After the release of the latest science fiction Marvel movie “Black Panther” in theaters on Feb. 16, a renewed interest by minorities and women towards STEM-related fields sparked Disney to donate one million dollars to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; this donation will aid in the opening of more STEM centers across the United States.

The movie captures both the cultural and technological aspects of society, featuring a cast of primarily black actors and incorporating technology into the success of the superheroes. The film broke box office records and received over $786.3 million in revenue, well exceeding its production budget of $200 million.

Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, says, “It is thrilling to see how inspired young audiences were by the spectacular technology in the film, so it’s fitting that we show our appreciation by helping advance STEM programs for youth, especially in under-served areas of the country, to give them the knowledge and tools to build the future they want.”

Disney selected 12 cities nationwide to be recipients of the donation, with Baltimore being one of them. Currently, UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars program is nationally ranked for diversity in STEM fields and the school as a whole was reported by the Association of American Medical Colleges to produce “more black M.D. and Ph.D. degree-earners than any other college in the country.” Overall, Maryland ranks highly in number of minorities who received medical degrees.

In the United States, women are currently documented as holding 26 percent of STEM related jobs per their 50 percent composition in the workforce. African Americans likewise hold 6 percent of STEM jobs per their 11 percent involvement and Hispanics average 7 percent of the 15 percent they make up in the workforce.

An article by The New York Times accredits four main reasons for this under-representation: lower expectations, insufficient resources, teaching methods, and a lack of role models which result in reduced participation of minorities in STEM occupations.

It is suggested that teachers expect minorities to perform poorly in school and therefore have lowered expectations of them in the classroom. Women are included in this generalization, especially when it comes to math and science related classes. Instead, the article argues that the problem arises in their completion of the course, noting “22.1 percent for Hispanics and 18.4 percent for blacks” as the percentage who actually earn a degree in a science or math program. This is minimal in comparison to the 33 percent and 42 percent of whites and Asians, respectively, who earn degrees in these programs.

Insufficient resources are also a factor in the increase of minority inability to attend public schools. This reduces their ability to be successful in a science- or math-related field as an adult. A variety of teaching mechanisms is also required to yield the largest involvement of women and minorities in these fields.

With regards to female students, the article claims that “girls have shown much more engagement in subjects when they learn the connection between what they are studying and real-world problems.” This suggests an added explanation of the application of learned skills in the classroom to the world as being a beneficial component while instructing female students.

Finally, a lack of role models for women and minorities as children is mentioned to cause intimidation and reduce interest in STEM-related jobs when they become adults.

In providing increased opportunities for children, Disney hopes to improve these numbers and increase participation by minorities and women in STEM fields.

Crowds. Endless wait times and delays. Hours spent trapped in a cramped metal tube. All of these are realities of flying, and all of these inconveniences are redoubled when it comes to flying internationally. But, does it have to be that way? To some degree yes, but not to the extent that American travelers have come to expect.

Foreign airlines often rank much higher than American ones in terms of customer satisfaction, and the reason why may simply be because American and foreign airlines operate within two totally different paradigms of service.

In the United States, the point of profit for the airline is the ticket itself. A slew of other services associated with the ticket, ranging from seat upgrades to additional service charges to credit lines tailored to frequent travel, also contribute to airline profit. Thus, the experience of flying on an American airline is reduced to selling tickets as profitably as possible. This sacrifices comfort, luxury and in extreme cases, even convenience or safety.

Contrast this to foreign airlines like Lufthansa or the Emirates. These airlines are run, in part, by the governments of their respective countries, therefore they have a wider interest than the money they make off of seat sales alone. Instead, these airlines seek to promote travel as an end in itself. Because they are run with the intent to promote travel and commerce in the countries they are run by, they emphasize a completely different set of ideals. They try to make travel as luxurious as they can so that people are more willing to travel, thereby fulfilling their real goal.

