Science in the Summer

Before his summer internship at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NIST-SURF), Andrew Dillon ’11 didn’t know what scientists really did in their labs. He wasn’t even sure what his future career path would look like. All he knew was that he liked math and chemistry. His time spent at NIST, however, showed him that these interests could be turned into skills for a career in science.

“In my 11 weeks at NIST, I got firsthand experience of what researchers do,” said Dillon. “I did real research that is being used now.”

Dillon went into the internship as a Montgomery Community College student set to transfer to UMBC in fall 2009. Knowing he’d be attending UMBC, he connected with several other UMBC students – in addition to the rest of the 150 student interns.

“In my opinion, the best part about working at NIST was getting to know the other interns,” he said.

Research varies among interns, who work in groups across NIST laboratories. Dillon’s research focused specifically on DNA and the nanomaterials that would change the chemical structure of DNA – resulting in mutations, cancer or pre-mature aging. He also studied how nanomaterials could potentially affect the environment if used commercially.

Although Dillon’s time in the lab didn’t solidify his career as a researcher, it did help him figure out another path. The summer taught him that although research is fascinating to him, it’s not something he’ll necessarily pursue in the sciences.

“Either way, I’m still going to look into the NIST-SURF program again next year,” he said. “I was paid to do things I love, learn what scientists really do and hang with friends for a summer. What more can I want from an internship?”

In the past four years, the number of UMBC students who’ve attended the NIST-SURF program each year has grown from one to ten. UMBC is among the top schools for highest attendance at the program, which generally accepts around 100 students. Read about last year’s interns here.

(10/30/09)

Students Give Back, Gain Affordable Experience through Alternative Spring Break

UMBC’s Alternative Spring Break trips share one common theme: helping others locally. Through the four trips offered March 16-20, students have the chance to work with children and people with disabilities, assist with trail building and experience homelessness firsthand.

“These trips are for students who want to volunteer with Alternative Spring Break but don’t have the money,” said Jordanna Spencer ‘09, graduate coordinator for service and volunteerism. “Financial opportunities are tight; these trips will give students an opportunity to become immersed and have an extensive experience at a low price.”

Students pay $75 and stay in Erickson Hall, where they will cook together and camp out in three lounges. The groups will use vans from The Shriver Center to reach nearby destinations. Three of the four programs will take place in Baltimore, with another in Arlington, Virginia. There are two student leaders for each group along with volunteers both in and outside of the Division of Student Affairs.

The four trips were planned based on the economy and the passions of students. One group will work with The ARC of Carroll County, an organization assisting people with developmental disabilities. Students will teach these citizens about partnership and provide them with job skill training. Spencer said the student who organized this trip has a disabled sister, and he promotes and supports this organization.

Another group will head to the Gwynns Falls Trail, spearheaded by UMBC’s Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA). These students will build trails and speak with students at local schools about the environment. Professor of American Studies Ed Orser will also attend and give a historical perspective based on his book. Tanvi Gadhia ’09, environmental studies, is a student leader for this group and looks forward to educating students in Baltimore city schools.

“I really hope to connect inner city kids with nature and teach them, expose them to young and enthusiastic mentors,” said Gadhia. “I want to use my leadership skills to share my passion for the environment with my fellow students to help empower them to make a difference in their surrounding community.”

The third Baltimore group will partake in “A Day in the Life: Poverty and Homeless Simulation.” Students will spend the week volunteering with with Centro, Helping Up Mission, CAN Bannaker Center and St. Vincent D. Paul’s, Sarah’s Hope. On Wednesday, March 18, students will embark on a full 12-hour simulation where they will live in Baltimore for $2 a day, excluding transportation costs.

“They’ll have to take on a character and find food, shelter and apply for a job,” said Spencer. “They’ll be in Baltimore from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., and the lounges at Erickson will be closed.”

Another group is headed to The Gesundheit Institute (Hillsboro, West Virginia), an organization UMBC has volunteered with in the past and is popular with students. While at the Institute, students use an alternative approach of medicine by interacting with patients through a variety of games and activities. The care they receive is focused on fun and play.

This year marks the last of Spencer’s ASB coordination, as she is graduating with her master’s degree in the spring. She hopes the program will provide students with more Alternative Spring Break options in the future. 

“We hope the program grows and students become more immersed,” Spencer said. “With additional financial support in the future, we can provide more opportunities for students.”

For more information on ASB at UMBC, visit www.umbc.edu/umbcserves/.

Watch the UMBC homepage for a reflection story about ASB 2009 after Spring Break.

(3/10/09)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Students� Biofuel Idea Funded by MTV Contest

Story Note: Learn more about the UMBC Biodiesel Club on Maryland Public Television’s “Motorweek” show, starting on Friday, March 13. In Baltimore County, the episode featuring coverage of Maryland’s homebrewed biodiesel community will air Saturday (3/14) at 5pm and Sunday (3/15) at 2pm, Thursday (3/19) at 8pm on MPT. Check your local listings for other broadcast times.

Nothing says “reduce, reuse and recycle” like turning horse manure into fuel. Inspired by Indian innovators, four members of the UMBC Biodiesel Club recently won $1,000 in seed funding in an MTV-sponsored, international environmental contest for their idea to make biofuel at a Maryland farm.

Four  UMBC sophomore chemical engineering majors —  Nick Selock, Marsha Walker, Donterrius Ethridge and Angela Nealen – earned funding from  MTV Switch’s  “Dream It, Do It Challenge,” a global competition for the best environmental and sustainability ideas from young people around the world.

According to Selock, the Club’s proposal for the MTV contest was inspired by the Gober (Hindi for cow dung) gas innovators in India, who use specially designed equipment to digest dung from sacred cows and refine it into cooking gas used by many households. The biogas produced is clean, cheap and sustainable; perfect for developing nations and for anyone looking to reduce environmental impact.

“The MTV prize money will enable us to purchase and set up an anaerobic digester to collect methane, which is a more potent and harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, from horse manure and then convert it into methanol,” said Selock. “The current methanol we use is made from natural gas, which is much less environmentally friendly.”

Under the mentorship of Bradley Arnold, associate professor of chemistry, the Club has been working at a local horse farm in Burtonsville, Md., since September 2008 to apply classroom and lab concepts to their all-volunteer operation to improve the biodiesel brewing process.

Supporting Maryland�s Workforce

From the moment BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) plans were announced several years ago, Maryland knew it would see an influx of people and jobs around the military installments of Ft. Meade in Anne Arundel County, Ft. Detrick in Frederick and Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County. With the increase in activity among both the military and area defense contractors comes the need for workforce training to help current and future employees meet the demands of the jobs created. UMBC, with its convenient location (just a short drive from Ft. Meade) and strengths in science, engineering and IT, is well-positioned to offer training to the BRAC population.

On December 15, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown announced that UMBC received one of 12 BRAC Higher Education grants from the Maryland Higher Education Investment Fund. The grant, totaling $83,208, will help establish a Center for Cybersecurity Training. Fifteen courses will be developed by UMBC Training Centers and will be targeted to employees of state and federal government agencies and contractors, active military, veterans and any others seeking job training or skill enhancement.

With an estimated 60,000 jobs in communications, intelligence and other high-skilled fields coming to Maryland via BRAC, there will be a critical need for cybersecurity training. UMBC’s cybersecurity program will prepare those employees to obtain the required certification.

Courses planned include Network Security, Computer Forensic Investigation, Enterprise Linux Security Administration, and Java Development for Secure Systems. The goal is to begin delivering pilot courses to small groups of students this spring. While it is projected that 75-150 students will be served during the pilot phase, ultimately the goal is to serve about 720 students per year.

“People are recognizing that cybersecurity is the next strategic area of our national defense,” says Jon Lau, practice manager for engineering and IT programs at UMBC Training Centers. Lau, who will manage the Center for Cybersecurity Training, added, “Now, no matter what your job is [in the defense industry] you need comprehensive training in cybersecurity. We recognized there would be a big need among the staff at Ft. Meade and the need to train the new people.”

