CARAT, the CAHSS Creative Achievement & Research Administration Team, invites CAHSS faculty to participate in an individual Mini Consultation on Wednesday, February 18 or Thursday, February 19. CARAT's Research Development team will be available to discuss your research/creative achievement project ideas (at all stages). 

Reserve a mini consultation session by February 13: https://forms.gle/SJ83nfWvqyumUfL7A. 

We will confirm with a time and Webex link (if online). Consultations will be scheduled in the order in which they are received, and a waitlist will be available.

You can make a consultation appointment (15 minutes, one person per slot) on either February 18, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. (virtual or in person in Public Policy, room 451), or on February 19, from 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (virtual only). Arts faculty should request February 18 only. Humanities and Social Science faculty may request either day.

• February 18: 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences) Meeting slots: (1) 11:30-11:45; (2) 11:50-12:05; (3) 12:10-12:25; (4) 12:30-12:45). Indicate a first and second time preference, and whether you would like to meet in person or on Webex.

• February 19: 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Humanities, Social Sciences) Meeting slots: (1) 1:15-1:30; (2) 1:35-1:50; (3) 1:55-2:10; (4) 2:15-2:30). Indicate a first and second time preference. All sessions will be on Webex.

Questions? Contact Rachel Brubaker, Associate Director for Research Development   rbruba1@umbc.edu

Not available for a mini session? Contact Sara Qureshi, Sr. Specialist for Grants and Research Development, saraq1@umbc.edu or visit our Pre-Award Services page to complete a consultation request form.  

Note: If you have already identified a funding opportunity and would like to begin an application, please complete a proposal development form on the Pre-Award Services page to request pre-award support. We look forward to working with you at all stages of your research and creative achievement process.

Have you been seeing more announcements or emails related to AI tools or usage on campus?Do you have questions regarding the recent guidelines that were shared on the use ofartificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom? Would you like your voice heard, or would appreciate having student perspectives brought to the forefront of these conversations relating to AIpolicy and guidelines? 

The AOK Library would like to hear from you! If you would like to come together in a safe space to discuss AI use on campus, please stop by room 259 in the Library for two student only, student focused, in-person listening sessions happening Wednesdays (please see dates and times below and in our events page). Faculty will not be present, and conversations that occur within the space will remain anonymous to protect students' identities. All majors are welcome! 

There will be free pizza and drinks, and participants will be offered the chance to grab free swag, in addition to bonus library privileges! 

Session 1: Wednesday, February 25th, 12:00pm-1:00pm (Room 259)

Session 2: Wednesday, March 4th, 12:00pm-1:00pm (Room 259)

We encourage students interested in participating to add the individual events to their calendars!

These listening sessions are supported by the AOK Library, in partnership with Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, and the Dresher Center for the Humanities. We thank you for your support!

Applications are now being accepted for the Center for Social Science Scholarship Summer Fellowship.  The purpose of this fellowship is to support significant social science research by tenure-track or tenured faculty in the UMBC College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences, resulting in a submittable product by December 2026.  Up to two fellows will receive a $6,000 award during the summer of 2026. 

Congratulations to Megan Jackson and Christina Cuglovici Abrao for being awarded a BreakingGround grant! Their project – "Maryland Public Service Scholars Training Program" – will contribute to UMBC's continued commitment to fostering collective thriving and civic agency.

The Maryland Public Service Scholars Training Program will provide a cohort of UMBC students early exposure to public service careers through a spring semester pilot combining weekly service site placements, professional development seminars, and industry mentorship. The program offers stipends to ensure equitable access while students serve at partner sites and attend weekly seminars featuring guest speakers from government and nonprofit sectors. Students will develop foundational professional skills, learn asset-based service approaches, and build networks through formal mentorship to prepare them for competitive opportunities in public service careers.

Megan Jackson said about this project:

Offering this training program is a pivotal moment for MPSS, opening up our 39-year-old program to freshmen and sophomores for the first time and providing crucial early-career public service opportunities. We are delighted to begin this work with these UMBC students, and we are incredibly grateful to Breaking Ground for their support of this pilot!

