Having healthy conversations about culture, race, ethnicity, and identity with young children is important for their identity development and social and emotional adjustment. These conversations are also essential for cultivating a next generation of brave racial advocates. At the same time, many families have shared that they are unsure about how to have these conversations with young kids.

Project BRAVE is a parenting program we have developed to help Asian American parents have healthy conversations with their young children. This project was developed based on research on child and family development. The project was also developed in collaboration with EmbraceRace, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture the resilience of children of color and to cultivate a growing movement of color-brave children and adults. Our program will offer developmentally appropriate videos, infographics, children’s books, discussion prompts, interactive activities, and role-play scenarios to help caregivers introduce young children to their Asian American identity.

Our research team has been actively working to understand families’ unique experiences and ultimately promote Asian American children and their families’ resilience and ethnic-racial conversation. From our previous research with families like the ones you work with, we have shared our findings through numerous publications and presentations, which have also influenced public policies for Asian American families. Project BRAVE is one of our current research projects to continue supporting the healthy development of Asian American families.

We are asking for your help to reach families and inform them about this important opportunity!  If you could forward this information about our study to your community members, we would be most appreciative. 

Who Can Join?

In order to participate in the study, both parents have to identify as Asian American, with a 3- to 8-year-old child. Participating families must reside in the United States. Families must also be fluent and literate enough in English to access the workshop materials.

What Will Families Do?

1. We invite parents to take a 10-minute initial online survey and share about their experiences.

2. For two months, parents will receive an email newsletter every two weeks, totaling 4 newsletters over the course of the two months that include information about activities, resource recommendations, and brief feedback surveys.

3. Parents will also be asked to attend two monthly 1.5-hour workshops online.

4. After the two-month program, parents will complete a 10-minute post survey and participate in a 1-hour virtual exit interview about their experiences and feedback on the program. Children may also be invited to participate in a virtual exit interview.

What Will Families Get?

Parents will receive up to $100 in return for their participation in the 2-month program. The payment will be provided in increments:

$35 for completing the pre-intervention online survey, the 1st of two workshops and the accompanying 2 newsletter feedback surveys

+$25 bonus for the 2nd of two workshops and the accompanying 2 newsletter feedback surveys

+10 for completing the post-intervention online survey

+30 for completing the post-intervention interview

Our research team will also provide families with a summary of what we have discovered from this research, our previous findings, and some resources to help families and children continue developing healthy conversations. We can also send your organization these resources.

Our study findings can help researchers and other professionals to develop prevention and intervention plans for Asian American families. 

Interested families should scan the QR code in the attached flyer to complete an eligibility screening survey. If you have any questions, please contact: Projectbrave2026@gmail.com

Are you looking to get involved on campus? Involvement Fest is the perfect place to get started and to get connected to over 250+ student organizations, both Undergraduate and Graduate!

Curious to see who will be at Involvement Fest? Check out our full list of student organizations. When you see an organization you’d like to learn more about, click on their myUMBC page!

If a group you’d like to connect with is not at Involvement Fest, don’t worry! Head on over to their myUMBC page where you can find the contact information of their officers.

RSVP here!

Thank you to all that attended the Procurement 101 training.

As promised, we are publishing the recording of the training and you can view the recorded training here!

Please see the attached files for the Procurement, AP, and DoIT slidedecks. 

Join the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery’s Special Collections department throughout the Fall semester as we commemorate 250 years of Maryland history. All semester long we will have exhibitions, events, and online programming highlighting the items in our collections that support scholarly historical research in Maryland. A full description of programming in Special Collections and the Library Gallery is below. 

Lewis Hine in Maryland

The Library Gallery exhibition, Lewis Hine in Maryland, is open to the public through December 18, 2026. In July 1909, documentary photographer Lewis Hine (American, 1874–1940) visited Maryland, photographing child workers at Bottomley berry farms in Anne Arundel County and at the J. S. Farrand Packing Company in Baltimore. Drawn from UMBC’s Photography Collections, this exhibition explores the places and people behind these photographs. A selection of Hine’s most iconic and enduring images situates his Maryland work within the broader context of his documentary project.  

Lewis Hine in Maryland is accompanied by an installation of two works from artist Lisa Oppenheim’s Spine series, in which she appropriates images by Lewis Hine from the Library of Congress. Enlarged to life size, the photographs depict the backs of adolescent textile workers whose bodies were curved and misshapen by their labor. 

Curatorial tour and opening reception, Thursday September 17, 5:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Panel Discussion: Food and Labor in Maryland, Thursday October 22, 6:00 p.m. Followed by a reception. Free and open to the public.

Closing reception, Thursday December 4, 6:00 p.m.

UMBC’s 60th anniversary

UMBC opened in 1966 and our students, faculty, staff and larger community of scholars has continued to make history over the past 60 years! A university history exhibit, curated by Library staff member Emma Sigrist, will be on display in the Library Rotunda from September 18 - November 1. Join Emma and archivist Lindsey Loeper on Wednesday October 28 during free hour for a hands-on exploration of university history including the first volumes of The Retriever Weekly and student yearbooks.

Women’s movement in Baltimore

The Library Rotunda exhibit “What is Liberation?”: Women’s Movement in Baltimore will be on display in the Library Rotunda from November 2 - 30. Curated by Morgan Dowty, program management specialist in the American Studies department, the exhibit brings together ephemera collected from a wide range of feminist activities occurring in Baltimore between 1970 and 1990. The exhibit borrows its title from the second issue of Women: A Journal of Liberation and the items on display are drawn from collection 334, the women’s movement in Baltimore collection, and the Alternative Press Center Collection.  

MD250 blog series

All semester, Special Collections faculty and students will be highlighting items in our collections that connect us to Maryland’s history. Weekly posts will be available on the Special Collections blog and on the Library’s myUMBC page. 

#PhotobookFriday

Your favorite Instagram series is back this semester with a full list of Maryland photography books. Follow us at @umbcspecialcollections and don’t miss a post! 

Research assistance

Are you working on your own Maryland history research project? Be sure to check out our local history research guide or schedule a personal research consultation.

Hello everyone! Hope you guys are having a great start of the semester! 

We are excited to have our first GBM of the year next Friday, September 11th, from 2-3pm in ILSB 101.  

We will have updates regarding our annual leadership and service events, and are willing to take any suggestions regarding fundraisers or other events that you guys might be interested in. 

See you then!

-ODK Officers 

Did you know - UMBC's coffee shops (Dunkin, Einstein, Starbucks) each offer discounts to customers who choose to bring their own mug! This awesome incentive not only helps us cut down on single use plastic, but saves our community members some cash. These discounts are available year round.

 
On the first Wednesday of each month, Dining Services & The Office of Sustainability have teamed up to host a raffle for customers who choose to BYO Mug! Find the QR code in each shop to send us a picture and enter the raffle. The first raffle will take place Wednesday, Sep 2nd.

For the raffle today , 9/3 - submit your entry here or with the QR code in store!

 
At Dunkin and Einstein, BYO Mug and get your hot/iced coffee or tea for just $2 each time you visit!

 
At Starbucks - order your drink 'for here' and recieve a free refill, or BYO Mug for a $0.10 discount.
We cant wait to see your sustainable sips!

If anyone has a folding table that is gathering dust and taking up space, Linehan Artist Scholars is looking for one and will happily take it off your hands. 

If you can help us, please contact me at kchasse1@umbc.edu.  Thank you!

Through UMBC’s partnership with Google and higher education partners, eligible students, alumni, faculty, and staff can access online, self-paced professional certificate programs designed to help learners build practical skills in high-demand fields.

Choose from certificates in areas including:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Cybersecurity
• Data Analytics
• Digital Marketing & E-commerce
• IT Support
• Project Management
• UX Design

No prior experience is required, and you can learn at your own pace alongside your other academic, professional, and personal commitments.

🤖 NEW: Updated Google AI Professional Certificate

The Google AI Professional Certificate has been updated with a new eighth course: AI for App Deployment.

The new course builds on the certificate’s existing AI and vibe coding content, giving learners an opportunity to further develop their skills by exploring how AI can be used to build and deploy applications.

Interested in AI? Now is a great time to get started.

🧭 Want to Explore a Skill First?

Not ready to take on a full professional certificate?

UMBC learners also have access to Google Career Skills Specializations — shorter, focused learning experiences designed to help you develop targeted, in-demand competencies.

Most specializations take 5–20 hours to complete, making them a great option if you want to:

• Build a specific skill quickly
• Explore a career area before committing to a longer program
• Learn a new tool or technology
• Add another skill to your professional toolkit

Career Skills Specializations are separate from and do not stack into the Google Professional Certificates.

📚 Want Some Extra Structure and Support?

Eligible UMBC undergraduate and graduate students can also enroll in PRAC 122: Google Career Certificates Practicum, a free, 0-credit, pass/fail practicum designed to support your progress.

PRAC 122 complements your Coursera coursework with:

• Progress support to help you stay on track
• Discussion boards where you can connect with other learners
• Career resources for your résumé, LinkedIn, and portfolio
• Reflection activities to help you connect your learning to your academic and career goals

And you do not need to complete the entire Google Career Certificate to earn a Pass in PRAC 122. You do need to show meaningful, consistent progress throughout the semester and complete the final reflection.

📋 View the PRAC 122 syllabus →

🎫 Want to enroll? Submit an RT Ticket →

PRAC 122 enrollment closes on September 18. Submit your ticket before then! 

💡 Why Earn a Google Career Certificate?

Build practical skills: Develop skills and knowledge you can apply beyond the classroom.

Explore what's next: Try out a new career area or complement your existing field of study with industry-focused learning.

Strengthen your résumé: Earn a Google Career Certificate that demonstrates your investment in career-relevant skills.

Learn on your schedule: Complete your coursework online and at your own pace.

👥 Who Can Participate?

Free access is available to:

• Current UMBC undergraduate students
• Current UMBC graduate students
• Recent UMBC alumni
• UMBC faculty and staff

No prior experience is required.

🚀 Ready to Get Started?

Explore the available certificates, Career Skills Specializations, and program details:

Visit UMBC’s Google Career Certificates website →

Licenses are limited, so access is available on a first-come, first-served basis. To help more members of the UMBC community participate, learners are asked to focus on completing one certificate at a time.

Have questions or need help?

Visit the Contact & Support page →

Your next skill could be closer than you think. Start learning today. 🚀

Akshay Java, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’08, computer science, together with the Java-Rijhwani family, recently established the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award with a $32,190 founding gift of Google stock. This contribution uniquely qualified for a corporate matching gift from Google, bringing the total impact even higher and demonstrating the impactful potential of philanthropic giving strategies. 

This inspiring gift speaks directly to UMBC’s mission of research excellence and social purpose.

Now leading efforts with Google's Responsible AI Research and Engineering teams, Akshay sees daily both the extraordinary promise and potential risks of modern technology. His intent in creating this endowment is to ensure our student researchers are recognized and supported when they harness the power of computing to solve pressing societal challenges.

Click here to read more about Akshay and his motivations for establishing this award. 

The gift itself was structured to make an immediate impact. A $2,000 bridge gift allowed Jeanne van Briesen, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and COEIT to honor two inaugural student awardees at COEIT Research Day on May 1, 2026, while the $30,190 endowment ensures support for the award in perpetuity. The award is also open to contributions from the community.

“Structuring gifts this way allows donors to see immediate results,” notes Kim Robinson, director of major gifts in the Office of Institutional Advancement. “This approach serves as a framework for future philanthropy.”

2026 Award Recipients

ASM Mobarak Hossain (Sajib) recently graduated from UMBC with an M.S. in information systems and joined IBM as a Senior Developer and AI Specialist. What excites him most is using what he knows to build solutions that make a difference in people’s lives. At UMBC, he put that passion to work helping to develop MyPath, a Google Maps–style app that uses AI, remote sensing measurements, and crowd-sourced data to guide wheelchair users to accessible routes. Sajib was selected for the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award for his project “A Multi-Modal Agentic Framework for Auditing Wheelchair Accessibility.” 

After spending five years as a mobile engineer, Rishav Gupta decided to pursue his Ph.D. in computer science at UMBC to deepen his expertise and choose projects with the clear objective of improving people’s lives. Rishav is working in the Future Sensing and Interaction Lab of professor Dong Li on a project to use everyday smartphones as affordable and accessible blood pressure monitors. Rishav was selected for the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award for his project “Enabling Affordable and Accessible Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Only a Commodity Smartphone.” 

Both of these projects illustrate why Akshay’s gift is so resonant. Please join me in thanking Akshay, and his family. Gifts like these showcase the real impact of alumni partnership and reinforce the values that define our Retriever community.

You can meet in-person with a TIAA rep to discuss your retirement outlook and any questions you may have!

Whether you are just getting started or planning to retire soon - a session with Ms. Jahleel Gordon (TIAA rep) can help you create a plan for your goals. It’s at no additional cost and included as a part of your retirement plan. 

You can discuss these questions and more:

• Am I invested in the right mix of investments to help meet my goals?

• Am I saving enough to create the retirement income I need?

• How do I take income from my retirement account after I stop working?

Please use this link to schedule an in-person meeting with Ms. Jahleel Gordon. If you have issues scheduling via their website, try calling 1-800-732-8353. 

TIAA on campus dates: 

• Tuesday, October 6th
• Friday, November 6th
• Tuesday, December 1st

The one-on-one meetings are held in the HRSTM Conference Room, Administration Building, Room 529. 
Don't miss out! Schedule your appointment now: https://www.tiaa.org/public/login/schedule-meeting
Virtual meetings are also available with many more dates and appointment times.