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The UMBC McNair Scholars Program will present the inaugural Hill-Robinson McNair Lecture, named in honor of Cynthia M. Hill, Former UMBC Associate Provost & Founding UMBC McNair Director, and Thomas Robinson, PhD., Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and McNair Research Methods Faculty for over 28 years. Here is the link to the flier for the event. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!

This year’s lecturer will be Durell M. Callier, PhD, ’07, UMBC McNair Alum (REM 14), Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Miami University and Co-visionary of Hill L. Waters (www.hilllwaters.com), an arts-based collective. The title of his lecture: “Queer Roots and Causes: Reframing Anti-Black Violence in the Lives of Youth.”

Abstract from Lecturer: The victimization of queer youth both within and beyond schooling contexts in recent years has garnered growing public concern. Equally so, the premature deaths of Black youth at the hands of law enforcement and vigilante justices have increasingly captured public attention and calls for change. Despite being seen through monocausal frames, anti-Black and anti-queer violence are overlapping and mutually constitutive. Throughout my talk, I illuminate connections between anti-Black and anti-queer violence as they shape the lives of youth of color. Centering the lives of three youth, Carl Joseph Walker Hoover, Jaheem Herrera, and Tyrone Williams, I argue that the systematic premature and preventable deaths experienced by Black and queer youth are a function of state apparatuses and sociocultural institutions constructing youth of color and Black youth in particular as queer subjects.

The 2019 Hill-Robinson McNair Lecture is co-sponsored by: UMBC McNair Scholars Program, Dresher Center for Humanities, Center for Social Science Scholarship, Campus Life’s Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity, American Studies, School of Social Work, Language, Literacy, and Culture Program, Africana Studies, and the Women’s Center.  

For more information, please Michael A. Hunt, Project Director, UMBC McNair Scholars Program, michaelahunt@umbc.edu.

provided by the British Online Archives.

These papers cover the growth of the British Union of Fascists and the impact of World War II upon them.  The documents include both their official publications and the imprisonment of their leader Oswald Mosley. 

The pre-war fascist newspapers include Fascist week, The Blackshirt and The East London Pioneer. Action was published from February 1936 until June 1940, by which point a growing number of the BUF were interned. Sir Oswald and Lady Diane Mosley’s imprisonment caused much debate. These papers include government records of why they were arrested and Oswald Mosley’s time in prison, with additional files.

The trial will run until October 15, 2019 and access is available on and off-campus. 

Feedback on the content and usability of the database is encouraged.

• Education Week Online, featuring daily news, commentary and analysis on policy, legislative and overall shifts and trends in the U.S. K-12 space.
• Education Week digital edition, an electronic replica of the print edition, days before the print edition is delivered.
• Teacher Channel perfect for teachers and professional development with daily news, stories and content focused on the teaching profession, including videos, case studies and best practices.
• Digital Directions with daily online features for education technology trends and insights, geared towards IT specialists and media/technology professionals.
• Industry & Innovations for K-12 decision-makers, reporting on the intersection of K-12 schools and districts and vendors, trends, best practices and much more.
• Quality Counts, Diplomas Count and Technology Counts annual reports and archives, and special reports, story packages and archives.
• State Highlight Reports which provide over 40 data indicators to assess and compare performance in key areas, by state.
• 33 years of fully-searchable archives, so you can research and focus on specific hot-button issues and events.
• Exclusive online-only content, including 60 blogs on vitally important K-12 topics.
• Multimedia tools, including district geographic maps, videos & infographics and photo galleries.
• Ed Week Research Center, with special reports, surveys and access to our staff of full-time researchers for customized research needs.
• Education Counts database, where you can build customized tables and reports by state and other indicators.

Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! 

Please pass the word to others who may be able to donate.

Donation cans be placed in any of the Retriever Essentials collection boxes on campus, Admin Building, first floor in front of elevators, Library to the right as you walk in and Commons by the windows next to the reception desk.

If your department collects a large amount of non-perishable donations, please contact us at retrieveressentials@umbc.edu, and we will arrange for a volunteer to pick up from you.

Thank you for your continued support!  During the last school year Retriever Essentials provided 259 bags of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable foods.

Said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth: “Marca reached out to me during my first few months home after Walter Reed, and she has been a friend and counselor—especially on disability issues—ever since. Without Marca’s work over the last 30 years, the Americans with Disabilities Act would not be in existence and I would not be a U.S. Senator. Because she crawled up the steps of the United States Capitol to pass the ADA, I get to roll through its corridors to cast my votes in the U.S. Senate. While we have so much progress yet to make, the disability community can thank Marca’s leadership, activism and sacrifice for the more inclusive society we live in today. I was honored to call her my friend and will miss her dearly.”

A brief video and interview with former U.S. Senator Harkin is contained within the linked website.  May she rest in power.

Title of your research project: 

“Comparing Predictive Data Assimilation Methods on S-I-R Epidemic Forecasts”

 

Describe your project:

 My objectives are to compare two statistical tracking methods, specifically the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and the Ensemble Optimal Statistical Interpolation (EnOSI) method, to see which one more accurately predicts the spread of a S-I-R epidemic model for airborne infectious diseases.

 

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Why did you choose them?

I took Dr. Sousedik’s Math 341 (Computational Methods) class. Dr. Sousedik teaches in a way that I don’t feel like I just learned the textbook material, but rather a better comprehension of mathematical logic and problem solving methods in general, so I knew Dr. Sousedik would be a perfect research mentor for me. My advisor also was invaluable for steering me in the right direction for who to ask for research opportunities. 

 

How did you become interested in this project?

I’ve always been interested in classes that involved math modeling or data prediction, particularly when the variables dealt with demographic data. When Dr. Sousedik proposed a research topic about statistical tracking for epidemic models, I was very enthusiastic as the topic encapsulated all of my favorite math concepts. 

 

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? 

 There isn’t a website or a book that tells you clearly how to write the code for your program, or how to adapt an equation to the problem, so there were many hours where Dr. Sousedik and I just had to work things out on pen and paper, or invent a new way of dealing with an error from scratch. It can be unsettling to think there isn’t one right answer to a problem, but I was left with insight to how researchers apply math to real world problems. 

 

What has been the most rewarding part?

 When I first started the research, the related studies I read seemed at times like another language, but after some effort and time I realized I was capable of understanding and applying mathematical concepts that were incomprehensible a few months ago. This research opportunity gave me confidence in my potential to have a STEM career in the future. 

 

How will you disseminate your research?

 I intend to submit the research paper to the UMBC review and the SIAM Undergraduate Research Online. Ideally, our research will add enough novelty to existing methods to lead to a regular research journal publication. 

 

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? 

I would advise any student getting involved in undergraduate research to speak with the faculty in their department. The professors and advisors will more than likely be willing to go the extra mile to make any ideas for projects you have a reality. 

 

What are your career goals?

After more research experience, I ultimately want to apply mathematical models to the planning of urban infrastructure. Ideally, I am interested in working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of computer programming, architecture, mathematics, and statistics experts to improve land-use allocation. 

Be like Maya!  Get started on an undergraduate research project and become a URA Scholar: ur.umbc.edu