Ridgeback Internship

Ridgeback Network Defense, Inc. is seeking motivated interns to assist with building a cybersecurity device.

• Paid position, 90 day duration, 20-30 hours per week, starting late November or December.
• The location would be in the UMBC CyberHive on the UMBC campus.
• Expertise in C++ is a must. All other criteria are highly desirable.
• Educational attainment is of minimal importance compared to all other criteria.

Criteria for Candidate Selection

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• Highly skilled at C++ (minimum requirement, must have significant expertise)
• Knowledge of, or experience with, low-level systems programming (e.g., has written a device driver for an operating system)
• Understanding of various AI techniques (e.g., has implemented a computer opponent in a game)
• Understanding of various pattern recognition techniques (e.g., has written software to perform data transformation or analysis)
• Affinity for hacking (the traditional sense of the term; e.g., programs microcontrollers as a hobby)
• High degree of initiative (e.g., regularly learns new subjects or engages in technical projects outside of school)
• High degree of self-confidence (e.g., enjoys projects in unfamiliar fields)
• Achievement or goal oriented (e.g., sets and works toward specific objectives)

Contact Thomas Phillips (Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. ) with any questions or inquiries.

Women of Silicon Valley will soon be receiving a new perk.

Two giants of technology, Apple and Facebook, will soon start covering for women employees to freeze their eggs. This pricey procedure, usually between $5,000-$15,000 will allow women to pause children and extend the biological clock.  

An Apple statement came out saying:

We want to empower women at Apple to do the best work of their lives as they care for loved ones and raise their families. 

On one hand, feminists are giving a cheer. Hooray! Workplace equality! If men don’t have to worry about timing in having children, women shouldn’t have to either.

Conversely, other critics are shaking their head. Have we reached a day where companies are going to every extent to make women put their careers before their family?

One thing is clear, this move is a game-changer that could change how women view the balance between work and family. 

Would you let this new practice change the game for you and yours?

Two students in UMBC’s English Department have been named HASTAC Scholars for 2014-2015. HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory) is an alliance of social scientists, artists, humanists, and other individuals and institutions committed to exploring new possibilities technology offers in shaping how people learn, teach, and communicate.

Corey Kirk ’15, English, and Dorothy Stachowiak, a Master’s student in the English Department’s Texts, Technology, and Literature Program, will share their research with a lively international community of scholars throughout the year. Kirk’s primary research interests include digital humanities, technology and gaming. Stachowiak’s interests include 21st century literacies and digital humanities. The students will receive a stipend to spend on materials to advance their research, and Steph Ceraso, an assistant professor of English, will serve as the students’ HASTAC mentor. The program presents an opportunity for the students to connect with peers and share their work.

For more information on the HASTAC Scholars program, click here.

On October 8,  WEAA’s The Marc Steiner Show hosted a segment discussing the challenges, complexities and joys of raising and educating boys. Kimberly Moffitt, an associate professor of American studies, was a guest on the program and discussed her experience as a founding parent and trustee of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys – a charter school opening in Baltimore City next year to serve boys in grades 4 through 12.

In a discussion about improving high school graduation rates among boys, Moffitt said: “This is a movement that is happening from the ground up.” Adding, “it’s about folks in the community who recognize something that’s happening with our children and want to do something about it instead of waiting for someone else within the federal government, or higher ups, or individuals who have their philanthropic ability to contribute. This is now very much about folks who are part of the community who see something real that needs to change because this is an epidemic for our boys and we want to see a shift in change.”

Moffitt appeared on the program with Jack Pannell, founder of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, and David Banks, President and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and founding principal of the Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx. To listen to the full segment, click here.

Moffitt also recently returned from Vienna, Austria where she gave two presentations based on her research. The University of Vienna and the American Embassy hosted “Transgressive Television: Politics, Crime, and Citizenship in 21st Century American TV Series,” where Moffitt gave a presentation on “Black Motherhood as Victimhood in The Wire.” Also, at the University of Graz (Austria), Department of American Studies “When I Talk about American Studies, I Talk about… Lecture,” Moffitt presented a talk entitled, “(In)visibility in Black and White: The Case of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog.”

In his latest column in the Baltimore Sun, Political Science Professor and Chair Thomas Schaller writes about the increasingly competitive Maryland gubernatorial election. He compares the campaign strategy of Connie Morella, a former moderate Republican congresswoman from Maryland’s 8th District, to Republican candidate Larry Hogan, stating that Hogan needs to focus on certain issues to have a chance at winning the election.

“The Sun’s new poll shows Mr. Brown leading Mr. Hogan statewide by 7 points, a margin similar to the average yielded by the three previous statewide polls. Among men, Mr. Hogan leads by 8 points, 43 percent to 35 percent,” Schaller writes. “But Mr. Brown’s lead among women — 49 percent to 33 percent — is twice that. Mr. Hogan is within striking distance, but he can win only if he keeps the focus exclusively on topics related to job growth, the economy, state spending and fiscal management.”

To read Schaller’s full column in the Baltimore Sun titled, “The Connie Morella effect,” click here.