We have 2 rooms available in a shared house near UMBC in the Catonsville area and are looking for respectful, clean, and responsible female roommates.

If you are interested, please get in touch with me on WhatsApp at +14122900211 for pictures or additional details, and include a brief introduction about yourself, including your student or employment status and your desired move-in date. The available rooms are:

• Room 1 for $675/month each (utilities included, basement)
• Room  2 for $800/month (utilities included, main floor)

Move-in requires the first month's rent plus a security deposit (equal to one month's rent). Ready to move in:

• Room 1: $675; room: $1,350 due at move-in (Basement)
• Room 2: $800; room: $1,600 due at move-in (Main floor)

This includes:

• A spacious shared bathroom in the basement and a half bathroom! (Room 2, on the main floor)
• Common storage
• Shared kitchen includes a dishwasher (on the main floor).
• Extra fridge and microwave! (Basement)
• Shared laundry facilities (big washer and dryer)!
• All utilities included, free parking! Notes: Personal storage will not be provided by the owner.

The home is conveniently located approximately 7/8 minutes from UMBC by car and about a 9/10-minute walk to the UMBC Transit Route 40 shuttle stop, with easy access to campus, shopping centers, and nearby businesses.

A family (a couple with a child) lives upstairs, so we are looking for tenants who appreciate a quiet and family-friendly environment. Also, other female students will already be occupying 2 rooms in the basement.

We welcome any female students and working professionals who are respectful, responsible, and considerate of shared spaces. Preference will be given to individuals with halal-friendly/Muslim or vegetarian/vegan habits (pork not allowed in the house).

House rules include:

• Female tenants only
• No smoking, alcohol, or any substance use
• No pets
• No parties and loud music
• No pork or any pork-based diet
• Maintaining cleanliness in shared areas

Additional Information

• A 1-year lease or at least a 6-month lease is required. The security deposit must be paid during the lease signing, and tenants must provide at least 30 days' notice before moving out.
• Since this is a female shared living environment, overnight guests and visits from male guests are not allowed. Details can be discussed before moving in to ensure everyone is comfortable with the house rules.
• To help maintain a safe living environment for all tenants, applicants may be asked to provide references, ID, proof of employment, student status, and consent to a background check.

Thank you.

Are you interested in leveraging Artificial Intelligence to elevate your research, writing, and literature reviews without losing valuable time or sacrificing academic rigor?

Join us for the AI for Academics Play Space Series, hosted by Dr. Robin Cresiski, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development and Postdoctoral Affairs.

This hands-on series is designed to move beyond the hype and give UMBC academics actionable, purposeful strategies for integrating cutting-edge AI tools into everyday scholarly work. Learn how to streamline document analysis, automate tedious tasks, and map literature efficiently, ensuring AI serves as a powerful multiplier for your productivity.

Session Schedule (Wednesdays Online):

Click on each session below to sign-up!

• Play Space 1: NotebookLM

  • September 9, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

• Play Space 2: Gemini & GEMS

  • October 14, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

• Play Space 3: Consensus

  • November 11, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

• Play Space 4: Elicit

  • December 9, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

 Open to all UMBC Graduate Students across all disciplines.

 Online (Virtual link provided on each myUMBC post)

Why attend? Stop wasting time experimenting with unproductive prompts. Gain practical tools to work smarter, accelerate your research, and elevate your academic output.

Meet ASM Mobarak Hossain (Sajib). He recently graduated from UMBC with an M.S. in information systems and joined IBM as a Senior Developer and AI Specialist. Sajib has spent more than a decade working in technology. 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.

This May, the work was recognized when Sajib was selected as one of two recipients for the inaugural COEIT Computing for Social Good Award, made possible by a generous donation from alumnus Akshay Java, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’08, computer science. Awardees were selected in a competitive review process by COEIT faculty reviewers and departmental leadership. Sajib was selected for his project “A Multi-Modal Agentic Framework for Auditing Wheelchair Accessibility.” Take it away, Sajib!

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: After spending many years working in software engineering and technology leadership, I wanted to keep growing and challenge myself in a new way. I came to UMBC to deepen my knowledge, explore AI and research, and connect my industry experience with problems that could have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

Q: What did you enjoy most about UMBC?

A: What I enjoyed most about UMBC was being able to connect what I learned in class with real problems. My research gave me the chance to use AI and software engineering to work on wheelchair accessibility, which made the experience much more meaningful to me than simply learning technology.

Q: Who in the UMBC community inspired you or supported you?

A: I found support at UMBC through the people who were willing to listen to my ideas and help me develop them. My advisor, Md Osman Gani, has been one of the most supportive people during my time at UMBC. He encouraged me to think beyond the technical side of a problem and focus on how our research could actually help people. That support helped turn my interest in accessibility into research that became a very meaningful part of my UMBC experience.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the support you find here?

A: I would tell them that at UMBC you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. I found professors and researchers who were willing to listen to my ideas, guide me, and give me room to explore. That support helped me turn an idea into research with a real purpose.

Q: Can you tell us about your current job and how UMBC helped prepare you for your career?

A: I’m currently working at IBM as a Senior Developer and AI Specialist. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to work on challenging technology problems and continue learning. I especially enjoy using my software engineering background together with AI to build solutions that can solve real-world problems.

UMBC helped me look at technology from a different perspective. I already had many years of industry experience, but my time at UMBC gave me the opportunity to become more involved in research, explore AI more deeply, and think about how technology can be used to address real human needs. That experience has been valuable as I move into the next stage of my career.

Q: How does the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award make an impact on your education?

A: Receiving the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award directly bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world impact. It provides vital encouragement and support to continue leveraging computer science for positive social change, specifically through the MyPath project. Beyond the immediate recognition, it inspires me to stay focused on human-centered software design, seek out complex social challenges in my future coursework, and pursue career opportunities centered on technology for good.

Q: How did it feel to win the award?

A: Winning the COEIT Computing for Social Good Award was an immense honor and deeply validating. Developing MyPath required countless hours of hard work, continuous refinement, and a deep commitment to addressing a meaningful community need. Seeing that work recognized by COEIT was incredibly exciting and humbling—it gave me a strong sense of pride in what we’ve built and renewed enthusiasm for creating tools that deliver genuine social value.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

All,

I have several work orders in which have been taking weeks longer than usual without feedback. I had hoped to have drywall repair and paint completed for both room 111 and 324-1, the addition of some outlets in the building and the pricing, if any,  for upgrading the lighting in the vivarium. 

I've also been billed for some items whih have always been taken care of by facilities like ice machine repair. It appears the group is re-organizing under the new VP of Finance, but that is a guess on my part.  I'm staying on top of all the projects, but please stay patient while I get these resolved.

Thank you! 

10 Years of Community Care: Share Your Voice and Win 100 Retriever Dollars

For a decade, Retriever Essentials has worked to ensure no Retriever goes hungry. What started as an effort to ease the immediate burden of food insecurity has grown into a campus movement of mutual aid, support, and care. Every meal provided, every pantry restocked, and every student served over the past ten years has been made possible by the dedication of our UMBC community.

As we mark our 10th Anniversary, we want to celebrate the heart of this work: student voices.

In partnership with Poetry X Hunger, we are calling on UMBC student writers and poets to submit an original poem exploring themes of hunger, food justice, or collective care.

The Award and Recognition

• 100 Retriever Dollars: One featured student writer will be awarded 100 Retriever Dollars.

• Live Performance: The selected student will read their poem live in front of an audience at our 10th Anniversary Celebration.

• Broader Platform: Winning selections will be showcased on the Poetry X Hunger website to inspire broader audiences.

Your words have the power to illuminate the reality of food equity, foster empathy, and drive meaningful change.

How to Submit

You can use this submission form or follow the QR code in the image below. We look forward to reading your work and celebrating ten years of community support together.

Submission Requirements:

• Must be a UMBC student (Retriever Essentials staff members aren't eligible to submit poetry)
• Submission must be a Word Document 
• The Word Document or Google Form submission cannot contain your name (For impartiality)
• Submission must be a poem that focuses on the topics of hunger, nutrition, collective care, food stamps, food pantries, community gardening, sustainability, food waste or other hunger related topics.
• The submitted poem should be no more than a page long.
• No AI-assisted writing or hateful language

Aging intersects with almost every industry, from tech and healthcare to business, policy, and design! Stop by The Commons Main Street on Thursday, August 27th from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM to meet the Erickson School team, explore specialized career pathways, and read alumni success stories.

