The group of students, who were part of a fall 2012 freshman seminar class on entrepreneurship and innovation, have sold the intellectual property rights for their class creation — a campus navigation mobile application — to Hanover’s Tecore Networks. The goal of the class was for students to work together to develop an idea for a product or service, then work together to bring their idea to market. One of the purposes of the class was to help students develop usable workplace skills, such as teamwork, communication and troubleshooting problems.
The app is designed to give students a tour of the campus without a tour guide. It is expected to hit the market next fall.
On April 18, 2013, Team Banana Bones won the annual UMBC Idea Competition sponsored by the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship at UMBC, with their app that helps people navigate the UMBC Campus and community. It also interacts with campus resources such as the myUMBC Events Calendar and takes into account handicap accessibility routing for those who require it.
The winners, who called themselves Team Banana Bones, were Josh Massey, Andres Camacho, Ayushi Aggarwal, and Hashem Kanfash. Aggarwal says the idea was born of the need for an integrated campus body and the need for local business involvement in on-campus affairs. (Link)
Article credit:
UMBC students turned entrepreneurs sell mobile app to Hanover company
Sarah Gantz
Baltimore Business Journal
Date: Monday, October 14, 2013, 2:39pm EDT
Name: Chris Harried
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: AmeriCorps State & National
Location of the Organization (City, State): Philadelphia PA, Atlanta GA
Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science
Expected Graduation Date (Month & Year): 2016
Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service- learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.
This summer, I served as an AmeriCorps Community Service Fellow with HOPE worldwide, an international non-profit organization. As a member of the inaugural cohort of the CSF program, the structure of the internship experience was not only new for the participants, but also those who helped coordinate the program.
The overall structure of the CSF program focuses on preparing individuals to have the necessary skills to be a valuable asset in the non-profit/non-governmental organization sector. This objective is accomplished through a rigorous but highly rewarding schedule compiled with a 2 ½ weeks training period and a 4 week guided service learning experience. During the 2 week training period, I completed day classes in the area of nonprofit leadership and management at Eastern University. The first portion of my 4 week service period consisted of me serving as a camp counselor for diverse population of youth from across the Eastern United States. The second portion of my guided service experience (called “HOPE Youth Corps”) focused on me working with a group of inner-city youth in Northwest Atlanta.
On a daily basis, my essential responsibilities included:
-Provide instruction using Peacemakers Curriculum
-Facilitate instruction using the Environmental Education Curriculum.
-Plan and implement volunteer events and activities at assigned HOPE Youth Corps Site or summer camp
-Serve as a counselor, facilitator and mentor at summer camp programs
Some of my other responsibilities included:
Organize and Participate in Community Service Activities
Coordinate Functions of HOPE Youth Corps site and/or Youth Camps
Conduct fundraising activities for HOPE Youth Corps
Support functions for the summer programs such as a rotation food or site preparation schedule for the youth and organizing cleaning parties with the youth.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
I absolutely enjoyed working as a mentor to the different groups of young people that the program served and learning more about their life experiences.
What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?
I’ve learned more about what it means to be a leader and how to engage others in meaningful acts of service. I also gained hands-on experience in program coordination, event planning, and community service engagement. I was fortunate enough to learn more about the importance of humility and what it means to lead others by serving them. HOPE worldwide is a respected and recognized non-profit organization that has helped meet the needs of millions of the world’s most destitute citizens. Their staff and systemic approach to identifying and addressing needs are valuable assets that have helped me to expand my worldview and enhance my problem-solving abilities.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Internships are an invaluable source of real world experience that allots one the chance to explore different career options while still being in school. The Shriver Center at UMBC provides a diverse and engaging portfolio of internship opportunities. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and possess a vast array of resources to help move students forward in the college career.
How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.
Though my concentration is photography, my interests still encompass all of the visual arts. Learning how to sculpt with metal is a skill that I was very eager to learn, particularly because I have numerous sculpture designs floating around in my head. Now that I've learned the different techniques, I can start taking those ideas and making them three dimensional.
Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process / the Shriver Center:
I am so glad that the Shriver Center staff worked with me to help me earn credit for the time I served on AmeriCorps.
Please join the Honors College in congratulating our very own Honors College student, Akosua Osei-Tutu, who has recently received a scholarship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP).
NIH UGSP offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.
The program offers:
· Scholarship support (up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition)
· Paid research training at the NIH during the summer
· Paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation
Akosua plans on conducting research in the field of neuro-oncology or leukemia.
Congratulations Akosua! We are so proud of you.
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"The
Regents Scholars Program was established by the University System of Maryland
Board of Regents to affirm its commitment to academic excellence and to enable
students of exceptional ability to develop fully their intellectual and
creative talents. In recognition of the
contributions of outstanding transfer students, the Board of Regents has
designated that the Burgee Regents Scholarship be awarded to a Maryland
community college student. The
scholarship recipient is expected to complete the Associate’s degree with a
superior grade point average, thus continuing the tradition of high academic
standards demonstrated by all Regents Scholars."
Salar's selection was due to his outstanding academic achievements and exceptional promise. "The Regents Scholar award will cover the costs for in-state tuition and mandatory fees, living expenses comparable to university room & board charges, and $500 each semester to be used for other educational expenses."
Please join the Honors College in congratulating our exceptional scholar!