GRIZZLED: Love Letters to 50 of North America’s Least Understood Animals spotlights the quirky, often-misunderstood inhabitants of our backyards and beyond. It hits bookstores this week, and Mercedes Burns, associate professor of biological sciences, is featured in an essay that dives into the world of harvesters—better known as daddy longlegs. 

The essay debunks the common myth that harvesters are the most venomous spiders in the world, but only harmless because their mouthparts are too small to bite a human. In fact, rather than being spiders at all, Burns shares that they are intriguing arachnid relatives. She unpacks their survival tactics, like shedding legs to escape predators, and other eccentric behaviors that make these gangly denizens more endearing than eerie.

“I’ve studied arachnids for over a decade, and learning about them has opened my eyes to the diversity of less-appreciated and absolutely fascinating species that occur in North America,” Burns shares. “I am excited to join the league of researchers who contributed to this book, and I hope that readers find a new local species to love.”

Burns’ passion for arachnids isn’t new—and it’s been weaving its way into public consciousness for years. In a 2020 New York Times piece, she demystified the fuzzy clusters of daddy longlegs that sometimes “grow” on buildings, turning a gross-out moment into a lesson on their harmless, communal nature. She’s also weighed in on arachnid feats, such as spiders devouring snakes up to 30 times their size, as featured in a 2021 Smithsonian article.

At UMBC, Burns’ impact extends beyond the page. Her 2023 NSF CAREER Award funds research on arachnid evolution in Japan, blending fieldwork with student mentorship to nurture the next generation of scientists and champion arachnid appreciation. There is even a trapdoor spider species named Ummidia mercedesburnsae in her honor.

Burns’ work reminds us that even tiny creatures deserve our attention and care. Dive into science journalist Jason Bittel’s GRIZZLED to discover your own “local species to love.” 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ACCOUNTS PAYABLE WILL NOW PROCESS ALL EMPLOYEE REIMBURSEMENTS WITH DOCUMENTATION/RECEIPTS OLDER THAN 60 DAYS AS TAXABLE INCOME TO THE EMPLOYEE THROUGH HRSTM:

Accounts Payable is implementing the IRS accountable plan for employee reimbursements to ensure compliance with federal tax regulations.  Employee reimbursements that are business related and submitted for reimbursement within the 60-day IRS Safe Harbor will be treated as non-taxable to the employee.  Travel related reimbursement should be submitted through Concur, while non-travel reimbursements should be submitted through PAW on a payment request.

The PAW payment request (PR) process now includes questions related to employee reimbursement when choosing "Reimbursement" in the PR screen:

If the documentation or receipt shows that the goods or services being reimbursed occurred more than 60 days prior to the submission date, Accounts Payable (AP) will contact the requester to determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the delay. If no extenuating circumstances apply, the AP professional will guide the requester on the process for submitting the reimbursement through payroll as a pay adjustment

Please direct any questions or concerns to Gayle Chapman at chapman@umbc.edu

We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to this important process change.

To strengthen transparency and ensure graduate students stay informed about discussions with university leadership, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) is sharing summaries from the Fall semester Town Halls and Meet & Confer meetings.

For the first time, GSA is formally compiling and distributing these updates to the broader graduate student community. These reports include discussions from:

• College-level Senator Town Halls: 

CAHSS Senators Report, CNMS Senators Report, COEIT Senators Report

 • Student Affairs Senator Town Hall: 

Student Affairs Senators Report

• GAAC Town Hall and Meet & Confer discussions with university leadership: 

GAAC Report

These summaries highlight key themes raised by graduate students, administrative responses, and ongoing follow-up conversations. Our goal is to close the feedback loop, increase transparency, and ensure that graduate students are aware of the advocacy efforts taking place on their behalf.

GSA will continue working with campus leadership to address concerns raised during these sessions and will provide updates as conversations progress.

If you have additional feedback or issues you would like GSA to raise in future discussions, please feel free to reach out at 

gsa@umbc.edu

gsapresident@umbc.edu

Thank you for staying engaged in the graduate student community.

—
UMBC Graduate Student Association (GSA)

Starting a new venture is hard work!  Have you wondered how AI can help you launch your startup? 

Today in UC 302, the University Center Ballroom Lounge, from 12-1 pm, come hear Dr. Tim Oates talk about how you can use AI to launch and scale your startup.

Modern advances in Artificial Intelligence have produced tools and technologies that can make you smarter, faster, and more innovative.

Come hear Dr. Tim Oates speak on Wednesday, March 4th from 12-1 pm in the University Center Ballroom Lounge.

In this talk, Dr. Oates will explore several ways that Large Language Models (LLMs) can be used as force multipliers in startups, from ideation to marketing to customer acquisition and more.

Come hear about the lessons Dr. Oates learned while using AI to scale his own data science company!

What?  A Workshop about AI and Your Startup!

Where? UC 302, University Center Ballroom Lounge

When?  Today! Wednesday, March 4th from 12-1pm

The Fall 2026 schedule was released on Monday, 3/23 and INDS advising appointments started on 3/24. Make sure to schedule your advising appointment if you haven't already done so! It is recommended that you receive advising clearance prior to your registration appointment, which you can find in your myUMBC profile, to ensure you are able to enroll in your courses at your registration time. 

Here are the links to schedule your appointment:

Schedule with Holly Cudzilo

Schedule with Carrie Sauter              

Schedule first available appointment 

Black and Gold Rush is almost here! On March 4 and 5, our UMBC community will come together for 36 hours of giving.

What does that mean? It's not just about fundraising. It's about showing what's possible when our community rallies behind students.

This year, the Division of Student Affairs has set a goal to raise $25,000 in support of student wellbeing, basic needs, and transformative experiences. 

AND

The Division of Student Affairs Executive Leadership Team has pledged a matching gift that will be released once we reach our $25,000 goal. Every contribution moves us closer to unlocking those additional funds—and expanding support for our Retrievers.

Here's how you can help:

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) election process for the 2026–2027 academic year is officially underway. 

Please review the updated election timeline and key details below. We encourage all graduate students to participate in the process by submitting nominations, learning about candidates, and voting.

NOMINATION FORM

 Election Timeline

• March 8, 2026 – GSA Election Nomination Form Deadline (updated deadline)
• March 9 – March 13, 2026 – Student Eligibility Check Period
• March 13, 2026 – Candidate Notification and Campaigning Details Shared
• March 23 – March 25, 2026 – Senator & E-Council 3-Minute Speech Recordings
(In-person preferred; locations will be communicated soon)
• March 26, 2026 – Speech Recordings Released on myUMBC
• March 27 – March 30, 2026 (until 5 PM) – Voting, Elections & Campaigning (Senators only)
• March 30, 2026 – E-Council & Senate Speaker Candidate Notification
• April 1, 2026 – E-Council & Senate Speaker 1-Minute Speech + Q&A at the Senate Meeting (1pm in person)
• April 10, 2026 – Final Election Results Announcement

Important Note for GAAC Candidates:

Candidates running for GAAC positions will be voted on specifically by Graduate Assistants (GAs) and should not campaign to the broader graduate student population.

Questions?

Please reach out to the GSA Election Committee Co-Chairs or committee members:

Election Co-Chairs
• Reena – rkale1@umbc.edu
• Neil – kneil1@umbc.edu

Election Committee Members
• Apurv – ja92776@umbc.edu
• Aditya – adityak7@umbc.edu
• Tanmay – tanmayp1@umbc.edu

We encourage all graduate students to stay engaged and participate in shaping the future of the UMBC Graduate Student Association.