For all four events, closed captioning and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. Registrants will receive resource lists and recordings of the events for which they register. Register for all four events, or choose the ones that are most meaningful to you. This event uses our "pay what you can" model, which allows us to design programming for all members of our community regardless of their financial status; if you can afford to select one of the paid registration tiers, we are deeply grateful for your support in subsidizing free registrations for those who need it most. 

Part 1: Defining and Demystifying "AI" and "Machine Learning"
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | 4:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Jessica Dauterive, Program Manager, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, and Digital Humanities Consultant, ACE
Speakers: Zoe LeBlanc, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Jeri Wieringa, Assistant Director, Center for Digital Humanities at Princeton University

Part 2: The Ethics of AI: What's the Harm?
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 12:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Jessica Dauterive, Program Manager, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, and Digital Humanities Consultant, ACE
Speakers: Adio-Adet Dinika, Research Fellow, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research (DAIR) Institute
Adrienne Williams, Research Fellow, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research (DAIR) Institute; Public Voices Fellow, The OpEd Project; activist and organizer

Part 3: Ethical AI Use in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM)
Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 2:00 pm Eastern 
Facilitator: Angela Fritz, School of Library and Information Science, University of Iowa
Speakers: Additional speakers from the upcoming Collections special issue on AI, TBA

Part 4: AI and History Education
March 17, 2026 | 2:00 pm Eastern 
Facilitator: Lindsey Passenger Wieck, Director of Public History, St. Mary's University
Speakers: Wendi Manuel-Scott and George Oberle, Center for Mason Legacies, George Mason University
Victoria Sanchez, 6th Grade World Cultures Educator, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

• NSF announces organizational realignment - On December 15, 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a major organizational realignment aimed at increasing agency efficiency and responsiveness. These structural changes reduce organizational layers to accelerate response times for proposal reviews and award decisions. The NSF organizational chart can be found here.
• Merit review for a new era at NSF – On December 17, 2025, The NationalScience Board (NSB) released a new report, Merit Review for a Changing Landscape, outlining a shift in funding priorities. The report proposes updates to the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Merit Review policy to ensure that NSF-funded research advances national priorities and improves American lives. Portfolios would be built for greater nimbleness and strategic alignment with national priorities, both current and emerging. In addition, the reviewer panel would be expanded to involve experts from a wider range including industry, research institutions, venture capital, and regions of the country. 
• Request for Information on the Tech Labs Initiative for the U.S National Science Foundation- On December 12, 2025, The NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) announced its intention to launch Tech Labs, an outcomes-driven program designed to accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies. Tech Labs will support full-time research, development and innovation (RDI) teams with operational autonomy and milestone-based funding. The NSF seeks community input through a Request for Information (RFI) to inform program development. Responses are due January 20, 2026, at 3:00PM EST. Submissions must not exceed 5 pages, using at least 11-point font and 1-inch margins. An informational session will be held on January 14, 2026, from 2-3PM EST. You can register for this information session at https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_rjzKZULsRzaKB8g4F1tzBQ .
• NSF Softens grant-review rules to cope with backlog – The National Science Foundation (NSF) is relaxing some of its requirements for the review of grant proposals in an effort to cope with a backlog of applications and reduced staff numbers. Proposals now require only two external reviews instead of three and in some cases, an internal review may be substituted. Additionally, new internal guidance will limit Program Officer Assessment summaries to researcher to 3-5 sentences.

• Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator in do-over after Musk Feud – The Senate on Wednesday, January 17, 2025, confirmed Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator in a bipartisan vote, 67-30. Mr. Isaacman has pledged to bring a "business-minded approach" to the agency and to remain free of conflicts of interest regarding his ties to SpaceX and the private sector.

For more information visit our Summer Fellowships webpage or contact CS3's Director, Dr. Eric Stokan:  estokan@umbc.edu

Funds for this fellowship are provided by the Center for Social Science Scholarship and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS).

Apply here: https://forms.gle/k3gNEAfn2bdKDJhU8  

UMBC faculty are invited to apply for the Spring 2026 Entrepreneurial Learning Lab (ELL), a cohort-based professional development program that supports innovation in teaching, research, and scholarly work. Through interactive workshops, participants build skills in opportunity recognition, value creation, entrepreneurial mindset, and storytelling, while developing a Lean Canvas, action plan, and pitch deck for a project of their choice.

ELL is a partnership between the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Engineering and Computing Education Program. The program is open to all full-time UMBC faculty. Participants must attend all workshops and complete one semester-long project; a $1,500 professional development stipend is provided upon successful completion. Applicants should discuss their idea with their department chair prior to applying.

The program begins in late January or early February 2026 and includes five two-hour workshops. Dates will be announced after selection. We seek a diverse cohort representing a range of disciplines and project ideas.

The application deadline is Tuesday, December 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM, with notifications sent in early January.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/k3gNEAfn2bdKDJhU8

Questions may be directed to Dr. Jamie Gurganus (jgurganus@umbc.edu) or Kevin Fulmer (kevinf@umbc.edu).