Teen romcoms aren’t really designed to earn critical accolades, and this film can reassure you of that. Netflix’s newly released film, “The Perfect Date,” exhibits the same morally skewed character choices and logical gaps typical of rom-coms, and while the story’s interconnected themes unfold well, these choices and gaps ruin the cast’s natural charm, particularly that of Noah Centineo.

The film centers around high school senior Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo) during the pressing time of college applications. Brooks is confident in his academics but is worried that his lack of extracurriculars and financing will prevent him from attending his dream school, Yale. After taking a paid-gig escorting the confident Celia Lieberman (Laura Marano) to her school formal, Brooks finds the friendly escort business to be a lucrative venture. With the coding help of his best friend, Murph (Odiseas Georgiadis), Brooks advertises his services for the perfect date stand-in through his newly launched app to help pay for his dream school.

Throughout this movie, one thing is more romanticized than the romantics itself: the prospects of an Ivy League education. Brooks is dead set on attending the prestigious Yale University at any cost. Brooks’ father pushes him to a more realistic stay at the University of Connecticut, which has granted him a full-ride scholarship, even though he had yet to even apply to Yale. What’s a real slap in the face to college students is that working as an escort for one week affords Brooks nearly half of the full tuition at Yale, an institute with an estimated $55,500 yearly cost of attendance.

Brooks also finds himself willing to do anything for a seat at Yale, including sacrificing his morals and lying. In a miracle interview with Yale’s dean of admissions, Brooks is faced with the one question he couldn’t answer flawlessly: “What are some of your interests outside of school?” Brooks finds himself at a crossroads where he can’t find a compelling, truthful response. So, in his supposed best interest, he lies to the dean and proclaims beekeeping to be his one true passion, a pastime the dean enjoys that Brooks discovered through prior research.

The Stand-In App functions in the story to show Brooks’ desperation and utter lack of real meaningful personality. Not only is he willing to be a fake boyfriend character and lie constantly, but he allows the clientele to create their perfect date. Brooks’ happily sells out his time and morals to make money and further his own agenda, which prompts his friends to call him, albeit jokingly, a “self-absorbed prick.”

To service Brooks’ need for the money, the film stresses his financial situation in relation to every other character. Brooks and his dad live together. His father works as a night professor at UCONN while he works at the Sub shop, serving sandwiches alongside his best friend Murph. Brooks’ first paid gig to escort Celia to her high school in Greenwich, a wealthier part of Connecticut, lands him a lump sum paid by her wealthy father.

Brooks taps into this wealthy population where a majority of his customers come from. His profitable streak of professional escorting interferes with his own affairs when his paid dates mix with his dream girl. To hide his new hustle, Brooks is forced to lie to his crush, Shelby (Camila Mendes), which spirals into several other lies. When exposed, Brooks blames his financial status as the turnoff for Shelby, when really his dishonesty brought her judgment upon him.

Even with the condemnation of the cultural obsession with money, some viewers can relate too well to Brooks’ desperation; many college students have to miss out on friendships, experiences and life because they have to work long hours to keep themselves afloat. 

What the film does achieve is successfully drawing the parallel between dating and college admissions. It’s rather Brooks’ total lack of integrity that leads him to lie and fake it till he made it. In true rom-com fashion, Brooks realizes his mistakes and makes up for them by charming his way back into his true love Celia’s heart.

New for Fall 2019!

CMSC 291
Continued Computer Science for Non-Majors

This fall, Dr. Susan Mitchell will teach a special topics course designed for all non-computer science, non-computer engineering majors. The 3-credit course will be a continuation and extension of CMSC 201 Computer Science I and taught in the popular Python programming language. The catalog description is:

A continuation of problem solving and programming in the Python language. Emphasis is placed on the solution to more complex programming problems, expanding on the topics of modularity, abstraction, program design, testing, and debugging. The use of Python libraries relevant to non-CS major fields are presented.

Assignments and projects will emphasize topics applicable to many non-CS disciplines, such as data visualization, working with large data sets, and database usage.

The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30am to 12:30pm (Course catalog number 291-01).

Prerequisites:  Completed CMSC 201 with a C or better; completed MATH 150, 151 or 152 with a C or better, OR have MATH test placement into MATH 151, OR have completed MATH 155 with a C or better

This course is restricted to non-computer science, non-computer engineering majors. It does not satisfy any requirement for computer science or computer engineering majors and may not be substituted for CMSC 202 Computer Science II.

