Panama " Smog blog" modeled after UMBC pollution tracker
By Emma MarstonUMBC's U.S. Air Quality Weblog, more commonly known as the Smog Blog, has recently helped to launch a similar air pollution monitoring blog based in Panama, called SERVIR. The Smog Blog is a blog designed to track air pollution and air quality in the United States by taking information from both satellite sensors and monitoring systems that are ground based. The information is consolidated together on one website and is able to highlight the worst sections of the country as well as new developments. The blog's goal is to make both the general public and the scientific community aware of ... Read More
UMBC budget takes a few hits due to economic downturn
By Emma Marston
With the economy in its present state, there has been a good deal of talk around campus concerning UMBC's budget for Fiscal Year 2010, but it can be hard for students to understand just how UMBC has been affected by recent economic troubles. UMBC's total budget for 2010 is $345 million, but the university has had to cut over $9 million to reach this amount.Nearly 50% of UMBC's budget comes from state appropriations. The next largest slice of revenue comes from tuition, at about 40%, which is much less than many students might expect. Other, smaller sources of revenue come ... Read More
Facilities Management landscaping efforts attempt to improve campus aesthetics inside and out
By Emma Marston
Landscaping workers at UMBC have been working to beautify campus lately by planting an abundance of new trees and flowers, as well as working to place more practical items like sidewalks and trash cans around campus. Facilities Management works every year to properly maintain and care for the campus grounds as much as possible, within budgetary constraints, focusing on primary thoroughfares, explained Terry Cook, Associate Vice-President for Administrative Services.Over the past two years, UMBC has really focused on keeping the grounds looking clean and well-kept, planting 119 street trees in the median of Hilltop Circle, and planting a total of ... Read More
Mosaic Center hosts discussion with regards to U.S foreign policy's impact
By Emma Marston
In a recent discussion sponsored by UMBCtalks, UMBC students debated U.S. foreign policy and its impact on the global community. The event gave students and other members of the UMBC community a chance to discuss global issues and recent events. "Our goal [with UMBCtalks] is to provide a space for real, authentic dialogue about things that are already on the minds of students and staff," said Lisa Gray, Assistant Director of Cultural and Spiritual Diversity.There were quite a few students present from various cultural backgrounds, and while several were there for Resident Assistant training or other requirements, it was clear ... Read More
Forum addresses the new FA building parking concerns
By Emma Marston
For a campus with a lot of commuting students and faculty like UMBC, parking is a big issue. The upcoming new Fine Arts building will end up displacing nearly 700 parking spots when it is built atop parking lots 9 and 16. To address this issue, a parking forum was organized to keep students informed and discuss the coming changes to the campus. The forums, which were held on February 3, 4, and 5, were hosted by Lynne Schaefer, Vice President of Administration and Finance. "We genuinely want to hear from folks…We understand that this will affect students' lives," Schaefer ... Read More
Vacant SGA Senate positions filled
By Emma Marston
The Student Government Association recently filled two Senator positions that were left vacant when Simmi Singh and Justin Donlan both resigned from the SGA. These spots "needed to be filled quickly in order to better serve the UMBC community," said Sunaina Khandelwal, the speaker of the SGA Senate. Their replacements are Gavin Way and Brittany Carver. Yasmin Karimian, SGA president, said that both Donlan and Singh resigned for personal reasons, and that their resignations were unrelated to a drop in GPA or eligibility issues."My experience with the Student Government Association has been extraordinarily rewarding. Ever since my freshman year, I ... Read More
Local farm educates and hopes to compost True Grit's leftovers
By Emma MarstonIt can be difficult to teach kids about environmental issues and the importance of fresh food when they're surrounded by prepackaged and microwaveable foods that tend to emphasize ease of preparation and convenience rather than nutritional value. However, the Great Kids Farm in Catonsville, MD, is hoping to change all that by providing Baltimore schoolchildren an alternative way to learn about sustainability and other environmental concerns. The farm teaches children about the earth and what it does, and helps establish that healthy food doesn't have to be a bad thing.The farm, owned by the Baltimore Public School system, hopes to ... Read More
UMBC: The sixth largest blood drive sponsor in the region
By Emma Marston
The various blood drives run and organized by various groups on campus here at UMBC bring in a lot of blood for the Red Cross. However, that amount may be more than you think. In the past few years, UMBC has experienced a significant increase in donations made on campus over the past few years, making it the sixth largest blood drive sponsor in the entire Chesapeake and Potomac region. This area spans part of southern Pennsylvania, all of central Maryland, Washington, D.C, parts of northern Virginia, and includes over 2,000 sponsors.In addition, UMBC has recently become a LifeBoard sponsor ... Read More
$100,000 spent on Quadmania
By Emma Marston
UMBC's annual Quadmania celebration this past weekend had students all over campus excited for the rides, the elephants, the Wale and Third Eye Blind concerts, and all of the other events and attractions SEB lined up for students. Katie Dix, the SEB Vice President, said that SEB spends roughly $100,000 every year on Quadmania, an amount that covers everything from free things for students to a variety of local bands and performers, as well as less visible costs like the advertisements, security, fencing, furniture rentals, and "port-a-potties" that make Quadmania possible. SEB does not make any money off of its ... Read More
UMBC's Chess Team wins 2010 President's Cup
By Emma Marston
On April 11, UMBC's Chess Team won the "Final Four of College Chess" at the 2010 President's Cup, a record sixth win. According to Sergey Erenburg, UMBC's team captain, this Final Four ranks among the strongest events in collegiate chess history. Though competition usually remains stiff, this year's tournament boasted three particularly strong teams from Texas: Texas Tech University; the University of Texas, Dallas; and the University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB). UMBC outdid the second place team, UTB, by half a point to clinch its victory. UMBC chess director Alan Sherman confirmed that UTB had hired a top chess consultant to ... Read More
Google Mail and Apps soon to be the norm at UMBC
By Emma MarstonUMBC has started to convert campus mail to Google mail. Google has agreed to offer Google Apps for Education to members of MEEC, the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium. This includes all 24 public K-12 districts, libraries, and all public and private higher education institutions.Google Apps is a package of online applications created by Google, and features applications such as Google Mail, Calendar, and Documents. The services provided by these applications, like the abilityto easily create and share documents with Google Docs, will help communication among students and faculty. The agreement also enables MEEC members to license Google Postini Services such ... Read More
Patapsco addition to house nearly 200 breaks ground
By Emma Marston
UMBC held a ground-breaking ceremony on September 3 for the new addition to Patapsco Hall. The four-story, 200-bed extension will feature double rooms, 8 triples, 24 singles and 3 studio apartments for graduate resident staff. Each studio will also contain a kitchen and bathroom unit. Contractors plan to upgrade the current lobby in Patapsco, all the bathrooms, construct an elevator and add a new set of stairs in the north corner of the east wing. Other amenities include volleyball and basketball courts, a new courtyard, and an outdoor dining area. "It's great to be able to say that this ... Read More
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