September 15th to October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Throughout this time, i3b, UMBC and country celebrates the important contributions, heritage, and culture of all Hispanic and Latinos in the United States.
Honoring our Hispanic/Latin(e/x) community and their influence on our country, we recognize culture and traditions that have shaped all of our communities. Hispanic Heritage Month further celebrates the traditions, cultures, families, love, and service all Hispanic and Latin(e/x) folks.
History of Hispanic Heritage Month
Beginning on September 15th, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the anniversary of independence of the Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, dating back to 1968. Additionally, Mexico, Chile, and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period with Día de la Raza on October 12th.
The term Hispanic, referring to the racial and ethnic groups of folks from hisphanophone (Spanish Speaking) countries, that were historically colonized by Spain. This term is inclusive to those of Spanish origin. The term Latino, excludes Spain, but includes non-Spanish speaking Latin American countries such as Belize, Brazil, Guyana, and Haiti. Some folks may have ethnic roots from Latin America, and may use either, neither, or both Hispanic and/or Latino.
Want to learn more about Latine and Latinx? Click here.
Interested in learning more history? Click here.
For more information on Mosaic Hispanic/Latin(e/x) resources and other cultural diversity based resources, please email Angelina Jenkins, Assistant Director of The Mosaic, Center for Cultural Diversity at arjenkins@umbc.edu.
]]>Name: Komal Londhe
Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: Ardent Privacy Internship
Position Title: Machine Learning Intern
Major or Program: Data Science
Current Class Level: Master’s Student
Work Term: Summer 2022
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.
I work in the field of data privacy, which includes defining how sensitive a set of data is and then using various techniques to safeguard it. I was given small projects during my internship's initial phase. The projects involved working with software engineers and product managers, doing research, creating data models, or normalizing data. During this time, I got to know the workflow and the product. Later on I was assigned to projects which were aligned with the machine learning pipeline which included understanding business scenarios, collecting data, preprocessing data, building predictive models and evaluating them on the data. Currently, I am working on how we can improve the model and also optimize them. I think that this is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn and gain professional experience.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
I applied for the position through UMBCWorks. I got my resume reviewed from the Career center. After a week, I received an email for an interview from Ardent Privacy. I prepared myself for the interview and I could clear the rounds.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?
My current position is perfect for an entry-level position. During my masters, I am fortunate to work with the creative team, and I've learnt so much from them. In addition to encouraging me to adopt a team attitude that I believe has been really beneficial to me personally. I'm ready to take on a new challenge where I can truly demonstrate my abilities and develop as a data science graduate
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
For me feedback is very important. I was eager to work and when I got this opportunity, I wanted to prove myself. I would attend the standup calls regularly and worked on the tasks those were aligned for me sincerely, ask for feedback from the team whether I could provide them with useful solutions. I also tried to assist in the other teams where I could apply my previous work experience.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
As per my opinion, search for a company or a role where you will get to learn and apply your academic knowledge in the practical scenarios. Apply as early as possible and prepare your resume well. Most of the time in the interviews, you will get questions on your past experience and projects. Be specific on the technology you have worked on.
Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.
I am really thankful to the Career Center, especially Jen. She helped me with my resume and also with my CPT process and how and what I should expect in the interviews. She gave me a very thoughtful suggestion to prepare different resumes for different positions that I am aiming for.
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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Monday!
]]>With AOK Library's Virtual Study Room (VSR), you can find community among your fellow Retrievers in an engaging and supportive study environment.
Dear UMBC Community,
I am excited to share with you that yesterday Governor Hogan announced a 4.5% Cost of Living Adjustment increase for all state employees. This includes all UMBC regular faculty and staff, contingent II employees, and graduate assistants. The increase will be effective November 1, 2022, and is the result of a projected state budget surplus.
I am grateful for this support for our exemplary faculty and staff and pleased that this increase will aid in our ongoing recruitment, retention, and community building efforts. Your hard work and dedication to our mission is what makes this community so strong.
Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President for Administration and Finance
Members of the UMBC Community,
Each fall, the UMBC Police Department publishes the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report. I encourage you to take a few moments to review this important material.
In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Police and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998 ("Clery Act"), this message constitutes notification for our campus community of the availability of the 2022 Annual Security & Fire Safety Report.
This report contains crime and fire statistics that were reported to the UMBC Police Department and/or Campus Security Authorities for the most recent three years. Please note that this report tracks incidents based on location--specifically those reported to have occurred on campus, in non-campus university buildings, in property owned or controlled by the University, or on public property immediately adjacent to the campus.
The report also includes information regarding UMBC policies and practices related to campus security and crime reporting. We encourage all members of our community to report security incidents; the report describes how and to whom crimes should be reported.
In addition, the report contains information on campus resources and educational programs, personal safety tips, emergency response and evacuation, and policies regarding student discipline.
The UMBC Police Department appreciates that all members of our community--students, faculty, and staff--are essential partners in making UMBC a safe place to learn, live, and work. The UMBC community's active interest in campus safety is one of our best crime prevention assets.
Copies of the report are also available at the UMBC Police Station, or by emailing police@umbc.edu.
Respectfully,
Bruce Perry '97, UMBC Chief of Police
]]>Dear UMBC Community,
Thank you for your enthusiasm for and support of our search for a new Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer. We would like to hear your thoughts about what you’re looking for as we begin this important search. Our partners at the search firm Isaacson, Miller have built a community survey to solicit feedback, which you can access here.
In addition to the search process, the Inclusion Council and its Implementation Team continue to move forward on the work detailed in the 2020-2021 Inclusion Council Recommendation Report and with other projects focused on advancing social justice and equity work across campus. They have launched a new Inclusion Council website to share information with the UMBC community. We will be sharing additional updates from the Implementation Team soon.
Thank you for all that you do to live UMBC’s value of inclusive excellence.
In partnership,
Candace Dodson-Reed ’96, Chief of Staff to the President and Chair, Search Committee for Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
Dear UMBC Community,
The COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee has been continuously monitoring the region's community risk levels and evaluating our current safety protocols. In light of the latest public health information and CDC recommendations, we are updating our campus safety protocols so that beginning Monday, October 3, masks will no longer be required in instructional spaces or other campus locations.
We are hosting COVID-19 vaccine booster clinics on campus through November and free high-quality masks will continue to be available at locations across campus, including at the RAC, the Library, and the Commons Information Center. We continue to emphasize that many in our community may need or choose to wear a mask and we must support each other and respect community members' personal decisions.
We recommend that you also follow other personal safety measures. This includes remaining up to date on your vaccinations, staying home if you are sick, and masking for 10 days if you have been exposed to or are recovering from COVID-19.
If you have questions, you can contact us at covid19@umbc.edu. Faculty members with questions about specific courses should reach out to their department chair. Thank you for all that you are doing to keep our community healthy.
Provost Philip Rous
Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess '81, M.S. '95
COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs