English faculty member Dr. Keegan Cook Finberg has published a new chapbook of poems titled The Thought of Preservation with Ursus Americanus Press. The publisher describes the book below:

"What is the language of displacement? Where does it begin? Is it a language of forgetting? Is its action intentional? Keegan Cook Finberg’s The Act of Preservation uses the source language of neighborhood classifieds to uncover and disclose the sinister gentrification of one of Nashville, TN’s most historic neighborhoods. A kind of erasure to implicate erasure, Finberg opens the voice of white mobility to its ugliest intention, unmasking what is often written off as either simply innocuous or ignorant. The Thought of Preservation is inherently tragedy, its subject cannot be redeemed, the battle was lost. It does, however, provide a text of experience, of warning, of incipient siege."

Find out more and order the book at the publisher's website:

Every single innovative product on the market today had to be developed by someone who thought outside the box. UMBC is constantly innovating and encouraging its community to reach new heights and positively change the world through this kind of forward thinking. In today’s industry roundup, we take a look at how innovation is changing our powered world as we know it. We also look at an innovative group project that has wide-reaching application for the homeless population, the future of AI and cloud computing, and hot trends in data analytics for 2020.

The COEIT Celebration has quickly become a defining annual event for the community of faculty, staff, and students in UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT). The celebration showcases the achievements of COEIT’s numerous highly active student organizations and senior capstone projects. It’s also an opportunity for COEIT Dean Keith J Bowman to reflect on the year and to honor those whose work has been essential to the College’s impact and growth.

Julianna Posey ’19, mechanical engineering, a Center for Women in Technology Scholar.

Throughout the year, innovative research and strong teaching have contributed to student success, and have also helped faculty establish new connections and opportunities. “The COEIT Celebration allows our community to acknowledge the tremendous accomplishments of our faculty, students, and staff at all levels,” Bowman says.

Dean Keith Bowman delivering remarks at the COEIT Celebration.

Student achievements

Each academic program recognized students who have demonstrated strong leadership during their time at UMBC.

Noah Owens ’19, information systems, and Michael Piccinini ’19, information systems, with faculty from the department.

Information systems recognized Victor Cho and Musarrat Khan as Superior Students. Noah Owens and Michael Piccinini, both in business technology administration; computer science’s Aditya Kaliappan; and Edward Hanson, computer engineering, received Student Leadership Awards. Chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering (CBEE) recognized Elizabeth Tan and mechanical engineering honored Shannon Clancy with Student Leadership Awards as well.

Edward Hanson at the COEIT Celebration.

Two departments also presented special named awards. Information systems honored Jana Burns with the Vijay Jose Award for exceptional involvement in student life. CSEE presented Emily C. McGovern with the Manoharshyam Joshi Award for a computer science student who has demonstrated exemplary achievement in a multitude of areas across academics, service, and leadership.

Christina Achu ’19, mechanical engineering. 

Beyond these specific awards, the College and Provost’s Office recognized nearly a hundred graduating seniors for their outstanding achievements in academics and research.

Maryam AlAli sharing her work at the COEIT Celebration.

Faculty and staff honors

During the COEIT Celebration, the Provost’s Office presented five COEIT faculty members with awards for their commitment to excellence. Jeffrey Ray, a graduate faculty member in the systems engineering program through the Division of Professional Studies, and William Ryan, an adjunct faculty member in information systems, received Adjunct Faculty Excellence Awards.

Jianwu Wang, assistant professor of information systems, received the Early Career Faculty Excellence Award, and Carolyn Seaman, associate professor of information systems and interim director of UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology, was presented with the Mid-Career Faculty Excellence Award. During the Celebration, Mariajosé Castellanos, senior lecturer in CBEE, was recognized for her innovative pedagogical approach with the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Mariajosé Castellanos, CBEE senior lecturer and undergraduate program director

The COEIT Dean’s Office also honored staff members for their dedication and service. Joshua Abrams, assistant director and advisor of COEIT’s Undergraduate Student Services; Lina Chung, program management specialist in information systems; and Michael Frizzell, engineering technician in CBEE, were recognized with 2019 Staff Awards for Superior Service.

“The COEIT Celebration is a day of fun for students, faculty, and staff. It is truly a celebration, and a chance for graduating students to share the festivities with family, friends, and mentors,” says Catherine Bielawski, assistant dean for undergraduate student services in the College. “This annual spring event exposes underclassmen to the breadth of opportunities offered at UMBC.”

Professor Carolyn Seaman cheers on award recipients at the COEIT Celebration.

Read more stories of COEIT student achievement on UMBC News, on students who have had transformative study abroad experiences; who have created their own highly unique UMBC paths; who have found inspiration in their life experiences; and who have come to UMBC from abroad and found meaningful personal connections on campus.

All photos by Chris Ferenzi Photography.

UMBC Magazine | Megan Hanks| April 17, 2019

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently recognized a UMBC information systems alumnus among its 2019 Small Business Persons of the Year winners.

Zhensen Huang, M.S. ‘00, Ph.D. ‘04, information systems, was the winner of the award for Maryland. He is the CEO of Precise Software Solutions, Inc., a company that supports government agencies’ information technology needs by offering innovative solutions.

Huang explains that he has always wanted to use technology to impact people’s lives, and as an entrepreneur he’s been able to make that a reality. “I am both honored and humbled to receive this Person of the Year recognition,” he says.

In 2013, Huang started Precise and began attracting talented professionals to his company. He says that he wanted to address technological challenges and “deliver elegant technical solutions to the health and science industry’s most complex problems.” He credits the high caliber work of his team at Precise for recognition from the Small Business Administration.

The winners will attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in early May during National Small Business Week, where they will receive their awards. The Small Business Administration recognizes winners from each state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. During the ceremonies, the Small Business Administration will announce the 2019 National Small Business Person of the Year from the 53 winners from across the U.S. and territories.

Farmers' market season is just beginning.  Visit a local farmer’s market to pick up fruits & vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses, ice cream and much more! 

Check out the 2019 Directory to find a market near you. 

Don't forget to bring your campus card to wellness events for tracking. Participation in 5 events during the academic year gets you a small wellness bundle and enters you into our grand prize drawing!  

The printer in room 121 is back online. It was a simple bad connection in the data closet. If you have printed anything in the last few days, it's sitting on the table in 121.