Greg Cangialosi ‘96, English, has made a name for himself as a serial entrepreneur with a passion for helping others succeed.  Since he graduated from UMBC, he has gone on to run two companies, and made it a personal mission to turn Baltimore into a hub for startup companies. To help support that initiative, the MissionTix CEO and co-founder of the startup incubator Betamore gave a generous gift to UMBC to establish the Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition.

The CBIC launched last year through the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship to give undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to develop and present their business plans, and get a head start on establishing their companies. The first competition was held in the spring of 2014.

“His spirit is all about entrepreneurism,” says Susie Lynch, a development officer at UMBC. “[He’s] passionate about others’ success…[and] having a thriving startup community in Baltimore.”

Cangialosi had been involved with the Alex. Brown Center for some time before the competition began, according to the Center’s director, Vivian Armor. Among other initiatives, he was a featured speaker for the Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, developed and taught UMBC’s Entrepreneurial Marketing course, and served as a judge for the university’s annual Idea Competition, upon which the CBIC is based and which still runs every fall.

“As a result of his long term involvement with the Center, [Cangialosi] realized there was a need to provide the next level of competition and support for students who were serious about starting a business,” says Armor. The CBIC, she explains, was intended to connect students with the larger Baltimore business community.

To enter the competition, students submit their business plans to a panel of qualified experts. Those selected for the next round are paired with a mentor to help them fine-tune their ideas, and in the final round, they present their fully-formed startup plans to a panel of community business leaders and investors. In addition to a cash prize of up to $5,000 for seed funding, competition winners receive free Betamore membership, as well as free legal services, accounting advice, and fundraising and pitch advice.

Andrew Mavronicolas ‘14, information systems, is one such beneficiary. He was one of 10 finalists in last year’s inaugural competition, and his company, Backpack ‘Em, is now located in UMBC’s Cyberhive incubator. The company provides a platform for an intra-campus marketplace, its most popular use being textbook selling and trading. Mavronicolas says the support he received during and after the competition was invaluable in helping him get his business off the ground.

“The greatest gain that we had from the competition was easily the insights given by judges [and] investors, our mentor, students, and the university. This allowed us to improve upon our business idea by expanding our revenue models. It also helped us to perfect our pitch and gain the confidence to go meet with university decision makers and investors,” he says.

According to Armor, the competition will continue every spring semester, and has been a boon to the Brown Center’s visibility on campus. “[…Now] more students are aware of the wide range of initiatives and programming the Center makes available,” she says.

Lynch says Cangialosi is personified by his Twitter hashtag of choice: #neverstop. “That’s him in a nutshell,” she says. As the CBIC enters its third year, one hopes that that tenacious entrepreneurial spirit will be fostered within and passed onto several generations of students.

Cross-posted from the UMBC Alumni Blog.

by Beverly Bickel and Sara Leidner

Every week, Off-Campus Student Services provides a complimentary breakfast for commuter students. The goal: keep them around.

OCSS offers services, programs, and support to students living off campus. Their offices are located in the Main Street lounge of The Commons, also known as the commuter lounge. The OCSS desk is always stocked with a plethora of pamphlets related to transportation, housing and activities both on and off campus. Student staff members are also eager to give assistance and information.

However, many students do not take advantage of all that OCSS has to offer. Cara McNeaney, a junior interdisciplinary studies major used to live on campus, but became a commuter student this year to save money. Though she knows of OCSS, and had seen them setting up their weekly Good Morning Commuters breakfast, she did not know much about the services they provide.

“It would be cool to have a little commuter guide or something like a pamphlet telling you [about] different services or carpooling,” McNeaney said.

OCSS may not have one comprehensive pamphlet, but their website details all the organization has to offer including events, commuter resources, and help with off-campus housing.

Though McNeaney is finding it difficult to meet new people while commuting, she is also finding positive aspects of living at home.

“I did like living on campus, but the social life … gets kind of distracting,” she said, “so now I have time to study. I really like that.”

In order to help students make friends, the OCSS offers events throughout the year to help students get to know each other. A regular event is the Commuter Cafe where they give free lunch. Workshops are regularly held to improve academic habits and leadership skills. There is also an annual retreat for first year commuters that includes team building activities.

Joy Kisch, a junior biology major and English minor who, like McNeany, moved off campus this year. Kisch also feels that it is difficult to meet new people while living off campus.

“As soon as I finish class I’m headed to the library or I’m headed home. I know living on campus you have more people around you all the time, but living off campus you’re just on your own.”

In order to meet more people and stay connected with the campus, Kisch attends the weekly breakfast offered by the OCSS. She feels it is for a good price and helpful to her.

“You can meet other commuters, and the food is good, too,” Kisch said. “You just sit with anyone and start a conversation.”

The men’s soccer team continues to rise into success after defeating Big Ten school Ohio State University on September 4 with a score of 1-0. Beating the Buckeyes gave the Retrievers their second consecutive victory of the new season.

2,470 spectators were there to witness the Retriever triumph, nearly surpassing the 2,874 record of attendance achieved at their first home game of the 2015 season against Fairfield on August 28. Competing against Ohio State was UMBC’s third home game after defeating Central Arkansas 5-0.

The first half of the match was the quieter of the two. No goals were scored during this time, but there were attempts from both sides. The Buckeyes were more possessive of the ball with five shot attempts compared to UMBC’s two.

Junior goalie Billy Heavner’s one save of the half was 10 minutes into the game, when Buckeyes midfielder Greg Solawa brought the ball to the middle of the field and kicked it several yards out towards Heavner. Heavner dived to his left and caught the ball.

Goal attempts by UMBC during this half include senior midfielder Malcom Harris’ attempt around the 33 minute mark. Standing near Ohio State’s penalty area on the spectator’s side, he kicked to the right and the ball flew past two Buckeyes but it was saved by Ohio State goalie Chris Froschauer.

The second half of the soccer game determined the fate of the Retrievers. Freshman midfielder Patrick Jean-Gilles took possession of the ball at center midfield and made a solid right diagonal pass to midfielder senior Joseph Pratt. Pratt ran the ball up the field before making a smooth left cross over to senior forwarder Darius Madison, who spun around and quickly shot the ball right into the upper middle of the goal at the 58:03 mark.

UMBC and Ohio State were more even in terms of making shots on goals during the second half, with the Buckeyes attempting five and the Retrievers attempting four with one success. The Buckeyes played more offensively after UMBC’s goal, trying to make a comeback, but during the last half hour of the game the Buckeyes couldn’t score. This left the game at 1-0 with yet another Retriever victory.

The Retrievers next take on cross-town rival Loyola University at Loyola on September 12 at 7p.m.

The worlds of nature and technology have always been somewhat at odds with one another, but in Ubisoft’s game, Grow Home, both worlds exist in harmony. In this game, a tiny robot named the Botanical Utility Droid, or B.U.D., must grow a giant plant stalk that will take him back to his mothership. The graphics are reminiscent of old Nintendo video games, but the animation is fluid and smooth.

B.U.D. responds to every single command the player gives him with momentum. Getting him to move in one direction and then abruptly changing directions will cause him to stumble over himself. As he climbs, he visibly stretches his arms forward when attempting to grab a space. When he jumps, his arms and legs flail around, madly fighting gravity.

B.U.D. can be difficult to control initially, especially when climbing. He has two arms, controlled separately, which require a large amount of coordination. After playing for a little while, it is easy to figure out and by the end of the game every motion is second nature.

Though he never speaks, B.U.D. is extremely emotive through his movements and facial expressions. He is in awe of the world around him and his childlike excitement adds no small amount of charm to his personality. To emphasize the B.U.D.’s childlike quality, his only contact throughout the game is an unseen character called M.O.M., who guides him through the world.

In terms of setting, Grow Home is both limited and expansive. The overall objective of the game is pretty straightforward and there is a definite path from beginning to end that the player can follow. It is entirely possible to complete the game in a matter of hours simply by following this path to the end.

The world itself is filled with deep caverns, distant floating islands and plenty of collectibles to make exploring worthwhile. Though these side quests do not add to the story, they make the atmosphere of the game more mystical and enchanting, which is what ties it all together. The colors, motions, fluidity, blocky graphics and tiny details throughout are what make this game a delight. The game itself is a basic jump-and-climb game, but the atmosphere adds a level of originality and charm that make it worth playing.