The BreakingGround initiative provides grants of up to $2,500 to UMBC faculty, staff, and students who want to launch or strengthen educational and community-building projects. These projects should, as a part of their work, foster civic agency: the ability to initiate and make meaningful contributions to social change. For more information, visit the BreakingGround website at civiclife.umbc.edu/breakingground.

Critical Social Justice (CSJ) Week is a campus-wide initiative dedicated to deepening our collective understanding of equity, inclusion, and community care. Through panels, workshops, and creative programming, CSJ Week invites students, staff, and faculty to engage in meaningful conversations about justice and belonging within and beyond the university.

Critical social justice has a history in the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center, and we are excited to bring back this work now within the Community & Culture unit in the Division of Institutional Equity.

All events are open for participation from students (grad and undergrad), staff, and faculty!

The events apart of Critical Social Justice Week are as follows: 

Cup-Filling Activism: Supporting Student Organizers Through Community, Care, and Capacity Building

McNair x Critical Social Justice Week

Saturday, February 7, 2026 · 1 - 2:30 PM

Sondheim Hall: 101

Racial Healing Discussion Panel

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 · 3 - 5 PM

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn

On Caring for Community

The Pursuit of Equity and Justice at UMBC with University Leadership

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 · 4:30-6 PM

SKYLIGHT in the Commons

Chat and Chew: All About Love

Read with us and engage in discussion

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 · 12 - 1 PM

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn

More details about each event can be found on the WGEC or CSJD myUMBC Page. 

These event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

"STRiVE gave me a community unlike any I've experienced before, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. Learning in STRiVE was incredibly empowering with what I've learned about myself, my place in my community, and what I can do as a leader." — Lexi Malenfant '29, computer science

• Ben Bazarsuren '27, mechanical engineering (vice president for external programming, Student Events Board (seb))
• Carly Shearer '26, computer science (evaluation intern, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Francheska Burrola '28, biological sciences (senator, Student Government Association (SGA))
• Keven Guruswamy '27, biological sciences (interfaith fellow, The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being)
• Maryada Bhattarai '28, information systems (treasurer, Student Government Association (SGA); special projects intern, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Nate Cullen '26, psychology (captain and president, UMBC Men's Rugby Team)
• Vannessa Morant '27, mechanical engineering (digital fabrication researcher, Designing pArticipatory futuREs (DARE) Lab)

• Dr. Ciara Christian, M.A. '18, applied sociology, Ph.D. '22, language, literacy and culture (co-director, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)
• Dr. James DeVita (assistant vice president for academic partnerships & high impact experiences, Division of Student Affairs)
• Dr. Jasmine Lee (associate vice president for community and culture, Division of Institutional Equity; co-director, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)

"STRiVE created a space for me to reflect on what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to become in terms of leadership. It also created a space for me to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses, and continue to work on ways to improve myself." — Nneamaka Ibe '26, biological sciences

• Angelina Jenkins (assistant director, The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Matt Hoffman (director, Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Michael Canale (assistant director and Deaf & hard of hearing coordinator, Office of Student Disability Services)
• Dr. Ricky Blissett '11, bioinformatics and computational biology (associate director, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Tiffani McGronan (health educator, Office of Health Promotion)
• Tori Ciorra (assistant director for student organizations, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Trentqual Rhone (coordinator for political engagement, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Wendy Low (coordinator, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)

"[By the end of STRiVE] I became a version of myself I had never seen: Uplifted, encouraged, and instilled with confidence and curiosity." — Olivia Robinson '29, biological sciences

"I adored this program and it helped me build a stronger sense of self. This is necessary in order to grow as a person, as a leader, and a community member/citizen. I'm so glad I participated in this as a freshman so I could implement it into my 4 years." — Kamarya Buckley '28, biological sciences

"Reflective, emotional, connective, and actionable, this program transformed how I see and move within spaces entirely by making me realize our collective agency. Want to learn how to make a change? Do this program." — Duncan Winger '29, philosophy and psychology