For questions, please email Dr. Susan Mitchell at *protected email*

The post CMSC 291: Continued Computer Science for Non-Majors appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Fall 2019
CMSC 201 Computer Science I
Section for Non-Majors

This fall, Dr. Susan Mitchell will teach a special section of CMSC 201 Computer Science I designed for all non-computer science, non-computer engineering majors. The course will cover the same content and have the same rigor as all other CMSC 201 sections and prepare students to continue on to CMSC 202 if they wish.  As with other sections, it fulfills any major’s requirement for CMSC 201. The key difference will be that the assignments and projects will emphasize topics applicable to many non-CS disciplines, such as statistical analysis, working with large data sets, and data visualization. The course will be taught in the popular Python programming language. The catalog description is:

An introduction to computer science through problem solving and computer programming. Programming techniques covered by this course include modularity, abstraction, top-down design, specifications documentation, debugging and testing. The core material for this course includes control structures, functions, lists, strings, abstract data types, file I/O, and recursion.

The 4-credit course will include a lecture from 2:30pm to 3:45pm on Mondays and Wednesdays (Section 60-LEC) and a one-hour lab on either Monday (Section 61-DIS) or Wednesday (Section 62-DIS) from 11:00-11:50am.

No prior programming experience is required. The only prerequisite is that students must have completed MATH 150, 151 or 152 with a C or better; OR have MATH test placement into MATH 151; OR have completed MATH 155 with a C or better.

This course is restricted to non-computer science, non-computer engineering majors.

For questions, please email Dr. Susan Mitchell at *protected email*

The post CMSC 201: Computer Science I for Non-Majors — Fall 2019 appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, a joint research center of the University System of Maryland, attracted over 500 visitors at its open house on May 4, bringing in visitors from Baltimore and beyond.

The open house started in 2017 for scientists within the research institute to better communicate the science conducted in the Columbus Center, a facility administrated by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The scientists within the building work for different campuses of the University System of Maryland, including UMBC, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Executive Director of IMET Dr. Russell Hill explained that the open house aims to be an education-focused event. “It’s very important to let people know what we’re doing. A lot of our work is supported by taxpayer dollars one way or another. The state of Maryland is fantastic in supporting higher education and research and we really decided we wanted to do this in a more systematic way. This has become a big thing for us,” he said.

Although the event began at 1 p.m. on Saturday, presenters began their preparation earlier in the week and set up their tables Friday, with microscopes, Petri plates, posters, fish, bioluminescent algae and more. The Aquaculture Research Center, or ARC, which is a facility designed to raise fish like zebrafish, was also open to the public.

“We have lots of displays, including extremophile research where they’re studying these extreme microbes that live in really unusual places like in rock salt or floating right on the edges of space. We also have a new display with microscopic organisms that glow in the dark, and that’s a collaboration between one of our scientists and an artist from UMBC, IMET’s artist in residence, Lisa Moren. Another real highlight [new this year] was the UMCES state-of-the-art research vessel called the ‘Rachel Carson,’ designed specifically for work on the Chesapeake Bay, docked right next to our building,” said Hill.

One of the younger guests, 10-year-old Vikram Kohli came with his father, mother and sister. “The booths downstairs were interesting, with the fish and with all the microscopes, but to me, all of it is interesting. I want to do science when I grow up, [specifically] aeronautics,” he said.

Many of the tables, like Dr. Sook Chung’s, had activities aimed towards the little ones. Her laboratory studies crab life cycles and had a table set up with a microscope that allowed people to view microscopic “crab babies,” as well as make headbands with crab eyes on them. Dr. Colleen Burge, who is an Assistant Professor at IMET with dual appointments at UMBC, also had a table, displaying oysters and their impact on filtering water in the Inner Harbor, and allowed kids to look at an oyster under a microscope.

Hill’s favorite part of the open house is seeing children get excited about science. “The best part of the open house for me is when I get a chance to talk to some of these kids who are coming in. We always have a few microscopes set up with some really exciting things going on underneath the microscope and that excites so many kids,” said Hill. “Occasionally you’ll get some young girl or boy who becomes absolutely fixated and spends an hour or two at one table looking at interesting things under the microscope.”

One of the guests, Shawn, who lives in Baltimore, came to the open house with family members Cassandra and five-year-old Deja from D.C. “Honestly, it has exceeded our expectations,” said Shawn. “To make science this engaging and this fun for little people, it’s amazing. I’m a big kid at heart, I’m walking around with crab babies like ‘I’m a mom!’ It’s been really fun.”

Five-year-old Holden, sporting a shark mask and a crab headband, enjoyed the ice cream prize he won for getting all his stamps for the “Passport Activity,” which entailed getting a stamp at each table after answering a question or completing an activity. Once the children received all the stamps they needed, they could choose a reward: a set of reusable bamboo cutlery and ice cream or a crab IMET backpack. When asked if he wanted to do science when he grows up, Holden said, “I want to do science right now.”

