In 2016, the UMBC baseball team stumbled out of the gate. They lost nine of their first 11 games, surrendering four or more runs in 10 of them. The Retrievers’ bats found life after that, going 26-14 the rest of the way and finished with a winning record. Their 2017 mirrored last years slow start, beginning the year 2-9, but much like 2016, the Retrievers have turned a corner.

The team has gone 7-4 over their last 11 games. During that stretch, they have outscored opponents 77-59. Just like last season, the offense played a substantial role in the team’s resurgence. In these 11 games, the Retrievers scored four or more runs seven times, including 19 and 14 run explosions against Mount Saint Mary’s University and a 12 run output at Binghamton University on Sunday. UMBC batted .299 through their 11 game onslaught with 23 doubles and five home runs. UMBC’s impressive offensive display lifted their team slash line to .283/.356/.371.

UMBC’s pitchers stepped their game up as well. The team allowed three runs or less in five of the last 11 games. In their first 11 games, the Retrievers accomplished that feat once. Retrievers pitchers still have a 6.38 ERA, so there is still plenty of room to improve.

In their recent surge, several key players have emerged. Among them, junior infielder/pitcher Jamie Switalski and junior outfielder Collin Stack. Switalski currently leads the team with a .427 on base percentage and 16 walks. Over the past 11 games, he has a .366 average with three doubles and six driven in. Stack has reached safely in eight of the last 11 games, batting .297 in the process with two doubles and 11 batted in. The Jamestown, New York native now leads the Retrievers with 16 RBI’s and is tied for the team lead with 26 hits.

Another stand-out, senior catcher Hunter Dolshun, has batted .378 over the past nine games with two home runs and 10 RBI’s. The elder statesman of the club recorded a hit in eight of the 10 games he played during this stretch. He currently leads the team with a .356 average and a .542 slugging percentage in 17 games.

While the team has righted the ship at the plate, consistency at the mound is still under construction. Even with their improved performances over the last week and a half, teams are still raking against the Retrievers. As of Sunday, opponents slash .342/.399/.420 against Retrievers while walking 4.05 times per nine innings.

However, they have the chance to turn things around over the next couple of weeks, as they don’t play a team with a winning record until Apr. 22-23 at home against the University of Massachusetts Lowell. If Retrievers pitch as well as they have hit over the past week, there is plenty of hope of finishing another season strong.

The post UMBC Baseball finds their swing over the last week appeared first on The Retriever.

UMBC men’s soccer team came from behind to trump American University 4-1 in a great game during the fifth installment of the ‘Kicks for Chase’ charity event to benefit children with Down Syndrome. The game was  played at Retriever Soccer Park on April 8, and organized by the Arc Northern Chesapeake Region. The quality of soccer on display, outstanding crowd turnout, an epic halftime show and game souvenirs however did not overshadow the main reason for the event: honoring Chase Bugarin, who passed away at birth five years ago.

Chase Bugarin was well represented at this event. Before the game, souvenirs including Kicks for Chase T-shirts (all of which were sold) and notebooks were available for sale at concession stands.

Chase’s parents, UMBC alums Amy and Brian ’95, could not attend the event, but Sean Cross, the CEO of the Arc NCR, was in attendance. She exclaimed pride in running a company that helps all people with disabilities live the best lives they can and her gratitude to UMBC for their ‘tremendous’ support. Cross said of the event:

“I am [surprised by the turnout]. We’ve had a great turnout,” said Cross.” “The crowd has doubled and I think the proceeds have doubled from last year. The Arc NCR helps children and adults live, work and play in the community. [We help them through] foster care programs, employment programs and our supported living program.”

As for the game, UMBC had the better of the chances in the early stages of the game but it was American who broke the deadlock against the run of play. American junior Jack Dickens got free and slotted a strike into the bottom right corner in the 26^th minute to give his team the lead.

But UMBC’s Retrievers barked back and tied the game only two minutes later with a cool finish from freshman Colin Weyant. UMBC could not make their dominance count before halftime though.

In the second half, UMBC took total control of the game and in the 50^th minute, a cross from junior Sammy Kasai found sophomore James Gielen at the back post to score. They then extended their lead to 4-1 with a brace from freshman Tre Pulliam. At the full time whistle, American trudged off the pitch to their team coach, soundly beaten.

“I thought we played much better in the second half, more like UMBC teams of the past,” said Pete Caringi, head coach of the men’s soccer team. First half, I was disappointed, but it’s still a young group and I think it’s a good result for us.”

“[The growth of the team] is a long process and spring games are all about evaluating players… and correcting mistakes. They have to feel good about getting four goals on this field. [Kicks for Chase] is a great event … a great crowd, one of our former players Bryan Bugarin, it’s his son Chase, but more important that we are all here for a good cause, …the sportsmanship between both teams was tremendous. Bryan is always part of our family and we felt like we had to do this for him.”

No doubt young Chase is looking down from heaven smiling at the success of this event.

The post UMBC men kick for Chase, defeat American University 4-1 appeared first on The Retriever.

Baltimore’s second annual Light City festival featured numerous vibrant art installations and performances by UMBC faculty, students, staff, and alumni, as well as thought-provoking talks by UMBC researchers during the Labs@LightCity companion innovation conferences.

