The UMBC Chess team has been named fourth in the nation among university chess teams after competing in the President’s Cup at the New York Athletic Club, March 27–29, 2015. They qualified to compete in the Final Four competition through the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, held in December.

UMBC’s team at the President’s Cup (pictured below) included captain Niclas Huschenbeth, Tanguy Ringoir, Akshayraj Kore, and Levan Bregadze—all either international grandmasters or international masters. Nazi Paikidze, an international master who is ranked sixth in the nation among female players, attended as an alternate. Paikidze will represent UMBC at the invitation-only U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in St. Louis, March 31–April 13, 2015. CSEE Professor Alan Sherman directs the UMBC chess program and Joel DeWyer, associate director of The Commons, serves as business manager.

This recent competition has led to another flurry of media attention for the team, known for its long history as a national chess powerhouse. That includes major features in Baltimore Magazine and on WYPR, as well as coverage in The New York Times.

For more details on the competition, see http://umbcchess.tumblr.com.

Hilltop Institute graduate research assistant and UMBC Public Policy Ph.D. candidate Pradeep Guin is co-author of an article recently published in the journal Health, titled Health Status and Access to Health Services in Indian Slums. The article presents the findings of a study that analyzed the status of health and access to health services among the urban poor in India, based on data from a primary survey conducted among 2000 households, covering 10,929 individuals from four cities of India. The results of the study indicate continued vulnerability of the urban poor, and the need for urgent government action. Guin presented a paper on this study at the Health Systems Reform in Asia Conference in Singapore which took place December 13-16, 2013. Citation: Gupta, I., & Guin, P. (2015). Health status and access to health services in Indian slums. Health, 7, 245-255.

Guin also presented a poster at the Association for Education Finance and Policy’s (AEFP) 40th Annual Conference on February 27, 2015, in Washington, DC, titled The Impacts of Exposure to Natural Disasters on Children’s Education and Health Outcomes. This dissertation research attempted to answer the question: Does (a) exposure to natural disasters and (b) economic losses from disasters have any impact on a child’s education and health outcomes? Guin found that there is no significant impact on a child’s outcome measures in a one-year exposure period due to various types of disasters. There is evidence, however, that disasters that lead to especially large economic losses can reduce students’ performance on math assessments.

UMBC’s Professional Graduate Programs Open House will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. EDT at UMBC South Campus (bwtech@UMBC South) 1450 S. Rolling Road; Halethorpe, MD 21227.

Join us to meet program directors, alumni and students from UMBC Professional Graduate Programs, and learn about industry trends and opportunities. Representatives from Financial Aid, Veteran Affairs, the Graduate School, and others will be on hand to answer your questions. The Open House will include breakout information sessions that will focus on Graduate Programs, including: Cybersecurity, Biotechnology, Health Information Technology, Engineering Management, and Systems Engineering.
If interested in attending, please RSVP online.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Every two minutes, someone in America is sexually assaulted. 1 in 5 college women experience a sexual assault. 95% of college-aged victims know their attacker.

These are just a few statistics to highlight why this month of awareness is so very important for our campus and our greater community. We have several events this April that will honor the voices and experiences of survivors of sexual assault. Additionally, there are events that will seek to raise awareness about sexual assault and the importance of effective consent.

Please feel free to download our event calendar, mark your calendar with the events you plan on attending, and share the word with other students, staff, and faculty.

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault: Cultivating a Survivor-Responsive Campus Workshop (All workshops are in the Women’s Center)

• Wednesday, April 8th from 12-1pm for UMBC students
• Monday, April 13th from 4-5pm for UMBC faculty and staff
• Friday, April 24th from 12-1pm for UMBC Greek Community members

The Clothesline Project Display
Wednesday, April 8th on Commons Main Street and the RAC (at the Retriever Health and Wellness Expo) from 10am-4pm. (Opportunities to make shirts for the display will be made available on several occasions leading up to the 8th… see calendar for details)

“It Happened Here” Film Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, April 15th from 5-7pm in the Women’s Center (sponsored by SJP)

Take Back the Night
Thursday, April 16th beginning at 6:00pm with a community resource fair on Commons Main Street. The survivor speak-out will begin at 6:30pm and will be followed by campus march. Follow #UMBCtbtn on social media for updates and join the Facebook event.

Voices Against Violence Protocol Training, Responding to Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence at UMBC
Friday, April 17th from 12-1pm in Commons 331.

After TBTN: A FORCE Monument Quilt Workshop
Friday, April 17th from 12-2pm in the Women’s Center.

If you have questions about any of the listed events or about sexual assault resources, please contact Jess Myers, Women’s Center Director, at jessm@umbc.edu, 410-455-2714 or Mickey Irizarry, Health Education Coordinator, at pirizarry@umbc.edu, 410-455-3752.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is sponsored by:

• The Women’s Center
• University Health Services Health Education
• Voices Against Violence