Furthermore, the costs of flying foreign airlines can be even cheaper than flying with a domestic provider, even with the added luxury. Should you try to book a flight from BWI to Korea right now, the top eight cheapest flights come from Air Canada, Air China and Korean Air, with Delta and United coming in at ninth and tenth, almost $150 more expensive than their foreign competition when it comes to tickets bought within a week of departure.

So why fly domestic at all? The flights they provide tend to be shorter, with a flight to Korea with Delta averaging about 15 to 16 hours flight time when compared to Korean Air’s and Air Canada’s 19 to 20 hours. That certainly helps students who are generally on strict time tables to get to their programs. Domestic providers often also partner with travel agencies to provide scholarships, like one I secured with Corporate Traveler (a Boston based travel agency) which only gave me the option of flying Delta.

Ultimately, unless you have a scholarship like that or need to get abroad four hours quicker, you are better off flying foreign. The service is more comfortable, more affordable and generally superior to anything you are likely to get with a domestic airline.

Fall 2018 Registration Advising Appointment Information

http://advising.coeit.umbc.edu/registration/

Address Registration Blocks and Holds Early!

Check your myUMBC account now to be sure you have no outstanding obligations to the university that could prevent you from registering. Please note that you can still receive advising authorization even if you have an administrative hold.  Having your advising clearance in place will help you to register immediately after your hold is removed.

What about Summer Classes?

http://www.umbc.edu/summer/

What If I'm a New Student for the upcoming Fall semester?

Newly admitted students for the fall semester may not register for courses until Orientation. Please sign up for summer Orientation.

http://orientation.umbc.edu/

What If I Still Have Questions?

Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain

UMBC Professors Haibin Zhang (Computer Science and Electrical Engineering) and Karuna Joshi (Information Systems) will be panelists for an event focused on the impact, promise and perils of blockchain technologies at the bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park. The event will take place from 8:15 to 11:15am on Tuesday, March 20 2018 at and will include breakfast and time for networking.  They will be joined on the panel by Marcus Edwards, from Northrop Grumman’s Cyber & Intelligence Mission Solutions, Steve Cook of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Sean Manion of  Science Distributed and moderator Razvan Miutescu of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP.   For more information and tickets are available on eventbrite.

CyberInnovation Briefing: The Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain

8:15 – 11:15 Tuesday, March 20, 2018

bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park
5520 Research Park Drive, Baltimore, MD 21228

Cryptocurrency market capitalizations have soared over the past year and new innovative blockchain applications are continuing to emerge seemingly by the day. However, the average end-user is left to singularly make sense of a vast and global marketplace that is rapidly converging the core tenets of economics and technology development. The future prospects of traditional business and financial models is uncertain as blockchain technology leaves key decision makers in an untenable position to either adopt and adapt or simply be left behind. Industry and academic experts in the field will discuss the pros and cons and opportunities and challenges of this disruptive technology movement.

The post 🗣️ CyberInnovation Briefing: Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain

UMBC Professors Haibin Zhang (Computer Science and Electrical Engineering) and Karuna Joshi (Information Systems) will be panelists for an event focused on the impact, promise and perils of blockchain technologies at the bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park. The event will take place from 8:15 to 11:15am on Tuesday, March 20 2018 at and will include breakfast and time for networking.  They will be joined on the panel by Marcus Edwards, from Northrop Grumman’s Cyber & Intelligence Mission Solutions, Steve Cook of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Sean Manion of  Science Distributed and moderator Razvan Miutescu of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP.   For more information and tickets are available on eventbrite.

CyberInnovation Briefing: The Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain

8:15 – 11:15 Tuesday, March 20, 2018

bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park
5520 Research Park Drive, Baltimore, MD 21228

Cryptocurrency market capitalizations have soared over the past year and new innovative blockchain applications are continuing to emerge seemingly by the day. However, the average end-user is left to singularly make sense of a vast and global marketplace that is rapidly converging the core tenets of economics and technology development. The future prospects of traditional business and financial models is uncertain as blockchain technology leaves key decision makers in an untenable position to either adopt and adapt or simply be left behind. Industry and academic experts in the field will discuss the pros and cons and opportunities and challenges of this disruptive technology movement.

