Applications sought for major UMBC cybersecurity scholarships

NSF CyberCorps: Scholarship For Service (SFS)

Scholarships for careers in cybersecurity. Earn full tuition, fees, stipends ($22,500 – $34,000), and more ($2000 books, up to $3000 health benefits, $4000 professional expenses).  For BS, MS, MPS, or PhD in CS, CE, IS, Cyber or related fields. USA citizenship or permanent residency required. Contact Dr. Alan Sherman, *protected email* who will send you an application.

In academic year 2017-2018, UMBC will support a total of about six additional SFS Scholars at the BS, MS, MPS, and PhD levels in CS and related fields. Each scholarship is potentially for up to the final two years (three years for PhD and combined BS/MS). Interested full-time degree students should contact *protected email* and visit the CISA scholarship page.

Each scholarship covers full tuition, fees, travel, books, and academic year stipend of $34,000 for MS/MPS/PhD, and $22,500 for BS. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents capable of obtaining a SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance. Each scholar must work for the federal, state, local, or tribal government (for pay) for one year for each year of award.

Awards made for 2017-2018 will be for one year only, with the potential of renewal if funding permits (we should know by August 31, 2017).  The number of awards to be made will be determined by available funds, since there are differences in costs depending on level and in-state status (we have approximately $352,000 to award in 2017-2018).

All applications must be submitted in paper form with official transcripts and signed original letters on letterhead—no staples, folders, or binders.

Application Deadline: 12noon, Friday, July 14, 2017.   If positions remain open after the deadline, we will continue to accept applications until classes start.

See https://www.sfs.opm.gov/  and http://www.cisa.umbc.edu for more details.

The post Cybersecurity Scholarships for UMBC students appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

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UMBC has marked the start of summer by hosting statewide kickoff events for Maryland’s newest group of public service scholars, who will serve at state agencies and nonprofits over the coming months.

The state’s four public service scholar initiatives include the Governor’s Summer Internship Program, Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program, MDOT Fellows Program, and Public Service Law Fellowship. This year, UMBC hosted welcome events on June 5th for scholars from the first two programs, including students from UMBC, Duke University, the University of Delaware, Penn State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Bowie State University, Johns Hopkins University, and several others, who have all been paired with mentors at leading institutions and agencies in Maryland.

Shriver Center Peaceworker alumna Meghann Shutt, M.P.P. ’11, public policy, offered an opening keynote for the Walter Sondheim Jr. Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program, which combines full-time paid nonprofit placement under a senior-level mentor with research and reflection exercises, training seminars, and networking opportunities.

Shutt currently serves as chief learning officer for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services. Her remarks focused on advice she has found helpful in moving forward professionally from her own time as a program fellow, as well as how her understanding about what leadership looks like has evolved over time. “This summer I encourage you to think about what leadership means to you, but don’t fixate too much on a single definition,” she told the students, “because…it will grow and change as you grow and change throughout your career.”

That process of professional growth in a public service career can also include moments of self-doubt about one’s impact and leadership abilities. However, Shutt argued, “The world’s most amazing people always worry that they aren’t enough.”

To move past those difficult moments, she suggested connecting with great leaders to learn from; thinking several steps ahead in your work; knowing when to protect your time and energy by saying “no” to a project; communicating honestly with those around you; appreciating coworkers as full, complex people; and carefully assessing what is and isn’t working, so you can know when to end or transform a project.

In public service work, as in science, “every failure gets you closer to success,” said Shutt. “Be willing to learn. Be willing to be wrong. Be uncomfortable if you want to grow.”

Five UMBC students will serve as Nonprofit Leadership Fellows for 2017. Markya Reed ’18, psychology, will work with CASA of Baltimore, leading the development of LGBT and teen parent resource guides for programs that train foster care advocates. Sarah Bicknell ’18, environmental studies and philosophy, will intern with the Baltimore Community ToolBank, which lends tools to charitable groups. Caira Christian, M.A. ’20, applied sociology, will assist the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance with Baltimore Data Day, where over 300 organizations come together to learn how they can use data to support Baltimore communities. Rebecca Mann ’19, social work and anthropology, will work with the Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County, and Noah Owens ’19, information systems, will serve with Playworks Maryland.

