Standing (left to right) are staff: Igor Epshteyn (Coach), CSEE Professor Alan T. Sherman (Director), Joel DeWyer (Business Manager), GM Sam Palatnik (Coach). Sitting (left to right) are the 2015 A Team players: IM Levan “The Georgian Gangster” Bregadze, GM Niclas “The Dark Knight” Huschenbeth (Captain), GM Tanguy “The Belgium Butcher” Ringoir and Dobrynya Konoplev. Photo by Marlayna Demond.

The UMBC chess teams are preparing for the 2015 Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship which will be hosted by Oberlin College in Cleveland, Ohio on December 27-30. The Pan-Am tournament has been held annually since 1946 and determines the top university chess team in the Americas. UMBC’s chess team has competed in the tournament since 1990 and won or tied for first place ten times, a record only matched by one other college chess team.

UMBC will send a second team to the Pam-Am as well, shown above in a photo by Marlayna Demond.  Its members are Nathaniel Wong, Abhilash Puranik, Jeffrey Carr and Mustapha Diomande.

The top four U.S. schools in the 2015 Pan-Am will advance to the President’s Cup, the Final Four of College Chess, which will take place in spring 2016. The Final Four was started in 2001 and determines the top U.S. college team. UMBC is the only school that has qualified to play in all 15 Final Four tournaments and has won a record six times.

See more pictures of the UMBC chess teams here.

Multiple Tenure-track Faculty Positions Starting Fall 2016

Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC’s Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering invites applications for three tenure-track Assistant Professor positions to begin in Fall 2016. Exceptionally strong candidates for higher ranks may be considered. Applicants must have or be completing a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, have demonstrated the ability to pursue a research program, and have a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Candidates will be expected to build and lead a team of student researchers, obtain external research support and teach both graduate and undergraduate courses.

All areas of specialization will be considered, but we are especially interested in candidates in the following areas: information assurance and cybersecurity; mobile, wearable and IoT systems; big data with an emphasis on machine learning, analytics, and high-performance computing; knowledge and database systems; hardware systems and experimental methods in circuits, devices, VLSI, FPGA, and sensors; cyber-physical systems; low-power systems; biomedical and healthcare systems; and methods and tools for hardware-software co-design.

The CSEE department is energetic, research-oriented and multi-disciplinary with programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Cybersecurity. Our faculty (34 tenure-track, six teaching and 15 research) enjoy collaboration, working across our specializations as well as with colleagues from other STEM, humanities and the arts departments and external partners. We have 1500 undergraduate CS and CE majors and 400 M.S. and Ph.D. students in our CS, CE, EE and Cybersecurity graduate programs. We have awarded 276 PhDs since our establishment in 1986. Our research supported by a growing and diverse portfolio from government and industrial sponsors with over $5M in yearly research expenditures. We work to help new colleagues be successful by providing startup packages, reduced teaching loads and active mentoring.

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. We are dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning. The 2015 US News and World Report Best Colleges report placed UMBC fourth in the Most Innovative National Universities category and sixth in Best Undergraduate Teaching, National Universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education named UMBC as a Great College to Work For, a recognition given to only 86 universities. Our strategic location in the Baltimore-Washington corridor puts us close to many important federal laboratories and agencies and high-tech companies, facilitating interactions, collaboration, and opportunities for sabbaticals and visiting appointments.

UMBC’s campus is located on 500 acres just off I-95 between Baltimore and Washington DC, and less than 10 minutes from the BWI airport and Amtrak station. The campus includes the bwtech@UMBC research and technology park, which has special programs for startups focused on cybersecurity, clean energy, life sciences and training. We are surrounded by one of the greatest concentrations of commercial, cultural and scientific activity in the nation. Located at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore has all the advantages of modern, urban living, including professional sports, major art galleries, theaters and a symphony orchestra. The city’s famous Inner Harbor area is an exciting center for entertainment and commerce. The nation’s capital, Washington, DC, is a great tourist attraction with its historical monuments and museums. Just ten minutes from downtown Baltimore and 30 from the D.C. Beltway, UMBC offers easy access to the region’s resources by car or public transportation.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a brief statement of teaching and research experience and interests, a CV, and three letters of recommendation at Interfolio. Applications received by January 15, 2016 are assured full consideration and those received later will be evaluated as long as the positions remain open. Send questions to Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. and see the CSEE jobs page for more information.

