Here in the Office of Institutional Advancement, we are always working hard to support the university and connect our donors with causes they care most about. We would like to introduce our donors — to whom we are so grateful — to the people who help make those things happen. Today, we’ll be hearing from Logan Wern, the Phonathon Coordinator.

Name: Logan Wern
Job Title: Phonathon Coordinator
Focus Area: I manage our call center, where current students are employed to call alumni, update their records and fundraise for UMBC.
Years at UMBC: About 1.5

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: North Canton, Ohio. O-H!

Q: What do you love most about UMBC?

A: The unique culture — learning is cool. Being “nerdy” is cool. I love that.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?

A: The students! I am lucky to work with students every day. Their enthusiasm for learning and life in general always inspires me.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to support UMBC?

A: Just look around. I haven’t been here long, but I know how much UMBC has grown and improved over the years. This wouldn’t be possible without support from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, the community, and friends of the university.

Q: What is a recent book you’ve read?

A: Gone Girl. Bizarre, but good.

Q: If you were an Olympian, what would be your sport/activity of choice?

A: Couples figure skating. I took ballet lessons for many years, so there are some similarities. Couples skating is mesmerizing — the way two people move so seamlessly and gracefully.

Q: Who do you admire and why?

A: My parents. They have been happily married for 27 years, which is amazing in itself. Individually, I admire my mom for her selflessness and my dad for his wisdom. I look up to them a lot.

SWE will be hosting it's second general body meeting, Wednesday September 24th at 12pm during free hour in UC room 115. This week we will be discussing women in STEM majors vs. men in STEM majors and the outreach projects we have in store!  Make sure to come to this meeting if you signed up to be a SWE big or little because we will be announcing the pairs. If you are still interested you can sign up via application on myumbc (please do so by Tuesday night). In addition , announcements about a tour at MedImmune will be given at the end of meeting, so make sure to stop by for more details.

When I was asked if I would be interested in joining the Women’s Center staff, my first reaction was, “HELL YES.” The Women’s Center had very quickly become my favorite place on campus, and I was excited to jump on the opportunity to be a part of something that had been such a positive addition to my life. Last spring was a great time for me. I got more involved. I joined the Queer Leadership Council and the LGBT Campus Climate Workgroup. I was elected Outreach Coordinator for Freedom Alliance and Director of Public Affairs for GWST COMM. Recommendations, internship opportunities, and leadership roles were flying at me and it was great to feel like my skills were desirable.

How might male privilege show up in women-focused spaces?

But the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. How much of this have I actually earned? Aren’t there other people who are much more qualified than me for these jobs? How must my classmates feel about a freshman showing up and taking over? Am I taking over? How does privilege play into this? Do I even belong in these spaces? I have been thinking about these questions for months and I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a male-identified staff member at a women’s center and the complicated combination of male identity and queer identity.

I think a lot of trans guys and people of trans male identities forget that even though some of us may have once identified as women or are sometimes read as women, we still have male privilege. Despite our queerness and the bureaucratic level problems we face with documentation or health care, there is still a place for us on the glass escalator. Now, this is not true for all of us– trans men of color, gender nonconforming trans men, or those who do not easily or readily “pass” (when one fits the standards of what a man or woman looks like well enough to not have their gender questioned) have a much more difficult time with this. For the sake of this post, when I say “trans men” I specifically mean trans men like me: white, medically transitioning, “passing” men.

My biggest struggle has been figuring out a way to see how my privilege has given me advantages in my life while also remembering that I actually did earn some of it. It’s a balance between knowing when to be proud of myself because I’ve earned something and knowing when I’ve been given something. I’m still trying to figure out how to contribute and participate in feminist and women’s movements without riding the glass escalator to the forefront. I’m learning to listen more than I speak and to support the efforts of others to liberate themselves rather than leading their liberation.

As for the Women’s Center, I think I will always be questioning and changing how I fit into my role here, just as women’s centers have changed since their first appearances in the 1970s. Women’s centers are still women-focused spaces but have branched out to include women of color and LGBTQIA women and people. Many women’s centers (including ours) have even started looking at toxic forms of hegemonic masculinity and how it affects women and men alike.

I belong here for now. My roles and responsibilities will change as the needs of my communities and the communities I support change, and I am still learning. I welcome feedback and criticism from community members– after all, you are why I’m here.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you to this year’s Alumni Award winners. The UMBC Alumni Association proudly honors distinguished alumni and faculty for their accomplishments and dedication to UMBC. Today we’re talking with Michael Adelstein ‘96, biochemistry and molecular biology, about his career as CEO of Potomac Photonics, Inc. 

Name: Michael Adelstein ’96, biochemistry and molecular biology
Job Title: CEO, Potomac Photonics, Inc.
Award Category: Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Q: Why did you choose to attend UMBC, and how do you continue to be involved with the university?

