By Charis Lawson ’20 and Randianne Leyshon ’09

Although still a young university, UMBC has unique long-standing traditions, made especially dear to students and alumni because so many of them were conceived and implemented by students themselves. The engaged student body and alumni eager to reconnect with their alma mater have worked to co-create a community culture that celebrates all Retrievers. Yes, there’s a lot of black and gold involved…but that’s only the tip of the iceberg on how to be a Retriever!

Free Hour

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-1 pm not a single class is in session. However, it would completely miss the mark to assume that nothing happens during this “Free Hour.” These three hour-long blocks are time for community, relaxation, and opportunity. Commuting students, who might not have a chance to engage in campus activities throughout the day, visit clubs. Busy students with hectic schedules might take some time to grab food or rest their eyes. Student organizations use this time to promote their upcoming events and put on attention-grabbing displays in the breezeway. 

“Free Hour” has been a constant fixture in the UMBC academic calendars since 1970. It came into being after the Student Union made the case for the fixed schedule to the Faculty Senate. Despite having to move classes around and the increased lack of classroom space, this has remained an important tradition that gives time for advising opportunities, learning outside the classroom, and self-care. 

Rubbing True Grit’s Nose

While True Grit’s face might be splashed across campus, perhaps the most prominent representation of the university’s mascot is a 500-pound bronze cast sculpture which graces the plaza between the Administration Building and the Retriever Athletic Center. True Grit has a storied history that current students and alumni connect with by rubbing the pup’s now golden nose—often they’ll visit the Chesapeake Bay Retriever statue after Convocation when their academic journeys begin or after Commencement as they enter a new chapter in their lives. His nose also gets a lot of attention during finals, when students make sure to touch him for good luck.

UMBC commissioned artist and alumna Paulette Raye ’87, philosophy, to create the sculpture. Raye modeled her creation after Nitty Gritty, a local champion Chesapeake Bay Retriever. But as for how True Grit got his name? It was the model’s father, True Grit, who offered up a strong and bold moniker that UMBC students felt described their own pluck.

Homecoming

There are few UMBC traditions that encapsulate the Retriever spirit as holistically as Homecoming. Since 1976, Homecoming has been an annual multi-day event with an array of different community-building activities. Throughout the week, the student events board (seb) invites a comedian, a carnival takes place on Erickson field, everyone stops to watch the puppy parade, and fans gather to cheer on our athletic teams. As students, alumni, staff, and their families gather for the “Big Game” there are fun activities like face painting, Retriever-themed freebies, and tailgating on Lot 17 (now known as the Stadium Lot.) 

As the student body evolves, so does Homecoming. In 2005, Thomas Locastro ’12, biological sciences, suggested and organized a community bonfire—which is now a centerpiece event of Homecoming. 

Quadmania

What better way to celebrate the nearing end of the academic year than with a spring fling weekend of fun activities. Hosted entirely by seb, Quadmania features live music (including a major headliner), an outdoor festival, free food, games, and fantastic fun times all weekend long.

Quadmania began in 1981 as a musical concert with food and games on the Quad outside of what is now The Commons—it quickly became a cornerstone UMBC social event for students, alumni, and the surrounding community.

Pangea is another homegrown musical tradition at UMBC. Established in 2015, the Welcome Week event allows cultural student organizations to showcase what they do during the year and recruit new members.

Mysteries about the tunnels 

Winding below campus lays an intricate maze of tunnels. As a freshman, the existence of these tunnels is most likely unknown. However, as time passes and familiarity with the campus grows, so do conversations about the tunnels. Students who have had the opportunity to go down there proudly trade stories cementing the tunnels into Retriever lore. Just as there are hidden entrances into the tunnels in nearly every building, the ways in which you get to go down there are equally diverse and mysterious. 

While the primary use for the tunnels is practical things like fresh airflow to the buildings, there are many other uses that give students an opportunity to explore the expansive halls. Carrying props for a performance happening in PAHB, transporting cumbersome materials needed for an engineering project, or moving all of the necessary materials for a program like Alternative Spring Break may be options to get access to the tunnels. After finally checking the underground tunnels of the to-do list, the only logical next step is to find a way to get invited to the Admin Roof. 

Alma Mater

UMBC’s alma mater debuted in 2006 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary festivities. The tune is American Hymn by Matthias Keller, and the lyrics and arrangement are by Jari Villanueva, former director of UMBC’s pep band. Sung with gusto at Convocation and Commencement, this newer tradition helps create solidarity among current students and alumni.

Midnight breakfast

Right before finals, students step away from their work, push aside their mounting stress, and file towards D-hall (the True Grits dining hall). While D-hall is usually full, nothing compares to the crowds present during Midnight Breakfast. For once, no one seems to mind the winding lines, as students use the time to connect with friends and appreciate the free, all-you-can-eat breakfast. Friends group up to take pictures in the photo booth, tables are cleared to make room for the DJ and a dance floor, individuals draw on the posters covering the tables as they eat. 

