Barbara Hill and Ancelmo Lopes were drawn to UMBC by the university’s commitment to providing holistic support for students from all backgrounds. On January 13, 2017, UMBC celebrated the launch of the new Hill-Lopes Scholars Program to support high-potential women in specific STEM majors where women remain underrepresented, with a reception for the first cohort of students, their families, and their faculty mentors.
Karla Negrete ’19 (center) and her family meet Barbara Hill and Ancelmo Lopes (left).The new scholars program, made possible through a generous gift from Hill and Lopes, draws inspiration from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, nationally-lauded as the “gold-standard” for supporting underrepresented minority students in STEM. To support students’ persistence and success, the Hill-Lopes Scholars Program provides financial assistance and connects participating scholars with faculty mentors and campus services that can propel them toward their degrees.
Barbara Hill addresses the new Hill-Lopes Scholars, sharing personal stories to encourage them to persevere in the face of challenges.The six UMBC students selected as the first class of Hill-Lopes Scholars have a broad range of intellectual interests, but all have their eye on advanced degrees and careers in highly competitive STEM fields.
Heather Frank ’17, biochemistry and molecular biology, conducts research in the lab of University Distinguished Professor Michael Summers and just published a first-author paper in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Karla Negrete ’19, mechanical engineering, began her work in research as a high school student and has focused on finding and creating opportunities to progress toward a career in bioengineering. Her next step will be an internship with BGE this summer.
Jada Damond ’19, environmental engineering, will soon travel to Nicaragua to work on a water quality project. She is also particularly interested in alternative energy sources.
Jada Damond ’19 introduces herself to her fellow Hill-Lopes Scholars and the other reception attendees.Johanna Tsang ‘18, mechanical engineering, will intern at Northrop Grumman this summer in the Calibration and Quality Engineering division.
Blair Landon ’19, chemical engineering, plans to pursue graduate school in biochemical or biomedical engineering and, at UMBC, she is already a learning assistant for general chemistry.
Blair Landon ’19 (left) introduces herself to Ancelmo Lopes.Stormy Hill ’17, statistics, plans to pursue a career as an actuary with a focus on large-scale risk analysis. “This program is exceptional because it goes above and beyond to help its scholars,” Hill says, “beyond college, into our internships and careers.”
Faculty mentors Jennie Leach, chemical engineering; Anne Spence, mechanical engineering; Elsa Garcin, chemistry and biochemistry; and Anindya Roy, mathematics and statistics, will play a key role in the program.
“Being smart is not enough” to achieve success, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski reflected. “There needs to be someone to say, ‘Give this person a chance.’” He described how faculty in the program will not only mentor the students, but also advocate for them.
Stormy Hill ’17 meets Barbara Hill and Ancelmo Lopes. Photo Marlayna Demond ’11.In describing the power of mentorship, Pres. Hrabowski cited the success of UMBC’s ADVANCE program, which works to increase the number of women faculty at UMBC, particularly in STEM areas. Since that program’s inception in 2003, the number of female tenure-track faculty at UMBC has increased 73.3% – a boost in representation beneficial for UMBC’s new Hill-Lopes Scholars.
Speaking directly to the scholars at the inaugural reception, Pres. Hrabowski encouraged them to learn from their mentors by listening to their personal stories, “and then, imagine how, in time, you can help other people.”
Ancelmo Lopes, Barbara Hill, and President Freeman Hrabowski converse at the Hill-Lopes Scholars reception.His focus on support, mentorship, advocacy, and role models echoed how Hill and Lopes described their own sense of the UMBC community. Lopes commented, “This place has a reputation for helping students be the best they can be.”
“We’re very proud to be part of the UMBC community,” shared Hill. “We couldn’t think of a better home for this program.”
Banner image: The inaugural Hill-Lopes Scholars with Barbara Hill (far right) and Ancelmo Lopes (far left). Students from left to right: Stormy Hill ’17, Heather Frank ’17, Karla Negrete ’19, Jada Damond ’19, Blair Landon ’19. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.
]]>A sampling of “what’s next” from UMBC community members, curated by Jess Myers, Women’s Center Director
Last week, I shared some of my hopes and desired outcomes from the Women’s March on Washington. While I was looking forward to marching and being in relationship with other women and people at the march, I was (and am) more invested in the what’s next. In my blog, I wrote, “I want the momentum and energy to continue after the march, especially for those who are new to the movement, new to activism, new to seeing things that are unfair and unjust. I want us to stay loud. To stay critical. To stay visible and demand what is right, what is necessary. I want you to volunteer. I want you to keep learning and growing. I want you to find your activism (if you haven’t already) and make a difference. I want all those things for myself as well.
On Saturday night and Sunday morning, my entire Facebook timeline was filled with amazing photos of the March (and also really important critiques of the march which you should also take some time to read). What was even more exciting than the photos, was the plans people were committing to in their post-march glow. So many people are fired up!
In my last post, I also reflected on the mission of the Women’s Center and our commitment to advocating for and advancing the rights of women and marginalized people. While the Women’s Center is a space and the people who work in it are committed to putting in the work, YOU, our community, are a huge part of that mission. We need you to help us live and be our mission. So with that in mind, I put a call out to some Women’s Center friends and former staff and asked them to share what their post-plans march are so I could share them as inspiration and motivation to our larger community. What I share below isn’t necessarily the full list each person shared with me but I love the breadth of ideas and action items.
So, I’ll go first…
After the march, I began the divestment process from my bank that financially supports the Dakota Access Pipeline as one way to be in solidarity with the Sioux Tribe and particularly native women (knowing construction of oil pipelines can contribute to an increased risk of sexual assault for Native women). I also am committed to investing more of my time and energy in local politics and activism.
