Dear UMBC Community,

What an absolute delight it was recently to help welcome 200 sixth graders from Corkran Middle School in Glen Burnie for a special performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Many of you know that it is a dream of mine that every middle schooler in Maryland will visit our campus. Seeing the Corkran students arrive (on four school buses!) and fill the Proscenium Theatre was a beautiful thing. Even more so was watching them enjoy this brilliant Theatre Department production and engage in a lively Q&A with our students afterward. In their questions, I knew they were imagining that they could do the things they saw our UMBC students doing, whether on stage or behind the scenes.

As I told them, my hope is that their visit to our campus helps them imagine their futures and that one day they may come back to this place as UMBC students. Kudos to our talented students, staff, and faculty for their outstanding creative work and for inspiring so many young minds!

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

April 21

BookMarkIt ~ 11 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Library Plaza
Letterpress printing, pamphlet stitching, a book arts display, wrapped mystery books and giveaways, zinemaking and zine swaps, a book drive supporting the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, the Baltimore County Bookmobile, bookish swag, and more!

One Maryland, One Book ~ 5:00–6:30 p.m., 312 University Center
In collaboration with Maryland Humanities’ One Maryland, One Book program, BookFest will welcome Lawrence Burney, the author of the 2026 OMOB selection No Sense in Wishing. Burney will be in conversation with writer Chris Terry (assistant professor of English) about his essay collection. Refreshments will be served!

April 23

WORKSHOP: Understanding Attacks on Libraries ~ 12:00-1:00 p.m., AOK Library Room 259. Registration is required: REGISTER HERE. What should you know about the current assaults on authors, readers, libraries, and librarians? Join Allison Jennings-Roche (UMBC Alum and Associate Director of Digital Initiatives and Collections at The University of Baltimore Library & Archives) for a lunch-and-learn. Lunch will be served. Register today to secure your spot! 

Freedom to Read: Libraries and Our Democracy ~ 5:00–6:30 p.m. — AOK Library Gallery
What can we do to protect the right to read and to ensure access to our nation’s library services? Maryland State Librarian Morgan Lehr Miller will be joined by some of Maryland's most distinguished librarians and advocates for a panel discussion on protecting our rights. Refreshments will be served!

GIVE! Throughout BookFest, we will be raising funds for Friends of the Maryland Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD), a non-profit that supports the LBPD in its mission to make reading and all library services accessible to Marylanders!

We hope to see you there and please spread the word! 

The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab presents

The Effects of Privacy Regulation on the Market for Stolen Data

Dr. Anderson Frailey, Economics Department, UMBC

12-1 pm ET Friday, April 24, 2026; online

Individuals are constantly generating streams of data collected by businesses, educational institutions, data brokers, and many other organizations. These organizations are regularly targeted by cyber criminals attempting to steal that data to exploit or sell it in online markets. I propose a model of the stolen data economy to show how privacy regulations may affect this market. I then introduce a novel dataset of data breaches to study the effects of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the quantity of data available in the illicit market. Using a difference-in-differences design, I find that the GDPR caused a 60 percent reduction in the number of data breaches traded, but no reduction in the aggregate amount of data available. At the individual breach level, I find an over 60 percent increase in the amount of data they contain. These results are consistent with the model’s prediction that higher-value targets will make up a larger portion of post-GDPR data breaches due to changes in their relative value.

Dr. Anderson Frailey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at UMBC. He received his PhD and MA in economics from the University of Virginia and his BA in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on the economics of privacy, information, and cybercrime. Occasionally, he will also dabble in baseball analytics.

Support for this event was provided in part by the NSF under SFS grants DGE-1753681 and 2438185. Host: Dr. Alan T. Sherman, sherman@umbc.edu

Welcome to the 2026 National Volunteer Week! We have a week packed with daily activities for all our members. Be sure to plug in and get involved with each event!

Our last GBM is tomorrow! Come join us for our final forum and closing ceremony final GBM on Monday, April 20, 2026 in Mathematics/Psychology : 102!

Interested in showcasing your music/wips? Share your song here in this Google form and drop by the forum!:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIch5BWYZ0PwwXKW_hvG4ISk4Ftxdt8cu9_j-D1kGjXeBg7w/viewform?usp=preview

We'd love to hear what you've made!

Also... we have a grand surprise prepared for the end... 🛸

On behalf of the UMBC Grad Workers organizing effort -

The flyer above outlines the roadmap toward forming a graduate student workers' union at UMBC; from building majority support and signing authorization cards, through the Maryland State Labor Relations Board process, to contract ratification.

This is being shared for informational purposes so all GAs are aware of this effort and can make informed decisions.

If you have questions or would like to learn more, you can visit www.umbc-gradworkers.org or reach out directly at info@umbc-gradworkers.org.

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great weekend!

We will be having our LAST meeting of the semester in COMM 327, 7-8PM! 
It will be a hybrid meeting as our guest speaker, Dr. Carmelle Norice, will be joining us virtually! We will have pizza! We hope to see you there!!

She will be talking about the work at the Love Justice Ministry at National Community Church. 

Love Justice Ministry at National Community Church minister to our brothers and sisters in prison, those re-entering society, and families experiencing the incarceration of a loved one. This ministry is the NCC expression of Prison Fellowship. They coordinate Angel Tree events, write letters to those incarcerated, and much more. 

Dr. Norice has served as a team leader for the Love Justice Ministry in the last 4 years and also on the NCC Worship team. A compassionate advocate for the vulnerable and marginalized, Carmelle serves as a Justice Ambassador for Prison Fellowship and a member of the Board of Directors for Christian Legal Aid of DC and The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice. Professionally, Carmelle works as a physician scientist at a global biopharmaceutical company.

Private room available in a 2BHK townhouse for a male at Westland Gardens for a 3-month move-in, available from May 24th to August 15th. 

Fully furnished 2BHK townhouse: 

What you get:

• Spacious living room with sofa + TV
• Fully equipped kitchen (Oven, Microwave, Fridge, Dishwasher)
• In-unit Washer & Dryer
• Central heating & cooling
• Just a 1-minute walk to the UMBC bus stop
• Only 10 minutes walk to campus

DM for more information: +1-202-937-5716 or email me at IO95979@umbc.edu

Join us for the Alumni Keynote Speaker and Luncheon at URCAD!

Karena Ingram ’16, Music Composition

Composer and Marketing Manager, Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation

Noon – 1 p.m., RAC Stage
Welcome by Provost Manfred van Dulmen
Introduction by Dr. Lisa Cella, Chair and Professor of Music

Karena Ingram is a composer based in Baltimore, Maryland. Beginning her career after graduating the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2016 with a degree in music composition, her chamber ensemble and symphonic works have been performed regularly throughout the United States, Europe, and in television and video games. Most recently, her work RAINN (2025) was premiered by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, commissioned by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). She has been commissioned by the UMBC Ruckus ensemble (2023), Baltimore CenterStage’s production Life is a Dream (2023), and the ACO as a part of their Connecting ACO Community virtual series (2022). Described as “…stunning” and “… beautiful musical depictions of nature…” (Symphony Number One), Ingram’s music is reputable for its imaginative use of color and textural exploration. Ingram has worked for several non-profit arts organizations, at the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, has worked as a digital marketing associate at the Walters Art Museum, and is currently Marketing Manager at the Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation. While a student at UMBC, she worked with mentors Dr. Linda Dusman and Dr. Anna Rubin and presented her research at URCAD on the Baltimore-based composer, CK Barlow and her influence in the field of electronic music.

Ingram's RAINN musically represents the statistic that every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. "Approximately every 68 seconds, the audience will be forced to feel that break and rebuild through music...I write to honor those who have been foced to break down, grieve, rebuild, and endure."

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC. For the full schedule of events, see:

URCAD.umbc.edu

A furnished bedroom will be available for rent in a townhouse beginning approximately May 1, 2026. The property is located in Catonsville, within a short distance of the UMBC bus stop, as well as nearby restaurants, Giant, and other shopping amenities.

This accommodation is well suited for a UMBC student or a young professional seeking a quiet, clean, and convenient living environment.

If you are interested, please contact me by email at jianmin.z@hotmail.com

and include a brief introduction about yourself.

No pets, no drugs, and no smoking.