Ellen Handler Spitz, honors college professor of visal arts, discussed author Betsy Rosenthal’s latest children’s book Looking for Me for her monthly column in The New Republic.

The book follows its protagonist Edith Paul, the fourth of twelve children born to a working-class Jewish family, as she grows up in Baltimore during the 1930’s. Over the course of the short book, Edith experiences poverty, bigotry, and even death within the family as a sibling succombs to illness.

Spitz noted the Tolstoyan aspects of Rosenthal’s novel, drawing parallels with the seemingly inconsequential decision of a French corporal to re-enlist in War and Peace with the witnessing of Edith’s graduation, a moment in which the girl “learns that, like Tolstoy’s thousandth corporal, she matters.”

The column, “Learning to Matter,” appeared in the magazine on August 15.

Innovation Generation

UMBC embraces the potential of all students to become innovative problem solvers, resource creators and boundary busters in their fields. Matching students with opportunities to learn through practice is one key way the Shriver Center helps them realize that potential.

This summer, nearly 700 UMBC students enrolled in the Shriver Center’s internship, co-op and research practica at sites across the United States. These experiences go beyond on-the-job skills training. They enable our students to articulate their passions, envision their futures, and break ground on unique professional paths—all while making a visible impact, whether they are at the White House or a Baltimore hospital.

Research Program Coordinator Carly Hunt of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center writes, “Over the past several years, UMBC interns have contributed immensely to our research on psychological and psychosocial recovery following severe burn injury.”

In a 2012 Shriver Center survey, around 90% of respondents said that their placement increased the clarity of their career goals, their self-confidence and their ability to make decisions—essential qualities for effective agents of change in any field. Further, 77% wrote that their leadership skills improved as a direct result of their internship, co-op, or research experience.

UMBC students have applied this leadership in an incredibly diverse range of ways. They have worked with non-profits to lead community service initiatives and spread their organizations’ reach through media campaigns. They have made companies more efficient and effective at serving clients and have offered fresh insight on scientific research. They have broken down preconceptions and cultivated new partnerships.

Timothy Potteiger ’14, computer engineering, writes that his White House internship program “really adopted an entrepreneurial mindset encouraging everyone on the team to be proactive.” He was thrilled to hit the ground running and meet the office’s high expectations.

This is gratifying news for Christine Routzahn, Director of Professional Practice at the Shriver Center. Routzahn says, “Our goal is that all UMBC students engage in applied learning and graduate with the knowledge and experience they need to find empowerment and success in their careers.”

Here we feature student interns from across UMBC who are making tangible impacts on their fields and the world.

• (8/17/12)

Psychology professor Robert Provine’s latest book Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond, was published this month, and the professor’s exploration of seemingly small, instinctive actions has been covered in a variety of media outlets.

An August 14 New York Times review entitled “Pardon Me! A Fearless Look at Our Bodies’ Mundane Functions” said that the book is both entertaining and engaging, and that, “with its many facts and anecdotes and unexpected stories, it begs you to continue where curiosity leads you, down both the boulevards and the back alleys of science.” This article was reprinted in the independent Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation.

The book was also the subject of an August 12 Boston Globe story, “The professor of burps.” Provine spoke about how he chooses which behaviors to focus on in his research, saying that “if you’re interested in the neuromechanisms of human behavior, you want to look at behaviors that everyone has, everyone does in the same way, are simple, and easy to study.”

Provine also appeared on the radio program The Takeaway with John Hockenberry on August 20th to discuss the “instinctive acts” that humans engage in with various degrees of awareness and the value of researching such behaviors. “It’s easy to overlook the commonplace,” said Provine, “and in my book, I’ve explored those kinds of simple acts that can be pursued by anyone – whether high school science fair students or professional researchers – and provides some important, novel insights into human behavior.”