Midnight Breakfast, put on by the Residential Student Association usually takes place from 10 pm -2 am. It’s been a tradition valued by students as a time to relieve stress as the semester concludes. Many lucky students even get their hands on a free T-shirt, a staple of many UMBC events. 

Election Extravaganza 

As a school that is known for embracing its “nerdy” culture, it comes as no surprise that UMBC has a tradition surrounding elections. As presidential elections roll around, The Commons is filled with events taking place on all three floors. During Election Night Extravaganza, there are games, stress-relieving activities, a watch party, food, prizes. UMBC pulls out all of the stops to celebrate democracy and civic engagement. 

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life, Student Government Association, and Graduate Student Association all come together to host a  night of community during something that can feel isolating or divisive. Since 2004, through the Election Night Extravaganza, UMBC has been making space for students to get more politically informed, engage in discussions, or simply relax with their friends. 

Officer Chip 

Nothing stops the flow of foot traffic on Academic Row like Officer Chip. With a love for belly rubs, Chip is unlike most campus officials. This pup (in reality a brown lab, and not a Chesapeake Bay Retriever—we don’t hold it against her) was welcomed to campus in 2019 as the 4th university comfort dog in the nation. Officially, her duties include accompanying Sgt. Jamie Cheatem to crisis situations to provide comfort and support. She attends wellness events like lunchtime walks in the RAC and provides stress relief at various finals events. She’s also part of the campus police ride along program.

Although she’s still somewhat new to campus, she’s stolen all our hearts. She’s popular on social media and in person, and has done more than her part to help UMBC maintain community, creating a cozy sense of place on her walks about campus and providing a much needed relief from the stress of living in a pandemic.

*****

All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11, unless otherwise noted.

Life doesn’t pause when classes end and the sun goes down. Instead, students grab a cup of coffee and find a million ways to follow their interests. Whether dancing, studying over pizza, or keeping delicate plants alive in the labs—our campus is abuzz 24/7. We sent staff writer Charis Lawson ’20 and editorial interns Anna Lee ’22 and Eric Widemann ’21 off into the night with UMBC Magazine photographer Marlayna Demond ’11 to explore it all.

Especially in the Dark, UMBC Rolls On
D-Hall Basketball Court

Every evening from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., steady streams of students fill the dining hall at True Grit’s Late Night. Some come strictly for the food, others to socialize. Some come for a study break, others come to study. 

Just outside the dining hall, an entirely different scene presents itself. Playful shouts radiate from the basketball court. As night arrives, so does cool, crisp air—but students have found a way to keep warm by engaging in a hotly contested pick-up basketball game. This happens here almost every night. 

But tonight, something else is particularly eye-catching. Whizzing just above the ground, the wheels of roller skates radiate bright rainbow colors, and laughter and chatter follow the lights much in the way that sound usually follows light.

Maddie Mills-Snyder ’25 and Leah Jupiter ’25 practice their roller skating on the basketball court near True Grit’s.

“I roller skate on campus every single day, as often as I can, sometimes even to or in class,” says Maddie Mills-Snyder ’25, undecided, AKA “Rex” to the thousands of followers of her roller skating-centric Instagram. 

Skating after dark presents a unique opportunity “because that’s when we get to skate to late night with our light-up wheels,” says Mills-Snyder, sharing the court with Leah Jupiter ’25, biology, who loves the energy and cool breezes of nighttime skating. 

The basketball court near True Grit’s is home to all types of sports.

“I love learning new tricks and showing off. I love when people ask us to show them a trick. Rex and I have also created a few dances to popular songs like ‘Bad’ by Michael Jackson,” continues Jupiter. Both love this court but also take advantage of any flat surface, really—the Commons garage, or elsewhere around campus.

Both agreed the best part of skating is the community it brings. So if you’re looking to light up the night on campus, lace up your skates and you’ll be sure to find a welcoming scene.

“I love empowering other skaters,” says Mills-Snyder. 

– Eric Widemann ’21

Run for Your Life
Campus-wide

All across campus, darkness camouflages hoards of young adults chasing one another and defending themselves with Nerf darts and rolled-up socks. If that sounds like a childish game, Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) members would agree with you. HvZ members are not known for taking themselves seriously.

While many members have described HvZ as a glorified game of tag, there is a lot more to it than that, the members explain. “An average mission starts with a briefing where we learn about our mission and what we’re expected to do in order to win. Most people start ‘human’ but some start ‘zombie.’ Humans start strong and more often than not, human victory feels like it’ll be a piece of cake,” notes Henry Denny ’23, mechanical engineering. Usually, the humans have to rethink that sentiment as the hoard of zombies grows.

HvZ has a decade-long legacy on campus, organizing night missions, Saturday games, missions that span across other colleges, and even week-long missions that run 24/7. The result? A tight-knit community like no other. Kyle Mosier ’20, computer science and mathematics, M.S. ’22 computer science talks about how during the pandemic, having a group of friends to eat with several times a day on campus was so important. 

Even after the missions are complete, it doesn’t mean everything is over. They often head over to D-Hall (as their human selves, not their zombie selves) for non-brain-related snacks and to tell stories from the night and club lore, stories that have been passed down from years ago.