Yoo-Jin Kang, UMBC Class of 2015 & former Women’s Center staff member
“Post-march I’d like to commit to speaking up, leaning into discomfort, and having the tough conversations with people who are willing to engage and listen. I want to commit to intersectionality because my feminism is privileged and one-sided without it. I want to continue to support local calls to action– whether that’s calling local politicians, supporting POC-owned businesses, rallying people in my community, or looking up trainings and materials to help guide my understanding of complex issues.”
Dr. Kate Drabinski, GWST Faculty
“I’m going to keep doing what I do, where I am, and I commit to continue learning, doing, and acting. Oh, and calling my reps–local, state, and national–over and over again while staying open to new strategies and tactics as they arise.”
Lexx Mills, UMBC Class of 2013 & former Women’s Center staff intern
“I had to call out sick from the march and be there in spirit. I am committing to regularly calling Congress and getting family and friends involved.”
Emily Frias, UMBC Class of 2016
“In my current position I’m already heavily involved in local politics, but going to the march helped me further understand the context of the work I’m doing. While protecting reproductive rights is certainly important, black rights, immigrant rights, trans rights and disabled rights cannot be sacrificed in the name of unity. I felt like I was taking in the state of modern feminism, and seeing exactly how important it is to insist on intersectionality. Going forward, I’ll continue to keep these ideas at heart in the work I do!”
Mariana De Matos Medeiros, UMBC Class of 2016 & former Women’s Center staff intern
“After attending the march I am going to be attending training to become an abortion doula and am hoping to continue to researching and learning more in hopes to have brave conversations with the people in my life.”
Jake Leizear, UMBC Class of 2016
“More dialouging (and learning how to make it a less anxiety-inducing experience), and more lobbying. I want my elected officials to know me and be sick of me.”
Dr. Dawn Biehler, GES Faculty
Dawn with the Day-Biehler crew – Brigid, Alice, and Nathan.
“I’ve been calling members of Congress, though I don’t know how much they listen to me since I don’t have a Senator or full Congressperson as a DC resident… We have started attending services at a very progressive church, All Souls Unitarian, which has a long history of social justice activism.”
Megan Tagle Adams, Women’s Center Assistant Director
“I’m still figuring out my post-march plans and priorities, but to begin with I’ve started donating money more frequently to important organizations and causes. I plan to learn more about third party politics and ways to get involved locally. I’m also committed to recentering the truth by combating the spread of fake news and challenging the uncritical use of harmful euphemisms like “alt-right.””
What are you plans? What’s next for you?
For more ideas or ways to keep the momentum going:
Women’s March on Washington 10 Actions/100 Days
Countable – an app that makes it quick and easy to understand the laws Congress is considering
Attend upcoming Women’s Center events – check out our spring calendar
Each of the courses in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program is unique in its own way, but what is shared is the:
meets Arts and Humanities (AH) requirements
“Turning to One Another: Beliefs and Behaviors” explores the scientific, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions of thought and behavior. This course is oriented toward that exploration of questions that are both personal and global in their orientation. For example: What is my faith in the future? What do I believe about others? What is the relationship I want with the earth? When and where do I experience sacred? There will be opportunities for conversation to occur around topics such as these; literally a “turning to one another” in order to expand and inform our understanding of how our beliefs and behaviors have the power to transform.
]]>Each of the courses in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program is unique in its own way, but what is shared is the:
Meets Social Sciences (SS) requirements
In this seminar, students will be introduced to the reflective discovery and critique of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge. Through guided discussion and hands-on activities, students will explore issues related to privacy, censorship, digital activism, as well as how issues of gender, race, and class affect information access and creation. Students will develop the skills necessary to ethically and effectively use information to make decisions, solve problems, and communicate their views. In the process of exploring the information cycle and their own information seeking and consumption behaviors, they will develop strategies to better find, evaluate, manage and cite information.
]]>Each of the courses in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program is unique in its own way, but what is shared is the:
Meets Social Sciences (SS) requirements
Poverty is not an oft-quoted word in USA. Nonetheless, the phenomenon is worth exploring, especially in the context of the Great Recession that the United States has recently experienced. With continuing unemployment and increasing costs of living, more and more families have to choose between necessities like health care, child care, and even food. This seminar will examine the nature and extent of poverty in the U.S., its causes and consequences, and the poverty alleviation measures adopted through government programs and policies.
]]>Each of the courses in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) program is unique in its own way, but what is shared is the:
Meets Arts and Humanities (AH) requirements
What was the last food you ate? Who produced it? Packaged it? Distributed it? Prepared it? In this course, students will gain knowledge of the emergent field of food system studies, learning about the social, environmental, and economic implications of the foods around them. Students will learn about the many layers of the food system and the people that it touches- from farmer to grocer, and chef to consumer. Students will reflect on what they are learning through short writings and class discussions and through a final project, a digital story (2-3 minute original video using the student’s own voice and images) reflecting on their personal role in the food system. The core curriculum of this course is one developed by the Center for a Livable Future, Teaching the Food System. Through it, and additional readings and engaging audiovisual material, students learn about the fundamental concepts of food system studies, moving from field to table and beyond.
]]>Any course ending in Y includes a weekly Honors University seminar. Designed for students in their first year, the Honors University seminar reinforces the lecture through study skills, exam preparation, time management, and other key skills. Most courses meet general education requirements. These courses carry one credit and focus on enhancing skills that pertain to college life.
An introduction to the concepts used in all advanced sociology courses: basic elements of social structure, including primary groups and organizations, culture and society, socialization, social stratification and social change.
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