The UMBC men’s soccer program was selected to finish fourth in the 2012 America East Conference race by the league’s eight head coaches.

The Retrievers placed fourth in the conference in 2011, earning a place in the six-team postseason tournament for the third consecutive year. UMBC had played in the league’s title game in both 2009 and 2010, winning the championship and advancing in the NCAA Championships in 2010.

Read the full press release here.

Acts 28:25-31 (NIV)

25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Reflection:

In this last chapter of Acts, Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted by Paul in order to show why and how the gospel is now moving to the Gentiles (Gentiles just means “nations” in Greek). This is not saying that the time of salvation for Israel is over, but rather that it is now fully available and open to the nations. Therefore, the way Paul interprets Isaiah 6:9-10 is that God’s Word, the gospel, is never contained nor detained by people’s hardness or circumstances. The word of the Lord will always move forward.

Responding to the Transmission:

As God’s word is always moving forward, let’s spend some time praying that we would be able to continually move forward with Him in our calling and in sharing the Word. May we not be discouraged by circumstances or when people don’t respond the way we want. Instead, let’s make the shift to believing that God’s Word will always fulfill the purpose for which God has given it. May our trust be firm in God and His Word for our lives and for the lives of others.

CSEE Professor Dr. Alan Sherman (PI) and Dr. Rick Forno (Co-PI), Graduate Program Director, Cybersecurity have received an NSF grant of $2.5 million over five years to fund 22 students studying Information Assurance (IA) and Cybersecurity. The scholarships are part of the Federal Cyber Scholarship for Service (SFS) program.

Future scholars will come from UMBC’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies programs. In addition to a generous full-ride scholarship, scholars are granted an annual stipend during their last two or three years.  The yearly stipends are $20,000 for underdergraduate, $25,000 for M.S. and $30,000 for PhD students.  Students will also engage in paid summer internships with federal government agencies and have opportunities to carry out mentored research projects at UMBC and its cyber partners from government and industry.

“Our goal is to encourage students to pursue cybersecurity education at UMBC and then move into careers that can build upon their education,” explains Dr. Forno. “The SFS program is one way to do that, with the outcome being to provide educated, qualified and highly competent cybersecurity practitioners to the federal government.”

The scholarships will be coordinated through UMBC’s Center for Information Security and Assurance (CISA), and both CISA and UMBC’s Cyber Defense Lab (CDL) will play a key role in the overall academic experience of the SFS scholars.

Along with the monetary award come a few scholarship program requirements. During their scholarship period (typically two years), students are required to intern at a federal organization. After graduation, scholars must serve at a Federal agency in an information assurance position for one to two years, depending on their level of support.

During the upcoming 2012-2013 school year, the program will support two Masters students and two Master in Professional Studies students, though in the future, one B.S., two M.S., two M.P.S., and one Ph.D. students will be supported annually.

Degree-seeking students in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or any related field, including Electrical Engineering, Math, Physics, Information Systems, Public Policy, or Education, are eligible. “We are interested in fostering a diverse group of SFS scholars,” says Forno. “To that end, we intend to work closely with groups like CWIT and the Meyerhoff Scholars (among others) to help in our outreach and recruiting efforts in this critical academic discipline.” To learn more about applying for the scholarship, visit the CISA scholarship oppotunities page.

The grant will also fund a new one-day annual regional workshop that will focus on innovations for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate cybersecurity education. The goal is to develop "innovative, relevant, meaningful, and real-world oriented pedagogical materials that can be applied across the academic spectrum in conducting cybersecurity education."

The scholarship program, coupled with UMBC’s location at the “epicenter of cybersecurity,” will further mark UMBC as a pioneer in the field. “We all know that cybersecurity is a hot field and of critical national interest," says Forno. "UMBC’s strength in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and related STEM fields, combined with our reputation for producing qualified technologitsts makes our participation in SFS very attractive both to the school and our current and future students.”