Psychology professor Robert Provine was featured in a November 26th web article published on the Canadian news network CTV’s website, which discussed the mystery of why people get the hiccups.

Provine, whose book Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond was published in August, spoke with reporter Helen Branswell about his research into the involuntary action, which can often occur after drinking too much.

He also discussed possible cures, which can include being observed by another person. Provine noticed this particular approach when he attempted to record hiccupping children during his research. “In fact, my first nine attempts to do this in every case the hiccupping stopped as soon as I turned the tape recorder on,” he said. “That’s my tape recorder cure.”

Erle Ellis, geography and environmental systems, was interviewed for an upcoming edition of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) podcast Field Talk. The interview was regarding an article Ellis co-wrote with fellow scholars Laura J. Martin and Bernd Blossey entitled “Mapping where ecologists are: biases in the global distribution of terrestrial ecological observations.” 

The article was a result of five years of research and deals with what the authors feel are biases towards the protected and temperate regions of wealthy countries where most ecologists reside. Ellis spoke with ESA communications officer Liza Lester of the importance of the subject to the future of academic research, saying, “It matters because we’re facing global change – these are global phenomena, so we need global information.”

Panos Charalambides, mechanical engineering, was a guest on Midday with Dan Rodricks for the WYPR  program’s weekly news review hour, broadcast on November 16.

Charalambides spoke in regards to the recent troubles of the Baltimore region’s infrastructure, with a number of major water main breakages in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The issue isn’t  a problem just for Charm City, but has been a concern in recent years across the country.

The Maryland Health Care Reform Simulation Model report produced by The Hilltop Institute at UMBC continues to get press coverage. The Baltimore Business Journal cites a Hilltop estimate of the number of new jobs to be stimulated by health reform in Maryland in the article, “Medical sector heightens focus on jobless to fill demand” [log-in required]. The article states, “A report by the Hilltop Institute at University of Maryland Baltimore County estimates Maryland employers will add 26,900 jobs by 2020 in response to health reform. Labs need assistants to oversee safety and animal care, and hospitals need people to transport patients between rooms; clean and decontaminate rooms; and talk to patients.”

American Studies professor Nicole King and her “Preserving Places and Making Spaces in Baltimore” class are currently engaged with rehabilitating the Curtis Bay and Brooklyn communities in South Baltimore.  Their current project, “Mapping Baybrook,” uses digital mapping and visualization technologies to convey the history and culture of the Baltimore community referred to as “Baybrook.”

The project was featured in the Maryland Gazette story “Brooklyn Park: College students celebrate Baybrook at Polish Home” on November 21.

“The students went into the community to talk to its residents, and to document and preserve a sense of place and memory of a community that emerged from the Industrial Revolution as not really Baltimore proper and no longer Anne Arundel County,” the aricle says.

“Mapping Baybrook: From Main Street to the Harbor,” an event to share what the students learned, will take place at the Polish Home Hall, at 4416 Fairhaven Ave. on Saturday, December 1^st from 1 to 5 PM.

“What people will see and hear are artwork inspired by the community and the recorded voices of residents that will serve as illustrations of the stories that came from Baybrook,” says Moore. The event will also mark the launch of the Mapping Baybrook website, which was designed in collaboration with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center.”

Collin Wojciechowski ’13, who is a student in the class, also wrote a post about the project for UMBC’s Breaking Ground blog.

“The factories have closed and the jobs have left,” said Wojciechowski. “ Oil drums and fly ash piles have replaced the homes along the waterfront. Crime is up and quality of life is down. The once proud residents have moved on or passed on and the main street that once boasted laughing children is now a major trucking throughway for petroleum distributers. The sense of community is just a distant memory. Told to grandchildren like me as a fairy tale.”

Tickets for this event cost $10 and all proceeds will support the nonprofit Baybrook Coalition.

Name: Savita Moses ’13
Major:  Information Systems
Scholarship: Alumni Association Scholarship

Q:  Why did you decide to come to UMBC?
A:  I was a part of a Pre-College Program offered by University of Maryland, College Park and we went on many college tours throughout the area. UMBC was one of the places we visited and toured. I fell in love with the campus as soon as I stepped onto it; I felt right at home. I had some friends that went here, so I began researching the university and talking to them about it. It seemed like everything I wanted in a college and so I made the decision to come here. I haven’t regretted my decision at all. My experience at UMBC has been outstanding.

