Home Page News http://ischool.umd.edu/ en Student Spotlight: iSchool Undergrad Became Inaugural Student Co-Chair of IAC – Claire Morville, BSIS ‘21 http://ischool.umd.edu/news/student-spotlight-ischool-undergrad-became-inaugural-student-co-chair-iac-claire-morville-bsis <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Student Spotlight: iSchool Undergrad Became Inaugural Student Co-Chair of IAC – Claire Morville, BSIS ‘21</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/default_images/iSchoolNewsDefault_1.jpg" width="1200" height="600" alt="UMD iSchool News" title="UMD iSchool News" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/37" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">ndibert</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Wed, 04/14/2021 - 15:16</span> <div class="field field--name-field-principal-investigator field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/about/directory/claudia-sanchez" hreflang="en">Claudia Sanchez</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">April 14, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><img alt="Claire Morville" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f3a636eb-07ff-4b5a-a83c-4d3cb6f56590" height="241" src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/ClaireMorville.jpg" width="241" class="align-left" />After her first tour of the University of Maryland, College Park campus, Claire Morville, BSIS ’21, became immediately enthralled with everything the UMD community had to offer. At first, she had her sights set on a degree in computer science, but once she learned that it wasn’t a perfect fit, she landed in the UMD College of Information Studies’ (iSchool) new Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) degree program where she was able to explore her long-standing interests in information science and design.</p> <p>During her time at the iSchool, Claire took full advantage of the BSIS program’s interdisciplinary structure to truly customize her undergraduate experience. The forward-thinking nature of the program allowed her to explore the implications of technology on ethics and culture, and provided her with the skills to design and build new innovations that benefit everyone. </p> <p>Claire is interested in designing better preparedness and response solutions to crisis situations, including the measures taken to address the needs of victims during and after a crisis. She is also especially keen on discussing the information architecture of gender norms and how language, classification, and structure can help or harm the transgender community. She believes that information architecture professionals “can help restructure the ways we think about gender by working to avoid restrictive labels and taking the time to consider who is being affected by the language we use.”</p> <p>“It is not only about developing something new, but also considering the ramifications of what you are putting out in the world, and the dangerous ways it can be used, even if that was not the initial intent.”</p> <p>In Fall 2019, Claire became the first-ever student co-chair of the Information Architecture Conference (IAC), a position she pitched to the conference organizers as a first step towards more student involvement with the conference. Claire recruited Rebekah Bruesehoff, a 14-year-old transgender activist, to be the opening keynote speaker at IAC 2021 to discuss the implications of information architecture on the transgender community and [says] “to show that students can be leaders, speakers, attendees, and/or volunteers has been such an honor.” She also worked with iSchool Dean, Keith Marzullo, on sponsoring iSchool students who wanted to attend IAC. </p> <p>Claire currently works as a User Experience Design intern for the Federal Aviation Administration. She’s also a researcher for the Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab at Indiana University where she’s working on a mesh networking project to assist in dynamic asset tracking and search and rescue operations. Her career goal is to work at the intersection of emergency management and user experience design. </p> <p>During her free time, Claire enjoys spending time with friends and family and with their dogs, Asha and Cinder. Recently picking up an interest in cooking, Claire has been exploring with new recipes including Indian, Asian, and Thai cuisines. So far, her favorites are Baja Fish Tacos, Pad See Ew, Steamed Bao Buns, and Butter Chicken.<br />  </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Claire Morville, BSIS ’21, became immediately enthralled with everything the UMD community had to offer. At first, she had her sights set on a degree in computer science, but once she learned that it wasn’t a perfect fit, she landed in the UMD College of Information Studies’ (iSchool) new Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) degree program where she was able to explore her long-standing interests in information science and design.</p> </div> Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:16:33 +0000 ndibert 1350 at http://ischool.umd.edu STEM Education Struggle in the U.S.: The Key Piece We’ve Been Missing http://ischool.umd.edu/news/stem-education-struggle-us-key-piece-weve-been-missing <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">STEM Education Struggle in the U.S.: The Key Piece We’ve Been Missing</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/Dan%20Greene%20Web%20News%201200x600.jpg" width="1200" height="600" alt="Image of The Promise of Access book cover" title="Image of The Promise of Access book cover" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Mon, 04/12/2021 - 13:47</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">UMD iSchool Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">April 12, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/events" hreflang="en">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/76" hreflang="en">Faculty & Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/research" hreflang="en">Research News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p class="text-align-center"><em>Join the conversation—attend or request an upcoming talk.</em></p> <p><figure role="group" class="caption caption-img align-right"><img alt="Dr. Daniel Greene" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9283226c-d0ed-4869-a271-86d98bb5813b" height="261" src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/dgreene.jpg" width="209" /><figcaption><em>Dr. Daniel Greene</em></figcaption></figure></p> <p>Why do we keep trying to solve poverty with technology? What makes us feel that we need to learn to code–or else? In <em>The Promise of Access</em>, Dr. Daniel Greene, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) shows how the digital divide emerged as a policy problem and why simple technological solutions to complex social issues continue to appeal to politicians and professionals who should (and often do) know better.</p> <p>Through a combination of real-life stories and critical policy analysis, Dr. Greene reveals why it is so hard to get rid of the idea that the problem of poverty can be solved with the right tools and the right skills. Places that fight poverty, like schools and libraries, pursue this goal–and end up looking more like tech startups in the process. </p> <blockquote><p>“The Promise of Access is one of the most important books written on social institutions and the lived experiences of techno-solutionism in the United States. Dan Greene systematically dismantles the cultural history of technology's antipoverty promises.” ~ Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</p> </blockquote> <p>Drawing on years of fieldwork and interviews, Dr. Greene explores how this plays out in the real world, examining organizational change in technology startups, public libraries, and a charter school in Washington, DC. He finds that as these organizations pursue technological solutions, they win praise and funding but also marginalize and alienate the populations they serve. Greene calls for new political alliances that can change the terms on which we understand technology and fight poverty.</p> <h3>Join the Conversation</h3> <p>A native iSchooler, Dr. Greene presents this theory as a launchpad for discussion and calls on iSchools, libraries, organizations fighting poverty, and other institutions to join him in exploring the problem and building new political and organizational solutions. Join us for an upcoming talk or invite Dr. Greene to speak at your organization. Invitations for university discussions or lectures are welcome as well.</p> <div class="row" data-ckeelementtype="bsgrid"> <div class="col-lg col-md-6 col-sm-12 col-12" data-ckeelementtype="bsgridcol"> <p class="text-align-center"><a aria-pressed="true" button="" class="btn btn-primary" data-ckeelementtype="bsbutton" href="https://associationforinformationscienceandtechnologyasist.growthzoneapp.com/ap/Events/Register/nPe47Zdp?sourceTypeId=Website" role="button" target="_blank" title="ASIS&T Talk Registration">4/15 ASIS&T Talk</a></p> </div> <div class="col-lg col-md-6 col-sm-12 col-12" data-ckeelementtype="bsgridcol"> <p class="text-align-center"><a aria-pressed="true" button="" class="btn btn-primary" data-ckeelementtype="bsbutton" href="https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Vw1a-Z6T0q1WbpMWXVj3A" role="button" target="_blank" title="UMD iSchool Launch Event">4/30 iSchool Talk</a></p> </div> <div class="col-lg col-md-6 col-sm-12 col-12" data-ckeelementtype="bsgridcol"> <p class="text-align-center"><a aria-pressed="true" button="" class="btn btn-primary" data-ckeelementtype="bsbutton" href="mailto:dgreene1@umd.edu" role="button" target="_blank" title="Email Dr. Daniel Greene">Request a Talk</a></p> </div> </div> <h3>Book Information</h3> <blockquote><p>“Poverty is social. For decades we knew this, but we forgot, believing in computer code instead. Greene brilliantly explodes this myth, shows the damage it does, and imagines a way forward together.” ~ Nick Couldry, Coauthor of The Costs of Connection: How Data Is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating It for Capitalism</p> </blockquote> <blockquote><p>“Told with sympathy and humor, The Promise of Access is nonetheless a slow-motion tragedy, with often well-meaning characters set in a shiny world of upbeat adages, high-tech funding, and strategic metrics.” ~ Allison J. Pugh, University of Virginia; author of The Tumbleweed Society: Working and Caring in an Age of Insecurity</p> </blockquote> <p><em>The Promise of Access: Technology, Inequality, and the Political Economy of Hope,</em> by Daniel Greene</p> <p>Published by <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669533/the-promise-of-access-by-daniel-greene/" title="Penguin">Penguin</a> & <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/promise-access" title="MIT Press">MIT Press</a></p> <p>Available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Access-Technology-Inequality-Political/dp/0262542331/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1618249408&sr=1-1" title="Promise of Access on Amazon - Paperback and Kindle">Amazon</a> and where books are sold; #1 (of 95) New Book in LIS on Amazon, April 2021</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/accessibility-and-inclusive-design" hreflang="en">Accessibility and Inclusive Design</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/data-science-analytics-and-visualization" hreflang="en">Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/future-work" hreflang="en">Future of Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/health-informatics" hreflang="en">Health Informatics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/human-computer-interaction" hreflang="en">Human-Computer Interaction</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/information-justice-human-rights-and-technology-ethics" hreflang="en">Information Justice, Human Rights, and Technology Ethics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/library-and-information-science" hreflang="en">Library and Information Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/smart-cities-and-connected-communities" hreflang="en">Smart Cities and Connected Communities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/youth-experience-learning-and-digital-practices" hreflang="en">Youth Experience, Learning, and Digital Practices</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/9" hreflang="en">HCIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/81" hreflang="en">HILS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/11" hreflang="en">MLIS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/12" hreflang="en">PhD</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/47" hreflang="en">CSL Certificate</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-centers-and-labs field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Centers and Labs</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/centers-and-labs/hcil" hreflang="en">The Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL)</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In <em>The Promise of Access</em>, Dr. Daniel Greene shares a radical perspective on why tech solutions aren’t solving complex social problems such as STEM education and the digital divide. <a href="https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Vw1a-Z6T0q1WbpMWXVj3A" title="Promise of Access Talk 4/30/2021 Registration">Join the conversation 4/30</a> or request a talk. </p> </div> Mon, 12 Apr 2021 17:47:47 +0000 mhinckle 1336 at http://ischool.umd.edu UMD iSchool Takes #4 Spot in U.S. Rankings http://ischool.umd.edu/news/umd-ischool-takes-4-spot-us-rankings <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">UMD iSchool Takes #4 Spot in U.S. Rankings</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/Librarianship-04.jpg" width="1200" height="600" alt="Photo of Dr. Mega Subramaniam, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Youth eXperience (YX) Lab, and Luis Cortes, Research Coordinator, identifying hands-on learning opportunities for students." title="Photo of Dr. Mega Subramaniam, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Youth eXperience (YX) Lab, and Luis Cortes, Research Coordinator, identifying hands-on learning opportunities for students." typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Wed, 04/07/2021 - 16:57</span> <div class="field field--name-field-news-img-caption field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dr. Mega Subramaniam, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Youth eXperience (YX) Lab, and Luis Cortes, Research Coordinator, identifying hands-on learning opportunities for students.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hayleigh Moore</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">April 07, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/awards-and-rankings" hreflang="en">Awards and Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/events" hreflang="en">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) Program at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) earns the #4 spot in the recently released <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-library-information-science-programs/university-of-maryland-college-park-163286" title="US News & World Report 2021 College Rankings: LIS">U.S. News & World Report's 2021 LIS college rankings</a>. This is a jump up from the college's previous #8 ranking earned in 2017. The UMD iSchool continues to develop and advance its LIS programs with a passion for creating an inclusive environment, an unmatched practical and theoretical education, and unsurpassed hands-on learning opportunities with internationally renowned faculty and top industry partners.</p> <p>Within the MLIS program, programming specific to Services for Children and Youth earns the #2 ranking in the U.S. The impact of libraries on communities, especially with youth and marginalized populations, has been at the heart of the UMD iSchool since its founding and continues to be reflected in its programs, including the MLIS Youth Experience (YX) specialization that enables students to design and implement policies, programs, and technology to support a young person’s learning, development, and everyday lives. The UMD iSchool also houses KidsTeam, bringing together children ages 7-11, researchers, industry partners and technologists to co-design technologies that support children’s learning and play.</p> <blockquote><p>“Creating an inclusive and supportive environment is important to us and we—the MLIS faculty and staff—are dedicated to helping each student find their path through this program,” said the current Director of MLIS Program, Dr. Ursula Gorham. “Students from many different backgrounds find a home in our program, actively embracing the constant change that is a part of our profession and then going on to fulfilling, meaningful careers.”</p> </blockquote> <p>Since it's inception in 1965, the UMD iSchool has been an champion of diversity and inclusion—both within programs and the college, and as a focus of the work of the college. Today with over 1800 students from 37 countries, a 44% female student body, and 29% of students from underrepresented groups, the UMD iSchool believes that one of the greatest strengths of the MLIS program—and all programs—is their welcoming and encouraging environment. Students experience vibrant dialogue, diverse perspectives, and formal opportunities to celebrate, study, and explore diversity. </p> <p>Annually, the MLIS program plays a significant role in the <a href="https://cidlis.umd.edu/" title="UMD Annual Conference on Inclusion and Diversity in Library and Information Science">UMD Annual Conference on Inclusion and Diversity in Library and Information Science</a> (CIDLIS), the first and longest-running event centered on equity, diversity, and inclusion in LIS fields. Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, UMD iSchool faculty organized <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/research/projects/counted-national-forum-libraries-census-2020-and-new-americans" title="Counted In: National Forum on Libraries, Census 2020, and New Americans">Counted In: National Forum on Libraries, Census 2020, and New Americans</a>, a one-day event funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to promote census access and participation among immigrant communities. Just announced, the UMD iSchool and American Library Association (ALA) are launching an annual lecture series, with ALA President and UMD iSchool alumnus Julius C. Jefferson Jr. speaking at the <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/events/umd-ischool-presents-ala-lecture-series-featuring-julius-c-jefferson-jr" title="UMD iSchool & ALA Lecture Series">5/6/2021 inaugural event</a>.<br />  </p> <p><em>The U.S News & World Report rankings are based solely on the results of a fall 2020 and early 2021 survey sent to each program's dean, director and a senior faculty member of 55 master's degree programs in library and information studies in the U.S. accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/about/rankings-fast-facts" title="Rankings & Fast Facts">Explore more UMD iSchool rankings and awards</a>.</em><br />  </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/library-and-information-science" hreflang="en">Library and Information Science</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/83" hreflang="en">CIRPS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/82" hreflang="en">CPIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/9" hreflang="en">HCIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/81" hreflang="en">HILS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/10" hreflang="en">MIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/11" hreflang="en">MLIS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/110" hreflang="en">GEM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/12" hreflang="en">PhD</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/47" hreflang="en">CSL Certificate</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/46" hreflang="en">DCIP Certificate</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">MLIS</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Library and information studies, youth services, and information systems are among programming areas to earn top-five rankings.