E-Teacher Conference Held at UMBC

The E-Teacher Scholars’ Conference was held at UMBC on August 11-12, 2011. The conference was the culmination of the E-Teacher Professional Development Workshop 2011, which was held on UMBC’s campus July 23-August 13, and was moderated by Joan Kang Shin ’08 Ph.D., language, literacy and culture, clinical assistant professor of education and director of TESOL Professional Training Programs in Continuing and Professional Studies.

The conference included presentations from the 26 English teaching scholars from 25 countries who developed projects during their three-week stay at UMBC. Click here to see a list of the participants and their countries of origin.

The E-Teacher Professional Development Workshop is a three-week teacher leadership program that takes place each summer at the UMBC. Workshop participants are alumni of the E-Teacher Scholarship Program, a fully online training program for English teaching professionals sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and developed by UMBC and the University of Oregon. The purpose of the workshop is to enhance participants’ understanding of TESOL methodology and empower them as teacher leaders in their home countries.

On August 11, people from over 100 locations logged onto the live stream broadcast. The viewers included U.S. Embassies worldwide and alumni from the E-Teacher Scholarship Program. After each 20-minute presentation by an E-Teacher scholar, viewers from around the world texted through the live stream web chat box with comments and questions for the presenter. The conference continued through August 12, culminating in an awards ceremony and a cultural evening.

Men’s Soccer on Fox Soccer

For the second consecutive season, UMBC men’s soccer will be featured on the NSCAA’s “College Game of the Week” on Fox Soccer.

The Retrievers will host the New Hampshire Wildcats, Friday, October 14, at 7 p.m., as one of twelve men’s collegiate matches on Fox Soccer.

The rematch of the 2010 America East Conference title game will be UMBC’s second consecutive home game as part of the NSCAA’s package. The Retrievers hosted Boston University at UMBC Stadium on October 15, 2010, and drew a record crowd of 2,781.

This contest will take place on the plush Bermuda grass surface at the newly-renamed Retriever Soccer Park.

UMBC will be celebrating its Homecoming activities from October 12-15, and this men’s soccer clash will highlight the weekend festivities.

Four UMBC Tennis Players Named ITA Scholar-Athletes

Four UMBC tennis players were named Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athletes for the 2010-11 academic year.

Recent graduate Emily Mannix, rising junior Julia Gregara-Cano and rising sophomore Kim Berghaus were the three UMBC women student-athletes named to the team, while recent graduate Shane Yap earned the honor on the men side.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a varsity letter winner
2. Have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
3. Have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman thorough senior year)

Read the full press release here.

Carlo DiClemente, Psychology, to Serve on Expert Panel

Carlo DiClemente, professor of psychology, will serve as an expert panelist for the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Addiction Performance Project, which aims to break down the stigma associated with drug addiction and promote a healthy dialogue that fosters compassion, cooperation and understanding for patients living with this disease. The panel will take place on Saturday, August 6, at the American Psychological Association’s 119th Convention in Washington, DC.

The project is part of NIDA’s outreach to practicing health professionals. Actors Debra Winger and Arliss Howard will begin the performance with a dramatic reading of Act III of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” The reading will be followed by an expert panel reaction featuring DiClemente and facilitated audience discussion.

For more information about the performance and the project, visit nida.nih.gov/nidamed/APP/index.html.

Pamela Meister ’08 Appointed as Harford County Council Administrator

Pamela Meister ’08, M.P.P., has been appointed as the next Harford County Council administrator. Meister most recently served as the associate executive director at the Baltimore Jewish Council after working as the director of government relations and public policy with the same organization. She also worked as the legislative director to state Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George’s County Democrat, 2004-08. She has a psychology degree from George Washington University and a Master of Public Policy from UMBC. Learn more in Meister’s BelAir Patch feature.

Amy Lacosse, Psychology, Receives Pearson Prize

UMBC psychology student Amy Lacosse has been named a 2011 Pearson Prize Community Fellow as part of a national higher competition that recognizes student service. Her application video focuses on her work to eliminate stigma against children with developmental disabilities, as well as her own experience using a psychiatric service dog and helping to establish a policy at UMBC for service animals.

George LaNoue, Public Policy and Political Science, Elected Vice Chair of Maryland State Advisory Committee on Civil Rights

George La Noue, professor of Public Policy and Political Science, has been elected vice chair of the Maryland State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement.

Christopher Corbett in “Fair Warning: Leo Connellan and His Poetry”

Christopher Corbett, professor of the practice of English, has an essay included in the just-published collection “Fair Warning: Leo Connellan and His Poetry.” Connellan, winner of the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, was a prominent New England poet who died in 2001.

“Fair Warning” is a collection of essays and appreciations of Connellan by prominent American writers and critics including Richard Wilbur, Robert Creeley and Hayden Carruth.

Corbett’s essay “In the Clear Blue Lobster-Water Country with Leo Connellan,” which appeared originally in the Maine magazine Down East, is an account of walking around the Maine fishing port of Rockland, Connellan’s hometown, with the poet.

Video Co-Created by Vin Grabill to be Featured at Conference in England

A video by Vin Grabill, associate professor and chair of the Department of Visual Arts, will be presented at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Huddersfield, England on Wednesday, August 3. The video, “Pranayama 3,” was produced in collaboration with Grabill’s son, Elliott, who will attend the conference to represent both of them. The video can be viewed online here.

For more information about the 2011 ICMC, visit icmc2011.org.uk.

UMBC Alumni Association Awards Scholarships to Outstanding Undergraduate Students

The UMBC Alumni Association is pleased to offer scholarships to outstanding current UMBC undergraduate students. The 2011-2012 recipients are Melanie Dell ’12, English (Legacy Scholarship); Jatnaa Fortuna ’11, psychology; Gift Jayakar ’12, biology; and Paige Khoury ’12, dance. One Legacy Scholarship is awarded annually to the child or grandchild of a UMBC alumnus/ae, while the remaining awards are need-based and available for application by all students who meet the stated criteria. Please also join us in celebrating this year’s student recipients for their accomplishments!

Read more about the scholarship recipients here.