Innovation + Job News

Baltimore's biggest festivals brought in major loot in 2009. Artscape, America's largest free, arts celebration and the Baltimore Book Festival, an annual celebration of the literary arts, had a combined economic impact of $30.48 million on Baltimore City, according to a study by Forward Analytics, a Pennsylvania based market research firm

Artscape, which takes place annually the third weekend in July, attracted an estimated 350,000 residents and visitors and had a total economic impact of $25.97 million with $7.02 million in direct impact and $18.95 million in indirect impact. Direct spending by out-of-the area festival-goers generated $350,950 in sales tax revenues for the State of Maryland.

More than 35,000 attendees traveled to Maryland for Artscape and 163,800 came from beyond the Baltimore Metropolitan area. Hotels in the area raked in $257,699, while the city picked up $20,677 in tax revenues. Festival-goers spent $9 million with Artscape vendors of which $3.5 million was spent on art from the exhibitors and $4.3 million on food and beverages.

The Baltimore Book Festival had an economic impact of $4.51 million, of which $1.22 million had a direct impact while $3.29 million was indirect impact. Book vendors earned $651,908 in sales; food and beverage vendors made $620,252; and other retailers gained $42,880 in revenue.

Baltimore Book Festival attendees spent $134,177 at area hotels and generated an estimated $10,108 in tax revenues for Baltimore City.

In 2010, the 29^th annual Artscape festival takes place July 16, 17 & 18 in the Mount Royal Avenue and North Charles Street area of Baltimore City. The 15^th annual Baltimore Book Festival takes place September 24, 25 & 26 at Mount Vernon Place located in the 600-700 blocks of North Charles Street.

Source: Baltimore City Office ofPromotions and the Arts
Writer: Walaika Haskins

First it was corn. Then came sugar cane, cooking oil, switch grass, and you name it researchers have tried it in the name of saving the planet from carbon emissions.

But, just when we all thought scientists had exhausted the possibilities, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Maryland College Park and Bowie State University have begun working on ways to turn poplar trees into high-yield crops for biofuels including ethanol, the renewable biofuel used in gasoline blends and flex-fuel vehicles. 

Funded by a $3.2 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Project, which supports research on plants seen as having economic and agricultural importance, researchers Gary Coleman, Ganesh Sriram and Jianhua Zhu of College Park and George Ude of Bowie State are using the recently completed poplar genome to look for ways to improve the tree's nitrogen processing capability, which would enhance its growth rate and feasibility for use in fuel production.

Although corn has long been the crop of choice for biofuel production in the U.S.,  though it is renewable, home-grown (unlike foreign oil) and plentiful, it may not be the best solution.

"We need to develop an alternative crop that we use exclusively for biofuels and not food," says Sriram, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Enter poplar trees (also known as cottonwood or aspen), which is already commonly cultivated for the production of paper and timber.

"What we want are trees like poplar that grow fast and efficiently so they can become the raw material for cellulosic [fiber-based] biofuel," Sriram says. "The carbon found in poplar could be converted into fuels just like the sugars we extract from corn."

Coleman, lead researcher and an associate professor of plant science and landscape architecture in the university's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources says there are many advantages of a poplar crop over traditional biofuel sources.

"Growing trees doesn't eat into farmland, and trees don't require a lot of maintenance during their growth cycle," he explains. "A dedicated energy crop like poplar would contribute to the development of a sustainable and renewable energy system."

While the hybrid trees would be grown on plantations and harvested without affecting existing woodlands, simply growing acres of poplar trees to convert into biofuel isn't enough to solve current fuel problems. Researchers already know how to make ethanol from fibrous plants, but for poplar to be truly effective as a biofuel source, its growth cycle needs to speed up and become more efficient. One of the keys to doing so is to understand how it stores and cycles nitrogen, since nitrogen is an important factor in the growth and productivity of trees and crops.

