UMBC to receive $7.7 M for U-RISE, a research training program focused on STEM leadership
The new U-RISE program will build on the outstanding 23-year legacy of the MARC U*STAR Scholars at UMBC. “If I was not a part of the MARC program, I would not be where I am today,” says Robin Bailey ’20. Continue reading UMBC to receive $7.7 M for U-RISE, a research training program focused on STEM leadership
UMBC’s Jianwu Wang receives NSF CAREER Award to help climate scientists make discoveries from massive, complex data sets
Jianwu Wang is the most recent UMBC faculty member to receive a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. It will support his work to develop more efficient and reproducible causality analytics for use in climate science. Continue reading UMBC’s Jianwu Wang receives NSF CAREER Award to help climate scientists make discoveries from massive, complex data sets
Scholar-athlete grads draw on resilience forged in challenging times
On the surface, Kennedy Lamb ‘20, English, and Jethro Ssengonzi ‘20, mechanical engineering, didn’t have much in common when they arrived on campus. Today, these two accomplished scholar-athletes are coping with the challenges of graduating during a pandemic by drawing on stores of resilience and communities of support. Continue reading Scholar-athlete grads draw on resilience forged in challenging times
New Times Higher Ed ranking names UMBC a global leader in social and economic impact
Times Higher Education has just named UMBC one of the top universities worldwide for social and economic impact. UMBC is one of only 31 universities recognized from the United States. UMBC is also the only university in Maryland represented on the list. Continue reading New Times Higher Ed ranking names UMBC a global leader in social and economic impact
UMBC doctoral student Ciara Christian receives AAC&U 2020 K. Patricia Cross Award for equity and inclusion work
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has honored UMBC’s Ciara Christian with its 2020 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. Christian, M.A. ‘18, sociology, is a doctoral student in the language, literacy, and culture program. Continue reading UMBC doctoral student Ciara Christian receives AAC&U 2020 K. Patricia Cross Award for equity and inclusion work
UMBC team makes breakthrough discovery in HIV research, opening path to new, better therapies
“For decades, the scientific community has known that two different structural forms of HIV RNA exist—they just didn’t know what controls that balance. So our discovery that a single nucleotide is having a huge effect is a paradigm shift in understanding how HIV works,” says Joshua Brown, Ph.D. ’18, biochemistry. Continue reading UMBC team makes breakthrough discovery in HIV research, opening path to new, better therapies
UMBC Cyber Dawgs rank #1 among university teams at annual Capture the Flag event
UMBC went head to head with both collegiate teams and teams of professionals from the industry, placing third overall and #1 among the universities. Continue reading UMBC Cyber Dawgs rank #1 among university teams at annual Capture the Flag event
URCAD 2020 showcases UMBC student researchers and artists in a new, interactive online format
UMBC students are no strangers to ingenuity. This year, due to COVID-19, the 24th annual iteration of URCAD calls for creative dexterity at a whole new level. URCAD has transitioned to a week-long online symposium, April 22 – 29. Continue reading URCAD 2020 showcases UMBC student researchers and artists in a new, interactive online format
CWIT Scholar Sammie Maygers ’20 finds, and builds, a community of support at UMBC
A community of support welcomed Maygers to UMBC before she started classes freshman year. She thoughtfully grew that community during her time as a Retriever. Now, she’ll carry it with her to the next stage of her life and career. Continue reading CWIT Scholar Sammie Maygers ’20 finds, and builds, a community of support at UMBC
UMBC’s Rickesh Patel determines how mantis shrimp find their way home
“As soon as the [mantis shrimp] notice you, they’ll turn around and zip straight to some sort of shelter,” Patel said, based on his field experience. “That got me wondering how they go about finding their way home.” Continue reading UMBC’s Rickesh Patel determines how mantis shrimp find their way home
Three years in, UMBC’s Inclusion Imperative connects humanities scholars focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice
“The Inclusion Imperative has created real excitement about the benefits of connecting humanities faculty with one another,” shares Jessica Berman, director of the Dresher Center for the Humanities. “Faculty at UMBC have learned a variety of new tools to practice inclusive and engaged teaching.” Continue reading Three years in, UMBC’s Inclusion Imperative connects humanities scholars focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice
UMBC Cyber Dawgs win Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition
Over the weekend, the UMBC Cyber Dawgs took first place in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, which was held virtually. Now, they head to the national competition. “We are so proud of our team, and their ability to work together as a team under such extraordinary conditions,” says faculty advisor Charles Nicholas. Continue reading UMBC Cyber Dawgs win Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition
UMBC’s Tagide deCarvalho wins Olympus Image of the Year contest with striking portrait of a “water bear”
“I knew the moment I saw this colorful specimen that it was going to be a remarkable image,” Tagide deCarvalho says. “I love sharing the fascinating things I see in the microscope with other people.” Continue reading UMBC’s Tagide deCarvalho wins Olympus Image of the Year contest with striking portrait of a “water bear”
Latest global and national rankings name UMBC a leading university, from engineering and biology to public policy
