Posted on September 9, 2015 by Achsah Callahan

H3IT 2015 conference which will be held at the Vanderbilt University on Oct 27, 2015 announced its program. It seems like many opinion leaders in health IT adoption in home care and hospice are coming together. We look forward to the opportunity for the exchange of ideas. And, of course, we are pleased that two of our submissions were accepted for a podium presentation, and one for a poster presentation.

The intersection of technology and do-it-yourself (DIY) culture, known as the Maker Movement, has been praised for encouraging Americans to be creative and resourceful. However, the costly technology associated with the movement has raised concerns about accessibility. Amy Hurst, information systems, spoke to the Huffington Post this week about how she is encouraging diverse populations to engage in making.

Through working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and visual impairments, Hurst found that many DIY tools were difficult to use. Supported by a National Science Foundation grant, she started developing new tools and platforms to help people repair or customize objects, calling it “Making for All.” The tools developed range from VizTouch, which lets teachers quickly 3-D print math equations for visually impaired students, to GripFab, which allows individuals with disabilities print custom hand grips.

“We’re empowering people to incorporate making into their daily lives to solve their own accessibility challenges,” Hurst said. “These are individuals who many people would discount and overlook and not think of as makers and we were getting them to do 3-D printing just like engineering students.”

Read “Democratizing the Maker Movement” in Huffington Post.

The UMBC Career Center team spent the summer creating a dynamic new website for UMBC parents and students to use as a resource.  It is hard to believe that fall is already here and our new site has launched!  Please take a few minutes to browse through the valuable information that is included:  http://careers.umbc.edu/.

What comes to mind when thinking about the fall?  Back to school, bobbing-for apples, candy corn, pumpkin pie…fall is a great time of year for treats!  And what better treat could a UMBC student have then to know they are headed for a career they will love.  The key is to avoid the tricks and stale-candy-equivalents of the career decision-making and job search processes by identifying and sticking to a step-by-step, year-by-year plan. 

Luckily, the Career Center (http://careers.umbc.edu/) has created a timeline (http://careers.umbc.edu/families/supporting-your-student/) which provides you and your student with action items for each stage of their academic career.  No tricks here; just straightforward, on-target advice.

Freshmen should really start from day one thinking about their last day as a UMBC student.  In fact, we have had employers tell us that they begin to look at potential candidates as early freshmen year!  The Career Center offers FOCUS (an online career exploration system), Woofound Compass, and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to help students identify their interests, strengths and values (http://careers.umbc.edu/students/discover/self/).

Sophomores should nail down major and career decisions and begin to gain marketable skills through internships and other experiences (http://careers.umbc.edu/students/how-to-move-from-college-to-the-workforce/).  It is also the perfect time to dive into UMBC’s online recruitment system, UMBCworks, to look for summer internships or part-time positions, to begin researching industries, and to learn about organizations that hire UMBC students.

Juniors should attend career fairs and other employer events and make sure they are building relationships with faculty and others who will serve as references in the job search and graduate school application processes.  If graduate school is on the horizon, the online Graduate School Guide (http://www.graduateguide.com/) is a one-stop, not-to-miss resource. 

Seniors should start early on…the recruiting season starts as early as September.  Soon-to-be graduates should schedule practice interviews (http://careers.umbc.edu/mock-interviews/), nail down their 30-second networking commercial, and take advantage of all the opportunities we provide to connect graduating students with employers recruiting at UMBC (http://careers2.umbc.edu/calendar/ 

With the guidance and resources of the Career Center, your student will have a head start in avoiding a scary and uncertain future.  We’ve got the treats; come and get ‘em! 

Hello Everyone, we looking for four volunteers to pilot test an online questionnaire. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift card. we are looking for two patients and two healthcare professionals as participants. Please see the announcement page for details. Thanks. Here is the link: https://researchactivities.wordpress.com/requests-for-participation/