This weekend, UMBC’s Cyber Defense Team (the ‘CyberDawgs’) took first place at the 2015 National CyberWatch Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC).

UMBC was one of ten teams that advanced to the regional finals held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab on March 25-28. As the first place winner, the CyberDawgs will represent UMBC and the Mid-Atlantic region at the National CCDC in San Antonio, Texas April 24-26, 2015.

A reflection written by Women’s Center intern, Narges Ershad

It has been many years that, in one particular day in the year many people would repeat a sentence to me and other women’s. “ Happy International Women’s Day”!  Throughout the year it has been days and times that people would appreciate me, or we would have critical conversation regarding women’s issues, and see how far we have come. But March 8th was always different.  International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 8th, with each country having its own way of celebrating and recognizing the the freedoms or limitations that exist for women. Many organize marches on the streets of their home town, host round tables and panels about the achievements and limitations that women have to that day, and hold undergrounds celebrations and meetings in the countries that people can’t freely gather and talk about the topic.

A view from inside the UN.

This year during International Women’s Day, I along with many others from around the world, had the privilege of attending the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) conference that was held at the United Nation headquarters in New York City. Over the course of the week and throughout the conference so much came to my mind, so many people and stories inspired me, and I became even more determined about my career goals and role as an activist. As I marched on the streets of NYC with women leaders and activists from around the globe on International Women’s day, talked to leaders, attended panels and meetings, I felt great affirmation in wanting to be involved, do more, and get others involved in the rights for women as well.

Here I am outside the UN for the Commission on the Status of Women conference!

I have always been interested to learn about other countries and ways and which that they are dealing with and addressing issues regarding women in their country. CSW59 was a place to learn and reflect on all I know and always wanted to learn. This is a 2-week long conference that state officials, leaders, researchers, founders and workers of different NGO’s attend each year to tell others about their country’s progress and see what everyone else is doing. It also provides time for leaders to collaborate together on what they can do as a whole to advocate for  gender equality for everyone.  Many sessions were organized around the topic of gender equality and women’s rights. It was a great feeling to see how all these organizers and leaders have made many great changes in their countries and hear what they are still fighting for through their activism. As topics such as female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, child marriage, human trafficking were discussed throughout the sessions, I was challenged to think more deeply and consider what role I play in making the world a better place for all girls and women.

I really enjoyed all the session, but one in particular really stood out to me was one hosted by U.N Women. They introduced a book called Transnational Feminist Movement. This is a great book that explores that transnational feminist movement and “contributions they have made to global knowledge, power and social change over the past half century.” In this session they also emphasized the importance of having everyone and not just women involved in the movement.

This conference inspired critical reflection within me. After this conference now I can look at gender issues with a more global knowledge and lens. I understand more about how we can help one another to build a better world, while respecting one’s place. I understand that this respect sometimes means having to listen and at times follow if we are asked instead of only taking the charge to lead and demand. It is important to remember how far the women’s movement has come, to recognize the progress and to appreciate all those who have helped us along the way. Just as importantly, we must remember that we have a long journey in front of us and we must keep fighting for all women.

Our march throughout New York City

With the discord in the Middle East and North Africa seemingly reaching a fever-pitch, Arab leaders are stepping up efforts to take some control back.

At the Arab League Summit in the Egyptian town of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the creation of a “joint Arab military force” to counter the various extremist movements in the region.

While constructing a unified military coalition will take time, it could prove to be a critical step in combating such threats as ISIS and the sectarian violence in Yemen.

Yet while Arab efforts point to a renewed commitment to a focused mission, America’s strategy in the region has taken on a more haphazard tone.

In Iraq, U.S. airstrikes against ISIS-held Tikrit suggest a tacit (if not more) cooperation with Shiite militias, many of them backed by Iran. Yet in Yemen, U.S. intelligence support is aiding Saudi Arabian airstrikes–against Shiite militias, many of them backed by Iran.

And, oh yeah…there’s still the whole nuclear-negotiation-with-Iran-thing going on.

If only U.S. policy towards the region could always be this straightforward.

Over the course of a few decades, Singapore has come to embody the economic dynamism and rise to geopolitical relevance experienced by much of Asia. So when its de facto founding father passed away last week, the world took notice.

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, died on March 23 at 91 years old. He leaves behind a nation mourning the loss of its first and most impactful leader, and a complex political legacy.

By some, Lee will be remembered as the bold and ambitious founder who elevated the so-called Lion City from economic and political irrelevance. His assertive leadership did more than propel Singapore from the trauma of war and colonialism; it transformed the tiny country into an economic powerhouse.