The fertilizers that help produce big harvests are rich in nitrogen, but are expensive and must be reapplied each year. Poplar is a perennial plant, capable of pulling nitrogen from its leaves, storing it through the winter, and redistributing it in the spring. And while a crop like corn must be replanted each year, a poplar tree is capable of regrowing itself from its roots after being cut, and may go through several cycles of growth and harvest throughout its life before a new tree needs to replace it.

"Both the growth in the spring and regrowth from roots after the stems are harvested depend on the availability of stored nitrogen," Coleman says. "The data we collect will allow us to understand mechanisms of nitrogen cycling, determine how to increase the rates of the cellular reactions, and identify the genes that play a crucial role in the process. Eventually, we should be able to breed a variety of poplar with a more efficient nitrogen process, optimized for growth and rapid maturity."

Source: University of Maryland College Park
Writer: Walaika Haskins

What makes a neighborhood great? The obvious answer -- its the people. But, attracting people to a neighborhood takes a combination of ingredients that include both home values, services and its public schools. Forging strong partnerships between communities and their schools, that's the motivation behind the Goldseker Foundation's latest grant initiative, Neighborhood-School Partnership.

In recognition of the interdependence between neighborhoods and schools, in which the quality of one directly impacts the quality of the other, the Goldseker Foundation provided the $435,000 to fund the new initiative. The Neighborhood-School Partnership joins another Goldseker Foundation program, Healthy Neighborhoods founded in 2001.

The Goldseker Foundation helped to create the Healthy Neighborhoods program with a $125,000 grant in 2001. Healthy Neighborhoods helps strong but undervalued Baltimore neighborhoods increase home values, market their communities and create high standards for property improvements, while forging strong connections among neighbors. The program has been a catalyst for residential investment, while the current school reform environment in Baltimore City has led to an increasing number of quality public school options to complement an existing network of strong private schools in the city.
 
Last week the non-profit organization announced the partnerships that team five neighborhood organizations with eight local grade schools.

"We've invested $2.2 million to try and create stronger neighborhoods through strong real estate markets, strong resident leadership and emphasizing everything that's right with a neighborhood. We intentionally started in neighborhoods where we wouldn't have to spend 20 years trying to fix the public schools," says Timothy Armbruster, president of the Goldseker Foundation. "We want to stimulate creative thinking about how neighborhoods and schools can work together to build from strength and tell the story about the good things happening in these communities."


Through the partnerships and grants, the foundation hopes to encourage joint neighborhood and school improvement strategies that will enhance the desirability of neighborhoods due to high-quality schools, well-maintained properties, and strong community connections, and also increase enrollment and academic quality at schools serving children living in Healthy Neighborhoods. 

"We'd like to see the education, community development, and public and private funding sectors working together to leverage investments in schools and neighborhoods for greater impact," says Armbruster. "Forging stronger connections between schools andneighborhoods is one more step in making the city more responsive and attractive to a wide range of families, including Baltimore's growing middle class."

The real winners, however, are the students will benefit from the curriculum, programs, and projects instituted at their schools. Students at Calvin M Rodwell Elementary School as a result of a $50,000 grant will take on the role normally held by local TV weatherman. The school's new Weatherbug Science Curriculum will allow the pint-sized meteorologists to use their knowledge of science and math to help create their own weather forecasts. It's partner, Garwyn Oaks Northwest Housing Resource Center will receive $25,000 for core operating support and marketing.

"It is incredibly important [to give students access to these extracurricular opportunities]. We spend so much time on basic skills, on making them ready to met standards. The enrichment they'll receive from these projects that draw on their imagination, that of course is most important," says Dr. Andres Alonso, Baltimore City Schools CEO.

Other schools and neighborhood organizations receiving funds are Cross Country Elementary/Middle and partner Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc. (CHAI), Gwynns Falls Elementary and Greather Mondawmin Coordinating Council, City Neighbors Charter, Hamilton Elementary/Middle and St. Francis of Assisi School partnered with Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville Inc., and Barclay Elementary/Middle and Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle partnered with Greater Homewood Community Corporation.

