Baltimore has an active technology community comprised of researchers and developers from companies, startups, consultancies and academe. There will be a Super Meetup event Baltimore Innovation Week 2014 that will draw on the more than 30 Baltimore area meetup groups focused on different technologies.

The Super Meetup will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at Betamore (1111 Light Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD map).

This is a good opportunity for students to network with Baltimore-area developers and find leads for internships and full-time jobs.

“Like last year, in the spirit of coming together to celebrate tech and innovation in this great community, we are hosting a Super Meetup of all the local tech-related Meetups.

Come have a beer, grab a snack and get to know one another at Betamore. Meetup organizers will each give a shout out about their respective groups.”

Join the Super Meetup and RSVP here.

By Lucy Ewing

Colleges have programs in place to welcome new students, but many first years will still experience homesickness. There are times of the day and family traditions that tug at a freshman’s heart. And there is the effort of making new friends, perhaps the biggest challenge of all. 

Check out the suggestions offered by students who have been there and made it through-share them with your freshmen.  Read the full article here!

Not-so-breaking news:  Americans are in sorry shape. 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released their annual “The State of Obesity” for 2014 and no state has anything proud to say. Six states saw increases in obesity while every all state saw no improvement.

With a grim obesity outlook for the United States, many people wonder “what is the best way to lose weight?”

With numerous fad diets, and even more numerous opinions, getting a clear answer is difficult. Turn on TV and you will see Dr. Oz praising the effects of metabolism boosters, green coffee beans, and miracle weight loss pills. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz, (we weren’t joking)  who serves as a Professor of Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons is one such dubious dietitian. He has received harsh criticism and was even called in front of Congress for a hearing  on his deceptive information and false claims. 

To clarify- his products are not scientifically proven to significantly or effectively lose weight. They also  do not need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These miracle weight loss solutions don’t work. They don’t work. And for good measure? They don’t work.  

Okay, no pills or crazy fads for us. Healthy AND scientifically proven diet it is.  So let us actually turn to the top reports and see what is best!

Well… unfortunately, scientific reports and journals seem to be sending mix signals too.

On Monday morning, Annals of Internal Medicine released a report praising low-carb diets emphasizing their effectiveness over low-fat diets. Got it. No bread. No pasta. Let’s lose some weight!

Just as people were tossing their bread and pasta ready to seize their new diets, The Journal of the American Medical Association threw a curve ball Monday evening stating that bread may not be *that* bad for you. Their independent study revealed that “significant weight loss was observed with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet”. Okay, so now what? To bread or not to bread? 

The news on weight loss is plenty and there are many people, organizations, and agencies that claim to have the best method. However, every new pill or best diet practice must be taken with a grain of salt (Not sugar, that is apparently bad for weight too).

Different studies are run under different circumstances, and there are many variable factors that can prevent or promote weight loss.

Let us just get one thing straight- the best diet is one you can stick to and keeps you energized and satisfied.

We here at USDemocrazy do not know who believe. But we do know that bread is both devilishly and dangerously delicious. 

The 2015 Richard Tapia Conference (Feb. 2015 in Boston) brings together undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, and professionals in computing from all backgrounds and ethnicities to celebrate the diversity that exists in computing, connect with others with common backgrounds, obtain advice from and make contacts with computing leaders in academia and industry and be inspired by great presentations and conversations with leaders with common backgrounds. UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski and recent UMBC faculty member Shaun Kane will be plenary speakers this year.

The conference provides scholarships for students (undergraduate and graduate), post-docs and faculty that include conference registration, meals, hotel accommodations and a travel stipend. Tapia scholarships are generously funded by government and industry organizations.

The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, September 12. See here for more information and to apply for a conference scholarship.

The 2015 Richard Tapia Conference (Feb. 2015 in Boston) brings together undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, and professionals in computing from all backgrounds and ethnicities to celebrate the diversity that exists in computing, connect with others with common backgrounds, obtain advice from and make contacts with computing leaders in academia and industry and be inspired by great presentations and conversations with leaders with common backgrounds. UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski and recent UMBC faculty member Shaun Kane will be plenary speakers this year.