Aging intersects with almost every industry, from tech and healthcare to business, policy, and design! Stop by The Commons Main Street on Thursday, August 27th from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM to meet the Erickson School team, explore specialized career pathways, and read alumni success stories.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Move-in is almost here! Beginning Thursday, August 20, we’ll welcome nearly 4,000 residential students and their families to campus. It’s an exciting start to the academic year and a busy one, so faculty and staff traveling to campus on August 20 or 21 are encouraged to plan ahead for increased traffic and temporary parking changes.

What to Know Before Coming to Campus

The heaviest traffic is expected between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 21. Traffic patterns, parking availability, and access to some areas of campus will be affected.

You can also use the campus map to locate the parking areas referenced below. Please plan to:

• Use the outer loop to navigate campus. The inner loop will be dedicated to residential student move-in.

• Allow additional time for your commute and travel around campus. Traffic may be heavier than usual.

• Expect temporary parking and traffic changes, particularly in parking areas along Park Road and Poplar Avenue.

• Use Commons Drive Garage, Levels 2 – 4, as an alternative parking option. Faculty and staff with “D” permits who typically park in Lot 1, along Park Road, or in Lot 24 may park in Commons Drive Garage on August 20 and 21.

• Lot 2 will remain open, although congestion and temporary access delays are possible. If you have difficulty accessing Lot 2, you may also park in Commons Drive Garage, Levels 2 – 4.

• Normal parking operations along Park Road will resume on Monday, August 24.

Move-in also marks the beginning of Welcome, Retrievers. Faculty and staff who would like to take part in welcoming students back to campus can view the full schedule of events and activities online.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we welcome our Retrievers home. Whether you’re helping with move-in or simply offering directions and a friendly hello, you can help make the start of the year a positive one for students and their families.

Warm regards,

New Student Experience Engagement Subcommittee

Staff are invited to help support Welcome, Retrievers, UMBC’s campus-wide initiative to create a welcoming and memorable start to the academic year, through event support roles taking place before the start of the fall semester.  We especially encourage members of our community to consider supporting Convocation as part of this year’s Welcome, Retrievers experience.

Explore available opportunities and sign up by August 14.

From Convocation and move-in to new student programs and weeks of welcome activities, these events help students build connections, navigate campus, and feel that they truly belong from the moment they arrive.

Whether you have been part of Welcome, Retrievers for years or are considering getting involved for the first time, we invite you to join us in welcoming our Retrievers home.

Support opportunities include:

• Helping welcome the incoming class at Sunday’s Convocation

• Welcoming students and families during residential move-in

• Assisting with programs and events

• Helping students navigate campus and connect with resources

• Creating a positive first impression through friendly conversations and encouragement

The registration form includes details about each opportunity, including dates, times, responsibilities, short training requirements, and remaining openings.

We hope you will find an opportunity, or several, that fits your schedule and allows you to be part of this exciting campus tradition. Even a few hours of your time can have a lasting impact on a student’s transition to UMBC.

For questions, please contact welcomeretrievers@umbc.edu.Thank you for helping us create an inclusive, welcoming, and memorable start to the semester. We look forward to welcoming our Retrievers home, together!

Warm regards,

New Student Experience Engagement Subcommittee

Deep in UMBC’s climate-controlled Special Collections are 750,000 prints, negatives, and transparencies from The Baltimore Sun dating from the 1930s through the 1980s. 

Before faculty and students can use the collection, archivists must create finding aids. These inventory documents describe a collection—its origins, number of pieces, types of materials, their quality, dates, number of archival boxes, box measurements, and more. It’s a road map guiding users through each piece of a collection.

Reese Finnigan, studying the history of the Soviet Union and learning Russian, developed these archival skills working on The Baltimore Sun collection during her first year in the Master of Arts in Public History program. This year, when looking for summer internship opportunities, Finnigan was excited to find that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Shapell Family Collections, Conservation and Research Center in Bowie, Maryland—a museum she had tried to secure a curatorial or research internship with for years—was seeking an intern with her exact skill set.

