On September 18, students from UMBC’s Graduate Cybersecurity Program joined others from Penn State, Penn State Harrisburg, and the Dickinson College of Law at the U.S. Army War College’s Center for Strategic Leadership and Development to participate in a scripted wargame considering the strategic aspects of cybersecurity during the 2014 Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence Symposium.

Students were provided the opportunity to be decision makers in one of six entitites ranging from DHS, DoD, and DoJ to state government and private sector organizations. The morning scenario required students to ascertain the roles and responsibilities of “their” agencies/organizations, their capabilities and liabilities, and decide who they should collaborate with to ensure that appropriate actions were taken and actionable information was conveyed appropriately. During the afternoon session, students considered whether acts of war were committed, decided what the appropriate steps were to counter those acts, and which agencies should be in the lead. The day concluded with a plenary session where each student group discussed their approach to the real-world scenario faced that day.

UMBC graduate cybersecurity students taking part in the event include Mark Lewis, Charles Swassing, Rina Chios, Chris Day, Sara Purdum, Michael Sterrett, Kristian Behel, and Joe Kirik (not pictured).

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UMBC’s involvement was coordinated by CYBR faculty member Bill Waddell, who is the Director, Mission Command and Cyberspace Division and General George S. Patton Chair of Operations Research and Analysis Center for Strategic Leadership and Development at the US Army War College.

Could $100,000 help jumpstart your startup? Well, Maryland’s national business competition is back for the third year! 

Since 2013, InvestMaryland Challenge has awarded nearly $1.5M in prizes to innovative startup companies. Prizes have included cash grants, incubator space, marketing and legal services, and opportunities to pitch investors. 
Start an application today and your business could be on its way to accepting the $100,000 Grand Prize!

The InvestMaryland Challenge is a national seed and early-stage business competition hosted by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. The Challenge will award $400,000 in grants and a host of business services to companies in the life sciences and high tech industries. Grants are provided by the Department's Maryland Venture Fund andBioMaryland Center. All categories are open to Maryland, U.S. And International companies.

Companies also have the opportunity to receive direct investments from venture capital firms and angel investors.

Go to http://www.investmarylandchallenge.org/ for more information and to apply!

Here in the Office of Institutional Advancement, we are always working hard to support the university and connect our donors with causes they care most about. We would like to introduce our donors — to whom we are so grateful — to the people who help make those things happen. Today, we’ll be hearing from Logan Wern, the Phonathon Coordinator.

Name: Logan Wern
Job Title: Phonathon Coordinator
Focus Area: I manage our call center, where current students are employed to call alumni, update their records and fundraise for UMBC.
Years at UMBC: About 1.5

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: North Canton, Ohio. O-H!

Q: What do you love most about UMBC?

A: The unique culture — learning is cool. Being “nerdy” is cool. I love that.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?

A: The students! I am lucky to work with students every day. Their enthusiasm for learning and life in general always inspires me.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to support UMBC?

A: Just look around. I haven’t been here long, but I know how much UMBC has grown and improved over the years. This wouldn’t be possible without support from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, the community, and friends of the university.

Q: What is a recent book you’ve read?

A: Gone Girl. Bizarre, but good.

Q: If you were an Olympian, what would be your sport/activity of choice?

A: Couples figure skating. I took ballet lessons for many years, so there are some similarities. Couples skating is mesmerizing — the way two people move so seamlessly and gracefully.

Q: Who do you admire and why?

A: My parents. They have been happily married for 27 years, which is amazing in itself. Individually, I admire my mom for her selflessness and my dad for his wisdom. I look up to them a lot.

Here in the Office of Institutional Advancement, we are always working hard to support the university and connect our donors with causes they care most about. We would like to introduce our donors — to whom we are so grateful — to the people who help make those things happen. Today, we’ll be hearing from Logan Wern, the Phonathon Coordinator.

Name: Logan Wern
Job Title: Phonathon Coordinator
Focus Area: I manage our call center, where current students are employed to call alumni, update their records and fundraise for UMBC.
Years at UMBC: About 1.5

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: North Canton, Ohio. O-H!

Q: What do you love most about UMBC?

A: The unique culture — learning is cool. Being “nerdy” is cool. I love that.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?

A: The students! I am lucky to work with students every day. Their enthusiasm for learning and life in general always inspires me.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to support UMBC?

A: Just look around. I haven’t been here long, but I know how much UMBC has grown and improved over the years. This wouldn’t be possible without support from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, the community, and friends of the university.

Q: What is a recent book you’ve read?

A: Gone Girl. Bizarre, but good.

Q: If you were an Olympian, what would be your sport/activity of choice?

A: Couples figure skating. I took ballet lessons for many years, so there are some similarities. Couples skating is mesmerizing — the way two people move so seamlessly and gracefully.

Q: Who do you admire and why?

A: My parents. They have been happily married for 27 years, which is amazing in itself. Individually, I admire my mom for her selflessness and my dad for his wisdom. I look up to them a lot.

SWE will be hosting it's second general body meeting, Wednesday September 24th at 12pm during free hour in UC room 115. This week we will be discussing women in STEM majors vs. men in STEM majors and the outreach projects we have in store!  Make sure to come to this meeting if you signed up to be a SWE big or little because we will be announcing the pairs. If you are still interested you can sign up via application on myumbc (please do so by Tuesday night). In addition , announcements about a tour at MedImmune will be given at the end of meeting, so make sure to stop by for more details.

When I was asked if I would be interested in joining the Women’s Center staff, my first reaction was, “HELL YES.” The Women’s Center had very quickly become my favorite place on campus, and I was excited to jump on the opportunity to be a part of something that had been such a positive addition to my life. Last spring was a great time for me. I got more involved. I joined the Queer Leadership Council and the LGBT Campus Climate Workgroup. I was elected Outreach Coordinator for Freedom Alliance and Director of Public Affairs for GWST COMM. Recommendations, internship opportunities, and leadership roles were flying at me and it was great to feel like my skills were desirable.

How might male privilege show up in women-focused spaces?

But the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. How much of this have I actually earned? Aren’t there other people who are much more qualified than me for these jobs? How must my classmates feel about a freshman showing up and taking over? Am I taking over? How does privilege play into this? Do I even belong in these spaces? I have been thinking about these questions for months and I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a male-identified staff member at a women’s center and the complicated combination of male identity and queer identity.

I think a lot of trans guys and people of trans male identities forget that even though some of us may have once identified as women or are sometimes read as women, we still have male privilege. Despite our queerness and the bureaucratic level problems we face with documentation or health care, there is still a place for us on the glass escalator. Now, this is not true for all of us– trans men of color, gender nonconforming trans men, or those who do not easily or readily “pass” (when one fits the standards of what a man or woman looks like well enough to not have their gender questioned) have a much more difficult time with this. For the sake of this post, when I say “trans men” I specifically mean trans men like me: white, medically transitioning, “passing” men.

My biggest struggle has been figuring out a way to see how my privilege has given me advantages in my life while also remembering that I actually did earn some of it. It’s a balance between knowing when to be proud of myself because I’ve earned something and knowing when I’ve been given something. I’m still trying to figure out how to contribute and participate in feminist and women’s movements without riding the glass escalator to the forefront. I’m learning to listen more than I speak and to support the efforts of others to liberate themselves rather than leading their liberation.

As for the Women’s Center, I think I will always be questioning and changing how I fit into my role here, just as women’s centers have changed since their first appearances in the 1970s. Women’s centers are still women-focused spaces but have branched out to include women of color and LGBTQIA women and people. Many women’s centers (including ours) have even started looking at toxic forms of hegemonic masculinity and how it affects women and men alike.

I belong here for now. My roles and responsibilities will change as the needs of my communities and the communities I support change, and I am still learning. I welcome feedback and criticism from community members– after all, you are why I’m here.