“Winter courses tend to be slightly ‘off-the-wall-er’ than those offered in Spring and Fall, so they ought to appeal to students motivated by curiosity above and beyond the obvious goal of satisfying degree requirements.”

– Greg Ealick, UMBC Department of Philosophy

Philosophy Shapes Young Minds

Winter Session 2018

“Science is not some monolithic world view that comes complete with a creed. It’s a process, and we’ll appreciate it better if we can understand the process better.”

Despite the failure of the US men’s national team to reach the World Cup, there is still an impressive pool of young talent streaming through the team. Christian Pulisic, Gyasi Zardes and Joseph-Claude Gyau are just few of a long list of names who established themselves in the US soccer set-up at a young age. Many of them get their opportunity playing for their club’s academy, but many more go up through the Olympic Development Program (ODP), of which our very own Pete Caringi III is a coach.

Pete Caringi III, UMBC psychology graduate and one-time draft pick of the Montreal Impact, has been immersed in soccer ever since he was a little boy in the Maryland ODP program. He supports AC Milan and in his spare time, he engages in skiing, traveling and cooking. He is pleased to give back to the program that gave him the opportunity to play with established players like Joe Gyau, who played for Borussia Dortmund.

“It has been a fun experience. Being a local guy, there are some kids I have seen [grow up]… it has been cool to see them now entering this program, it’s been good to have a say and try to help them develop, [it’s great] just seeing how the best in the state are and working with those who have the dreams of being on the national team … it’s good to have kids that are skilled and motivated,” said Caringi.

Caringi is the son and assistant coach to Retrievers head coach Pete Caringi Jr. for both UMBC men’s soccer and the Maryland State ODP U-12 boys.

“We’ve had a good relationship throughout my whole life. We know [our] boundaries as he is one of my bosses, [so] there haven’t been any problems,” said Caringi of his father.

The Maryland State Youth Soccer Association ODP is a program that gives young players aged 10-17 a path to the US national team, provided they are willing to work hard. It was started about nine years ago. There are three sections to the program: the District ODP, which comprises of eight districts, the State ODP, which comprises of three main districts, and the Region I ODP, made up of states in the East.

Players who tryout are entered into the District ODP, where they train to represent one of the three main districts. Each of these districts, including Bethesda and Baltimore, selects thirty to forty  players that will compete against each other in teams to find out the best players. Those players will then be used to form a team that will represent Maryland at the regional level.

At the regional level, the East regional team would compete against other regions in the country, and the best players are entered into the national pool where they can be selected for trials by the national team age groups or club teams, as well as drafted by MLS teams.

The young players are evaluated by ODP on their technique, soccer brains, fitness and positive attitudes but Caringi says it is still early to judge them.

“It is hard to judge a 12 year old on how they are going to develop into being a man.” Caringi stated, “You look for their talent and their drive … but this group [from Baltimore] is one of the best we’ve had in years, with their competitiveness and skill level. Maryland is a very good soccer state.”

Caringi hopes to help these kids reach their goals overall and he wants to cheer them on when they make it, knowing that he played a part. “I would like to be part of these players making it [by] helping them, giving advice or [training them] on the field.” Caringi said. “You want the US national team and our state team to do good. [I want to] give them whatever they need to succeed.”

Applications for the 2018 Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program for Pre-MD-PhD students are now being accepted.

Find out more about the Gateways to the Laboratory Program and its unique blended learning and virtual mentoring format by clicking here.

Read about our incredible outcomes for getting Gateways alumni into MD-PhD Programs by clicking on our Academic Medicine article by clicking here.

The Gateways to the Laboratory Program is for:

·         Freshman and sophomores (at time of application) only;

·         Underrepresented minority students or have a disability;

·         US Citizens/Permanent Residents;

·         Students who wish to pursue the combined MD-PhD degrees after college (this is not well suited for those who wish to pursue MD only).

The application deadline for this and most other summer programs is February 1.

Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program in New York City for Pre-MD/PhD Students.

• Ideal for students who wish to pursue the combined MD-PhD degree (this program is run by the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program).
• 10 weeks of independent research at either Weill Cornell Medical College, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or The Rockefeller University (all in NYC).
• Present & participate in weekly journal clubs
• Scrub into surgeries at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
• Give an oral, written and poster presentation of your research in front of your family (who are flown in for the event), friends and colleagues.
• Receive on going mentorship by your "Big Sib" (a current MD-PhD student), as well as weekly meetings with the Program's leadership.
• Receive a stipend of $4,300 (minus the cost of housing).
• Gateways alumni are accepted and matriculate in the top MD-PhD Programs in the country!      

Please note, our application deadline is February 1^st.

**********PLEASE REMIND YOUR STUDENTS TO CHECK THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.  *******************

As the weather gets colder, students around campus might begin to grow beards as a source of warmth, but the UMBC Men’s Lacrosse team decided they will be growing mustaches for a very unique reason. The team is participating in the nationwide lacrosse fundraising campaign called Lax Stache Madness from Oct. 19 through Nov. 28.

This campaign happens every winter through the HEADstrong Foundation, a group that is designed to support families who have been affected by cancer. The group was founded by a collegiate lacrosse player Nicholas Colleluori, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer during his sophomore year at Hofstra University. Colleluori used his condition to lead a fight against cancer within the entire lacrosse community. Stache Madness stems from Colleluori’s decision to grow the first ever facial hair he has ever had throughout his entire life.

This campaign will begin on Colleluori’s birthday, Oct. 19, and ends on the day he passed away, Nov. 28. The goal of the campaign this year is to raise 200,000 dollars for families who are affected by cancer.

Junior Ryan Baker, the leading fundraiser on the team, and in the nation currently, said, “Everyone, no matter if you’re an athlete or not, has been affected by cancer, and we want to raise money to help people who need access to the resources needed when you are affected by something like this. We aren’t just helping the lacrosse community, we are helping everyone.”

The team traveled to the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday Oct. 22 for the University City Classic, where 8 Division 1 teams participated in games and fundraising. UMBC played and beat both Quinnipiac and Bellarmine. After the games, there was a ceremony where teams received awards for players who embodied Nicholas Colleluori on and off the field, and Senior Billy O’Hara received the award for the Retrievers.

Junior captain Jason Brewster said, “It’s exciting for the team because we have to be clean shaven all year, so getting the chance to raise money for a great cause and grow out a mustache has the whole team excited.”

The Retrievers have a goal of raising $12,000 and as of Nov. 19, have raised $11,874.

To donate to the cause, go to https://pledge.headstrong.org/team/141398

The Administrative Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts is a regular full time non-exempt position, reporting to the COO. Primary responsibilities are to assist with a wide range of Finance/Admin Department related office functions in addition to coordinating the volunteer program.

Responsibilities

Maintaining an efficient, organized Chief Operating Officer’s office:

Manages the appointment schedule and notifies COO in advance of schedule changes to ensure an efficient work day.