UMBC's College of Engineering and Information Technology will hold an Alumni Happy Hour on Wednesday, June 17 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Union Jack's (10400 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044). Join fellow COEIT graduates, COEIT faculty and those who now work in those fields for a networking happy hour. Enjoy fabulous food and drinks while connecting with other Retrievers. Please RSVP online.

The event is sponsored by the UMBC Alumni Association and the UMBC Training Centers.

If you have any questions, contact Amy Dalrymple at Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. or 410-455-2276.

UHS hosts educational Condom Cake-Off

As part of a nationwide initiative to provide contraceptive education, students have the opportunity to design their ideal condom in an unconventional setting.

The lights are dimmed. The tables are all set. The penis cakes are ready.

In the darkened Lower Flat Tuesday’s, groups of students are seated around a dozen or so tables. On each table, there is some frosting, some sprinkles and a penis cake. Some are chocolate, some are vanilla. Some are funfetti. Each  cake sits in a mold, ready for decoration.

This is Bedsider UMBCs second Condom Cake-Off, held with support from University Health Services. After a rousing event last year, the program has returned to teach safe sex to students through the universal medium of cake.

Students have the task of decorating their penis cake with their best possible condom. Then, they must explain what makes it safe, and, as a reward, they get to eat the cake.

As students decorate their peniscaked, the Bedsider website is projected on the wall behind them. Bedsider is an online birth control support network, designed to help empower women and prevent unplanned pregnancies.

The organization has partnered with campuses around the nation to bring fun and quirky educational events to college students, a group at risk for STDs and unwanted pregnancy. Its goal is to provide knowledge about contraceptive methods to students.

This year’s Cake-Off is really the whole package. From the different flavors of penis cakes to a table set up with prizes, the event provides a nice evening for students to enjoy. It has attracted all kinds of students, who are all thrilled to get into the decorating.

Some participants arrived because they knew the event leaders, while other students came to learn. Some people were present mostly out of desire for baked goods.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” said Emerson College graduate James Murray, when asked why he attended the Cake-Off. “I figured there’d be cake,” he laughed as he and a friend crafted their design.

The benefit of an event like this: it attracts people with cake and walks them through contraceptive education. Even if students are only putting a frosting condom on a cake for the sake of eating it later, they’re still thinking about condoms more than they used to.

For the second year in a row, Bedsider UMBCs Condom Cake-Off has been the perfect mix of learning, cake and penises. No word yet on if the tradition will continue, but it has a promising start. It is sending an effective message to the community and it’s popular among students.

“After all,” said senior biochemistry major Steven Wist, “Who doesn’t want to decorate a cock?”

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

Name: Amanda Quinn

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: U.S. Department of State | Title of Your Position: Public Affairs Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Global Studies and English Literature

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

Currently, I am a Public Affairs intern at the U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Russia. Most of the work I do goes into supporting the Consulate's work to plan events and programming that encourage cultural exchange between Americans and Russians. I also support the U.S. Consulate's various social media accounts.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I have always had an interest in diplomacy and the Foreign Service. Throughout my sophomore year, my goals became clearer and I knew I wanted to pursue a career involving international relations. I did some research and learned about the application process for an internship with the State Department and decided to apply for a Spring 2015 internship. On the application I expressed my interest and experience in Russia, but it was actually a total surprise that I was placed in St. Petersburg.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

Career Center, USA Jobs

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I am so glad to be back in St. Petersburg. I studied abroad here in the fall, but it’s interesting to be here to work rather than study. Just being able to return to this city is a definite highlight of this position. Besides that, I've enjoyed the getting involved in the social media presence of the U.S. Consulate. In today's world, social media has begun to play a key role in diplomacy, and it is interesting to see that starting to evolve.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity ?

Participating in an internship abroad, especially in Russia, has provided me with the unique chance to get firsthand experience observing how U.S. diplomacy is conducted abroad. I'm also here during an interesting time for U.S.-Russia relations, so its been interesting watching that evolve from the perspective of American diplomats.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Do your research and explore all the ways you can get involved in your field of interest and then apply for everything that intriques you. Look into opportunities that can give you a unique perspective and experience in your field.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

Take a risk and do something that scares you. I took a semester off and went abroad to participate in this internship. Don't be afraid to explore opportunities that are unique and take you outside of the normal college experience.

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#UMBCintern

“Now that the dust has settled and the media have moved onto the next crisis, we can ponder what the Baltimore riots tell us about broader and deeper issues in the US,” School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short wrote in an article published in The Conversation on May 15. In his column, using his “stress test” approach, Short examined the forces at play in Baltimore that contributed to the recent events: “Among them are decades of biased economic policies, class differences as well as racism, structural problems in metropolitan America, the consequences of aggressive policing and the geography of multiple deprivations.”

The article provided an in-depth look at deindustrialization, the geo-economic disconnect, and policing in America. Short discussed the need to consider issues of class and a greater commitment to job training for people who have been displaced by the loss of manufacturing jobs. He also noted the challenges facing Baltimore are similar to other parts of the country.

“But there are other Baltimores outside of Maryland. They include Akron, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toledo. It is not just an inner city problem. Along with Bernadette Hanlon and Tom Vicino, I have documented the problems of inner ring of suburbs,” Short wrote.

“Baltimores of economic neglect, massive job loss, aggressive policing and multiple deprivations are found throughout metropolitan regions across the country. They are the places of despair that house the voiceless of the US political system, the marginalized of the US economy and those left behind in the commodification of US society,” he added.

To read the full article titled “There are more Baltimores: America’s legacy of hollowed-out cities,” click here.

Ahead of a scheduled performance of “The Mathematics of Being Human” on July 29 at the BRIDGES Conference in Baltimore, the play received a positive review in Siam News. It debuted at UMBC on November 4, 2014, and has since been performed across the country in San Antonio, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

Featuring Michele Osherow, associate professor of English, Manil Suri, mathematics professor, Savannah Jo Chamberlain ’16, theatre, Chaz Atkinson ’16, theatre, and directed by Alan Kreizenbeck, associate professor of theatre, the play chronicles the struggles of two professors trying to develop a joint seminar studying the intersection of math and literature.

“I was lucky enough to get a seat at a performance held at UMBC, along with apparently a dozen or more of the students who had taken the real-life freshman humanities seminar that inspired this play. Judging by their appreciative laughter at pivotal plot points, I think that much of the performance rang true to their experience as humanities students suckered into a mathematics class,” wrote Katherine Socha, who reviewed the play for Siam. 

“Wonderful selections of mathematics connections in literature and art highlight the rich opportunities for the cross-cultural battles led by these sharply defined faculty characters,” she added.

To read the complete review “Play Takes Aim at the ‘Two Cultures’ Divide,” click here. For more information on the July 29 performance in Baltimore, click here.

Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is scheduled to announce his presidential plans on May 30 in Baltimore. School of Public Policy Director Donald Norris was interviewed by WJZ Channel 13 and commented on what the Democratic party landscape could look like for O’Malley should he officially declare his candidacy. “There is an increasing number of voices that are saying we need an alternative to Hillary Clinton,” he said.

Thomas Schaller, professor and chair of political science, was quoted in a Governing article about how the recent events in Baltimore could impact O’Malley’s presidential plans. “The bad news is that the country is paying attention to O’Malley and policing in Baltimore because now that’s a negative issue,” he said. But the good news is that O’Malley’s “name is in the news now in a way that never would have happened otherwise.”

Schaller was also quoted in a New York Times Magazine article discussing what the 2016 election could look like in Maryland for the seat being vacated by Sen. Barbara Mikulski. “Any financial advantage by [Rep. Chris Van Hollen] will probably be evened out by the sweat equity of progressive grass-roots volunteers. So resourcewise, this is a draw. The differentiator will be policy stuff.”

In two articles focusing on what the national political scene could look like for Republicans in 2016, Schaller’s latest book The Stronghold was reviewed in Vox and America’s Voice.

To read complete media coverage, click below.

O’Malley to Announce Presidential Plans May 30 (WJZ)
Mayor Martin O’Malley Versus Governor Martin O’Malley (Governing)
The Great Democratic Crack-Up of 2016 (New York Times Magazine)
Will Republicans’ stronghold in Congress cripple their quest for the White House? (Vox)
GOP Control of the House Comes at a High Cost to Party’s Future (America’s Voice)
Four policy changes that could improve race equality in America (Baltimore Sun)

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Constantine Vaporis, History, To Serve as Smithsonian Journeys Expert in Japan
• Christopher Swan, Geography and Environmental Systems, Discusses Maryland Green Prisons Initiative in the Baltimore Sun
• Pres. Hrabowski Featured in SmartCEO Magazine
• Richard Bissell, Emergency Health Services, Analyzes Nepal Earthquake Response in The Conversation
• Amanda Knapp Featured in AMA’s Get Women Riding Campaign
• Jeffrey Gardner Receives Dept. of Energy Early Career Award

Read more at UMBC Insights!