Retrievers, we’ve been introducing you to #UMBCsquirrels all week. Now it’s your turn!

Tell us: what do you think this squirrel is thinking? Come up with a creative 1-2 sentence caption for this photo, and share it with us using #UMBCsquirrels by Sunday, February 5, 11:59 p.m., on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The UMBC social media team will select a winner among entries from UMBC students and alumni based on UMBC spirit, creativity, and humor. The winner will be announced on UMBC’s Facebook page on Monday, February 6 (be sure to give us a like!), and will receive a surprise piece of UMBC gear. The winning caption will also be featured on the big screen by the new campus entrance, as well as across UMBC’s social media platforms.

Good luck, and go nuts!

Amidst taking extreme stances on things such as abortion, immigration and healthcare, the new Trump administration has taken an alarming position against the media. Although Trump often criticized the “liberal media” while on the campaign trail, his administration appears to have launched a continuous affront against media on all sides of the political divide.

When six journalists were baselessly arrested at the inauguration riots, it was quickly apparent that the Trump administration’s relationship with the media would be noticeably different from that of the Obama administration.

It took barely any time for Trump to dive right back into his habit of publishing inflammatory Tweets on his personal Twitter account, calling both CNN and the New York Times “fake news.” In an interview, Trump called journalists “among the most dishonest people on earth.”

While these comments were frustrating to hear coming from the supposed leader of the free world, they were not dissimilar from the same sort of rhetoric that Trump used while on the campaign trail.

However, the gravity of the situation truly struck many Americans when chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon stated that the media should “keep its mouth shut.” Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, “The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.”

For a comment such as this to be made by individuals of great influence in a country considered to be a paragon of democracy is unacceptable. It is of utmost importance that the media not back down at the threat of the Trump administration’s words.

The freedom of the press has always been one of the hallmarks of a thriving democracy. Unfortunately, the United States is no longer considered a full-fledged, progressive democracy because of an increasing distrust in the elected officials and public institutions which lead the nation. We cannot let the democracy that we are so lauded for deteriorate further by the media succumbing to the words of a bully.

Considering that Trump’s approval ratings are already the lowest of any newly inaugurated president, he needs to do whatever he can to gain the trust of the people. Engaging in a war with the media will only prove to be fruitless. It will simply isolate him even further from an already largely dissatisfied American public.

Words matter and words have repercussions. Instead of using them to constantly attack the organizations which work to keep the public informed, Trump should try to use them to bridge the deep divide among the people he intends to lead.

It is necessary that Trump works to be honest about his intents and his ways of accomplishing them. Moreover, it is vital for the sake of our nation that the media continue to be a vigilant watchdog during these tumultuous and divisive times.

The post Trump foolishly makes war with the media appeared first on The Retriever.

Over the winter break, the UMBC men’s basketball team continued their impressive play. As a result, the Retrievers (13-7, 4-3 in America East) are in the thick of the regular season conference championship race.

UMBC sits three games behind the first-place University of Vermont, who is unblemished in conference play. Head coach Ryan Odom’s club continued their impressive offensive play during the break. The Retrievers averaged 78.6 points in the 11 games over winter vacation, including two 100 point games. During that stretch, UMBC went a respectable 6-5 with a plus one point differential.

Throughout the break, UMBC established itself as one of the better offenses in the country. As of Jan. 30, the Retrievers rank 42nd out of 351 Division I teams in points per game. Advanced numbers are just as impressive, as UMBC ranks 49th in the nation in points per 100 possessions.

The defense, however, is as bad as the offense is good. UMBC ranks in the 200’s in overall and three-point field goal percentage allowed. Overall, the Retrievers rank 258th in the nation in points allowed and 243rd in points allowed per 100 possessions.

For the most part, the Retrievers leaned primarily on guard Jairus Lyles, senior forward Will Darley and senior guard Rodney Elliott. The three players have usage rates over 20 percent, with Lyles leading the pack at 29. Lyles continued his stellar play during the winter break. The Virginia Commonwealth University transfer averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game with a .433/.321/.623 shooting line over the 11 game stretch.

