The AOK Library Gallery is once again offering a series of workshops for graduate students.  See the attached flyer for details.  

TODAY

What are some of the best strategies and tips for writing a literature review? Whether you are just starting out with your research or have been involved in your project for a while, this workshop is for you. 

Note: This workshop is being offered in a hyflex modality, so feel free to join either in person in Library 259, or online via WebEx. 

We are excited to announce a new chapter for The George and Betsy Sherman Center at UMBC! Starting this Fall, the Sherman Center has become the official Maryland affiliate for Invention Convention Worldwide.

The Mission: Beyond Science Fairs

commonvision can help with resume printing! To help with the process email us the following to: commonvision@umbc.edu:

• Your file
• If it's a Google doc be sure permissions are set to be viewed by everyone

• How many copies you would like

• Single or double sided (if applicable)
• Color or black & white
• Paper type, we have a couple of options:
• Our standard paper for color or b&w
• Resume paper (an additional .30 per sheet)
• If you would like to decide this in person after seeing the paper that is fine

Please note that we will only print these once you come into our office. We will treat these emails as walk-ins and won't have them printed ahead of time.

We only accept Retriever Dollars as payment. You can put cash on your card at the CIC (Commons Information Center) desk in the Lobby of The Commons or put money on your campus card via myUMBC 

Alternatively, you can use the mobile print kiosks to print. Instructions on how to use the kiosks may be of help. A few notes about the kiosk:

• The printers can only print in black and white
• 8.5 x 11" (letter size) is the only size it prints - any other size will cause the printer to lock up/not print so be sure to check your settings.

Be sure to give yourself enough time to have your prints completed, we will do our best to assist you in a timely manner. There will be lines and wait times the day before and the day of the Career Fair - consider printing early!

This Friday: Worked-Out Accountability Club 

Feeling overwhelmed or struggling to start a new project?

Join fellow NDAG members for a Virtual Body Doubling (VBD) session. VBD is a productivity technique where working alongside peers helps anchor focus and improve accountability.

• When: Friday, February 20 @ 1 pm

• Platform: WebEx. Details Here

• The Vibe: We'll share goals for 3 minutes (verbally or in the chat), work silently for 50 minutes (cameras on or off, mics off), and check in for 3 minutes at the end.

• Be an Anchor: We want to do this more than once a month! If you would like to host a future session (camera on) please reach out to us.

NDAG Feature: Student Neurodiversity Club Mixer - March 5

Support the student Neurodiversity Club at their March mixer

UMBC's student Neurodiversity Club is hosting a mixer in Lower Flat Tuesdays for their members to build connections. Faculty and Staff are encouraged to drop in. 

• When: March 5. 4:30 - 8 pm

• Location: The Commons, Lower Flat Tuesdays

• The Vibe: There will be stations for board games, special interests, and more.

• Be an Anchor: The student group e-board would very much like for neurodivergent faculty and staff to drop in and show their support. 

National & Virtual Learning (AV Links Included)

The following events are hosted by external groups and are open via webinar.

Preparing Autistic Students for the AI Workforce: Weaving Technical Skills with Social-Emotional Learning

Autistic people risk being left out of AI careers—not due to ability, but because of communication differences and unspoken workplace norms. We describe an NSF-funded program that supports autistic community college students through a multi-week experience combining AI learning, communication practice, and social-emotional skill building, followed by internships.

• When: Thursday,  Feb 19 at 2pm EST

• What: Hosted by The College Autism Network

• RSVP:CAN research presentation

Lexxic Neurodiversity Celebration Week

This UK-based organization is hosting sessions that will showcase best practice in leadership, systems change, and scaling inclusion across workplaces, schools, and communities.

• When: March 15-21

• Sessions Include: Beyond awareness: Building the case for equity; Scaling support, reducing barriers; Leading the way: Neuroinclusive leadership in action; From process to practice: Embedding neuroinclusion in the employee journey; The future of neuroinclusion: Innovation, data, and impact.

• Details:Neurodiversity Week link

Your Ideas Wanted!

NDAG is an employee group. We encourage members to come up with their own ideas for sessions, guest speakers, or social hangouts.

• Have a suggestion? Reply to this post.

• Want to host? If you have a topic or a time for a body-doubling session you'd like to lead, let us know and we can discuss with you.

Opportunities & Research

"ADHD Unstuck," is a new tool from Understood.org and Northwestern University. This free, self-guided activity is designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and build self-awareness. Get unstuck by learning why mood spirals happen. Try practical mood experiments. And build a personalized action plan of quick wins and strategies that stick.

Try "ADHD Unstuck" here: https://lnkd.in/d9aFPDmv

Two Retriever-led video game design teams were selected to present their games at Super MAGFest (short for “Music And Gaming Festival”), one of the largest and most prominent fan-driven festivals in the U.S. dedicated to celebrating the gaming community. The event, which runs 24 hours a day, was held January 8 – 11 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, and attracted tens of thousands of game enthusiasts.

Evan McRae ’25, computer science and individualized studies, was a member of both teams. The first team presented a game called King Scribble, in which the player must help the main character—a doodle from a notebook—find his way back to his kingdom by drawing (or erasing) platforms and objects to traverse sketched landscapes and solve physics puzzles. The second team presented the game Phantom Feline, in which the titular ghost cat character navigates through 32 haunting levels by controlling lights and turning into a shadow to scale illuminated walls.

Both teams found support for their creative and technical endeavors in UMBC’s vibrant game development classes and clubs. Computer science majors can choose to follow the game development track, and any interested student can join the Game Developers Club. In 2025, UMBC was ranked #1 in Maryland and #20 on the East Coast in game design education by Animation Career Review.

The Game Developers Club is advised by computer science associate professor Marc Olano, who pioneered the procedural shading algorithms that are used to generate color, texture, and lighting in real-time on graphics hardware and are now a standard feature on every PC and game platform.

It was in Olano’s Capstone Games Group Project class that King Scribble first took shape. The class includes both student artists in the animation track and programmers in the game development track. McRae pitched the King Scribble idea—which he had first thought up in first grade—to his classmates, who selected it as one of four games to develop. Since the end of the class, the King Scribble team has continued improving the game. They started a limited liability company and have plans to ultimately commercialize the game. People can currently wishlist the game on Steam, a large digital distribution platform for PC gaming.

Phantom Feline was first developed during the Game Developers Club 2025 Spring Game Jam, and is free to play on Windows and Linux.

Creating the games “has been a dream come true,” says McRae. “I owe so much to the teams for coming together to make them a playable reality.” In addition to McRae, the King Scribble team members are Jay Cina ’25, computer science; Brian Lawser ’25, computer science; Colby Frashure ’25, computer science; Sormeh Jaribion ’25, computer science; Justin Gaylord ’25, visual arts; and Ginger Sealy, Halle Onyeador, and Anthony Bonilla Duron, all current visual arts students. The Phantom Feline team includes McRae and Scott Serafin ’25, computer science; Aidan Brown ’25, computer science; Jet Thompson ’25, computer science; and Joshua Epstein, a current student in music technology and music composition.

Permanent accommodation available (1BHK) from Feb 20th, 2026. Maiden Choice Apartments

Good evening! 

I'm excited to share that Commuter Week 2026 is almost here! This year's theme is Welcome to Commuterville, a celebration designed to recognise and support our commuter students at UMBC! 

Throughout the week, we will host a variety of programs focused on connection, resources, and community-building!