Lau says the courses will focus on hands-on training. They will primarily be delivered at UMBC Training Centers, but equipment can be set up at client sites. There is also the possibility of some courses being offered online.

Currently, about 25 percent of participants in UMBC Training Centers courses are from defense-related organizations, but with the establishment of the cybersecurity program, Lau expects that percentage to increase significantly.

(12/21/09)

Tackling the Shortage of STEM Teachers in Baltimore

Due to the growing shortage of highly-qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers, the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Scholars Program was implemented in fall 2007 to support selected STEM majors. Students are assisted academically, professionally and financially through advising, fellowships, cohort building and a summer bridge program. Above all, the Sherman Scholars Program promotes working with youth and being in the classroom as much as possible.

Eleven students comprised the inaugural cohortin fall 2007, and there are currently 20 students in the program. They range anywhere from freshmen to graduate students and are at different life stages.

“In addition to those considered traditional students, we have a former marine, a mother whose children are in college and a former Ph.D. candidate who realized she’d rather teach at the high school level,” said  Rehana Shafi, assistant director of the Sherman Program.

Scholar Catrin Eike ’10, a former high school dropout and single mother of three, earned her GED and worked her way from community college into UMBC and the Sherman Program.

“The program has not only given me an opportunity to meet other people in STEM majors, it has given me the chance to look within myself,” said Eike. “I now realize that I am a person with gifts to share.”

Once admitted to the program, students receive support for the duration of their time at UMBC and into their careers as classroom teachers. They are required to complete at least one semester of service learning and one classroom-based fellowship.

“We want them to have many hands-on and tangible experiences working with youth before they’re student teachers,” Shafi said. 

Because the program expects scholars to teach in the Baltimore area, these experiences take place locally.

When in the planning stages in 2006, Shafi looked at national and local programs focusing on teacher education and student support. The Sherman Program is a combination of ideas from these and best practices of UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program.

The program is young, but there are a handful of alumni. Three are teaching in Baltimore city and county schools. Shafi said the first few years are the most challenging for teachers. 

“A big piece we’re working on is teacher induction,” Shafi said. “The first three to five years are the toughest. We’re working toward supporting our new teachers in terms of mentoring and continued professional development.” 

In addition to mentoring, the Sherman Scholars Program is fostering the environment and expectation needed to establish a connected and active alumni group.

A generous gift from George and Betsy Sherman, founders of the Sherman Family Foundation, supports the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Program. Awards for undergraduates range from $5,000-$10,000. Awards for MAT candidates range from $10,000-$30,000.

For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/shermanprogram.

(3/10/09)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

The Art of Educating

When Laura Pasquini ’98, visual arts, started her studies in art at UMBC, she thought she wanted to be a museum curator, creating exhibits that set great art in narrative contexts.

Pasquini did end up working at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., one of the most prestigious museums in the United States. But she did so in way that’s making a difference for thousands of young people and their families by opening up the Corcoran’s magnificent collection and the gallery’s other assets for learning.

As the director of the Corcoran’s Youth and Family Programs, Pasquini has revamped and revitalized the gallery’s approach to education with the aim of “empowering kids to confidence.” Most notable among her achievements is the growth in Corcoran ArtReach – an after school program that collaborates with community centers to reach 150-200 disadvantaged students a year.

In one evaluation of the program, a parent called Corcoran Artreach “the best youth arts program in the area.” And this success has also brought Pasquini recognition, most recently as the winner of the 2009 UMBC Outstanding Alumni of the Year award for a graduate in the visual and performing arts.

Pasquini points to a junior year internship at UMBC in the university’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture as a key moment in choosing a career in arts education, one which she says “changed my career and life outlook.”

