Build a rewarding friendship with UMBC's one and only SUCCESS program.  Flexible schedules with varied levels of commitment available, supported by Best Buddies Maryland, www.bestbuddiesmaryland.org.  This new partnership between SUCCESS and Best Buddies seeks 5-7 more Buddies!

Questions about expectations are welcomed! E-mail Brandy Kaschenbach, bkasche1@umbc.edu, or Saarah Bokari, bo7@umbc.edu, by Friday, October 18th for consideration.  

For more information, please visit

Rebecca Borland

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Studio A101, Globe Dye Works

Location of the Organization (City, State): Philadelphia

Major(s)/Minor(s):  Visual Arts

Expected Graduation Date (Month & Year): 2015

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

I am an intern in the studio of Stacey Lee Webber, an artist in Philadelphia. Her primary medium is metal sculpture, which includes the making of jewelry. As an intern, it is my job to complete assigned projects. So far, I have made all kinds of jewelry out of coins and screws. I have also assisted in the design and construction of lids for a collaboration project with a pottery artist.

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

I've never worked with metals before, so learning an entirely new medium has been a lot of fun.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I've gained experience in an artistic medium that is entirely new to me, and I was able to learn in an incredible environment.

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

If you're looking for any kind of internship, the internet is a great source. For visual arts majors, I suggest visiting art shows (there's one in Baltimore in the spring) where you can meet and speak to artists from all over the country.

How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

Though my concentration is photography, my interests still encompass all of the visual arts. Learning how to sculpt with metal is a skill that I was very eager to learn, particularly because I have numerous sculpture designs floating around in my head. Now that I've learned the different techniques, I can start taking those ideas and making them three dimensional.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process / the Shriver Center:

My internship position gives me an opportunity to learn techniques from a professional artist, while also allowing me to utilize my own experiences and ideas.

UMBC’s intercollegiate Cyber Defense Team (the “CyberDawgs”) once again will be competing in the finals of the Maryland Cyber Challenge (MDC3) taking place on October 9th at the CyberMaryland 2013 conference in Baltimore. All three of UMBC’s teams are in the finals!

Competing against the three CyberDawgs teams will be two teams from UMUC, two from Towson, and one from Indiana Tech.

During the finals, teams will compete in a Capture-The-Flag/King-of-The-Hill hybrid event where they must attempt to gain (and maintain) control of other systems on the network – which are also being targetted by other teams seeking to gain and ‘own’ them as well.

Each member of the first place team will receive a $5,000 cash prize. and members of the second place team each receive $2,000. For the third consecutive year, cash prizes for the students are provided by the National Security Agency in the hopes of furthering students’ cybersecurity education and professional training. (UMBC is a co-founder of MDC3.)

CSEE faculty Richard Forno and Charles Nicholas serve as faculty advisors to the team.

FAQ's: Here are some frequently asked questions about the new MARC Penn Line weekend service.

How many trips will operate on the weekend?
There will be 9 round trips on Saturday and 6 on Sunday.

Will there be weekend service on the Camden Line?
No. Camden Line passengers are welcome to use the new Penn Line service.
 One-way, weekly and monthly tickets on the Camden Line are always
honored on the Penn Line.

Will there be weekend service on the Brunswick Line?
No. Brunswick Line passengers are reminded of the MTA Commuter Bus 201,
which provides 7-day a week, hourly service between Gaithersburg Park
and Ride, Arundle Mills Mall, and BWI Marshall Airport and Rail Station.

Can I use my MARC weekly or monthly pass that I use Monday through Friday for the new weekend service?
Yes! You will need to purchase single ride tickets for anyone in your party
that does not have a MARC pass. Weekly tickets are good for unlimited
use beginning on the Saturday of the designated week until midnight of
the following Friday.

Will select Amtrak trains still honor MARC weekly and monthly tickets on the weekend?
No. MARC tickets will no longer be honored on Amtrak weekend trains.  Funds
used to pay Amtrak for this priviledge have been shifted to pay to
operate the weekend service. 

October is Relationship Violence Awareness Month

For this year's Relationship Violence Awareness Month at UMBC, we're honoring the the experiences and stories of survivors of interpersonal violence through signature events like the Clothesline Project but also focusing on how to create healthy relationships. After all, how can we work to reduce abusive relationships if we're not having conversations about what healthy relationships are?

This October, the Women's Center and University Health Services invite you to join one or more of our many events in recognition of Relationship Violence Awareness Month. Click on the link below to download the calendar of events, workshops and a new video contest. 