Sources: Tim Armbruster, The Goldseker Foundation; Dr. Andres Alonso, Baltimore City Public Schools
Writer: Walaika Haskins

With some $60 million in federal grant money a year, the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a new international research center in Baltimore's BioPark, has multiple positions available for qualified personnel.

IGS scientists research the genomics of infectious diseases, human microbial metagenomics, and human genomics. Because of expanding research and the growth of genomics, IGS has multiple open positions, particularly in the bioinformatics group, the application of information technology to biological data, using computational and statistic techniques. This enables IGS to sequence samples from which people in the bioinformatics department annotate and analyze the complex genomic data.

The company is looking for motivated and talented individuals to join its informatics and scientific tream. IGS' expanding growth has led to multiple openings for software engineers, analysts, postdoc fellows and researchers.

Successful candidates will benefit from a community of interactive research labs, bioinformatics programmers and analysts along with a variety of sequencing, and computational resources available at this world-class institute.

Love it or hate it, but Walmart is very likely coming to Charles Village. The big box discount chain announced last week that with the approval from the city it will join the commercial complex currently planned for the former Anderson Automotive site at 115 W. 25^th Street near the intersection of Howard Street.

According to the company,  the store will bring approximately 200 new jobs to the area including positions in store management, pharmacy, human resources, customer service, cashiers and sales associates. Construction will begin this fall with a grand opening tentatively scheduled for the fall 2011.

"This store will deliver outstanding value to customers and create quality job opportunities for local residents," says Walmart Regional Senior Manager Rhoda Washington. "We look forward to building on the partnerships we have established in neighborhoods throughout Greater Baltimore and continuing our support of charitable services that are important to the city."

The 93,000-square-foot store will be located above the previously announced Lowe's Home Center and co-anchor the $65 million, mixed-use "25^th Street Station" development project. The developer, WV Urban Developments LLC, expects to sign additional specialty retailers to the 11-acre project, which also will include residential units along Maryland Avenue. In total, this project is expected to create 400 construction jobs and up to 750 permanent jobs.

The new store also will include energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste with a vegetated green roof, high-efficiency lighting, low-flow toilets and faucets as well as recycled and sustainable building materials.

In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company's newest locations with faster service, a friendlier shopping experience and cleaner stores.

"This store will features wide aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers," adds Washington. "The layout will be easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities."

"We are extremely excited to have added Walmart to 25th Street Station," says Jon Laria, a  attorney for the project with  Ballard Spahr. "We were originally looking for a good grocery store and that was our plan when we held our first community meetings in December. We soon began to realize that we were not going to find an acceptable grocery store in the current market, and fortunately Walmart approached us after seeing early news coverage of the project."

With few, if any, other retailers out there that could provide both fresh, healthy, local produce and other foods, as well as the general merchandise shopping that many community members told Ballard Spahr they need and which barely exists in the city, Walmart was an excellent solution, says Laria. 

"Its flexibility to build a smaller store, combined with its extraordinary commitment to sustainability at the store and throughout the company, made it even better. We're also happy that Walmart will bring 200+ jobs at all skill levels, helping us meet our expected goal of over 700 jobs for the entire project," he adds.

The combination of Walmart and Lowe's will help ensure that the site is redeveloped and doesn't become a vacant parcel in the midst of several important City neighborhoods, according to Laria. "We also think the added activity and vitality will help existing businesses in the neighborhood and attract new ones. Business activity will attract more business activity."

Thus far, Laria says, they've been "really pleased" with the feedback from the community and the city that has included constructive suggestions about how to make the project better. "We're going to continue working on it with our community partners through the City's design review process, and know we'll have a project that works both for the retailers we expect to attract as well as our community neighbors."


Tell us what you think.



Sources: Rhoda Washington, Walmart; Jon Laria, Ballard Spahr.
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Imagine being able to download an HD movie or other large file in just a few minutes. Or collaborating with classmates around the world while watching live 3D video of a university lecture. Those are just a few possibilities available to communities with universal ultra high-speed internet access, according to Google.