Working in conjunction with Arbutus Elementary School, Pasquini designed a program to introduce and integrate students into the world of art that included talks, tours of the UMBC Fine Arts Gallery and the creation of original works of art by students. The important thing, Pasquini recalls, was to find and reinforce connections between art and the students’ experiences.

Her enthusiasm for the project steered Pasquini away from an intended career as a museum curator. “I realized I didn’t want the academic, the behind-the-scenes,” she recalls. “It awakened a world I didn’t know was out there – a world of possibilities.”

After taking a master’s degree in teaching at the Corcoran, Pasquini ended up working at the gallery full-time. She quickly worked her way up into her present position as director of Youth and Family Programs, where she drew upon her UMBC experiences to spark a renewal in the Gallery’s Corcoran ArtReach program – which brings the gallery’s art to disadvantaged children in the Washington, D.C. area.

ArtReach works in partnership with community centers in District neighborhoods. Pasquini and other members of the Corcoran Gallery develop curricula specifically geared towards each individual community, complete with lesson plans, slides of Corcoran art exhibits and a brief outline of each work.

ArtReach students also get a chance to explore the Corcoran itself, and the program augments individual coursework with monthly family workshops that incorporate parts of the gallery’s exhibits collection into broader contexts. Pasquini points to “Creatures of the Deep” workshops that the program offered last October in concert with the gallery’s “Sargent and the Sea” exhibit. These family workshops used John Singer Sargent’s paintings as a springboard for an examination of sea creatures, providing a fun, kid-friendly science lesson communicated through art.

Pasquini says that exciting student interest is the key element in ArtReach’s success. “Art has value and meaning,” Pasquini insists. “It isn’t supposed to be dead on the wall. It isn’t about a lecture – it’s about the experience, about making a learning connection [for the students] between what they saw on the wall to what they see in their own lives.”

The culmination of the ArtReach experience is a chance for students to create their own works of art using techniques and knowledge gleaned in their classes. The work is both displayed in community galleries and professionally framed and hung (with accompanying silkscreen text) in the Corcoran Gallery of Art itself.

Pasquini says that ArtReach has become “a place of learning through visual learning, creating an experience for people that brings [art] to life… It empowers kids to talk about art. It ignites curiosity and higher thinking skills. Seeing [the students] gain confidence in themselves and their art…it’s incredible.”

For more details about ArtReach, check out www.corcoran.org/artreach/index.php.

This story, written by UMBC student Holly Britton ‘11, originally appeared in UMBC Magazine.

(2/19/2010)

The Engineering Education Frontier

Julia Ross, professor and chair of chemical and biochemical engineering at UMBC, was selected to attend the National Academy of Engineer�s (NAE) first Frontiers of Engineering Education (FOEE) symposium. Ross joined 49 of the nation�s brightest engineering researchers and educators who are developing and implementing innovative educational approaches in a variety of disciplines and are in the first half of their careers. Ross was the only participant chosen from a Maryland institution.

Throughout the 2-1/2-day event, educators and researchers shared ideas, learned from research and best practices in education and left with a charter to bring about improvement at their home institution. The participants were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants and were nominated by fellow engineers or deans.

Ross�s research focuses around the application of chemical engineering principles to examine how cells bind to one another. Her goal is to identify and understand the mechanisms involved in the process so cells can be manipulated to achieve advances in engineering. When it comes to education, Ross feels the need to recruit more students into engineering fields is urgent. Although employment opportunities for engineering graduates are stable, enrollments have declined. Ross�s goal is to attract more students to the engineering fields by preparing them at the high school level. She is currently working on high school curricula that will make this possible.

The FOEE program gave Ross and others a unique venue to share and explore innovations in teaching and learning. NAE President Charles M. Vest hopes that FOEE will become �a major force in identifying, recognizing and promulgating advances and innovations to build a strong intellectual infrastructure and commitment to 21st-century engineering education.�

Ross was nominated by Warren DeVries, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology and a professor of mechanical engineering.

The symposium was held November 15-18 in Herndon, Virginia.

