Are you looking for a way to get involved in the community with other UMBC students?  

The MS SWIM program is a great place to get involved! 

The MS SWIM program uses aquatherapy and other exercises to assists adults with Multiple Sclerosis at the Catonsville YMCA.  

We are currently looking for volunteers from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Fridays. Transportation is provided.  You will also receive a service-learning notation on your transcript!  

If you would like more information, email wlucas@umbc.edu or call The Shriver Center at 410-455-2493 and tell them that you're interested!

ACM Tech Talk

Studying Internet Latency via TCP Queries to DNS

Dr. Yannis Labrou
Principal Data Architect, Verisign

1:30-2:30pm Friday, 27 February 2015, ITE 456, UMBC

Every day Verisign processes upwards of 100 billion authoritative DNS requests for .COM and .NET from all corners of the earth. The vast majority of these requests are via the UDP protocol. Because UDP is connectionless, it is impossible to passively estimate the latency of the UDP-based requests. A very small percentage of these requests though, are over TCP, thus providing the means to estimate the latency of specific requests and paths for a subset of the hosts that interact with Verisign’s network infrastructure.

In this work, we combine this relatively small number of datapoints from TCP (on the order of a few hundred million per day) with the much larger dataset of all DNS requests. Our focus is the process of data analysis of real world, imperfect data at very large scale with the goals of understanding network latency at an unprecedented magnitude, identifying large volume, high latency clients and improving their latency. We discuss the techniques we used for data selection and analysis and we present the results of a variety of analyses, such as deriving regional and country patterns, estimations for query latency for different countries and network locations, and techniques for identifying high latency clients.

It is important to note that latency results we will report are based on passive measurements from, essentially, the entire Internet. For this experiment we do not have control over the client side — where they are, which software, their configuration, their network congestion. This is significantly different from latency studied in any active measurement infrastructure such as Planet Lab, RIPE Atlas, Thousand Eyes, Catchpoint, etc.

Dr. Yannis Labrou is Principal Data Architect at Verisign Labs where he leads efforts to create value from the wealth of data that Verisign’s operations generate every day. He brings to Verisign 20 years of experience in conceiving, creating and bringing to fruition innovations; combining thinking big with laboring through the pains of materializing ideas. He has done so in an academic environment, at a startup company, while conducting government and DoD/DARPA sponsored research and for a global Fortune 200 company.

Before joining Verisign, Dr. Labrou was a Senior Researcher at Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Director of Technology and member of the executive staff of PowerMarket, an enterprise application software start-up company and a Research Assistant Professor at UMBC. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from UMBC, where his research focused on software agents, and a Diploma in Physics from the University of Athens, Greece. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, with almost 4000 citations and he has been awarded 14 patents from the USPTO. His current research focus is data through the entire lifecycle from generation to monetization.

– more information and directions: http://bit.ly/UMBCtalks –

A post written by Women’s Center staff member, Bria

My click moment was progressive. It proceeded slowly, with caution, and then consumed me.

For as long as it has been relevant, I’ve believed in autonomy. I didn’t have the word for it in 7th grade, but I knew that I was never obligated to dance with a boy at a mixer* or hug a stranger just because they insisted I should. I don’t remember the day I realized I was black, but I do remember the day I learned of “Affirmative Action.” Eleven years old is a little soon to tell someone they only got into that middle school because they are black. I knew of overt racism, but the door to covert racism swung open with the hiss of that tongue.

I don’t remember the day I realized I was a feminist, but I do remember the day my “friends” tried to make me feel like a slut** because I told them I lost my virginity to my then boyfriend. I was unaware at the time that they had become sexually active years before and were taking the opportunity to project some regretful feelings in the form of hate. I don’t remember the first time I spoke out in support of reproductive justice, but I do remember the devastation I felt after the only comprehensive reproductive health class at my high school was dropped due to its “insignificance” in relation to English and science.

And then there was the first time I consciously acknowledged my liberality.

The moment when you cross the line from spectator to activist is a scary one. You know there’s no going back, no renouncing your titles. It’s permanent. To go from the quiet girl who solely acknowledged injustices and microaggressions to the one who actively spoke out against stigma, prejudices, and misogyny… that was my click moment. It was a sneaky, powerful, positive, scary moment. Think of it like approaching the peak of a roller-coaster, but the thrill of anticipation never ends.

*mixer: a middle school dance

**slut: a person who should is shamed for their sexual activities

Are you looking for a great Summer Internship? Did you know that T. Rowe Price hires at least 60+ interns each summer? In the past, many of these interns have come from UMBC.

