Voyages: Chapter Seven

Presenters: Michael Duffy, Christian Price-Burnett
Mentor: Nigel Semaj, Theatre

Special Exhibit, 2 – 2:30 p.m., RAC Upper Track, First Floor

The National Aquarium provides an annual residency wherein local Baltimore artists create a focused performance piece supporting the Aquarium’s mission of awareness and compassion for nature. In collaboration with Submersive Productions, we researched and developed choreography to portray the interaction between flowing water and marine life. We discussed our personal emotional connections to ocean life, participated in guided improvisation exercises, and explored emergent ensemble movement behavior from simple choreographed rules; with this, we developed a vocabulary of movement, both in terms of dance and character physicality. This vocabulary synergized with puppeteering, costumes, projections, and sound to create a cohesive and immersive audience experience. The research culminated in a one-night performance throughout the Aquarium, directly welcoming the audience as part of the experience. We gained exposure to collaborative devising practices, interdisciplinary methods of embodied storytelling, and the unique challenges of site-specific theatre.

This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

UMBC’s Department of Information Technology highlighted the work of two of its student security technicians who have played a critical role in ensuring that UMBC’s digital environment remains safe and uncompromised. They are Grace Robinson and Ouwen Dai, who have served in their DoIT roles during their academic careers and are now taking the next step into the professional world. Both are 2026 graduating CSEE seniors who have followed the cybersecurity track in the Computer Science program.

Read more about Grace and Ouwen and their work in DoIT’s Meet the Seniors Behind UMBC’s Cybersecurity post.

The Indigenous Peoples' Union is hosting a potluck-styled event in celebration of the spring season, the semester reaching its end and of the deep heritages of cuisines familiar to Indigenous communities - appropriately titled "Food Heritages Day."

Thursday, April 30th | 5-7 PM | Center for Well-Being 118

We will be enjoying a variety of dishes and drinks while having enriching discussions about the histories and pathways of different ingredients (wheat, maize, eggs, etc.) in relation to Indigenous peoples globally. For instance, frybread is a staple amongst Northern American Indigenous communities, in spite that wheat is not a native species to the Americas and is intertwined with colonialism, cultural adaptations, and food sovereignty.

Please RSVP by April 28th if you'd like to attend and let us know if you will bring a contribution. The contribution does NOT have to be food/considered Indigenous (we will have some 'Non-Native' dishes as well (ex. Flan)) as we'll be talking about foods and ingredients of all backgrounds and histories. Event is not limited to students. Come with an appetite, a contribution (encouraged), an interest to learn, and a tupperware!

The RSVP form is set to allow edits after you've responded in order to prevent duplicate responses. If you have any questions or inquiries, you can email one of the leads, send a message to one of our socials or email c280@umbc.edu.

• RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/AxKj4Lt45FfCZntv7
• Take a peek at what others are bringing here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/

"He is right; banana trees are not native to our El Salvador. Banana trees were introduced during colonialism between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries in Latin America through the development of plantations. Banana trees are indeed native to the South Pacific and Southeast Asian regions, Yes, under the lens of Western environmentalism, banana trees are an invasive species to my ancestral native lands. However, to us, bananas are not invasive; they are displaced relatives that have adapted well to our climates and are now incorporated into our traditional diets. Ultimately, the kinships and relationships we have developed with them have made them our relatives as well. All I can think of is that, like me and many Indigenous peoples in the diaspora, banana trees have also been displaced. We have been displaced from our native and ancestral lands and forced to adapt to our new environments and form new kinships with our new land." Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti and Binnizá-Zapotec) in Fresh Banana Leaves.

To see the original post, click here. 

Did you see the academy award winning film Sinners?  Come hear Phoenix' critical take on this and more!

Conceptions of Blackness: A Fantastical Re-Imagining of Black Heroism and Villainy

Presenter: Phoenix Gordon
Mentor: Sharon Tran, English

Oral presentation: RAC 106 | 10 – 10:15 a.m.

This study examines constructions of Blackness in relation to pain. I explore how Black heroism is accompanied by pain and whether it is still revolutionary when removed from it. The notion that Black people do not feel pain has been used to justify their dehumanization/villainization. Black presence in White-dominated spaces has birthed many polarizing categorizations of Blackness: “the good” versus “the ghetto”; “not Black enough” versus “Black enough.” Such distinct labels render Blackness only acceptable when gentrified by the removal of pain, and uncouth when backed by the acknowledgement of it. I analyze how Black creatives intervene in these narratives by engaging in textual analysis of historical and contemporary depictions of Blackness, informed by critical race theory, through film, television, and literature. By focusing on Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country (2020), and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025), I consider realist iterations of Black pain and how they are reconstructed through fantastical elements. When coupled with wizardry and vampires, I argue that audiences gain a whole new perspective of understanding Blackness, power, and oppression. These works recreate the Black “hero” and “villain” into multidimensional beings who do not exist solely in hardship, or as victims.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

This Thursday, April 16th at 7:30pm, join this special event to honor Mr. Walter Lomax and the 5 year anniversary of the passing of the Maryland Walter Lomax Act. 
Gathering this event will be Mr. Lomax, elected officials, members of the Maryland state government, and others integral in the passing of the Act which compensates wrongly convicted and incarcerated individuals. 