(11/18/09)

The Future of Information Sharing

As the world embraces Web 2.0, the effects of social media are on the minds of several researchers at UMBC.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Zeynep Tufekci studies the impact that technology, gender and inequality have on new media. Two of her current research projects specifically examine online social networks. The first project studies how these networks are situated within social practices. The other project, funded by the National Science Foundation, examines interactions between gender, race, social class and technology in relation to career choice and inequality. A former computer programmer, Tufekci studies social media with a sociological eye.

“Connecting is a deep human need,” said Tufekci. “Social networking is scratching a strong itch by providing individuals with the ability to always stay connected.”

When looking to the future, Tufekci sees an “ultra-connected world.” She predicts the cell phone will be more interactive than networking sites like Facebook, providing users with an opportunity to geographically locate friends.

“It would have pluses and minuses,” she said. “There would be more interconnectivity, but it would certainly raise surveillance.”

Like Tufekci, Professor of Computer Science Tim Finin also studies the effects of social media but instead focuses on blogs. One of his team’s ongoing projects includes mining sentiments about different topics (movies, politics, etc.) to sense trends and patterns to evaluate the effectiveness of online advertising through blogs. The team is also learning how to use Wikipedia as a knowledge base to support computer tasks. When looking to the future, Finin sees great changes for the computer.

“In 50 years, I predict people and computers will share a common experience,” he said. “An event will happen in the world, and our computers will know about it.”

In the more immediate future, Finin sees extensive information sharing and a dramatic shift in libraries and record-keeping mechanisms.

Molly Heroux ’09 was one of the first students to enroll in the Media and Communication Studies (MCS) program. Combining her studies in MCS with psychology, Heroux accepted a summer 2008 internship at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Heroux worked toward identifying gaps in Wyeth’s current team communication and collaboration in order to propose alternatives to addressing communication issues using cyber tools. She conducted this research not only to enhance communication among current employees but also to attract a new generation of employees who grew up with these tools. Heroux administered surveys to gather her research, and Wyeth intends to update her survey and conduct it again on a larger scale through an Internet platform.

“There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of online media and a general lack of familiarity with the new modes of cyber communication,” she said. “Oftentimes, there is a one-way flow of communication from top to bottom.”

Heroux looks to social networking to solve some of these communication problems. Her list of recommendations includes instant messaging, internal social networking, one-to-one video conferencing, social news tools, online suggestion forums and fluid notions of workplace and scheduling.

“Encouraging part-time and full-time telecommuting not only cut office costs but also supports women and families.”

(2/6/09)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

The Perfect Pitch

When Mike Pesci ’12 was young, he had goals few kids his age had. Like his peers, he played sports – baseball since the age of four – and his studies were important. But it was helping people that mattered most to him. By the time he was 18 years old, he had not only started a non-profit, he had also raised $100,000.  

It started with a home run derby that Pesci helped organize to raise money for charity when he was 11 years old. The event captured the two passions Pesci held close: baseball and philanthropy, and soon turned into a non-profit organization called Perfect Pitch HRD, Inc. Pesci’s non-profit has now raised over $180,000 for mentally and physically handicapped children and young adults and for the sports programs of disadvantaged youth.

“When Perfect Pitch was starting up, I had a lot of support from family and friends,” Pesci said. “So many people were willing to spread the word, and they believed in the organization – they were willing to help us do anything to help others.”

And the good word has spread far. Pesci was recently recognized nationally for his accomplishments by being named an “All Star Among Us” by Major League Baseball and People Magazine. Pesci shares the honor with his sister, Christina Pesci, who is president of Bridging the Generation Gap, an outreach organization which promotes friendship between young people and senior citizens. Helping others is something that runs in the family.

“My father organizes a ‘Cruise for Kids’ motorcycle run to raise money for abused children,” said Pesci. “He leads by example and has always helped others.”

At UMBC, Pesci maintains the organization on top of playing baseball for the Retrievers and working toward his interdisciplinary studies degree with a focus in business and non-profit administration. Despite the distance between Maryland and his hometown, Parsippany, New Jersey, Pesci still helps organize raffles organization and maintains relationships with previous donors.