The Governor’s Summer Internship Program, the state’s first formal public service scholars program, is now in its 30th year. The program includes full-time paid placement with a government agency under a senior-level mentor, seminars focused on state government and policymaking, events and meetings to connect with state leaders, and an opportunity to research and prepare policy analysis and recommendations to present to the governor.

Three UMBC students will participate in the selective program this year. Carrie Cook ’18, English and political science, will work with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, where she wants to “learn more about educational access and talk with students about the opportunities afforded by higher education.” Noah Jaques ’18, history, will work through the Maryland Historical Trust to make historic markers more publicly accessible, particularly markers relating to African American history. Victor Mercogliano ’18, history, working in the Governor’s Office, is particularly excited to “learn about public administration and how to help the administration be as efficient as possible.”

Four additional UMBC students were name MDOT Fellows at a program kick off later in the week, held at the headquarters of the Maryland Department of Transportation. They include Idrissou Adam ’18, social work, in the Motor Vehicles Administration’s Aggressive Driving and Motorcycle Safety Unit; Janiqua Dunn ’18, psychology and sociology, working with the Maryland Transportation Authority’s chief financial officer; Ethan Griffin ’18, interdisciplinary studies, working with the urban systems design team at the Washington Area Transit Office; and Jaspreet Kaur ’17 information systems, with the Maryland Aviation Administration’s Office of Safety and Risk Management.

For all of these students, this summer will be a unique opportunity to connect with the “many talented professionals committed to important issues” who are working in government, shared Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Carol Beatty, keynote speaker at the Governor’s Summer Internship Program kickoff. Beatty also thanked all of the mentors who have committed their time to supporting and guiding the interns, recognizing that government needs to “consistently attract the best and brightest in order to best serve the needs of our state’s people.”

After all, said Beatty, these mentors have a lot in common with the incoming summer interns: “They are passionate about the work and the difference they are making in the lives of Marylanders,” and their careers can give today’s students a sense of what they could achieve as public service leaders.

Students interested in exploring these and similar opportunities in the future can contact Hannah Schmitz, the Shriver Center’s program coordinator for applied learning.

In the book of Acts, the laying on of hands is mentioned in relation to the reception of the Holy Spirit: the Samaritans (8.17), Saul (9.17), and the Ephesians (19.6).

“Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.” Ac 19.6

When we pray for the Spirit to fill someone, we still recognize that God is sovereign and cannot be manipulated and that God is the sole source of power (Ac 8.18, 10.44-48).  “The association of prayer with the gesture [laying on of hands] indicates that people like Peter or Paul, although ‘filled with the Spirit,’ have neither the [authority] nor [power] to bestow the Spirit, but depend wholly on God to use them as mere channels of power… The evidence in Acts points to the fact that the disciples stand in a different relation to the Spirit from that of Jesus. In their role as petitioners of the numinous power they must pray to God, the source of power, so that the Spirit would be granted to the new converts.” (J.F. Tipei, The Laying On of Hands in the New Testament, p. 217)

Let’s depend wholly on God and fulfill our role as petitioners, praying to God, the source of power, to fill us with the Spirit!

-JP

UMBC has marked the start of summer by hosting statewide kickoff events for Maryland’s newest group of public service scholars, who will serve at state agencies and nonprofits over the coming months.

The state’s four public service scholar initiatives include the Governor’s Summer Internship Program, Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program, MDOT Fellows Program, and Public Service Law Fellowship. This year, UMBC hosted welcome events on June 5th for scholars from the first two programs, including students from UMBC, Duke University, the University of Delaware, Penn State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Bowie State University, Johns Hopkins University, and several others, who have all been paired with mentors at leading institutions and agencies in Maryland.

Shriver Center Peaceworker alumna Meghann Shutt, M.P.P. ’11, public policy, offered an opening keynote for the Walter Sondheim Jr. Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program, which combines full-time paid nonprofit placement under a senior-level mentor with research and reflection exercises, training seminars, and networking opportunities.

Shutt currently serves as chief learning officer for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services. Her remarks focused on advice she has found helpful in moving forward professionally from her own time as a program fellow, as well as how her understanding about what leadership looks like has evolved over time. “This summer I encourage you to think about what leadership means to you, but don’t fixate too much on a single definition,” she told the students, “because…it will grow and change as you grow and change throughout your career.”

That process of professional growth in a public service career can also include moments of self-doubt about one’s impact and leadership abilities. However, Shutt argued, “The world’s most amazing people always worry that they aren’t enough.”

To move past those difficult moments, she suggested connecting with great leaders to learn from; thinking several steps ahead in your work; knowing when to protect your time and energy by saying “no” to a project; communicating honestly with those around you; appreciating coworkers as full, complex people; and carefully assessing what is and isn’t working, so you can know when to end or transform a project.

In public service work, as in science, “every failure gets you closer to success,” said Shutt. “Be willing to learn. Be willing to be wrong. Be uncomfortable if you want to grow.”

Five UMBC students will serve as Nonprofit Leadership Fellows for 2017. Markya Reed ’18, psychology, will work with CASA of Baltimore, leading the development of LGBT and teen parent resource guides for programs that train foster care advocates. Sarah Bicknell ’18, environmental studies and philosophy, will intern with the Baltimore Community ToolBank, which lends tools to charitable groups. Ciara Christian, M.A. ’18, applied sociology, will assist the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance with Baltimore Data Day, where over 300 organizations come together to learn how they can use data to support Baltimore communities. Rebecca Mann ’19, social work and anthropology, will work with the Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County, and Noah Owens ’19, information systems, will serve with Playworks Maryland.

The Governor’s Summer Internship Program, the state’s first formal public service scholars program, is now in its 30th year. The program includes full-time paid placement with a government agency under a senior-level mentor, seminars focused on state government and policymaking, events and meetings to connect with state leaders, and an opportunity to research and prepare policy analysis and recommendations to present to the governor.

Three UMBC students will participate in the selective program this year. Carrie Cook ’18, English and political science, will work with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, where she wants to “learn more about educational access and talk with students about the opportunities afforded by higher education.” Noah Jaques ’18, history, will work through the Maryland Historical Trust to make historic markers more publicly accessible, particularly markers relating to African American history. Victor Mercogliano ’18, history, working in the Governor’s Office, is particularly excited to “learn about public administration and how to help the administration be as efficient as possible.”

Four additional UMBC students were named MDOT Fellows at a program kick off later in the week, held at the headquarters of the Maryland Department of Transportation. They include Idrissou Adam ’18, social work, in the Motor Vehicles Administration’s Aggressive Driving and Motorcycle Safety Unit; Janiqua Dunn ’17, psychology, working with the Maryland Transportation Authority’s deputy chief financial officer; Ethan Griffin ’18, interdisciplinary studies, working with the urban systems design team at the Washington Area Transit Office; and Jaspreet Kaur ’17 information systems, with the Maryland Aviation Administration’s Office of Safety and Risk Management.

For all of these students, this summer will be a unique opportunity to connect with the “many talented professionals committed to important issues” who are working in government, shared Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Carol Beatty, keynote speaker at the Governor’s Summer Internship Program kickoff. Beatty also thanked all of the mentors who have committed their time to supporting and guiding the interns, recognizing that government needs to “consistently attract the best and brightest in order to best serve the needs of our state’s people.”

After all, said Beatty, these mentors have a lot in common with the incoming summer interns: “They are passionate about the work and the difference they are making in the lives of Marylanders,” and their careers can give today’s students a sense of what they could achieve as public service leaders.

Students interested in exploring these and similar opportunities in the future can contact Hannah Schmitz, the Shriver Center’s program coordinator for applied learning.

Header image: UMBC’s 2017 Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program fellows Ciara Christian, Markya Reed, Noah Owens, Becca Mann, and Sarah Bicknell. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC’s newest Postdoctoral Fellows for Faculty Diversity will soon begin a two-year experience focused on growing their research and refining their teaching skills through professional development opportunities and working closely with faculty mentors, in preparation for possible tenure-track faculty positions at UMBC.