</p> </div> Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:57:43 +0000 mhinckle 1334 at http://ischool.umd.edu iSchool's New Interest Group Explores Advancements in Search Mastery and Education http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischools-new-interest-group-explores-advancements-search-mastery-and-education <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">iSchool's New Interest Group Explores Advancements in Search Mastery and Education</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/searchengine.png" width="1280" height="640" alt="search engine" title="search engine" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/55" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">amoshman</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Mon, 04/05/2021 - 09:05</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hayleigh Moore</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">April 05, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/research" hreflang="en">Research News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Whether it’s to land a job, navigate the legal system, raise children, identify fake news, or anything in between, we often consult our search engine of choice to find reliable answers. Whether it’s a conscious effort or not, the ability to search for information is a necessary task to solve problems and make decisions, but oftentimes our search behaviors produce less than effective results. In many cases, the first two or three search results provided are taken at face value without additional evaluation on their accuracy or relevance by the individual conducting the search. This is a behavior typically learned through informal means, such as adopting the search behaviors of family, friends, peers, and others within our inner social circles. </p> <p>To address these growing concerns, a new Search Mastery Interest Group, consisting of faculty and staff from the University of Maryland (UMD) College of Information Studies (iSchool), College of Education, and Philip Merrill College of Journalism, officially launched during Summer 2020. The interest group came to fruition after being awarded a 2020 Teaching Innovation Grant after years of coordination among its founding members. Additional participants included other UMD faculty, PhD students, and industry leaders with expertise in search education and mastery skills, including long-standing UMD affiliate, Dan Russell, Senior Research Scientist for Search Quality & User Happiness at Google, and current UMD Dean of Libraries, Dr. Adriene Lim. </p> <p>The group aims to provide a collective and accessible environment for those interested in search mastery, search education, and search behavior. Additionally, it will serve as a platform for researching applicable ways to embed these skills into university curriculum, public library systems, and ultimately to the general public. </p> <p>Brian Butler, iSchool Professor and Senior Associate Dean, a founding member of the group, believes it’s imperative to study and teach search skills because “being able to search critically and effectively has wide ranging implications for individuals, groups, and communities.” </p> <p>“Search is a new Digital Divide - having internet access doesn’t do you any good if you can’t find the information needed to solve your problem.”</p> <p>One of the first initiatives implemented by the Search Mastery Interest Group in Fall 2020 was a set of four pilot modules, primarily developed by Sarah McGrew, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership in the College of Education and Affiliate Assistant Professor at the iSchool, which were embedded into courses already offered to students in the iSchool and College of Journalism. Composed of both external and original materials, the virtual modules enabled students to better understand how to use search engines effectively, evaluate information for reliability, and debunk misconceptions about many of our ingrained search behaviors.</p> <p>McGrew remarks that as the internet quickly evolves, “it can be difficult to keep up with the changes at an instructional level, so educators may inadvertently teach something that is outdated and no longer accurate.” </p> <p>“Especially in college classrooms, there's a lot of emphasis on teaching students to do really high quality academic research, and there's not always as much space for teaching them how to do the kinds of research on the open internet that they employ outside their classes - I think that's just as critical as learning how to do academic research [to prepare] them for civic life.”</p> <p>Ira Chinoy, Associate Professor at the UMD Philip Merrill College of Journalism and Director of the Future of Information Alliance, is currently piloting these modules in the journalism courses he instructs. Through the implementation of these modules, Chinoy has seen firsthand that students can drastically improve their search skills using these modules, and is pursuing ways to get more people interested in learning more effective search skills, as well as conceptualizing potential models for peer-to-peer training in search. </p> <p>“We have this perfect opportunity to see if we can make it work in an online world, and so the trick is, does it work, how long does it work, what does it take - what are potential module models going forward.” </p> <p>The Search Mastery Interest Group’s Public Library Outreach initiative, co-facilitated by Ryan O’Grady, a member of the Search Mastery Interest Group and Lecturer at the iSchool, has introduced modified versions of these modules developed by McGrew for testing by public librarians. Ryan and his team held a focus group with public librarians this winter to understand the most practical ways to educate library staff so they may improve their own search skills and better serve patrons who come to the library for assistance. </p> <p>“Patrons may have some basic questions like, ’How do I sign up for an email?’ or ‘What other search engines are out there that I can use, because I don't trust Google?’ So these are some of those preliminary questions that we want to start to address as well.”</p> <p>The Public Library Outreach initiative aims to reach library patrons and provide them with skills to improve search results. The feedback received from public librarians during the initial focus group revealed a need for an intermediate step that involves co-designing with library staff. These co-design sessions will be used to develop new methods for library staff to help them become more comfortable with search, improve their information literacy, find practical ways to apply these skills in their workflow, and ultimately “meet patrons where they are.” The Public Library Outreach team is currently modifying these materials in preparation for an additional pilot group tentatively set to launch in Spring 2021 with public libraries across Maryland.</p> <p>Throughout the year, the Search Mastery Interest Group hosts a speaker series highlighting leaders in search behavior and search mastery who bring provocative and unique ideas for tackling how to teach search skills to individuals of varying tech and information literacy levels. Upcoming speakers include <a href="https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nlmfmVJzR4-Y-wE0EKtvYg" target="_blank" title="Link to UMD Search Mastery Speaker Series Zoom Registration ">Ana Ndumu</a>, Assistant Professor at the iSchool, who will provide a critical perspective on how thinking carefully about what search engines do and how they shape our behavior when reporting biases, and Jason Yip, a UMD alumni and assistant professor of digital youth at the Information School at the University of Washington. </p> <p>A recent paper put together by the interest group, Advancing Search Mastery Education, Sharing Experiences, and Exploring Possibilities, was accepted to the <a href="https://ischools.org/iConference" target="_blank" title="2021 iConference">2021 iConference</a>, reported on these initiatives, and discussed the challenges of assessing search skills and applying them at different levels.</p> <p>Along with Butler, O’Grady, Chinoy, and McGrew, the Search Mastery Interest Group includes Beth St. Jean, Associate Professor at the iSchool and Affiliate Faculty Member at the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, and Beth Bonsignore, Assistant Research Scientist at the iSchool, who work with McGrew to develop educational materials and study how younger children develop search skills and information literacy. </p> <p>Ursula Gorham, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Master of Information and Library Science (MLIS) program at the iSchool, and Mary Ann Francis, Adjunct Lecturer at the iSchool also participate in all aspects of the Program. </p> <p> To explore and get involved with the Search Mastery Interest Group, visit <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/interest-groups/search-mastery" target="_blank" title="Link to UMD iSchool Search Mastery Interest Group ">ischool.umd.edu/interest-groups/search-mastery</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-linguistics-machine-learning-and-information-retrieval" hreflang="en">Computational Linguistics, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Providing an accessible environment for those interested in search mastery, search education, and search behavior. </p> </div> Mon, 05 Apr 2021 13:05:27 +0000 amoshman 1329 at http://ischool.umd.edu Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Womens' Right to Vote: Free Exhibits http://ischool.umd.edu/news/celebrating-100th-anniversary-womens-right-vote-free-exhibits <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Womens' Right to Vote: Free Exhibits</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-03/womens-suffrage-parade_national-archives_inset.jpg" width="1200" height="600" alt="Image of Women Marching in Suffragette Parade, Washington, DC; March, 3, 1913. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD." title="Image of Women Marching in Suffragette Parade, Washington, DC; March, 3, 1913. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD." typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Mon, 03/22/2021 - 16:32</span> <div class="field field--name-field-news-img-caption field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Image of Women Marching in Suffragette Parade, Washington, DC; March, 3, 1913. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">UMD iSchool Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">March 22, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/events" hreflang="en">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><blockquote><p style="margin-bottom:11px"><em>Also, join us 3/31, noon for <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/events/century-19th-amendment-perspectives-womens-rights-us" title="A Century of the 19th Amendment: Perspectives on Women’s Rights in the U.S.">A Century of the 19th Amendment: Perspectives on Women’s Rights in the U.S.</a> Free, virtual talk w/ the Pew Research Center on Pew survey results re: perceptions about women’s rights. </em></p> </blockquote> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In August 1920, millions of women won the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. This year, as a part of Women’s History Month, the UMD iSchool is celebrating the 100th anniversary of this major milestone in American history. As part of this initiative, the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) has compiled a list of free, virtual women’s suffrage exhibits and collections:</p> <h3>National Women’s History Museum</h3> <p><a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/representation-hyphen-latinas-fight-womens-suffrage" target="_blank" title="Representation with a Hyphen: Latinas in the Fight for Women's Suffrage"><strong>Representation with a Hyphen: Latinas in the Fight for Women's Suffrage</strong></a></p> <p>A story of Latina’s bicultural political engagement and experience in the United States. Presented in partnership with the National Women's History Museum and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises’ "Unstoppable Women" initiative.</p> <p><a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/parading-progress" target="_blank" title="Parading for Progress"><strong>Parading for Progress</strong></a></p> <p>The 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession through Washington, DC completely changed the way protests were viewed and carried out by the American public. Thousands of women took to the streets to fight for their right to vote. Their parade from the US Capitol to the Treasury Building set the precedent for future protest marches.</p> <h3>Minnesota Historical Society</h3> <p><a href="https://www.mnhs.org/votesforwomen" target="_blank" title="Votes for Women: The Making of a Movement"><strong>Votes for Women: The Making of a Movement</strong></a></p> <p>What actions will you take to shape our democracy? On the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, find your inspiration in these stories of Minnesota women.</p> <h3>Women Leading the Way</h3> <p><a href="http://www.suffragettes2020.com/storytelling-archive/explore/school" target="_blank" title="A Centennial of Women’s Suffrage"><strong>A Centennial of Women’s Suffrage</strong></a></p> <p>Learn about women who made deep and lasting contributions to human rights through student portraits and essays fo leading figures of the Suffrage Movement and their own families,</p> <p><a href="http://www.suffragettes2020.com/resources/native-american-and-american-indians" target="_blank" title="How the Iroquois and Other Indian Nations Helped to Shape the Vision of Women as Equals"><strong>How the Iroquois and Other Indian Nations Helped to Shape the Vision of Women as Equals</strong></a></p> <p>Iroquois women of the Six Nations Confederacy and the matrilineal culture of the Haudenosaunee exerted a profound influence on early feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Lucretia Mott — and helped to shape their vision of women as equals.</p> <h3>Brandywine River Museum of Art</h3> <p><a href="https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement" target="_blank" title="Hidden Figures of the Suffrage Movement"><strong>Hidden Figures of the Suffrage Movement</strong></a></p> <p>Visual culture related to women of color and their struggle to obtain voting rights is extremely rare. In recognition of this fact, the Brandywine has asked five talented artists to create portraits of fourteen suffragists deserving of recognition. </p> <h3>National Archives Museum</h3> <p><a href="https://museum.archives.gov/rightfully-hers" target="_blank" title="Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote"><strong>Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote</strong></a></p> <p>The 19th Amendment is a landmark voting rights victory, but it did not open the polls to all women. Millions of women remained unable to vote for reasons other than sex. Rightfully Hers highlights the relentless struggle of diverse activists throughout U.S. history to secure voting rights for all American women. </p> <h3>The Oregon Historical Society</h3> <p><a href="https://www.ohs.org/museum/exhibits/nevertheless-they-persisted.cfm " target="_blank" title="Nevertheless, They Persisted: Women’s Voting Rights and the 19th Amendment"><strong>Nevertheless, They Persisted: Women’s Voting Rights and the 19th Amendment</strong></a></p> <p>Through videos and an interactive timeline, the Oregon Historical Society commemorates the bravery of women activists and shares the many ways Oregon history connects to the national history of woman suffrage.</p> <h3>Library of Congress</h3> <p><a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/mary-church-terrell-papers/about-this-collection/" target="_blank" title="Mary Church Terrell Papers"><strong>Mary Church Terrell Papers</strong></a></p> <p>The papers of educator, lecturer, suffragist, and civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) consist of approximately 13,000 documents and 25,323 images.  With the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1886-1954, the collection contains diaries, correspondence, printed matter, clippings, and speeches and writings, primarily focusing on Terrell's career as an advocate of women's rights and equal treatment of African Americans. (Much of this transcription was organized by UMD iSchool Assistant Professor <a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/about/directory/victoria-van-hyning" title="Victoria Van Hyning Profile">Victoria Van Hyning</a> in her previous role at the Library of Congress.)</p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/about-this-collection/" target="_blank" title="Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party">Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party</a></strong></p> <p>This image and article collection depicts the tactics used by the militant wing of the suffrage movement in the US—including picketing, petitioning, pageants, parades and demonstrations, hunger strikes, and imprisonment. The photographs document the National Woman's Party's push for ratification of the 19th Amendment as well as its later efforts for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.</p> <h3>National Archives</h3> <p><a href="https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2020/12/16/virgin-islands-secure-the-vote/" target="_blank" title="After the 19th Amendment: Women in the US Virgin Islands Secure the Vote"><strong>After the 19th Amendment: Women in the US Virgin Islands Secure the Vote</strong></a></p> <p>Although the Danish West Indies came under the control of the United States in 1917, the men and women on the islands were not granted U.S. citizenship until 1932. It was from there that a pathway opened for all women on St. Thomas to obtain the right to vote, pursued by a group of politically and socially active women.</p> <h3>UMD University Libraries Exhibition</h3> <p><strong><a href="https://www.lib.umd.edu/get-out-the-vote" target="_blank" title="https://www.lib.umd.edu/get-out-the-vote">Get Out the Vote: Suffrage and Disenfranchisement in America</a></strong></p> <p>One of the driving forces behind the American Revolution was demand in the colonies for a representative government free from the tyranny of the British monarchy. Since then, arguments about the nature of American democracy and who has the right to vote have been at the forefront of our nation’s politics. These debates over suffrage and the laws surrounding them, are the foundation of the American political system.</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-archival-science" hreflang="en">Computational Archival Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/information-justice-human-rights-and-technology-ethics" hreflang="en">Information Justice, Human Rights, and Technology Ethics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/library-and-information-science" hreflang="en">Library and Information Science</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/11" hreflang="en">MLIS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/46" hreflang="en">DCIP Certificate</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-centers-and-labs field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Centers and Labs</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/centers-and-labs/casci" hreflang="en">Center for Advanced Study of Communities and Information (CASCI)</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">Free, virtual women's suffrage exhibits compiled in honor of Women's History Month and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment.</p> </div> Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:32:06 +0000 mhinckle 1317 at http://ischool.umd.edu Jesse Anderson, InfoSci '22, to Compete as Finalist in the UMD Do Good Challenge! http://ischool.umd.edu/news/jesse-anderson-infosci-22-compete-finalist-umd-do-good-challenge <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Jesse Anderson, InfoSci '22, to Compete as Finalist in the UMD Do Good Challenge!</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-03/web%20photo%20graphic.png" width="1200" height="600" alt="Photo of Jesse Anderson, College of Information Studies and Veeraj Shah, School of Public Health" title="Photo of Jesse Anderson, College of Information Studies and Veeraj Shah, School of Public Health" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Thu, 03/04/2021 - 18:13</span> <div class="field field--name-field-news-img-caption field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jesse Anderson, College of Information Studies (left); Veeraj Shah, School of Public Health (right)</div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">UMD iSchool Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">March 04, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/awards-and-rankings" hreflang="en">Awards and Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/events" hreflang="en">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In the annual <a href="https://dogood.umd.edu/research-impact/projects/do-good-challenge" title="UMD Do Good Challenge Website">Do Good Challenge</a>, hosted by the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Policy Do Good Institute, students from across the campus spend the year advocating, fundraising, volunteering, and developing solutions for pressing social issues. The Challenge culminates in a Finals event where six teams pitch their project or venture and the impact they've made for the chance to win a share of more than $20,000.</p> <p>This year, Jesse Anderson, a student in the UMD College of Information Studies Bachelor of Science in Information Science program, along with partner Veeraj Shah of the UMD School of Public Health, were selected from a highly competitive group of entries in the challenge to be one of the six final teams! Their startup nonprofit organization, <a href="http://chathealth.herokuapp.com/home.html" title="Chat Health Website">Chat Health</a>, will be showcased as the competition continues through April 2021.</p> <p>Chat Health, founded by UMD undergraduate students, is bridging the gap between college students and medically-accurate health information through accessible SMS chatbots, which use artificial intelligence to mimic human conversation. More than 4,000 students have used their chat services, managed by 40 volunteers, and the organization has signed an MOU with the University Health Center for sustained partnership and support.  </p> <p>The chatbots attempt to centralize and digest the abundance of information about Covid-19—breaking down a challenging topic to give users the information they need without getting overwhelmed. Chat Health bots cover the basics of what the disease is, contextualizes statistics, explain some common phrases like 'social distancing', and aim to counter the spread of misinformation with accurate, medically-supported explanations. All responses are vetted hourly by Chat Health's public health volunteers to ensure timeliness and accuracy. The SMS-bot is available from 9am-8pm, with the Telegram bot available 24/7.</p> <p>The Do Good Challenge Finals will happen as a series of virtual events on Thursdays throughout "Do Good Month" in April. Attendees can watch video pitches, explore virtual Q&As, get insider-looks at student teams' work throughout the month, vote for their favorite teams, and tune-in live for the culminating Do Good Challenge Awards Premiere.</p> <ul><li>April 1, 2021: Do Good Challenge Kick-Off</li> <li>April 8, 2021: Finalist Pitches and Q&As </li> <li>April 15, 2021: Final Day for Audience Voting</li> <li>April 29, 2021: Do Good Challenge Awards Premiere<br />  </li> </ul><p><a aria-pressed="true" button="" class="btn btn-primary" data-ckeelementtype="bsbutton" href="https://umd.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=11a02a630787d1b11677d322a&id=c1d8e0b166" role="button" title="Subscribe to Do Good Challenge Updates">Subscribe TO Challenge Updates</a></p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/accessibility-and-inclusive-design" hreflang="en">Accessibility and Inclusive Design</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-linguistics-machine-learning-and-information-retrieval" hreflang="en">Computational Linguistics, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/data-science-analytics-and-visualization" hreflang="en">Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/future-work" hreflang="en">Future of Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/health-informatics" hreflang="en">Health Informatics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/smart-cities-and-connected-communities" hreflang="en">Smart Cities and Connected Communities</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Anderson and partner Veeraj Shah's startup nonprofit organization, Chat Health, will be showcased as the competition continues through April 2021.</p> </div> Thu, 04 Mar 2021 23:13:20 +0000 mhinckle 1306 at http://ischool.umd.edu A Library’s Guidebook to Surviving During Crisis: Now Available http://ischool.umd.edu/news/librarys-guidebook-surviving-during-crisis-now-available <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">A Library’s Guidebook to Surviving During Crisis: Now Available</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-03/pandemic-5026719_1920.png" width="1200" height="600" alt="Library closed" title="Library closed" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/55" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">amoshman</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Wed, 03/03/2021 - 16:32</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Press Release</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">March 03, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/76" hreflang="en">Faculty & Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For many libraries across the country, acting as a primary beacon of support during a crisis isn't a new concept. Libraries and their communities have faced many devastating catastrophes, and in response offered facilities to provide shelter, internet access, food, and other emergency services. However, between March and April 2020 due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, public libraries were forced to close their buildings and halt many of their in-person programs and services indefinitely. </p> <p>Once it became clear that returning to normalcy would take time, it was necessary for library administrators and staff to react by quickly making decisions on how to configure their programs and services. Libraries began launching virtual programming and on the ground services, such as grab-and-go and curbside book pick-up, but soon realized they were not prepared to handle the extended library building closures of 2020 into early 2021. Libraries were desperate to figure out the best way to reach their communities without access to the physical spaces and focus on thoroughly investigating the crisis-related needs of their local communities. </p> <p>In response to these dilemmas, Dr. Mega Subramaniam, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) and Linda Braun, Learning Consultant at <a href="http://leonline.com/">LEO</a>, initiated the development of a comprehensive <a href="https://yxlab.ischool.umd.edu/projects/reimagining-youth-services-during-crises/">Field Guide</a> designed to assist library administration and staff through these and other crises. The Guide is intended for use by all library staff of varying roles and levels of experience within the context of their own work.</p> <p>Over the course of Summer 2020, there were seven virtual sessions held with 137 library staff nationwide to learn how they are supporting their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the United States saw increased civic unrest and community activism resulting from the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Dion Johnson. With this reality in mind, the team’s work with library staff took on an expanded role focusing on library responses to the multiple crises facing the country. </p> <p>The Field Guide opens with a call for public library staff to develop a mindset centered on community and public service - the “public servant mindset” - and to identify people within a community whom libraries can collaborate with to offer programs and services that are actually needed. By tapping into the expertise and knowledge of these individuals, also referred to as “community connectors,” members of the community will feel more inclined to engage with the library’s services because of the trust built through the community connectors. </p> <p>One of the historical challenges library systems continue to face is the recruitment and retention of librarians of color, and while this was not the initial basis for the Field Guide, Subramaniam indicated her team realized during the virtual sessions that these community connectors who are characteristic representations of the people they serve and important cornerstones for building relationships within their communities.