Yet to others, Lee’s image is that of the calculative dictator, adept at discouraging political opposition and suppressing free speech.

Now in his wake, the country must decide how Lee’s historically predominant People’s Action Party (PAP) will respond to growing dissent from younger Singaporeans. The country must also face the prospect of balancing social order and economic strength with the need for democratic values–as its mass surveillance programs illustrate.

Lee may be gone, but how will the country he authored fare without him?

Students completing internships at the Women’s Center work an average of 8 hours per week during the academic semester and will receive 3 credits each semester through the Honors College’s internship course (HONR 410). In addition to working on particular projects, interns will also help with daily office tasks such as greeting and assisting visitors, managing the front desk, and supporting Women’s Center programs and events.

Responsibilities May Include:

• Developing programs on topics affecting women and/or marginalized groups. Programming can be flexible to reflect individual interests and specific academic program needs (examples include: relationships and consent; body image; LGBTQ issues; international women’s issues; leadership development; intersectionality)
• Assisting with organizing signature Women’s Center programs and groups (examples include: Women’s History Month; Clothesline Project; Returning Women’s Forums; Critical Social Justice)
• Researching and writing national and local grants to support the Women’s Center
• Coordinating tabling events and other outreach efforts  
• Representing the Women’s Center in cultivating relationships with student organizations and unaffiliated student populations
• Identifying collaborative projects and/or co-sponsorship opportunities with other campus partners and organizations
• Researching and compiling community resources and services to support the Women’s Center
• Creating and distributing marketing materials for Women’s Center programs via publicity flyers, myUMBC spotlights, blog posts, and Women’s Center social media

Qualifications Include:

• Ability to understand and articulate women’s, gender, and social justice issues
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively to develop, organize, and assess programming
• Interest and skills related to graphic design, social media, and other marketing strategies
• Competency in effectively managing time and multiple projects
• Availability to work flexible hours based on the programming needs of the Center

Contact Jess Myers at jessm@umbc.edu to learn more about an internship with the Women’s Center.

To be considered for Fall 2015 start date, please contact no later than May 15, 2015.  

1 in 1,610,543,269.

According to statistician Nate Silver, those are the odds that he predicted the outcomes of this year’s March Madness games with perfect accuracy.

 No fan has ever verifiably completed a perfect bracket. An average March Madness tournament has between 16 and 20 upsets.

In case you’re a little behind on your math education: one in one-point-six-billion is not good odds. 

For a better chance of picking a winner, let’s look to another college sport with a March championship: the Pan-American Collegiate Chess Tournament. 

Chess is a good choice for predictability. The first round of this year’s “Pan-Am” (featuring 45 teams) resulted in zero upsets.

What accounts for the difference?

First, chess is fundamentally more predictable. The outcome of the game results entirely from the decisions of the players.

One group from Stanford University created a system that can predict individual chess players’ wins and losses based on past wins and losses with greater than 85% accuracy. Ranking systems abound, some of which have been generalized to other competitions. 

Second, the chess tournament structure itself minimizes randomness.  

The Pan-Am is structured as a Swiss-system tournament, which leads to fewer upsets that March Madness’s single elimination system. 

Single elimination makes for easy to understand brackets, and mathematically “efficient but unfair” outcomes (as compared to “fair but inefficient” league play). 

 What’s harder to measure is the influence of unpredictability on fan enjoyment.

So let us know in the comments: how much do you like being right?

This weekend, UMBC’s Cyber Defense Team (the ‘CyberDawgs’) took first place at the 2015 National CyberWatch Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC).

UMBC was one of ten teams that advanced to the regional finals held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab on March 25-28. As the first place winner, the CyberDawgs will represent UMBC and the Mid-Atlantic region at the National CCDC in San Antonio, Texas April 24-26, 2015.

The final standings for this weekend’s action are:

1st: UMBC 1674450
2nd: UMCP 1321050
3rd: Towson 1159925

The CyberDawgs participating in the MA-CCDC finals were Jacob Rust, Tyler Campbell, Anh Ho, John Beers, Joshua Domangue, Chris Gardner, Julio Valcarcel, and David Young.

Interested in joining the CyberDawgs? Contact Jacob Rust ( jrust1@umbc.eduSorry, you need javascript to view this email address. ) for more information — they’re always looking for new members! (The team meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7PM in ITE 227.)

The CyberDawg faculty advisors are Dr. Charles Nicholas and Dr. Richard Forno..