A private room is available for one male in a clean and comfortable shared apartment, ideal for UMBC students or working professionals.

Rent: $575 + utilities (lower cost)
Move-in: August 1

Location: 1345 Stevens Ave, Apt B (Upstairs), Arbutus, MD
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gw2Leu55W4SAHVvk6

Just a 15-minute walk (2–3 minutes by car) to UMBC, 2–3 minutes from the UMBC Arbutus Shuttle Stop (East Drive), and within 4–5 minutes' walking distance to Save A Lot, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Domino's, Punjab Kabab, Halal Kabab & Wings, East Drive Kitchen, Taste Tea, and Hair Cutting Zone.

The apartment includes a shared kitchen and bathroom, fully equipped kitchen with oven, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher, in-unit washer & dryer, and parking.

If you're interested, please DM me for pictures, videos, or more details, or contact +1 (667) 802-9257 to schedule a visit.

RACK - $20
TABLE - $30
SHELF - $20

Location is very close to UMBC. Need gone ASAP.

Pickup only!

Linden Avenue, Arbutus

Message me at: 667 431 0058

PHIL 374  :  Philosophy of Social Science

TTh  1:00-2:15pm in PAHB 229

with Dr. Michael Nance

This course is a survey of philosophical problems concerning the concepts and methods of the social sciences. The "social sciences" are those concerned with the empirical study of human societies and the social aspects of human behavior. Topics may include: interpretation and causal explanation in the social sciences; rational choice explanations of human behavior; reductionism, individualism, and holism; and the role of laws in social-scientific explanation.

GEP : SS

Hello!

Has anyone received a package addressed to Robert Melchor? It is a book for one of the programs in the Shriver Center. We received a notification that it was supposedly delivered on 7/24.

Please let me know!

As we gear up for the FA2026 semester, the Instructional Technology team is hosting Improve Your Digital Content Workshops on August 17th and August 21st. Whether you are completely new to Digital Accessibility or a seasoned pro looking to optimize your content, these 2 workshop sessions are designed to help either fix or create accessible content for everyone effortlessly.

All sessions are open to all faculty and instructional staff and will take place online via Google Meet. Here is the lineup for the week:

Workshop 1: Remediate Existing Course Content for Accessibility

August 17th, 12:00pm: Learn to identify and resolve common accessibility challenges. Register here.

Transition from conceptual understanding to practical application. Following a high-level review of the Blackboard Ally’s Insights and associated remediation workflows, participants will have dedicated time to update their own course files.

Workshop 2: Author & Build Accessible Materials

August 21st, 12:00pm: Master techniques for building inclusive digital documents. Register here.

Engage in a hands-on lab focused on proactive design. After exploring accessible-first methods within Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Blackboard, the session culminates in a guided time to develop your own materials.

Please register for each session separately, by signing up on each event page. Each session above has a link to the registration page. If your plans change after registration, please navigate back to this page to cancel your sign-up. 

How to Attend & Important Details

To secure your spot, select "Sign Up" on the corresponding myUMBC event post and add it to your calendar. Registered participants will receive a calendar invitation from the host at least one week before the session.

For more information about digital accessibility, please visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site at: accessibility.umbc.edu/digital-accessibility.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection

  • Known Issues

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

Last semester, the Office of Community and Culture set out to capture stories of initiatives across campus that embody Inclusive Excellence.

From Advisors to Students: Cultivating Belonging from Day One at UMBC

To an outsider, orientation advising may seem like a routine process of course selection and schedule planning. In practice, however, it is a carefully structured experience that centers connection, shared learning, and collective belonging long before students begin their academic journey. Read more about how Orientation Advising embodies Inclusive Excellence here:https://doie.umbc.edu/inclusive-excellence-in-action-orientation-advising/

_____

What’s Your Inclusive Excellence in Action story? 

This semester, we are inviting members of our diverse campus community—including students, staff, and faculty—to share their own Inclusive Excellence stories.

