The Bioinformatics department is introducing a new undergraduate curriculum in Fall 2026. Components of the new curriculum are as follows:

• The major gateway requirement has been removed.
• BIOL 313: Introduction to Bioinformatics will be replaced by BIOL 416: Bioinformatics. BIOL 313 and BIOL 416 are automatically considered equivalent during the transition period. 
  BIOL 416, in addition to BIOL 415: Systems Biology, will become the two core Bioinformatics courses required for both the Bioinformatics major and minor. Both courses will be offered each spring semester.
• The elective requirements for the Bioinformatics major have been reduced, with students now completing one List A elective and one List B elective.

Attached to this myUMBC post you will find the new major and minor requirement worksheets. If you are a current/returning UMBC student, you have the option to follow the “new” 2026-2027 catalog. If you choose to follow the “new” catalog, you should consult with your advisor about next steps.

If you have any questions or concerns, follow up with your advisor or contact Bioinformatics Undergraduate Program Director, Dr. Daniel Lobo (lobo@umbc.udu).

All,

The work on the high temperature hot water has been completed and all welds for the work have passed x-ray inspection. Facilities will fill the system this weekend and begin heating the system. If everything works according to plan, we should have hot water, better temperatures and steam for the autoclaves beginning Monday morning. 

On another note, Steris will be out on the morning of the 22nd to do our semi annual PMs and inspections. This will allow two weeks for us to catch up on autoclave use before their work. Please let everyone know.

Thank you!

The 2026 Service-Learning & Civic Engagement (SLCE) conference will take place on Saturday, October 17th at American University in Washington, D.C. Per the event website:

This annual gathering brings together change-makers across our region to explore innovative approaches to community engagement, partnership-building, and civic learning in higher education. We welcome dynamic and diverse proposals that align with the mission and vision of TMA and the SLCE Conference, particularly those addressing:

• Community-Engaged Scholarship

• Community Partnership

• Direct Service/Service-Learning Pedagogy

Students are invited to propose a workshop, roundtable discussion, panel, or poster, and the deadline to do so is Sunday, June 21st (an extension from the previous deadline of June 8th).  Your experiences are valuable and others can learn from them! Questions about the event may be directed to Nicki Fiocco at fiocco@transformmidatlanic.org 

*Programs denoted with an asterick are not affiliated with UMBC. 

The College Autism Network’s Complex Conversations: Navigating the Digital Dating Landscape*

Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST - Virtual

registration required (use this link) Free for CAN members; $40 for non-members.

 Dating is hard. For autistic and neurodivergent college students, it can also be isolating, confusing, and really easy to get it wrong without the right support. This session features two complementary resources that support students in this often-overlooked dimension of life. Uneepi, is a dating platform built with autistic users in mind and Introflirt University is a practical educational series on dating - online and off. Together, they aim to give autistic students the knowledge and confidence to find connection on their own terms. Participants will gain an understanding of how to support students navigating online relationships, along with safety considerations across environments.

Neuroinclusive Design: Beyond Compliance Toward Sensory-Responsive Accessibility*

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern - Virtual

registration required (use this link) Free

 This webinar, presented by The Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, introduces neuroinclusive design as an evidence-informed extension of ADA accessibility practice. Explore how lighting, acoustics, color, wayfinding, predictability, and sensory load shape access for neurodivergent individuals, older adults, veterans, and people with invisible disabilities.

TransCen Virtual Transition Conference* (virtual)

June 16, 2026: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Eastern

June 17, 2026: 12:00 noon - 7:00 p.m. Eastern

registration required (use this link) Registration is $75.

 The goal of this conference is helping students with disabilities move into adulthood with dignity, choice, and real options. Whether you are a family member, educator, transition coordinator, or service provider, this conference is designed to equip you with ideas that turn planning into meaningful action.

This full-day conference will be offered on two different dates, at times adjusted to accommodate participants in different time zones. Note: the same information will be shared each date; please register for only one date.

Trauma-Informed Care for Autistic and Transgender People*

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 7 pm - 8:15 pm Eastern - Virtual

registration required (use this link) Free

 
The presentation will cover practical suggestions for accessibility in a therapeutic environment, intersectionality, the overlap between autism and gender expansiveness, common barriers faced by autistic and trans autistic people, and more. Sponsored by the College Autism Network. 

*Programs denoted with an asterick are not affiliated with UMBC. 

Neurodiversity-Affirming Psychotherapy Practices study*

Temala Baker, an autistic doctoral student in the  Clinical Psychology PhD program at Idaho State University is part of a research lab focused on improving psychotherapy experiences for autistic
adults. They are conducting a research study about what therapy is like for autistic adults. The goal of the study is to better understand what therapy practices feel supportive, respectful, and helpful from the perspective of autistic adults themselves.