Currently, T. Rowe Price is looking for students with interest in the following areas of Information Technology:

-Mobile Applications Development (iOS, HTML5) - 
-Applications Development (Java, CSS, .Net, SharePoint, C++) -
-Business Analysis / Project Management -
-Database/Data Management
-Production Systems Support 
-Trading Floor Support 

The complete details of their internship program are attached.To find out and apply to their internship program, check out their UMBCworks posting by searching for 2015 Summer Technology Intern Program-Undergraduate 

Please note, for best consideration, you should apply on UMBCworks and on the T. Rowe Price career website (06482)

If you have not had your resume reviewed by the Career Center, you can schedule an appointment with your coordinator via UMBCworks or come by drop-ins every Monday-Friday from 2-4pm in Math/Psych.

Rockwell Collins/ARINC - Annapolis, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 06, 2015

END DATE: Apr 30, 2015

Epic - Madison, Wisconsin

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 06, 2015

END DATE: Apr 07, 2015

FDA - Silver Spring, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 05, 2015

END DATE: Feb 27, 2015

Maxim Biomedical, Inc. - Rockville, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 04, 2015

END DATE: Mar 15, 2015

KEYW Corporation - Severn, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 03, 2015

END DATE: Mar 31, 2015

Lufburrow & Company Inc. - Aberdeen, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 02, 2015

END DATE: Apr 02, 2015

Lufburrow & Company Inc. - Aberdeen, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 02, 2015

END DATE: Apr 02, 2015

RF Engineer (US Citizen Required; Green Card not applicable) (9270488)

Lufburrow & Company Inc. - Aberdeen, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Feb 02, 2015

END DATE: Apr 02, 2015

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
West Bethesda, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 29, 2015

END DATE: Feb 11, 2015

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) - Sparks, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 28, 2015

END DATE: Mar 27, 2015

Syncopated Engineering Inc. - Baltimore, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 27, 2015

END DATE: May 01, 2015

The Nielsen Company - Schaumburg, Illinois
Tampa, Florida

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 27, 2015

END DATE: Jan 29, 2015

Syncopated Engineering Inc. - Baltimore, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 27, 2015

END DATE: May 01, 2015

Syncopated Engineering Inc. - Baltimore, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 27, 2015

END DATE: May 01, 2015

T. Rowe Price - Balitmore, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Jan 23, 2015

END DATE: Apr 23, 2015

"UMBC Suits You" is collecting new and gently used professional clothing as part of Career Crush in April.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about dressing professionally and will then be able to select one free outfit to use in their job search. We are asking staff to donate new and gently used professional clothing at collection bins around campus from February 23rd - March 10th.

Starting February 23rd, Professional Clothing can be dropped off at the following on-campus locations:

• Career Center, Math/Psych 212: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• The Women’s Center, The Commons: 

9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Mon-Thurs), 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Fri)

• Campus Info Desk: 7:30 a.m. – 12 a.m. (Mon-Thurs), 

7:30 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Fri), 8 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Sat), 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Sun)

• Residential Life Office, Erickson Hall: 8:30 – 4:30 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• CWIT Office (ITE452)  8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• RAC Front Desk: 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Mon-Fri), 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. (Sat-Sun)

• The Shriver Center, Public Policy Building: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• Alumni House: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

UMBC Alumni and Community Members are encourage to drop off donations at some of our neighborhood locations:

• Alumni House: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• UMBC Training Centers: 8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• bwtech (Cyber Incubator): 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

•  bwtech (South Campus): 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• Catonsville Chamber of Commerce 10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Mon-Fri)

• Baltimore County Public Library- Arbutus 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

 • Items that will be accepted: dresses, shell tops, button-up shirts and blouses, skirts, blazers, dress pants, garment bags, belts, ties, skirt suits and suits. 

• Items that will NOT be accepted: jewelry, handbags, shoes, and general accessories.

For more information on accepted items, check out the link here.

Clothing donations will be used to benefit UMBC students and will not be considered as gift-in-kind or donation to UMBC. Clothing donations are not eligible for a tax-deductible receipt. Any leftover clothing will be donated to local non-profits, Suited to Succeed and the Franciscan Center’s Attire 4 Hire program.

Special thanks to T. Rowe Price for partnering with us once again on this endeavor.

Any questions or concerns about this project can be addressed to Kate Phelps, Career  Center, kphelps@umbc.edu, 410-455-2216.

