laskowski stood out in a class of 350 students, recalled Leips. “She stood out as someone who was very engaged. Her curiosity, her need to know really stood out as an undergraduate,” Leips said. Because of this curiosity, Laskowski was one of the first undergraduate students to work in Leips’ lab, and she laid the groundwork for several Ph.D. and master’s students who came after her.

Kimberly Moffitt, associate professor of American studies, introduced Dennis Williams II ’14, American studies, who received the Outstanding Alumnus, Humanities award. Williams is the head of content marketing for Skillshare, is an Oculus Content Fellow, and was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in 2016. Moffitt said that Williams has “made a career out of storytelling.” Williams uses film to tell compelling stories about his life. “I found myself inspired by his determination, drive, and optimism,” Moffitt shared.

Williams talked about the unknown in life, and how people can thrive during uncertain times by looking inward and building their own paths. “We rarely know what the next step is and we rarely have it all figured out,” he said. “That was the epitome of my time at UMBC. I didn’t have it figured out when I got here.”

Linda Dusman, professor and chair of music, nominated Alejandro Cremaschi ’93, music, for the Outstanding Alumnus, Visual and Performing Arts award. She explained that while Cremaschi was not one of her students, she enjoyed his performance at UMBC earlier in the semester that highlighted Latin American composers, and is inspired by his teaching style. “It was wonderful to see the artistry and pedagogical brilliance of this alumnus,” Dusman said.

He recalls coming to UMBC as an international student from Argentina, and says that he “was very fortunate to find a lot of loving people and friends” at UMBC.

Nancy Miller, professor of public policy, introduced Sylvia Trent-Adams Ph.D. ’06, public policy, saying she is “committed to public service, research, and improving the quality of healthcare for the most vulnerable populations.” Trent-Adams, who received this year’s award for Outstanding Alumna, Social and Behavioral Sciences, currently serves as the Deputy Surgeon General for the United States, and is a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Earlier this year, she served as the acting U.S. Surgeon General.

Trent-Adams said that her passion for helping people, particularly those who are underserved, was one of the reasons that she became a nurse. By working with researchers and individuals in the public health industry, she explained that she has grown and pushed herself past the limits she thought she had, and that UMBC provided a framework to think outside the box. “What UMBC prepared me to do was stretch my knowledge, to put on a different thinking cap about what was possible for a nurse and for a young woman who came from a family with low educational attainment,” she said.

As a student, Steven Storck ’08, mechanical engineering and mathematics, M.S. ’09, mechanical engineering, Ph.D. ’14, mechanical engineering, was very involved with UMBC’s Baja SAE team, serving as team captain. Since graduating, he has led UMBC’s Baja SAE alumni association, said Neil Rothman, professor of practice of mechanical engineering and faculty advisor of the team. Storck, who received the Distinguished Service award, organized the 2015 Baja SAE Maryland event, which brought more than 1,500 students from around the world together in Mechanicsville, Maryland. “His work raised the profile of our university and of our mechanical engineering program, and has given students countless opportunities to develop and showcase their skills,” explained Rothman.

Storck, an additive manufacturing application engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, explained how UMBC enables innovation and how people at UMBC are willing to help make your vision a reality. “UMBC is an environment where each individual can leave their fingerprint on the culture, and really change it and shape it and make it their own,” he said.

Lauren Mazzoli ’15, computer science and mathematics, M.S. ’17, computer science, was in the first cohort of UMBC’s Cyber Scholars program and received the 2017 Rising Star award. Cindy Greenwood, assistant director for the Center for Women in Technology, said that Mazzoli is “a role model for our current students in the Cyber Scholars program, and other women in the field.” As the liaison between CWIT programs and Northrop Grumman, Mazzoli has helped coordinate a range of events to strengthen the relationship between UMBC and Northrop Grumman, explained Greenwood.

Mazzoli’s passion is educating women and children of all backgrounds about the field of cybersecurity. Her work at Northrop Grumman has allowed her to pursue her passion while giving back to UMBC. “UMBC is the house of grit, which means you’re going to work hard,” said Mazzoli. “These faculty members are going to give you a lot of work and they have high standards. It also means that when you find something that you are really passionate about you will have the courage, strive, and strength of character to pursue it.”