That's why, on Feb. 10, Google announced plans to build ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. The search giant's plan is to invest a few billion dollars to bring a few lucky communities with a fiber-to-the-home broadband network that offer speeds of one gigabit per second. The network would be competitively priced to at least 50,000, and potentially up to 500,000 people.

This connection would be 2,000% faster than the fastest connection currently available to Baltimore residents, according to BmoreFiber, the recently formed group trying to win the service for Baltimore.

BmoreFiber,  a conglomeration, of local leaders, tech companies and business owners, wants to show Google that Baltimore is a city replete with creative types who would be able to take full advantage of super fast broadband network.

"We expect the level of investment to be about $1 billion dollars and that's hard to turn down. I don't care what the investment is. It's something we'd love to see happen here in Baltimore," says David Troy, CEO of Roundhouse Technologies, founder of Beehive Baltimore, and BmoreFiber spokesperson.

"We have a burgeoning technical community in terms of tech startups. It's an opportunity to make a difference with the digital divide and that sort of thing. We offer a lot of diversity and opportunity for a business like Google," he continues.

However, the group needs the help of every citizen in Baltimore. They need everyone who would also like to see the Google project come here to vote for Baltimore by logging in their location and then filling out a short questionnaire about their current Internet service.

Google is asking local governments and residents to express their interest in the fiber optic trial, and to provide information about their community by completing a request for information by March 26, 2010.

"Part of this is that [Google] is trying to use these early implementations as a test market for learning the lessons that would be required to do this in other places. What we need to show is that if they came here people would be interested in it and sign up for services."

The second thing the Baltimore community needs to do, according to Troy, is show that we have a "representative climate," and that Google would be able to learn a broad number of lessons about physical infrastructure, dealing with digital divide issues, and what it takes to make businesses happy. "[We want to offer them] a nice test lab," he adds.

Historically, Baltimore has been a pretty good test market for a variety of technologies. "We're our own media market. We have a diversity of socio-economic classes represented and its a relatively low cost place to do something," explains Troy.

The win for Baltimore is that businesses would see the service as a plus when considering Baltimore.

"We are always looking for opportunities to distinguish Baltimore City from its competition," says Andrew Frank, deputy mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development. "We need to find new and build on existing strengths that retain and attract residents and businesses. The Google high speed Internet opportunity would achieve those goals. Also, as a technology gadget aficionado, the Mayor gets that having access to the latest technology can influence the choices that residents and businesses make."

But, whether Google choses the city or not, Troy says its win-win for Baltimore either way.

"What's the worst that can happen, we are up against some pretty sitff competition with cities like Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. all which I'm sure have good stories about why they'd be good for this as well. It's not clear how many cities Google will do this in. It could 1, 5 or 10, we just don't know yet. Even if this doesn't come through, aligning stakeholders around that cause is a good exercise and gives us something to rally behind going forward. There might also be other funds out there -- stimulus money or other kinds of investment -- that we can repurpose some of this work for."

Follow BmoreFiber on Twitter or join their mailing list.

Sources: Dave Troy, BmoreFiber; Andrew Frank, City of Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Constellation Energy recently announced plans to support the development of commercial photovoltaic power systems with a $90 million solar capital commitment. To maximize the value of government renewable incentives, the $90 million set-aside will be available for customer-sited solar installations of 500 kilowatts or larger which begin construction before mid-year 2010.

"Constellation Energy's solar capital commitment provides the resources to make photovoltaic power a simple and economical proposition for commercial and governmental customers who want to support clean, renewable energy at their facilities," says Michael D. Smith, senior vice president of green initiatives for Constellation NewEnergy. "Our solar business model gives customers a single source for every step of the process, from financing to planning and permitting, construction and long-term maintenance of the system. By working with Constellation Energy, customers can make meaningful and immediate impacts on their carbon and sustainability goals."

The capital commitment enables Constellation Energy to finance, design, construct and own solar installations for customers and supply the power generated on-site to the customer. This structure makes it possible for customers to deploy on-site solar and meet sustainability goals without incurring upfront costs. Approximately $18 million of the capital commitment has already been committed to projects soon to begin development in Maryland and New Jersey.

