The University of Maryland, Baltimore Life Science Discovery (UM-BILD) Accelerator is now accepting applications for Cohort 2 Pilot Grants to support the translation of basic science research projects into commercial products that will advance patient care. Up to $75,000 for one-year funding is available for each accepted project. (Second-year funding may also be available.)

Investigators working on technologies in the therapeutic, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health areas — particularly those that have the potential to address health care disparities or otherwise benefit residents of Baltimore — are encouraged to apply for funding. Experience with entrepreneurship is not required; education and mentorship are key components of the program.

To learn more, please visit the How to Apply page of UM-BILD’s website.  An application takes the form of a Letter of Intent (LOI) that is submitted electronically prior to the deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 13, 2024. The UM-BILD team will review all LOIs. The highest-ranked project teams will be invited to submit full applications. Each of these teams will be matched with a coach who will assist in crafting an effective proposal with achievable milestones and a realistic budget. Final applications will be due in late October 2024, with winners announced in February 2025. Work will commence shortly thereafter.

UM-BILD expects to fund four Cohort 2 Pilot Grants, with Principal Investigators based at University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Morgan State University.

Learn more about this opportunity and LOI requirements at umaryland.edu/um-bild.

For questions, please contact UM-BILD@umaryland.edu.

The Fall semester is a great time to build your résumé (if you don’t already have one) or update it with the latest information (if you do have one). To help guide your edits along, here are some formatting tips:

• Personalization. When listing out your contact information at the top of your résumé, you may also want to consider including a web link such as your LinkedIn profile (we have appointments to help you build one out if you need one!), a portfolio link (for fields like communication or design), or a github link (for fields like computer science). Utilize the extra real estate at the top of your résumé to provide an additional opportunity for employers to view your work.
• Relevancy. The goal for your résumé writing is to list the most relevant experiences to your career of interest as soon as possible. Don’t have relevant work experiences? No problem — you can just list out your course projects as “Relevant Projects” and your work experience as “Additional” or “Other” experience. You can also list relevant academic coursework as another way to demonstrate you’re learning about a particular area of expertise.
• Consistency. There are no clear-cut rules about how to handle different aspects of your résumé (e.g., listing company vs. job title first in your experience section), but the most important thing to keep in mind is to remain consistent throughout the document. This tip also applies to using bold headers, maintaining similar font styles and sizes, dates, and using punctuation.
• Detail. This tip relates to how you describe your work experiences. When developing bullet points you want to be as detailed about what you’ve accomplished as possible, while making sure to share results. You want to also be detailed about the skill sets you used for your accomplishments, focusing on those that closely match the requirements of the position.
• Length. For most students and recent graduates, a one-page résumé should be more than enough to list your experiences, but if there is more that needs to be covered it can go to a **full** two pages. What is meant by a full two pages is that there shouldn’t be any excessive white space at the bottom of the page. There are exceptions to this rule, such as government résumés and CVs. One way that you can save space and keep your document to one page is by grouping your skills section into subcategories.

On Friday, 09/06/2024 between 7 AM and 4 PM, a section of sidewalk at the north end of the Quad will be temporarily closed to complete concrete work for the Lecture Hall 1 renovation. Signage will redirect pedestrians to an accessible route through The Quad. The accessible route from Lecture Hall 1 to the lower level of Biology will also remain open during this work. Please refer to the attached graphic for additional information.

Accessibility is part of the design process, and we work in partnership with Accessibility and Disability Services which supports faculty, staff, students and visitors with disabilities. If you have a concern about accessibility or want to inquire about a disability-based accommodation, please do so through their website.

Thank you for your patience as we work to maintain and enhance the UMBC campus.

Dear UMBC Community,

Since my arrival at UMBC last year, I have had the opportunity to speak with and learn from so many of you. I want to share some staffing updates to the Division of Institutional Equity (DoIE) that come as the direct result of these conversations; our response to last spring’s Department of Justice investigation; our goal of being the best partner and resource to our students, faculty, and staff; and our shared vision of inclusive excellence at UMBC.

I am pleased to share that UMBC is following through on its commitment to build DoIE and the resources that are so needed on our campus. For those unfamiliar with our division, I’d like to share the DoIE organizational chart and an overview of some recent changes, along with exciting hires:

• Equity and Civil Rights (ECR) – This existing office is responsible for managing UMBC’s efforts related to Title IX as well as other civil rights issues, including discrimination, harassment, hate, and bias.
  
  We will welcome Marcus Foster as our inaugural assistant vice president for Equity and Civil Rights and Title IX coordinator on September 10. Marcus most recently served as assistant provost for Title IX compliance and education at Tulane University, where he oversaw the university's efforts to prevent and respond to incidents of gender-based discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, he earned his bachelor's degree in politics from Ursinus College and his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University Law School.
  
  
  We also recently welcomed a new hearing officer, Tamara Kosic, former director and Title IX coordinator for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX at Randolph University, and administrative assistant Irene Vizcarra ’19, who previously worked in UMBC’s Office of Financial Aid.

• Community and Culture – This unit of the division will focus on ensuring the university upholds its core value of inclusive excellence by furthering DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), belonging, and social justice initiatives for students, faculty, and staff.
  
  I am pleased to share that on September 9, we will welcome Jasmine Lee as our inaugural associate vice president for Community and Culture, and as co-director of the newly-created Center for Social Justice Dialogue. Jasmine most recently served as vice president of equity and inclusive excellence at Goucher College, where she worked with students, staff, and faculty to create inclusive campus environments through programming and strategic leadership. Prior to Goucher, she served as director of inclusive excellence and Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) at UMBC. She earned her bachelor’s of social work degree from Eastern Michigan University, a master’s of social work from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
  
  
  
  We also recently welcomed Ciara Christian, M.A. ’18, Ph.D. ’22, former acting director of i3b, and Adam Watkins ’17, former administrative assistant for i3b. Ciara will serve as co-director of the Center for Social Justice Dialogue, which is focused on facilitating and training others to facilitate and engage in constructive conversations and critical dialogues across differences. Adam will serve as administrative assistant for the center.
  

This restructuring and new hiring represent the significant investment UMBC is making in this important work. Please join me in welcoming our new colleagues to DoIE!

Sincerely,

Tanyka M. Barber

Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer