A two-person startup taking a big step — hiring its first staffer

Ryan McDonald

Digital Producer- Baltimore Business Journal

Professional ballroom dancers and Olympic figure skaters must work well with their partner, to coordinate and perfect their routine. But when it comes to running a business, it takes more than two to tango.

Zuly Gonzalez, chief operating officer for cyber startup Light Point Security, has been with her business partner and CEO of Light Point Beau Adkins since the company was founded in 2010.

“We work really well together. We have got complimentary skill sets and personalities considering we have known each other for a while,” Gonzalez said. Having a small team allows quick decisions without needing to go ...

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/print-edition/2014/02/14/a-two-person-startup-taking-a-big-step.html

InvestMaryland Challenge advances 41 companies

Out of 260 applicants, 41 start-ups have advanced in the second annual InvestMaryland Challenge, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) announced today.

The early-stage business competition—with awards provided by DBED’s Maryland Venture Fund, the BioMaryland Center and other sponsors—seeks to grow entrepreneurship and innovation in the State.

Ultimately, four companies will each receive $100,000 grand prizes in four categories, including information technology, cybersecurity, life sciences and general industry. All applicants have opportunities for promotion, networking and feedback from industry experts. Total available grants and prizes, including the four $100,000 awards, are valued at more than $700,000.

“The InvestMaryland Challenge brings together some of the most exciting young companies  in Maryland to showcase the thriving entrepreneurial community in our State and provide these rising stars of cybersecurity, biotechnology, IT and other fields with the resources they need to thrive,” said DBED Secretary Dominick Murray. “Congratulations to all the InvestMaryland Challenge semifinalists. To stand out from such a large pool of applicants is an achievement in itself and I wish them the best of luck as they move forward in the competition.”

The competition extends beyond Maryland’s borders, although out-of-state ventures are expected to establish themselves in Maryland, either through acquired space or a State incubator. Two Washington, D.C. companies and one New York company join 38 Maryland companies as semi-finalists.

Applicants will participate in face-to-face interviews with judges on March 6 at DBED headquarters at the Baltimore World Trade Center. The final winners will be announced later this spring.

For the complete list go to http://mdbiznews.choosemaryland.org/2014/02/11/investmaryland-challenge-advances-41-companies/

Meet Nick.

He is a Psychology major and a current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar. He has served as a research assistant at UMBC as well as Johns Hopkins and also works as a tutor and mentor in the Learning Resources Center (LRC). His current research focuses on cognitive effects of proton irradiation at differing energy levels.

How did you find your mentor for year research project?
I originally met my mentor by going to my advisor in the psychology department and asking about what research labs the department had to offer. After hearing that the psychology department had an animal behavior lab, I researched my mentor more in-depth by reading some of his research articles. I worked in his lab for one year before I approached him about doing an independent honors thesis, and because of the expensive nature of radiation research he already had a project in mind. I worked on and developed this project for about a semester before I applied for an Undergraduate Research Award.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
Due to the expensive nature of radiation research I had very little choice on the topic of the project for my honors thesis (and thus the URA program). After working on the project for about a semester I designed and implemented several new behavioral experiments and really felt confident enough in my skills to take complete ownership. While the topic was narrow in scope, I had quite a bit of freedom in designing and implementing different behavioral experimental protocols and in analyzing and interpreting the data.

Is this your first independent research project?
This is my first large independent project – I think there is a large difference between being a research assistant with a lot of responsibility on a project and truly taking ownership and leadership of a project. There are so many factors to think about when designing and implementing research studies, and it has been and continues to be such invaluable experience.

Do you get course credit for this work?
I receive PSYC 498/499H credit for this work through the psychology departmental honors program (independent honors thesis). In the beginning stages I also received research practicum credit (independent reading/psychology research).

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I heard about the URA program by getting a few emails via the myUMBC Undergraduate Research group. They post a lot of different research opportunities through their group and URA is just one great program of many.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I had about two years of experience in animal behavior through two different labs (one year as a research assistant in my mentor’s lab, and one year being a research assistant at a lab at Johns Hopkins). Barring these two experiences I don’t think I would have felt confident enough to do an independent project – I needed to get direct experience in the field first. I was able to bring to my work at UMBC a few new behavioral experiments that I learned at my other lab.

Was the URA application difficult to do?
The application was not very difficult to do – in fact I believe it helped me clarify my goals and direction (much like writing an academic CV will do). The application process helped me to see where I am at and where I’d like to be, and the application allowed practice in a very important skill: proposing research.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program in the learning resources center (I have been a math/chemistry SI leader for about two years and currently help lead training sessions occasionally as well). I am also a tutor and peer mentor in the Learning Resources Center and am working towards my master-level CLRA tutor certification (which is also a fantastic program to get involved in).

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Get involved as early as possible. Don’t let your self-doubts stop you from applying to research labs. Research labs don’t expect you to have a ton of relevant experience before entering; much of the training is done on the job (so it only hurts to wait). Talk to your peers and professors!

What are your career goals?
I am applying to Ph.D. programs in both Neuroscience and Behavioral Neuroscience with a focus on the neural mechanisms of animal behavior and learning. I want to be a researcher in academia.

Read his abstract here...

Type design is equal parts suffering and euphoria. It is a walk along a winding road that goes on for many weeks and months before it’s done. A type design brief is like a charter path: It asks you questions, and the answers will guide you to where you want to be.

It will not make the walk much shorter, but the chances of getting lost will be much lower. Below are six questions that will shape the typeface through its first moments of creation and serve as guiding principles through the various stages of the design.

1. What Is The Intended Function Of The Typeface?

A typeface is a group of symbols destined to be rendered as words. The purpose of all letters is to communicate a visual or linguistic message to you, the reader. Sometimes they tell a story in a novel, sometimes the news of the day. At times, they direct you on the highway, while other times they update you on what your friends are having for dinner.

A typeface is a bunch of drawings that come to life when used as text. The words and their context will differ, and, therefore, the function of the typeface will vary according to the intended usage. A typeface designed to shout news headlines at people rushing about to get to work will be different from a typeface designed to capture the delicacy of a French wine.

Deciding on the function of a typeface is the first question that needs to be answered in a design brief. It will be the principle that guides you (the reader and, here, a designer) to judge whether the design works. It is similar to deciding what to wear every morning. Are you going to the beach or the office? Are you going to a party or the gym?

The thing is, even the most gorgeous high heels are not suitable for a treadmill. In the course of designing, you might draw letterforms that look great but do not perform well when put to use. If you’ve already decided on the intended function of the typeface, then the dilemma of choice is less scary.

Gebran2005 is a newspaper headline typeface meant to have a bold and strong visual presence. (View large version)

2. In What Sort Of Media Will It Be Used?

There was a time when all books were printed, and the main use of type was either for text or display. Today, we have added one word that modifies how we read and how we design typefaces: text or display, and where? The nature of ink, paper and the pressure needed to imprint the former onto the latter is very different from the nature of the light emitted from a glowing screen.

The way this affects a design is either subtle or pronounced, depending on how small the text size is and how high the resolution of the screen is. In either case, one needs to know whether the typeface is to be read in print, on screen or both.

Another qualifier quickly presents itself: and in which country? There are regional variations in typographic trends and visual language. Some typefaces are meant to be universal in appeal, and some dedicated to particular regions. Knowing where it will come to life will help you to design a more robust typeface.

Neue Helvetica Arabic for SKY was custom modified to be used in SKY News Arabia’s TV broadcasts and websites. The height of the font has been restricted in order not to require a tall space. (View large version)

3. What Language Does It Speak?

For many years now, typefaces have been conceived to speak in many different scripts and languages. Some design concepts are quite difficult to translate across script systems. With this in mind, map out your character set in order to plan how the design will extend across various scripts. This is also important for managing time, projecting costs (for the client) and collaborating with other designers.

SST was designed as the corporate typeface for Sony, and it supports several scripts, including Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic, Thai and Japanese. (SST Arabic by Nadine Chahine, and SST Latin by Akira Kobayashi.) (View large version)

4. What Personality Does It Convey?

If the typeface were a person, who would it be? Would it be male or female? Young or old? Hip or conservative? Sometimes it’s not about the personality, but rather the behavior. Formal or informal? Relaxed or tense? And sometimes it’s about the voice. Loud or soft? Confident or shy?

Determining these traits will help you to visualize the kind of impact the typeface should have, and these are usually connected to function. A typeface meant for newspaper headlines will be loud and confident, rather than shy and soft.

Baraem is the corporate typeface of Baraem TV, targeted at children between the ages of 3 and 6. It’s personality is fun, informal and childlike. (View large version)

5. What Design Characteristics Are Needed Or Desired?

Finally, it is time to talk about the design. Does the intended function call for a serif or sans serif? A handwriting script or all-caps wood blocks? High contrast or mono-linear?

Starting with these questions and staying within the realm of curves and outlines is possible, but a typeface that is strongly tied to a particular function or environment has a better chance of transcending the boundaries of black and white and representing more than just letters and words.

Afandem Dynamic’s is intended as a full-fledged text face in the style of Ottoman Naskh calligraphy. (View large version)

6. Which Calligraphic Or Typographic Style Are You Referencing?

This is where the design engine starts running. If you are designing a sans serif, will it be a humanist or grotesque? Each style has its own conventions of structure, proportion and modulation of strokes.

A typeface is like the human body. The skeleton is the structure underlying the letters. You will see it by drawing a line in the middle of the inner and outer edges. The structure conveys proportion and movement: fast or slow, energetic or relaxed, wide or narrow.

Palatino Arabic and Palatino Sans Arabic have the same skeleton, but the modulation is different. (View large version)

Then you have the flesh. This is the weight around the skeleton. Where you put the thins and thicks will largely be determined by the tool you use to trace the skeleton. Now that you almost have a full body, you must think of the head and feet. Will you have serifs, or do you prefer flats? This is where the design brief splits from a single path into many. If you were to present the first five questions to five different designers, you would likely get different answers to the sixth question and, by extension, different designs.

As such, the sixth question is more of a transitional phase between the conceptual definition of the typeface (i.e. what it is supposed to do and represent) and what it will actually look like.

This is when the real fun begins.

Note: All typefaces included this article were designed by Dr. Nadine Chahine herself.

(al, il)

© Nadine Chahine for Smashing Magazine, 2014.

The idea that the Twitter stream is a window into the future is persuasive. But is it true?

The idea that social media sites such as Twitter can predict the future has a controversial history. In the last few years, various groups have claimed to be able to predict everything from the outcome of elections to the box office takings for new movies.

Open Labs, Engaging Research

UMBC partnership with U.S. Army Research Lab creates new opportunities for teaching and research collaboration.

On January 14, UMBC signed an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL), the Army�s premier laboratory for basic and applied research and analysis. The agreement provides a framework for collaborations between UMBC faculty and students and ARL researchers.

Tony Moreira, vice provost for academic affairs, says, �Building on the two institutions� shared research interests and strengths, the EPA expands on the opportunities UMBC already offers for teaching and research in and out of the classroom and lab, and provides important new connections for our faculty and students, as well as for ARL researchers.�

This EPA is the latest example of UMBC�s history of developing successful partnerships with federal agencies, while helping to build a skilled workforce and stimulate STEM education and research in Maryland. Don Engel, assistant vice president for research, says, �The ARL mission is reflected in UMBC�s research and education portfolio. ARL is located in Adelphi, Maryland, and at Aberdeen Proving Ground, with UMBC in the middle. We are natural partners, and this new agreement helps to formalize a long history of collaboration, making our shared future even brighter.�

The impetus for the EPA came out of conversations between Aryya Gangopadhyay, professor and chair of information systems, and Barbara Broome �01 M.S., �05 Ph.D., information systems management, ARL�s division chief of information systems. Gangopadhyay approached Tony Moreira about a formal partnership, and the two worked with campus leadership and ARL to establish the agreement.

ARL Director Thomas Russell�s goal is to facilitate more engagement between ARL and universities, and ARL now has similar agreements with 10 other universities across the U.S. �My vision since arriving at ARL has been to open up our laboratories and to create a more open campus feel,� says Russell. �This partnership will give university students who have a strong interest in science, mathematics, engineering and technology the chance to be mentored by our researchers and give them the opportunity to develop their skills. This is a great opportunity for them and for our researchers.�

Initial meetings will enable UMBC and ARL researchers to meet on each campus to learn about similar interests and begin conversations regarding potential collaborative work. In the next few years, Moreira says, he hopes UMBC researchers will be able to take sabbaticals that allow them to conduct research at ARL.

The collaboration also offers the potential for joint funding and publications, potentially in ARL research focus areas such as information systems, computer science, cybersecurity, networks, sensors, communications, mathematics and statistics, human dimensions, human systems integration, synthetic biology, power, quantum information processing, natural language processing and robotics.

At the same time, UMBC students will participate in internships at ARL and learn from ARL guest lecturers on campus. Future plans include bringing in ARL scientists as graduate mentors and advisors, and creating post-doc appointments at ARL.

An advisory committee comprised of UMBC and ARL staff will meet regularly to monitor and develop EPA initiatives.

For more information on the UMBC-ARL EPA, email Tony Moreira. Read more about the specifics of the EPA agreement at the U.S. Army website.

(02/18/2014)