For adults, the open house provided an opportunity to engage with passionate scientists, said teacher Natalia, who came for the second year with her two daughters, Alyssa and Emma. “We came last year because our friends said this was an amazing event. We came this year and we put it on the family calendar. It’s a great experience, seeing how people are interested in their field and for the future time, how people can be devoted to what they’re doing and come out and really share their scientific discoveries,” said Natalia. “It’s interesting how people choose their path and really go deeply into the processes and are willing to share and talk to their audiences, and it’s local so they’re taking samples from right here in the backyard.”

The open house also gave some of the attendees, including freshman UMBC student Tim McDonough, an opportunity to explore a career path. “I’ve considered marine biology. It’s definitely something that’s interesting to me, mainly because it’s so important to overall survival of the planet,” said McDonough. “The Open House definitely does a really good job of introducing a lot of younger people to this. There are a lot of kid activities, but it’s also really good for people like me considering [career options] who are older.”

Hill noted the human impact of the research, which covers issues like food, energy, human health and environmental sustainability. “We’re doing such exciting research and these are things that really affect people especially with some of the environmental challenges we have. These are issues that are important for everyone, and you can find out a lot more about that research by just coming to the open house,” he said.

Jennifer Egan can always be expected to impress her readers with her dazzling prose. Renowned for her creative experimentation with genre and form, Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for “A Visit From the Goon Squad,” a book which is almost a novel, almost a short-story collection.

“Manhattan Beach” is Egan’s first novel since her success with “A Visit From the Goon Squad.” Readers and critics eagerly awaited the novel’s release in 2017, expecting another unique tour de force from the acclaimed author. “Manhattan Beach,” however, is not quite as experimental as Egan’s other works, at least not in form and structure. It follows a familiar plot structure, without any extreme genre play, but weaves together a vast array of subjects.

“Manhattan Beach” has something for everyone: World War II, gangsters, New York’s first female diver, a charming younger sister with tragic disabilities, father-daughter relationships, romance and more. The novel begins a few years before the war, with young Anna Kerrigan accompanying her father to a mysterious man’s house. He tells her to be good, that he is relying on her, but gives her little else to go off of. This cryptic scene goes on to ground the rest of the novel and everything ties back to this moment.

Egan takes us ahead to the height of the war. Anna’s father has disappeared, and she works for the Navy Yard to support her mother and disabled sister. Anna develops a dream of becoming a diver and ambitiously does so. Meanwhile, she finds her life becoming intertwined with that of Dexter Styles, a nightclub owner and the gangster who may be responsible for her father’s disappearance.

Throughout the novel, we are shown viewpoints from Anna’s father, including flashbacks giving clues about his disappearance. We are given glimpses into Styles’ life as well, and his own interdependent relationship with his daughter. Family dynamics, especially between father and daughter, are at the core of this novel.

There is a lot going on in this novel, and few authors would be able to tie all these elements together as neatly as Egan does. Her skillful language invokes a magical quality, keeping her readers engaged. At times, though, the novel seems too busy and forced. Certain plot elements seem unnecessary and boring. The structure is as choppy as the time period the novel situates itself in.

For instance, there is the romantic relationship that, frankly, no one wanted. It seems to have been included simply for the story to have an ending. Rather than focusing on Anna’s attraction to a married man nearly thirty years her senior, the story could have expanded on Anna’s diving experiences or her run-ins with gangsters. Even better, the story could have spent more time building up the personalities and ambitions of the secondary female characters. Anna is really the only developed female character, and the other women appear quite shallow in comparison.

Egan’s skill for writing redeems her though. Every sentence stands beautifully and paragraphs come together with a harmony that is not found easily. She pulls a confusing and discordant plot into something beautiful and enthralling, offering a fresh perspective on life during World War II and struggles of patriotism. Just prepare for the book to meander through some strange side plots, which may or may not have an influence on the book’s overarching narrative, and which, ultimately, isn’t that clear to begin with.

The UMBC Retrievers baseball team entered the weekend in last place in the conference with an incredible opportunity to take down America East leaders Stony Brook, entering the series 11-4 in conference and 22-14 overall. After UMBC was previously swept by the Seawolves, this season, the Retrievers would seek revenge on their home turf looking to improve their conference record. In Game 1, UMBC freshman-pitcher Cooper Adams and Stony Brook pitcher Greg Marino were able to keep offenses quiet through the first three innings. The Seawolves were finally able to hit Adams in the fourth and fifth innings piling up five runs. UMBC’s only offense in Game 1 came in the fifth inning with a two-RBI double by senior-outfielder Terrence Pinkston and an RBI groundout by senior-infielder AJ Wright. Seawolves pitchers quieted Retriever bats for the remainder of the game.