The companys has committed to expanding solar project development over the next several years. Constellation Energy currently has approximately 25 megawatts of solar power systems installed or under way in the U.S., ranging from customer-sited rooftop installations to a 17.1-megawatt large-scale project in Emmitsburg, Md., that will be among the largest in the U.S.

Constellation Energy has developed photovoltaic installations for retailers, manufacturers, government facilities and universities nationwide, with a focus on projects in Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and California where solar incentives and credits make development particularly attractive for customers financially. Solar renewable energy credits (SREC), which are granted to solar projects for every megawatt-hour of electricity produced, help make on site solar projects economically attractive/ With SREC values scheduled to decline over time as states require the development of more solar generation, the next several months represent the optimal time to begin construction of on-site solar with the strongest project economics.

Structured correctly, today's photovoltaic power systems can generate electricity that is priced at or below the cost of power from the grid. Qualifying projects of 500 kilowatts generally require at least 100,000 square feet of roof space or two acres of open ground. Organizations interested in developing solar projects can contact Constellation Energy at [email protected] or 1-877-427-2005.

Source: Constellation Energy
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) has been awarded a $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) to train workers for jobs in allied health and nursing fields currently experiencing workforce shortages.

CCBC will use the funds to train almost 2,000 students for employment in allied health and nursing fields with persistent workforce shortages. The funds will make it possible for the community college to train an additional 1,012 students for health care degrees or certificates and another 855 students for employment in the health care. Maryland currently needs an additional 2,300 registered nurses to address health care needs in the state.

"This is about jobs, jobs, jobs. It's about giving people the tools they need to keep the jobs they have and it's about preparing people who need jobs for jobs that are available in Maryland today," says Sen. Barbara Mikulski. "With these funds CCBC will train a new pipeline of workers to fill jobs in health care fields that are needed now and will be needed even more in the future. This is a win-win opportunity to help save lives, transform lives and transform communities."

CCBC will partner with Baltimore County hospitals, like St. Agnes and Kernan, Baltimore County Public Schools and the county's Office of Workforce Development to recruit students and administer training. The focus will be on training those who are looking for a job, individuals with low incomes, and employed workers seeking better pay and careers.

"This grant is a significant investment in future jobs in the health industry, an industry in which Maryland is already a national leader," says Sen. Ben Cardin. "While we are in the midst of an economic downturn, we have a labor shortage in many parts of the health industry. This Recovery Act grant is targeted to eliminate that shortage by ensuring that the Community College of Baltimore County provides the training and skills that are needed so that more Marylanders can find jobs in the growing health industry."

The grant is 1 of 55 grant awards worth more than $225 million by the DoL that will be used to train 15,000 people in job skills needed to access careers in health care, IT and other high growth fields across the country. Through existing partnerships with local employers, the recipients of the grants have already identified roughly 10,000 job openings for skilled workers that likely will become available in the next two years in areas like nursing, pharmacy technology and information technology. The grants range in value from $2 million to $5 million.

CCBC is the only grant recipient in Maryland.

"This grant comes at a time in our nation when jobs are at a premium, but when healthcare providers are badly needed," Rep. Elijah Cummings says. "As the Recovery Act nears its one year anniversary, this is another example of the Act creating opportunities for high-paying jobs here in Baltimore County. These are jobs that will stay here in America and which will help put Marylanders back to work."

The DoL grant program, known as the Health Care Growth and Emerging Industries Grants program, addresses current and forecasted workforce shortages, and provides workers with training to enter a career in a high growth or emerging industries.

The Health Care and High Growth and Emerging Industries Grants program will:

• Develop a pipeline of credentialed healthcare workers;

• Support local partnerships in executing integrated job placement and training strategies and,

• Support training with accredited institutions that lead to industry-recognized, portable credentials.