</p> <p>“Even if [libraries] make the connections and act as the pillar that glues everything together, that itself is a collective impact that you can make to the entire community,” Subramaniam remarked. “This [Field Guide] describes the essential tasks for libraries to execute to reach the communities that they have not served before and serve the communities that need library services the most at this time.”</p> <p>Additionally, due to the extended closures of libraries, the need for libraries and library staff has been questioned by various political leaders and decision makers. Some of the larger library systems have a great deal of bureaucracy built within them, which can impede library staff from freely communicating with their community and influences the amount of support given to library staff to conduct community outreach and design programs most vital in times of crisis. The Field Guide offers ways to document impact during a crisis, or even outside of a crisis, to demonstrate how libraries’ programs and services are successful through a collaborative assessment with the community and using feedback to make changes. </p> <p>“Serving community during a crisis doesn’t require doing more, it requires doing different things. Consider using data to show your funders, decision makers, board members how you’re contributing to the community during crises, because if you can demonstrate the impact, no one is going to ask the question ‘why do we need you?’”</p> <p><strong>On March 23, the team will be hosting a webinar to introduce the Field Guide to attendees. To register, visit <a href="https://umd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oALf9HULTTGoWtHCNLozuA">https://umd.zoom.us/</a>. </strong></p> <p>Along with Subramaniam and Braun, the team is composed of S. Nisa Asgarali-Hoffman, PhD student and Keanu Jordan-Stovall, Academic Advisor at the UMD iSchool, and Dr. Christie Kodama, Assistant Professor in the Educational Technology and Literacy department within the College of Education at Towson University and iSchool PhD graduate. </p> <p># # #</p> <p><strong>Media Contact:</strong> Mia Hinckle, <a href="mailto:mhinckle@umd.edu">mhinckle@umd.edu</a></p> <p><strong>About the UMD College of Information Studies </strong></p> <p>Founded in 1965 and located just outside of Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) is a top-10 ranked research and teaching college in the field of information science. UMD iSchool faculty, staff and students are expanding the frontiers of how people access and use information and technology in an evolving world—in government, education, business, social media and more. The UMD iSchool is committed to using information and technology to empower individuals and communities, create opportunities, ensure equity and justice, and champion diversity.</p> <p><strong>About LEO</strong></p> <p>LEO is a company that specializes in developing learning experiences for informal and formal educational settings and in providing training and consulting to educational institutions. LEO works with clients across the country including public and school libraries, library consortia, colleges and universities, and public and private educational institutions.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/library-and-information-science" hreflang="en">Library and Information Science</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Developed by LIS experts + 137 library staff across the nation innovating to serve their communities during COVID-19 and civic unrest.</p> </div> Wed, 03 Mar 2021 21:32:33 +0000 amoshman 1305 at http://ischool.umd.edu New Partnership Aims to Help UMD Further Diversify D.C. Region’s Tech Ecosystem http://ischool.umd.edu/news/new-partnership-aims-help-umd-further-diversify-dc-regions-tech-ecosystem <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New Partnership Aims to Help UMD Further Diversify D.C. Region’s Tech Ecosystem</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-03/Iribe%20Initiative.JPG" width="1200" height="600" alt="Photograph of a group of female-identifying students in computing programs." title="Photograph of a group of female-identifying students in computing programs." typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Tue, 03/02/2021 - 10:41</span> <div class="field field--name-field-news-img-caption field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Photo courtesy of the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing. </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Press Release</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">March 02, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/76" hreflang="en">Faculty & Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/research" hreflang="en">Research News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p id="page-title">The University of Maryland will build programs to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—thanks to a new partnership with <a href="https://breakthroughtech.org/" title="Break Through Tech">Break Through Tech</a>. The goal is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at UMD by 12.5 percentage points by 2026, through curriculum innovation, career access and community building.</p> <article about="http://ischool.umd.edu/news-events/features/4737" id="node-featured-news-4737" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"><p dir="ltr">“The University of Maryland is committed to making computing inclusive and accessible for all,” said <a href="https://president.umd.edu/" target="_blank" title="UMD President Darryll J. Pines">UMD President Darryll J. Pines</a>. “Break Through Tech will contribute to our efforts with programs focused on increasing the graduation rate and success of the nearly 1,000 women in our computer science and information science majors.”</p> <p dir="ltr">UMD and George Mason University will be joining Break Through Tech as it expands from its hubs in New York City and Chicago to D.C. This expansion was made possible through the Gender Equality in Tech (GET) Cities initiative, which is led by a $50 million investment from Pivotal Ventures, the investment and incubation company created by Melinda Gates, as well as an additional $7 million investment from the Cognizant U.S. Foundation and Verizon. UMD’s Break Through Tech program will be administered by the <a href="https://inclusion.cs.umd.edu/" title="Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing">Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing</a> in partnership with the <a href="https://cmns.umd.edu/" title="College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences">College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences</a> (CMNS) and the <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/" title="UMD iSchool">College of Information Studies</a> (iSchool).</p> <p dir="ltr"><img alt="Break Through Tech Logo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a21a8c6d-6b8a-4fd5-bb2d-c8bdf3e44ecd" height="304" src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/Break%20Through%20Tech%20Logo.png" width="304" class="align-right" />“Break Through Tech's programs and the expansion of our existing programs will greatly increase impact toward improving computing education and successful degree completion by a greater diversity of participants,” said <a href="https://www.cs.umd.edu/people/jplane" title="Jandelyn Plane">Jandelyn Plane</a>, director of the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing and director of the <a href="https://inclusion.cs.umd.edu/mcwic" title="Maryland Center for Women in Computing">Maryland Center for Women in Computing</a>. Plane is also a principal lecturer in the <a href="https://www.cs.umd.edu/" title="Department of Computer Science">Department of Computer Science</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">UMD’s Break Through Tech program will include:</p> <ul><li>A summer program for rising first-year students designed to ignite interest in tech by teaching them how to code real-world, mission-driven applications;</li> <li>New, innovative introductory computer science course sequences;</li> <li>A paid, three-week mini-internship (called a Sprinternship®) program, which gives first- and second-year students a resume credential and real-world experience to make them more competitive when applying for a paid summer tech internship; and</li> <li>The development of a networked community of individuals who identify as women and non-binary—both peer-to-peer and student-to-professional—in the D.C. metro area to support, engage and motivate one another.</li> </ul><p>“We have one of the largest groups of women and non-binary computing students in the country here at the University of Maryland,” said <a href="https://cmns.umd.edu/about-cmns/meet-dean" title="CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney">CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney</a>. “We are excited that this new grant from Break Through Tech will allow us to engage these students the minute they step on campus through experiential learning and networking with the regional computing community, which will lead to long-term career success.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In Break Through Tech’s founding city, Cornell Tech partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY), which saw an increase in the number of women pursuing computer science bachelor's degrees by 61% since Break Through Tech New York launched in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Participating in the Break Through Tech program to increase the graduation rate of women in UMD's computer science and information science programs aligns with the iSchool's long history of advocacy,” said <a href="https://ischool.umd.edu/about/directory/keith-marzullo" title="iSchool Dean Keith Marzullo">iSchool Dean Keith Marzullo</a>. “The program, which will bring together computing majors from both CMNS and the iSchool, will also serve as a way to rethink how we can more collaboratively deliver education at UMD to better serve other underserved populations.