The 2017 Outstanding Faculty award was presented to Marc Zupan, associate professor of mechanical engineering. Asynith Palmer ’06, English, who has worked with Zupan to secure funding and design curriculum for the Global Engineering Program, and to infuse elements of the humanities into engineering courses, said she has seen the lengths that Zupan will go to connect students with industry professionals.

“It’s amazing to me how confidently UMBC alumni go around knowing that the world will be changed by their example,” Zupan said. “When you were admitted to UMBC it was because of one simple idiom. You showed promise. As I continue to interact and speak with UMBC alumni, I see that they have promise. You always have promise, you never lose that promise.”

Six current undergraduate students received scholarships from the UMBC Alumni Association. The scholarships will support Melanie Biddinger ’17, psychology; Matthew Bleakney ’18, mechanical engineering; Jeffrey Carr ’19, interdisciplinary studies; Daniel Gallagher, III ’18, information systems and music technology; Hannah Kiesel ’18, computer science; and Iman Said ’18, psychology, as they pursue internships, research opportunities and a range of courses.  

Each award recipient shared how they use their passions to give back to the UMBC community. “You see this great cadre of people who represent the best of our university, the best of our country and the best of humankind. They are solving the problems of humankind,” said Hrabowski. “This is by far the best of UMBC.”

Banner image: The 2017 Alumni Award recipients. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Natacha Ngea
B.S., Computer Engineering
Hometown: Yaounde, Cameroon
Plans: Software engineer, Harris Corporation

I have had multiple mentors and coaches at UMBC. Their support and feedback have been invaluable in succeeding and building my brand, and to find my voice.

When Natacha Ngea transferred to UMBC from Howard Community College, she knew that she wanted to pursue a degree in computer engineering and she hit the ground running. She became involved with the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) as T-SITE Scholar. She also received a Returning Women Student Scholarship through UMBC’s Women’s Center, as well as a First Generation scholarship through the McNair Scholars Program, and Society of Women Engineers scholarship.

Ngea particularly credits relationships she developed through CWIT, the Women’s Center, and the Division of Information Technology, as an intern, for helping her access networking opportunities and resources that supported her success.

Ngea pursued a number of exceptional experiences during her time at UMBC. She earned a scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing, which inspired her to persevere through the challenges of completing her degree as one of few returning women students of color in a computing field. Through attending the conference, she secured an opportunity to intern at IBM in summer 2016.

After taking a course with Tammy Henderson, lecturer of Africana Studies, Ngea was inspired to become a mentor to fellow UMBC students, sharing knowledge gleaned from conferences and workshops, including the National Society of Black Engineers Convention. She also enjoyed working directly with low-income high school students, helping them to prepare for the SATs, and connected with fellow students through the Catholic Retrievers, Jubilee Choir, and Gospel Choir.

Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Gabrielle Salib
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies (Human-Centered Computing)
Hometown: Millersville, Maryland
Plans: Ph.D., Drexel University

Throughout my four years at UMBC, I constantly met new people who inspired me to learn more and challenge myself to be a stronger student and a more empathetic citizen of our larger communities.The beauty of UMBC is that each personal community is celebrated within the larger entity and we’re a stronger university in simply being ourselves.

As president of the Computer Science Education Club, Gabrielle Salib led UMBC’s first Hour of Code event to celebrate National Computer Science Education Week. With support from Marie desJardins, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and professor of computer science and electrical engineering, the Hour of Code brought middle school girls from Baltimore City to UMBC for hands-on activities involving circuits and coding.

Salib enjoyed seeing UMBC faculty, staff, students, and community members come together through the event, to explore, learn, and share new experiences, and it inspired her to develop new collaborations and programing focused on diversity in tech. With the Center for Women in Technology, for example, Salib organized a screening and discussion of “CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap in Computer Science.”

Salib’s interest in the intersections of computing, education, and diversity let her to develop her own interdisciplinary studies (INDS) major in human-centered computing. She conducted research with Amy Hurst, associate professor of information systems, in the Prototyping and Design Lab, culminating in a capstone project on Female Engagement in Technically-Oriented Spaces, funded by NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program.

The INDS department has awarded Salib the Zainab Damji Memorial Award for demonstrating leadership, service, and courage on the path to pursuing a career in education. In the fall, she will begin a Ph.D. program in human-centered computing at Drexel University with a focus on child-computer interaction, designing technology that holistically supports child development.

