• Facilities Management and PD initiate discussion about the upcoming event
• Facilities Management will notify the two outside contractors to be ready to respond on the day of the event. These companies are on contract to bring in large equipment and operators for main roadways and large parking lots, and smaller equipment and operators for secondary roadways and walkways

• Facilities Management will contact the two contractors and arrange for a specific time for each of them to be on campus
• Campus grounds staff are also mobilized to assist in the event response
• Facilities Management and PD also begin checking the UMBC calendar for scheduled events, to assess impact weather might have on them

• The PD will coordinate with State Police, Baltimore County Police Dept. and State Highway Administration, regarding off campus roadway conditions
• Various weather services are continually monitored to understand ongoing weather conditions
• Other campuses are consulted to share information about conditions in different areas and to consult about their response to the event
• The team analyzes the anticipated timing of the storm to gauge its impact on commuting to campus, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours
• Facilities Management will evaluate the conditions on campus to determine ability to have the campus ready for opening
• Between 4:30 am and 5:00 am, FM and the PD consider all information available on conditions to formulate a recommendation on campus closure or delayed opening.
• Between 5:00 am and 5:30 am, the Chief of PD shares all information gathered with the VP of Administration and Finance, as well as recommendations regarding closure or delayed opening
• Based on the above coordination, a decision is made on the closure or delayed opening
• If closure or delayed opening is the determination, the PD will send out a “text alert.” Also a campus-wide email and notice to the media take place. The goal is to send the alert out by no later than 6:00 am, and to make every effort to announce a decision by 5:30 am.
• If a delay is revised to a closure, the goal is to provide at least a 2-hour notice.

• The accuracy of a weather forecast improves the closer the timeframe being considered. With each passing hour, meteorologists are fine tuning their forecasts for location, duration, intensity, and precipitation totals
• The specific timing of a given storm, which affects the progress snow removal crews are able to make throughout the night, is key to a determination for campus opening or closure
• The ability to assess actual conditions in the early morning hours, rather than predicted conditions many hours beforehand, is the most effective means of arriving at the best decision

Erle Ellis, associate professor of geography and environmental systems was taking a walk down the beach when he found a smooth object. Thinking it was some relic of years of ocean polishing he put it in his pocket only to discover a trash heap a short distance away.

Triggered by his accidental discovery, Ellis measured on a global scale how much of Earth has been changed by humans. Using satellite data, he concluded that at least two thirds of the land surface have already been modified for agriculture, cities, mining and other human purposes. The oceans have also become an arena of human intervention: much of the sea floor has been ploughed over at least once through bottom trawling. Many species of fish have shrunk in size due to overfishing. And it’s the oceans where the effects of billions of tons of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere have the most tangible effects. The seas are soaking up a lot of the extra heat, and CO2 makes seawater more acidic, endangering coral reefs and algae built with chalky substances.

Ellis’ anecdote kicks off an opinion piece, Touched by Nature,  in Geographical written by Christian Schwagerl, a Berlin-based author, journalist and biologist writing extensively on the Anthropocene.

Schwagerl’s take-home message?

The Anthropocene idea is an urgent call to develop better future fossils than melted garbage.

Read more about the Anthropocene
When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal
 

Two weeks ago, The Daily Record released its 2015 Influential Marylanders honorees list, and we are proud to announce that five UMBC alumni were named.

Congratulations to Stephanie Hill ’86, computer science and economics; Laura Howell ’86, political science; Lily Bengfort ’93, English; Rob Deford ’93, geography; and Greg Cangialosi ’96, English.

A reception for the honorees will take place on March 26 at The Grand Lodge in Cockeysville. For more information on the event, click here.

Are you looking for a great Summer Internship? Did you know that T. Rowe Price hires at least 60+ interns each summer? In the past, many of these interns have come from UMBC.

Currently, T. Rowe Price is looking for students with interest in the following areas of Information Technology:

-Mobile Applications Development (iOS, HTML5) - 
-Applications Development (Java, CSS, .Net, SharePoint, C++) -
-Business Analysis / Project Management -
-Database/Data Management
-Production Systems Support 
-Trading Floor Support 

The complete details of their internship program are attached.To find out and apply to their internship program, check out their UMBCworks posting by searching for 2015 Summer Technology Intern Program-Undergraduate 

Please note, for best consideration, you should apply on UMBCworks and on the T. Rowe Price career website (06482)

If you have not had your resume reviewed by the Career Center, you can schedule an appointment with your coordinator via UMBCworks or come by drop-ins every Monday-Friday from 2-4pm in Math/Psych.