We are committed to inclusive excellence and innovation and welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. UMBC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Multiple Tenure-track Faculty Positions Starting Fall 2016

Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC’s Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering invites applications for three tenure-track Assistant Professor positions to begin in Fall 2016. Exceptionally strong candidates for higher ranks may be considered. Applicants must have or be completing a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, have demonstrated the ability to pursue a research program, and have a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Candidates will be expected to build and lead a team of student researchers, obtain external research support and teach both graduate and undergraduate courses.

All areas of specialization will be considered, but we are especially interested in candidates in the following areas: information assurance and cybersecurity; mobile, wearable and IoT systems; big data with an emphasis on machine learning, analytics, and high-performance computing; knowledge and database systems; hardware systems and experimental methods in circuits, devices, VLSI, FPGA, and sensors; cyber-physical systems; low-power systems; biomedical and healthcare systems; and methods and tools for hardware-software co-design.

The CSEE department is energetic, research-oriented and multi-disciplinary with programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Cybersecurity. Our faculty (34 tenure-track, six teaching and 15 research) enjoy collaboration, working across our specializations as well as with colleagues from other STEM, humanities and the arts departments and external partners. We have 1500 undergraduate CS and CE majors and 400 M.S. and Ph.D. students in our CS, CE, EE and Cybersecurity graduate programs. We have awarded 276 PhDs since our establishment in 1986. Our research supported by a growing and diverse portfolio from government and industrial sponsors with over $5M in yearly research expenditures. We work to help new colleagues be successful by providing startup packages, reduced teaching loads and active mentoring.

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. We are dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning. The 2015 US News and World Report Best Colleges report placed UMBC fourth in the Most Innovative National Universities category and sixth in Best Undergraduate Teaching, National Universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education named UMBC as a Great College to Work For, a recognition given to only 86 universities. Our strategic location in the Baltimore-Washington corridor puts us close to many important federal laboratories and agencies and high-tech companies, facilitating interactions, collaboration, and opportunities for sabbaticals and visiting appointments.

UMBC’s campus is located on 500 acres just off I-95 between Baltimore and Washington DC, and less than 10 minutes from the BWI airport and Amtrak station. The campus includes the bwtech@UMBC research and technology park, which has special programs for startups focused on cybersecurity, clean energy, life sciences and training. We are surrounded by one of the greatest concentrations of commercial, cultural and scientific activity in the nation. Located at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore has all the advantages of modern, urban living, including professional sports, major art galleries, theaters and a symphony orchestra. The city’s famous Inner Harbor area is an exciting center for entertainment and commerce. The nation’s capital, Washington, DC, is a great tourist attraction with its historical monuments and museums. Just ten minutes from downtown Baltimore and 30 from the D.C. Beltway, UMBC offers easy access to the region’s resources by car or public transportation.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a brief statement of teaching and research experience and interests, a CV, and three letters of recommendation at Interfolio. Applications received by January 15, 2016 are assured full consideration and those received later will be evaluated as long as the positions remain open. Send questions to Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. and see the CSEE jobs page for more information.

We are committed to inclusive excellence and innovation and welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. UMBC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Multiple Tenure-track Faculty Positions Starting Fall 2016

Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC’s Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering invites applications for three tenure-track Assistant Professor positions to begin in Fall 2016. Exceptionally strong candidates for higher ranks may be considered. Applicants must have or be completing a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, have demonstrated the ability to pursue a research program, and have a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Candidates will be expected to build and lead a team of student researchers, obtain external research support and teach both graduate and undergraduate courses.

All areas of specialization will be considered, but we are especially interested in candidates in the following areas: information assurance and cybersecurity; mobile, wearable and IoT systems; big data with an emphasis on machine learning, analytics, and high-performance computing; knowledge and database systems; hardware systems and experimental methods in circuits, devices, VLSI, FPGA, and sensors; cyber-physical systems; low-power systems; biomedical and healthcare systems; and methods and tools for hardware-software co-design.