Photos by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Lee Blaney, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, has received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on contaminants of emerging concern and their effects on the environment. The grant, totaling $500,000 over five years, will support Blaney’s research on pharmaceuticals, hormones, and personal care products in the local Gwynns Falls watershed.

“We congratulate Dr. Blaney on his NSF CAREER Award, a recognition of his commitment to impacting and engaging the UMBC and greater Baltimore communities through his research and teaching,” said Karl V. Steiner, vice president for research.

Contaminants of emerging concern include pharmaceuticals and personal care products, such as antibiotics, hormones, sunscreens, and fragrances. Sewer leaks can introduce these everyday chemicals to urban streams, contaminating the environment. Recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave wastewater systems in the U.S. a grade of “D.” Blaney explains that it is crucial for these systems to be upgraded to maintain water quality and protect the environment.

Blaney will work alongside the Baltimore Department of Public Works and other stakeholders in the Gwynns Falls watershed to complete his research and put his findings into action. He explains, “This project has a strong potential for broader impacts. It will provide a wealth of information on the occurrence and effects of contaminants of emerging concern in our local environment that can be extrapolated to other urban systems around the world.”

Blaney will use screening tools that identify the presence of wastewater in urban streams to locate sewer leaks that may be adversely affecting streamwater quality and that require repair. In waterways affected by wastewater, contaminants of emerging concern have already been detected in the tissue of both vertebrates and invertebrates, highlighting potential concerns to human and ecological health through antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, and other toxicity mechanisms.

This CAREER award also recognizes Blaney’s commitment to increasing the number of women and underrepresented minority students in environmental engineering research through collaboration with UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology, Meyerhoff Scholars Program, STEM BUILD Program, and programs supporting community college alumni completing their undergraduate degrees at UMBC. In addition, Blaney will develop and launch a citizen science program in Baltimore City to increase opportunities for community members to connect with their environment, collect important environmental data, and increase their scientific literacy.

“I cherish the role of teacher-scholar, and I am honored to receive the CAREER Award,” Blaney says. “This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication that I bring to work everyday. The CAREER Award reinforces my approach and will allow me to continue to integrate my research and teaching programs in new and exciting ways.”

UMBC faculty have received 34 NSF CAREER awards since 1995 across a number of fields, including engineering, physics, information systems, and computer science.

Header image: Lee Blaney. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

More than 500 kids, ages 9-14, on 72 teams gathered at UMBC on Saturday, February 25 to participate in the Maryland State FIRST LEGO League Championship tournament, completing a set of challenges designed to showcase their innovation and creativity. The event also drew hundreds of spectators and volunteers, including UMBC faculty, staff, and students, particularly from the mechanical engineering department, Center for Women in Technology, and Meyerhoff Scholars Program.

During the morning portion of the tournament, the teams presented solutions that they began working on in August to the judges. Each team was tasked with developing an innovative solution related to the overarching tournament theme: animal allies. The teams also continued to modify and practice with their robots, in preparation for the championship’s signature event, held in the afternoon. Before long, the Robot Challenge matches were underway, with teams guiding their robots through a series of missions with different difficulty levels and point values.

The White Tailed Paradox team from Chapelgate Christian Academy in Marriottsville, MD, took home the top prize at the championship and reflected, “Once you are a team, anything is possible if you work hard and believe in what you are doing.” The also shared how much they enjoyed the opportunity to meet teams from across Maryland—kids from different parts of the state who share their interest in robotics.

Both of these values—believing in the power and tenacity of teamwork, and appreciating every chance to connect with like-minded friends of different backgrounds—are central to UMBC’s vision and reputation, and, organizers suggest, reflect what draws participants and spectators to the event at UMBC each year.

“UMBC is known for its exceptional STEM programs,” said Jamie Gurganus, associate director of engineering education initiatives, and instructor of mechanical engineering. “This event represents our commitment to increase STEM diversity bringing together the university’s partnerships in K-12 and industry.”

“UMBC has always considered community involvement to be a cornerstone of the institution,” Gurganus explained. “This is a wonderful opportunity for UMBC community members to build relationships with each other, give back, and help encourage the next generation of students.”

The White Tailed Paradox team will compete in the world championship in St. Louis next month, against teams from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Northrop Grumman has sponsored the FIRST Lego League since 2007.

