Since 1989, the University of Minnesota LSSURP has overseen and coordinated several life sciences programs. The programs begin with a joint orientation weekend, followed by participation in a 10-week research project under the direction of a University of Minnesota faculty mentor and numerous special activities focused on professional development as well as social interaction. The summer research experience concludes with a poster symposium and banquet in August.

LSSURP has given students that have been underrepresented in the life sciences the experience and training that enhances their ability to pursue a career in research. This represents a long-standing commitment to increasing the impact and quality of life science research at the University of Minnesota, which is strengthened when there is diversity in our faculty and students. We strongly encourage students whose backgrounds encompass diversity in culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, and economic background to apply for our summer research positions.

Program Dates:  May 29 - August 9, 2014*

* The application for Summer 2014 is available now.

CSEE Ph.D. student Omar Shehab received a travel grant to present his research, UNKNOTTING as a k-local Hamiltonian problem, at the 2014 Quantum Information Processing conference, which will be held early in February in Barcelona, Spain. Later in February he will also attend the Workshop on Quantum Games and Protocols at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, UC Berkeley.

Omar’s research include adiabatic quantum Hamiltonian complexity, quantum computational simulation of topology and use of quantum optics to understand device independent cryptography. His work on quantum computing is done in collaboration with his mentor, CSEE Professor Samuel Lomonaco.

UMBC’s Mobile Pervasive and Sensor Systems Laboratory is looking for subjects who live in Baltimore City to interview for a study about what influences their energy use at home. The study is part of an NSF-sponsored Green Home Study project that aims to make it easier for off-grid and grid-tied home residents to make smart choices about managing energy.

Cybersecurity Research Experience for Undergraduates in Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park

We are looking for Cybersecurity Scholars for the 2014 summer research experience for undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Maryland, College Park.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 14, 2014

The Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland is seeking applications for Scholars to become integral members of team-based research projects in cybersecurity coordinated by faculty in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2). Students majoring in engineering, computer science, math, and physical science are strongly encouraged to apply. View the list of 2014 projects here: http://www.wie.umd.edu/undergrad/cs-scholars/cs2014-projects

Teams conduct research from June 2 through August 1, 2014. The program offers multiple tiers of mentorship and training in team skills and project organization, as well as addressing issues of concern to women and minorities in science and engineering. Each Scholar receives a $4,500 stipend, $300 food allowance, and housing. Funding is available for transportation.

For additional information and to access the online application, please review the Cybersecurity REU website at http://www.wie.umd.edu/undergrad/cs-scholars or contact Cristin Caparotta (contact info below).

This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Clark School of Engineering.

Best Regards,

Cristin Caparotta

Graduate Assistant for Education
Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2)
3400 A.V. Williams Building
(301)-405-6735    
ccapa@umiacs.umd.edu

Rebuilding Manhood is an 11-week group for students who identify as men to explore manhood, masculinity, and other intersecting identities. 

Be a part of a student group seeking to create a new culture through discourse. 
Develop meaningful connections with campus leaders. 
Make a different at UMBC and in society at large. 

Applications can be completed by visiting: http://www.umbc.edu/womenscenter/rebuildingManhood.html

Applications are due Wednesday, Feb 5, 2014. 
(Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis, so don't wait until 2/5 to turn in your application!)

Meetings will take place on Fridays at 2pm in the Women's Center beginning Friday, Feb 7, 2014. (The group does not meet during spring break) 

For more information, contact the Women's Center at womens.center@umbc.edu.

Every January, we as a community acknowledge the need for awareness and education related to stalking. While we often joke about "facebook stalking," the fact is that stalking isn't a joke and can be a very scary experience for victims and their families and friends. Please read the proclamation below for more information.

Additionally, be sure to check out UMBC's Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention website for more information on stalking and other forms of interpersonal violence: www.umbc.edu/rvap or http://umbc.edu/rvap/stalking/ for the direct link to stalking information.

If you need support from campus members related to a stalking incident, please contact a member from the SARVRT team (contact information can be found on the RVAP website).  

