Professor Milton Halem receives UMBC Research Faculty Excellence Award

Dr. Milton Halem, Research Professor in the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the UMBC Research Faculty Excellence Award. The award recognizes overall excellence in research, and where appropriate, significant contributions to teaching and service/leadership while at UMBC.

Dr. Halem joined UMBC in 2003, after retiring from a highly successful career at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he still holds an Emeritus position as Chief Information Research Scientist to the Director of the Earth Sciences Directorate.

Upon joining UMBC, Dr. Halem served as the founding Director of UMBC’s Center for Hybrid Multicore Productivity Research (CHMPR) and today continues to serve as the UMBC Site Director for this major NSF-supported multi-institutional center that works closely with government and private sector sponsors in the areas of big-data computation, next generation computing and software tool development.

In 2013, Dr. Halem was instrumental in negotiating and securing a major equipment donation from NASA Goddard that significantly enhanced our high-performance computing capacity through the donation of a 512 -node supercomputer to the UMBC campus.

Dr. Halem’s scholarly achievements include more than 150 scientific publications in the areas of atmospheric and oceanographic sciences and computational and information sciences. He is most noted for his groundbreaking research in simulation studies of space-observing systems and for development of four-dimensional data assimilation for weather and climate prediction.

Over the years, Dr. Halem’s achievements have earned him numerous awards including the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, and NASA’s highest award – the NASA Distinguished Service Medal – in 1996.

Keith J. Bowman, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, comments: “Dr. Halem’s exceptional vision and his unrelenting drive for excellence continue to serve our UMBC community well. His dedication to pushing the scientific and engineering boundaries serves as a model for our campus and beyond.”

Karl V. Steiner, Vice President for Research, adds: “ I could not think of a more deserving member of our UMBC research community to receive this inaugural Research Faculty Excellence Award than Milt Halem. UMBC is the academic home to over 180 Research Faculty who contribute their expertise and personal commitment to making UMBC a destination for cutting-edge research while providing our students with remarkable insights and opportunities. Milt Halem is clearly one the leaders in the field of high-performance computation and his energy and expertise have been a major factor in UMBC being recognized as a major contributor to high performance computation and data analytics.”

Adapted from a news article on the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research site.

The post Prof. Milton Halem receives UMBC Research Faculty Excellence Award appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

We just obtained an exciting Junior Trader position from one of our newest partners, Campbell & Company.

This is a GREAT opportunity for a May or recent graduate.

Full position details can be found below.  If you are interested, apply to position 9298970 in UMBCworks ASAP.  

Junior Trader – North American Shift & Asian Shift Floater
Campbell & Company, a tenured pioneer in absolute return investment management, specializing in trend following and other quantitative strategies, is seeking a detail-oriented Junior Trader to work on the North American shift (Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm) and also provide intermittent coverage for the Asian Trading Desk (Sun-Thu, 6:00pm-2:00am) as coverage needs dictate.
The Junior Trader is responsible for the accurate execution of trades created by Campbell’s proprietary models while striving to add-value through a variety of means.  The Trading department serves the client through best execution practices while adhering to the firm’s policies, goals, legal and regulatory framework.  The Junior Trader will be guided and overseen by team members as their market education grows through coaching and self-education.
 
Key Responsibilities:
Trading – Under the tutelage of the North American and Asian shift Traders (70%)
·         Learn how the Trading desk operates and develop the skills necessary to become a Trader and an integral member of the department
·         Generate and execute model orders utilizing prudent risk management
·         Verify suitability of Trading orders with their corresponding strategy and market characteristic
·         Assess positions and portfolio risk based on market conditions
·         Monitor electronic trading algorithms to ensure proper execution of trades and trouble-shoot problems
·         Determine optimal execution method and route trades appropriately to the market based on benchmark and current market conditions
·         Ensure pre-market trading pre-requisites and processes are completed in preparation of model trading
·         Back-up and support all traders on the desk
 
Market Expertise (20%)
·         Develop market knowledge through continued learning via the Trading department outlets (conferences, bank research reports, Trading counterparties, and general desk experiences)
·         Monitor general market conditions, economic/political news and stock specific events, and compile firm wide End-of-Shift Recap communication
·         Maintain the weekly Counterparty Risk Report
 