The conference provides scholarships for students (undergraduate and graduate), post-docs and faculty that include conference registration, meals, hotel accommodations and a travel stipend. Tapia scholarships are generously funded by government and industry organizations.

The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, September 12. See here for more information and to apply for a conference scholarship.

Dan Bailey, professor of Visual Arts and director of the Imaging Research Center, was interviewed by WYPR’s Sheilah Kast on Wednesday, September 3. Bailey, along with Kristin Schenning of the Maryland Historical Society, discussed the UMBC/MHS collaborative project entitled “BEARINGS of Baltimore Circa 1815.” The on air interview is available online here.

Combining historical research with cutting-edge effects technology, the Bird’s Eye Annotated Representational Image/Navigable Gigapixel Scene (BEARINGS) of Baltimore, Circa 1815 provides a detailed rendition of the burgeoning city and conveys Baltimore’s prominence as a seaport and a commercial hub for the young country. By 1815, Baltimore was the third largest city in the United States; the IRC’s work recreates a view of its streets and buildings in significant detail. The IRC’s project is on view in the exhibition Full Glory: Maryland during the War of 1812 at the Maryland Historical Society (201 W. Monument Street, Baltimore). General information about BEARINGS of Baltimore Circa 1815 can be found here.

Additionally, Tamara Peters, faculty research assistant in the IRC, who has been the research lead on the project for two years, will speak at a TEDxUMBC event on Saturday, September 13. More details are here.

BEARINGS of Baltimore Circa 1815 was funded in part by the Maryland Department of Tourism and the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.

Niels Van Tomme, Visiting Curator of the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, has been named a 2014 Vilcek Curatorial Fellow by the Foundation for a Civil Society.

The Vilcek Curatorial Fellowship was established as part of the Foundation for a Civil Society’s Young Visual Artists Awards (YVAA) program. It is awarded annually to U.S.-based curators with demonstrated experience and excellence in engaging with international contemporary art. The fellowship provides curators with an opportunity to travel to one or more of the YVAA countries in Central and South East Europe to serve as guest jury members for the national awards as well as conduct short-term independent research, develop curatorial projects and expand their professional networks.

The Foundation notes that Van Tomme was chosen for his noted curatorial achievements, commitment to artists and publics alike, and potential to make important future contributions to the field of contemporary art. He will be traveling to Prishtina, Kosovo in mid-October to select the winners of the Artist of Tomorrow Award, as well as visiting Belgrade, Serbia; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Bucharest, Romania. He will also be conducting studio visits with artists, meetings with colleagues and presenting his curatorial practice at public events. As a Vilcek Fellow, Van Tomme will continue to be the agent of artistic exchange, creative collaboration and understanding between the United States and the YVAA countries.

The Young Visual Artists Awards is an international network of 10 national awards in Central and South East Europe and a New York residency program. First established with President Havel and a group of artists in Czechoslovakia in 1990, this highly successful program has grown to 10 countries and has to date awarded and presented in the US over 100 artists.

Winter Session Student Ambassador

The Office of Summer, Winter & Special Programs seeks an energetic and outgoing junior or senior to serve as an ambassador for Winter Session 2015. The ambassador will assist with on-campus events and other tasks with the goal of connecting with the student population. The ambassador would work closely with the Division of Professional Studies’ marketing team for approximately 4-8 hours per week in the fall. 

The ambassador will:

• Represent Winter Session regularly at in-person events (such as tables in the Commons or athletic events). During events, engage with students about winter session and be able to answer and/or direct their questions.
• Assist with posting flyers across campus and chalking various areas on campus.
• Contribute ideas for how to engage students and spread the word about winter session via in-person events, social media, or through other tactics.
• Assist with gathering student feedback about winter session through polls, surveys and face-to-face interaction.

For consideration, please submit your resume and cover letter to juliem@umbc.edu by Sept. 10.  Students who plan to attend Winter Session 2015 are encouraged to apply, and will be given first priority in the review and selection process.