The fourth cohort of fellows—the largest in program history—includes Lisa Cassell, philosophy; René Esparza, American studies; Christine Hawn, geography and environmental systems; Erika Fountain, psychology; Adanna Jones, dance; Camee Maddox-Wingfield, sociology and anthropology; and Noor Zaidi, history.

“UMBC is fortunate to have been able to attract a group of such outstanding young scholars whom we now welcome as members of our community,” says Philip Rous, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “These fellows represent the best of UMBC and our commitment to attracting scholars from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to further advance our shared values of inclusive excellence through world-class scholarship and a distinctive educational experience for all of our students.”

As a Maryland native who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida, Maddox-Wingfield knew that she wanted to return to the University System of Maryland for the next step in her career. “This postdoctoral fellowship opportunity will mark a major milestone in my career trajectory,” she shares. “It is my goal to complete a book manuscript based on my dissertation field research, and gain pedagogical skills that will make me a more effective instructor and mentor to students.”

Fountain explained that UMBC’s commitment to diversity is a reason why she chose to join the program for 2017 – 19. “I believe being part of a community that embraces different perspectives is essential to producing top quality research. I look forward to working with the outstanding mentors at UMBC and furthering my research on issues related to juvenile justice,” she said.

Esparza shared in Fountain’s excitement to develop his research in a supportive community that values diversity. “I am enthusiastic about sharing my passion for teaching and commitment to community engaged scholarship through the Postdoctoral Fellowship for Faculty Diversity Program, in hopes of fulfilling UMBC’s mission to prepare students for a multicultural, global society,” he reflected.  

Hawn agrees, noting, “I’m looking forward to having the time, mentorship, and resources necessary to build my own research program. Because this fellowship is centered around diversity, I’m taking the opportunity to develop sound ecological research that is informed by my identities.”

In addition to continuing to publish and present her research, Cassel is particularly interested in the teaching opportunities the fellowship provides. She says, “I’m looking forward to developing new courses for the philosophy department—courses that I’ve always wanted to teach, and that I’ll finally have the opportunity to teach, at UMBC.”

Jones is looking forward to working with her two mentors Carol Hess, dance, and Kimberly Moffitt, American studies. “Ultimately, this fellowship offers me the time to complete my book proposal, as well as get critical feedback on my research-based choreography,” she says.

This year, UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences also launched a program designed to fulfill the same needs as the university-wide Postdoctoral Fellows for Faculty Diversity program, but with a specific focus on career trajectories in the natural sciences.

UMBC’s new Natural Sciences Pre-professoriate Fellowship program offers fellows an appointment of up to two years, during which scaffolding is in place to prepare the pre-professoriate fellows for tenure-track assistant professor positions at UMBC. In addition to being strong scholars, the program stipulates that applicants must be committed to diversity in the academy. Fellows receive research and teaching guidance from a faculty mentor, work on a collaborative research project, teach one class per semester, mentor students in the STEM BUILD program, and participate in the Active Learning, Inquiry Teaching Certificate program.

The first two scholars to accept appointments through the program, Fernando Vonhoff and Mercedes Burns, will join UMBC’s biological sciences department this fall. Vonhoff is currently a postdoctoral research associate in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale University, and Burns is a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in biology at San Diego State University.

Phil Farabaugh, professor and chair of biological sciences, is tremendously excited about the high quality of fellowship applications received. He explained that in addition to having strong research credentials, the dozens of candidates who applied have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to diversity in the sciences, including “a lot of work with undergraduates and younger kids in reaching out to underrepresented populations,” work the department hopes the selected fellows will extend at UMBC.

These initiatives are part of a broader effort by UMBC to build and steward a faculty that reflects and effectively meets the needs of the university’s highly diverse student body. Also included in this effort is the successful ADVANCE program to increase the number of women faculty members.

Read more about the Postdoctoral Fellows for Faculty Diversity program, including information about previous cohorts.

Banner image: Camee Maddox-Wingfield. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.