Aircrafts by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at UMBC, Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams

Presenters: Shrikant Bhatnagar, Kalel Kai, Ben Bazarsuren, Daniel Shin, Jonah Malcom, Austin Wagener, Nebiyu Mammo, Murali Indukuri, William Vandenberg

Mentor: Joseph Washington, Mechanical Engineering

Students will display the prototypes of their aircafts on the RAC track throughout the day.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was created to address the absence of a formal aerospace engineering program on campus. Without dedicated coursework in aeronautics, many students had limited ways to explore a field that plays a central role in transportation and national security, and engage in fascinating research. In response, the chapter built an experiential pathway into aerospace through student-led competition teams. At the core of this effort were the Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams, where students took ownership of the full engineering lifecycle. From early design concepts to manufacturing, systems integration, and flight testing, members engaged in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles for international competitions. Students experienced aerospace theory through processes that mirror those used in professional aerospace development. Members strengthened not only their technical abilities, but also their capacity for teamwork, documentation, and leadership under real constraints. Over time, this approach positioned UMBC’s teams as the leading undergraduate-led aerospace competition groups in Maryland, demonstrating how experiential learning can meaningfully expand access to aerospace education.

This work was funded by UMBC SGA, UMBC Mechanical Engineering Department, UMBC COEIT, Northrup Grumman Corporation.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

Link to the event: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/asianstudiesprogram/events/153250

Join us to celebrate Professor Sharon Tran's new book, Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of US Empire! We are excited to gather on Wednesday, 4/29 at noon in FA 558 to talk about this new book and enjoy some refreshments together.

Book Raffle:

Asian Studies will be giving away a copy of Dr. Tran's book to one affiliate faculty member and one student at the celebration. 

Book Summary:

Representations of the “Asian girl” as lucky objects of humanitarian rescue and rehabilitation have been used to advance America’s imperial ambitions from World War II to the wars in Korean and Viet Nam. In this compelling work, Sharon N. Tran traces the production and instrumentalization of this figure through an examination of state documents, military newspapers, documentary photographs, and other archival materials. Theorizing “Asian girlhood” as a technology of imperial power, Tran exposes how the Asian girl is invoked as a shield that protects the innocence of US empire while she is excluded from innocence herself—relegated instead to a precarious position between child and adult, human and nonhuman, plaything and laborer.

Offering fresh insight into how imperial power operates, Tran analyzes figures such as the Japanese American school-girl in the context of World War II incarceration, the elusive “camptown girl,” and the objectified image of the “Napalm Girl.” Her innovative feminist approach interrogates the tendency to reclaim innocence for the Asian girl or to reframe her as an empowered woman. She engages the work of writers and artists such as Kiku Hughes, Nora Okja Keller, Aimee Phan, and lê thi diem thúy to demonstrate how Asian American literature offers rich theoretical interventions for critiquing the child–adult dichotomy that underpins key structures of imperial domination, illuminating more capacious conceptions of girlhood.

Restoring the dignity and agency of a figure too often denied both, Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of US Empire is a groundbreaking intersectional contribution to studies of gender, race, childhood, and state power.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

The College of Engineering and Information Technology has officially launched scholarship applications for current UMBC students for the 2026-2027 academic year!
Applications are due by April 24th.

Start your application today at https://scholarships.umbc.edu/retriever/Students must fill out both the COEIT General Application and the Scholarship Application!


COEIT Specific Scholarships:
CMSC, CMPE, & IS AFCEA CMD Scholarship Gregory Schwerdt Scholarship Verizon Scholarship
CMSC Rite Aid Corporation Scholarship
CMSC & Engineering Carmi Family Scholarship
CMSC, IS, & BTA Legg Mason Scholarship
IS & BTA John B. Schwartz Vijay Jose Scholarship
Information Systems Moshope Oyeyemi Memorial Scholarship
Chemical Engineering Janice Antoine Lumpkin Scholarship
Engineering W Patrick Wilson

Mechanical Engineering Anthony Alvarez Award
Danaher Scholarship
Dottie Koh
Mercedes-Benz Scholarship

Please Note:
These scholarships are only for currently enrolled UMBC students who will be attending UMBC in the 2026-2027 academic year. Graduating seniors, or any new, incoming UMBC freshmen or transfers are not eligible.