Presented by the Department of English, The School of Public Policy at UMBC, The Dresher Center for the Humanities, The Shriver Center, the Department of American Studies, and the Department of Political Science.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Location - PAHB 132

7:30-9pm

RSVP at https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/publicpolicy/events/152318

Visualizing Enforcement: ICE Activity and Community Response in Maryland

Presenter: Andrea Quispe, Sondheim Scholar
Mentor: Tamara Bhalla, American Studies

Oral presentation: RAC 230 | 11:40 – 11:55 a.m.

My capstone research and public humanities project in American Studies examines the chronological escalation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Maryland through the creation of a digital timeline. The digital timeline visualizes how enforcement has heightened over the past two years using two forms of public recording: social media and mainstream news media. This presentation examines how social media functions as an information network for the Maryland Latinx community compared to mainstream media news coverage to understand how different platforms decide what counts as urgent and shareable. While mainstream media prioritize large-scale enforcement stories, social media circulates localized warnings and “know your rights” resources. Using content analysis of ten Maryland-based Facebook group posts and three mainstream news coverage sites, this project will uncover the differing criteria and purposes that go into publishing community encounters with ICE. This digital visualization not only brings attention to the ongoing realities of enforcement, but also demonstrates how Maryland communities have responded by creating rapid communication networks to protect one another.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

UMBC’s CSEE department will hold its annual Research Day on Friday, April 17th, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm in University Center 312. It will bring together students, faculty, and staff for a day of presentations, posters, and community engagement.

Three CSEE faculty will present their research:

• Dr. Dong Li, From Everyday Devices to Intelligent Health Sensing, 10:00-10:25 am

• Dr. Ergun Simsek, Dispersion Metrology with Neural Networks, 11:10-11:35 am

• Dr. Tejas Gokhale, Cognitive Vision: Intelligence as Concept Learning, 1:00-1:25 pm

There will be additional talks by CSEE alumna Dr. Janerra Allen and undergraduate, MS, and Ph.D. students, as well as a poster session featuring more than 20 student research posters. Refreshments and lunch will be provided for all attendees. See the full schedule and get more information here, and RSVP if you plan to attend.

Be the Green Dot. Make Our Campus Safer.

A Green Dot is any behavior, choice, or action that promotes safety for everyone and communicates zero tolerance for sexual violence, dating/domestic violence, and stalking.

A Green Dot can look like:

• stepping in during a high-risk situation
• checking on a friend at a party, bar, or social event
• attending a bystander intervention training
• sharing prevention resources on social media
• displaying a prevention poster in your room or organization space
• wearing Green Dot gear and showing your commitment

Participants can earn a Green Dot badge! Electronic badges are credentials that you can attach to LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to show others your commitment to reducing power-based personal violence. 

Your contribution is necessary. Your voice is powerful. Your commitment is our hope.No one has to do everything, but everyone has to do something.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Aircrafts by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at UMBC, Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams

Presenters: Shrikant Bhatnagar, Kalel Kai, Ben Bazarsuren, Daniel Shin, Jonah Malcom, Austin Wagener, Nebiyu Mammo, Murali Indukuri, William Vandenberg

Mentor: Joseph Washington, Mechanical Engineering

Students will display the prototypes of their aircafts on the RAC track throughout the day.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was created to address the absence of a formal aerospace engineering program on campus. Without dedicated coursework in aeronautics, many students had limited ways to explore a field that plays a central role in transportation and national security, and engage in fascinating research. In response, the chapter built an experiential pathway into aerospace through student-led competition teams. At the core of this effort were the Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams, where students took ownership of the full engineering lifecycle. From early design concepts to manufacturing, systems integration, and flight testing, members engaged in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles for international competitions. Students experienced aerospace theory through processes that mirror those used in professional aerospace development. Members strengthened not only their technical abilities, but also their capacity for teamwork, documentation, and leadership under real constraints. Over time, this approach positioned UMBC’s teams as the leading undergraduate-led aerospace competition groups in Maryland, demonstrating how experiential learning can meaningfully expand access to aerospace education.

This work was funded by UMBC SGA, UMBC Mechanical Engineering Department, UMBC COEIT, Northrup Grumman Corporation.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

Art Rysing is this Saturday, 4/18. With now 200+ RSVPs, we can use your help with the day, mostly before the event.  

Doors open just after 12pm, with stations beginning at 1pm.  Stations run 1-3pm. Dr. Sheares Ashby is the lone Guest Speaker scheduled, and will kick off following performances.

Do you like arts & crafts?  Does setting up and/or folding chairs bring you joy?  Are you THE ultimate hype person?  Do you have a good sense of direction?  Is "collecting" one of your talents? Are you a great solutions thinker? Might you like to help the Empanada Lady distribute empanadas? (yes, that's a real task).

If any/many of these answers were "yes," we've got something for you!!!!  Complete the Google Form, Art Rysing 2026 Volunteer & Orientation Sign Up

To get a sense of the event, watch the 2025 HIGHLIGHTS REEL (created by Digital Empath Studio)