Participants must:
- Be age 18 or older
- Identify as autistic
- Have participated in psychotherapy/counseling in the past 10 years (or currently)
- Be in the United States or Canada

The survey is anonymous and takes about 20–30 minutes to complete.
Participants may also enter a drawing for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

https://isu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bI11BAIXDQEZmsu

*Programs denoted with an asterick are not affiliated with UMBC. 

Congratulations are in order for Kristin Kelly and Neisha-Anne Green for successfully presenting their dissertation research proposal in the Language, Literacy, and Culture doctoral program.

Kelly and Green were both graduate student research fellows for the Dresher Center. Kelly received a fellowship in Spring 2025 for her project, “All That You Touch, You Change”:  Co-Creating Humanizing School-Based Mentorship Programs for Black Girls; Green in Spring 2026 for her project, Breaking Bread, Breaking Cycles.

Good Evening,

I hope everyone is having a great start to their summer! All deadline calendars for FY27 have been updated on our website through September 2026. Please note that HRSTM has not yet released their FY27 deadline calendars, so dates on our calendars are subject to change once HRSTM calendars are published.

In the event deadlines change, we will notify all departments via MyUMBC post, and updated calendars will be published.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,
The OPSSC Team

We’re looking for university students who are interested in sharing their perspectives on social and political topics on a new and growing social media platform.

Whether you identify as progressive, democratic socialist, moderate, or anywhere in between, this is a space for open, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

If you’re interested in expressing your ideas, engaging in meaningful discussion, and connecting with other students who care about what’s happening in the world, we’d love to hear from you. 

To get involved, email: contact@therest.online or go to  https://thereset.online

We’re looking for university students who are interested in sharing their perspectives on social and political topics on a new and growing social media platform.

Whether you identify as progressive, democratic socialist, moderate, or anywhere in between, this is a space for open, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

If you’re interested in expressing your ideas, engaging in meaningful discussion, and connecting with other students who care about what’s happening in the world, we’d love to hear from you. 

To get involved, email: contact@therest.online or go to  https://thereset.online

We’re looking for university students who are interested in sharing their perspectives on social and political topics on a new and growing social media platform.

Whether you identify as progressive, democratic socialist, moderate, or anywhere in between, this is a space for open, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

If you’re interested in expressing your ideas, engaging in meaningful discussion, and connecting with other students who care about what’s happening in the world, we’d love to hear from you. 

To get involved, email: contact@therest.online or go to  https://thereset.online

Do you recall the smell of wildfire smoke in parts of the U.S. in the summer of 2023 and being surprised that this was due to wildfires in ... Canada? In fact, that was the most intense wildfire season on record for Canada. Fires from Alberta in western Canada combined with wildfires in Quebec in eastern Canada contributed to thick smoke that affected air quality over much of the continent. Allison Collow (610.1/UMBC) provided scientific insight for two visualizations from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS), the first being "Long-range Transport of 2023 Canadian Wildfire Smoke into the Northeastern United States." "When intense fires loft smoke above the atmospheric boundary layer, it can be transported thousands of miles across continents and oceans. An example of this occurred during the month of June 2023 and is visualized ... using aerosol information from the forward processing configuration of NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)" (i.e., GEOS-FP). With the combination of pressure systems and circulations, "from May 31 – July 7, 2023, smoke from wildfires in Canada is seen traveling thousands of miles, blanketing various regions of the United States and particularly impacting the eastern U.S. with record-breaking poor air quality," demonstrating that smoke can transport far from its source and affect air quality and health conditions in faraway locations.

Dr. Collow contributed to this second SVS Global Smoke Forecast Visualization, which updates daily, is available online to the public, and appears on the Earth Information Center screens in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and on the Hyperwall in the NASA Headquarters lobby. "In addition to toxic chemicals, smoke emitted by wildfires contains particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). PM2.5 is dangerous to breathe in because the particles are small enough to penetrate the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. {Again], wildfire smoke can travel thousands of miles, impacting populations distant from the source. It is therefore important that smoke is tracked and forecasts are provided to alert the public of impending poor air quality. Earth system models that couple aerosols with meteorology are valuable tools for providing air quality forecasts. NASA’s GEOS-FP is one such system that provides near-real-time analyses and forecasts of aerosols in addition to fields necessary for forecasting the weather twice daily each day at 00z and 12z (midnight and noon UTC, the worldwide time standard)."