Q:  What has been the most amazing discovery you’ve made so far as a student here?
A:  I have had numerous opportunities to develop and practice my leadership skills through extracurricular activities, through course team-based projects, and through internships that I have received via UMBC. Through various activities that I have participated in within those aspects, I have made the discovery of the outgoing, effective, and engaging leader I can be.

Q:  Tell us about a class or club that has really opened your mind (and why).
A:  Being heavily involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) during the first few years of my college experience was eye-opening. I got the first-hand opportunity to see and be a part of the impact that students can have on their campus. UMBC truly encourages civic engagement and encourages students to believe that they can make a difference. Realizing this dramatically increased my respect and involvement at UMBC.

Q:  What do you hope to do after graduation, and why?
A:  I hope to complete my Master’s degree in Information Systems and work full time for a well known company/agency. I want to pursue a Master’s degree because it fits my goal of being a life-long learner. I desire to build my knowledge and be the best person I can be. Pursuing a Master’s degree would help me do just that. I want to work for a well known company so that I can positively contribute to the society I live in. I’d love to use my experiences and my knowledge for the betterment of society and I’d love the opportunity to continue my growth and development in the
company that I work for.

Q:  What would you say to the alumni who contributed to your scholarship?
A:  I want to say THANK YOU!!!! Your financial contributions have not gone unnoticed. Paying for college can be and has been difficult, especially in the current state of the economy. I am extremely, extremely grateful for your assistance in furthering my education at this wonderful university. Again, THANK YOU! I would hug the contributors if I could.

“Ace of Cakes” star baker Jeffrey “Duff” Goldman ’97, history, was spotted blending into the crowd for Baltimore city jury duty today, the Baltimore Sun reported. Although, from the sound of it, he was a bit upstaged by fellow Baltimore star Olympian Michael Phelps.

Read the Baltimore Sun story here.

Goldman, who was named a UMBC Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in the Humanities in 2009, spent at least part of his day of civic duty tweeting about hot dog water, the Sun story said.

“Now that the governor’s proposal to expand gambling in Maryland has passed at the ballot box, some state senators and delegates who backed the controversial measure are looking to collect,” writes reporter Annie Linskey in today’s Baltimore Sun.

The idea that those legislators who backed Gov. O’Malley in his support of the gambling legislation would seek benefits in return for its passage is not a new concept to Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy. “I think it is a nearly universal phenomenon in legislative bodies,” he says. “It is a matter of bargaining and cooperation among people. It is human nature.”

Linskey suggests that Baltimore City and County would like to access additional funds for school renovations, while Montgomery County’s top funding priority is transportation.

Volunteerism is a wonderful way of showing you care. And UMBC’s students care A LOT about their community, if this post on UMBC’s Breaking Ground site is any indication:

-Watch videos about UMBC’s upcoming Alternative School Break 2013

Among the projects planned for spring 2013: Working with the ARC of Carroll County; Looking at life through the eyes of a refugee; Helping Baltimore city’s homeless population; Even implementing health care teachings a la Patch Adams (see above).

As Kayla Keelan, graduate coordinator for service in UMBC’s Office of Student Life, explains, “This program, built around service, critical thinking and reflection, empowers students to create change and to engage and help educate their peers.  Participants find the experience inspiring, educational and fun!”

-Read more about UMBC’s Breaking Ground Project.

A new article in Governing magazine, titled “How Higher Education Could Save Medicaid,” explores public universities as effective partners in states’ efforts to reform their Medicaid systems to be more fiscally sustainable and prepare for a significant enrollment expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The Hilltop Institute at UMBC offers one of three examples nation-wide for how this partnership can work.

Governing calls Hilltop “one of the primary Medicaid policymaking labs for the state,” noting that it “is responsible for all financial modeling, helped [Maryland] develop its managed care program and works with an actuarial firm to set the capitated rates that health-care providers receive to participate in that program.” The article also notes that Hilltop houses all of Maryland’s Medicaid data and, since 2010, has “conducted the official analysis of the Affordable Care Act’s impact on Maryland, which has been a guiding force for the state’s Health Care Reform Coordinating Council.”