“It’s hard while I’m not at home,” he said. “It’s difficult, but I’ve realized the importance of doing this while I’m in school; it’s a passion I have.”

When the organization first started, Pesci organized and volunteered at a baseball game for mentally and physically handicapped children. It was Pesci’s job to help the impaired children get around the bases. He assisted a girl on crutches, and when she reached home plate her smile was “incredible.”

“Scoring a run has always been a good feeling for me – but for her, it was a really big deal.”

About five years later, Pesci helped a young woman with spina bifida who needed a new wheelchair but was financially unable. Perfect Pitch provided her with a titanium wheelchair.

“It turned out to the same girl I helped around the bases,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. We continue to sponsor her today.”

This story is just one of the reasons why Pesci knows he needs to work in the non-profit field when he graduates.

“I want Perfect Pitch to continue to grow and build a career out of it,” he said. “I want to make a living while helping others in the process.”

Pesci recently received the 2009 Joseph and Frieda Faiman Eisenberg/VPC Endowed Scholarship, given by the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship. The Joseph and Frieda Faiman Eisenberg/VPC Endowed Scholarship was established by Eli Eisenberg ’86 for an outstanding UMBC undergraduate interested in becoming an entrepreneur.

More information on Perfect Pitch HRD, Inc. is available online.  

(12/4/09)

The Stuff of Legend

As a former Associated Press reporter, Christopher Corbett knows how to spot a good story. So when he noticed that although thousands of Chinese had come to America during the gold rush, none of them were interred in boom town cemeteries, he followed the lead.

“I asked this old lady who had a store in the town, ‘Where is the Chinese cemetery?’ And she said, ‘The bone collectors came and took them back to China,’” he recalled. “I had never heard that the Chinese repatriated their dead, and my curiosity about that led me to this book.”

The book is The Poker Bride (Atlantic Monthly Press), in which Corbett tells the story of the Chinese in the West through the life of one such immigrant, Polly Bemis. Polly was sold by her famine-stricken parents, smuggled into San Francisco by her master, and won in a poker game by the man who would eventually become her husband. She lived an isolated life until 1923, when she came down from her home in the Idaho hills to tell her story.

At least, that’s how the legend goes. “You’re in what they call the borderland of fable once you cross the Missouri, so it’s one of those stories that’s rooted in fact and layered with a lot of embellishment,” said Corbett, a professor of the practice in English.

Whether or not the story is one hundred percent true, it’s been getting a lot of praise. The Baltimore Sun called it “a juicy combination of social history and deconstructed myth,” and the Wall Street Journal said the tale “reflects the essence of the American immigrant experience.”

“I think the response in part is indicative of the interest in the Chinese experience in the 19th century West. People are curious about it,” said Corbett.

For Corbett, the book’s biggest accomplishment is that it tells the story of these forgotten immigrants. Most Chinese returned to their homeland after the gold rush, taking their stories as well as their countrymen’s bones with them, and left behind few traces of their presence.

“The larger matter is that we know something about Polly,” explained Corbett. “She’s the human face on this immigrant experience that we know so little about.”

This book wasn’t the author’s first foray into the Wild West. His 2003 book Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express (Random House/Broadway Books) gained him notice as one of the premier scholars on the iconic service. That book was recently reissued as a paperback.

The Pony Express will celebrate its 150th Anniversary on April 3, and Corbett’s calendar is already filling up with invitations to discuss his work. Most notably, he will be the keynote speaker for the anniversary celebrations at St. Joseph, Missouri’s Patee House, which housed the Pony Express.

With two books demanding his attention in addition to his regular duties of teaching English and mentoring the Retriever Weekly staff, Corbett acknowledges that “things are slightly wild”—just like they were in the Old West.

Corbett will speak at the Poe Room at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on February 24 at 6 p.m., and at UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery on March 9 at 4 p.m.

(2/19/10)