Check out the offerings in Critical Sexuality Studies for Spring 2023 and see the attached flyer for course details!

CSST 210 - Introduction to Critical Sexuality Studies

UMBC Department of Education Research Seminar Series

Interdisciplinary  Research on Cybersecurity Instruction

Dr. Linda Oliva

12-1 pm Nov. 2, 2022, University Center Room 310

We often hear that "networking" is an essential part of starting and growing a career, but it can be hard to know where to start. With both in-person and virtual options it can all feel overwhelming!

For insights into how to develop and grow your professional network, join Assistant Director for Career Development, Stephanie Taylor, today, Tuesday, October 25^th from 12:00-1:00pm for the virtual Keys to Success: "The Circle: Building Relationships that Advance Your Career" session. For more information, click here. 

In preparation for this session, we wanted to share the top 5 questions that we receive related to networking below:

• "What exactly IS networking?" This is a good question! Network is the process of making personal and professional connections that evolve into mutually beneficial relationships over time. Contacts made through networking can often provide referrals to others who can provide job information or leads.
• "Why should I invest time in networking?" Yes, time is a precious commodity and we want to be sure to use it wisely. Establishing a network of professional contacts can give you the inside scoop about a position or company, provide a space to exchange ideas, help you grow your self-confidence, and develop a support network built on long-lasting relationships. All of these can help you save time in the long run when you are looking for that next perfect opportunity.
• "Ok, I'm convinced. But how exactly do I network?" Starting with your existing circle of contacts - family, friends, neighbors, classmates, professors, etc... - is a great way ease into networking. Engaging them in career-focused conversation can lead to interesting information and new discoveries. You may also want to reach out to UMBC alumni in careers of interest through the UMBC alumni group on LinkedIn. Events on campus such as Career Fairs, Career Corners and Employer Information Sessions provide awesome opportunities to grow your network in areas of interest.   
• "So, once I've contacted them, what do I say?" You can start by asking your contact about their career journey or perhaps what they like best about their current role. Engaging someone in an informational interview is a low pressure way to gain information on an industry, company, or job. These short conversations typically last around 20 minutes and can give you insights into a possible career path before you invest your precious time, energy, and money. Retrievers Connect is a great way to set up these informal conversations that can also help you to build communication skills and practice interviewing. Everyone on this platform has an existing connection to UMBC and are happy to connect with fellow Retrievers. Joining campus organizations and professional organizations connected to your major provide a space to start conversations with people with shared interests.
• "I just had the greatest conversation! So, now what do I do?" Follow-up is an important part to strengthen the relationship with a contact you have just met. Keeping in touch - even just to say Hi!  - keeps the relationship warm and can make it easier if you need to ask for something, like a recommendation, in the future. Continue to cultivate your network through reaching out to new contacts - either in-person or online through LinkedIn or Retrievers Connect!

While networking can feel daunting, we hope that sharing the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions can help you find a good starting point that works for you. Additionally, online career resource, Firsthand, has a video with the top 5 tips for networking. Check it out here.

Please feel free to check out some of our additional networking resources on the Career Center website or stopping by our offices on the 2^nd floor of the Math and Psychology building. We hope to see you soon!

From October 22nd until October 26 with its peak day and main celebration on October 24th, 2022, Diwali is celebrated both religiously and culturally worldwide.

Also known as “The Festival of Lights”, Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil with family gatherings, colorful lights, and fireworks. With the use of “diyas” (lamps), households are all decorated in this celebration.

Diwali is primarily celebrated by those of Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths, with a large cultural celebration by people throughout the world. Along with the light of diyas, fireworks are set off on the night of Diwali as a representation to ward off evil spirits. Family is another large aspect of Diwali with the gathering of loved ones while eating sweets and other foods.

Traditions of Diwali can be found here.

All from i3b are wishing that Diwali brings warmth and peace.

Have a joyful Diwali!   

CSEE faculty forming site to join the NSF BRAIN national center for neurotechnologies

 

Age-related diseases and neurological disorders, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury, can have debilitating effects on cognitive-motor function, significantly decreasing the quality and length of life. There is a critical need for new technologies to better address the care and rehabilitation of these disorders. 

However, innovation in these neurotechnologies faces many challenges: slow evaluation rate compared to their rapid invention, insufficient standards for safety, efficacy, and long-term reliability, long time-to-market delays, and affordability. To address these problems, UMBC has partnered with the University of Houston and Arizona State University to propose a new site to join a multi-institution Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Building Reliable Advances and Innovation in Neurotechnology (BRAIN).

With the support of an NSF IUCRC planning grant, CSEE Professor Ramana Vinjamuri is working to establish the UMBC site to be part of the larger BRAIN effort. His vision is for an East Coast BRAIN research hub that will develop technologies that can help scientists better understand the nervous system and aid people with disabilities. In proposing UMBC as a future BRAIN site, he hopes to connect with industry, medical centers, and government agencies specifically seeking to accelerate neurotechnology research. 

Neurotechnology is a broad discipline that includes everything from methods for measuring brain activity to tools for analyzing clinical data to human-centered computing, the focus of Vinjamuri's research. The proposed UMBC BRAIN site will have five research themes:

• Cyber human systems, led by Ramana Vinjamuri, director of the Vinjamuri Lab;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning, led by Nilanjan Banerjee, head of the Mobile, Pervasive, and Sensor Systems Lab;
• Neural signal processing, co-led by distinguished university professor Tulay Adali, who leads the Machine Learning for Signal Processing Lab and Seung-Jun Kim, who heads the Signal Processing and Smart Systems Lab;
• Neural imaging and stimulation, led by Fow-Sen Choa, head of the Choa Lab; and 
• Virtual/augmented/mixed reality, led by Don Engel, director of the Assistive Visualization and Artificial Intelligence Lab.

As an initial step in joining the BRAIN research center, UMBC and Georgia Tech held an NSF IUCRC planning meeting in September for the proposed site addition. NSF program directors and evaluators attended the meeting, along with current BRAIN center directors and partners, prospective collaborators from industry and universities, and UMBC administrators, faculty, and students.

Current CSEE chair Anupam Joshi and  acting-chair Mohamed Younis expressed strong support for the proposal:

"We're delighted to bring together our significant activities in brain research, spanning areas in EE, CE, and CS -- from electronics to signals to systems to software -- to work with the BRAIN center to address the significant challenges in this area. UMBC knows the power of industry, government, and academia coming together in I/UCRCs to create new research and a diverse workforce to address critical national challenges."

"I am delighted that with the new BRAIN Center, UMBC will be joining a second national IUCRC consortium. My appreciation to Ramana Vinjamuri for his leadership and congratulations to the entire UMBC team on joining this exciting, new consortium."