The culmination of a Master’s thesis brings feelings of accomplishment to the students who complete this next step of their educational careers. In the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC), spectators were able to view the theses of graduate students studying Intermedia and Digital Arts within the annual exhibit, which this year is called “Lucky Suns.”

Entering the exhibit, one sees a suspended cube with multiple QR codes on each face at the midsection of the gallery. This figure, along with a luminescent humanoid figure and its 3D scans, is the work of Jeffrey Gangwisch. When asked about the inspiration for his thesis piece, Gangwisch said he was interested in creating an “intersection of technology, interface, plane and flesh.”

Mollye Bendell mystifies viewers with her virtual reality crystal ball experience, “Wander/Wonder.” The “Wonder” aspect of the piece is the virtual reality aspect, which can be viewed one spectator at a time. Within the oculus, one can view a neon, spectral environment resembling nature. The other spectators see a projection of a map of Baltimore without any buildings but with psychic viewer storefronts.  The crystal ball is what connects both views together, as it controls the movement of both illusions.

Christopher Kojzar centers his thesis on observing work environments and commuter culture. In the middle of his section hangs two suspended dice. Within the spots of the first die, one can see a looped video of Kojzar getting ready for work during his commute. The second die shows an amalgamation of the the recreation he could be enjoying instead within Baltimore. It is this message of enjoying your environment that holds Kojzar’s thesis.

Mitchell Noah notably gives light to public service in Baltimore’s streets in his thesis. On the side of Noah’s section, a blue and orange broom with three handles stands, entitled “BW3H.” As a companion piece, there is a looped video of Noah and 2 others sweeping a Baltimore street. Framed as well are photos of the police using brooms and other such cleaning utilities to subvert the stereotypical view of how officers serve their community.

Parastoo Aslanbeik constructs her piece, “Wispobish,” using themes from Persian mythology and recent events such as the 2017 travel ban and other immigrant struggles. As the term refers to a powerful tree, Aslanbeik’s exhibit consists of two “mother trees” honoring immigrants’ difficult journeys to America, along with recordings of their voices in different languages. The first tree’s blocks are branches and white cardboard boxes, symbolizing the remnants immigrants have of home. The second tree holds suspended photos made using the wet plate collodion process, preventing the possibility of them being copied. These pictures represent the unique histories each immigrant holds to themselves.

Idil Yakut sets sights on the limitations of translation with her thesis. Spectators can see a looped video, entitled “Echoes,” of a woman speaking, and while they may sense her emotion, one could hardly hear her words. There were also suspended notes — “Essaie” — of sayings translated to English. The differences in word length of these messages begs a viewer to ask what was lost in translation.

Finally, MJ Neuberger’s work, “Mending Nona’s Piña,” utilizes technology, cloth and water to create contiguous tears that represent what Native Americans may feel due to the colonization of their homeland. Neuberger also weaves her hair into other pieces as a way to connect herself to the branches excavated from secret shrines and the healing rituals related to her work.

All these pieces spoke to the insights and minds of the Intermedia and Digital Arts graduate students, with more to see and ponder on at the exhibit. These theses were constructed with thought and fervor and will continue to be displayed in the CADVC until April 25.

Hi!

My name is Tria Campbell and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Maryland

Baltimore County (UMBC) pursing my master's degree in Health Information Technology (HIT). I am

currently conducting a study that pertains to mental health and how IT interventions can help raise

awareness and help prevent mental health conditions. If you are 18 or older, please take 2 minutes to
complete my questionnaire.

Hi!

My name is Tria Campbell and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Maryland

Baltimore County (UMBC) pursing my master's degree in Health Information Technology (HIT). I am

currently conducting a study that pertains to mental health and how IT interventions can help raise

awareness and help prevent mental health conditions. If you are 18 or older, please take 2 minutes to
complete my questionnaire.

Linda Wiratan, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major, was selected out of a pool of 1280 applicants to be one of the recipients of the Goldwater scholarship.

“The purpose of the Goldwater scholarship is to financially support promising future Ph.D.-level researchers. They look for people who are already making real impacts on the world,” Wiratan said. The award was founded by US senator Barry Goldwater and is “the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship for STEM students in the US.”

She detailed the extremely competitive nature of the application process: “Each university must nominate four students (sophomores or juniors) for the national competition. Each student must write four personal essays and compete with their classmates to be nominated. Out of over 1200 nominees, only about 300 win the scholarship.”

Wiratan’s minor in creative writing may have made her stand out even more. She believes that her unorthodox combination of interests gave her a one-up on her competition.

“Goldwater applicants usually have quite a lot of research experience, but ​I think what set me apart was how I pursued my science passions outside of the lab. I strongly believe we should overcome divisions between the sciences and the arts, so I write poems and essays transcending arbitrary boundaries between academic disciplines, and I hope to inspire creative unity,” she said.

She had been interested in research for years. When asked about what spurred this interest, she said, “In seventh grade I was fascinated by how cells are both simple and extremely complex. As I learned more, I realized there is so much still undiscovered about a cell’s hidden life, so by college I knew I wanted to do research to be at the frontier of these discoveries.”

The journey of a writer is one full of twists and turns, triumphs and failures. In her debut novel, “The Wangs vs the World,” Jade Chang created a new kind of Asian American immigrant story that laughs in the face of darkness and is not afraid to show its true colors.

In the basement meeting room of Catonsville Public Library, a group of adult book enthusiasts gathered to hear Chang discuss her journey as a writer and offer her five tips on how to write a novel. A lot of writers who are starting out don’t feel confident in themselves, Chang explained, which is something she felt when she began her novel.

But over the five years it took for her to write it, she discovered her confidence and realized the essential skills that she needed. The first was put very bluntly: “you need to read!” Reading across genres allows for writers to gain the skill-set to be able to feel their own individual writing style, rather than memorizing grammar rules, Chang said.

Mixed with some personal anecdotes about certain books that illuminated certain things to her about writing, Chang also explained the influence of her own parents in her character’s journey and the theme of a “lost home” that resounds in her book.

Writers need to have a strong driving force and a desire to write their stories in order to be successful, Chang said. In her own experience, she encountered the “frivolous and serious divide,” one that dictated that an immigrant story could only be dark and painful. She decided to reject these stereotypes and followed her ambition to write a book that would make readers smile through the hard times of her characters instead of weeping in anguish.

The third skill is to express emotional truth in the story by allowing the characters to be human and experience things that might not be elegant and flawless, Chang said. Having characters that don’t measure up to mainstream society allows for emotional truths of life or of human nature to be revealed.

The last two skills come hand in hand: being vulnerable and being stubborn. Writing takes time and energy, Chang explained, and a belief in what you’re expressing and writing about will get you through it. As Chang spoke, the room resounded with a bookclub-like environment, created by the audience of older residents from all over Baltimore County.

Everyone laughed along with Chang, who delivered her lecture with relaxed, light humour and a big smile. The audience was clearly captivated by the glowing personality of this young writer. The event ended with a Q&A where several audience members asked about the publishing process, specific questions about the characters and how Chang had evolved over the five years it took for her to write her novel, which she answered honestly and clearly.

No writer can plan out their entire novel before they begin, nor can they expect to remain static throughout the trials they will certainly face, like finding an agent or wondering if their book is really any good. Chang gave proof through her journey that determination and a passion for stories make the written words of a novel that much more alive to those who read it.

 At the Ottobar, a small punk venue on North Howard Street, Japanese Breakfast geared up to play a sold-out show and kick-off a massive six-month tour.

The dream-pop music project is the brainchild of Philly-native Michelle Zauner, who began releasing music in 2016 with Japanese Breakfast’s debut album “Psychopomp.”

Their second album, “Soft Sounds from Another Planet,” was released in the summer of 2017 and was named by Rolling Stone as one of the top 50 albums of the year.

Opening for Japanese Breakfast was Brooklyn-based dark pop artist, Emily Reo. It was easy to hear their similarities with Japanese Breakfast: the use of slow synth arpeggios, soft electronic beats and warm, echoey vocals.

“Is it alright if we play a sad song?” Emily Reo asked before ending their set with “Spell,” a six-minute track that seemed to cause audience members to disassociate. However, Reo’s live use of synth equipment to create heavy layers of sound was impressive to watch.

The musician switched between playing the keytar slung around their torso, and using a vocal effects box as well as a midi controller. Besides the occasional pause between chord changes, the song played smooth and sounded like it came straight from a dream.

After a brief intermission, the lights dimmed as the vibrant, instrumental opening to “Heaven” played. Zauner appeared on stage in an all white jumpsuit and white light-up sneakers that colored the stage as she walked.

Her futuristic outfit, which she tweeted was from Philly clothing brand, Pearce, vibed with the several space-themed songs she performed over the course of the night.

Though Zauner was small in size, her stage presence was overwhelming. At times she wielded her classic cream-colored stratocaster like an axe while bending and twisting her knees inwards.

When she wasn’t playing the guitar, Zauner got up close and personal with audience members. She bounced to every corner of the stage to touch hands and sing directly to individuals in the crowd.

A notable audience member was Lindsey Jordan, also known as local artist Snail Mail, who will be opening for Japanese Breakfast later in their tour.

During the introduction to “Machinist,” which she described as a love song, Zauner kneeled over the stage and held on to Jordan for an intimate serenade.  

Baltimore fans were stoked when Zauner announced the band would debut an unreleased song. 2042, which is the song’s undisclosed title, was heavier in sound than any Japanese Breakfast song to date. It included rougher guitar tones and less of the airy synth sound that saturated “Soft Sounds from Another Planet.”

Japanese Breakfast also played the seven-minute experimental pop piece, “Diving Woman.” This was one of the best songs of the night due to the complex guitar effects and call and response between Zauner’s vocals and the other instruments.

Though playing every song exactly as it appeared on the album caused potential for a dull show, Zauner’s liveliness made for an enjoyable performance that left the audience cheering.

The show ended with as much, if not more, energy as when it began. Japanese Breakfast will play the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on May 30 after touring through Europe. Their six-month tour will end in October.

2018 Mid-Atlantic Student Colloquium on Speech, Language and Learning

The 2018 Mid-Atlantic Student Colloquium on Speech, Language and Learning (MASC-SLL) is a student-run, one-day event on speech, language & machine learning research to be held at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County  (UMBC) from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday May 12.  There is no registration charge and lunch and refreshments will be provided.  Students, postdocs, faculty and researchers from universities & industry are invited to participate and network with other researchers working in related fields.

Students and postdocs are encouraged to submit abstracts describing ongoing, planned, or completed research projects, including previously published results and negative results. Research in any field applying computational methods to any aspect of human language, including speech and learning, from all areas of computer science, linguistics, engineering, neuroscience, information science, and related fields is welcome. Submissions and presentations must be made by students or postdocs. Accepted submissions will be presented as either posters or talks.

Important Dates are:

• Submission deadline (abstracts): April 16
• Decisions announced: April 21
• Registration opens: April 10
• Registration closes: May 6
• Colloquium: May 12