Banner image: Participants working on their project during the tournament. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

At a time when just 12 percent of information security analysts are black, Hispanic or Asian, and only 20 percent of information security analysts are women, successful student support programs like UMBC’s Cyber Scholars are poised to make a major impact on the field, suggests a new article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The article focuses on this UMBC program as a model for increasing diversity in cyber-related fields through supporting the success of women and underrepresented minority students in cybersecurity, including providing them with opportunities to expand their professional networks.

The UMBC Cyber Scholars program currently includes 40 scholars and 10 associates, and over 97 percent of the scholars and associates in the program have graduated in their intended major, or are pursuing degrees in computer science, computer engineering or information systems, said Cindy Greenwood, assistant director of the program. Of those participating students, 53 percent are women and 40 percent are underrepresented minorities, in stark contrast to national averages for information security professions.

The Cyber Scholars program stands out in higher education because of the variety of elements offered to students, explained Anupam Joshi, professor and chair of computer science and electrical engineering, and director of the Center for Cybersecurity at UMBC. “Many other programs only focus on imparting technology training in cybersecurity,” he said. “Our program is part of formal degree requirements in computer science, computer engineering and information systems” and students can take a broad range of elective courses, which, Joshi noted, “mix instruction in the theory with hands-on projects.”

Each week, Joshi explained, the students in the Cyber Scholars program hear from industry leaders and government officials on topics such as professional development and technical aspects of the field. “They also conduct peer-led workshops in cybersecurity and work with faculty in research labs,” he added. “They are encouraged to do internships in the industry multiple times and get security clearances in the process.”

Alejandra Diaz ‘17, computer science, has been involved with the Cyber Scholars program since she was a freshman at UMBC, and described how the program has helped her grow and access new opportunities. After she met with UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman, Diaz interviewed for an internship with Northrop Grumman. Diaz has now interned twice with Northrop Grumman and plans to return to the company before pursuing her master’s degree.

Read “Programs Aim to Open Doors to Diversity in Cybersecurity” in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

Images: The ITE building at UMBC (top), and Alejandra Diaz, left, with fellow Cyber Scholars (bottom). Header photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC, and photo within story by Cindy Greenwood. 

The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has published a new article by UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and Peter Henderson, senior advisor to the president, emphasizing the need for more scientists from underrepresented minority groups in research and health careers. The piece also details how UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program serves as a gold-standard model in addressing this national need.

Recent AAMC data reveal that UMBC is the #1 producer of African American undergraduates who go on to enroll in M.D./Ph.D. programs, and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program is a major factor in that achievement. Meyerhoff alumni are more than five times as likely to graduate from or be enrolled in a STEM Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. program as students who were accepted to the program but chose not to attend, say Pres. Hrabowski and Henderson.

“Our program is successful in part because of its core principle,” they suggest. “The university is responsible for supporting student success, not weeding students out.”

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program emphasizes mentorship, student research, and a sense of community, while also providing financial support. “These components help students develop a vision of themselves based on high expectations,” the authors explain.

The program invites applicants from all underrepresented groups in STEM, including low-income and first-generation college students. Among over 1,000 Meyerhoff alumni are more than 230 who have already completed Ph.D.s.

Program alumni include people like Kafui Dzirasa ’01, chemical engineering, now an assistant professor at Duke University and recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Obama. Dzirasa will return to UMBC February 20 to kick off Engineers Week, along with his brother Delali Dzirasa ’04, computer engineering, a Meyerhoff alumnus whose cybersecurity company, housed in the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, was named 2016 Design/Development Firm of the Year at Baltimore Innovation Week.

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program has also increasingly had an impact beyond the students it touches directly. A 2011 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that two-thirds of all students left a STEM major within the first two years, even if they were high achievers previously. With this knowledge in mind, UMBC has created a range of new student programs that offer supports found to be successful in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program to students across populations and disciplines, from the Center for Women in Technology Scholars to UMBC’s intensive, research-driven version of the national MARC U*STAR Scholars program.

Recently, STEM BUILD launched at UMBC with an $18 million grant from the NIH. The initiative’s motto? “Think 500, not 50.” Beyond being a program that offers student support, BUILD is a research study working to create a model for universities to provide comprehensive support on a large scale without requiring a high level of additional resources.

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program has also served as a model to other institutions. Penn State and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill have been working since 2014 to adapt the program to their universities, through support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Michael Summers, Robert E. Meyerhoff Chair for Excellence in Research and Mentoring and University Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, has played a major role in this expansion of the vision for the scholars program, and he’s driven by the massive societal impacts he believes it can achieve.