Overall, the preseason All-Conference selection is tied for the league lead in scoring. Lyles recorded double figures in scoring in all but one game during the break. Lyles’ lone struggles were against Towson University Tigers on Jan. 17 and the University of Albany Great Danes on Jan. 16. The Tigers bottled up Lyles in the close victory, holding him to 11 points on 4-16 shooting. In the loss to the Great Danes, Lyles scored six points on 2-9 shooting.

Overall, Darley is having his best season to date. The elder statesman of the Retrievers is averaging career highs in points (15.0), two point field goal (58 percent) and free throw percentage (88 percent). His 23.3 percent usage rate is also the highest of his career. Over the winter, Darley averaged 17.5 points, 4.2 boards and 2.2 assists per game.

Darley and sophomore forward Joe Sherburne’s stellar three-point shooting (41 and 51 percent respectively) give ball-handlers Lyles, Elliott and junior guard K.J. Maura room to drive to the basket and create offense for themselves and others.

The Baltimore native played in seven games over the winter and averaged 8.1 points per game with a .514/.455/.647 shooting line. Maura averaged a steady 6.9 points and 5.2 assists during the winter. The junior college transfer also found success from long distance, shooting 38 percent from three point range. Both players provide evidence of the great guard depth UMBC has.

It is fair to say that the Retrievers leveled out after their surprisingly hot start in non-conference play. However, they still have a great chance to finish at the top of the league standings, secure a number one seed. From there, it would not be a shock to see UMBC win the America East tournament and earn their first trip to the NCAA tournament in almost a decade.

The post UMBC Men’s basketball stays level over the winter appeared first on The Retriever.

Facing off against America East Conference rivals University of New Hampshire Wildcats, the Retrievers were up against an admirable foe who at the time, held one game over them in conference standings. Despite being down in the final minute of each period, the Retrievers rallied to upset New Hampshire with their 105-103 win and tie them for a 5-4 record in the conference.

Junior Jairus Lyles came up big to help carry the team in the rivalry match-up, recording 28 points on the day, along with two steals, and eight rebounds. Lyles locked down the win in the final 19 seconds of the game thanks to a pair of free throws, taking the lead at 104-103.

Fortunately for Lyles, he did not have to do it all on his own. The Retrievers depth helped them push past the Wildcats. The Retrievers bench scored 49 of their 105 points on the day, while the Wildcats bench only put up five.

Junior Rodney Elliot and freshman Arkel Lamar came off the bench hot, scoring 22 and 14 points, respectively. They provided their teammates with much needed rest in the long struggle against New Hampshire, as Elliot spent 38 minutes on the court and Lamar spent 22 minutes.

New Hampshire also failed to capitalize off of the seven turnovers they took from the Retrievers. The Wildcats only scored a measly six points off of their turnovers. Meanwhile, the Retrievers acquired only three turnovers more for a total of 10, but eclipsed them in points scored with 24.

Head coach Ryan Odom’s team demonstrated a strong perseverance throughout the day as they came back from several deficits, including be down by 11 at one point in the second period. The Retrievers were saved by several last second shots throughout the game.

With only 2.9 seconds left in the first overtime period and down by three, sophomore Joe Sherburne launched a pass down the court to senior Will Darley who sunk it in from 24 feet back to tie the game at 92 and forced a second overtime.

The Retrievers will next challenge the University of Binghamton on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. and then continue on the road in a game against the University of Maine on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN3.

The post Retrievers win double OT thriller in the RAC appeared first on The Retriever.

Read: Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian”

What is so great about this novel is how easy it reads. It’s fast-paced, short enough to read in one day and totally enthralling. The haunting story is told in three parts and follows Yeong-hye as she assumes a vegetarian diet following a nightmare that she has. Each part is narrated by a different member of Yeong-hye’s family: her husband, her brother-in-law and, finally, her sister. While each gives an entirely different view of the young homemaker, the reader never gets her perspective. This is especially interesting in a story that centers around freedom and individual expression. A perfect book to escape the first few weeks of classes or procrastinate on that first project, it will terrify and totally captivate any audience.