The post 🗣️ CyberInnovation Briefing: Global Impact, Promise & Perils of Blockchain appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The Mosaic is a group on campus whose goal is to show and promote the diversity of the culture around UMBC. The center hosted an event to highlight the city that many people at UMBC call home called The History of Black Baltimore, which presented the history explaining why Baltimore is the way it is today.

The session covered the entirety of Baltimore’s history from its foundation to today. It really hit on the formation of the city, the problems with redlining and segregation, and the recent protests and riots revolving around the death of Freddie Gray.

While the presenters, the Mosaic’s coordinator for diversity and inclusion Carlos Turcios and Mosaic ambassadors Idania Ramos and Sylvia Anokam, gave a lot of information, they also allowed for periods of discussion. These discussion sessions gave those in the audience the chance to share their opinions and experiences in Baltimore.

As people shared about the city they have experienced, it became clear that the event had a lot of perspective from inside Baltimore. People who had experienced poverty, gentrification and just how different two neighboring blocks can be, stepped up to share their thoughts on the city.

Baltimore tends to have a certain reputation around it, a fact that Turcios is very aware of. When asked about why he decided to make this event about the history of Baltimore, he said, “there’s a perception of Baltimore being negative. People in the community have to grow and delve into the history of the city to understand why it is like it is.”

Turcios also touched on the notion that the current state of Baltimore tends to be blamed on the people of the city. He disagrees with this, saying, “I was kind of sick and tired of the mentality that it’s the people’s fault. It’s been systemic,” and added, “it’s not because people stopped caring.”

The Mosaic hosted the event to show people that the reason Baltimore has been face to face with so many problems is primarily due to its history. They presented facts supporting that these problems are not a recent phenomenon but, in fact, have roots going back to the foundation of the city.

Those in attendance agreed with this and spoke of the historical implications, as well as the modern impact those implications have, during the discussion periods. Freshman information systems major Brent Bemiller, who was in attendance, said, “I thought it [the event] was a very insightful session that portrayed important historical data as well as discussion from multiple perspectives.”

The Mosaic will continue to host events like this one throughout the semester and the years to come in an effort to truly show the diversity and culture of UMBC and the city it calls home.

Finding a good set of roommates can feel like playing the lottery. Even if the people someone plans to live with are their friends, sometimes everyone’s living styles do not mesh. In some cases, the living situation can become toxic and stressful, prompting a search for a new roommate or new living space.

When living on the UMBC campus, finding new roommates mid-semester can feel impossible. Even if roommates are mentally or emotionally abusive, UMBC’s solution is to have them talk in a group with the residence hall’s Resident Assistant.

If the problem is not solved by the RA, then the student can choose to go to the Community Director. Even then, the solution is usually conversation based, attempting to negotiate the problem away. Sometimes the conflict cannot be solved by asking the offending party to stop.

One student, Dakota Simons, a sophomore psychology major who lives on campus, had his request to move rooms within his suite into an empty space cancelled without notification. He and his suitemate, who were raising a complaint against the third student, emailed the RA several times with no response.

“[ResLife] contacted [the third student’s] parents, talked with them, realized [our situation] was not going to change, and allowed me to move,” Simons explained. ResLife ignoring Simons’ and his friend’s complaints and only taking action after parents got involved undermines the students’ agency.

Shortly after move in, ResLife requires roommates to sign a roommate agreement, promising to each other and ResLife that they will treat each other and the apartment with respect. Simons’ dissatisfaction with his roommate was specifically outlined in his roommate agreement. Theoretically, the written agreement is enforceable by ResLife. However, it took going to Lauren Mauriello, the Conduct Officer and Assistant Director of Residential Life, to have his complaints addressed.

