Iman Kennedy ’12 and Joe Adewumi ’12 selected as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars

Iman Kennedy ’12 and Joe Adewumi ’12 have been selected as an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar for 2011. Kennedy is a member of UMBC’s volleyball team, and Adewumi is a men’s tennis player.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education gives out the awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled both academically and athletically. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance, scholars must demonstrate a commitment to community service and community activism.

The award was inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.’s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis.

Marie desJardins, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Places Sixth in Boston Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Marie desJardins, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering, attended the Boston Crossword Puzzle Tournament, held at Harvard University April 23, and placed sixth out of the 84 individual competitors and 110 total competitors (there were 26 pair entries).

desJardins has competed in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament four times, and had her highest ranking this year, 95th out of 655 entrants.

Tom Glantz, Ancient Studies, Accepted to Archaeological Field School

Tom Glantz, an ancient studies major, has received one of the nine positions at the New Philadelphia Field School, an archaeological field school supported by the National Science Foundation through their “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” program.

Faculty and Alumni at the Maryland Film Festival

Vin Grabill, associate professor and chair of the Department of Visual Arts; John Sturgeon, professor of film and video; and Nathan Duncan ’05 will screen recent videos at the Maryland Film Festival’s “Experimental Shorts” program, Saturday, May 7, 7:30 p.m. at the Windup Space and Sunday, May 8, 2:30 p.m. at Charles Theater 3.

Sturgeon’s “Archivist: Cleaving Among the Houses,” Grabill’s “Frontier” and Duncan’s “Ghost Mall” will be screened during the program.

Michael Tully ’98 was also selected for this year’s festival. His film, “Septien,” will be screened Saturday, May 7, 6 p.m. at Charles Theater 1 and Sunday, May 8, 2:30 p.m. at the MICA Brown Center.

The Maryland Film Festival is an annual four-day event that takes place the first weekend of each May, presenting film and video work from all over the world.

Gary Kachadourian, IMDA Graduate Student, Wins Mary Sawyer Baker Artist Award

Congratulations to imaging and digital arts (IMDA) graduate student Gary Kachadourian for winning one of three Mary Sawyer Baker Artist Awards for 2011.

This is the third year of the program in which three Baltimore area artists are awarded $25,000 prizes for art work they have displayed on the Baker Artist Award website during the self-nomination process. This year, 696 visual and performing artists submitted work for consideration.

Gary is the second IMDA student to receive a Baker award—IMDA alumna Hadieh Shafie received the award two years ago, during the inaugural year of the award program.

For more information, visit bakerartistawards.org/about-awards/.

UMBC Student Omar Bukhari Will Bike to San Francisco with 4K for Cancer

Omar Bukhari, a sophomore biochemistry major and emergency health services minor, will bike 4,000 miles this summer from Baltimore to San Francisco to benefit cancer patients. The bike ride, organized through 4K for Cancer, seeks to raise funds for cancer patients who need assistance with medical costs and inspire people whose lives are affected by cancer. Bukhari has so far raised $3,160 toward his $4,500 goal. You can follow his fundraising progress and his training at omar4k.tumblr.com/.

Working as a volunteer EMT in Baltimore and hearing patients’ stories about cancer, as well as researching anti-cancer compounds as an intern, inspired Bukhari to take action and become involved with 4K for Cancer. Riders visit cancer patients, hospitals and cancer centers as they travel, where they “host presentations, offer cancer screenings and help underserved communities gain access to support by connecting them to other cancer-centric non-profits.”

Gov. O’Malley Appoints Collin Wojciechowski ’13 as Student Regent

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed UMBC sophomore Collin Wojciechowski ’13, political science and media and communication studies, as 2011-12 student regent for the University System of Maryland (USM). Wojciechowski’s one-year term on the Board of Regents, which governs the USM, will begin July 1, 2011. Wojciechowski is a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar and director of the Office of Government and Community Affairs for the UMBC Student Government Association (SGA).

During his tenure as student regent, Wojciechowski hopes to work with the board to continue to protect the quality and affordability of education in Maryland and improve college accessibility for underrepresented populations. He also looks forward to interacting with more senior board members. “Having worked with colleagues far more advanced in their careers,” says Wojciechowski, “the most important thing I’ve learned is how to listen. Diverse perspectives are necessary for us to understand and address the challenges we face.”

The USM specifies that the 17 members of the Board of Regents “oversee the system’s academic, administrative and financial operations; formulate policy; and appoint the USM chancellor and the presidents of the system’s 12 institutions.” Learn more about Collin Wojciechowski and his new position on the Board of Regents through the UMBC News blog.

Phil Poe ’14 Named America East Men’s Lacrosse Rookie of the Week

Midfielder Phil Poe ’14 has been named America East Conference Men’s Lacrosse Rookie of the Week for games ending Sunday, April 10.

Poe has taken over as UMBC’s primary face-off specialist and helped guide the Retrievers to a pair of hard-fought victories last week. He won 13 of 21 draws in the 10-9 win over Towson and split 16 draws in the 8-6 victory over Binghamton. Poe totaled 15 ground balls in the two contests.

The first-year player scored his first collegiate goal against the Tigers, giving UMBC a 2-0 lead six seconds after the Retrievers scored the game’s first goal.

Poe is now 35-31 in his initial season on draws and is second on the squad with 24 ground balls.

UMBC has won two consecutive games heading into Saturday evening’s contest at Albany.

Alicia Wilson ’04, Aaron Merki ’05 and Eduardo Gonzalez ’06 named “Twenty in Their 20s” by Daily Record

Alicia Wilson ’04, political science; Aaron Merki ’05, political science; and Eduardo Gonzalez ’06, English and political science, were named to The Daily Record’s 2011 list of “Twenty in Their 20s” award honorees. Merki was also the recipient of the 2010 UMBC Rising Star Award for young alumni service and is an associate at Venable, LLP. Wilson was the (inaugural) 2009 UMBC Rising Star Award winner and is an associate at Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, LLC. Gonzalez graduated from the University at Buffalo Law School (J.D. ’09), where he received the Robert J. Connolly Trial Technique Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy. He clerked for Circuit Administrative Judge Daniel M. Long, worked as an assistant public defender, and now is an associate at Hearne & Bailey, P.A.

Dig with Esther Read, Ancient Studies, Receives Preserve America Award

The Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fell’s Point recently completed the renovation of 1627 Aliceanna St. in Fell’s Point, a rare 18th century wooden structure that once housed the Leeke Academy.. The Society received a Preserve America Steward Award for its use of volunteers on this project. The award is given by the federal government’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation for exemplary recruitment and use of volunteers and is signed by Michelle Obama of the White House.

During the awards ceremony, which is planned for late April, Esther Read, lecturer of ancient studies, and her students will be recognized for their work cataloging hundreds of artifacts from the site. They spent many hours painting and scraping walls at 1627 Aliceanna Volunteers from the Fell’s Point Residents Association, which has contributed thousands of dollars for the renovation of Society properties, will also be recognized.

A highlight of the event will be the installation of a time capsule in a wall of the Aliceanna St. property. Attendees will be invited to write down whatever is on their minds that day to be read by others 100 years from now.