***Students be on the look out for more information about UMBC Suits You occurring on April 1 & 2 when you will be able to pick up a professional outfit.***

UMBC Women Who Rock is a blog series I’m working on throughout the 2014-15 academic year. In my role as Women’s Center director, I have some of the best opportunities to become acquainted with some of UMBC’s best and brightest women on campus. I admire the ways they live authentic lives unapologetically that challenge the stereotypes and assumptions that are often assigned to women. By debunking these stereotypes and forcing us to check our assumptions, they allow us to expand our notion of what a woman is and can be.

-Jess

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UMBC Women Who Rock! A Reflection on Encouragement and Accountability

With only three posts in this series, it might seem a little too early to spice things up, but the spirit of this series is really that of personal reflection (in addition to of course, celebrating other women) and I have some reflections to share. So for this post, I’m expanding the concept of the series to not just write about a particular UMBC woman but the experience of working with other UMBC women.  In this case, it’s the experience of writing a chapter for a women in leadership book series called Advancing Women and Leadership: Moving the Needle through Applied Theory Building with Virginia Byrne of Student Life and Crystal Diaz-Espinoza of CWIT. Our chapter called “The Non-Traditional Patchwork of College Women Student Leaders: A Multidisciplinary Reflection on Theory” focuses on ways in which we seek to build bridges at UMBC between marginalized groups of women leaders and the larger campus community in an effort to encourage transformational leadership development. We specifically focus on the experiences of UMBC women adult learners and women students majoring in information technology and engineering.

Now that the first hurdle of submitting our draft is behind us, I’ve had time to reflect on the experience. It was hard! I knew what I wanted to write and had all the confidence in the world until I sat in front of my computer trying to put my thoughts into words. It was like teaching someone to tie their shoe or ride a bike. I’ve been doing the action for so long that taking a step back and breaking it down part-by-part proved to be more difficult than I thought. On top of the challenge of actually writing, we were doing so with a week left before the spring semester begun. I felt behind on my work in the Women’s Center and some of our biggest programming and events were coming up in just a few short weeks. And it was cold and winter is the worst. Long story short, I was a grouchy baby.

I look back over the past week of writing sessions and writing and recognize they weren’t some of my proudest moments. I kept looking for ways to convince myself that I wasn’t smart enough to write this paper and that I possibly didn’t have anything worth including in a real-life book. I kept hoping that maybe Crystal or Virginia felt the same way and we could quit this whole thing.

Shine Theory fail.

Through my love of podcasts, I’ve recently been exposed to this concept of Shine Theory. Explained by Ann Friedman in her article over at The Cut, she explores the idea that powerful women make the best of friends. She writes, “Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better.” I can get on board with that, but what I really take away from Shine Theory is how Anne’s best friend, Amina, sums it up:  “I don’t shine if you don’t shine.”

Thank goodness Virginia and Crystal were willing and able to share their shine with me. As Friedman continues in her article, “True confidence is infectious.” While I know we all had our doubts, my writing partners wouldn’t let me quit. Time and time again, they’d share accolades and encouragement with me and with each other. This is great. You’ve got this. Yes, keep going. We’re going to finish this.

And, you know what? The more I heard it, the more I believed it. As our paper came together, I gained more confidence. The words came out easier and I was able to be a better teammate in the process.  I also think our chapter is pretty darn awesome and I’m really glad I didn’t give up. Thank you Virginia and Crystal!

When I hear people talk about Shine Theory, I hear it presented from the perspective of “you, good person… go find other great people to help you shine,” which I think is important and enriching for one’s personal and professional lives. We all need people to learn from and share encouragement. But, I want to hold myself accountable as well. I want to be a person that just isn’t doing the taking of the shine but is giving of the shine. This experience reminds how easy it can be to make something just about you. I wasn’t the only one who was busy and working through other deadlines or feeling challenged by the task at hand. Where could I have provided more support and encouragement to my writing partners? What steps do I need to take next time to get my shine on earlier? These are questions I’m going to keep in mind as I move into a busy spring semester and will be confronted with opportunities to shine for others and be motivated by the shine of UMBC Women Who Rock.

Shine on UMBC…. Shine on.

Who are the UMBC women in your life that inspire you to think outside your expectations and assumptions? What are the counter narrative stories they’re sharing with us allowing UMBC and our greater community to be more of exactly who we want to be? Comment below and maybe you’ll just find them featured in a future UMBC Women Who Rock post.

* * * * * * * * * *

Check out other UMBC Women Who Rock:

Amanda Knapp (featured August 2014)
Susan Dumont (featured October 2014)
Jahia Knobloch (featured January 2015)