Welcome to UMBC! We are so glad you are here.

Whether you are transferring in, starting mid-year, or picking up where you left off, we are thrilled to have you as part of our diverse, inclusive community. Welcome Retrievers is one of UMBC’s favorite traditions. At the beginning of each semester, departments and offices from across campus come together to welcome new and returning students to UMBC. 

Graduate Students Welcome Events - Starting Aug 19

Join the Welcome Retrievers myUMBC group for updates and information.

Want to know more about events?  Have a question about life on campus?  Want to connect with a current student for some tips? As you find yourself asking questions, send an email to welcomeretrievers@umbc.edu

The NASA Goddard Sciences and Exploration Directorate's Annual Summer Student Poster Symposium was held on Wednesday, August 5th in Goddard’s Hinners Auditorium. At this conference-style event, students, mentors, fellow researchers, and Goddard personnel celebrated the research accomplishments of the students over the summer. Among the ~110 presenters were GESTAR II Visiting Fellows Emma Pellerin (CSU) and Joshua Mallay (PSU). Additionally, several GESTAR II researchers served as mentors and attended with their summer interns. 

Emma Pellerin and Viral Shah (610.1/Morgan) present "Probing Saharan dust and sea spray interactions with NASA Earth mission datasets: Implications for the global modeling of chlorine."  

Joshua Mallay (PSU) presents "Temporal Evolution of Atmospheric Aerosol Properties across the Eastern United States." (Not pictured: Mentors Thomas Eck (618/UMBC) and Pawan Gupta (GSFC/618).) 

Carson Turner (Univ. of Wyoming, OSTEM) and Allison Collow (610.1/UMBC) present "Evaluation of Aerosols in GEOS-CAM."

Annalise Igyarto (at right, Arizona State Univ.) and Cecelia Paparella (at left, 610.1/SURA) present "Improving Lightning Parameterizations Accuracy in GEOS." (Not pictured: Retha Mecikalski (610.1/Morgan)

All photos provided by Dominique Footes/GESTAR II/SURA.

Additional GESTAR II mentors included the following:
Hiren Jethva (614/Morgan) and students Haider Ali and Jonathan Wang:
"Distinguishing Smoke and Dust Aerosols over Clouds using UV and VIS-NIR Aerosol Indices from PACE-OCI" (Ali)
"Clouds or aerosol? An investigation using UV to NIR multispectral color ratio observations from PACE-OCI" (Wang)

Susanne Craig (616/UMBC) and Daniella Asturias:
"Linking Hyperspectral PACE taxonomic Observations with Underway Metaproteomics along a Northwest Atlantic Transect"

Virginie Buchard (610.1/UMBC) and Cristopher Atilano Rodriguez:
"Simulating 670 nm TOA Radiances with Aerosol Effects Using CRTM"

Yingxi Shi (613/UMBC) and students Andrew Dai and Nora Wang:
"Discrepancies in DT Product Performance" (Dai) 
"Machine Learning Uncertainty Analysis of Dark Target Products" (Wang)

Lipi Mukherjee (613/UMBC) and students Evan Shang and Avishi Anurag:
“Calibrating an Infrared Imager to Measure Wildfire Temperatures from High-Altitude Aircraft” (Shang)
“Detecting Wildfires Using Radiance Slope Analysis of NASA TEMPO Twilight Satellite Data”
(Anurag)

We hope this summer at NASA Goddard was an informative and engaging experience for everyone who participated and wish them well in the upcoming semester!

The Graduate Student Association is seeking graduate student representatives to serve on the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee (GAAC) for the 2026–2027 academic year.

The GAAC is responsible for providing a platform specifically for GA’s to voice their concerns. We strive to work productively and coordinate with administrators to maintain a positive work environment and bring about positive changes for graduate assistant students. 

We are looking for:

1 representative from CAHSS

📅 Position Start Date: Aug 20, 2026

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will begin immediately. Positions will be filled on a first-qualified, first-served basis, so we encourage interested students to apply as soon as possible.

This is a great opportunity to:

• Gain leadership and service experience
• Contribute to graduate assistants' betterment 
• Work closely with the GSA to support your graduate student community
• Earn a stipend for your time.

If you're interested in serving on the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee, submit your application today! (https://forms.gle/UXVtCcYR3UhieTDD7)

We look forward to welcoming our new GAAC members!

The Graduate Student Association is inviting graduate students to join the Graduate Experiences, Achievements, and Research Successes (GEARS) Committee for the 2026–2027 academic year.

GEARS helps organize events and programs that showcase graduate research, celebrate student achievements, support professional development, and strengthen the graduate student community.

