For two months of the year, visitors to Harbin in northeast China can brave the -40 degree temperatures to see the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival's sculptures illuminated in spectacular colors at night. Stay cozy and enjoy the sights of the 2019 festival from home with this Smithsonian Magazine article. A little closer to home, (seb) will be hosting iceless ice skating and snow tubing on the Library Plaza on campus this Friday.

Lunar New Year Celebration Continues

We're very excited by the response to our Lunar New Year celebration and our new Asian Studies shirts. If you haven't stopped by our office (Fine Arts 548) yet for New Year treats and a shirt, the event continues today and tomorrow. Although the food giveaway will end tomorrow, Asian Studies students are welcome to pick up a shirt any time this semester.

Spring 2022 Graduation Application Deadline: February 15

If you are planning to graduate this May, be sure to submit your graduation application before next week's deadline! The Registrar's website has everything you need to know. 

URCAD 2022 Applications Are Now Open

UMBC is a campus that recognizes its students' research at all levels; URCAD is the annual celebration of undergraduate research and creative achievements. If you've completed a big research or creative project this year, URCAD is a fantastic opportunity to share your expertise and accomplishments with the campus community and the public. The deadline to apply is February 18. Learn more at URCAD's website. Dr. Oyen is a great resource if you have questions about how to apply. 

Virtual Internship and Career Fair - February 25

The Career Center's popular Internship and Career Fair event will take place virtually later this month. More than 85 employers have already signed up, and they're all eager to meet UMBC students and recent graduates. For more information, and how to sign up to attend, visit the Career Center's website. 

Covid-19 Booster and Flu Shot Clinics - Feb 17 and March 3

If you're able, and haven't yet had a chance to get your seasonal flu vaccine or a Covid-19 booster, Retriever Integrated Health is hosting additional clinics on campus on February 17 (next Thursday) and on March 3 (also a Thursday). You can make an appointment on their website.

Roses are Pink, Chip's Tongue is too; for Valentine's Day, She Wants to See You!

Swing by the RAC on Valentine's Day (Monday next week, Feb 14) to hang out with Officer Chip! She and her entourage will have prize giveaways for all her Valentines, too. Check myUMBC for more information. 

Virtual Involvement Fest - This Week! 

Introduction to Bioarchaeology Course
Deadline: March 20, 2022

The Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science is launching an intensive week-long course in bioarchaeology to introduce participants to the analysis of human skeletal remains from archaeological settings. Dr. Ioanna Moutafi, a Post-Doctoral Fellow of the Wiener Laboratory and expert in bioarchaeology and Aegean prehistory, will lead the course with assistance from Dr. Dimitris Michailidis, an anthropologist/paleontologist and Coordinator of the Wiener Laboratory. Human bones are a unique strand of archaeological evidence, as they provide a vast array of both biological and cultural information about life and death in the past. This course will offer both the theoretical and basic technical skills for the analysis and interpretation of human remains, through lectures, seminars and interactive hands-on practical sessions. The objective is to familiarize with all aspects of the human skeleton and the different insights they can offer us into the past.

The course will explore key themes in bioarchaeology, such as:

• Human skeletal anatomy – bone identification
• Estimation of sex and age-at-death
• Skeletal variation
• Dealing with commingled human remains
• Paleopathology
• Nutrition and diet
• Current biomolecular advances (a-DNA, stable isotopes)
• Bones in context: social bioarchaeology and funerary archaeology

A maximum of 10 participants will be accepted for the course. Preference is given to graduate and advanced students with an interest in archaeological science, bioarchaeology, and funerary archaeology. The course is also ideal for professional archaeologists or museum curators who may occasionally need to work with human remains. This course is not geared toward people with significant experience in human osteology or bioarchaeology. No prior experience in human osteology is required.

Training fee is 400 euros for the entire course. Accommodation is not provided, but we will offer recommendations and assistance to course participants in order to arrange accommodation themselves.

The course will take place from May 30 to June 3, 2022. Applications will be submitted no later than March 20, 2022 via the online application form: https://ascsa.submittable.com/submit/213813/introduction-to-bioarchaeology-course-application 

Applications will include one paragraph outlining the candidate’s background and why the candidate is interested in participating in the course, a CV, and names and email addresses of two referees. Participants who successfully complete the course of instruction will receive a certificate detailing the content of the course.

For further information or questions, please contact Dr. Ioanna Moutafi (imoutafi@yahoo.gr).

Link to online posting.

—

American School of Classical Studies at Athens
321 Wall Street
Princeton, NJ 08540-1515
Email: programs@ascsa.org
Website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Us!

There is a lot to celebrate in Asian Studies this spring! Stop by this week or next to pick up a Cup Noodles, an orange, and a fortune cookie, so we can celebrate the new year in a Covid-policy-compliant way. 

We are also celebrating our 10th anniversary at UMBC this year! Asian Studies students are also welcome to pick up an Asian Studies t-shirt when they pick up their Lunar New Year lunch items. 

Check out the myUMBC event page for more information about when and where these giveaways are happening! 

Summer Fellowship with the National Bureau of Asian Research

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) seeks applicants for their four-month Undergraduate Diversity Fellowships. The NBR Undergraduate Diversity Fellowship aims to extend educational, professional, and mentorship opportunities to Black and brown students who are interested in pursuing a career in the field of international affairs or Asia policy. 

Fellows will receive mentorship and professional experience as they work full-time on-site at NBR's offices in Washington, DC, throughout the summer. For detailed information about the fellowship, visit NBR's website.

The deadline to submit your application is March 27, 2022, at 11:59pm EST. 

KAA-Pony Chung Foundation Korea-America Essay Prize Competition - Top Prize $10,000!

Have you written a great essay about Korea-U.S. diplomacy, security, or economic policy? The KAA-Pony Chung Foundation wants you to submit it to their competition. Three winners will receive cash prizes ($10,000, $5,000, $1,000). Any undergraduate student with Korean or American citizenship is eligible to apply. 

The deadline to submit your essay and the other application materials is March 30, 2022, and prize announcements will be made in mid-April. Detailed submission and eligibility information is available on the Korean-American Association's website. 

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The Undergraduate Diversity Fellowship at The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) offers paid four-month summer fellowships to extend educational, professional, and mentorship opportunities to Black and brown students who are community college students, freshman, sophomore, and junior college students interested in international affairs or U.S. foreign policy.

This opportunity allows fellows to develop skills in research, event planning, publications, and general office and project management support through direct professional experience. You can learn more at the Undergraduate Diversity Fellowship website.

Fellows will receive a monthly stipend and an amount to cover domestic roundtrip airfare to Washington D.C.

See link below for Application Instructions 

From June, Undergraduate Diversity fellows will work full-time primarily with one of the existing program teams at NBR. Team assignments will be based on NBR needs, although candidate preference will be taken into consideration.

• Political and Security Affairs
• Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy
• Energy and Environmental Affairs
• Publications
• Congressional Affairs