Matt Wood ‘13, M.P.P ‘15, safety and security coordinator in Residential Facilities, was recently awarded a certificate in industrial hygiene from the Chesapeake Region Safety Council. Wood has worked in Residential Facilities for over 15 years, beginning in 2009 as a student maintenance assistant. 

Working through the Chesapeake Region Safety Council, Wood completed over 200 hours of training related to occupational safety in general industry, construction safety, and industrial hygiene. Industrial hygiene is the study of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling hazards that can affect people's health and well-being. Industrial hygienists are known for using objective data and observation to recognize and evaluate hazards.

“The certification better positions Student Affairs to address industrial hygiene issues and concerns,” said Frank Caldwell, acting director, residential facilities. “Matt will continue to apply these skills in Residential Facilities and work closely with UMBC Environmental Safety and Health staff to address resident and employee health and safety concerns.”

Fritzie Charné-Merriwether, associate vice president for administration and chief of staff, will be a panelist at the April 17 Campus ESP virtual webinar, “Save Time, Scale Impact: AI Strategies for Family Engagement.” 

Charné-Merriwether says that Campus ESP’s new AI tool is helping to boost family engagement—and ultimately, student success—by increasing personalized content. During the webinar, she will share insights on how UMBC is effectively leveraging AI to strengthen family connections, streamline communication, and optimize limited resources.

Join the conversation to learn how AI can elevate your outreach—without adding to your workload!

UMBC’s Family Connection portal is used as the model platform by Campus ESP staff as they recruit and manage family communications for other institutions nationwide. In recognition of its exceptional use of AI for Family Connection portal content creation, UMBC was recently named "ESP MVP" for the fourth quarter of 2024. Charné-Merriwether has also been a featured speaker at its annual conference on family engagement.

The Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and the Division of Student Affairs are collaborating on a new opportunity for student entrepreneurs, the UMBC Entrepreneurshop.

The full implementation is still in process; however, the pilot has launched, providing an opportunity for students to showcase and/or sell their goods or services in The Commons for free! Students can also use the space to survey students about ideas or get feedback. 

There will be three tables available every Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Main Street until May 9.

More information and a request form is now available. 

In recognition of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, Retriever Integrated Health (RIH) would like to raise awareness about this global health concern. TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Help keep our community safe by assessing and reassessing your risk for tuberculosis infection and disease.  

As a university community where many students, faculty, and staff travel internationally, it's important to be aware of TB risks. Even if you have been previously screened and/or tested, if you have since traveled to a higher-risk country or had prolonged contact with someone with TB, we recommend testing.  Early detection and treatment are crucial in preventing the spread of TB.  See your regular medical provider or the team at RIH if you need testing.