Good afternoon everyone,
We are continuing our work on deep-level Ceph configuration to improve the cluster’s stability. These ongoing improvements are essential to maintain cluster health and performance as we look toward broader architectural updates and more "Ceph-friendly" user guidance.
Our primary focus remains on refining the cluster’s automated responses and monitoring capabilities, to keep the cluster healthy without requiring manual intervention:
Automatic Stale Client Eviction: We’ve implemented automation for evicting disconnected clients. By ensuring that clients who lose connection don't leave "ghost" file locks open, we are reducing metadata overhead and preventing file-access roadblocks for active users.
Proactive Monitoring: We have integrated better monitoring hooks to catch hardware overload and ceph performance issues earlier. This allows us to intervene before localized problems ripple out into wider-spread performance dips.
Upcoming: Optimized Scrubbing: We are planning to re-enable scrubbing (file integrity checks) on a much less aggressive schedule. The goal here is to maintain data health while ensuring the process no longer "fights" for I/O with active client workloads. We are still finalizing some details, but we expect this will be pushed in the next week or two.
While we still have several configuration steps to complete, we are now beginning to look "up-stack" at how architecture and user interaction impact the cluster’s long-term health:
Architecture Changes: We will start evaluating structural shifts to our storage layout to better handle current usage and distribute IOPS more efficiently.
User Behavior Management: Simply put: ceph’s parallel nature makes it a significant paradigm shift compared to our previous storage solutions. Consequently, some workflows that previously worked well before can cause disproportionate load on ceph. We will work to identify these specific cases and will provide guidance on alternative workflows that better align with Ceph’s behavior to maintain system-wide performance.
The team continues to encourage all users to send in any issues that seem to arise from an issue with client connections to their data. This will reveal itself in mostly I/O intensive actions such as large package installation or large movement between files in directories (locally or from the internet).
We will continue to give weekly updates and provide substantive updates as they develop.
Gregory Ballantine
HPC Specialist
UMBC DoIT
Appropriately, chapter one of UMBC’s inaugural BookFest began at AOK Library Plaza. Hundreds of students gathered at the BookMarkIt to try letterpress printing, stitch pamphlets, create and swap zines, and browse a book arts display and used books.
Lindsay DiCuirci, associate professor of English, envisioned Bookfest ’26 after receiving professional development funds from the Breaking the M.O.L.D. leadership program in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in spring 2025. Her proposal for the funds included hosting a book festival that explored both the creative, maker-based aspects of book history and the importance of advocacy and access. BookFest came to fruition this April when UMBC celebrated writers, readers, makers, and advocates during National Library Week.
A letterpress and zine swap were highlights for BookFest attendees.
“My own research is in early American book history, so I am drawn to all aspects of books across time and place,” DiCuirci says. “Given that we are also facing a major resurgence in book banning and censorship, I wanted to draw particular attention to attacks on libraries and the urgency around protecting our rights to read. Books by and about underrepresented people and experiences are being pulled from shelves across the country at the same time that funding for public schools and libraries is being slashed. I wanted BookFest to amplify this dynamic.”
One of the first conversations DiCuirci had about her idea was with Aditya Desai ’09, English, a program officer for Maryland Humanities who runs its Center for the Book and the One Maryland, One Book (OMOB) initiative. The pair decided that BookFest would celebrate OMOB—a communal reading experience for the state—by hosting Lawrence Burney, author of the 2026 OMOB selection, No Sense in Wishing. Burney attended BookFest and discussed his essay collection, growing up in Baltimore, and his deep relationship to music with Chris L. Terry, assistant professor of English.
Burney contended that everyone, no matter their age or life stage, can make valuable contributions to their community. “I think that’s one of the easiest ways any critic can kind of stunt their own growth, so I always make it a point to engage with people younger than me,” he said. As he leaned into writing and sharing his passions, he says he realized, “There is a way to amplify something while also having a challenging conversation about it.”
Desai also introduced DiCuirci to Maryland State Librarian Morgan Miller, who was instrumental in passing Maryland’s Freedom to Read Act. The pair collaborated on a BookFest panel called “Freedom to Read: Libraries and Our Democracy.”
Left: Students got to stitch together their own books at BookFest. Right: So many books, so little time!
Miller then brought John Owen into the mix. Owen is the librarian for the Maryland State Library of the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD), and throughout BookFest, UMBC raised funds for a nonprofit that supports the LBPD in its mission to make reading and all library services accessible to Marylanders. In partnership with Maryland Humanities, BookFest also served as a collection point for the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture’s annual book drive.
Craft and care were front and center throughout the festival. Graphic design senior Sonia Pivovarov brought the first iteration of BookFest to life with eye-catching print and digital advertising materials. The BookMarkIt purveyed BookFest-themed original creations and items from the Hilltop Print Shop, an instructional letterpress printing shop and mobile cart. Special Collections librarian Lindsey Loeper and DiCuirci built the shop with support from a Hrabowski Innovation Grant.
Hoping for a sequel to BookFest? The next iteration is already in the works, DiCuirci says, along with ideas for smaller pop-up events throughout the year to amplify the creative work of UMBC students.
By Kayla Logue ’27
Jenny O’Grady, assistant vice president for communications, (right), shares her love of bookmaking with students at BookFest.
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The Leadership Alliance’s Virtual Professional Development Series (VPD) is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in exploring a research career. The VPD is designed for all students - from those who are just beginning to understand what research is to those with multiple research experiences. The VPD will:
This program is FREE and runs from June 1 through July 17, 2026, and will feature:
Participation in most events can happen synchronously (live - strongly encouraged if the option is available to you) or asynchronously (through recordings and related follow-up activities). All registered participants will be enrolled in a Google Classroom where all workshop and program materials will be stored.
The Leadership Alliance will present a digital badge/certificate of completion to students who:
Participants will be able to upload their digital badge to various platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) and share with prospective employers and graduate institutions via email.
Program information and the link to register can be found on The Leadership Alliance's website here: https://theleadershipalliance.org/virtual-professional-development
]]>Outstanding faculty and staff across the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) were recognized at the recent State of the College presentation, held on May 11, 2026.
The Faculty and Staff Excellence awards celebrate the contributions of COEIT community members who strengthen teaching, research, and leadership in their home departments and across campus, exemplifying the college’s commitment to inclusive excellence, innovation, and service.
Congratulations to the 2026 COEIT awards recipients!
2026 UMBC Faculty Awards
2026 COEIT Staff Awards
Staff Award for Superior Service – Jenifer Bowers, Center for Women in Technology
Staff Award for Superior Service – Keara Fliggins, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Staff Award for Superior Service – Tiffany Shorter, Information Systems
2026 Outstanding Partner Awards
Outstanding Partner Award – Jeff Cullen, Student Conduct and Community Standards, Division of Student Affairs
Outstanding Partner Award – Tagide deCarvalho, Biological Sciences
FREE FOOD IN COMMONS 331 HURRY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
]]>Associate Professor, Department of Economics
"The Meritocracy Shock and the Changing Geography of Talent"
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
"Red, White, and Black: What Black Participation Teaches Us about American Democracy"
Visit our website for more information on their research.
]]>Ten minutes south of True Grits, food is also being prepared for the local community. It’s 8:30 on a Wednesday morning in the parking lot of Arbutus United Methodist Church. To the right of the church building is the Southwest Emergency Services (SWES) office, where the clanking of canned goods on metal shelves and the rustling of brown paper bags echo in the back warehouse. Legacy volunteers, a UMBC Shriver Peaceworker Fellow, and Shriver Center undergraduate student volunteers quickly stock shelves and prepare to fill grocery bags with donated goods for families in the surrounding 21227 or 21229 zip codes in need of food assistance.
Rosmery De Jesus Dinzey Santana, a senior psychology student, pops out of the dried goods room to check the first order. She writes the number three on a sticky note and sticks it to a grocery cart that gets passed around from volunteer to volunteer, until it gets all the way to the back to Joan Birmingham. She is clad in a long-sleeved flannel, baseball cap, and plastic gloves to keep somewhat warm as she moves in and out of freezers—one for chicken, one for beef, one for pastries. Birmingham, a volunteer of 20+ years, quickly spins the cart back around, pushing it down the long hallway, the wobbly wheel hitting the metal, making a ding sound like it’s announcing it’s ready to check out.
While UMBC and SWES have been in close proximity for decades, it’s relatively new that an intentional cohort of Retrievers regularly volunteers there. This shift was led by a UMBC Peaceworker Fellow, Megan Hamilton, who began working with SWES for 20 hours a week in fall 2025. The Peaceworker Fellows Program, based in UMBC’s Shriver Center, offers a master’s degree in social change leadership for returning Peace Corps Volunteers. Fellows are required to complete 20 hours a week of service with community partner non-profits, government agencies, or campus-based service-learning for the entirety of the program, says Charlotte Keniston, Ph.D. ’24, language, literacy, and culture, an alum and current director of the program. “We now have weekly undergraduate volunteers working with the legacy volunteers, UMBC staff supporting grant writing, and a team of graduate students creating a data management system for them,” Keniston says.
For Hamilton, the experience has been deeply fulfilling. “Community service is one of the happiest things I can do with my life,” she says. “I think in this particular time, people have lost track of the joy of service a little bit.” The Retrievers at SWES are working to bring that back.
Back at SWES on Wednesday morning, it’s getting close to 9:00 a.m., and a stream of cars fills the parking lot. Hamilton greets each client with a genuine ear-to-ear smile as they walk in the door. When Hamilton sees Birmingham, she grabs the cart, calls on the family of three, and helps them get the cart out of the narrow doorway into the parking lot. Diane Moberg, a church volunteer and SWES board member, steps into the dried goods room to help unfold grocery bags while she waits for the next financial services client to arrive.
Hamilton has a booming, happy voice and laugh. She has deep roots in Baltimore’s grassroots organizing and co-founded the Creative Alliance in 1994, a performance and art community space in the city. Her big heart has also taken her around the world in the service of others, including her Peace Corps service in Albania.
Megan Hamilton at SWES. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Hamilton was beaming this morning because the Maryland Foodbank, which donates food to SWES, had just conducted a site visit and was impressed with how SWES is committed to shifting to a choice food pantry—a labor of love for Hamilton. Choice food pantries function similarly to a grocery store, where clients select the food they take, increasing agency and reducing waste.
“The loving energy catalyzed when the students meet, learn from, work with, and teach their elders is awe-inspiring,” says Hamilton. “It has meant worlds to the elders and the students, and those friendships are laying the groundwork for SWES’ long-term sustainability.
In the future, SWES is also looking to evolve its financial assistance program, where families receive partial funding to prevent evictions, utility shut-offs, and prescription costs. SWES covers part of the bill, and the family covers the rest. SWES hopes to leverage the renewed partnership with UMBC’s Peaceworkers and Shriver Center volunteers to develop a financial literacy skills program to help families become economically stable and prosperous, and pass those skills to future generations.
Powered by volunteers inspired by the community
Hamilton says part of what’s making the relationship between SWES and UMBC work so well is the physical proximity, as well as a shared commitment to service in the Baltimore area.
Dinzey Santana, the only Spanish-speaking volunteer, provides language support for Spanish-speaking families, helping to translate their needs to the rest of the team. She is quiet but fierce in her service, consistent, a master of organization, and overall just awesome, Birmingham says.
“I went to high school in Silver Springs with a lot of Latinos. Coming to UMBC, I learned so much about what is possible, and yet there is still so much that I have to learn. I want to go back and work with other Latinos to show them that it’s possible to go to college and give to your community at the same time,” says Dinzey Santana, almost at a whisper, smiling, and gliding between carts, bags, and shelves without stopping or looking—muscle memory. While she started UMBC on a pre-med track, after taking some psychology and social work classes, she was drawn to community-engaged work. Birmingham, Moberg, and Hamilton can feel her resolve. “I want students not to get frustrated if their path is unclear. Sometimes, the best path for you is not the one you set your heart on. There isn’t one path, and there is help. Everyone deserves help.”
Rosemery De Jesus Dinzey Santana writes the names of the families picking up groceries. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
The UMBC volunteers serve alongside legacy volunteers from the community and surrounding areas who have, in some cases, been volunteering for decades. Star legacy volunteer Naomi Morris is ninety-two and has volunteered at SWES for thirty-years. Birmingham says that although SWES has seen its share of challenges, she is continually touched by the people she meets and the way they make it work.
Before becoming part of the SWES volunteer team, Birmingham worked in warehouses for 36 years, stocking and organizing shelves. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do after I retired,” she says. “I found out that [SWES] needed help through my church. I thought I would give it a try.” She started hanging clothes for their clothing donation shop for a day or two. “But I saw everything that SWES was doing, and it was unbelievable. It touched my heart. The people I have met here are just unbelievable.”
Moberg, who is a certified public accountant, joined the board and became a volunteer to support the financial assistance program. “I recognize things are really hard. Let’s face it, expenses have gone up exponentially. Gas, everything. Low to mid-range wages are not keeping pace. So, it’s really disheartening, which is why the finance mission is an extremely important one for me. “
Sometimes, when the pantry and the financial assistance dwindle, and there doesn’t seem to be an answer to how SWES will serve its community, Birmingham throws out a request to the heavens. “I learned it from my friend who volunteers with me. She just calls it out, ‘We need more of whatever it is,’ and sure enough, the next day someone walks in with what we need. Last week it was pasta, this year it was volunteers—both came in abundance, and Megan, Rosmery, and all the UMBC volunteers are now helping us legacy volunteers to keep it all going.”
Read more Alumni Magazine stories.
]]>Last week I shared the role music plays in setting the tone for my day and getting me ready for what comes my way. I asked for your songs to send graduates on their way and I was not disappointed.
From classic rock ballads to swinging jazz pieces, the submissions were as varied as our community. I appreciate the opportunity to explore and listen to the music that is moving and inspiring our community.
In the “song I’ve never heard before” category, Melissa Ferrick’s “Closer” is a great reminder that the road of life is composed of thousands of small steps taken every day.
But with every little bang, every little push
Every little step I take, I get closer
A second at a time, usin' my breath
Maybe it's true I've got a fear of success
But with every little bang, every little push
Every little step I take, I'm gettin' closer
I'm gettin' closer
As we finish the semester, I encourage you to celebrate the small steps that make the bigger journey possible.
While I haven’t had a chance to comb through all of the submissions yet, Amy Houghton’s suggestion of the “Backatown” album from Trombone Shorty led me to this NPR Tiny Desk Concert that had the top floor of the Administration Building swaying to the beat as we worked to put a cap on the semester. A few other highlights include Billy Joel’s “Vienna,”“Everything is Everything” by Lauryn Hill, Sade’s “By Your Side,” and “Free Ride” by Edgar Winter Group.
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I want to thank everyone who joined us last week in celebrating Connie Pierson’s decades of dedicated service to UMBC. Her last day will be on Friday, May 29. Upon her retirement, Shannon Tinney Lichtinger will serve as interim associate vice provost, heading up the Institutional Research, Analysis & Decision Support (IRADS) office. Shannon began her career in institutional research at UMBC in the early 2000s and returned in 2019 to take the helm of the institutional research arm of IRADS. We wish all the best for Connie, Shannon, and IRADS as they move through this transition.
On Wednesday, the Provost Office had the opportunity to honor Shelly Wiechelt for her years of dedicated leadership as the associate dean and chair of the School of Social Work. Shelly has been a trusted member of the academic leadership team and I appreciate her unwavering advocacy for her school and students. Her thoughtful and compassionate insight will be missed as she transitions back to the faculty.
A celebration of Bill LaCourse’s 15 years of leadership as dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences will be held on Wednesday, May 27. Please RSVP by Wednesday, May 20 if you are able to attend. Bill has been a steady force for progress at UMBC in his decade-and-a-half at the helm of CNMS. Please join us in thanking Bill for his many years of service.
As we celebrate our graduates next week, take a minute to meet some members of the Class of 2026 and learn more about the many ways they left their mark on UMBC.
On Tuesday, the Federal Orders and Actions Core Team shared an end-of-semester update. Issues covered include travel considerations, impact of executive orders and federal actions on the promotion and tenure process, research and achievement, and available resources.
The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is now accepting applications for the Generative AI Pedagogy Fellows Program for 2026-2027. This year-long program offers faculty a unique opportunity to deepen their expertise in AI pedagogy while contributing to evidence-based teaching practices across our system.
Providing open access (free access) to your publications makes them available to more people and increases citations. You can provide open access to your works in ScholarWorks@UMBC without paying article processing charges.
The Albin O. Kuhn Library will add works to ScholarWorks@UMBC for you. Simply send a link to your Google Scholar page or your publications website, your CV, or a list of your works to Claire Johnson. The library staff can also add unpublished works such as presentation slides if you send them.
If you've previously sent a list of publications, or a link to a list of publications, you don't need to do anything. Each year, the library staff automatically adds your new works, contacting you if anything is needed.
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Monday, May 18, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m., University Center 310
We invite you to join us at an open forum with the last of the three finalists for the dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Science. During the forum, the candidate will share their academic journey, present a vision for the college, and participate in an open Q&A session with attendees. The forum will be moderated by the search committee chair. For additional information on the position, please visit the Provost Leadership Search listing.
Your participation is vital to the selection process, and we encourage you to join us for this important event.
Use AI iteratively to align course objectives & activities.
Monday, June 1, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Virtual
Join colleagues to explore how generative AI can support teaching, course design, and student learning and where faculty judgment remains essential.
This session practically demonstrates how generative AI can support course design when embedded within a backwards‑design workflow. Rather than isolated prompting, faculty will learn to use AI iteratively to align objectives, assessments, and course activities. Participants will gain repeatable, model‑agnostic workflows for using Gen AI to augment design while preserving faculty voice and pedagogical intent.
The FDC is co-sponsoring this workshop, facilitated by John Schumacher, professor of sociology, anthropology and public health and a USM Generative AI Pedagogy Fellow for 2025-26. This workshop is a condensed version of The AI-Assisted Educator: A Course Design Sprint that was initially offered in January 2026.
Register for part III of Introduction to Generative AI in Teaching Series.
May 13 – 22
Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture
The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents the 2026 Visual Arts Senior Exhibition, on display from May 13 through 22, presenting the broad and dynamic scope of senior undergraduate student work within the Department of Visual Arts.
2026 Visual Arts Senior Exhibition
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The goal each week of this message is to deepen our connection to UMBC, whether that is learning about an upcoming event, a divisional accomplishment, an innovative program, or an update from the Office of the Provost. If you know of a program or event that should be highlighted, please share it here.
]]>If another institution is providing services to further the purposes of a sponsored award, UMBC must determine whether those services should be paid as a vendor agreement, consultant agreement, or subaward agreement. This determination is made by filling out the Subrecipient vs. Vendor vs. Consultant Determination Checklist that can be found on the OSP Forms webpage. It is important that the correct agreement is made so that the University stays in compliance with the federal regulations laid out in 2 CFR 200.331-333.
What is the difference?
A subrecipient does work that has a significant impact on the project. They play a key role in the design and completion of the project, have specific deliverables that are unique to the project, and require minimal supervision from the UMBC PI to complete their work.
A vendor provides a good or service that is not unique to the project – it is part of their usual services and is routinely provided to the general public. Vendors are usually for-profit entities.
A consultant is a business or individual who provides specific expertise that is required to complete the project. Their involvement is temporary and highly technical, and they typically provide their services to many different organizations. A consultant does not have any involvement in designing the project objectives or conducting the actual research, and does not serve as key personnel.
When should the determination be made?
The checklist should be completed at the proposal stage and routed through Kuali with the rest of the proposal documents.
If the need for a subrecipient/vendor/consultant is determined later, such as a subrecipient being added to a project after the grant has been awarded, the form should be submitted to OSP with any other documents required to approve the agreement.
Who should fill out the checklist, and how?
The form should be completed by the PI, as they will have the most knowledge of the institution or individual’s role in the project and what their deliverables will be.
If the institution is an institution of higher education, the organization will almost always be a subrecipient. If this is the case, the preparer can check “YES” at the top of the page and sign the document.
If the preparer is unsure, or the organization is definitely not an institution of higher education, the preparer should check off “NO” or “UNSURE” and continue to fill out the form.
The form has sections for each relationship – subrecipient, vendor, and consultant – and a list of questions in each section regarding their contribution to the project, how their role will be classified, and the work they typically perform.
Once the form is completed, whichever section has the most “Yes” answers should indicate the correct type of agreement to use.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to OSP at ospa@umbc.edu.
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