Questions? Please email eastephe@umbc.edu 

Join us for a meaningful conversation with Joe Lambert, founder of StoryCenter, as we explore the intersection of AI, ethics, and storytelling. This event invites participants to reflect on how emerging technologies are shaping the way we create and share stories while staying grounded in community, accountability, and collective care. Community members will engage, reflect, and reimagine story work in an evolving digital world.

Date: April 14th

Time: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Location: Online 

Click here to RSVP to the event at MyUMBC Groups 

 Co-sponsored by:  The Shiver Center at UMBC, The Dresher Center for the Humanities at UMBC, The Department of History at UMBC, and The Department of Media & Communication Studies at UMBC.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

The Election Board recently received an election complaint pertaining to alleged active campaigning on The Commons Terrace by Oyinkansola Osolo. The complaint connects to a potential violation of the following election rules:

Rule 5: “’Campaigning’ refers to advertising one's candidacy through verbal, written, printed, or electronic promotion. ... “Active campaigning” refers to activities which involve direct physical, verbal engagement with people, and direct messaging via social media (see Rule 7).”

Rule 12: “No active campaigning is allowed from 12:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. during the campaign, and voting periods; passive campaigning will be permitted during the voting period.”

As a related note, all candidates received the following reminder via email from the Election Board Chair on Tuesday, April 7th: “Remember that active campaigning concluded [sic] this Saturday at 11:59pm. While you can share the link with students and explain how to vote, you are only allowed to campaign in a passive way for the duration of election week.”

After careful review of the complaint and 2026 Election Rules, the Election Board voted to open an investigation of this complaint into Oyin Osolo.

Since the information regarding Oyin’s involvement was limited, the Election Board contacted Oyin to request additional details. Oyin shared that she had picked up her campaign materials from commonvision that morning and was sitting together with a friend after said friend provided her with a frame for a poster. She clarified that she had been “organizing [her] materials,” not “actively campaigning or engaging others in campaign-related activity outside what is permitted.” As a result of this information, Election Board voted against issuing any sanctions.

The Election Board wants to reiterate that any student who believes that they have witnessed an Election Rules violation should report a complaint to the Election Board, remembering that complaints must be filed by 48 hours after an alleged violation is discovered OR by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 19th-- whichever is earliest.

EDITED on April 14, 2026 at 11:28am to correct errors in the spelling of Oyin's name. We apologize for these mistakes.

Calling all students, faculty, and staff!
UMBC Dining is hosting upcoming focus group sessions and wants your feedback. Share your experiences and help shape future dining improvements.

Student participants will receive $25 Retriever Dollars, plus food and beverages during the session.

Please review session details and sign up for a preferred group:

• Monday, April 20: COMM 328 (The Commons)
• Tuesday, April 21: True Grit’s Conference Room

Register here: https://signup.com/go/bYtYsFE

The Election Board recently received multiple election complaints pertaining to a posting for Genevieve Okoro’s Senate candidacy that was pinned to a bulletin board in the main lobby of Erickson Hall. The complaints alleged violations of the following election rule:

Rule 18: “Campaigning in the residence community is restricted by Residential Life policies, which are designed to ensure a comfortable living environment for residential students, in addition to the following instructions. Door-to-door solicitation, including knocking on residents’ doors, is prohibited. No posted advertising (except on a resident’s door by the residents themselves) or residential mailbox ads by individual candidates are permitted in the residential community. Postings and mailbox ads are permitted if they are sponsored by the SGA Election Board and include all candidates’ information. Furthermore, active campaigning is not permitted in residential facilities and True Grit’s; only passive campaigning is allowed in these locations.”

