Coming in January 2012, the Library website will have a new look, designed to provide better access to information and resources, including the numerous electronic databases, journals, special collections, and media owned by the Library.

Alright, true believers- I’m sure you all remember our last entry about Special Collection’s super-secret assortment of superheroes. Since then, you’ve seen the Thor movie. You knew you absolutely had to wait through the Captain America credits to find out more about the new Avengers movie. You might have even sat through the Conan the Barbarian remake (brave soul). And now you’re yearning for more. Plus, your eyes are getting crossed again with a new batch of journal articles. So let’s talk comics! In particular, let’s talk about Marvel’s eye-patched wonder, Nick Fury!

Made ubiquitous by Samuel L. Jackson, the character of Nick Fury first came into his own as the title character in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, the leader of an elite multi-ethnic, multi-racial WWII fighting unit. Fun fact: it’s a bit hard to tell the resemblance here, but Fury’s Commandos play a key role in Captain America: the First Avenger as the team that helps the Cap’n take on Red Skull. We’ve got several issues of the Sgt. Fury books, well worth checking out for their Kirbyesque art (we’ll explain that another time) and non-stop action.

Fury went on to bigger and better things as the first agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret agency set up to counter all those evil secret agencies that were floating around in the 60’s. Starting with Strange Tales, and later moving to his own Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , we see Fury change from a rough and tumble soldier of fortune to a super slick, super spy and finally to a super-soldier, always taking on seemingly insurmountable enemies and emerging victorious. As with the original series, these books feature some great art (especially the 15 issue run of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), as well as lots! of! unnecessary! exclamations!  

So come in for a visit, comics fans! Special Collections will be open from 1 until 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday all the way through finals, and until 7 pm on Thursdays. During the winter, we’ll be open by appointment only. To find our superhero lair, enter the Library Gallery and walk straight back- you’ll see our doors on the right. Secret identities will be protected with all due care. Please note that Batmobile parking is limited.

To browse all of the comics available at Special Collections, enter “comic books” in the “Collection” field in the following search; or put in more specific search terms to find the exact comic you’re looking for: http://umbc.pastperfect-online.com/37467cgi/mweb.exe?request=advform

Written by Steve Ammidown, Special Collections Student Assistant

Images shown are from the following issues:

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.31 (Jun 1966)

Strange Tales. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.140 (Jan 1966)

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.4 (Sep 1968)

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.7 (Dec 1968)

Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale will host a special graduate student seminar on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10:00 AM.

“Completing Your Thesis or Dissertation”

A Special Saturday Breakfast Success Seminar

WORKSHOP/TRAINING · On UMBC’s Campus : Commons 329 ·

If you are part of the UMBC community, please RSVP on MyUMBC: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/9151

If you are from a different campus, please rsvp by replying to this post on http://thedissertationhouse.com as a comment. Please post your name, department, and school.

Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale will host a special graduate student seminar on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10:00 AM.

“Completing Your Thesis or Dissertation”

A Special Saturday Breakfast Success Seminar

WORKSHOP/TRAINING · On UMBC’s Campus : Commons 329 ·

If you are part of the UMBC community, please RSVP on MyUMBC: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/9151

If you are from a different campus, please rsvp by replying to this post on http://thedissertationhouse.com as a comment. Please post your name, department, and school.

Dear Students, Alumni, and Friends of PROMISE,

Our annual PROMISE Fall Harvest Dinner is coming soon! Save the date: Friday, November 18, 2011.   Please register using the following link:  http://www.cvent.com/d/qcq8x4. You may bring a guest.  We will be dining at Adele’s Restaurant in the Stamp Student Union on College Park’s campus. Transportation will be available from Baltimore. Please register today; spaces are limited.
Dinner at Adele’s is always delicious! This is the PROMISE “Thanksgiving” Dinner. Please register soon to reserve your space. This dinner buffet is valued at more than $25/per person but it is free to you and your guest thanks to co-sponsorship by the Graduate School at College Park and the Graduate School at UMBC.

This event promotes networking, community building, and connections between research and other interests across campuses.  Please reserve your space today.

Kind regards,
Renetta Tull

Dear Students, Alumni, and Friends of PROMISE,

Our annual PROMISE Fall Harvest Dinner is coming soon! Save the date: Friday, November 18, 2011.   Please register using the following link:  http://www.cvent.com/d/qcq8x4. You may bring a guest.  We will be dining at Adele’s Restaurant in the Stamp Student Union on College Park’s campus. Transportation will be available from Baltimore. Please register today; spaces are limited.
Dinner at Adele’s is always delicious! This is the PROMISE “Thanksgiving” Dinner. Please register soon to reserve your space. This dinner buffet is valued at more than $25/per person but it is free to you and your guest thanks to co-sponsorship by the Graduate School at College Park and the Graduate School at UMBC.

This event promotes networking, community building, and connections between research and other interests across campuses.  Please reserve your space today.

Kind regards,
Renetta Tull

Several graduate students have expressed a need for assistance with MATLAB.  In order to assist you with understanding some of the more advanced concepts of MATLAB, PROMISE, the Graduate Student Development Unit of the Graduate School, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics will sponsor a special, customized session for graduate students and others who want more in-depth instruction. The service will be provided by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Consulting (CIRC).

Special MATLAB Workshop
Friday, November 11, 2011
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Engineering Building (ENGR), Room 122

Features:
_________

* A prepared demonstration of numerical computation in MATLAB
* Advanced programming techniques in MATLAB
* MATLAB tutors will be present to provide individualized assistance.

Presenters:
Jonathan McHenry, with support from Zana Coulibaly and Xuan Huang.

This session is being coordinated by Professor Matthias Gobbert, with support from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. We thank Dr. Gobbert for putting the session together.

Graduate students from any discipline may attend. Please RSVP. Financial support for this workshop is provided by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP.  Please utilize this unique opportunity to get the assistance that you need for your courses and projects.

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This post is mirrored on MyUMBC PROMISE: Support for Graduate Students: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/9311

Photo courtesy of CIRC: http://www.umbc.edu/circ/