Over the summer, Natnael worked in the Transcription Regulation Section of a cancer research lab at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda. He plans to complete his B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2015 and apply for an MD/PhD program or medical school.

What research have you been doing this summer?
I have been working in a lab at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. I specifically work in a Transcription Regulation Section of a cancer research lab at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

How did you find out about this opportunity? Was there a formal application process?
I found about the internship through a friend who interned at NIH a while back and he recommended I apply.

Who did you work with on this project?
I directly work with the PI, Staff Scientist, a Postdoc (my daily supervisor) and a Postbac who actually graduated from UMBC last year.

Was this your first independent research project?
This is my second time in this same lab. I started last summer and they offered me a chance to come back and continue the work this summer.

Do you get course credit for this work or get paid?
Yes, I did get paid for the internship. I don’t know if Prac 98 counts as a credit but I did get that for last summer internship and I will also be getting it for this summer internship as well. I also got a notation on my Official School Transcript.

How much time do you put into it?
On average I put in about 6-8 hours a day for about 6 weeks.

What academic background did you have before you started?
My background is in Biology, Chemistry and Statistics.

How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this summer project?
The first and most important thing I learned is to ask questions about anything I don’t understand or am confused about. I learned I had to put in a good effort and hard work to succeed and get what I wanted from the internship. I also learned to talk to other summer interns and learn and exchange information.

What has been the hardest part about your work this summer?
Some of the scientific experiments I performed are really complex and far from the theories I learned in class. Also, I am not good at networking with different people so I had a bit of a hard time initiating a conversation with people I knew would be helpful.

What was the most unexpected thing?
How helpful and easy to approach people are in research; they are always eager to help as long as you ask for it. Also, the manner in which theories from class apply in a real scenario, it was simply amazing to witness.

How does this research experience relate to your course work?
I am currently in the Bio track of Chemical Engineering at UMBC, so I take Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry classes and this research has helped me understand the things I have learned during my years at UMBC . It has helped cement the concepts I have learned in class.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Start early, prepare a good application. This means getting to know your Professor early at class so you can develop a good relationship and you can get a good recommendation because often times your competition has either as good a GPA as you do or even better, so you need something that can set you apart and recommendation letters are one of those things. Go to the Shriver Center. Find students who have done internships before and ask questions.

What are your career goals?
I plan to complete my B.S in Chemical Engineering and either apply for an MD/PhD program or Medical school.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in AICHE, NSBE, Pre-Med Society and I am also involved in a new organization called “Unite Africa”.

Read his abstract here...

In an internship at Discovery Communications you'll be exposed to all areas of the business through a solid foundation of learning through training and work experience. Discovery is proud to provide interns with an opportunity to gain an understanding of their mission, values, departments, employees, culture and commitment to quality programming, products and services.

For the spring 2014, Discovery's Campus Connect program will run for a 10 week session during the following dates: February 3, 2014 -  April 11, 2014

This is a PAID internship - we do require that interns be enrolled in a university.

Interviewing will take place from the end of October through December. A Campus Connect team member will contact you should your experiences and interests match an open internship position.

For more information, search job number 9260721 in UMBCworks.

Sustainability Outreach and Communications Intern:

Intern will report to Sustainability Coordinator. The position will be 8 hours per week. Hours may vary to accommodate meetings, events, and interviews. Additional tasks may be assigned. Intern must demonstrate evidence of interest and background in sustainability and must feel comfortable reaching out to professionals, peers, and faculty. Intern must be a current UMBC student. Please submit a cover letter detailing: 1) why this position interests you 2) what related skills and experiences you possess 3) any other groups, activities, jobs or time commitments you are currently engaged in by September 26th.

The sustainability outreach and communications intern will assist in developing communication outreach around the following topics in coordination with staff, groups, and committees on campus:

Sustainability Related Accomplishments and Champions

Energy Conservation Efforts

Transportation

Research and Education

Recycling, Waste, and Compost

Search job number 9260919 in UMBCworks.

PepsiCo. will be hosting an invite only recruiting event at their local Pepsi facility on Wednesday, October 9, 2013. The event is geared towards students with interest/experience in sales.  PepsiCo. is considering students with December 2013/May 2014/August 2014 graduation dates.

For more detailed information and to apply search job number 9260710 in UMBCworks.

Why PepsiCo?

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 22 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola – also make hundreds of other enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $65 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also, means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate.