There will also be a Career and Internship Fair 9/18/24 from 11:30- 3:30 pm, it's never to early to meet, learn and grow! These are the experiences that will help you reach your goals! Spot by the RAC to see who they will have there. 

Don't forget to sign up with Handshake here (careers.umbc.edu/handshake) and get your resume put together with there help! Find some templates here (https://careers.umbc.edu/students/documents/resumes/).

Happy Fall Semester!

Today at 2pm!! Bring a bag and fill it up with free fresh fruits and vegetables, and other food products.

Dear UMBC Community,

The Office of Equity and Civil Rights (ECR) has been working hard to update university policies to ensure compliance and to create the most inclusive and accessible environment for the entire UMBC community. I write to share that a number of new interim university policies have been created, and I invite you to read more about each policy by following the links.

This policy applies to discrimination on the basis of sex, sex-based harassment (including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking), sexual misconduct, and retaliation that occurs on or after August 1, 2024, and outlines the university's process for responding to and resolving reports of such conduct. 

Key Provisions:

This policy outlines the university’s responsibility to provide reasonable modifications or accommodations for students and employees who are pregnant or experiencing related conditions, and the procedures for requesting the support. 

Key Provisions:

This policy outlines the university's obligation to provide, and the procedures for, students and employees to request academic, non-academic, and/or employment accommodations to observe faith-based or religious holidays or to participate in organized religious activities.

Key Provisions:

 

All of these policies are designated as interim to allow opportunities for shared governance review during the fall semester. If you have questions about any of these updates, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Division of Institutional Equity for more information.

Sincerely,

Maloy Kumar Devnath, iHARP Research Assistant, successfully defended his PhD Proposal on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Join iHARP in congratulating Maloy on his successful PhD proposal defense.

Deciphering the Polar Puzzle: Exploring the Relationship Between Sea Ice Retreat and Ice Sheet Melting in the Antarctic

Dr. Vandana P. Janeja, Chair/Advisor (UMBC)
Dr. Sudip Chakraborty, Co-Advisor (UMBC)
Dr. James Foulds (UMBC)
Dr. Md Osman Gani (UMBC)
Dr. Aneesh Subramanian (University of Colorado Boulder)

Abstract

The dynamics of the Antarctic region which holds 90% of the Earth’s ice volume, particularly the interplay between sea ice retreat and land ice or ice sheets melting, demand rigorous scientific examination due to the alarming changes observed in recent decades. Antarctica’s ice mass has been diminishing rapidly, with an estimated average loss of approximately ∼ 146 billion tons annually since 2002. The reduction in sea ice extent raises critical questions about its repercussions on ice sheet melting, as sea ice provides a protective barrier separating ice sheets from warm ocean currents and wave action. While Antarctic sea ice was expanding until 2015, recent trends show a dramatic reversal with record low extents in February 2023. Understanding the relationship between sea ice changes and ice sheet dynamics is pivotal for deciphering the broader implications of global sea-level rise, a pressing concern for coastal communities, ecosystems, and policymakers. To address this, this thesis employs machine learning algorithms and remote sensing techniques to analyze temporal and spatial variations in the polar climate system. This research aims to develop innovative machine learning algorithms to detect anomalous melt events, variations in melt onset and duration, and quantify the feature similarity and associations between sea ice retreat and land ice or ice sheet melting, particularly in regions experiencing anomalous melts with earlier retreat and late accumulation periods. This thesis specifically aims to:

1. Understand how anomalous melt events and variations in melt onset and melting period length impact the dynamics of sea ice retreat.
2. Assess the significance of anomalous melt events compared to steady-state conditions in influencing sea ice retreat.
3. Quantify feature similarity and associations (co-occurrence) between sea ice retreat and land ice or ice sheet melting in regions experiencing anomalous
melts, with particular attention to earlier retreat and late accumulation periods.

By addressing these questions, this thesis contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interactions between sea ice retreat and ice sheet melting in the Antarctic region and their broader implications for global sea-level rise.

Bottom Row, left to right: Maloy Kumar Devnath, Dr. James Foulds,  Dr. Sudip Chakraborty

Is your major listed below? If so, you are eligible to apply for the CAHSS Dean's Education Abroad Scholarship. Apply by September 10!

• Africana Studies
• American Studies
• Ancient Studies
• Asian Studies
• Dance
• Economics
• Education
• Emergency and Disaster Health Systems
• English
• Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies
• Geography and Environmental Systems
• Gerontology
• Global Studies
• History
• Judaic Studies
• Language, Literacy and Culture
• Media and Communication Studies
• Modern Languages, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication
• Music
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Public Policy
• Sociology, Anthropology and Public Health
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

What are you waiting for? Apply before September 10!

Our weekly meetings will NOT take place in Public Policy 208, because UMBC is an unreliable school when it comes to room reservations.

Instead the Thursday night meetings will be in Public Policy 206, starting at 7pm. Movie nights start whenever the voting on a movie choice has ended (movie choices are at the bottom of this post). We don't have end times to these meetings. 

There will be polls to determine if we should change the meeting time, or if we should add an additional meeting date for every week/every other week. Those polls will be sent out to Discord and GroupMe. A similar poll may take place on myumbc, this is to be determined.

Future plans for guest speakers, on-campus poster tables, events with other clubs, and more will be discussed at tonight's meeting. See you there!

For THIS Thursday, here are the choices for movies:

Terminator

Apocalypse Now

The Blair Witch Project

Amadeus

Goldfinger

Young Frankenstein

Enter The Dragon

For further information see the website link. The application deadline and online information sessions are coming up,soon.

Welcome to everyone new and existing to the club! I want to welcome everyone to the Pokémon Fan Club! Feel free to introduce yourself in the discord server if you'd like to! We have channels in this server for all the games, all the Pokémon generations, and different styles of play (like nuzlockes)! 

OUR FIRST MEETING WILL VIRTUAL IN THIS SERVER ON FRIDAY, 9/6 AT 1PM. We would like as many people that are interested as possible to join the meeting, as we'll be introducing the club, the officers, the events we have planned, and we'll be able to receive feedback and answer questions as well! https://discord.com/events/945216914437853204/1281060556060495993

We will be hosting in-person GBMs (general board meetings, basically just regular meetings/hangouts) every Friday at 1pm this semester and as soon as we get a location, that will be announced in this channel (we can't do in-person for a couple weeks basically). 

Please join our myUMBC page for announcements and updates! https://discord.gg/vBGFYsdnjg