Source: Department of Labor
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Merritt Properties, one of the Mid-Atlantic region's leading commercial real estate developers, announced the launch of its commercial real estate application for the iPhone Monday. The app is the first to be released by a commercial real estate developer and is available immediately as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

"We have been looking at ways that we could utilize new technologies to talk to our customers as well as brokers. And we'd already been utilizing Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn. So this is sort of a natural evolution of that process. We saw the iPhone app as a way to make our information more readily accessible. It's the digital age and people want access to information on a more mobile platform for when they aren't sitting at their desk," says Melissa Teague, Merritt Properties spokesperson.

"Increasingly people are in their cars or in meetings and they need information. This is another way to provide that information. What's unique about it, especially for our brokers is that this provides real-time information that they couldn't get using Costar.

The commercial property search application can also be used on Apple's iPod touch, making Merritt's portfolio of 16 million square feet of commercial real estate easily accessible to brokers and prospective and current customers on a mobile platform. Download the app from the landing page on Merritt's website.

Merritt Properties iPhone App Features:

· Customized Commercial Property Search: Results can be sorted by property type (industrial/warehouse, flex/warehouse, office and retail), square footage (minimum and maximum), city (throughout Central Maryland and Northern Virginia), radius and space availability.

· Commercial Property Profiles: Search results include the property address, building type, a photo or rendering, overview of building specs, available space details, floorplans and Merritt contacts.

· Map & Driving Directions: Google Maps show location details and driving directions from any location.

· Forwarding: Listings can be forwarded to another phone or email address.

· Automatic Updates: Automatic updates reflect real-time data as properties are leased, completed or become available.

· News Updates: The latest news from Merritt Properties can be viewed and shared.

The company chose to initially develop the application for the iPhone because it has the largest share of the smart phone market, but build-outs are planned for both the Blackberry and Google Android operating systems. In the meantime, Blackberry and Android users can access the commercial property search function via Merritt's mobile website.

To make the company fully accessible to clients, however they choose to communicate, Merritt is also using a texting application that sends property-specific details to any mobile phone and has established a Twitter channel, Facebook fan page and LinkedIn group.

Source: Melissa Teague, Merritt Properties
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Following the opening of a new branch in Harford County and the expected move to a larger location for its Howard County branch, the State Employees Credit Union of Maryland (SECU) is doing something that has become a rarity over the past year for most businesses -- the bank is hiring. SECU, the largest state-chartered credit union in Maryland, is looking to add 40 new employees to its roster.

The move to take on new employees is not unusual, however. According to SECU statistics, the local bank hired 127 new employees in 2009, including 21 in the fourth quarter.

"Approximately 75 percent of our openings are 'retail' positions in our branches and call center," says SECU President and CEO Rod Staatz.

Staatz notes that SECU's continued growth and subsequent hiring has kept its Human Resources Department busy. To keep pace with its high level of hiring activity, the bank has been holding monthly orientation classes for new employees. These three-day classes introduce new SECU employees to corporate culture, key leaders, department functions, products and services, and other critical areas.

For 2010, Staatz says SECU will focus on retention, engagement, and development. "In the near term, SECU plans to concentrate on managing our potential and existing employee pool to attract and retain top talent,"

"Our approach to working with new employees is to engage them through career pathing and development initiatives, as well as by offering a rich and comprehensive benefits package," Staatz explains.

Source: Rod Staatz, SECU
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The start of the U.S. census is a little more than four weeks away. Households will receive their 2010 questionnaire in the mail between March 15 and 17 and will have to return them by April 1. Although the 2010 questionnaire has 10 questions and will take about 10 minutes to fill out, the U.S. Census Bureau will rely on thousands of temporary workers to help it complete the largest domestic undertaking as it prepares to count every person that resides in the country.

Hundreds of positions are available in the Greater Baltimore area where starting pay for the part-time gig for Enumerators and Crew Leader Assistants is $17.50 an hour. Crew leaders earn $19.00 an hour. Applicants are encouraged to call 1-866-861-2010 to apply. All applicants are required to take a basic skills test and there are testing sites in various convenient locations including the Lexington Market at 400 West Lexington Street in Baltimore 21201.