“In retrospect, this is the first year that I’ve had the skills and resume needed for this level of archival work,” says Finnigan, grateful that Maryland is home to such a prestigious research center with the largest concentration of Holocaust-related records in the United States, and to learn from archival experts with decades of experience. “The opportunities UMBC has given me to learn Russian, historical research, and archival skills dovetailed very nicely with the center’s Archival Affairs Division internship, which required knowledge of Eastern European history and languages.”

Needle in the digital stack

The finding aids for the Eastern European collection that Finnigan is working on do not always directly correspond to what is in the archive. Some materials are in the wrong order or are missing finding aids. Other times, some things aren’t listed in the original file but are actually in it. Finnigan also has to translate the words on the document, which could be a translation of the original language, depending on where the document was recovered from. It could be Russian, a Slavic language, or any language using the Cyrillic alphabet, which is used for various languages across Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Soviet Republics of Central Asia. 

She spends hours cross-checking inventories, documents, photos, descriptions, and creating new spreadsheets that reflect the latest information. She then hands it off to another archivist to double-check her work. It’s a cycle of verification and refinement to align the finding aids with the accurate collections. The maze of finding aids is the result of different archival processes carried out across borders, countries, and decades. “The researcher should be able to come in and find something quickly without ever having to think too much about it. The easier they can find things, the better,” says Finnigan. 

A note from the past

Some mysteries are beyond languages and locations, stumping even a team of experts and bringing them together to do serious detective work. That’s exactly what happened when Finnigan noticed a small symbol on some original photos in a Lithuanian KGB (national security and intelligence agency) collection placed by the original archives. She asked archivists Julie Schweitzer, her boss, and Alla Dvorkin, her direct supervisor, but they hadn’t seen it before either. The mystery quickly spread throughout the building, ensuing a string of emails with experts weighing in, hoping to reveal the meaning of what looked like a small bean. They found that the symbol was a mark used in some European archival systems to note the poor quality of the writing or the photography.

Finnigan showing the mysterious mark she came across in a set of photographs.

“People often imagine archival work as simply preserving historical materials. In reality, a surprising amount of the job involves acting as part historian, part detective, part translator, and occasionally part conspiracy theorist—until someone finds the answer,” Finnigan posted on LinkedIn. “It’s a reminder that expertise is often collective. No single person knew the answer. The solution emerged through conversations, institutional knowledge, and a network of colleagues willing to chase down an obscure question simply because it mattered.” 

To preserve and share

In the last few weeks of her internship, Finnigan received additional training from Adam Fielding, a processing archivist who works primarily with personal papers. Fielding, who has been at the center for 11 years, began by showing Finnigan the Rudolph Daniel Sichel papers, an example of what a finished collection can look like once the personal papers have been digitized and preserved in archival boxes.

(Top) Finnigan with Fielding, Dvorkin, and Schweitzer (center), reviewing Rudolph Daniel Sichel‘s military uniform and personal camera. (Bottom) The Sichel collection archival boxes and Sichel’s camera and camera case.

The Sichel papers, donated by Rudolph’s children, consist of seven boxes with documents dating from 1903 to 1978, many of which connect Sichel to Maryland. Sichel was a “Ritchie Boy,” one of thousands of Jewish refugees who immigrated to the U.S., enlisted in the army, and trained at the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie near Cascade, Maryland, a little over an hour north of UMBC. 

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The additonal training gave Finnigan the techniques to work with non-digital items that require special care, like the folder Fielding tasked her with, full of primarily prewar family photographs related to the Kugelman family from Bedzin, Poland, dating between 1930 – 1942.

While putting these skills to use was exciting, the greater reward was seeing the impact of the team’s work. Finnigan’s interest in archival work is not only about preserving history but also making archives accessible to the public, which are two of the center’s priorities.

“There is no point in preserving all of this history if the public can’t access it. We want to preserve the history and make it easily accessible, whether through exhibitions, digital archives, or physical collections. Good archival work should essentially be invisible,” says Finnigan. This includes special handling and storage methods, like cold storage (35°F to 50°F) and cool storage (55°F to 65°F) to dramatically slow chemical decay, stop pest activity, and extend the lifespan of sensitive artifact and media collections.

“The collections at the Shapell Center are evidence of atrocities, of war crimes, of survival,” says Finnigan. “If the items are damaged, they can’t be replaced, and then that piece of history is lost.”

Learn more about internship opportunities at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s archives.