The CSEE department is energetic, research-oriented and multi-disciplinary with programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Cybersecurity. Our faculty (34 tenure-track, six teaching and 15 research) enjoy collaboration, working across our specializations as well as with colleagues from other STEM, humanities and the arts departments and external partners. We have 1500 undergraduate CS and CE majors and 400 M.S. and Ph.D. students in our CS, CE, EE and Cybersecurity graduate programs. We have awarded 276 PhDs since our establishment in 1986. Our research supported by a growing and diverse portfolio from government and industrial sponsors with over $5M in yearly research expenditures. We work to help new colleagues be successful by providing startup packages, reduced teaching loads and active mentoring.

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. We are dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning. The 2015 US News and World Report Best Colleges report placed UMBC fourth in the Most Innovative National Universities category and sixth in Best Undergraduate Teaching, National Universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education named UMBC as a Great College to Work For, a recognition given to only 86 universities. Our strategic location in the Baltimore-Washington corridor puts us close to many important federal laboratories and agencies and high-tech companies, facilitating interactions, collaboration, and opportunities for sabbaticals and visiting appointments.

UMBC’s campus is located on 500 acres just off I-95 between Baltimore and Washington DC, and less than 10 minutes from the BWI airport and Amtrak station. The campus includes the bwtech@UMBC research and technology park, which has special programs for startups focused on cybersecurity, clean energy, life sciences and training. We are surrounded by one of the greatest concentrations of commercial, cultural and scientific activity in the nation. Located at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore has all the advantages of modern, urban living, including professional sports, major art galleries, theaters and a symphony orchestra. The city’s famous Inner Harbor area is an exciting center for entertainment and commerce. The nation’s capital, Washington, DC, is a great tourist attraction with its historical monuments and museums. Just ten minutes from downtown Baltimore and 30 from the D.C. Beltway, UMBC offers easy access to the region’s resources by car or public transportation.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a brief statement of teaching and research experience and interests, a CV, and three letters of recommendation at Interfolio. Applications received by January 15, 2016 are assured full consideration and those received later will be evaluated as long as the positions remain open. Send questions to Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. and see the CSEE jobs page for more information.

We are committed to inclusive excellence and innovation and welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. UMBC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our school work and our daily lives that we totally forget to think about the career we want after we graduate. So it’s really great to have resources that make it super easy and informative to learn more about the industry you’re preparing for. The Career Center at UMBC wants students to have a competitive advantage for having the resources to help them land their dream job, which is why the Career Center provides students with the very helpful, informative and exclusive database Vault.

Vault gives a ton of information about various industries, including an overview of what the industry entails, the background of how it became a profession, the industry outlook of the profession, and even contact information for different organizations in the industry! Their Q&A videos include professionals in various industries that provide very realistic and helpful answers, which can be very encouraging to watch. Usually I have to google several websites to get these details, so it’s super convenient to have it all here. If you already have a pretty good idea of everything your industry entails, Vault also has resources for everything you need to know about applying and interviewing for jobs. They have articles and videos that help you have a strong resume, research for the interview, nail the interview, and even follow-up after the interview. I don’t know about you, but I’m always finding myself to be stressed out about following up with employers after an interview, so I was very excited when I saw this.

The truth is, even if you think you know a lot about the professional world already, you can always benefit from learning more. And this website makes everything straight forward, easy, and even enjoyable to read/watch. Some of my supervisors encouraged me to make a Vault account to learn more about it, and I’m so glad I did. As a Public History graduate student, people are always asking me what Public History is and what I plan on doing with it after I graduate. I’m sure all of you deal with these questions all of the time, and they can be pretty difficult to answer. However, I checked out Vault, and they have so much information on the Museum and Cultural Centers Industry, which is exactly the industry I plan to enter! They even have contact information for museum associations that I didn’t even know about. It also helped a student who came into the Career Center today. He is very interested in getting into Health Care Management but wanted to know the types of positions he should take in his college career to make sure he was getting the experience he needed for this field. We checked the Health Care Management page on Vault and it was extremely helpful for him!