After careful review of the complaint and 2026 Election Rules, the Election Board agreed that this posting was a violation and opened an investigation. They were unable to confirm who put the posting on Erickson Hall’s bulletin board. As a result, no individual sanction can be administered.

On behalf of the Election Board, communications were shared with multiple UMBC professional staff members—including the Dean of Students, Executive Director for Residential Life, Erickson Hall Community Director, and Assistant Director for Residential Education for Staff Training & Development— updating them on the Election Rules connected to SGA campaigning in residential halls. They removed the posting and indnicated that they will sensitize residential staff to SGA’s Election Rules.

The Election Board would like to extend thanks to the individuals who filed this complaint without taking any direct action on their own to remove this posting. Your trust in the system and willingness to let the Election Board decide next steps are highly appreciated.

The Election Board wants to reiterate that any student who believes that they have witnessed an Election Rules violation should report a complaint to the Election Board, remembering that complaints must be filed by 48 hours after an alleged violation is discovered OR by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 19th-- whichever is earliest.

Art Rysing is this Saturday, 4/18. With now 200+ RSVPs, we can use your help with the day, mostly before the event.  

Doors open just after 12pm, with stations beginning at 1pm.  Stations run 1-3pm. Dr. Sheares Ashby is the lone Guest Speaker scheduled, and will kick off following performances.

Do you like arts & crafts?  Does setting up and/or folding chairs bring you joy?  Are you THE ultimate hype person?  Do you have a good sense of direction?  Is "collecting" one of your talents? Are you a great solutions thinker? Might you like to help the Empanada Lady distribute empanadas? (yes, that's a real task).

If any/many of these answers were "yes," we've got something for you!!!!  Complete the Google Form, Art Rysing 2026 Volunteer & Orientation Sign Up

To get a sense of the event, watch the 2025 HIGHLIGHTS REEL (created by Digital Empath Studio)

We’re looking for university students who are interested in sharing their perspectives on social and political topics on a new and growing social media platform.

Whether you identify as progressive, democratic socialist, moderate, or anywhere in between, this is a space for open, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

If you’re interested in expressing your ideas, engaging in meaningful discussion, and connecting with other students who care about what’s happening in the world, we’d love to hear from you.

📩 To get involved, email: reachthereset@gmail.com

Welcome to Week 10 of the Tabletop Gaming Club!

Things are really warming up this week, humid and horrible with temperatures getting up to the 90s (Perfect time to touch some grass!)

Club will be held at the Usual place and time, Tuesday / Thursday 7-10pm in ILSB116B so be there or be circular.

Now lets get into the all important announcements for the week!

Thursday the 16th will be our semester D&D PVP tournament! Come one, come all to participate in our bracketed PVP tournament and compete for Glory! (and some cool D&D related prizes). Newbies and veterans alike are welcome, as well as people not even involved with the club. We do however need more DMs for the tournament so please reach out to any of our Club officers if you are interested! Rules are attached to this myUMBC post. Reach out to club officer Izra with any questions!

Now for the important one: OFFICER ELECTIONS Signups are still going on, and we are extending the date to this friday 4/17!

Like I mentioned in my heartfelt plead last week, The club needs an entire new officer board as all current officers are graduating and we really need some enthusiastic people to hand the club off too (And all the clubs inventory, lots and lots and lots of board games and TTRPG stuff, and more!) I think I speak for all the officers when I say we love and care about this club and want to see it continue for many more generations of UMBC students, providing a fun and inclusive space for them to be themselves and pursue their nerdy interests. As of right now only 3 people have signed up to run, and of those 3 currently nobody is running for treasurer, a position that if left unfilled causes the club to disband. Additionally we always want to see as many people running for officer positions as possible, keeps things interest. So please even if you only have a slight interest, consider running so that this club can continue for years to come!