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The combination of the current economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the national awareness of COVID’s outsized impact across gender, race and other underrepresented identities in society, makes this a critical time to scale a movement toward equity in tech—an industry with the growth potential to support the kind of economic empowerment that should be available to everyone. </p> <p dir="ltr">“GET DC will impact an emerging tech hub that’s bustling with opportunity for women and underrepresented groups in an industry that continues to trend majority male and white,” said <a href="https://tech.cornell.edu/people/judith-spitz/" title="Judith Spitz">Judith Spitz</a>, founder and executive director at Break Through Tech. “Break Through Tech will work towards tackling two key hurdles for women—access and experience.”<br />  </p> <p dir="ltr"># # #<br />  </p> <p><strong>Media Relations Contact</strong>: Abby Robinson, 301-405-5845, <a href="mailto:abbyr@umd.edu" target="_blank">abbyr@umd.edu</a></p> <p><strong>University of Maryland<br /> College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences<br /> 2300 Symons Hall<br /> College Park, MD 20742<br /><a href="http://www.cmns.umd.edu/" target="_blank">www.cmns.umd.edu</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/UMDscience" target="_blank">@UMDscience</a> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>About Break Through Tech </strong><br /> Launched at Cornell Tech, with support from Pivotal Ventures, Cognizant U.S. Foundation, and Verizon, Break Through Tech provides curriculum innovation, career access, and community building for women in tech. The program originated in 2016 as a program called Women in Technology & Entrepreneurship New York (WiTNY), created at Cornell Tech in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) and a broad set of industry partners. Now Break Through Tech is replicating the highly effective ecosystem model originated in New York City to increase women’s representation in computing graduates across the United States. To date, the program is in New York City, Chicago and the D.C. Metro Area.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>About the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing</strong><br /> The Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing (I4C) is committed to making computing a field that includes participation of individuals across the intersections of gender identification, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and disability status. I4C aims to create a vibrant, inclusive community of students, educators, and researchers coming together to increase the involvement—and success—of underrepresented populations interested in computing.</p> <p><strong>About the College of Information Studies</strong><br /> Founded in 1965 and located just outside of Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) is a top-10 ranked research and teaching college in the field of information science. UMD iSchool faculty, staff and students are expanding the frontiers of how people access and use information and technology in an evolving world—in government, education, business, social media and more. The UMD iSchool is committed to using information and technology to empower individuals and communities, create opportunities, ensure equity and justice, and champion diversity.</p> <p><strong>About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS)</strong><br /> The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 9,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $200 million. The Department of Computer Science is one of those departments, with 50 faculty members who have been recognized with membership in the National Academy of Engineering, fellowship in professional scientific organizations including ACM and IEEE, National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development awards and Sloan Fellowships. The department, in conjunction with the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, receives over $25 million annually in external research funding.</p> </article></div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/accessibility-and-inclusive-design" hreflang="en">Accessibility and Inclusive Design</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-archival-science" hreflang="en">Computational Archival Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-linguistics-machine-learning-and-information-retrieval" hreflang="en">Computational Linguistics, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/data-science-analytics-and-visualization" hreflang="en">Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/human-computer-interaction" hreflang="en">Human-Computer Interaction</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/smart-cities-and-connected-communities" hreflang="en">Smart Cities and Connected Communities</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/9" hreflang="en">HCIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/10" hreflang="en">MIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/12" hreflang="en">PhD</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>To increase female-identifying and non-binary students graduating with a tech degree at UMD by 12.5% in the next 5 years.</p> </div> Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:41:47 +0000 mhinckle 1296 at http://ischool.umd.edu Alumni Spotlight: How iSchool Alumnus Helps Businesses Innovate and Adapt Using Transformational Tech – Brandon Turp BSIS ‘18 http://ischool.umd.edu/news/alumni-spotlight-how-ischool-alumnus-helps-businesses-innovate-and-adapt-using <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Alumni Spotlight: How iSchool Alumnus Helps Businesses Innovate and Adapt Using Transformational Tech – Brandon Turp BSIS ‘18</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/default_images/iSchoolNewsDefault_1.jpg" width="1200" height="600" alt="UMD iSchool News" title="UMD iSchool News" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/37" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">ndibert</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Tue, 03/02/2021 - 10:52</span> <div class="field field--name-field-principal-investigator field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/about/directory/claudia-sanchez" hreflang="en">Claudia Sanchez</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">March 02, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/profile" hreflang="en">Profile</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><img alt="Brandon Turp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ef92c5cf-3ac5-4416-b6a1-fed808904452" height="198" src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/headshot%20-%20Brandon%20Turp.jpg" width="167" class="align-left" />Inspired by his mother, a visionary who constantly thinks about the future trends of the world, Brandon Turp, BSIS ’18, developed a keen interest in the field of information science. The desire to help modernize businesses’ infrastructure by implementing the next generation of disruptive technologies led Brandon to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) at the College of Information Studies (iSchool). </p> <p>Brandon had the unique opportunity to be a part of the BSIS program’s inaugural graduating class. During his time at the iSchool, he co-founded the Information Science Society which helps students build and expand their professional network and learn about modern technologies. He was also the first student to be elected as a representative to the iSchool committee.</p> <p>In his current role as an Applications Sales Executive at Oracle, one of the largest technology companies in the world, Brandon connects businesses with transformational software solutions that improve technology infrastructure and optimize overall business efficiency using an “out-of-the-box approach” that he picked up during his years in the BSIS program. He also remarked on the ways his iSchool coursework helped to prepare him for his professional career and to “understand how different businesses run and operate, and how technology and data play a crucial role in an organization’s success.” </p> <p>One of his greatest professional accomplishments has been his ability to provide technology solutions to help keep businesses alive during the COVID-19 crisis. </p> <p>“Nothing is more fulfilling to me than being a part of a company’s plan to transform and scale through technological innovation,” he says. “My focus is on the customer's success and making sure they receive maximum value from their technology investments; increase revenue, reduce cost, and promote growth.”</p> <p>Brandon encourages those who are pursuing a career in the field of information science to figure out what they’re passionate about, whether that’s helping businesses grow, interacting with customers, coding software, or being a product expert. He challenges future professionals to “not be afraid to make mistakes and learn as you go!”</p> <p>As a resident of the sunshine state, Brandon enjoys playing basketball, golf, and enjoying time at the one-of-a-kind Floridian beaches in his free time.  <br />  </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">InfoSci College Park</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/45" hreflang="en">InfoSci Shady Grove</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The desire to help modernize businesses’ infrastructure by implementing the next generation of disruptive technologies led Brandon to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) at the College of Information Studies (iSchool). </p> </div> Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:52:07 +0000 ndibert 1297 at http://ischool.umd.edu George Mason & University of Maryland to Leverage 311 Data for Increased DMV Resilience During a Pandemic http://ischool.umd.edu/news/george-mason-university-maryland-leverage-311-data-increased-dmv-resilience-during-pandemic <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">George Mason & University of Maryland to Leverage 311 Data for Increased DMV Resilience During a Pandemic</span> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="http://ischool.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2021-02/phone_data_urban.jpg" width="1200" height="601" alt="Photo augmented by computer graphics to show a man walking down a city street on his phone, which is emitting data into the air" title="Photo augmented by computer graphics to show a man walking down a city street on his phone, which is emitting data into the air" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="http://ischool.umd.edu/user/36" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">mhinckle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 02/26/2021 - 12:49</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Press Release</div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-submitted field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item">February 26, 2021</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/76" hreflang="en">Faculty & Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/ischoolnews" hreflang="en">iSchool News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/partner-industry-news" hreflang="en">Partner & Industry News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/news/research" hreflang="en">Research News</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>George Mason University (GMU), University of Maryland (UMD), and Connected DMV are partnering to understand how community members in the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV) area use 311 during disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The team will host roundtables with municipalities to understand their civic technology policies and how and why the current policies and 311 systems shape people’s civic technology use during crises. Through the creation of a unified 311 database of currently disparate call data along with web-based data visualization tools, the project will enable governments to derive actionable information for improving the effectiveness of civic technology, service quality, and regional resilience during crises. (<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2043900&HistoricalAwards=false">Link to abstract</a>)  </p> <p><strong>Dr. Myeong Lee</strong> (PI), GMU Dept. of Information Sciences & Technology and <strong>Dr. Susan Winter</strong> (Co-PI), UMD College of Information Studies, will leverage the research to educate undergraduate and graduate students about data science and its social implications with a particular emphasis on improving the participation and representation of marginalized communities  in civic technologies such as 311 systems.</p> <p>This planning phase of the project is funded by the NSF CIVIC Innovation Challenge grant program (press release below), which supports civic projects that have the potential to be scaled nationally. Updates on the team’s progress can be found at <a href="http://nsfcivicinnovation.org/" title="The Civic Innovation Challenge webpage">The Civic Innovation Challenge webpage</a>.</p> <p><em>Media contact: Mia Hinckle, <a href="mailto:mia.hinckle@umd.edu">mia.hinckle@umd.edu</a></em></p> <p>- - - - - - - - - - - - -</p> <p><em>NSF CIVIC Innovation Challenge Grant Awardees Press Release - February 17, 2021</em></p> <p>Across the country, communities have needs ripe for innovative solutions -- from rethinking transit and housing affordability to operating safe schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Civic Innovation Challenge, led by the U.S. National Science Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, seeks to empower communities to address those needs by establishing research partnerships that can achieve not just local impacts but potentially be scaled up regionally, or even nationally.</p> <p>The Civic Innovation Challenge has now taken a major step by naming 52 teams across 30 states as well as tribal regions, Washington DC and Puerto Rico as Stage-1 awardees.</p> <p>Teams comprise civic partners -- such as local, state and tribal officials and non-profit and community leaders -- working together with researchers. Each team will receive $50,000 to refine their concepts over four months. At the end of that period, NSF will select Stage-2 awardees, which will each receive awards of up to $1 million for ready-to-implement pilot projects with the potential to produce scalable, sustainable, and transferable solutions to address community-identified challenges.</p> <p>"This competition’s inclusion of civic and community partners, coupled with an aggressive and fast-paced timeline, empowers awardees to bridge the gap between research and impact in a unique and compelling way," said Margaret Martonosi, NSF assistant director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. "We are excited about our partnership with DOE and DHS on this program. We’re eager to see the projects develop, the teams strengthen, and a national community emerge around the common goal of innovative local solutions over the course of the competition."</p> <p>Funded with $11 million from NSF, DOE, and DHS, the Civic Innovation Challenge comprises two tracks. Track A focuses on Communities and Mobility, offering better mobility options to solve the spatial mismatch between housing affordability and jobs. Track B, supported by NSF and DHS, focuses on Resilience to Natural Disasters, equipping communities for greater preparedness and resilience to natural disasters.</p> <p>Projects in Track A, supported by NSF and DOE, seek to develop mobility hubs, test micro transit and ridesharing approaches, develop analytical tools to uncover spatial mismatch and more.</p> <p>Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly Speakes-Backman of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in reflecting on the projects selected as Stage 1 awardees in this track stated: "The projects represent a diverse set of priorities and approaches to solving the challenge of equity in the mobility space. DOE is pleased to support these teams as they explore innovative and sustainable ways to connect residents to work, school, healthcare, and other public services."</p> <p>Track B projects, supported by NSF and DHS, address strategies to strengthen and plan for community response to floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters. These projects will work to understand how factors including climate change, financial resilience, resource allocation, food security and the ability to deliver clean water during disasters affect community responses.</p> <p>"The events of the last year have shown us the importance of preparing our communities for all kinds of disasters," said David J. Alexander, Senior Science Advisor for Resilience, DHS Science and Technology Directorate. "At DHS, we are inspired by the work underway by the Resilience Track awardees and are confident they will generate meaningful impact on a national scale."</p> <p>One set of projects addresses challenges directly relevant to communities living with COVID-19, such as access to education in remote communities, providing safe school environments, sharing health information during emergencies and enabling increased use of micro-mobility transportation options. Many others across both tracks have pieces relevant to general resilience that applies to pandemics.</p> <p>Throughout both stages of the Civic Innovation Challenge, MetroLab Network, a non-profit organization, is cultivating a "community-of-practice" among the awarded project teams of civic and researcher partners.</p> <p>"The Civic Innovation Challenge will demonstrate how investments in basic research can transform our society," Martonosi said.</p> <p>The <a href="https://nsfcivicinnovation.org/stage-1-awardees/#awards" title="full list of awarded projects">full list of awarded projects</a> as well as updates on the team’s progress can be found at <a href="http://nsfcivicinnovation.org/" title="The Civic Innovation Challenge webpage">The Civic Innovation Challenge webpage</a>.</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-research-area field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Research Areas</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/accessibility-and-inclusive-design" hreflang="en">Accessibility and Inclusive Design</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/computational-linguistics-machine-learning-and-information-retrieval" hreflang="en">Computational Linguistics, Machine Learning, and Information Retrieval</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/data-science-analytics-and-visualization" hreflang="en">Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/future-work" hreflang="en">Future of Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/human-computer-interaction" hreflang="en">Human-Computer Interaction</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/research/smart-cities-and-connected-communities" hreflang="en">Smart Cities and Connected Communities</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Academic Programs</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/9" hreflang="en">HCIM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://ischool.umd.edu/taxonomy/term/10" hreflang="en">MIM</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-news-excerpt field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funded by the NSF, the team aims to provide tools to governments to better respond to regional disasters and crises</p> </div> Fri, 26 Feb 2021 17:49:26 +0000 mhinckle 1293 at http://ischool.umd.edu
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