“Significant racial/ethnic health disparities persist,” Summers says, “and African American research scientists are the ones most likely to tackle diseases that disproportionately affect the black community.”

“The ultimate goal,” write Pres. Hrabowski and Henderson, in their AAMC article, “is to help these students eventually improve the health of African American and other minority communities, as well as the nation as a whole.”

Read “How undergraduate programs can boost minority success in medical school.”

Image: President Hrabowski talks with a UMBC student in the Retriever Learning Center; photo Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

The Baltimore Sun’s new education section focuses on the impact of UMBC programs that enable students to apply their knowledge from the classroom to action in communities on issues that matter to them. Highlighted programs include the newly launched Grand Challenge Scholars Program, the Center for Women in Technology Scholars Program, BreakingGround, and Prove It!, an initiative of UMBC’s Student Government Association.

The Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP), featured in a large, full-color cover photo, encourages students to look at the world broadly and work collaboratively across disciplines to address issues of global concern. The first cohort, announced this fall, includes 17 students from across all three UMBC colleges, who work together to explore 14 areas of concern noted by the National Academy of Engineering, from sustainability and security to public health.

Toluwanimi Bello ‘17, chemical engineering, a GCSP student, became interested in the program because of the problems he saw in Nigeria, where he is from. “There aren’t many people thinking about alternative energy sources or recycling in Nigeria,” he said. “Things like that inspired me to join the program to make changes in the world.”

The program is structured in a way that encourages students to pursue their passions. “Each student gets to tailor the program to his or her own interest,” explains Marie desJardins, associate dean in the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT), professor of computer science, and director of the GCSP. Initially, Bello chose to focus on the environmental sustainability, but is also working on the personalized medicine challenge because of his interested in developing a cure for diabetes.

The GCSP “embodies what the university is all about,” says desJardins.

The Center for Women in Technology focuses on cultivating a supportive peer group committed to the success of women in computing, engineering, and other tech-oriented careers, where they remain notably underrepresented. “At its heart it’s a community of women in computing and engineering,” explained Penny Rheingans, professor of computer science, and director of CWIT.

CWIT scholar Sara Masoudi ‘18, computer science, explained how CWIT serves as a support system for her. “CWIT has…eased my concerns time after time. Its support—both academically and mentally—is extremely important during the volatile college years,” she said.

“CWIT is unique” even among similar support programs for students, said Rheingans. “I have not seen anything like it. Programs [elsewhere] seem ad hoc or like a club. But CWIT is a program created with intentionality and pieces that fit together. During the last eight years, we have built structure, activities and seminars at touch points.”

Without CWIT, Masoudi is not sure she would have had the great opportunities to expand her skills and work with industry leaders. “CWIT has changed my life. Without it, I wouldn’t be attending UMBC. I wouldn’t have spent my summer interning at Microsoft. It’s an A-plus community to lean on. CWIT truly teaching us how to success.”

UMBC is a “hub of diversity and commitment,” said David Hoffman, assistant director of student life for civic agency. “We are preparing students to change the world for the better by teaching them to think critically and envision themselves a co-creators of community. That starts with the campus community.”

BreakingGround is one major initiative Hoffman is passionate about—a campus-wide movement to support this kind of empowerment and make more visible existing civic engagement efforts. One example of an existing project now seen as a model for how community co-creation can work is UMBC’s Prove It! competition, which enables students to compete for significant funding for innovative ideas on how to better the UMBC community through a project of articulating and clearly planning out how those ideas would be executed with campus partners.

“Being actively involved and trying to get others to be involved aligns with the university’s vision to encourage students to practice social responsibility and civic engagement,” said Bentley Corbett-Wilson ‘17, music education, president of the Student Government Association at UMBC.

“Serving this community as a student leader inspires me to want to serve whatever community I will be a part of in the future, in addition to whatever career I may be in, which is hopefully being a teacher,” he told the Sun. “I will use my passion for engagement to try to inspire my students to be engaged in their communities, so that they can be further prepared to be engaged citizens once they matriculate into the workforce as well.”

Read the full articles “Students Taking the Initiative,” “Unique Student Groups Make the Grade,” and “Life Skills” in The Baltimore Sun.

Image: The Commons. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.