Things are not always black and white, except Marie Machin’s latest photo series of women wearing white at night in Baltimore.

A junior photography major at UMBC, Machin began photographing women in Baltimore city wearing all white at night. Simply put, Machin describes her photos as strong, yet vulnerable.

It is no secret that women are frequently victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Machin emphasizes the rush she and her models get from being outside in the city, alone, at night. And for good reason – since she uses film, the photo shoots take a long time. It takes about an hour to get 12-24 photos from a single shoot.

Machin’s goal is to shoot at least 50 different women before her project is complete. Following that, she hopes to use her photos as her senior project or to turn them into a book. She even has interests in traveling to other cities and repeating the photo series there.

Machin’s favorite photo from the series is one she took of a woman named Audrey in July 2017 (although she did not share this photo on Instagram until August 7). In this photo, which was taken only some feet from Audrey’s home, a car can be seen with its headlights on in the background.

When Machin and Audrey were taking photos, cars kept driving by, which gave them the idea to include a car in the photograph. Machin admits that the car in the photo is hers and that this was the first time she has ever really used a prop in a photograph, so it was a very special moment for her.

Machin began her series by just asking friends to model for her, but then she reached out to Facebook and met some additional people. If you or a woman you know are interested in being a part of this photo series, send her an e-mail (mmarie1@umbc.edu) or a direct message on Instagram (@mariejanemachine).

In the weeks leading up to the Alumni Awards Ceremony, we’ll be profiling each honoree in more detail here on our blog. Today, meet Lauren Mazzoli ’15, mathematics and computer science, and M.S. ’17, computer science, systems engineer at Northrop Grumman and this year’s recipient of the Rising Star award for outstanding graduates of the last decade.

As a young woman studying in a traditionally male-dominated field, Lauren Mazzoli ’15, mathematics and computer science, and M.S. ’17, computer science, has faced her share of challenges. “There were numerous times where I could have felt overwhelmed or defeated” by the gender ratio in STEM, she writes, “but instead, I was driven to change it.” That drive has led her into a promising career as a cyber software engineer at Northrop Grumman, as well as an advocate and mentor to female engineers at both her workplace and her alma mater. A former Cyber Scholar, Mazzoli has remained involved with both that program and the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT), helping to organize career development and educational opportunities for students interested in cybersecurity. At Northrop Grumman, Mazzoli earned early accolades for her support of a time-sensitive, mission-critical project. She was recently accepted into the company’s 3-year Future Technical Leaders rotational program, and is also Vice Chair of the Women’s Employee Resource Group. Mazzoli was inspired to attend UMBC by its “friendly campus, diversity of thought, and students hungry to learn,” and she credits Dr. Marie desJardins, Dr. Penny Rheingans, and Dr. Anupam Joshi for their inspiration and support on her path through the cybersecurity field.

Join us for the Alumni Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 5!

Our advising offices are located in ITE 202-206. Email and telephone contact information is available here.

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Galatians 5:25)

“If the Spirit is a person, how do we relate to Him? …a relationship between any two people involves mutual interaction. They communicate with each other. They experience each other… The Bible is our instruction manual for the Christian life, written to teach us how to live in relationship with God. The people given in the Bible as examples of how to walk with God were people who actually experienced God. They didn’t just know about God; they interacted with Him… Their lives involved constant two-way communication with the Spirit of God. In fact, the only model the Bible gives us for walking with God is an experiential model. Much of the Bible is a record of experiences with God…” (R. Heidler, Experiencing the Spirit, pp. 40 ff)

People in the Bible came alive to God through the Spirit (Gal 3.3)

They walked through life by the Spirit (Gal 5.25)

They experienced the Holy Spirit’s power (1 Cor 5.4)

They recognized His healings and miracles (Acts 2 ff.)

They heard His voice and directions (Acts 13.2)

They were taught by the Spirit (John 16.13)

They were encouraged by the Spirit (Rom 9.1)

They were compelled by the Spirit (Acts 20.22)

They were warned by the Spirit (Acts 20.23)

They were led by the Spirit (Acts 16.7)

They exercised the Spirit’s gifts (1 Cor 12.7)

They matured because of the Spirit (Gal 5.22-23)

They were transformed by the Spirit (2 Cor 3.18)

(Adapted from R. Heidler , Experiencing the Spirit)

Pray to, listen to, experience and interact with the Spirit today!

“Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here” by Kim Walker-Smith

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUiqeEnyMb8

- JP

The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, recently vetoed a bill which would have “banned the box” on college applications. The bill was generally seen as bi-partisan friendly and reflected some of Hogan’s previous reform decisions when it came to the treatment of criminals in Maryland.

The “box” in question is a box on college applications which potential university students must check if they were ever charged with a crime. A university is then able to discern if they wish to accept the applicant on the basis of their answer. This practice is currently legal in the state of Maryland, so all universities are able to deny a student entry based on their answer.

The question of safety was stated as one of the primary reasons behind Governor Hogan vetoing the bill, as it did not discriminate what crime the applicant was being charged with. Due to the indiscriminate nature of the bill, petty crime would not be distinguished from violent and sexually aggressive crimes. If passed, the bill could lead to dangerous situations on college campuses where violence, specifically sexual violence, is already a national issue.

The Maryland state legislature is scheduled to reconvene next year. Various bills vetoed by Governor Hogan will be up for review and will be possibly overridden. Delegate Maggie McIntosh (D) has already stated that once the house is back in session, she and other house members will try to inevitably pass the bill.

Although the bill would be able to give a second chance to future students, as well as give them the benefit of the doubt, the question of campus safety still comes to mind. Since the bill is likely to be re-introduced, there should be some changes made in order to ensure that colleges can adequately protect their students, faculty and staff.

The bill currently sets out to only completely “ban the box” from applications. However, this is not conducive to a safe campus environment. Consequently, there could be a stipulation in the bill which allows Maryland universities to require applicants to answer if they were ever convicted of a violent or sexually charged crime. From there, universities can use their own discretion and investigate each individual applicant themselves.

Statistics and research prove that released criminals have a 76 percent likelihood to have extreme difficulty to find a job once freed. Some even find the task impossible. There are many who commit drug crimes and are released due to the prisons’ need to reduce their non-violent offenders. They, just like prospective students, are also limited by “the box.”

Changing some of the content of the bill also increases the likelihood that the governor will be more open to signing it into law. This would ensure the legislator would not have to resort to the difficult task of overriding the veto on the original bill. Most importantly, it spares those who are deserving of a second chance through a higher education.