Luckily, Simons did not want to leave his suite, just the room he was assigned to. If one requests a room change, they must do it in a short window of time that may end before the conflict even begins. To change rooms, person-to-person swap only, all roommates in the unit must sign agreement forms.

Students pay upward of $3,500 to live in a residence hall or apartment with three other students, not including the $2,000 or more they also pay for a meal plan on campus. No student should ever have to compromise their physical or emotional safety while at university, especially not while paying such a steep price to even live there.

It does seem like it would be difficult to find a new room for every person who wishes to change when almost every room is full. That is why UMBC should keep a cache of empty rooms on hand for students to move into in case of stressful or abusive roommate situations.

Eyewitness accounts in Erickson and Harbor say that even the kitchen areas are being used as overflow rooms. It seems like, as of now, there are not any options for empty rooms on campus. One possible solution to this is to restrict the number of students allowed to apply for housing. International and out of state students would be first considered, then freshmen, and then the students who live too far away to reach campus without cars.

Another, more difficult, solution would be for UMBC to take some of the money that they choose to pour into event centers and research buildings, and construct more dormitories and parking garages. The university likes to brag about how quickly it is growing, without making any room for those new students.

Simons offered another solution to ResLife. Because changing rooms requires the student who complains to know where they want to move, Simons said “[ResLife] should keep track of who makes complaints” and move students accordingly.

Removing students from toxic roommate situations should be the most important thing for ResLife to get done, and the quickest handled. Marking off who is complaining about who and not expecting students to supervise room openings would be a good start.

As the end of the spring semester nears, the class of 2018 is in preparation for graduation. The commencement ceremony will take place on May 24 in the brand new UMBC Event Center. For many, graduating college is seen as a milestone in one’s life, a moment to be shared with as many loved ones as possible. Unfortunately, this is made difficult as UMBC is only offering four tickets per student.

The myUMBC webpage is flooded with requests from students for more tickets, with some even willing to pay for up to seven extra tickets. Although graduation is months away, many students have already starting bribing their fellow graduates for tickets because they are unable to get enough for their family. There are some cases of international students who have several family members flying in from all corners of the world in order to witness this amazing achievement, only to be disappointed that they are not able to attend the ceremony.

UMBC does not compensate for those who have bigger families or ask students how many tickets they need. Some students have smaller families and others may have no one coming to their graduation. In cases like these, tickets go to waste if they are not given away. 

Celiat Sobesan, a senior biology major, explains, “it’s unfair because it doesn’t take into account special circumstances like being the first generation graduate. That’s a big accomplishment that a lot of people would want to celebrate, but only providing four tickets will not be sufficient enough for a family such as that.”

The amount of tickets given to students has been an issue for years, and many thought that, with the construction of the UMBC Event Center, students would be granted more tickets. The Event Center is equipped with approximately 5,000 seats, while the former venue for graduation (winter commencement) the RAC, had approximately 4,000.

In past years, UMBC has used the Royal Farms Arena for spring commencement, which is a much larger venue with more than double the number of seats as the Event Center. It is assumed that UMBC is using the Event Center for convenience and due to cost compared to Royal Farms Arena.

Despite having a larger venue, UMBC continues to offer students four tickets for graduation. “I think if there was a breakdown as to how they reached the four ticket max number then maybe it will put many of us graduates (and our families) at ease,” Arnita Heathington, a senior media and communications and anthropology double major, says. “But, we have so many questions which is why it’s so difficult to understand,” Heathington continues.

UMBC holds two separate commencement ceremonies: one for the College of Natural and  Mathematical Sciences, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and Interdisciplinary Studies, and one for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the School of Social Work, and Erickson School. Since the ceremonies will be split between the two venues, allowing more seating, many students believe they should be granted more tickets to utilize the space with their families.