UMBC first-year Cybersecurity (CYBR) MPS student Andrew Shiffer placed third in Microsoft’s “Cybersecurity 2020” student essay contest. The contest allows Microsoft to solicit original research about cybersecurity policy challenges from university students at any stage in their educational careers. Andrew’s paper is entitled “A Cybersecurity Triumvirate: Policies, Outcomes, and Emerging Trends.”

Andrew will receive $2,000 and the opportunity for his work to be published by Microsoft. Andrew says the money will go toward his studies at UMBC. According to Microsoft, Andrew is the only American finalist.

Erin O’Keefe ’08, MPP, has been named to the Daily Record’s VIP list, which honors leaders under 40 for their professional accomplishments and commitment to inspiring change in their communities. Erin is the director of the York Road Initiative at Loyola University.

Greg Sileo ’11, MPP, was named to the Daily Record’s 20 Under Twenty list, which honors Maryland up-and-comers who are in their 20s. Greg is the Director of the Office of Home Energy Programs at the Maryland Department of Human Resources, and was formerly the Director of Community Outreach for the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services.

Chosen by a panel of previous award winners, honorees are chosen based on professional development, civic involvement and impact of achievement.

We’ve all used border-radius in our designs to round the corners of images, divs, navs, etc… But have you ever noticed what happens when a thick border is added to an element with a border radius?

As we learned in my CSS Deep Dive on the subject, the rounded corners in border-radius are formed by the radius of a quarter circle.

The quarter sections of each circle form the rounded corners of the element.

When Thick Borders Connect

There’s a slight issue that occurs when we pair border-radius with a thick border-width. The following image, for example, has a radius value that’s twice the border thickness.

.mike {
      border-radius: 12px;
      border: 6px solid crimson;
    }

No issues just yet.

But, if we make the border-width value larger than border-radius, we lose the rounded corners – the edges in our image become squared.

.mike {
      border-radius: 12px;
      border: 14px solid crimson;
    }

As the border gets wider, the image’s corners become squared.

Why Does This Happen?

This is because border-radius actually shapes the outer part of a border––not the inner. The inner radius shape is determined by the border-radius value minus the border thickness. This results in an inner radius that’s usually smaller than the outer radius.

So if the border-width value is greater than border-radius, we see the effect of a quarter radius connecting two borders that are thicker than the actual radius.

Notice the squared inner radius:

To make both radiuses proportional, we’ll need to adjust the radius value to about double the border width, or the sum of border-width and border-radius.

.mike {
      border-radius: 26px;
      border: 14px solid crimson;
    }

When we change the border-radius value to 26px, we get the rounded corners back in our image.

The Box-shadow Method

When we generate a box shadow, the shadow follows the border radius of the element. With that in mind, we can use the optional box-shadow spread value to create what looks exactly like a border.

The spread radius sets the spread distance of the box shadow. If we set the offsets and blur to 0, the spread value defined renders a hard-edged border around the element.

.mike {
      border-radius: 12px;
      box-shadow: 0 0 0 14px crimson;
    }

The result looks exactly like our border style example. But now we don’t have to worry about increasing border-radius every time we increase the border width because the spread value will always follow the radius.

Using Sass Variables

If we’re using a preprocessor like Sass, we can create variables for the border width and radius, then use a simple math operation that proportionality shapes the radius.

$border-width: 14px;
    $radius: $border-width*1.9;  
    
    .mike {
      border: $border-width solid crimson;
      border-radius: $radius;
    }

Conclusion

The box-shadow method discussed does come with a caveat. Since box shadows are not part of an element’s box model, the faux borders overlap parts of other inline or floated elements, so we’ll need to compensate with extra margins.

CSS box shadows are supported in all the latest browsers, including IE9+.

The post CSS Tip: Better Rounded Borders appeared first on Treehouse Blog.

When UMBC’s search committee met Tim Hall it was clear he embodied all the characteristics and values ingrained in the campus culture, Dr. Nancy Young, Vice President of Student Affairs, told the crowd at a June news conference. The Baltimore Sun article also highlighted the enthusiasm of the new AD joining a university with strong academics, as well as Division I sports programs.

“I really look at UMBC as an institution athletically that is under the radar and I don’t see any reason why we can’t be one of the best comprehensive Division I programs that doesn’t sponsor football in the country,” Hall said. “It’s a great academic institution.”

The UMBC Chess team was featured in the July, 2013 Washingtonian magazine. The article highlighted Washington, DC for, “We’re great at sports you didn’t even know existed.”

The short piece focuses on the team’s history and how they are seeking to reclaim their once former dominance in college chess. You can play UMBC’s team in the September annual UMBC chess championship.

In a recent Chicago Tribune article, UMBC’s Bob Provine explained the origin and meaning behind some of our most curious behaviors. From the contagious yawn to the annoying hiccup, Provine unravels the mysteries of these often embarrassing, uncontrollable instincts in hopes of shedding new light on our evolution as a social animal.

“It’s your body, and you like to think you’ve got it under control,” says Provine. “But underneath the calm exterior lurk unruly instincts and urges that are struggling to escape, putting you at risk of embarrassment or ridicule.”

You can also hear Provine discuss his research in a June interview on WCBM’s radio show, The Medical Hour.