Broker / Vendor Relationship (10%)
·         Develop relationships with Campbell’s counterparties
·         Assist in fielding market analysis calls
 
Qualifications:
Required:
·         Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Finance or Economics or equivalent professional experience and training
·         Internship or other experiences that provided knowledge of the financial markets
·         Strong attention to detail required
·         Passion for markets demonstrated by current knowledge and education
·         Strong foundation in Economics for market forecasting and analysis
·         Familiar with basic probability/statistics
·         Proficiency and high comfort level with MS Office (primarily Excel – including the use of macros) and the Windows operating environment
·         Math, verbal, written, and interpersonal skills
·         Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast paced environment
 
Preferred:
·         Basic knowledge of Bloomberg
·         College minor or knowledge of Computer Science
 
Special Working Conditions:
·         The Junior Traders will work the North American shift (Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm) and will provide intermittent coverage for the Asian Trading Desk (Sun-Thu, 6:00pm-2:00am) as coverage needs dictate
·         Staff in Trading Department are considered essential personnel

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 11

We’re hiring for the KickOff Rookie Program, a targeted early career opportunity for students graduating from college between December 2019 and May 2020. The only caveat is these students must have ties to the Baltimore area and be able to get to our offices in Baltimore (we are unable to support housing, although the internship is paid).  

Students can review the posting and apply here: https://career8.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareerpvt?jobId=112010&company=ua&username=&st=8BEE8872A74903C228CB1073E344485E839F992C 

By submitting your application to this posting, you will be considered for all open positions within this category. Specific teams are listed below:

• Finance / Procurement
• Corporate Direct-To-Consumer Operations
• Human Resources
• Global Supply Chain and Operations
• Marketing and Brand
• Technology

All,

Thanks for attending today's event with Drs Rose Yesha and Arrya Gangopadhyay. 

Interested in the accelerated MPS offered in Health IT? Find all the specifics attached in the PPT (download below).

For questions regarding the program, please request info here: http://healthtech.umbc.edu/faculty.php

~ISSA Executive Board

 Harini Narayan is a student intern at the Women’s Center.

My childhood was marked by internal conflict. I struggled to understand my ethnic identity and sexual orientation, all the while facing the usual struggles of adolescence. In intermediate school, I was a self-declared tomboy and made friends mostly with the boys in my class. I identified with them more than the girls, and the validation I received in being “one of the boys” only fueled my need to further distance myself from my own gender. I was proud to say I didn’t wear makeup or wear dresses and loved to brag that I was never so shallow as to have a boyfriend (little did I know there was a very different reason for not wanting to date boys, but that’s a realization I wouldn’t come to for a few years). Thankfully, I grew out of that phase before I became an adult.

In retrospect, I recognize the toxicity of my behavior. I put down other girls to feel better about myself, as if wearing pants instead of a dress somehow made me superior. It’s almost laughable how much I’ve changed, but my childhood personality opens the bigger issue of those who do not change, and enter adulthood as a woman that sets herself apart from the rest of her gender on the sole belief that she is somehow better for not conforming to the societal mold for femininity.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with not being feminine. Toxicity lies in not being able to accept a woman’s personal choice may align with societal norms. For example, I still prefer pants to dresses, but I know there is nothing wrong with dresses. Femininity is not a weakness, but a choice that should be respected. Declaring oneself as “not like other girls” shouldn’t be acceptable, unless the one in question is a) not wholly female-identifying (like genderfluid people), or b) a mermaid, werewolf, or other partially supernatural entity that identifies as female, but not human. Even those two instances, what makes someone “different” from other girls is either not completely identifying as female (hence unlike other girls, because they are not always a girl), or not being fully human-identifying (in this case, the “other” girls are human, and therefore biologically unlike a hybrid species).

Furthermore, toxic gender culture isn’t limited to women; men face the same issue though it’s presented differently. Toxic masculinity takes the form of repressed emotions. It’s hearing “men can’t get raped,” and shaming those who aren’t interested in sex, sports, or beer. It’s assuming a man is gay because he dresses a certain way, or watches certain television shows. It’s microaggressions that people don’t realize they’ve normalized until it’s almost too late.

Toxicity stems from society, but manifests itself within a gender identity group over time.