Watch: “A Series of Unfortunate Events”

Lemony Snicket’s, “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” (a Netflix exclusive) is an interesting adaptation of the early-2000s children’s book series.  The series is a bizarre account of the Baudelaire orphans’ lamentable adventures after losing their parents in a fire and how they continuously manage to escape the clutches of the treacherous Count Olaf, a man after their vast fortune. The series watches like a cheesy, more mature, 2017 adaptation of both the series of books and the 2004 movie. Whether or not this “cheese” is done on purpose, Neil Patrick Harris who plays Count Olaf (often in disguise) is the source of the show’s odd ambiance and gives it the feel of a musical as each episode begins with a unique musical summary of what is to come. Cheese or not, this short series is worth a binge on Netflix – despite the warnings from Lemony Snicket himself to not burden yourself with the plight of the orphans.

Listen: Sorry About Last Night’s comedy podcast “Guys We F****d”

Comedy duo “Sorry About Last Night’ just celebrated their three year anniversary of producing this podcast and it is still a gem. Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson balance humor and wit with sound advice and personal anecdotes. Each episode is more interesting than the last and their guests have included everyone from former boyfriends to sex experts to fans offering interesting stories. In this podcast, they not only manage to put out a hilarious product, but they also discuss important sex issues while reinforcing a refreshing, sex positive message.

The post Read, Watch, Listen: Media to get you through the beginning of the semester appeared first on The Retriever.

Right now, almost 500 SmallSats—spacecraft from the size of a refrigerator to a golf ball—are orbiting 200 miles above Earth’s surface, and 78 percent of them launched after 2013. In The Conversation, Vanderlei Martins explains the skyrocketing numbers of SmallSats and the important contributions they are making to scientific research focused on Earth and beyond.

“These SmallSats are poised to change the way we do science from space,” says Martins, professor of physics at UMBC. They are more affordable than larger satellites, and the most basic are almost within reach for serious hobbyists. The lower price tag has allowed countries such as Poland, Pakistan, Colombia, and others to launch their space programs for the first time and contribute to the global quest for knowledge.

The first SmallSat launch in 1999, by a team at Stanford University, was a proof of concept to demonstrate that something so small could survive in space. “Like all space explorers, [SmallSats] have to contend with vacuum conditions, cosmic radiation, wide temperature swings, high speed, atomic oxygen, and more,” explains Martins.

Since the first launch, and particularly in the last few years, SmallSats have become much more sophisticated. Now they not only survive in space, but also carry complex scientific instruments to collect all kinds of data and send it back to Earth. SmallSats currently in orbit “aim to answer specific science questions, covering a broad range of sciences including weather and climate on Earth, space weather and cosmic rays, planetary exploration and much more,” says Martins. They also “serve as pathfinders for bigger and more expensive satellite missions.”

Martins leads the team responsible for the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP) SmallSat, scheduled to launch in June 2017. HARP “observes interactions between clouds and aerosols—small particles such as pollution, dust, sea salt, or pollen, suspended in Earth’s atmosphere,” explains Martins. These interactions affect cloud formation and precipitation, which affect Earth’s global water cycle, energy balance, and climate.

HARP’s capabilities reflect rapid improvements in SmallSat technology. “It’s an example of the kind of advanced scientific instrument it wouldn’t have been possible to cram onto a tiny CubeSat in their early days,” says Martins.

Still, SmallSats do have limitations. Although HARP could conceivably collect data continuously, a compact power supply limits how much data it can send back to Earth. Researchers at a new interdisciplinary center at UMBC will analyze and interpret the data it does send back, which, though limited, is still expected to be robust and insightful.

