Upcoming Change to UMBC’s Travel System – Globetrotter Discontinued as of July 1, 2025

As we prepare for the upcoming launch of SAP Concur, which will replace our current Travel System 2.0, we are making some important changes to streamline our travel services.

Effective July 1, 2025, Globetrotter will no longer be available as a travel agency option within the UMBC travel system.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Pre-approvals that have already been submitted and approved with Globetrotter will continue to be serviced by Globetrotter through completion.

• New travel pre-approvals submitted on or after July 1, 2025 will no longer have the option to select Globetrotter.

This change is part of our transition to SAP Concur, a modern travel and expense platform designed to simplify and improve the travel booking and reimbursement process for the UMBC community.

We appreciate your cooperation as we move toward this exciting upgrade. Additional updates and training opportunities related to SAP Concur will be shared in the coming months.

If you have any questions, please contact Travel Services at TravelServicesAP@umbc.edu.

A dynamic research ecosystem was on display in a series of events showcasing existing projects and encouraging new collaborations across the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) this spring.

On April 11, the second annual COEIT Research Day brought together more than 180 students and faculty from COEIT’s four academic departments, as well as outside speakers and visitors. Attendance increased by around 20 percent from last year’s inaugural Research Day. 

More than 100 researchers presented either talks or posters at the meeting, and several students won awards for their posters and were recognized at the COEIT Awards and Celebration event on May 4.

“A major success of this year’s Research Day was the presence of visitors and speakers from industry, nonprofits, and government,” says Vandana Janeja, the associate dean for research in COEIT. “The event gave these guests an opportunity to visit UMBC and to engage in the vibrant research happening within COEIT, making connections with our research community that we hope to see grow into long-lasting partnerships.”

The college also launched a new call for COEIT Interdisciplinary Proposals. Last year, COEIT funded 11 projects from teams made up of researchers from two or more academic departments. The teams presented their results at this year’s event, on topics ranging from cybersecurity in manufacturing to thermally stable energy-harvesting materials. 

On May 2, the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering also hosted its annual research day, bringing together faculty, staff, and students to highlight the department’s latest advancements in research, from robotics to AI weather forecasting.

All packages include: original boxes, battery, caps, manuals; Panasonic Lumix shoulder strap, SmallRig half-leather half-case, SmallRig universal braided wrist strap, and high-quality color matched black thumb-grip.

• ★ Camera + Accessories + 20-60 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens + 50 mm f/1.8 prime = $1,499

  – Complete walk-around + low-light set-up.

• ★ Camera +  Accessories + 20-60 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens = $1,299

  – Perfect starter full-frame combo.

• ★ Camera body-only + Accessories = $1,125

  – Upgrade path if you already own L-mount glass.

Condition: mint (lightly used, only indoors, no smoke or moisture exposure). Sensor and optics flawless; latest firmware v1.4 installed. Electronic-only shutter → no wear.

Reason for sale: moving up to the Lumix S1R II for serious work.

Local buyers (campus/UM group) preferred—cash, Zelle, or Venmo. Happy to demo the camera on pickup and provide the full serial privately. Accessories alone retail $100, so each bundle is priced to move fast while giving you real savings over eBay/refurbished. DM for questions or to reserve.

Monthly Rent: $675
Includes all utilities and maintenance

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About the Room:

• Private bedroom located upstairs for added privacy

• Full shared bathroom

• Access to shared spaces: kitchen, dining room, living room (1st floor), and laundry room (basement)

• All bedroom doors are lockable, and security surveillance is installed around the property

• Designated parking spot in front of the house with camera monitoring

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Tenant Requirements:

• No couples, no room sharing, no drugs, no alcohol, no smoking, no parties ! 

• Preference given to female UMBC graduate students or undergraduate seniors

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Contact:

 WhatsApp Only – 443-813-7954

Available June 1st – Schedule a tour today!

Dong Li, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE), and Konstantinos Kalpakis, associate professor in CSEE, were recently awarded funding from the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Institute for Clinical and Translational Research to support the development of innovative healthcare technology. Both UMBC researchers are partnering with colleagues at UMB on their projects.

Li’s research aims to develop a reliable method to monitor blood pressure with a smartphone. High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects more than 1.3 billion people globally, and while conventional devices to monitor blood pressure are accurate, they are bulky and impractical in everyday life, Li says. As an affordable and accessible alternative, Li is testing if a smartphone, outfitted with ultrasound sensors to measure blood flow and using the built-in microphone to record heart sounds, could deliver reliable readings. Li’s partnership with UMB will allow the team to conduct clinical trials, with both healthy individuals and those with hypertension, to rigorously evaluate the system’s accuracy and effectiveness.

In a separate project, Kalpakis and his colleagues are developing a new approach to help trauma physicians make better-informed treatment decisions quickly. The team is working on a machine-learning framework that can help ER doctors predict medical outcomes, such as which patients will experience severe complications from trauma such as hemorrhaging, and what their blood transfusion needs may be. Unlike other machine learning models, the new approach can update over time and deliver measures of uncertainty, helping clinicians place more trust in the model’s guidance. 

“These projects highlight how interdisciplinary collaboration between UMBC and the University of Maryland School of Medicine can drive innovations in medical care and improve public health,” Li says. “I’m excited and proud to take this work forward.”