Looking for something to do this summer? Look no further.

NHRE is a 10 week program running from May 26, 2015- July 31, 2015 where participants have the opportunity to work on independent research projects with mentors in the science fields of biology, anthropology, and earth science.

This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and interns receive free housing along with a stipend for their work.

Explore new ideas and concepts in our nation's capital this summer at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

Follow the link provided for more info!

Destiny�s Darlings

UMBC Men�s Soccer Kicks Into the Final Four

On a chilly night in Omaha, Nebraska, UMBC�s men�s soccer squad reached giddy heights that a Division I team in any sport at the university has never touched before: the Final Four of a national collegiate tournament.

After 110 hard-fought and scoreless minutes against the No. 12-ranked Creighton Bluejays, the Retrievers snatched a 4-3 win on penalty kicks.

UMBC�s �Road Warriors� (15-5-4) have travelled to four different stadiums and won four straight games against nationally-ranked opponents to earn their place among the elite teams in college soccer.

�We were destined to be here,� said UMBC men�s soccer head coach Pete Caringi, Jr. in a press conference after the victory.

The Retrievers played with immense composure throughout the first 90 minutes of the game, shutting down a Creighton squad previously unbeaten on its home field in NCAA tournament history. The two ten-minute overtime sessions were a study in contrasts. The Retrievers came close to scoring on a few occasions in the first overtime, while Creighton nearly snatched a victory in the second overtime period.

With a place in the NCAA College Cup on the line in a penalty kick shootout, standout sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner made an impressive stop on the first Creighton attempt and watched the second Bluejay attempt hit a goalpost. The Retrievers then scored on four of their five penalty kicks, with senior midfielder Mamadou Kansaye, senior defender Jordan Becker and junior forward/midfielder Michael Scott scoring penalties to set up a winning conversion by senior forward Kay Banjo.

�We feel like we belong here,� Heavner said in a press conference held after the victory. �We feel like we belong at this level�.But we have more work to do.�

The UMBC men�s soccer squad has achieved this athletics milestone by taking a different path to success. The university and its athletics department share a vision to seek excellence for UMBC�s student athletes in the classroom as well as on the field.

In a recent interview with UMBC Magazine, UMBC athletics director Tim Hall said: �My own beliefs about intercollegiate athletics and academics are congruent with the leadership of the university. I believe that success in athletics and success in academics are not mutually exclusive. You can be successful and balanced in both.�

It�s a vision that�s paying off with a UMBC squad that is now in the Final Four.

Last week, Heavner was presented with the inaugural America East Elite 18 award, which recognizes student-athletes competing in conference championship matches who possess high academic and athletic achievements. In addition to being one of the catalysts on UMBC�s amazing postseason run, Heavner also maintains a 4.0 GPA as a major in financial economics.

The UMBC men’s and women’s soccer teams also earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Awards for the 2013-14 academic year for posting cumulative team grade point averages of 3.0 or better. UMBC was one of only 188 schools that had both men’s and women’s programs recognized in the NSCAA awards.

To see video highlights of the historic win, explore detailed game accounts and statistics, and obtain information on obtaining tickets to next Friday�s national semifinal game in Cary, N.C., head to umbcretrievers.com.

(Updated 12/5/2014)

Psychology Professor Carlo DiClemente has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The council advises and makes recommendations to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) secretary, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) director on research program and policy matters in the field of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

The council consists of 15 members appointed by the HHS secretary who are leaders in scientific disciplines relevant to NIAAA activities, including public health, behavioral and social sciences, public policy, law, health policy, economics, and management.

DiClemente’s research focuses on smoking cessation, motivation and stages of change for a variety of health behaviors, understanding the mechanism of change in alcohol and substance abuse, and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) training in medical residency programs.

Last year, DiClemente received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Addictive Behaviors Special Interest Group (AB-SIG) of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). To learn more, click here.

The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism appointment is a four-year term. To learn more about the council, click here.

Ph.D. Proposal

Increased Autonomy with Robotics for Daily Living

Kavita Preethi Krishnaswamy

5:30pm-7:30pm, Tuesday, 9 December 2014, ITE 325B

Live Webcast: http://goo.gl/5JmjlR or http://youtu.be/qu8S6IUsCa0

Robotic technologies can provide people with disabilities invaluable tools to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Few studies have investigated how effective and accessible the control of robotic aids is for people with severe physical disabilities with respect to their needs and current facility with technology. Though present-day robotic aids can help people with disabilities with important daily living tasks, there is still room for improvement.

What has been needed, and heretofore unavailable, is a self-directed transferring, repositioning, and personal care robotic device that is capable of increasing independence for people with physical disabilities without the assistance of caregivers. This thesis proposal will serve as the base of the research study to design and develop self-directed transferring, repositioning, and personal care robotic systems with a focus on accessible user interfaces for control that are feasible for persons with severe physical disabilities. The interface should allow local and remote control, and thus must be aware of network constraints to ensure safe and accurate control.

Committee Members: Dr. Tim Oates (Chair), Dr. Dan Ding, Dr. Tim Finin, Dr. Charles Nicholas, Dr. Yelena Yesha