– Charis Lawson ’20

Bringing Your A-Game
UMBC Game Room

Whoever controls the playlist in the Game Room has queued a selection of upbeat songs, only rivaled in volume by the smacking of billiard balls and rhythmic bouncing coming from the pingpong tables. 

Tonight, more or less every billiards table is in use, and the pingpong tables are playing host to some intense rallies. Ayush Nigam ’24, computer science, plays pingpong or billiards two to three times a week and enjoys the “dark-ish warm vibe” of the space after hours.

The Game Room offers billiards, pingpong, video games, and other amusements.

Justin Nguyen ’24, biochemistry, is among the gamers, as he is many nights of the week. Around him, enthusiastic players of all sorts blow off steam with their favorite video games or practice their angles on the pool tables.

“Whenever my friends and I come [here], it’s to play pingpong. We love the competitiveness– it gets the blood flowing,” he continues. “I love hanging out with friends.”

– Eric Widemann ’21 

Late Night Pick-Me-Up
UMBC Shuttle Route

Holly Knott clutches the microphone of the CB radio on her shuttle dashboard. “319 BWI 10-8,” Knott says. It’s 6:20 p.m. and the code signals to the others working in the UMBC Transit office that her bus is in service and she is about to start her five-hour shift. 

She’s headed to BWI, a run she completes five times a night. The darkness makes it hard to know how much time has passed sometimes, but she fixes her concentration on the road before her and keeps her eyes wide open. 

“When students get on, I try to turn the music up a little bit for them.” Most nights, Knott is playing 97.1—her favorites include the classics from the ’80s and ’90s and earlier hits from the Temptations. “I tell people I’m a young person with an old soul,” Knott adds with a smile. 

Driver Holly Knott says hello to shuttle riders as she begins the night shift.

“Everybody here is very welcoming,” says Knott, who started at UMBC in August 2021. “The students, they greet you. ‘Have a good day.’ ‘Have a good night.” Some even said, ‘Be careful out there.’” 

Knott looks forward to the day the protective plastic curtain around the driver’s seat can come down and it’s safe to have prolonged conversations with some of the regulars. Until then, she finds other little ways to return the warmth. She welcomes students and makes sure she turns towards them when they board. She tries to make sure to park super close to the curb so that students have easy access to the bus.

Knott enjoys working late at night, but it’s 11:12 pm, so she leisurely drives the bus into its proper parking spot. Once again, she grabs the microphone of her CB radio. “319 BWI 10-7.” she says, indicating that the 319 bus trip to BWI has ended and the bus is no longer in service. 

– Charis Lawson ’20

Making the Rounds
Chester Hall, West Hill Apartments

It’s 10:25 p.m. and Lead Residential Assistant (RA) Hager Younes ’22, biology, is grateful to wrap up her rounds on a quiet note. Anything can happen in this job. But even when it isn’t easy, the bonds she has formed with her residents help her through—just as her former RA did for her. 

When she came to UMBC in 2018 as an out-of-state student, Younes felt isolated from friends, family, and any sense of stability. However, through the efforts of her Erickson Hall RA Princess Sara Njemanze ’21, chemical engineering, Younes soon felt welcomed and part of a community. That is why she works so hard to instill that same sense of community in her residents and her fellow RAs.

Resident Assistant Hager Younes ’22 shares a moment with her residents.

Younes loves getting creative, posting,  “Would you rather?” boards to spark hours-long conversations and organizing an on-going gathering where students drink tea, eat snacks, and just talk. 

“I feel like everyone is so human deprived. People are wanting to come to any and every event.” Younes says, commenting on the sheer turnout of events this semester. One thing that always makes the students happy? Visits from Chip, the campus comfort dog. 

“When she would come through, you could just hear doors opening down the hall.”

– Charis Lawson ’20

Studying Over Sushi
Hissho Sushi, The Commons

Late-night studying means late-night snacking. And while you’ll find students squeezing in cram sessions pretty much everywhere around campus in the wee hours, one newer option is over sashimi and California rolls.

Soft chatter fills the second floor of The Commons, as students share company and a meal with one another. The zesty scent of orange chicken fills the air and the brightly illuminated sushi refrigerator invites in curious students, especially at this hour. While by day The Commons is rather loud, the nighttime calm is the perfect environment to do some studying

Late-night sushi always hits the spot!

“I study late with friends, so it’s definitely become convenient,” says Erin Hamner ’22, geography and environmental science. 

To top it off, the staff here is so friendly—even through the masks, you can make out the smiles. 

– Eric Widemann ’21

Dance Like No One Can See You
University Center Hallway, Ground Level

UMBC’s University Center appears quiet and empty, with students retiring for the night with Chick-fil-A or Starbucks in their hands. But if you listen closely, you’ll hear the faint thump of bass and upbeat hip-hop music emanate from the first floor. Most of the building has gone to sleep, but Major Definition dances on to the beat. 

Major Def’s executive director, Timothy Huynh ’22, computer science, wasn’t sure what dance meant to him when he joined the club. But Huynh’s connection and dedication has since grown, as he now considers dance to be essential to his well-being and weekly schedule.

