Many Congratulations to our Spring 2026 graduates!

Johanna Coleman, BA in Social Work with a minor in Psychology
Oreoluwa Faluyi, BS in Information Systems with a minor in Psychology
Scott Gersten, BS in Computer Science
Spencer Hupe, BA in History
Thasmeia Islam, BA in Psychology with a minor in Management
Abigayle Morgan, BA in Biological Science with a minor in Psychology
Camryn Sydnor, BA in Visual Arts & BA in Modern Languages and Linguistics with an Honors College certificate

Shavuot Customs and Traditions

Shavuot began as an ancient agricultural festival marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the commencement of the summer wheat harvest. In antiquity, it served as a seasonal pilgrimage festival where people brought the "first fruits" (bikkurim) of their harvest to Jerusalem as a celebration of the earth's fertility.

In modern times, while the ancient agricultural rituals have evolved, Shavuot remains a popular cultural holiday. Today, it is celebrated as an occasion to honor lifelong learning, explore Jewish literature and ethics, and connect with cultural heritage.

In the Community: A Celebration of Learning

One of the most popular modern customs is staying up late—or even all night—to engage in intellectual discussion and study. This tradition, known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot ("Shavuot Night Gathering"), originated with 16th-century mystics but has transformed into a widespread secular and cultural phenomenon.

Rather than focusing strictly on religious texts, modern gatherings feature diverse presentations on philosophy, literature, social justice, history, and current events. It has become a vibrant celebration of fellowship, open dialogue, and the Jewish cultural tradition of debate and education.

For early Zionists and founders of the kibbutz movement, who consciously de-emphasized religious theology to focus on cultural and historical identity, Shavuot was revitalized as a secular harvest festival. For decades, collective farms held elaborate pageants and parades showcasing the season's fruits, new agricultural technology, and babies born during the year, accompanied by folk singing and dancing. Today, this rich cultural duality persists: some celebrate the holiday through community-wide intellectual marathons, while others focus on its deep connection to nature and the land.

In Literature and Education: The Book of Ruth and Graduation

Traditionally, the Book of Ruth is read and discussed during Shavuot. From a secular perspective, this narrative is celebrated as a profound humanistic story of loyalty, migration, and inclusivity.

Ruth, a Moabite woman, chooses to bind her fate to her mother-in-law, Naomi, famously declaring that Naomi's people and culture will become her own. Her story is embraced as a universal symbol of choosing to join a community, celebrating cultural diversity, and recognizing the shared humanity and dignity of immigrants and newcomers.

"Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people..."

— The Book of Ruth

Additionally, many communities use Shavuot as a time for educational milestones. High school students who have continued their cultural education often participate in graduation or confirmation ceremonies, marking their transition into independent, mature engagement with their community's history and values.

At Home: Nature and Culinary Traditions

• Bringing the Outdoors In: Decorating homes and community spaces with fresh greenery and seasonal flowers is a central Shavuot custom. This tradition honors the holiday’s agricultural roots, celebrates the peak of spring, and connects urban life back to the natural world.

• The Dairy Feast: Culinary traditions are a major highlight of the holiday, with families and friends gathering to share meals centered around dairy dishes, most notably cheesecake and blintzes. Culturally, these foods symbolize the sweetness of learning, the abundance of nature, and the historic connection to the land.

Preparing for the Holiday

Historically, the holiday was preceded by a period of intentional preparation. Today, the days leading up to Shavuot can be used as a secular period of reflection. It offers families and communities an opportunity to slow down, consider their personal values, and prepare for a meaningful celebration of knowledge, community, and the changing seasons.

To all Peoplesoft Campus Solutions Users:

Please note that the Campus Solutions system will be unavailable due to quarterly operating system maintenance.  The system will be unavailable this evening, between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.  If this work finishes early, the system will be made available ahead of schedule.

Thank you for your patience as we perform these important system updates.  

We’re excited to close out the semester with the second edition of our ADS Newsletter! Inside, you will find reflections, helpful updates, news items, practical tips and resources to support you, as well as recognitions.

We’ve attached a PDF version and an alternative format of the newsletter for you to download and enjoy.

As we head into the summer season, we wish you a restful, refreshing, and well-deserved summer break. We also send our congratulations and best wishes to our 2026 graduates! 

Thank you for your continued engagement and support! And remember, creating access for others is being inclusively excellent and a shared responsibility of our UMBC community.

How to Download the Newsletter:
Scroll to the bottom of this post and locate the "Attachments" section. There, you'll be able to download both the PDF version of the newsletter and an alternative format.

Here’s a little snippet of what you can expect…

It has been a wonderful week for the CBEE department, celebrating both the achievements of our past and present graduates!

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, we had the pleasure of welcoming back alumni Jincai (Jimmy) Li (PhD, 2001), who is now the CEO of WuXi XDC, a $10 billion subsidiary of WuXi Biologics. Jimmy's journey through CBEE is a remarkable one — arriving at UMBC in 1996, he began his graduate research under the late Janice Lumpkin, and following her tragic passing in 1997, transitioned to the research group of Govind Rao, where he completed his PhD in 2001. Jimmy went on to build an impressive career at Diversa, Tanox, and Genentech before returning to China to lead WuXi XDC to its current standing as a global powerhouse in the biochemical industry. During his visit, Jimmy sat down with Dr. Rao and Doug Frey — who served as departmental chair during Jimmy's time at UMBC — to reminisce about the past and discuss the exciting future of the biochemical and chemical engineering field. Learn more about Jimmy and his work here.

This visit comes on the heels of our 2026 graduation celebrations, where we proudly watched the next generation of CBEE engineers and scientists take their next steps. Jimmy's story is a powerful reminder of the incredible impact an engineering degree can have — and an inspiration to all of our current students as they begin their own journeys.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 graduates, and thank you to Jimmy for taking the time to visit and share his story with our community. We look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for all of our alumni and graduating students!

Dear UMBC Community,

Congratulations to our graduates and we are so excited that summer is finally here! This is a reminder to the entire UMBC community that phishing emails don’t take a vacation. Stay aware of those phishing campaigns and look out for the following signs:

🚩Urgent Language: You are relaxing on a cruise and get an email with the subject: “You will lose access to your account NOW if you don’t click this link!” Enjoy the sunshine and don’t fall for the attacker’s message.

🚩Questionable Context and Legitimacy of the Sender: The email seems to be coming from an authority figure, but either you don’t usually communicate with them, or they usually don’t have requests of that nature.

🚩Asking for Passwords in Google Forms: If you clicked on a link and it immediately asked for your password, check the full URL first. If the URL in the address bar does not match the webauth URL, or if you landed on a Google Form, then do not enter your password!

🚩Requests to copy commands into the Run or Terminal prompts: If you get presented with a CAPTCHA challenge and are asked to copy a command to proceed, please don’t take the bait. Copying commands into a command prompt can infect your machine with malware or an information stealer. (Example below)

How to stay safe: 

1. Don’t click on links that look phishy.

2. Don’t open any attachments you were not expecting.

3. Don’t accept push notifications when you did not initiate them.

4. Don’t paste any commands into the terminal.

5. Forward any suspicious emails to Security at security@umbc.edu and check out our Traveling with UMBC Equipment FAQ!

6. Enjoy your summer!

For more information, please refer to our Cybersecurity Newsletter. Thank you all for your continued awareness and assistance in keeping our community secure!

Cybersecurity Assurance and Digital Trust
UMBC Division of Information Technology (DoIT)

Hi all,

The high temperature hot water outage will begin tomorrow and last through June 8th. There will be no hot water in the restrooms and temperatures will most likely be chilly in the offices and laboratories. Please bring a sweater or a jacket to work for the duration.

The 3rd floor autoclave will be operational, but with a single unit in the building during the outage, I ask everyone to be prompt retrieveing their supplies and or hazardous waste.

Thank you and have a nice memorial day weekend!

SUMMER HOURS

From May 26 – August 14, Parking Services will be open Monday thru Thursday from 8 AM to 4 PM (Closed from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM for Lunch). We will be open on Fridays from 9 AM to 3 PM. 

*We will follow UMBC’s holiday schedule and will be closed on Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day, Friday, June 19 for Juneteenth, and Friday, July 3 for Independence Day.* 

SERVICES

Monday to Thursday – Standard Parking Services will be available. 

Friday – We will have reduced in-office staffing and our office will be open from 9 AM to 3 PM. Remaining staff will be working remotely.  Phone calls and emails will be returned as quickly as possible. 

General questions should be directed to Parking Services at parking@umbc.edu. If you have a question, please include your name, phone number, email address, campus ID (if applicable) and reason for emailing, and we will respond as quickly as possible. 

STUDENT PARKING - SUMMER

From May 26 – August 14, all student permits are valid for any legal space in either the A, B or C Zone. Faculty and staff are expected to park in their assigned zone. 

FALL PERMITS
Student Permits for the fall semester will be available on the parking portal beginning on August 15. You must be registered for the fall semester to acquire your permit. 

QUESTIONS
Visit the Parking Services website for more information.

We will close Thursday, May 21 at 8:00 PM, and reopen August 20. Exact times will be shared later in the summer.

The following prayer spaces will be available according to their respective building hours:

• Commons 326
• AOK 367
• ITE 234

We hope you have the summer you need, with the opportunity to rest, recharge, get ahead, and adventure in the correct proportions. 

Staff will be available Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. The best way to reach us is through email & Webex. 

Hello everyone!

Due to the undergraduate graduation, Retriever Essentials will not have our Free Farmers Market today. 

Congratulations to all of our graduates and undergraduates who are graduating!