There are many ways in which students and faculty can play their part in energy conservation at UMBC. The campus has reduced carbon emissions by 15.5%  since 2007 (when President Hrabowski signed the commitment to carbon neutrality) and aims to achieve 20% reductions by 2020. 

Taking the stairs not only improves your health, it conserves energy usage. According to figures provided by elevator manufacturer Kone, a typical hydraulic elevator in a three-story office building uses 3,800 kilowatt-hours per year, or about as much as the average American home uses in four months. A traction elevator in a 10-story building might use about five-and-a-half times as much energy. (Source)

Turning off the lights when you leave a room can save 20 % of electricity costs.

As stated by the Sierra Club, one of the oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the U.S., artificial light accounts for approximately 44 percent of the electricity used in office buildings and studies have shown that free, natural light can actually brighten your mood.

Turning off computers in labs when they are not in use can save 400 watts per computer.

Studies conducted through the Sierra Club have shown that 60 percent of the energy used to run an entire desktop comes from the monitor alone. So use sleep/hibernate mode instead of screen savers. 

Set your computer to automatically sleep or hibernate today! 

Not sure how? Check out these how to guides:

https://www.energystar.gov/products/low_carbon_it_campaign/power_management_computer

Use sleep mode and power management features on your computer to save money on your energy bill.

Make sure you check out the Ancient Studies Council Bake Sale table this Wednesday. As you all know, its the Ides of March! We will have Consul pins for sale amongst our sweet treats, and FREE Alea Iacta Est stickers. Also, come check us out for a FREE chance to "stab" Caesar to enter our Starbucks Gift Card give away. 

Check out the Caesar pin and FREE Alea Iacta Est sticker 

Why you shouldn't necessarily push the handicap button...

Waste of Energy:

• Heating & cooling of the building escapes
• Reduces the lifespan of the equipment
• A campus estimates the cost is $7,000 per week. This equates to $364,00 annually.

When the button is pressed, the door opens at a slower pace than would if a person had just opened it themself. Typically, with the button the door will stay open for an average of 20 seconds, letting air in and out- wasting energy from the building’s heat or air conditioning.

Northern Kentucky University attempted to monetize this loss. According to The Northerner, an engineering firm located near the campus, estimated that it cost 2 cents every time one of these buttons was pushed. While this may seem like a piddling amount (and a good way to get rid of pennies), it adds up, with the newspaper reporting that irresponsible use of automatic door open buttons could cost NKU more than $7,000 per week. This equates to $364,000. Doesn’t seem like such a minor thing anymore, does it?

If we just open these doors ourselves, it will not have a big impact on our personal energy. On the other hand, it will have a substantial impact on the overall energy wasted for the building that has the automatic door open button. If we keep this in minds as we go about our day, we can save energy around us and respect those who need these utilities to go through their own day.

We have all seen it before - the automatic door open button on a building door. It makes the day easier or simply possible for those who need it, specifically, elders or individuals with a disability. However, these folks are not the only ones who are using this button regularly. In fact, according to a study at Stanford’s Psychology Department, nearly 75 percent of people who press this button are not physically disabled. We can do better. 

Here at UMBC, you are more likely to see polite people holding the door for you than you are to see young and able-bodied people using the handicap door button. Why press it, wait for the doors to slowly open and then walk in or out. It's so much quicker and more efficient for to simply push the door open and walk away.

I will admit, I have been guilty of doing this multiples times in my life. But it is a habit that should be broken for those of us who do not need the assistance. Unnecessarily pressing this button has its own negative impacts, perhaps put most simply, it wastes energy.

Like any other electric machinery (elevators, etc), the more times the button is pressed and the door automatically opens, the easier the button can malfunction or break. This means it will need to be repaired more often and is less available to individuals who require this assistance in their daily lives.

And this is not the only kind of energy wasted. There is most likely heat or air conditioning running throughout the public building that is escaping. At UMBC almost half (45%) of the energy used is for heating & cooling. With our commitment to lowering our carbon emissions and addressing climate change, it's one more mindful decision you can make to save energy. 

Apply for the CWIT Sponsorship to the

Grace Hopper Celebration 2017

Orlando, Florida

Total Value of the Sponsorship:$1,300

Description:

The Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) at UMBC is sponsoring a small group of students to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), which will be held from October 4th-October 6th in Orlando, Florida. GHC is a great opportunity to connect with other women in computing and innovative organizations, hear stories from peers and experts, and get quality career advice specific to your needs. Please visit the conference website at www.gracehopper.org to learn more. Contact us at deramo@umbc.edu if you have questions.

Date of Conference:October 4-6, 2017 (Travel October 3-7)

Application Deadline: Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Application Link: https://goo.gl/forms/jl7WOoituxZ7fPGA3

Sponsorship Details:

-- Paid and organized BY CWIT:

•          $450: Conference registration fee

•          $150: Hotel: 4 nights of lodging with 4 students per room at the conference hotel

    --  Paid and organized BY STUDENT and reimbursed after the conference with proper receipts. You will be reimbursed for the amount shown on the receipts as long as it is not above the maximum amounts shown below:

•          $230-$400: Roundtrip flight: Baltimore Washington International, DC (BWI) to Orlando International, FL (MCO). Depart BWI on 10/3/17 and Return 10/7/17. (Coach class only will be reimbursed).

•          $180: Meals (Reimbursement at UMBC per diem rate for meals, $45 per day)

•          $120: Airport parking fees and other transportation from airport to hotel and back

Timeline of Expectations if Selected:

1.    ON 5/12/17: Attend a meeting on Friday, May 12^th, noon - 1 PM in ITE 237 to meet other conference attendees and learn more about what to expect at the conference. There will be another meeting in September to go over the reimbursement procedures for your expenses.

2.    BY July 1: Book your flight to Florida by July 1st. You should plan to depart on Tuesday, October 3, and return on Saturday morning, October 7.

3.    BY 9/5/17: Communicate with your faculty about attending the conference and making arrangements for any missed coursework.  We will provide a letter saying that you are being sponsored to help you have these conversations.

4.    IN SEPTEMBER 2017: Attend a meeting in September to discuss reimbursement procedures, sign up to volunteer at the CWIT table at the conference, and review final trip details.

5.    POST CONFERENCE: Attend a debriefing meeting after the conference to talk about what you learned.

6.    FALL or SPRING SEMESTER: Attendees will also be asked to share their experiences with other students at a CWIT event later in the school year.

7.    ALWAYS: Respond promptly to e-mails from us about the conference and complete the necessary paperwork required for travel and reimbursement according to UMBC policies and deadlines.

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Note: Students who have applied for a scholarship to attend the GHC already through the Anita Borg Institute (an opportunity that was promoted by CWIT) and students who have never attended the GHC before will receive priority.  Students who do not meet these criteria are still eligible, though, so do still apply!

Questions? Contact Erica D’Eramo at deramo@umbc.edu

TIC Gums is consistently ranked as America’s #1 preferred supplier of hydrocolloids to the food industry. We are seeking students who are currently pursuing a Food Science/Nutrition degree for an upcoming intern opportunity for this summer. These opportunities are for Lab Technicians in the R&D Department of our Texture and Innovation Center in our White Marsh, MD location.

In this role, you will be preparing lab samples, assisting in lab experiments, and performing research. You will be performing tests including viscosity, pH, mesh, moisture, and gel strength. You will also gain skills required to safely and properly operate specified lab instrumentation such as Brookfield viscometer, Texture Analyzer, pH meter, and ash oven according to listed work instructions. You will be responsible for maintaining a laboratory notebook to record the results of your work, and for tabulating and submitting results in a timely manner. You will also prepare and deliver a presentation of your overall findings and results.

Students should possess the following skills and experience: Taken a food chemistry and/or food processing class, fundamental courses & labs in food science; have worked in a lab and familiar with good laboratory practices; performed research projects; ability to perform experiments with limited supervision; strong communication skills; familiar with the process of product development/experiment design; experience with emulsion and particle size testing/analysis.

Each internship position will have specific goals and project objectives that the student will be responsible for accomplishing during the internship. Students will be assigned a department supervisor who will provide guidance on day-to-day tasks, as well as expose the student to the working environment of TIC Gums.

Throughout the summer, HR will sponsor several seminars on resume writing, interviewing techniques and transitioning to the job world after school.

Our internship program runs during the summer months – approximately the end of May through August. Students must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA in order to apply and be pursuing a degree in a related field of study to the position.

Each internship is a paid position that offers a challenging opportunity. Positions are limited. Interested candidates should submit their resume to Michelle Magliocchetti @ internships@ticgums.com.

You can also visit our website at: http://www.ticgums.com/careers/internships.html

Description: Using SharePoint as a tool to improve the productivity of team when performing testing on existing or new system implementations.

**Targeted Audience…. IT and business users interested in using SharePoint to improve collaboration and productivity associated with new system implementations.                                                                         

Presenters

• Eric Bundy, Special/Technical Projects Manager,  BITHGROUP Technologies 
• Glenn Small, Director, Navigator Management Partners