Major Definition turns up the bass as it takes over a hallway in the UC for a late-night practice session.

Prior to the pandemic, Major Def would meet at the UC three evenings a week. Even after their practices turned virtual, they continued working just as hard to put together concept videos in small teams. While Major Def plans on slowly getting back into the swing of things with the in-person semester, their energy remains just as contagious.

“When you’re really passionate about dance or you’re just looking forward to dancing with each other, the hours really don’t matter because they go by really quickly and you’re not even looking at the time,” says Huynh. 

The club’s practices take place in an uplifting, supportive environment where teammates offer feedback to one another and embrace each other’s unique styles. From quick twists and turns, hand gestures, facial expressions, and smooth movements from head to toe, the dancers are precise and tell stories of their own.

While Major Definition found a way to stay connected virtually during the pandemic, they’re excited to practice in person again.

After practice, dancers form a circle and put their hands in for a chant before dismissal. Later, you might see the team stay back to chat with each other, show off their new choreography, or head out to grab some bubble tea. 

“Even if you don’t see yourself growing in terms of dance, your other teammates can see it. And it’s really beautiful being able to see that progression,” Huynh says.

– Anna Lee ’22

Midnight Melodies
Fine Arts, Room 306

A single voice enchants you. Despite being faint, almost whisked away by the wind, the voice is clear. Another voice joins the first and then another until a whole group of voices are expertly switching from synchronization to harmonization, each moment a new voice coming to the forefront. Sonia Anger ’22, mathematics and psychology, with her clear soprano, blends with the talents around her. 

The Cleftomaniacs made a name for themselves when they placed first in the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinals at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. When Anger got involved with the co-ed performance group her first year at UMBC, the club was the breath of fresh air she needed. 

After a year spent serving with Americorps, Anger felt disconnected from her peers, but from the moment she auditioned, despite her own anxiety, she could see how welcoming and friendly the group was and she wanted to be a part of it. Anger talks about the Cleftomaniacs like the group is her own family. While they spend a lot of time together outside of club activities, performing is her favorite part.

Harmonies blend and echo as the Cleftomaniacs practice their songs in Fine Arts, Room 306

When the group splits up to work on individual voice parts late at night, she frequently finds herself practicing in empty classrooms, hallways, and stairwells of ITE. Afterward, she often walks with her friends to the dorms or Late Night at True Grit’s only to continue singing. 

“We would be singing outside of SUS [Susquehanna dorm] in the middle of December and people would be like, ‘You know you can go inside right?’ but we were stubborn and we just wanted to have fun,” says Anger.

– Charis Lawson ’20

Eyes to the Stars
UMBC Observatory and Lawn

It’s easy in an academic environment to keep your head in a book—or more likely, in front of a screen. The Astronomy Club, however, asks you to look up.

“I love taking walks at night around campus– it is very freeing.” says Tara O’Donnell ’24, physics. As she looked up into the night sky, O’Donnell—president of the Astronomy Club— and fellow members found solace in the vast cosmos. Despite loving the atmosphere of campus at night and the view of the stars and the moon, most of her first year at UMBC was virtual. “My experience was sitting in my room doing classes through Blackboard, so my opportunity to connect more fully with the UMBC community was through the Astronomy Club,” says O’Donnell.

Now the Astronomy Club once again meets in person, and their meetings range from discussing major space news like the Perseverance landing on Mars or making use of the telescope in the observatory on top of the Physics building to playing games like Jeopardy, watching movies, and hosting special guests and debates.

The Astronomy Club has maintained a thriving community. Late into the night, you can find O’Donnell and her friends looking up into the sky contemplating ideas as big as the universe itself. 

– Charis Lawson ’20

Burning the Midnight Oil
Biological Sciences Building, Hua Lu Lab

When the sun has gone down, plants are just as active as they are during the day. Like humans, they have an internal clock that prompts responses to environmental stimuli such as light, temperature, and unwanted visitors like pathogens. If left unaddressed, these pathogens can be detrimental to plant health and reduce crop yield in agricultural fields. In UMBC’s Biological Sciences building, the members of Professor Hua Lu’s lab study the role of the circadian clock in plant defense against these outside invaders.

That explains the brown, cushiony sofa to the side of the room. Because students have had to monitor the plants every four hours for previous projects, Lu’s office has become the go-to snooze spot for overnight stays. Jessica Allison, a graduate student at the Lu lab, even remembers finding a sleeping bag under her desk after joining the team. 

Graduate Jessica Allison tends to the flora in the Hua Lu Lab.

The plants that Allison and the other lab members use in their research, thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), seem to sit peacefully in the large chambers they’re stored in. But much more is happening beneath the surface of these wispy, flowering plants.

For her project, Allison regularly conducts a process called a luminescence assay where 96 thale cress seedlings are first planted into a well plate. The plates are then placed into chambers, where the plants are only exposed to light. Allison finally examines how the absence of dark conditions affects plants’ circadian clocks.