So to make your account:

First enter through this University of Maryland, Baltimore County Exclusive Vault Access Link, register for your own account, and then customize it! You have the ability to let your profile be seen by top employers and recruiters, so I’d keep updating your profile just as you would your resume or your LinkedIn profile! If you want to know more about how to set up your profile or get the most out of your vault account, you can check out their video tutorials here.

Name: Jessica Sprando

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Days End Farm Horse Rescue

Position Title: Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Pre-vet: Biology BS and Psychology BS

Expected Graduation Year: 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

My internship at Days End Farm Horse Rescue allowed me to improve my ground handling skills, practice administering veterinary medicine, and gain a better understanding of equine psychology. Because it is a rescue, day to day tasks are not only the usual barn chores (mucking, feeding, grooming, turnout), but also taking vitals, giving medications, cold-hosing injuries, and wrapping wounds. Interns were given the responsibility of doing these tasks correctly and in a timely manner. We were also able to shadow the vet performing surgery, assessing illnesses, floating teeth, etc.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I used to volunteer at the farm throughout high school, and was familiar with the internship program offered. I always knew that I wanted to apply to be an intern, but was reminded of this when I saw the listing of Days End Farm Internships on the Shriver Center website. The application process included a form to fill out, multiple short answer questions, and an interview. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

My favorite part of the internship was the difference that you can physically see you are making in the lives of formerly abused animals. New horses are brought in with all types of ailments caused by neglect, poor weight scores, and extreme timidity, often a sign of physical abuse. Seeing these horses happy and healthy after months of treatment, they are often unrecognizable as the horses that were brought in. Not only is there a physical transformation, but a psychological one is also tangible. The relationships that you are able to form with these animals as you learn to trust each other is truly amazing.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Throughout this internship, I was able to make a difference in the lives of abused animals by helping them on the path to recovery. Treating illnesses, providing nutritious food to re-establish ideal weight, and teaching animals that humans can be trusted are all ways in which I feel I have made an impact through my work.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Advice I would give to a student hoping to gain a similar experience is to volunteer and get yourself out there in your field of interest. By meeting people with similar interests, I was able to learn about and obtain a great internship. Volunteering is a great way to network because you gain experience in your field, as well as form relationships with people who have the same goals.

Like this story on Facebook or Twitter!

Like the Career Center on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

#UMBCintern

Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

The Transfer Student Network is HIRING!

Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) seeks a group of motivated, intelligent, passionate, hardworking, dedicated, and ethical students to employ as student staff. OCSS student staff will serve as advocates for commuter, transfer, veteran, and adult learner students on the UMBC campus.

The Transfer Student Network (TSN) is a student outreach program sponsored by OCSS. Through a series of workshops and activities, TSN helps new transfer students transition to UMBC and its many resources, connects new and returning students with like interests, and provides a network community for building social and career-minded relationships.

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

Automatic Service Search and Composability
Analysis in Large Scale Service Networks

Yunsu Lee

10:00am Wednesday 25 November 2015, ITE 346, UMBC

Currently, software and hardware system components are trending toward modularized and virtualized as atomic services on the cloud. A number of cloud platforms or marketplaces are available where everybody can provide their system components as services. In this situation, service composition is essential, because the functionalities offered by a single atomic service might not satisfy users’ complex requirements. Since there are already a number of available services and significant increase in the number of new services over time, manual service composition is impractical.

In our research, we propose computer-aided methods to help find and compose appropriate services to fulfill users’ requirement in large scale service network. For this purpose, we explore the following methods. First, we develop a method for formally representing a service in term of composability by considering various functional and non-functional characteristics of services. Second, we develop a method for aiding the development of the reference ontologies that are crucial for representing a service. We explore a bottom-up-based statistical method for the ontology development. Third, we architect a framework that encompasses the reference models, effective strategy, and necessary procedures for the services search and composition. Finally, we develop a graph-based algorithm that is highly specialized for services search and composition. Experimental comparative performance analysis against existing automatic services composition methods is also provided.

Commitee: Drs. Yun Peng (chair), Tim Finin, Yelena Yesha, Milton Halem, Nenad Ivezic (NIST) and Boonserm Kulvatunyou (NIST)