Our UMBC Phonathon student callers are a vital part of our organization. We recently asked a few of our graduating seniors–who are now some of our newest alumni–to tell us what they loved most about UMBC and where they’re going next!

 “I have grown to appreciate UMBC because of its small size. Here at UMBC I have made many personal and professional connections that I attribute to the close-knit community.” ~Bernadette Amihere ’15

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“There are some awesome professors at this university who educate like it’s their passion, not their job.” ~Dan Armstrong

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“I hope to find a great-paying job that I enjoy doing and that involves solving environmental issues.” ~Kara Lopez

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“I plan on going to graduate school to obtain a Masters in Public Health and a focus on Epidemiology.” ~Jessica Aname

In the latest essay for his Race Stories column in The New York Times, Maurice Berger, research professor at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, examines the work of Charles “Teenie” Harris, an African American staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier from the 1930s through the 1970s. Now held in the archives of the Carnegie Museum of Art, a selection of 80,000 images by Harris are now on display in “Teenie Harris Photographs: Cars,” second in a series of exhibitions that began with “Teenie Harris Photographs: Civil Rights Perspectives.” The museum “asked writers — including poets, playwrights and historians — to respond to ‘the social, cultural, and political content’ of Mr. Harris’s photos,” notes Berger.

Read “Past and Present Collide in Pittsburgh” and view the photographs at The New York Times Lens blog.

Berger’s Race Stories column, which appears monthly on The New York Times website, is “a continuing exploration of the relationship of race to photographic portrayals of race.”

Kavita Krishnaswamy ’07, computer science and mathematics, Ph. D. candidate, computer science and electrical engineering, was featured on the National Science Foundation website for her research on adaptive technology. Krishnaswamy’s work focuses on developing robotic prototypes that can assist people with severe disabilities and improving robotic interfaces.

In the article, Krishnaswamy discusses how the support of research fellowships and mentors at UMBC has aided her research. She has won several competitive fellowships, receiving a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and a Ford Foundation Fellowship. “These fellowships are instrumental in facilitating my research career in many ways and making it possible for me to be one step closer to achieving my goals to assist people with disabilities. They enable me to focus on my research goals with greater determination to succeed,” she said.

Gisele Muller-Parker, program director of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, praised Krishnaswamy’s research and advocacy for individuals with disabilities, saying “[Kavita] is clearly passionate about helping others through the development of robotics research and is an inspiring leader in this area.”

Click here to read “Graduate student perseveres to increase access for persons with severe disabilities” on the National Science Foundation website.

Krishnaswamy was also recently interviewed by Technical.ly Baltimore about her experience using a telepresence devise and her vision for how robots can help people with disabilities. Click here to read “This UMBC Ph.D. candidate will change your mind about robots.”

[This article is re-posted from UMBC Insights]

Kavita Krishnaswamy ’07, computer science and mathematics, Ph. D. candidate, computer science and electrical engineering, was featured on the National Science Foundation website for her research on adaptive technology. Krishnaswamy’s work focuses on developing robotic prototypes that can assist people with severe disabilities and improving robotic interfaces.

kavitaIn the article, Krishnaswamy discusses how the support of research fellowships and mentors at UMBC has aided her research. She has won several competitive fellowships, receiving a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and a Ford Foundation Fellowship. “These fellowships are instrumental in facilitating my research career in many ways and making it possible for me to be one step closer to achieving my goals to assist people with disabilities. They enable me to focus on my research goals with greater determination to succeed,” she said.

Gisele Muller-Parker, program director of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, praised Krishnaswamy’s research and advocacy for individuals with disabilities, saying “[Kavita] is clearly passionate about helping others through the development of robotics research and is an inspiring leader in this area.”

Click here to read “Graduate student perseveres to increase access for persons with severe disabilities” on the National Science Foundation website.

Krishnaswamy was also recently interviewed by Technical.ly Baltimore about her experience using a telepresence devise and her vision for how robots can help people with disabilities. Click here to read “This UMBC Ph.D. candidate will change your mind about robots.”