In this class we will dig our minds and hands into issues and projects connected to our local food system to:

• Create, and develop marketing and outlets for, a student microgreen enterprise.
• Establish a community garden for refugee families.
• Support a new farmers’ market in West Baltimore to improve healthy food access in that community.
• Design and install an edible, perennial landscape at the UMBC Garden.
• Develop UMBC and K12 partners for a “Climate Change Monitoring Garden.”
• Collaborate with the Baltimore Orchard Project’s “Funky Fruit” initiative to recover and create a marketing campaign for locally grown irregular fruits and vegetables that are otherwise disposed as waste.

A poster, "Obtaining Experimental Evidence Regarding the Effectiveness of Interventions Intended to Support the Success of Freshman STEM Undergraduates," presented by Public Policy doctoral student Ann Kellogg, was awarded first place among 64 posters presented at the November 6 poster session of the 2014 Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.The poster reported preliminary results of the iCubed@UMBC project, a National Science Foundation grant-funded study that is examining the relative effectiveness of four interventions designed to improve the academic success of undergraduates majoring in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines.In addition to Ann Kellogg, the following iCubed@UMBC project assessment team members were co-authors on the poster: Marv Mandell and Dave Marcotte (Public Policy), Lisa Dickson (Economics) and Kenneth Maton (Psychology). Dr. Philip Rous is the iCubed@UMBC project's Principal Investigator. 

AFRICANA STUDIES BOOK ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAM

Application Deadline: January 20, 2015

Statement of Purpose

The Africana Studies Book Assistantship (ASBA) Program provides financial support to outstanding Africana Studies majors and minors who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the field of Africana Studies or using the scholarship within Africana Studies to address cultural, historical, policy and social issues relating to the peoples of African descent.

For the 2014-2015 academic year, two book assistantships of $250 each will be awarded. Award money is sent directly to the UMBC Bookstore for purchase of books and educational supplies by the recipients for Spring 2015 or Summer 2015.

Eligibility and Requirements

Selection is based on the following criteria:

• A full-time, undergraduate and degree-seeking student in good standing at UMBC at the time of application and at the time of award
• Have a minimum 2.75 GPA at the time of application
• Declared AFST major/minor at least one semester prior to submission of application for the book assistantship
• Passed at least two courses in Africana Studies
• Demonstrate through a pattern of service, research, or extra- or co-curricular activities a commitment to advancing the field of Africana Studies or using the scholarship within Africana Studies to address cultural, historical, policy and social issues relating to the peoples of African descent.
• Submit two letters of recommendation from UMBC faculty members
• Submit a transcript (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
• Applications should be submitted as attachments in MS Word or PDF format to Dr. Tyson King-Meadows, ASBA Selection Committee chair at tkingmea@umbc.edu. All questions should also be directed to him.

This interdisciplinary course will investigate the interwoven social, cultural, scientific, and technological aspects of the Anthropocene, the geologic age defined by the influence of humans on the planet. Students in the class can expect to develop an understanding of how the Anthropocene is defined, to examine scientific evidence for that definition, and to discuss the scientific and social implications of that definition. The course will also consider technological and social strategies for managing complexity in this new era.