These narratives will be featured on our website as a resource and source of inspiration for the entire UMBC community. Examples of practices you might share include:

• Curricular Innovations: Developing courses that incorporate diverse perspectives, authors, and case studies to enrich the learning experience and reflect the global society we live in.​

• Inclusive Pedagogy: Implementing teaching strategies that accommodate diverse learning styles and create equitable opportunities for all students to succeed.​

• Community Engagement: Organizing programs or events that promote cross-cultural understanding, dialogue, and collaboration among different groups within and outside the university.​

• Policy Development: Establishing departmental policies that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring practices, professional development, and daily operations.​

• Support Services: Creating initiatives that provide resources and support for underrepresented or marginalized groups within the UMBC community.​

To share your story, email us at Culture@umbc.edu. Please include your contact information and a brief statement about your Inclusive Excellence practices, and someone from DOIE will connect with you. Your contributions are vital in building a more inclusive and equitable campus for all.

Fall Into Success:

Learning, Leading, and Thriving Together

When was the last time you invested in yourself?

Higher education professionals spend much of their time supporting others—students, colleagues, teams, and institutions. Professional Development Week offers a chance to pause, step away from the day-to-day, and focus on your own growth.

From September 14–18, colleagues from across the University System of Maryland will come together for a week of learning, reflection, and practical skill-building designed to help you thrive in today's workplace.

Whether you're looking to strengthen your leadership skills, explore artificial intelligence, improve workplace effectiveness, support well-being, or advance your career, you'll find sessions that provide ideas and strategies you can use immediately.

Why Attend?

• Gain practical skills you can apply right away
• Connect with colleagues from across USM
• Explore new perspectives and innovative ideas
• Develop skills that support your personal and professional goals
• Invest in your own growth, well-being, and success

Featuring: 

Keynote Panel: Learning, Leading, and Thriving Together

Join Dr. Bruce Jarrell and Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby for a discussion on leadership, trust, change, and building successful workplaces in higher education.

Whether you attend one session or several, we hope you'll use this week as an opportunity to learn something new, gain a fresh perspective, and invest in yourself.

Register Today! 

Hello everyone! 

We hope to see you there!

Exciting new research from Dr. Corine Jackman Burden, Assistant Professor, CBEE!

Title:

Quantitative analysis of bacterial cell-cell communication at the single-cell level using microdroplet arrays

Authors:

Corine Jackman Burden, Matthew Hou, Anne Liu, Lydia Eutsey, Rory Eutsey, Joel Greenhouse, Frederick Lann, Shelley L Anna, N Luisa Hiller

Abstract:

Cell-cell communication (CCC) contributes to bacterial survival and adaptability. Gram-positive bacteria employ secreted peptides to coordinate CCC. While the molecular pathways activated by these peptides are well studied, little is known about how individual cells contribute to initiating the signaling response. To address this question, we used microdroplet arrays to examine the major human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae and its TprA/PhrA regulator/peptide CCC system, which promotes colonization and virulence. We measured phrA promoter activity in wild-type (WT) cells and in a phrA deletion mutant, using populations seeded before signaling began. As signaling emerged, we observed heterogeneity in S. pneumoniae signaling within and across microdroplets. Addition of exogenous PhrA increased both the magnitude of signal and the percentage of signaling cells, yet it did not reduce the heterogeneity of signal. When examining whether PhrA peptide produced from WT cells was shared with ΔphrA cells, we found a preference for self-signaling over signaling to neighboring cells. Overall, we developed a platform to quantify cell-cell signaling at the single-cell level and determined that at early stages TprA/PhrA signaling is highly heterogeneous and primarily targets producing cells. We propose that this heterogeneity and its amplification through autoinduction may confer a fitness advantage to the population.

The publication is available here:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42304065/

Stay up to date with Council of Universtiy System Staff (CUSS) goings on with the Summer 2026 newsletter. You can read the prettier version on Sway, or download the attached PDF.