Two buses left the Stadium Lot for UMBC Friday morning, bringing students down to Charlotte, NC and the Spectrum Center, where UMBC would play No. 1 overall seed University of Virginia in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The trip was a long one, more than 8 hours in the bus with traffic, but it would all be worth it to get to see the Retrievers on the big stage.

When the buses arrived in Charlotte, students got off the bus, and went to the team reception and send off at the team hotel. Head coach Ryan Odom addressed the crowd, thanking everyone for coming. Alumni, parents, faculty, staff and current students all cheered him on, proud of what the Retrievers had accomplished.

Class of 2010 alumnus Glen Fortner was excited for the Retrievers to make it to this point, stating, “I was very proud of the team, when I went to school here I remember taking classes with the basketball team and I know that they’re intelligent college students in addition to amazing athletes. Having my school in March Madness is so exciting.”

Just a few hours before tip off, the hotel was lined with fans in black and gold, waving pompoms and cheering, as the team made their way to the bus. The Down and Dirty Dawg Band played the UMBC Fight Song and fans chanted along. The team did not break their mentality, as they barely acknowledged the crowd around them, staying in the zone for the task at hand.

The spirit bus arrived at the arena, and the band unloaded their gear off the bus and the cheer and dance teams got prepared, just waiting for UMBC to take the court. The game before UMBC was Creighton vs Kansas State, and as the Creighton cheerleaders left the court in tears after a tough loss, the band and cheer teams took their places. Taking the court, the Retrievers just had to look up and realize they were not in Baltimore anymore. The new UMBC Event Center, which holds 5,000 fans (although it has never been fully sold out for a men’s basketball game), was nothing in comparison to the Spectrum Center, which holds 20,200 fans.

The atmosphere was that of an away game, with the arena being three-quarters Virginia fans. UMBC students had a section in the upper decks, and parents and alumni were sitting down directly across from the Retrievers bench. Other than UMBC and UVA fans, there were those who just loved college basketball, along with leftover Creighton and Kansas State fans, wanting to watch the best team in the nation play a game.

UMBC fans cheered their team on, with the cheer and dance team constantly cheering on the Retrievers and the band leading chants. When the first UMBC bucket went in the fans cheered wildly for these were the teams first points in the NCAA tournament since 2008. When UVA scored, the whole arena shook, as their fans cheered their team on. During timeouts, the UVA band and cheerleaders would play music and cheer on their team, coming on the court during the first media timeout to rally their fans to victory. Later, when the second media timeout happened, the UMBC Cheer and Dance teams took the court to bring spirit to the Spectrum Center, while the band played the UMBC fight song, and rocked the crowd.

As the game continued, it felt like the arena was half UVA, and half UMBC fans. Creighton and Kansas State fans became UMBC fans, wanting to cheer on the Maryland team as they worked hard against a top defensive team like Virginia. UMBC fought hard, being tied with the Cavaliers at halftime. The game was a low-scoring defensive struggle, and a game most did not watch on TV at first, but when the number one team in the nation is tied at halftime to a 16 seed, people start to pay attention.

Halftime also brought with it the UMBC cheer and dance team to the court, showing the nation what they could do. Fans cheered them on, shouting for UMBC and getting excited to see what would happen in the second half. Most believed that UVA would win out, because that is what always happens for 1 seeds vs 16 seeds.

During a timeout early in the second half, the Down and Dirty Dawg Band and the UVA band battled it out, each playing songs for the crowd, with the fans voting for the winner. When the announcer asked the fans who won, UVA got some cheers, but the arena shook with applause and cheers for the Down and Dirty Dawg Band, crowning them victorious. It would not be the only UMBC victory over UVA on that night.

The nation looked on in awe as the Retrievers worked hard down the stretch, holding strong on defense, and scoring seemingly at will on offense. Fans were not sure what to make of what was happening, as UMBC went up by double digits, controlling the game from the instant the second half began. The cheers got louder with every field goal the Retrievers made, with Cavaliers fans trying to cheer their team back into the game, but it was already too late. Time began to tick down, and the fans watched as history was being made. No 16 seed has ever beaten a 1 seed since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. 1 seeds were 135-0 vs 16 seeds all time, and most believed that record would always stand undefeated. The Retrievers were the ones to change history, with signs on campus in Catonsville saying “135-1, we are the 1.”

After the game, fans cheered and were so proud of their school and what they accomplished. Recent alumnus Daniel Wooddell was so excited, saying “It was a once in a lifetime experience. All of the neutral fans in our section were cheering us on and congratulating us and it was pandemonium every time we sank a field goal. The win was amazing and in the moment, I was just so happy for the guys on the court.” Elation was everywhere, no matter where UMBC fans went, people were congratulating them and giving them high fives. “It still hasn’t sunk in that we had witnessed UMBC produce the greatest upset in NCAA basketball history,” Wooddell said.

History was made that Friday night, something no one will forget in their lifetime. UMBC students and alumni will always be proud of their team for what they did, and fans will always remember where they were when the first ever 16 seed beat a 1 seed.

UMBC will face Kansas State in the Round of 32 for a shot to play the University of Kentucky in the Sweet 16 later in the week. The game is March 18, with tipoff slated for 7:45.

The Retrievers did the unthinkable: with one last shot to determine the fate of every player on the court, graduate-guard Jarius Lyles dribbled between his legs before pulling up and draining the game winning three. “Coach called a play, I waved it off and took it myself, Trae Bell-Haynes gave me some space, so I just raised up and hit the shot right over him,” said Lyles. “The shot” was not an easy one, just like the path that UMBC had to endure to reach this point.

UMBC opened up the season with two losses in the Atlantis Mainland tournament. Then a 93-62 win against Central Penn gave the Retrievers a bit of an idea on the caliber team they have in place. Following this big win, UMBC suffered another loss at the hands of Colgate. This loss triggered something within the Retrievers as they ran off three straight victories behind the powerhouse of Jarius Lyles and the senior class. During this winning streak the Retrievers averaged at least 80 points and held their opponents to a subpar 73 points. The win streak included a one-point win against Nicholls State, which created a bond with the team that stood through the end of the season.

This streak came to an end as they lost to Army-West Point, 81-70. After that, the Retrievers went right back to their winning ways, running off two straight and dominating their opponents by 20 points apiece. The following game was the Battle of Baltimore, as UMBC took on Towson in a losing effort. This loss saw one of the worse offensive games played by the Retrievers as they could only muster up 20 made field goals for the entire game. This began a pattern of quality play from the Retrievers that could only be acquainted with losses at the hands of inferior teams that did not hold up to the talent on this Retrievers squad.

Coppin State felt that wrath as UMBC handled them with an 81-74 victory. The following win came at the hands Northern Ky with a one-point victory sealed by Lyles’ 31 points. The Retrievers would face their toughest test yet facing the University of Maryland, receiving a beat down with a 66-45 loss, the first half of the game seemed promising as UMBC hung around, only being down six at the half. The second half was a totally different story as they were outscored 48-21 in the second half. A loss like this could put a team in complete disarray and could potentially derail a season. The Retrievers on the other hand are a different story, Centenary realized this as UMBC knocked down 17 threes in their home domination of this non-conference team.

The month of January turned out to be a work of art for the Retrievers as they posted a 7-2 record, all of them being conference games. The final two months of the season were all conference games so UMBC had to pull out all the stops and boost their level of play to get through the season and into the playoffs. The Retrievers did just that with another winning record in the month of February at 5-2. Finishing the season at 21-10 the playoffs looked very promising as they ended the season positively with two wins.

Once the playoffs started, UMBC took home-court advantage to another level coming out of the gates with fire, dominating the games at both ends of the court. Following the Hartford game, all the momentum seemed to be on the Retrievers side as they traveled to Vermont with the America East title on the line. This opportunity presented itself with the chance to avenge their past 23 straight losses to Vermont, and get their hands on a title that has eluded them for 10 years.

The fight for the title wasn’t an easy one as both teams went back and forth trading shot for shot until the end of the half when a last second three gave UMBC a two point lead. In the second half Vermont would go up by as many as nine points, but that did not deter the Retrievers as they battled back in a game that went down to the wire.

Lyles had the last say of this thrilling game as he nailed the 3-point shot that put an end to the Catamounts Tourney hopes, and punched the Retrievers ticket to the NCAA Tournament. “This is a special moment to do it with these guys, we know how far we’ve come so it’s a very special moment” said an exhausted Lyles who finished the game with a game-high 27 points.

Senior sociology major KJ Maura, who had eight points in the game, was excited to be able to go to the dance that very few get to partake in. “This is a dream come true. I grew up watching Adam Morrison of Gonzaga and Steph Curry play for Davidson in the tournament, and now to get to play for it is awesome”, he said. Even Head Coach Ryan Odom understood what this means for the team saying, “You have to earn the right to win and these kids did that. They were eager to compete and win, and that’s what you saw today.”

With six straights wins the Retrievers carry not only the weight of the school on their shoulders, but the support and confidence of everyone in Retriever Nation as the kings of the America East embark on the journey of a lifetime to March Madness.

On a windy day at UMBC Stadium it was business as usual as the women’s lacrosse team bested American University 14-12. UMBC had troubles early on in the first half going down 4-0.

The defense had some issues in controlling the offense of the Eagles in the early stages of the scoring run, with two goals coming off a collapsed defense. The other two goals came off free position shots, a goal from junior emergency health services major Sara Moeller stopped an Eagles run and got the Retrievers on the board at the 14:12 mark in the first half.

UMBC cut the deficit to two with a goal scored by senior Carolyn Jamison. The Eagles continued to keep the pressure on the Retrievers as they added to their lead with three straight goals to extend the lead to 7-2. This didn’t deter the Retrievers from fighting back, as senior Taylor Oliver promptly responded with a goal after a nice move to create space and get an inside position for the easy score.

As a strong gust of wind brushed across the field, so did the fierce scoring from UMBC as they too went on a quick scoring run following Oliver’s score with two scores from Moeller and senior Caitlin Miller from a free position shot. AU responded with a free position goal in the closing seconds of the half to give themselves a 8-5 lead.

The second half we witnessed the old Retriever team that buries their opponents with their tremendous defense and potent offense. UMBC jumped out of the gates with two goals to cut the lead to one. AU responded with a score that put them back up by two. There was a rambunctious crowd shouting their varied opinions on the calls administered by the refs, but it would not prevent the Retrievers from staying focused on the game.

Both teams traded scores within the first eight minutes of the second half. With the Retrievers still down by two, they turned on the jets and began to score at will. Miller started the comeback with a score off an assist from Moeller, while on the next scoring possession came from a free position shot from Moeller.

That score tied the game at 11 apiece and UMBC carried that momentum into the latter half of the game preventing the Eagles from responding as they took the lead and never looking back. UMBC scored 5 unanswered goals during this hot streak to put them ahead 14-11. The Eagles would score at the 10 minute mark and UMBC would hold on to win 14-12, pushing their record to 4-1. Moeller lead the team with six goals, four of them coming in the second half, while Miller had three of her own.

UMBC will look to continue their run with a win against Coastal Carolina and another against Duquesne last week, leaving them at 6-1 on the season.

The America East conference made an extremely questionable decision on Thursday, as they named Vermont guard Trae Bell-Haynes as the America East player of the year. Bell-Haynes is definitely an outstanding player, but this is the second consecutive year that the conference has made a questionable decision on the award on Bell-Haynes’ behalf. The senior-guard is the eighth player in conference history to win back-to-back player of the year honors. Although this is the UMBC student newspaper, and being in favor of UMBC graduate-guard Jairus Lyles is natural when speaking of awards in the conference, but in this case the numbers do not lie.

Jairus Lyles averaged 20.3 points per game in the 2017-18 regular season, which put him as the #2 leading scorer in the conference. Bell-Haynes on the other hand, only scored 14.9 points per game, which ranked him at #8 on the list. Lyles averaged 5.7 rebounds per game, as opposed to Bell-Haynes 4.2, which put the UMBC guard at #9 and the Vermont guard at #21. Lyles led the conference in steals, finishing the season at 58 steals, while Bell-Haynes ranked #10 with only 34. Bell-Haynes only lead Lyles in one of the five major statistical categories, which was assists. Bell-Haynes ranked #4 in assists with 116, while Lyles ranked #6 with 100. Neither of the two players ranked in the top 40 in blocks.

Not only was Bell-Haynes not the best player in the conference, he wasn’t even the second best, or the third best. Albany guard Joe Cremo had a better season than Bell-Haynes did as well. Cremo was #4 in scoring with 17.6 points per game, tied Bell-Haynes for #21 in rebounds, and had 4 more assists than Bell-Haynes for #3 in the conference. The only major category Cremo trailed the Vermont guard in was steals, where he averaged 0.8 steals per game as opposed to Bell-Haynes 1.1 assists per game.

Maine guard Jahad Thomas had more points per game with 21.2 (#1), more rebounds per game with 8.1 (#4), more assists per game with 4.0 (#3), more steals per game with 1.8 (#2), and more blocks per game with 0.3.

Either of the other three players could have won the player of the year award, but it seems as if the conference is favoring Bell-Haynes for being on the team with the best record in the conference. It seems like they did so last year as well, where Bell-Haynes was not in the top five in any of the major statistical categories. In fact, Bell-Haynes ranked #6 in assists and #8 in steals, without cracking the top 10 in any of the other categories.

This appears to be a questionable development by the America East Conference. The player of the year award is meant for the best player in the conference, regardless of the teams record. To award Bell-Haynes this title, with the lack of statistical information to back it up is fishy to say the least. There is no good argument for making Bell-Haynes the player of the year, and the America East has seemingly disgraced the prestige that goes along with the honor of the award with this poor decision.

In partnership with the American Association of University Women and Running Start, the annual Elect Her – Campus Women Win program came to UMBC on March 10 to bridge the gap between campus women and politics.

Elect Her, the only program in the nation designed to train college women to run for student government offices, connects students with political speakers in order to, “expand the pipeline to women running for office and to diminish the longstanding political leadership gender gap.” Speakers of all sociopolitical backgrounds are expected to attend, including Republican strategist and Running Start trainer Rina Shah and Maryland State Delegate Mary Washington, a Democrat representing District 43.

The longstanding effort to provide college women with the tools and resources to run for office stems from the larger issue of lacking female representation. Despite being half of the population, women only represent 20 percent of Congress, 25 percent of state legislature seats and 12 percent of governorships. According to an American University study, college-aged women are much less likely to run for political office than their male counterparts. Many studies point to several factors that play a role in molding girls’ and boys’ political ambitions as early as childhood — including support from family and friends, involvement in extracurriculars and waning self-confidence.

Kate Drabinski, senior lecturer of gender women’s studies and director of the Women Involved In Learning and Leadership program, said that even though UMBC has had a female president in the past, “so few women,” run for top elected positions, and even then, it is usually for offices of treasurer and vice president.

“Part of how representation works is we can be who we see we can be,” Drabinski said. “When we don’t see women being in top positions, it’s harder for us to imagine we can belong up in there.“

That is why Drabinski, as one of the key directors and organizers for the event — along with graduate assistants Ruken Isik, Elle Everhart and senior political science major Meghan Lynch — is excited that UMBC has continued to involve itself with a project that encourages women to ‘run their own campaigns.’

“At UMBC, you get to practice running in a diverse community where you get to talk to a lot of people,” she said, adding the past success that former UMBC students had after finishing the program. “Some [students] decide to run for office [outside of UMBC], some work for UMBC, etc.”

The event ran from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building Room 011 where trainers taught attendees how to build a message for their platform, craft a communication strategy and figure out what it takes to win an elected position.

While the event has garnered much anticipation, it has also opened up the conversation about whether female voices in politics are critical now more than ever given the currently tense political climate.

“Here’s the thing about politics. It’s always a struggle,” noted Drabinski. “We’ve seen a lot of advances in the past decade. But it’s not like we were all ‘free’ before Donald Trump was elected. Backlash is never-ending. It’s [just] hard and scary to see how backlash works. We’re all flapping our wings in the general direction of the world we want. It’s a strong wind. And we have to flap a little harder.”

In retrospect, she added that, although the event does not support the notion that being a woman alone grants a certain power, there is power in playing an active role in your society.

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Drabinski said. “And if [women] aren’t at the table bringing ideas, then ultimately they’ll pay the price. Women in leadership positions means better ideas, better sense of priorities and what matters politically and making sure we have a diversity of problem-namers and problem-solvers to make the world we want.”

In response to women who may not be entirely sure if politics is in their future, Drabrinski stated, “Even if you’re not interested in running for office, you are definitely interested in making the best place for yourself and the community where you are. The skills of figuring out what’s important to you and communicating to others the changes you want to make in your community are what truly matter.”

The Mosaic Center is hosting plenty of events known as the Mosaic Center series, focusing on a group or population that is usually marginalized or underrepresented. The events are set up in a way that enables attendees to look at each other and discuss a topic or idea.

The event “How to Be A Better Ally” was constructed to increase the awareness of many people, whether they identify as black male youth or not.  Carlos Turcios, a UMBC graduate student who received two Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology and the Program Associate for Diversity and Inclusion at the Mosaic Center, was the host of the event.

Turcios informed the attendees of the impact that generalization and discrimination can have on an African-American demographic. He asked them how well they knew what it meant to be an ally, a question met with varied definitions varied. Whitney Hobson, a graduate student with a Masters and a PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and a UMBC staff at the Resource Group Counseling and Education Center, made a statement regarding this topic.

“It means creating spaces and doing whatever it possibly takes to open them with the ideas and voices of the people in need, especially those who are marginalized,” said Hobson.

What it meant to be an ally was a really crucial topic. Turcios said that an ally is “an active and consistent practice of unlearning and re-evaluating.” The attendees spoke among themselves over the topic of discrimination of young black males. Turcios pointed out that black males seem to be highly discriminated against for high crime rates over white males

He ensures the attendees that it is not the case in actuality. According to Turcios, “Out of 3,005 murders committed against white people in 2013, 2,509 of them were committed by other white people.” He states that a person’s identity is not likely shaped by how they think of themselves. It is more likely affiliated with the way that a person socially constructs themselves.

The topic of one’s own outlook became a new topic in the discussion, taking into account the appearance of a black male. Turcios reasoned the idea that appearing harmless and “soft” would result in a more lenient and reasonably response from others, especially law enforcement. Along with appearance, behavior was another word used to portray a positive response from others.

Towards the end of the event, every participant of the event began to wrap up discussions. Several attendees stayed after the event to ask questions to Turcios. The final moment of the event had a sense of closure as Turcios said, “One demographic group does not have to act a different way to feel like they belong or to be accepted.”

There is a district of Southeast London, England known as Eltham, with a population of about 35,000 people. Eltham has been home to English Royalty such as the Earl of Cornwall and Bridget of York. Eltham is also the hometown of one of UMBC’s up-and-coming basketball stars, Daniel Akin.

Akin describes Eltham as, “a small town, kind of like a little cul-de-sac.” When reflecting on life in a small town, Akin said, “Everyone there is pretty friendly. Everyone knows each other. It’s a good community. It’s very different compared to [Baltimore].” The biggest difference for Akin is, “the amount of people I see on a daily basis, and no one here is used to a British accent. No one can usually understand what I’m saying initially, and it’s really annoying. Sometimes, I have to change the way I say words so people can understand what I’m saying.”

Akin is a freshman forward/center for the men’s basketball team at UMBC. His major is currently undecided, but he is taking Juvenile Delinquency, Deviance in Society, English 100 and Media and Communications this semester. Akin has had a large impact on the Retrievers this season, starting 11 games, and accumulating a large amount of rebounds for the Retrievers. What makes Akin’s numbers so impressive is that this is only his fourth year playing organized basketball. The first time that Akin picked up a basketball was at the age of 13.

“At first I didn’t like it. I hated running suicides,” he said, “so I thought maybe it wasn’t for me. Then, a couple years later, I grew to [6’7] and I was like, ‘maybe I’ll give it a go now.'” Basketball never had much of an influence for Akin during his childhood either. “It wasn’t really televised in England like football or rugby,” Akin said. However when games were televised, he would enjoyed following superstars such as LeBron James and Blake Griffin. “They use their athleticism to their advantage, and they play hard as well,” and Akin tries to emulate these actions throughout his game.

Akin is also a well-rounded athlete. In addition to being a basketball player, he grew up participating in soccer, and competed nationally in the high jump and handball. “At first handball was kind of a joke because me and my friends were bored, and we wanted to try a different sport. So, we just went down to a local club and we were actually quite good at it. Then we went to a regional team, and the regional team was like tryouts for the national team which we did.” Akin said that handball translates well to the court as, “it is a mixture of basketball and soccer, so bouncing and throwing the ball have helped me with basketball.”

Akin only played three seasons of organized basketball in London for Barking Abbey Basketball Academy. The academy describes its mission as, “to provide a situation similar to that found on mainland Europe and in the United States where basketball is scheduled throughout the day around academic qualifications.” Before establishing their basketball academy in 2005, Barking Abbey had a rich history in education, boasting its status as, “one of the first co-educational grammar schools in England.” Barking Abbey was founded in 1922 and served as a traditional school before merging with another school in 1970 to become, “A Specialist Sports and Humanities College.” The school has produced multiple athletes such as Akin and Stony Brook-forward Akwasi Yeboah.

“It’s really weird [playing against Yeboah], we’re friends off the court and we’re pretty much enemies when we’re playing.” Akin attributes his quick development to work ethic. “I knew I was behind everyone else. They played probably five to seven years, so I had to work a lot harder than people,” said Akin. “Some of the coaches that I’ve met on the journey have helped me and put a lot of effort into me as well,” he continued.

Akin was recruited by other schools in the United States to play basketball as well. Drexel, Maine, and Mass Lowell all pursued Akin heavily. He was first contacted by the UMBC coaching staff last March. “My coach told me that UMBC was interested in me. At first I didn’t know what that was. What does UMBC stand for? What is that?” said Akin. “I did my own research — I looked at the scores and the highlights and I was like, this school is pretty good,” he continued. The biggest factor for Akin was the communication from head coach Ryan Odom. Akin detailed his relationship with Odom during the recruiting process, “I was speaking every day pretty much with the head coach, and he came to England to talk to me, which was big. He watched one of our practices, and we talked after practice, and he offered me [a position with the team] so I was like yeah.” Akin said the decision boiled down to one key thing, “UMBC showed me the most interest, and I thought I could have a good four years here.”

The biggest adjustment stateside was the education. “The education was completely different,” Akin explained, “you guys have to do multiple classes and subjects. In England you pick a major and you just do that.” As a whole, Akin says that his favorite thing about UMBC so far is the atmosphere. “So far everyone is really welcoming. There’s a lot of interesting people here and there’s a lot of international people here, so I feel like I connect with them.” Given the opportunity to change one thing about the university, Akin would like to add just one thing: “It would be different to have a football team here. I’d really like to experience that.”

Akin has been impressive so far this season, working his way into the starting rotation for the Retrievers. Akin has amassed 13 starts so far this season, accumulating a total of 95 points with an impressive 64.3 shooting percentage. He is also averaging 3.2 rebounds per game. However, Akin has been able to increase his season averages since maintaining a starting position, in games he has started, he has bumped his rebound total up to 5.7 per game, while averaging 4.9 points.

One thing is for sure, it is going to be a fun four years watching Akin transform from a raw freshman talent, to a possible all-conference big man. That’s a bold prediction, but if there’s anything that the story of Akin can tell us, it’s that he never fails to impress.

 UMBC welcomed Shelley Niro for an artist talk at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery on Tuesday, March 6. Shelley Niro is one of many artists whose work is currently displayed in the exhibit Our People, Our Land, Our Image. The exhibit is meant to provide insight into bicultural identity. Further, the exhibition demonstrates the continuing vitality of native traditions through photography and expands indigenous self-presentation.

Niro’s photography pieces have been esteemed for challenging the dominant narratives about Native Americans. Images associated with Native Americans often include people on horseback, wearing headdresses or feathers. Niro’s art pieces depict indigenous peoples as more than moccasins and feathers. Niro’s “The Iroquois Is a Highly Developed Matriarchal Society” depicts the photographer’s smiling mother in her kitchen beneath a hair dryer. The piece uses humor to show that mothers play a large role in her society. 

At the artist’s talk, Niro was surrounded by students and faculty who are awe-struck by her work. One eager UMBC student asked, “how are you able to use various mediums, such as photography, sculpting and films to share your message?” Niro explained that she uses each instrument to express herself differently. 

Niro is drawn to photography because of its ability to be direct. However, Niro does not neglect her filmmaking roots. She recognizes that photography is more direct and vulnerable in the gaze of the spectator.  Niro is known for being a prolific and multidisciplinary artist. One can find her paintings at the National Gallery of Art and her films at the Sundance film festival.

Niro uses family members and relatives in her photography. She explains that most of her art uses celestial design, which represents life and culture. Although Niro sometimes uses humor as a reprieve from the political, she takes a clear stance on what it means to be a native; Niro believes that we should question the preconceived notions that we have about natives that emerge from western hegemony. Natives are just like us.

Niro also believes the way to dismantle stereotypes associated with indigenous representation in photography is by showing images of natives partaking in ordinary activities. For example, Niro depicts her and her sisters dressing up in costumes in her 1991 art piece, “Sisters.” However, that does not negate the fact that identifying as a native person in Canada often shapes your experience. Shelley Niro’s photography is currently displayed at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. The Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. 

2017 UMBC Grand Challenge Scholars

Applications open for UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program

UMBC is recruiting undergraduate students for the third cohort for its Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP). UMBC’s GCSP is an exciting opportunity that is open to students from all majors who are interested in exploring interdisciplinary approaches to making the world a better place. Come to the Grand Challenges Symposium from 6:00-8:00pm on Monday, April 2 in UC 310 to learn more about the GCSP, meet the current scholars, and enjoy light refreshments.

The Grand Challenges are 14 problems in the areas of sustainability, health, infrastructure, and the joy of living that will require interdisciplinary teams and sustained years of effort to solve. The GCSP brings together a diverse cohort of undergraduates from all majors to work towards solutions for these problems. GC Scholars develop broad skills by completing experiences in five program areas: research, interdisciplinarity, entrepreneurship, global perspectives and service.  Scholars will receive formal designation as an NAE Grand Challenge Scholar at graduation.

We especially encourage sophomores to apply but students who are earlier or later in their studies are also welcome to apply as long as they are able to complete the requirements. In addition to the five program experiences, students must complete three one-credit GCSP seminars, and are expected to participate in GC-related activities on and off campus. For more information about the program, visit the GCSP site.

To apply, students should submit online an unofficial transcript, short essay answers, two names of references, and optionally a short letter of support. The deadline is April 15 but we will also consider applications received after the deadline on a rolling basis.

The post 🎓 Applications open for UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.