Please see the latest updates on UMBC’s Retriever Ready website. Questions? Email covid19@umbc.edu.

COVID-19 Health & Safety

• UMBC’s Public Health Dashboard was updated with new data on November 18. The dashboard provides timely data about the prevalence of COVID-19 within our main campus. There were 14 new positive cases during this reporting period.

• Check out this important information from the CDC about masks and their role in the prevention of COVID-19 infection; please read and share with those you care about.

Reminder: Protect Yourself with a Seasonal Flu Shot

• University Health Services (UHS) has a limited supply of seasonal flu vaccines. Flu shots are available by appointment only at UHS on the ground floor of Erickson Hall for students, faculty, and staff approved to be on campus during the fall semester. Call UHS at 410-455-2542 to schedule your appointment before Thanksgiving. Remember that getting a flu vaccine has never been more important in protecting yourself and  our community.

• In addition, you can visit the UHS flu shot page for off-campus locations in the Catonsville-Arbutus area offering flu shots. Most health insurance plans will cover the cost of the flu shot; be sure to have your health insurance card with you. Remember to call ahead to ensure the location you plan to visit has vaccines available.

Women of Color Coping Circle

• The Counseling Center hosts a virtual Women of Color Coping Circle on Fridays at 

2 p.m. Information on the Friday, November 20 session is available here.

Brave Space Forum: Anti-Asian Violence and COVID-19

• The Women’s Center is hosting a Brave Space Forum: Anti-Asian Violence and COVID-19today, Thursday, November 19, at 4 p.m.

Mental Health Week Begins November 30

• University Health Services (UHS) will offer special events and resources during Mental Health Week, November 30 ﹘ December 4. These include a Mental Health Week Challenge and a drop-in session on Seasonal Depression and Stress. Follow the UHS myUMBC group for more information. 

Update on Campus Card and Mail Services Operations

• The Campus Card Office in the University Center will close for the year on November 25. Campus Card staff will continue to work remotely; all requests should be submitted via a Request Tracker ticket. 

• Mail Services will continue to operate from 8 a.m. ﹘ 12 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

UMBC Together

• Visit the UMBC Together website for recent social media posts and the UMBC Together myUMBC group for information on upcoming events.

Dear Colleagues,

This is the time of year to reflect and share our gratitude with others. UMBC's Maryland Charity Campaign is an ideal way to recognize the hard work that so many do to uplift our communities. Your campus coordinators are doing an incredible job helping each department understand the value and also how to navigate the process of donating to one of the many incredible nonprofits connected to the campaign. We wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the organizations that they are passionate about, in their own words. 

You can find a cause you are passionate about in the 2020 Giving Guide.

I give to LARS (Laurel Advocacy & Referral Svcs) Because they are doing amazing work helping families in need and they are doing it in my area. I feel empowered when I help those around me, as I believe it builds up the community. When you help smaller organizations near you, you create a domino effect that transcends to many other areas in your community.

Menchu Esteban, UMBC Campus Card

I have made my pledge to support The Samaritan Women based in Catonsville, Maryland where I volunteer because I feel passionate about stopping human sex trafficking and helping to restore the lives of the victims who have been severely damaged by this atrocious injustice.

Dawn Stoute, CNMS

I give to FreeState Justice because when my wife and I needed legal counsel, in order to set up protections for our family, they helped us and with the current issues facing the LGBTQ community, FreeState Justice's mission to combine direct legal services with education and outreach to ensure that the low-income LGBTQ community in Maryland receives fair treatment in the law and society is vital.

Erin McGonigle, '08, UMBC Bookstore

Mark your calendars for UMBC’s annual holiday celebration, which will be virtual this year, on December 16 at 3 p.m. As is our tradition, there will be a prize drawing for anyone who donates to the Maryland Charity Campaign. Please consider completing UMBC Together’s Grit and Gratitude Survey to help us prepare for the event. 

Thank you for considering participating in this year’s campaign and for all that you do to support the UMBC family.

Dana Burr Bradley and Christopher Steele 

2020 Maryland Charity Campaign Co-chairs

Name:Sahar Mahate 

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Johns Hopkins Medicine

Position Title:Undergraduate Student Researcher

Major(s)/Minor(s):Biology and Health Administration/Policy

Current Class Level:Junior

Work Term:Summer 2020

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

As lab research shifted online, my responsibilities changed a lot. When I was working at this lab in person, I injected tumors into the tibias of live animal models, operated technology for X-rays and ultrasounds on animal models, completed stress experiments and necropsies on mice and rats, and performed western blots, cell cultures, and DNA methylation analyses. With virtual work, there was a lot more focus on literature review and data analysis. We would have meetings where research was discussed, and I would be assigned specific topics to present on. We also began using a new proteomic analysis program to identify and compare pathways of primary osteosarcoma tumors and secondary pulmonary tumors to determine how commonly upregulated pathways associated with pulmonary metastasis in osteosarcoma can be inhibited. My responsibility was to work with the other undergraduate researchers in the lab to figure out how the program worked, use it to analyze the data, and present relevant findings at lab meetings. 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

This is a research lab I've been working at since high school, and have continued to work with throughout college.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization? 

This summer, I really enjoyed being able to take charge and work on an independent project with the proteomics analysis program to contribute to the lab research. It gave me the opportunity to collaborate with other undergraduate colleagues to teach ourselves something new and to share the knowledge with the researchers in the lab, as the program was new to all of them as well. 

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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!