We are looking for motivated graduate students to support areas such as:

1. Event planning and logistics
2. Operations and registration
3. Outreach and partnerships
4. Communications and organization
5. Graphics and social media

This is a great opportunity to:

- Gain leadership and event-planning experience
- Help organize major events such as 3MT and the Graduate Research Symposium
- Work with campus partners and the GSA
- Support and celebrate graduate student success
- Earn a stipend for your time

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so interested students are encouraged to apply early.

Join GEARS and help bring graduate student research, achievements, and experiences into the spotlight at UMBC!

Submit your application here!

10 Years of Community Care: Share Your Voice and Win 100 Retriever Dollars

For a decade, Retriever Essentials has worked to ensure no Retriever goes hungry. What started as an effort to ease the immediate burden of food insecurity has grown into a campus movement of mutual aid, support, and care. Every meal provided, every pantry restocked, and every student served over the past ten years has been made possible by the dedication of our UMBC community.

As we mark our 10th Anniversary, we want to celebrate the heart of this work: student voices.

In partnership with Poetry X Hunger, we are calling on UMBC student writers and poets to submit an original poem exploring themes of hunger, food justice, or collective care.

The Award and Recognition

• 100 Retriever Dollars: One featured student writer will be awarded 100 Retriever Dollars.

• Live Performance: The selected student will read their poem live in front of an audience at our 10th Anniversary Celebration.

• Broader Platform: Winning selections will be showcased on the Poetry X Hunger website to inspire broader audiences.

Your words have the power to illuminate the reality of food equity, foster empathy, and drive meaningful change.

How to Submit

Please refer to the following post.

This post has been made on behalf of the Retrievers Essentials. 

This workshop by Women's, Gender, & Equity Center, is designed for faculty, staff, and students who may be the first person a survivor confides in.

Join us to:

• Learn about the Start by Believing campaign

• Build confidence in responding to disclosures of sexual assault, harassment, or domestic violence

• Strengthen our survivor-centered, trauma-informed campus community

Date: August 19, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: Virtual via Webex

Let’s work together to create a culture of support and safety at UMBC

If you plan to attend, RSVP on MyUMBC below:

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/womenscenter/events/154881

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

This post has been made on behalf of the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center at UMBC.

Dear UMBC Community,

The 2026 – 2027 academic calendar has been finalized and is now available on the Registrar’s Office website. The dates below reflect the finalized calendar and related event schedule.

Fall 2026

• Convocation: Sunday, August 23, at 3 p.m.

• First day of classes: Monday, August 24

• Fall Class Recess: Monday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 13

• Last day of classes: Wednesday, December 9

• Reading day: Thursday, December 10

• Final exams: Friday, December 11 to Thursday, December 17

Winter 2026 Commencement

Both ceremonies will take place on Friday, December 18:

• Undergraduate Ceremony: 10 a.m.

• Graduate School Ceremony: 3 p.m.

Spring 2027

• First day of classes: Monday, January 25

• Spring Break: Saturday, March 13 through Sunday, March 21 

• Last day of classes: Friday, May 7 

• Reading day: Monday, May 10

• Final exams: Tuesday, May 11 through Monday, May 17

Spring 2027 Commencement

• Graduate School Ceremony: Tuesday, May 18 at 10 a.m.

• Undergraduate Ceremonies: Wednesday, May 19 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

For the complete academic calendar and additional dates and deadlines, please visit the Registrar’s Office website. Looking ahead, the 2027 – 2028 academic calendar will also be published on the registrar’s website once it is available.

Sincerely,

Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Your go-to source for everything happening in our world is backthis time with our second edition. We’re moving fast, staying sharp, and we want to keep you in the loop with all the latest wins and updates from the UMBC Procurement Department.

Inside This Issue:

• Training Announcements: we're here to help!

• Terms and Conditions: And why they are important.

• Parterning with Procurement: When to reachout!

Dive In Now

Ready to see what we've been up to? Click the link below to read the full issue:

We hope you enjoy the read as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Stay tuned for more regular updates!

Happy Reading,

Your UMBC Procurement Team

UMBC Cybersecurity MS student Adam Baji was featured as the intern of the week by the Career Center. During his internship at Northrop Grumman this summer, he supported the Business Recovery and Resumption team, where he helped develop software and data-driven solutions to better understand and evaluate supplier-related risks. Read more here.

The financing of business is important to understand--whether you think you'll want to work for a start up someday, start your own business, or work for an established business that wants to grow! 

Here's an opportunity to build your knowledge base and background--background that will be helpful in the future!  Sign up to take Entrepreneurial Finance: ENTR 330...

Class will be held on Wednesdays from 4:30-7 pm.

Instructor: Jonathan Sachs, Director of Workforce Development, Baltimore County

Contact Kevin Fulmer, kevinf@umbc.edu if you you have any questions or are interested in signing up for the class!