The book was also reviewed in the August 2nd issue of Nature, which called the book “an exercise in ‘small science’ — some of it speculative, all of it fascinating.” Other reviewers have characterized Provine’s book as “a must-have for any connoisseur of human behavior, whether studying in a classroom or from a barstool” (The Scientist, August 23rd), “charmingly written and profoundly informative” (The Wall Street Journal, August 25th), and “investigations [which] reveal captivating insights into the mundane” (The New Scientist, August 25th). A review in the Chronicle of Higher Education on August 30 said that Provine “tired of inserting electrodes into nerve cells in a laboratory, but wished to retain rigorous approaches in what he calls a “sidewalk neuroscience” mode of inquiry. Cheaply and simply, he observed such subjects as graduate students, for example—to track their behaviors.”

The book has also been excerpted on Salon on August 22nd and in the U.K. Observer on September 1. The Popular Science website also posted a slideshow of “curious behaviors” on September 5.

Provine was also interviewed for NBC’s “Body Odd” blog, in which, in a September 6 piece entitled “How hiccups, yawns and giggles make us human,” he said that his research is “a reminder that we humans, who find ourselves to be conscious and rational, are also beasts of the herd.”

Curious Behavior was also discussed in a September 7 post on the “Brain Pickings” blog, which called Provine’s areas of study “seemingly mundane but, in fact, utterly fascinating phenomena.”

Provine’s work was also the subject of a September 26 story on Slate.com entitled “I Giggle, Therefore I Am.” The author relates Provine’s research to the act of tickling his newborn son, writing that “what’s at work in tickling… is the neurological basis for the separation of self from other” and concluding that“when a baby senses a foreign hand lightly brushing his bare feet, he’s experiencing something that is recognizably other—which means that there’s something that isn’t other, too: There’s himself. Tickling is central to who we are, because it is part of how we establish that there’s a we there.”

Library Journal also reviewed Curious Behavior on September 15, calling it “a delectable presentation for all who love the territory between pop and hardcore science writing” and highly recommending it.

On October 13, Provine discussed Curious Bahavior with host Marty Moss-Coaneon WHYY’s “Radio Times.”

Provine’s work was also noted in the August 2nd New York Times in a review of This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking.  The book is the latest in a series by the website Edge.org, which focuses on an annual question posed to today’s leading thinkers.  This year’s question was “What scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit? “

This is Provine’s seventh contribution to the series, and his essay is entitled “TANSTAAFL” (“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”). It focuses on the fact that everything has its price, a concept relevant to everyday life as well as all sciences.

Playwright Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, will co-premiere her newest work, “Holly Down in Heaven,” at the Forum Theatre in Silver Spring and Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, next month.
Corthron, who was named UMBC Outstanding Alumni of the Year in Visual and Performing Arts in 2008, has won a number of awards for her work, including The Vineyard Theatre’s 3rd Annual Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, the Princess Grace Award, two NEA grants, the Helen Merrill Award, Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Prize (three-time recipient), the Theodore Ward Prize, the New Professional Theatre Writers Award, two MacDowell fellowships, residencies at Skriðuklaustur (Iceland), the Millay Colony, and Ledig House.
Her new play is described as such by the Forum:

When Holly, a brilliant fifteen-year-old born-again Christian, becomes pregnant, she banishes herself to the basement and confides only in her dolls — particularly a life-size psychiatrist doll who closely resembles Carol Channing. Her only human contacts are an indulgent father, a clumsy ex-boyfriend, and a new tutor … who just might be able to out-smart her. Hilarious and poignant, this world-premiere comedy explores birth, faith, and life outside of heaven.

Learn more about the showing at the Forum Theatre here.
Read more about Corthron on her website.

Playwright Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, will co-premiere her newest work, “Holly Down in Heaven,” at the Forum Theatre in Silver Spring and Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, next month.

Corthron, who was named UMBC Outstanding Alumni of the Year in Visual and Performing Arts in 2008, has won a number of awards for her work, including The Vineyard Theatre’s 3rd Annual Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, the Princess Grace Award, two NEA grants, the Helen Merrill Award, Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Prize (three-time recipient), the Theodore Ward Prize, the New Professional Theatre Writers Award, two MacDowell fellowships, residencies at Skriðuklaustur (Iceland), the Millay Colony, and Ledig House.

Her new play is described as such by the Forum:

When Holly, a brilliant fifteen-year-old born-again Christian, becomes pregnant, she banishes herself to the basement and confides only in her dolls — particularly a life-size psychiatrist doll who closely resembles Carol Channing. Her only human contacts are an indulgent father, a clumsy ex-boyfriend, and a new tutor … who just might be able to out-smart her. Hilarious and poignant, this world-premiere comedy explores birth, faith, and life outside of heaven.

Learn more about the showing at the Forum Theatre here.

Read more about Corthron on her website.

Ellen Hemmerly, executive director for bwtech@UMBC, was profiled in Catonsville Patch by reporter Meg Tipper August 12th.

The article covered not only Hemmerly’s background, family life, as well as her work and research at bwtech@UMBC, but her involvement and thoughts on the greater Catonsville community, as well. Speaking on what she would like to see happen in the area’s future, Hemmerly told Tipper that “Catonsville could have a better mix of retail, more mixed use housing, and more activities on Frederick Road.  We could make the business district more attractive than it is.  I also would love for Catonsville and UMBC to be better integrated.  There is so much potential for both.”

TO:         UMBC Faculty and Staff
FROM:    Yvette Mozie-Ross, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management

After 32 years of distinguished service to UMBC, Bobbie Shahpazian will retire on August 31, 2012.   Bobbie began her career with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in 1977 as part of an all new admissions staff focused on the recruitment of freshmen, international students and incoming merit scholars.  She was soon promoted to Associate Director and after taking a brief sabbatical to travel she rejoined the university as a scholarship counselor.  Bobbie worked with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office through the early 90’s awarding merit scholarships to incoming students.  She was promoted to Assistant Director of Scholarships and later to the Associate Director of scholarships where she continues to serve our scholars and their families.

Those who have worked with Bobbie know her as a wonderful colleague and consummate professional.  Her deep understanding of the UMBC community has made her an invaluable resource and partner to individuals across the university.   Her energy and commitment to the development of our merit scholarship awarding and scholar programs have helped to build UMBC’s strong academic community.

Throughout the years, she has given tirelessly of herself, dedicating her professional career to the University.  Her commitment to UMBC, our scholars and their families have significantly supported UMBC’s growth and development.  Bobbie has built a distinguished legacy at UMBC that will connect her to the campus long after her retirement.

Please join the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at a reception to thank Bobbie and to celebrate her many years of service to the campus. We will gather on Wednesday, September 19th, 10 am – noon in the Library Gallery. Individuals attending are asked to RSVP by Friday, September 8th to Lu Caldwell at lcaldwel@umbc.edu.

If you would like to contribute toward a gift you may contact Stephanie Johnson at x.51517 by Friday, September 8th.

Maryland universities have been leading the way in getting more students to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, according to an article published August 10 in the Baltimore Business Journal.

Dr. William LaCourse, Dean of Natural and Mathematical Sciences was interviewed about UMBC’s work to expand the STEM fields. The university has seen natural and mathematical sciences growing 28 percent, and engineering and information technology growing 19 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2011. That represents 488 and 411 students, respectively, compared to a growth of 768 students in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

LaCourse told Gantz that growth in the STEM fields means his college will likely have to add sections in courses like first-year chemistry, along with hiring another professor, finding available space and securing more teaching assistants. However, he sees potential, rather than a problem. The additional course sections could be tailored for a particular degree or somehow provide a more personalized experience.

“We are at the stage where we’re reaching some limits,” LaCourse said. “But this is an opportunity.”

A number of news outlets have noted that UMBC again made The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of “Great Colleges to Work For.” This marks the third time in a row UMBC has made the annual list, the latest of which was published August 6.

Here’s a sampling of the coverage:

ABC-2 News – “UMBC among best colleges to work for”

Baltimore Business Journal – “Four Maryland colleges among best places to work”

Arbutus Patch – “UMBC Named ‘Great College to Work For'” 

The Huffington Post – “The Best Colleges to Work For: Chronicle of Higher Education List 2012”