Beginning in the Spring of 2017, Baltimore Independent Dance Artists (BIDA) will engage with four journalism students and emerging dance critics to be paired with four separate professional dance artists/companies for the duration of the spring 2017 BIDA Season (January-End of May 2017). The interns will engage with their respective artist partners through open rehearsals, performances, interviews and research.

This opportunity is open to Dance Majors/Minors, Journalism, English or Communication Majors and Minors

Dance Journalism Internship Objectives:

●       To engage writers and aspiring journalists with an interest in dance writing with professional dance artists/companies over time in order to enhance the journalistic skills of the writers, and the development of a dance artist or company.

●       To provide thoughtful and informed dance writing about professional Baltimore area dance artists and companies in order to strengthen the discourse about dance in our region.

Dance Journalism Internship Program Description:

Journalism interns will be required to produce the following written documents, which will be published through online channels including the BIDA website and blog. Each intern will be paired with an BIDA Season artist or company in order to develop the following:

●       500 word artist/company or BIDA overview

●       1,000 word overview of a current creative work that the artist partner is developing 

●       500 word Preview of a work to be presented by the artist partner during the season

●       500 word Review of a public performance presented of an artist (other than the partner artist) during the BIDA season Interns will receive a complimentary press ticket to the shows they are reviewing.

Dance Journalism Internship Program Impact:

This program directly addresses an identified need for the development of informed and articulate dance writers in the Baltimore area dance community.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology SURF – Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, which is held in Gaithersburg, MD and Boulder, CO will soon be releasing information for their Summer 2017 program. NIST-SURF is a great paid opportunity for students in physics, material science, chemistry, applied mathematics, computer science, or engineering. (There may be research opportunities for students with other majors.) 

If you would like to apply for the program, or have any questions, please contact Janet McGlynn, mcglynn@umbc.edu.

For an overview of the program and the application process visit our website's NIST-SURF page. Those students who are interested must apply through UMBC.

The deadline to turn in your application materials to the Office of Undergraduate Education is January 30, 2017 

*NOTE: We are still awaiting NIST-SURF program dates and deadline updates, as well as updated forms. Another message will be sent out when all of the information has been updated.

Meet DeVenna,

She is an Environmental Studies major and an URACADian*. Devenna is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Lambda Phi chapter. She would like to continue her research regarding human/environment interaction and how they impact each other. Specifically, how African American’s are impacted by the environment and vice versa. Her future plans will be to join the Peace Corps.

She is will be creating a film that will explore “What does it mean to be Black in America?” Devenna will conduct interviews with a variety of subjects (known and unknown volunteers from the street) before and after the 2015 Baltimore uprising. The purpose of this research is to shed light on the reality of the Black American experience. Moreover, the ultimate goal was to gather individual feelings, to prove that stereotypes should not be used, and that everyone has a different understanding of what it means to be Black.

Read more about her research here…

*URCADian ~ One who participates at URCAD.

Meet Sigfredo,

He is a Physics major and an URA Scholar. Sigfredo transferred from Anne Arundel Community College with an Associates of Arts in Communications. He is an advocate for undergraduate research. "Take the opportunity if you can find it. It is eye opening and satisfying when you reach personal milestones. Find a mentor that you feel comfortable with. Take it as seriously as you would school work."

His research explores the skies above and is trying to understand the current mismatch between our observational and theoretical capabilities in the effort to understand the gamma-ray variable emission of blazars coming from the vicinity of a black hole. The goal of his research is to develop realistic numerical simulations to model the variable gamma-ray emission of luminous blazars, powerful relativistic jets emanating from the vicinity of the supermassive black holes found in the centers of active galaxies.  

Read more about his research here…

The Graduate School at NC State University will host a Scholars Visitation Program, February 26-28, 2017. These programs are provided at no cost to students who are accepted into the visitation program. Completed applications to attend the Program can be emailed directly to the Program Director, Brett A. Locklear. Additional information can be found on the NC State Scholars Visitation Program website.

*** The NC State Scholars Visitation Program is February 26-28, 2017.

       The application deadline is November 30, 2016, at 12 noon.
       Decisions will be emailed on December 16, 2016.
       Website: go.ncsu.edu/scholarsvisit

Questions and Contact

For additional information and selection criteria, visit the website, or contact Brett A. Locklear, at balockle@ncsu.edu.

Have you had trouble deciding a major? Don't know if you belong in STEM or the Humanities? Well, your student government is here to help you! Come out to the Commons Main Street on October 28th during free hour to get a taste of the different on campus departments. It'll help you get a feel for the career options offered by undergraduate majors here at UMBC. Departmental representatives of all kinds will be tabling and offering you resources as you move forward in trying to decide your specific course of study.

Ayotunde Okusolubo

Assistant Director

SGA Department of Academic Affairs​