School News
The Key / March 1, 2019
7
By Rashmi Sharma
Work-study abroad in the Dominican Republic
UMES students Rashmi Sharma and Danielle Wojeski
The service learning trip I took in January to the Dominican Republic was a great way to begin 2019. I am so glad the Richard A. Henson Honors Program provided me this wonderful opportunity, which enabled me to experience a new culture – and learn about environmental conservation. It also allowed me to enjoy some adventurous moments with my peers and interact – despite the language barrier – with the affectionate Spanish speakers The service I performed alongside fellow UMES students at the environmental institution we visited was the most important aspect of the trip. It made me realize the difference I am making in the environmental community. Through small but significant projects involving a lot of digging in the dirt, I was able to share the environmental concerns with my peers and with the (local) students at the institution. From these projects, I not only began to value environmentalism, but I also began to appreciate my lifestyle in America. I discovered that what we take for granted back home is a luxury in Dominican Republic. Clean drinking water is one such luxury because as we were testing the quality of water from a river in Dominican Republic, we found some level of contamination. We quickly understood that is why we were constantly being told not to drink or brush our teeth (with water) from the tap and that the safest option for us was using bottled water. My experience in Dominican Republic overall turned out to be very memorable one and makes me want to return to that warm Caribbean nation to perform more service – and learn more Spanish.
UMES hosts prep robotics tournament
(L-R) Joel Tomlinson, UMES; Jeffrey (Wyatt) Donoway, Parkside High School; Bryan SebaRaj, James M. Bennett High School; Corey Phillips, Mardela Middle & High School; Goutham Korada, Bennett High; Dr. Kate Brown, UMES; and Shelby Brewington, electrical / electronics engineering technology major.
UMES was the host site Feb. 2 for a regional VEX Robotics Competition that attracted 17 teams from across Maryland. Dr. Kate Brown, Dean of the School of Business and Technology, and Dr. Nicole Hollywood, a management professor, partnered with NASA Wallops Island, the REC Foundation, the Wicomico County Robotics Club and Mader Systems Consulting to stage the tournament. UMES faculty and students, including members of the National Society of Black Engineers, Wicomico County Robots and Somerset County 4-H provided volunteer support at the inaugural event. Teams of students designed, built and programmed robots to compete in
a game-based engineering challenge. Towson’s Loyola Blakefield prep school was tournament champion; AC Robotics won the skills and excellence award; Parkside High in Salisbury was the design award recipient while Loyola Blakefield also took home the judges award and sportsmanship award. “The goal of competitive robotics,” Hollywood said, “is to create engaging opportunities to immerse young people in science, technology, engineering and math through the excitement of building and programming robots.”