On the remaining Saturdays in February starting February 13 applicants can walk in with 2 forms of identification (one current picture i.d.) and test that day. Currently test times are scheduled at the Lexington Market on these dates at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Scheduling can be done between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Other markets where you can schedule a test these same Saturdays in February 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. include:

· Cross Street Market in Federal Hill 21230

· Broadway Market in Fells Point 21231

· Northeast Market near Johns Hopkins Hospital 21205

· Hollins Street Market in Southwest Baltimore 21223

· Avenue Market in Druid Heights 21217

For a practice test go to www.2010censusjobs.gov.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Community leaders looking to give their neighborhood events a bit of zing in 2010 will be able to attend the PNC Bank Creativity Event Workshop. The one day event features expert panelists who will teach nonprofit community-based organizations and neighborhood event coordinators how to include new ideas to develop more engaging and quality events for residents.

The workshop takes place Saturday, February 20 from 10am to 12 noon at the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, located at 3601 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224. Participating panelists include William Backstrom, Community Development Banking Territory Manager for PNC Bank, one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations; Daryl Landy, executive director of Pigtown Main Street, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization devoted to improving Pigtown's Washington Boulevard commercial corridor; Linda Richardson, executive director of Historical Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street, an organization that works to revitalize one of Baltimore's most historic neighborhoods; Molly Ross, director and principle artist of Nana Projects, a nonprofit corporation that blends innovative performance and visual arts into community-based work; Hope Williams, coordinator for the Initiative For A Cleaner Greener Baltimore, a program which increases public awareness on ways that individuals and organizations can sustain a cleaner environment; and Randi Vega, Cultural Affairs Director for the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.

The workshop is free open to the public. Seating is limited and requires a reservation. To RSVP, call 410-752-8632. The PNC Bank Creativity Event Workshop, a part of the PNC Bank Neighborhood Grant Program, is presented by PNC Bank and produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.

For more information on the PNC Bank Creativity Event Workshop, contact the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts at 410-752-8632 or visit www.promotionandarts.com

Source: Baltimore Cty Office of Promotions & The Arts
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Parents of high school students can attest to the ever increasing importance of AP Exam scores. And, according to the sixth annual AP Report to the Nation from the College Board, the test is paying off for Maryland students who led the nation for the second consecutive year with the highest percentage (24.8) of public school students scoring at least a 3 on an AP Exam. Florida attained the largest single-year increase in the percentage of high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam, while Virginia achieved the largest five-year gain.

Nearly 16 percent of the public high school class of 2009 achieved at least one AP Exam score of 3 or higher � the score that college admissions offers believe is predictive of college success � more students than ever before are participating in rigorous course work and succeeding, says Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. Additionally, this class stands out as having the most diverse student participation in AP history.

According to the report, of the estimated 3 million students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2009, more than 479,000 (15.9 percent) earned an AP Exam score of at least a 3 on one or more AP Exams during their high school tenure, up from 15.2 percent in 2008 and 12.7 percent in 2004.

"This positive trend is encouraging, and I commend students and educators for their hard work and success," Caperton said. "Credit goes to educators at all levels and policymakers whose diligence has ensured more students are able to take AP courses and do well on the exams."

The report also highlights the seven states with the highest five-year gains: Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Maine, Colorado, Vermont and Florida. Additionally, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut, California and Colorado all saw more than 20 percent of their public school students graduate from high school having earned an AP Exam score of 3 or higher. AP achievements for each state's class of 2009, class of 2008 and class of 2004 are detailed in the report.

"It should be noted that initiatives that provide instruction as early as middle school are helping students build skills and confidence," Caperton says. "These initiatives are preparing students for strong academic careers that culminate in college success and open doors to a lifetime of opportunity."

The report, however, notes that an equity and excellence gap appears when traditionally underserved students -- such as African American, Latino or American Indian students -- constitute a smaller percentage of the group of students experiencing success in AP than the percentage these students represent in the overall graduating class. Although the gap has been closed in some places, inequity in preparation and access continues to exist in many states across the country. This means that despite strides that have been made by educators to provide traditionally underrepresented students with access to AP courses, more work remains.