Even after the lab members have gone home, this process continues to run throughout the night. The next day, Allison uses a machine called a plate reader once an hour to check the plates for gene expression patterns—graphs that depict the activity of the plants’ internal clocks.

“We test a lot of genes like that, and we knock out some genes and see if it affects others. We let that run 24/7,” Allison explains.

For now, Allison hasn’t had to stay overnight to check up on the plants on a set schedule. But she expects to be making good use of the couch when the time comes.

– Anna Lee ’22

All-Nighters Welcome
Retriever Learning Center, Albin O. Kuhn Library

At 8 p.m. as the rest of the library closes for the night, students begin heading to the 24/7 Retriever Learning Center (RLC). The white lights of the RLC beam down on notebooks and bright laptop screens. Students clack away at their keyboards and scribble down notes from the formula-ridden whiteboards beside them. Some have earphones in, dedicated to finishing the assignment due at midnight, while others study all night in larger groups to tackle content for an upcoming exam.

Peer through the windows of the Retriever Learning Center, and you’ll see learning happening 24/7.

Among them are information systems majors Ahsan Baig ’24, Devanshi Patel ’24, Emilien Tchuosi ’24, and Nazim Elliott ’22, who are working on a group project for their information systems class. Baig loves the fact that you don’t have to whisper here. The RLC’s whiteboards and portable chairs are also a plus, as the group mentions how practical they are for studying. Tchuosi especially appreciates having a place where she feels compelled to get work done.

“I come here on a daily basis just because it pressures me to study…. So when I come here, I actually study instead of watching YouTube videos,” Tchuosi says, eliciting laughter from her group mates.

Shawn Parker, a building manager at the library, is dedicated to making the RLC more secure and conducive to student learning. With students as a top priority, Parker works to provide accessible furniture and ensure students’ safety within the building. This was also students’ vision for the RLC when plans for an accessible learning space began in 2006. With support from the university, the overnight learning center became a reality. 

Parker hopes that the center can continue equipping students with the resources to collaborate on all sorts of projects. 

“It’s a brighter day for students when they’re listened to and understood. But most importantly, you have to hear what they’re saying to understand what they’re asking for. And that’s what I try to do best,” says Parker. 

– Anna Lee ’22

*****

All photos taken by Marlayna Demond

Graduates of the UMBC College of Engineering and Information Technology and those who now work in the IT field gathered for a networking happy hour this week at Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel. Highlights included a meet and greet with Dr. Keith Bowman, the new dean of the college, as well as plenty of food, drinks and connections with other IT&E Retriever alumni, faculty and staff. The event was sponsored by Raytheon.

Learn more about upcoming alumni events here.

Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Astronaut Scott Kelly Reads The Right Stuff at the Right Time

The path to success isn’t always written in the stars. But, if you’re willing to follow inspiration as it appears, you may just find yourself catapulting beyond your wildest dreams.

For astronaut and best-selling author Scott Kelly — who spent a short time as a Retriever in the 1980s — a small but pivotal spark happened on the UMBC campus. As he describes in his 2017 memoir Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, Kelly happened to notice a copy of The Right Stuff in the window of the campus bookstore, then housed in the University Center. Until that point, he felt directionless, he writes.

“I bought the book and I lay on my unmade dorm room bed reading it for the rest of the day, heart pounding, Tom Wolfe’s hyperactive, looping sentences ringing in my head,” he writes in the book’s prologue. “This wasn’t just an exciting adventure story. This was something more like a life plan.”

Figuring Out Your Direction

The moment changed Kelly’s life forever. Years later, Kelly’s groundbreaking career includes four space flights and the command of a year-long expedition in the International Space Station. Success didn’t happen overnight, though, Kelly explains. You need an incremental plan.

“It was nearly impossible for an 18-year-old me at UMBC to understand the skills required to become an astronaut, but as a test pilot I could imagine the astronaut job, and as a fighter pilot being a test pilot was more realistic,” he says. “Back that up to college and I could understand what it would take to be commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. Small steps add up to a giant leap. Also keep in mind people aren’t going to make your goals happen. You and only you can do that and it takes hard work. There’s no easy path.”

And don’t forget to keep your eyes open. You never know where the spark will hit you.

“Inspiration is critically important,” he says. “For me it came from the book The Right Stuff. You need to find yours.”

— Jenny O’Grady

Header image: Night Earth observation of Japan taken by Expedition 44 crewmember Scott Kelly, with a Soyuz Spacecraft connected to the Mini Research Module 1 (MRM1), and a Progress Spacecraft visible. Courtesy of NASA.

With memories of her mother to guide her, a daughter rides the Atlantic coast to help cure cancer

It’s a crisp April morning as I pedal through Baltimore’s back-roads with a band of strangers, a member of one of five teams that will hug the coast for eight days until we arrive at The Southernmost Point in Key West, Florida. I’m about to ride more than 1,200 miles as part of the annual Key2Key ride to benefit The Ulman Cancer Foundation. I grip the handlebars nervous and excited, keeping pace with the other cyclists and speed past my first home, what was once Wengert’s convenience store, and my elementary school, delighted by the trip down memory lane.

Earlier that morning, as the sun rose across the harbor and lit the Domino Sugar sign with its morning glow, we said goodbye to our loved ones and formed a circle of dedication, holding hands to recount why we chose to ride. I spoke of my mother who died of lung cancer when she was fifty-eight in five and a half short weeks. Each rider’s saga was sad, each true, each heart-breaking–every story different and yet the same–all of us desiring distance from our grief. Now it feels as if my mother is with me again, as I pass cherry blossoms under a canopy of green along the BWI bike trail, but I still don’t know where we’ll stop or how long we’ll ride. This would become one of the many rituals of the Key2Keys. “Trust the process” is our mantra, so I follow the others until our ride ends at Sandy Point Park, thirty-nine miles later. Drenched in sweat, we devour delicious sandwiches, rack our bikes with the assistance of two support drivers, and hop in the vehicle for a night in Virginia Beach.

Our driver is Peter Grant, aka, Sweet Pete, an Ulman alumnus who lost his dear wife Gerry ten years ago, and he is joined by Josh Minton, a young, brave Army officer, forced to an early retirement because of his aggressive cancer. After hearing their stories, I realize it’s the emotional–not the physical– that will exhaust me. I wipe tears away as we pull up to the ocean-front hotel for a hot meal and restful night. I’m handed a key with my roommate assignment and told what to wear and when to show up. It’s a good thing, because I can barely think. Each day we rotate teams and roommates until all of us are one big family, formed under the brilliant direction of Brian Satola, the guy who keeps us on time and in line.

The Ulman Cancer Foundation serves the young adult cancer community, providing resources and funding, and with the new UCF house almost complete, free housing for 300+ patients and their families in the Baltimore area, annually. Each K2K rider commits to a $4500 fundraising minimum and riding 40-60 miles per day. Along our route we visit two cancer treatment centers, bringing care bags filled with toiletries and blankets. The staff and patients are excited to see us and have prepared gifts to us as well, and before we leave, one young woman rings the beautiful bell we have brought to signal her last chemo treatment–a sound I will always remember.

We whip through towns new to me: Moorehead City, NC; Charleston, SC; and Jacksonville, FL. Alligator Alley produces just what one presumes and this is where I pick up my pace as beady eyes peak out of the river. It’s our first warm day after cold, pelting, sideways rain and we are basking like the gators, enjoying the rays, but my body breaks down in Daytona Beach and I toss and turn all night, wondering if I’ll be able to ride in the morning. But Josh is on my team today so I urge myself to push those pedals harder than ever. Before I know it, I’m dining at Boston’s in Delray Beach, the sound of ocean waves soothing my soul.

Key Largo is next, then the glorious seven-mile bridge. Distance no longer matters when we arrive in Key West’s Southernmost Point to cheers and champagne. As Sweet Pete declared at our wrap-up party, a huge smile spread across his face, “The best part is, this is just the beginning.” I couldn’t agree more. My journey began as a grieving daughter, but I’m leaving a grateful mother–with thirty-two new members of family.

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Terri McCubbin Steel ‘12, English, is a writer living and loving Baltimore City. Her work can be found in The Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Style Magazine, Boating Times Magazine and the Welter Journal and this September she will present a panel on writing at Hippocampus Literary Conference in Lancaster, PA.

All photos by Alex Afzali.

Experts from UMBC’s School of Public Policy and Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering work together to understand how local governments practice cybersecurity.

By Donald Norris, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Anupam Joshi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Laura Mateczun, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Tim Finin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

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Within the past few weeks, two large American cities learned that their information systems were hacked. First, Atlanta revealed that it had been the victim of a ransomware attack that took many of the city’s services offline for nearly a week, forcing police to revert to taking written case notes, hampering the Atlanta’s court system and preventing residents from paying water bills online. Then, Baltimore’s 311 and 911 dispatch systems were taken offline for more than 17 hours, forcing dispatchers to log and process requests manually. Both attacks could have been prevented. And they are more evidence of the poor, if not appalling, state of local government cybersecurity in the United States.

We know this because in 2016, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association, we conducted the first-ever nationwide survey of local government cybersecurity. Among other things, the survey data showed just how poorly local governments practice cybersecurity.

Under near-constant attack, but not fully aware

Nearly half – 44 percent – of all the respondents told us they experience cyberattacks at least daily. Based on prior research, we are confident that rate is actually much higher.

The volume of attacks isn’t dropping – and in some cases it’s increasing.

But even so, many communities didn’t know how frequently they are attacked, and most didn’t count or catalog initial attacks – though more than half did track more serious incidents and breaches.

More than half weren’t able to determine who was attacking their systems.

Unprepared to respond, and with not enough support

Certainly, there are local governments that do a commendable job with cybersecurity. If previous research into government information technology systems and electronic government can be a guide, they are most likely larger, more well-funded and more well-managed governments. However, the data from our more recent survey strongly suggest that at least some, and perhaps even a large fraction of, local governments may be unable to respond to electronic intrusions.