Internalized misogyny can be blamed on several things, notably the stereotypes surrounding the different ways in which girls present themselves. When a girl grows up hearing she can either be pretty or smart, she is trapped in a binary that restricts her personality. If you want to be smart, no one will find you attractive; but if you want to wear makeup and date, no one will perceive you as intelligent. She can be a Madonna/whore, a domestic goddess, or a bossy spinster—“or” being the operative word. Only one option is acceptable, but still leaves the woman with enough flaws to be criticized by society. The bimbo is an airhead, an object for men’s entertainment; the domestic goddess is submissive and lacks any sort of worldly knowledge; the bossy spinster is a prude that doesn’t know how to have a good time.

What isn’t considered here is how there is no one-size-fits-all for what a “good woman” is. Society wants a woman that is smart, but always yields to men to ensure she never appears more intelligent than them; she must be attractive but can’t flaunt her sexuality or dislike the notion of sex either; and she must be well-versed in domesticity, able to cook, clean, and tend to the family. Unfortunately for those with such counter-intuitive/competing? expectations, this kind of woman does not exist.

Women are powerful, and they are also multifaceted: a single characteristic does not define them. Women know this about themselves, so why do some hold fellow women to a different standard?

This is the power of misogyny in a patriarchal society. Social constructs form barriers on the personalities of women, which is oppressive to its core. To be taken seriously (read: worthy of a man’s approval), women must confine themselves to the task of boosting men’s self-esteem. If you’re a woman reading this, I want you to think about your own experiences in public with men: how many times have you been interrupted by a man in conversation? How many times have you laughed at a joke you found unfunny, or even offensive? How many times have you been cat called on the street? And how many times have you seen men cat called? The first step to breaking free of that is being conscious of any sort of thinking or behavior that demonizes other women for doing something completely unproblematic. Is her makeup messy? That’s okay, because maybe she’s practicing improving her skills or maybe she doesn’t care how others perceive her. Is her outfit totally unflattering to that body shape? That’s none of your business because the clothes aren’t on your body! Being constructive isn’t the same as being judgmental: telling someone she has lipstick on her teeth isn’t the same as pointing out her makeup is cakey. Women need to respect each other and help each other succeed. In a society designed to put women down, we must rely on each other to lift ourselves back up and stand strong.

A chart dictating some examples of gender stereotypes

It’s hard work to filter our thoughts for all of the toxic things we internalize, but we need to recognize that acknowledgement of sexist thoughts is important. Respect is learned, and people can change for the better if they first admit they need to do so. Years ago, I represented everything that is wrong with the ways society views gender toxicity. Now, I can say that I have educated myself and recognize when I’m engaging in toxic behavior. Nobody is perfect or all-knowing, but it is the effort and willingness to be a better person that makes the world a better place.

At the inaugural COEIT Celebration on May 6, 2018, several College-level faculty and staff awards were initiated by COEIT Dean Keith Bowman. We are pleased to announce that the first recipient of the COEIT 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award is CSEE’s Professor of the Practice, Dr. E. F. Charles LaBerge!

As his nomination statement reads,

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. LABERGE!

The post Dr. LaBerge receives inaugural COEIT 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Announcing the URCAD Selfie Contest Winners for 2018!

Best Overall Selfie - Frank Gorelik, with Mentor, Dr. William LaCourse, Joshua Wilhide, laboratory manager of the Molecular Characterization and Analysis Complex at UMBC (and skeleton), “Development of a Method for Quantitating Caffeine in Tea” ($50 gift card to the UMBC bookstore!)

Best Selfie with Presentation - Trevor Pitts, Mai-Han Trinh, Kavita Kumar, with Mentor, Dr. Simon Stacey, “A Behavioral Approach to Measuring Empathy” ($25)

Best Selfie with Mentor - Nida Yousfi, Zachary Pohuski, Hannah Paul, Zulkarnain Choudhury with Mentor, Galina Madjaroff, “Supporting Caregivers and Car Recipients after the Inset of Cognitive Impairment with Home-based Technology” ($25)

Best Selfie with Family Member - Matthew Kane and Mom, “Scratching the Surface of Bahama Oriole Pine Forest Nesting” ($25)

Get your selfie stick ready for next year- URCAD will be on Wednesday, April 24, 2019- See you there!