Welcome Back to the 2019-2020 Academic Year!

As president of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 22 UM/UMBC, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you the best in your endeavors this new academic year, be they in college or outside academia.  A good beginning makes a big difference, and your election into Phi Kappa Phi indicates that you have set a strong foundation for a new year of exploration and learning. 

This is an exciting year for Chapter 22 – founded in 1920, we will be celebrating our 100^th anniversary in 2020 along with our fellow chapters at UMCP, UMUC and UMES.  Keep your eyes open for chapter opportunities in the upcoming year including an Awards & Leadership Workshop in the fall, an Evening with Dr. Hrabowski on April 6^th, and our Spring Initiation Ceremony on Sunday, April 19^th.

Finally, I hope that you will take advantage of your Phi Kappa Phi membership by exploring the benefits available at https://www.phikappaphi.org/.  Again, welcome to the new year, and as always, “let the love of learning rule humanity.”

All the best,

Connie Pierson

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that registration for the eighth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge is open through October 15^th.

The Campus RainWorks Challenge is a green infrastructure design competition that seeks to engage with the next generation of environmental professionals, foster a dialogue about stormwater management, and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices. Current students at American colleges and universities are eligible to participate. Teams must register in order to submit their complete entries by December 17^th. Winners will be announced in the Spring of 2020.

Each first-place team will earn a student prize of $5,000 to be divided evenly among student team members and a faculty prize of $5,000 to support green infrastructure research or training. Second-place teams will win a student prize of $2,500 and a $2,500 faculty prize.

Please share this announcement within your networks. Do you have what it takes to win? Step up to the challenge.

Check out the rules for competing and register at:  www.epa.gov/campusrainworks

If you are interested in pursuing this please contact Ryan Kmetz Asst. Director of Sustainability rkmetz@umbc.edu 

• Seed Awards have a budget totaling less than $3,500 for the twenty-four month period for an innovative small project.
• Adaptation Awards have a budget totaling $10,000 or less for the twenty-four month period. These awards support the adaptation and implementation of existing successful innovations into other courses, programs, or disciplines.
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Awards have a budget totaling $10,000 or less for the twenty-four month period. These awards support the collection and analysis of data on the effect of interventions on student learning and success with the purpose of public dissemination and review.
• Implementation and Research Awards have a budget of $3,500 or greater, up to the total maximum amount of $25,000 for the twenty-four month period for the support of truly innovative, larger projects.