In part this is because few local officials are aware of the need for cybersecurity. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents to the survey, who were nearly all information technology or cybersecurity officials, said that top managers understood the need. However, among other groups in local governments, awareness dropped considerably. Perhaps as a result, support for cybersecurity efforts was also not as strong as Atlanta’s and Baltimore’s experiences suggest it should be.

With most local government officials and staff unaware and unsupportive, it is not surprising that cybersecurity is so poor among American local governments. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms admitted that cybersecurity was not a high priority, although “it certainly has gone to the front of the line.”

And yet, crucial barriers remain, largely to do with how much money is allocated to cybersecurity efforts.

Getting more people in the know

If local officials are going to do a better job protecting their information assets, they’ll first need to know a lot more about what’s actually happening. The numbers of survey respondents who answered “Don’t know” to our questions was surprisingly high. No top local officials, whether elected or appointed, should be unaware of basic cybersecurity information, like whether their systems have been attacked or breached, or who’s attacking their systems and why.

Knowing these answers will only become more critical as computing becomes more deeply embedded in systems running “smart” cities. If computers control traffic lights, sewage plants and electrical grids, then the consequence of attacks is more severe than just loss of information or computer services.

Donald Norris, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Anupam Joshi, Oros Family Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Laura Mateczun, Ph.D. Student in Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Tim Finin, Willard and Lillian Hackerman Chair in Engineering and Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Header photo by It Never Ends/Pixabay

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Undergraduate research and creative work at UMBC has grown at a rapid pace over the past decade, but on April 25, April Householder wasn’t just thinking about how URCAD 2018 was the university’s largest yet. She was thinking about the talent, drive, curiosity, and hours upon hours of hard work that went into each project, and what that moment of delivering a talk or performing a dance or screening a film meant to each student presenter.

Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships, shared ahead of URCAD 2018, “I am most proud of the kinds of questions these students are asking in their research and creative work…UMBC undergrads are making change in the world.”

URCAD 2018: Students tackling today’s challenges

Throughout the day, students shared innovative work in venues across the university, including projects to tackle major challenges communities are reckoning with today.

Among the hundreds of student presenters this year were several multi-talented scholar-athletes, such as:

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The Dance Cube featured impactful student performances and presentations:

The large section of the UC Ballroom offered space for student researchers to demo and gaming and other interactive projects, and offer others the chance to play them and offer feedback. They included:

In addition to featuring the work of UMBC undergraduates, URCAD 2018 also highlighted advice from keynote speaker Isaac Kinde ‘05, biological sciences. Kinde received his M.D./Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 2015 and is now chief science officer for the biotech company PapGene, Inc., which focuses on cancer diagnostics products.

First and foremost, Kinde recommended that students commit early in their careers to pursuing work they are passionate about. “It’s important to think about what you want to do because you’re going to spend a lot of time doing it,” he said. “There’s nothing more valuable than your time.”

Now that more than a decade has passed since his own undergraduate days, Kinde also took a few minutes to reflect on how UMBC has changed and how it has remained the same. “Over the years, it’s been phenomenal to see how UMBC has grown,” he said. But one thing has held constant, Kinde reflected: “UMBC, even from before the first day, has always been about the people.”

At Top:  Emmanuel “Manny” Mones ’19, visual arts, presented “ALT.MASC: Redefining Masculinity through Fashion and Photography.” His project challenges existing models of masculinity characterized by aggression and detachment. Mones instead conceptualizes alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity through fashion and photography, encouraging public discourse on gender, sexuality, and equality. 

URCAD photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.

Aminata Jalloh ’10, American studies, recently published her first children’s book titled The Biggest Little Brother, a story about the complexities of sibling relationships and immigrant families. Here, the first-generation Sierra Leonean-American shares how her time at UMBC shaped her career in teaching and writing for children.

– Allison Cruz ’18

How did your education at UMBC impact your career in teaching and now writing children’s books?

I was always interested in the experiences of first and second generation Americans, so attending UMBC and majoring in American studies was a natural fit. It was an interdisciplinary area of study which allowed me the scope to go both deep and wide on issues of how race, ethnicity, national origin, and class intersect.

I also opted to add an Africana studies minor to further explore the construction of racial identity by and for people of African descent, and how both shapes their experiences. My studies at UMBC gave me the theoretical framework and the language to articulate the unique experiences many people from black immigrant background have.

The Biggest Little Brother is loosely based on your own childhood experiences as a first-generation Sierra Leonean-American. In what ways is this book based on your experiences and in what ways is it a story you created?

I was the first in my family to be born in the United States. When my parents moved to the U.S.  – my father came first and later my mother came – they were unable to bring my sister. Unfortunately, family separation is more common than it should be in immigrant communities. It was through this lens that I wrote The Biggest Little Brother, through this experience of adjusting to a new family member moving in, and the complexities it brings. I also wanted to normalize family structures like my own.

Why did you choose children as your audience for this story? Have you always had a passion to write for children?

After graduating from UMBC, I began my career in education as a classroom teacher for kindergarten to 3rd grade in Washington, D.C.! Many of my students were first- and second-generation Americans from Central America and East and West Africa. I loved teaching reading and wanted to supplement the core curricular materials with stories that not only reflected their own experiences but also provided opportunities to learn about other cultures.