Interactive artworks by Eric Dyer, associate professor of visual arts, and Timothy Nohe, professor of visual arts and director of the Center for Innovative Research in the Creative Arts, drew crowds throughout the festival week, March 31 – April 8. Dyer discussed his piece, “Shabamanetica,” with the Baltimore Sun just ahead of Light City, and Voice of America featured Nohe’s work in story recapping highlights from the festival [see video at 1:30].

A sneak peek of the UMBC SPARK pop-up gallery drew a crowd on its opening night, and audiences throughout the week, for installations by several UMBC faculty and students and performances by UMBC’s Baltimore Dance Project, percussion ensemble, and others, as well as an animation workshop by Corrie Parks, assistant professor of visual arts.

The Black and Gold Lounge was also a major draw throughout the evening on Saturday, April 1, as the UMBC community gathered, with family and friends, to enjoy a 180-degree panoramic view of Light City, right on the path of the BGE Art Walk.

Light City’s HealthLab on April 3 featured Gymama Slaughter, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering. Slaughter works to develop biosensors that are powered by the human body and do not require batteries. Her talk, “The Body as a Battery,” focused on how the body’s chemical energy can be channeled to power wearable and implantable medical devices.

Slaughter’s work examines novel ways to use the human body’s natural ability “to reboot and recharge your energy reservoir” by eating food and breaking it down. “What we’re doing in my lab is taking energy-rich blood sugar and converting it into electricity to power implantable devices such as the pacemaker, or wearable devices such as the continuous glucose monitor,” she explained.

Current technologies are dependent on battery power, and failing to recharge or replace batteries when needed can pose health risks. Creating devices that utilize the body’s own energy reservoir could remove those risks and also “allow us to eliminate repeated surgery” for battery replacement.

The following day, Chris Swan, professor of geography and environmental systems, shared his perspective on the GreenLab panel, “New Thinking: Greening Baltimore at the Grassroots.” Swan’s research over the past six years has focused on re-greening vacant lots in Baltimore with native species. He asks cutting-edge ecological questions, and at the same time, works with communities to improve the health and safety of underserved Baltimore neighborhoods.

“We were very surprised at how quickly we got results,” Swan said, noting that robust populations of native plants, pollinators, and other wildlife returned within two years of the start of the study, despite terrible soil conditions. Following this success, his project is now expanding from an original 25 lots to nearly 100.

Swan also shared his previous collaborative work with incarcerated men in Baltimore. “We had master gardeners providing education to inmates about how to do urban agriculture,” he detailed, describing how the inmates were able to contribute to the ecological research and gained useful gardening skills they could leverage after their release.

Based on his experiences with creative partnerships, Swan is optimistic about the future of Baltimore. “There’s tons of potential,” he says, in all kinds of areas.

On April 5, President Freeman Hrabowski kicked off Light City’s EduLab in a conversation with Johns Hopkins University-affiliated entrepreneur Alec Ross titled “The Path to the Future.” President Hrabowski discussed what education might look like in the years ahead, emphasizing the interconnections among different fields, the increasingly prominent role of data and data science, and the possibility of more personalized education pathways.

Hrabowski particularly emphasized the need for students to embrace both STEM and the humanities. “We have to get away from thinking some kids are going to be good at math and science, and some kids are good at history, arts, and English,” he said.

“I want everyone in the room thinking about how we teach young people and ourselves to connect both with the humanities and with the technology side.” Why? Careers of the future will require skills in many areas, not one narrow topic, Hrabowski suggested. Plus, he shared, even in fields they find initially challenging, “students can learn much more than they think,” and knowledge across disciplines can expand the possibilities for their futures.

Light City, with its artworks inspired by technology and society, and talks by experts across a diversity of fields, gave visitors a glimpse of that future.

Header image: Eric Dyer with his piece “Shabamanetica” at Light City 2017. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Career Peer Advisors assist the Career Center(CC) in extending career services and information to the UMBC student body.  Students must be able to commit to both the Fall and Spring semesters.

Duties and Responsibilities: Use your communications skills and your proof-reading skills to assist fellow students during  drop-in sessions (must be available between 2-4 p.m. on at least one day of the week); review resumes and cover letters; facilitate workshops/seminars; design and present group information sessions to student organizations, residence halls, and other groups; provide occasional office reception duties (as needed); assist with special events such as career fairs; conduct outreach to student organizations and one of three colleges (Engineering and Information Technology, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural and Mathematical Sciences); work closely with CC staff on special projects as needed.  Training will be provided. Hours:  10-12 per week.

Note: All majors encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

Continuing undergraduate or graduate student with at least a 2.75 GPA; strong interest in helping others and working with students, staff, employers, and faculty; in good academic standing; excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills; experience with public speaking helpful; ability to use tact and diplomacy in working with others (both face to face and on the phone); previous or current involvement in campus organizations or activities helpful; basic computer skills (MS Word, Power Point, knowledge of UMBCworks required); detail-oriented, dependable and reliable; initiative and enthusiasm.

Excellent opportunity for Social Work, Sociology, and Psychology, Instructional Systems Development majors. However this opportunity to open to ALL MAJORS. Graduate students are also encouraged to apply.

Note:  Must be available to attend a mandatory two-day training program in August 2017.

Log into your UMBCworks account.

Enter: job#  9291344 in the keyword box.