Stony Brook once again exploded in the sixth inning with four runs to extend the lead to 9-3. They tallied extra runs in the eighth and ninth innings off a solo home run and RBI groundout. They were able to take Game 1 by an 11-3 margin, while UMBC was unable to generate any offense off Seawolves pitchers Marino and Adam Erickson in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Every Stony Brook hitter was able to reach base, but UMBC would look to bounce back in Game 2.

The Seawolves picked up where they left off in Game 1 and put up five runs in the top of the first inning. Nick Grande drove redshirt freshman-pitcher Nick Trabacchi’s second pitch of the game out of the park for a home run. The following runs came in from a two-RBI double, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. UMBC came back and won the game despite being down 4-0 against second-place Hartford last weekend and would be put to the test again. In the bottom half of the first, Wright was able to bring in Pinkston for a run to cut the Stony Brook lead back to 5-1.

In the top of the second inning, once again, Grande hit a leadoff home run to extend the Seawolves lead back to five runs. UMBC was able to cut the lead back to four in the bottom half of the fourth inning due to sophomore-infielder Joey Goodwin’s RBI single. After the first two innings, Trabacchi settled in and pitched three straight hitless innings.

UMBC’s offense erupted in the fourth inning with an RBI groundout by Goodwin and RBI singles by freshman-infielders Blaze O’Saben and Pinkston. They two freshmen continue their phenomenal seasons with O’Saben and Pinkston hitting .279 and .345 respectively, cutting cut the UMBC deficit down to one. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Wright led off with another hit and junior-catcher Colin Casey scored Wright from first on an RBI double to tie the game at six. O’Saben struck out to get Stony Brook pitcher Aaron Glickstein out of the bases loaded jam.

Redshirt junior-pitcher Stephen Schoch would enter the game at the top of the sixth inning keeping the score tied. In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Pinkston would lead the inning off with a walk. Wright would drive Stony Brook pitcher Sam Turcotte’s first pitch of the game out of the park for a go-ahead two-run home run. Once again the Seawolves would leave Retriever runners stranded, but the damage was done, and Schoch ended the game on a strikeout to win the game 8-6.

Schoch picked up the win to continue his phenomenal 5-2 season campaign. He finished the second game of the doubleheader a triple shy of the cycle, tallying two runs. Senior-outfielder Raven Beeman finished with two runs on the afternoon. UMBC’s comeback win would improve their record to 20-20, setting up a rubber match against the Seawolves in Game 3.

After a clean first inning, UMBC’s Joe Milkowski was able to hit an RBI double in the second inning, scoring Goodwin. Later in the third inning, Wright continued where he left off in Game 2 and hit an RBI double scoring Pinkston. Stony Brook’s pitcher was able to settle in after the third inning. However, UMBC was able to command the game with a 2-0 lead thanks to UMBC junior-pitcher Bryan Gilliam who pitched a phenomenal five innings, only allowing three hits and one earned run.

The Seawolves picked up their first run in the sixth inning via an RBI double by Johnny Decker to cut their deficit to one, and senior-pitcher Andy Rozylowicz was able to escape the jam in the sixth inning. Stony Brook tied the game in the seventh inning after a controversial balk call that would eventually allow Brandon Janofsky to score on a wild pitch. Schoch would enter the game for the second time this weekend in the eighth inning, getting out of jams in the last two innings with runners in scoring position.

UMBC would then have the chance to win the series against first-place Stony Brook in the bottom of the ninth inning. A walk by Goodwin with one out would give the Retrievers a chance to score the game winner. Turcotte got out of the inning and would need free baseball to decide the series winner in Baltimore. For the first time this season, UMBC would need extra innings to decide the winner, having a wonderful opportunity to take the first place foe.

After having runners on first and second base with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Colin Casey grounded out to end the threat. In the top of the 11th inning, Stony Brook used stationary baseball to score the go-ahead run by Dylan Resk single preceding a sacrifice bunt, deep flyball to advance the runner to third and an RBI single. With the last chance to extend the game for UMBC in the bottom of the 11th, Beeman led the inning off with a single and was eventually advanced to second base with a sacrifice bunt. However, sophomore-infielder Andres Machado ended the game with a strikeout. In the most contested game of the series, UMBC fell short 3-2 to lose the rubber match.

The Retrievers fall to 20-21 overall and 6-12 in conference and remain last place in the America East. The Retrievers will have another home conference series next weekend as they face Binghamton this Saturday at Alumni Field. With only two conference series remaining for UMBC, they will need to seek a series win in order to chase down UMass Lowell or Maine in the conference tournament race, as only six teams will compete in the 2019 America East Tournament.