Sixteen states have successfully closed the equity and excellence gap for Hispanic or Latino students, and as of 2009, two states � Hawaii and Montana � have eliminated the gap for African American students. While 18 states have closed the gap for American Indian or Alaska Native students, no state with a substantial student population in this demographic has eliminated the gap.

Additionally, 15 schools lead the nation in the number of African American and/or Latino students succeeding in particular AP subjects, and the report celebrates the example these schools are setting in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Texas. (See "Schools with the Largest Numbers of African American and Latino Students Experiencing Success in AP," page 12, and the corresponding Table 3, page 13, for details.)

"For the well-being of our nation, we must do all we can to reach the nation's long-term education goals," Caperton says. "This is the time to build on our momentum and renew our focus, reaching out to every student along the way."

Source: The College Board
Writer: Walaika Haskins

For the second year, the Kresge Foundation is offering some $80,000 in grant money for community art programs. The Foundation believes that a thriving arts and cultural community enriches the quality of life for residents, and in doing so, encourages civic dialogue, inspires new thinking, spurs innovation, and promotes neighborhood transformation.

The monies are part of the $200,000 the Foundation will invest in Baltimore In 2009 and 2010 in order to test its premise that community arts projects can effectively address community challenges. The Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) is the local intermediary and administrator of this program.

According to the BCF, projects must be creative, well-conceived and compelling to be competitive. In 2009, over 130 applications were received; but only 12 grants were awarded with an average grant amount of $7,375.

Grants typically range from $2,500 to as much as $10,000.

Eligibility

• Kresge Arts in Baltimore is open to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations and municipal agencies or individuals and organizations with a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor.
• Projects must take place in Baltimore City.
• Grant awards are for projects only-- no operating or capital requests will be considered.
• Applicants must include a letter of community or neighborhood support specific to the proposed project.
• Projects must occur between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011.
• No applicant can receive more than one grant per year.

Current Kresge grantees are not eligible to apply unless their project is complete and their final report received by the Baltimore Community Foundation before March 31, 2010.

Priority will be given to proposals with the following components:

• Engaging arts and cultural activities, especially those that are designed and implemented with (not for) participants.
• Projects that connect participants to specific and recognizable community issues, for example high school graduation rate, truancy, youth violence, literacy, parenting skills, recycling, litter, obesity, hypertension, job training, neighborhood safety, negative stereotypes, etc. (Lack of exposure to the arts, art as therapy, or in-school art experiences are not eligible for consideration.)
• Projects that provide arts experiences in non-traditional spaces such as in after-school programs, low-income housing developments, juvenile detention facilities, women's shelters, community health centers, and empty storefronts, the temporary use or re-purposing of a space to facilitate arts activities occurring within communities.
• New or expanded projects, rather than on-going initiatives.
• Reasonable and appropriate costs to execute the project�keeping costs for equipment, materials and food to a minimum. Note: Total project budget may exceed Kresge grant range of $2,500 � $10,000 but other cash or in-kind revenue equal to the extra expense must be identified in the application.
• Appropriate oversight and management to ensure a well designed and implemented project.
• Collaborative projects that include other service providers.

A tax exempt IRS determination letter from the applicant organization or fiscal sponsor is required.

A letter of support from a community organization acknowledging the proposed project and its value to the supporting organization and the proposed target audience is required.

Applications will be declined based on the following criteria: not following application guidelines; incomplete application materials; no arts and cultural component; no connection to community issues; no planned resident participation.

Source: Baltimore Community Foundation
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Bmore Media is looking for an intern with an interest in social media/marketing and journalism. The unpaid position will require between 4 and 6 hours a week.

The candidate should have writing and editing experience -- familiarity with AP Style and Strunk and White preferred -- as well as a strong interest in social media integration of news media along with hands-on experience with programs like Twitter, Facebook and related management tools (ie: tweetdeck, hootsuite etc...).

The intern will also have the opportunity to write content for the site for pay.

Interested applicants should send their resume here.