UMBC is leading a new initiative, in partnership with several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in the region, that’s aiming to expand the research compliance capacity of mid-size (universities with 15,000 or less students) and smaller universities to better adhere to emerging federal research security policies. 

To address the challenges associated with expanding research compliance capacity at institutions at these sizes, UMBC is partnering with the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, and Delaware State University to develop the Research Integrity, Security, and Compliance (RISC) program. RISC is supported through a five-year, $3.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program. The program’s goal is to address systemic barriers within the nation’s research enterprise by improving research support and service capacity.

Principal investigator (PI) Karl V. Steiner, vice president for research and creative achievement, and co-PI Christine Mallinson, assistant vice president for research and scholarly impact, will lead the multi-institutional RISC program. 

“Mid-size institutions, along with MSIs and HCBUs, are expected to keep pace as new policies and guidance emerge, but they may not have the same ability or capacity to do so, compared to larger and more highly resourced research institutions,” explains Mallinson. “RISC will help us develop and then implement these evolving compliance structures and processes for smaller universities.”

Research security, according to the nation’s federal guidelines on government-supported research, is defined as “safeguarding the research enterprise against the misappropriation of research and development to the detriment of national or economic security, related violations of research integrity, and foreign government interference.” As part of the RISC program, UMBC will create, test, and implement a model for how mid-sized and smaller research universities can adhere to new and emerging research security policies.

That process, Mallinson explains, includes developing training modules on research security and compliance for researchers and research administration staff. The model will be further developed and evaluated among the partnering RISC institutions. 

The program will also support expanding the team in UMBC’s Office of Research Protections and Compliance (ORPC) and an additional cybersecurity specialist role in the Division of Information Technology, as well as supporting an increase in compliance staffing at the partnering institutions. Mallinson shares the “RISC Roadmap” will be publicly available for other institutions to assist them in responding to research integrity, security, and compliance guidance and meeting institutional needs.

“UMBC is at the forefront of this conversation of what it looks like for mid-sized institutions and smaller, emerging research institutions to build their research infrastructure in this area,” says Mallinson.

“I am very pleased about our multi-institutional, regional partnership and the significant support by the NSF that will allow us to address these pressing issues of research compliance and to create a blueprint for other smaller and mid-size research institutions,” adds Karl Steiner. “We have already benefited from the input provided by our partners during the proposal process.”

In addition to the RISC program, Mallinson has also been working to educate undergraduate students on careers in research administration with the GRANTS MADE Research Administration Internship. The internship, also funded by NSF’s GRANTED program, was created to expand and diversify the research administration workforce. UMBC’s Alexis Johnson ’24 and current senior Andy Quach, both financial economics majors, were a part of the internship program’s inaugural cohort. This summer, Quach continued his potential career interests in research administration with an internship with the ORPC. Quach helped to review and audit active research protocols and drafted various compliance documents. 

Mallinson adds that prospective interns may also have the option to work with the ORPC team, allowing for a synergistic opportunity to train the next generation in this critical area of research security and compliance.

The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) seeks an enthusiastic, self-starting Book Reviews Editor for MCHC’s peer-reviewed historical journal, Maryland Historical Magazine, in publication since 1906. The ideal candidate possesses a passion for scholarly publishing, experience and expertise in Maryland history, dedication to detail, and excellent communication and organization skills. The position is available for one year, from January to December 2025, and may be renewed.

Navigating the job market can be a daunting process for any student, but international students in particular often face additional challenges — from dealing with visa requirements and work authorizations, to understanding cultural differences throughout the hiring process. These obstacles can make the job search even more overwhelming, but with the right tools and resources, international students can find success.

If you’re an international student, we’re here to help! Here are some tools that international students can use as they encounter the current job market landscape.

Research. My Visa Jobs.com provides H-1B Visa and Green Card reports for every year, listing the top Visa sponsors (that is, employers) via a number of different filters including occupation, job title, location, industry, college, petition status, etc. If you’re just starting out on your job search journey, this could be a good tool to use to determine which employers in targeted industries and/or locations of interest are open to hiring.

Search On-Campus. If you’re on an F-1 Visa, on-campus jobs are the most accessible employment opportunities available to you. Therefore, you need to know where to find them. This blog post by the Career Center lays out five tips to help international students locate on-campus employment. By knowing where to look, you can get a jump start on your search before the wave of applications roll in.

Search Off Campus: If you’re an international student able to look off-campus for a job or internship, you may want to check out GoinGlobal. With their job search function, you’re able to search 16+ million worldwide opportunities in various industries. So, whether you want to stay in Maryland or go elsewhere, GoinGlobal is a great tool to see what’s out there.

Explore Career Paths: Not quite sure how to get to where you’d like to go in your career? Look no further than Steppingblocks, a digital career counselor tool that uses data from real-life alumni and professionals to show you various alumni career trajectories. You can also explore skills, education, and employers for particular industries as well. For more information, check out this blog post.

Network and Learn: When it comes to the job market, information is power. The more you know, the more strategic you can be. Additionally, your network means everything in the job search. The more people you know, the closer you’ll get to landing a position. Therefore, if there are events available where you can do both, it’s important to seize those opportunities when you can. On November 11-15, the virtual International Career Summit is taking place, jam-packed with workshops, presentations, and panels designed to equip you with what you need to succeed in your job search. Learn more about the Summit and be sure to register!

We hope these tools and resources can help you confidently pursue opportunities, connect with employers and alumni, and smoothly transition into the next phase of your professional journey.

With the halfway point of the semester being passed, the CyberDawgs wanted to offer everyone a meeting where they could relax, enjoy a movie, and get some free food and drinks!

Tonight is a Cyber Movie Night! We will be showing The Imitation Game. The movie will be in COMMONS 331, DO NOT GO TO ILSB 118.

Doors Open at 6:45PM and the movie starts promptly at 7:15 PM, so make sure you arrive early to grab a seat and food. No Webex tonight, for legal reasons.

Free Food and Drinks?
Yes, there will be pizza, drinks (soda/water), popcorn, and candy!

The Imitation Game (2014)
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

As a reminder, this week's submissions for the CyberPaws CTF challenge will close at the start of tonight's meeting. Remember to submit your flag! Also, if you would like a hint, you can DM a board member to receive one.

Again, don’t hesitate to contact me (wbrooks1@umbc.ed) if you have any questions. And as always, Don’t Do Crime.

Kind Regards,
William Brooks
CyberDawgs President

Thanks to award-winning education faculty and UMBC’s research-based teacher preparation programs, hundreds of Retriever alumni lead pre-k through 12-grade classrooms across the state, meeting the need for highly qualified teachers. Maryland’s high school students now have a unique opportunity to join their ranks by beginning their teacher training early in preparation for applying to UMBC’s teaching programs. This fall, UMBC joined an existing network of higher education institutions across Maryland that partner with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM) to offer Maryland-high-school students interested in teaching a direct admissions pathway to UMBC’s undergraduate teacher education programs.

UMBC awarded its first TAM scholarship and academic credit this fall to three first-year students, Layla Bugarini, Alna Thekkiniath, and Sofia Driver.“Once the word gets out that UMBC is a TAM-participating institution offering not only great benefits for TAM students but also a high quality and unique teacher education program, we anticipate many more aspiring educators will see UMBC as a destination institution for teacher education,” says Vickie Williams, director of student services and certification officer for UMBC’s Department of Education and a member of the organizing committee

TAM’s mission is to grow and diversify the teaching field by igniting high school students’ passion for teaching. The program provides them with foundational knowledge and skills essential for success as educators, learners, and leaders. Through a partnership with a higher education institution, participants gain valuable experience in a university setting which helps them prepare for their transition to education majors.

Participating high schoolers develop a portfolio that includes three high school courses: Human Growth and Development through Adolescence, Teaching as a Profession, and Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction. Students are also required to complete an internship in a classroom setting under the supervision of a TAM mentor. After fulfilling all the TAM requirements, students submit their portfolio for review and feedback to the university they plan to attend. Each university offers students different benefits.

UMBC is providing students who successfully complete the TAM program, with several incentives:

• a $75 application fee waiver
• three lower-level education elective credits that can be applied towards the 120-minimum credit graduation requirement 
• for those who matriculate directly from high school, a $1,000 merit scholarship from the Homer and Martha Gudelsky and the Maggie Geeter Hrabowski Scholarship, to be applied directly to their UMBC account to assist with tuition, fees, and other educational expenses
• an opportunity to interview for UMBC’s Sherman Teacher Scholars Program. 

“Our undergraduate students enter classrooms equipped with pedagogical knowledge, field experience, and expertise from their academic major. This prepares them for their teacher certification exams in their chosen grade level and subject area,” says Williams. “Collaborating with TAM provides high school students with exposure to rigorous education research and practice, along with guidance, financial support, and mentorship.” 

“My journey with TAM began back in my freshman year at Eastern Technical High School [Baltimore County], where I had the opportunity to intern in a third-grade classroom at Rossville Elementary in Baltimore County Public Schools,” says Bugarini. She notes that the experience led her to enroll in UMBC’s education program and major in psychology. “TAM didn’t just introduce me to teaching in a classroom, it also gave me a glimpse of what education courses at college would be like. This head start has been invaluable as I pursue my education certification and the required classes to complete it.”

To learn more about UMBC’s teacher preparation programs, contact Vickie Williams, director of student services and certification officer.