However, there was an absence in children’s literature with immigrant themes, particularly in stories with African lead characters. I struggled to find children’s stories that captured the unique complexities of immigrant families in a way that was authentic, relatable, and enjoyable to read. This absence inspired me to write The Biggest Little Brother because I believe that every child has the right to see themselves in the books they read.

What do you want your child audience to learn from your book, and what lessons should they come away with?

Children’s literature has the remarkable ability to reinforce and change narratives. I hope with The Biggest Little Brother children will see that every family is unique and special and that we are more alike than we are different.

What goals do you have for the future? Would you like to write more children’s books?

Yes, I would love to continue the story of Sowa and his family! Also, I want to continue promoting children’s literature with dynamic African lead characters! I curated a list of really great titles on my website www.readersinspired.com and I post related content on Instagram via www.instagram.com/readersinspired.

Maryland Historical Society’s current exhibition Unscripted Moments: The Life and Photography of Joseph Kohl celebrates “one of Baltimore’s most distinctive and forward-looking photographers,” according to Joe Tropea ’06, history, ’08 M.A. history, Curator of Films & Photographs and Digital Projects Coordinator at MDHS.

The exhibition, on display at MDHS in Baltimore through April 29, features a small sample of the vast body of work Joseph Kohl ’87, visual & performing arts photography, left behind when he tragically died in 2002 at the age of 44 from leukemia. A prolific news and fine arts photographer, Kohl covered Baltimore for a diverse collection of publications in the 1980s and ‘90s – City Paper, Afro-American, Village Voice, Easy Rider, Catholic Review, and Mid-Atlantic Gay Life – capturing spontaneous moments, whether or not he was on assignment. Outside of his journalism beat, he documented Baltimore’s alternative culture including “the city’s erotic sub communities, small venue-rock concerts, and queer nightlife” as the Maryland Historical Society notes in a statement accompanying the exhibition.

Many pictures in the exhibition, mostly in black and white, embody the gritty, quirky, working-class nature of Baltimore, as well as the politics and local celebrities of the age – from former mayor Kurt Schmoke to filmmaker John Waters. Though some seem surprisingly provocative material for a Maryland Historical Society show, they are an important record, says Tropea, calling them “a time capsule from the end of the last century.”

A short documentary film by Tropea (preview below) in also included in the exhibit, weaving an engaging narrative about Kohl and his work through interviews with friends, family, and associates, and additional photographs of Kohl’s not included in the exhibition.
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The MDHS holds approximately 55,000 of Kohl’s negatives and prints, which were acquired in 2003 after a posthumous retrospective exhibition at School 33 Art Center organized by Linda Clark and her late husband, professional photographer Carl Clark. In 2015, MDHS began an enormous undertaking to clean, inventory, rehouse, and conserve the entire collection led. Volunteers from UMBC, Towson and Johns Hopkins were instrumental to efforts to sort and organize the collection and to create the finders guide, said Tropea.

Andrew Holter ’12, English, history, ’17 M.A. history, was one of the volunteers involved in those preservation efforts. In a moving piece about Kohl and his work for the Baltimore Beat, he wrote:

In a place as segregated and traumatized by its own self as Baltimore in 2017, Kohl’s photos leave behind a vision of what it can be to live in a city—even what it might look like in the earliest stages of building what Dr. King called “the beloved community.” Everyone counts in Kohl’s Baltimore. His approach to the city followed the logic of what bell hooks meant when she wrote: “Making the choice to look at images or read about people different from oneself, irrespective of whether those images are positive or negative, opens up the possibility that positive curiosity will be awakened and lead to positive contact.”

Most of the images are undated and little known about those depicted in the images. This is also the case for most of the images on view in the exhibition, though a few of the photographed have been identified by visitors to the museum.

Though Kohl did not graduate until 1987, he was a fixture of UMBC’s photo department from the early 80s while already active as a photojournalist. Tom Beck, Chief Curator, Retired, Affiliate Associate Professor of Art, remembers having him as a student. “He was a very serious, aspiring photojournalist who was committed with his whole being to a future career in the field…When in class, his camera bag was always close at hand for that moment’s notice when he would be called upon to shoot a subject.” Both Beck and visual arts department program specialist Chris Peregoy ’81, visual and performing arts, M.F.A. ’99, IMDA,also recall that Joe photographed for The Retriever in the early ‘80s. “I knew Joe Kohl fairly well…(he) was a great alum and the photo community lost a talented photographer with his passing in 2002,” said Peregoy.

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Unscripted Moments: The Life and Photography of Joseph Kohl will be on display at the Maryland Historical Society at 201 West Monument Street, Baltimore, through April 29. The entire Joseph Kohl Photograph Collection, PP284, will remain at the MDHS in perpetuity.

Congratulations on a terrific season @UMBCAthletics. You made all of Baltimore proud this week.

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 19, 2018

It wasn’t the ending we were rooting for, but you made BMore proud! Can’t wait to host the @UMBC_MBB team at Oriole Park this summer and celebrate your historic season.