For more information from the Stalking Resource Center: http://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center

Presidential Proclamation -- National Stalking Awareness Month, 2014

NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH, 2014

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Each January, we draw attention to a crime that will affect 1 in 6 American women at some point in their lives. Although young women are disproportionately at risk, anyone can be a victim of stalking -- regardless of age, sex, background, or gender identity. While many victims are stalked by ex-partners, sometimes the perpetrators are acquaintances or even strangers. During National Stalking Awareness Month, we extend our support to victims and renew our commitment to holding their stalkers accountable.

Stalkers seek to intimidate their victims through repeated unwanted contact, including harassing phone calls, text messages, or emails. Cyberstalking is increasingly prevalent, with more than one quarter of stalking victims reporting being harassed through the Internet or electronically monitored. Many victims suffer from anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and some are forced to move or change jobs. Stalking all too often goes unreported, yet it also tends to escalate over time, putting victims at risk of sexual assault, physical abuse, or homicide.

My Administration remains dedicated to pursuing justice for victims of stalking and ensuring survivors receive the support they need. Last March, I was proud to sign the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Every time we renew this landmark legislation, we improve it, and this time was no exception. This renewal expanded protections for Native American and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims of stalking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. It amended the Clery Act to require colleges to report crime statistics on stalking, continued to allow relief for immigrant victims, and strengthened support and training programs that have proven effective in helping law enforcement bring offenders to justice.

We also stand behind the tireless advocates who provide essential services to victims. Along with law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, and survivors, these devoted women and men are links in a chain that has made a difference -- one person, one family, one case at a time. This month, let us resolve to strengthen this chain, bring stalkers to justice, and give hope to everyone who has suffered from this crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2014 as National Stalking Awareness Month. I call upon all Americans to recognize the signs of stalking, acknowledge stalking as a serious crime, and urge those affected not to be afraid to speak out or ask for help. Let us also resolve to support victims and survivors, and to create communities that are secure and supportive for all Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/31/presidential-proclamation-national-stalking-awareness-month-2014

Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

Multi-Modal Saliency Fusion for Illustrative Image Enhancement

Christopher J. Morris

10:30-12:30, Wednesday, 15 January 2013, ITE 365 & 352

Digitally manipulated or augmented images are increasingly prevalent. Multisensor systems produce augmented images that integrate data into a single context. Mixed-reality images are generated from insertion of computer generated objects into a natural scene. Digital processing for application-specific tasks (e.g., compression or network transmission) can create images distorted with processing artifacts. Digital image augmentation can lead to the inclusion of artifacts that influence the perception of the image.

Visual cues (e.g., depth or size cues) may no longer be perceptually consistent in an augmented image. A feature deemed important in its local context may no longer be in the broader integrated context. Inserted synthetic objects may not possess the appropriate visual cues for proper perception of the overall scene. Finer cues that distinguish critical features may be lost in compressed images. Enhancing augmented images to add or restore visual cues can improve the image’s perceptibility.

This dissertation presents a framework for illustrating images to enhance critical features. The enhancements improve the perception and comprehension of the augmented image. The framework uses a linear combination of image (2D), surface topology (3D), and task based saliency measures to identify the critical features in the image. The use of multi-modal saliency allows the visualization designer to adjust the definition of critical features based on the attributes of the scene and the task at hand. Upon identification, the features are enhanced using a non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) deferred illustration technique. The enhancements, inspired by an analysis of artists’ techniques, bolster the features’ perceptual cues.

To measure the amount of similar salient features between the enhanced image and the original image, the framework describes the Saliency Similarity Metric (SSM). The SSM is feedback with which to make informed decisions to tune the visualization. The benefits of illustrative enhancement are analyzed using objective and subjective evaluations. Using conventional metrics, illustrative enhancements improve the perceptual image quality of images distorted by noise or compression artifacts. User survey results reveal that enhancements must be carefully applied for perceptual improvement. The framework can be effectively utilized in mobile rendering, augmented reality, and sensor fusion applications.

Committee: Drs. Penny Rheingans (chair), Dan Bailey, Jian Chen, Thomas Jackman (Desert Research Institute), Anupam Joshi and Marc Olano