As SmallSat technology continues to improve, “seeing what works and what doesn’t will help inform larger space missions and future operations,” says Martins. In their pathfinding role, “the next generation of nanosatellites will advance the frontiers of science.”

As of this posting, SmallSat revolution: Tiny satellites poised to make big contributions to essential science has been read more than 25,000 times across 16 publications.

Image: Vanderlei Martins in his lab at UMBC with the HARP CubeSat. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

In the wake of recent political events, UMBC students have proven themselves as activists. This activism is gaining traction through the social media accounts of various student groups. Among these are organizations like the UMBC chapter of Amnesty International and UMBC Progressives, a Facebook group with over 1000 members.

According to the Office of Student Life, Amnesty’s “purpose is to educate UMBC and the surrounding area about human rights, violations and Amnesty International campaigns to cultivate active citizens and demand change.”

Amnesty was responsible for the Black Lives Matter Week that took place in November and various other events throughout the year. The group can be found on Facebook. However, they are an entity that can be added as a friend rather than simply being a page to be liked. This tactic brings more visibility to the organization as it is reaching out to community members and being more active in making themselves known.

With over 900 Facebook friends, the organization is using this platform as a means of circulating information about various events primarily within the UMBC community.

This is in contrast to the UMBC Progressives Facebook page, which although not an official student organization, is still a sizable group.

As a public group on Facebook that one can join, the page is almost set up in a thread-like fashion where members are free to and oftentimes do, engage in conversation in addition to sharing local events. Most recently, some of the members went to the protests at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in response to the temporary ban placed on U.S. entry.

The group page provides a different feeling from that of Amnesty’s in a multitude of ways. With it being a public group, the interface is already different from Amnesty’s page and invites more of a conversation about certain topics. Amnesty seems to be more about awareness of issues and various ways to help.

Although two different methods of activism, members of both groups advocated for the petition to make UMBC a sanctuary campus that circulated in November of last year. Where Amnesty is focused on events that happen either on campus or by UMBC community members, UMBC Progressives broadens the scope to events happening anywhere from Baltimore to DC.

Amnesty is also reaching out on other platforms as they have an Instagram page in addition to their Facebook profile.

As the current political climate is undergoing stark change, both of these groups are great resources for those who are looking to get started in activism. With the presence of social media being such a powerful tool, Amnesty and UMBC Progressives have mastered the art of reaching the masses effectively.

The post Social media shapes UMBC activism appeared first on The Retriever.

Nearly 100 graduate students from across Maryland gathered last week for a unique workshop bridging research and storytelling. Laura Wexler, co-founder of Baltimore’s Stoop Storytelling Series, led participants through exercises designed to help them more effectively communicate with general audiences about highly complex research fields, increasing the public impact and understanding of their work.

The Graduate School at UMBC, UMBC’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and PROMISE: AGEP, recognized for their leadership in collaborative professional development for graduate students and postdocs, together hosted the event on January 28, 2017.

“Our students and postdocs are participating in more events and competitions that require confident public speaking,” said Renetta Tull, associate vice provost for graduate student development and postdoctoral affairs. “Wexler provided our participants with layers of public speaking advice, infused with scientific reasoning behind the success of storytelling as a method.”

A core aspect of the training involved focusing on relatable themes: concepts that transcend the experience of the researcher and someone they are speaking with, who may not know much about what they are studying. Wexler provided the example of using the failure as a universal, accessible concept.

“Failure is a great theme for storytelling,” explained Wexler, adding that stories about the research process specifically often involve an experience of moving through struggle to find success. By sharing the struggles and failures one experienced throughout the research process, an academic can authentically and relatably convey what motivates them and why their research matters, she suggested.

Stories can also help listeners remember ideas in the longer term, versus lists or even well-structured arguments, Wexler argued, due to how the brain processes different kinds of information. They can also be evocative, powerful, and expedient. “In a five minute story,” she suggested, “you can tell more about yourself than in a 25 minute lecture.”

Graduate students at the storytelling event. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.