I chose to attend UMBC because I felt it provided the perfect balance of academics, size, and social environment when compared to the other schools that I considered. I had a sense that UMBC was poised for great accomplishments, and the arrival of Dr. Hrabowski was instrumental at solidifying the school as a top tier university. The culture of UMBC is a very dynamic mix of academic excellence, cultural diversity, hard work, and opportunity that truly prepares its students for success.

I continue to be closely aligned with UMBC and its values. Recently, I moved our company to bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park to further enhance our partnerships with the faculty and students.

Special thanks to Dr. Tony Farquhar of the Mechanical Engineering Department; Susie Lynch from the UMBC Office of Institutional Advancement; and Ellen Hemmerly, Executive Director of bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park and Walt Schultz Director of Facilities and Leasing of bwtech@UMBC Technology and Development Park who have been invaluable in solidifying Potomac’s partnership with UMBC.

Q: Is there a particular class or professor at UMBC who really inspired you?

My coursework at UMBC inspired me to pursue opportunities in science and technology, and set the foundation for my future educational endeavors and career. Most notably, I really enjoyed my chemistry and biology classes, such as Analytical Chemistry and Immunology. Two of my former professors, Dr. William LaCourse and Dr. Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, employed innovative teaching techniques that were engaging and encouraged student participation and debate.  

Q: Please tell us a little about the trajectory of your career and what you are working on now.

During my time at UMBC I spent several summers interning at the National Institutes of Health. I also served six years in the Maryland National Guard as a squad leader for a mortar platoon. In 1997, I joined Potomac Photonics as a sales administrator, and became immediately intrigued and inspired by the micro manufacturing technology emerging for applications in industries such as medical, biotech, electronics, and others. I focused my efforts in developing and implementing a strategy to grow a contract manufacturing unit. This eventually became the primary focus of Potomac and in 2011 I was promoted to President and CEO of the company. One year later, I led a buyout of the company, and in 2013 relocated to bwtech@UMBC Technology and Research Park.

Q: What has been the greatest success in your career? The greatest challenge?

I am very proud of the company that Potomac has become. Currently, we are involved in projects to fabricate devices to treat cancer, diagnose concussions, develop new pharmaceutical drugs, and many others. We also started an Education Manufacturing Initiative which is a program focused on creating a robust partnership with universities in order to develop new products and manufacturing technologies. Our culture is one of continuous learning and opportunity and is modeled very closely after UMBC and its core values.

The greatest challenges moving forward are related to ensuring that Potomac stays true its mission and continues to develop novel micro manufacturing technologies that ensure our partners will be able to build parts with features that are getting smaller in size and more complex in design. Workforce training and education is of particular importance, and we are committed to supporting our employees and institutions committed to this area.

Q: What are your proudest personal achievements?

My proudest personal achievements revolve around my family. I cherish every moment that we spend together and the experiences that we share. My wife is my partner in every way, and her support and courage, even while battling several health issues, has been inspirational. Our children, Jacob, Josh, and Anna, are the light of our lives. We feel blessed to share all of this with our parents who frequently spend time and vacation with us. Finally, I am proud of all my coworkers and employees whose hard work and devotion have been instrumental in making Potomac a success.

Check out the other Alumni Award winners.

The time has arrived once again for one of UMBC’s premiere arts events this year. The annual UMBC Homecoming Big Prize Poetry Slam will be held on Friday, October 10, 2014, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Peforming Arts & Humanities Building (PAHB) first-floor atrium. Come enjoy a night of fun and poetry while cheering on the fantastic student and alumni poets as they compete for big prizes, enjoy wonderful free food, and even win door prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!

The event is presented by the English department, Bartleby, and the UMBC Homecoming Committee.

October is Relationship Violence Awareness Month, and here at UMBC we take relationship violence prevention extremely serious. There is an entire month's worth of great events and programs happening during the month of October and we hope that you will support our campus by being present at some of them. 

If you have questions about any of the listed events or about relationship violence resources, please contact Jess Myers, Women's Center Director, at jess.myers@umbc.edu, 410-455-2714 or myself, Mickey Irizarry, Health Education Coordinator, at pirizarry@umbc.edu, 410-455-3752.

In the latest essay for his Race Stories column in The New York Times, Maurice Berger, research professor at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, shares his views on Father Figure: Exploring Alternate Notions of Black Fatherhood, a new book by a Toronto-based photographer and physician, Zun Lee. While the book’s images of African-American  fathers may at first seem ordinary — for example, a man feeding his baby as his other children play nearby — Berger notes that the photographs “are in one sense unusual: Their subjects are black and counter mainstream media that typically depict African-American fatherhood as a wasteland of dysfunction and irresponsibility.”

Read “Black Fathers, Present and Accountable” and view the photographs at The New York Times Lens blog.

Berger’s Race Stories column, which appears monthly on The New York Times website, is “a continuing exploration of the relationship of race to photographic portrayals of race.”