UMBC is again one of the top 500 universities in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings. Continue reading Latest global and national rankings name UMBC a leading university, from engineering and biology to public policy
UMBC psychology faculty work to prevent intimate partner violence and support survivors
UMBC’s psychology faculty closely collaborate with communities on research to prevent intimate partner and gender-based violence and to support survivors. Their work is earning new awards that will enable them to have an even greater impact. Continue reading UMBC psychology faculty work to prevent intimate partner violence and support survivors
Three UMBC student researchers receive prestigious Goldwater Scholarships
“We are so proud of UMBC’s Goldwater Scholars,” says April Householder. “Their research—in neuroscience, genetics, and machine learning bias—is timely and important.” Continue reading Three UMBC student researchers receive prestigious Goldwater Scholarships
UMBC researchers offer knowledge, innovation during the time of COVID-19
At a time when information and misinformation are coming at us from all directions, and everyone is looking for answers, UMBC researchers are stepping up. They’re working hard to answer pressing questions about COVID-19 and sharing their expertise to help the public stay healthy and make informed decisions. Continue reading UMBC researchers offer knowledge, innovation during the time of COVID-19
UMBC historian Anne Rubin examines food scarcity in the Confederate South through NEH fellowship
“I research people who don’t always leave letters or diaries, but can be found through a receipt for the food they were given,” says Rubin. “I want students to think of food history as another tool in the historian’s toolbox—that you can look at a recipe and you can piece together a whole social network from it.” Continue reading UMBC historian Anne Rubin examines food scarcity in the Confederate South through NEH fellowship
UMBC leads research team to study COVID-19-related discrimination against Chinese Americans
The researchers will collect data on public opinion, the social climate, and the experiences of Chinese-American families. They seek to capture the current moment and make it possible for future researchers to study this phenomenon in the longer term. Continue reading UMBC leads research team to study COVID-19-related discrimination against Chinese Americans
International team led by UMBC identifies new bird species in the South Pacific
“Even in this well-studied group of birds, that’s been a textbook example since 1942, we did not really know what the units of biodiversity were,” says Kevin Omland. He and postdoc Anna Kearns have now contributed significant new research to help answer that question, and their findings have major conservation implications. Continue reading International team led by UMBC identifies new bird species in the South Pacific
UMBC once again ranks among the top 150 universities in federal research funding
The Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey aggregates federal research and development expenditures for fiscal year 2018. The survey data combines total funding from all federal agencies and also provides information on research funding from non-federal and non-governmental sources. Continue reading UMBC once again ranks among the top 150 universities in federal research funding
UMBC’s Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg recognized for 40-year career advancing cancer immunotherapy
After 41 years at UMBC, Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, professor emerita of biological sciences, retired in August 2018 and moved to Utah to enjoy the mountains with her spouse. But she couldn’t stay away from her research and mentoring for long. “I just can’t quit it,” Rosenberg says. “I realized I really did not want to stop.” Continue reading UMBC’s Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg recognized for 40-year career advancing cancer immunotherapy
UMBC men’s swimming and diving named America East champions, women’s team captures 2nd place
UMBC senior Ilia Rattsev swept the freestyle sprints (50, 100, 200 yards). In doing so, he became the first-ever swimmer in America East history to sweep the freestyle sprints in three consecutive years. He earned the league’s David Alexander Coaches’ Award (most points accrued in a meet) and Elite 18 Award (highest academic achievement). While excelling in the pool, Rattsev is also maintaining a 3.97 GPA in bioinformatics and computational biology. Continue reading UMBC men’s swimming and diving named America East champions, women’s team captures 2nd place
Linda Dusman, professor and chair of music, named Bearman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship
Linda Dusman, professor and chair of music, has been named The Herbert Bearman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship for 2020 – 2023. The three-year appointment will enable Dusman to further her work with EnCue, an audience engagement app she co-designed for use during classical music performance. Continue reading Linda Dusman, professor and chair of music, named Bearman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship
Sensing an opportunity to improve wind energy: Maryland Innovation Initiative and bwtech help UMBC faculty commercialize their research
Wind turbines are massive. UMBC engineer Soobum Lee thinks about their size as an enormous opportunity and also a challenge. Today, sensors used to maintain turbines need their batteries replaced every two years, a challenge when they are on blades hundreds of feet in the air. Lee came up with a novel solution and received state and university support to make it a reality. Continue reading Sensing an opportunity to improve wind energy: Maryland Innovation Initiative and bwtech help UMBC faculty commercialize their research
Wearable sensors and infrared cameras: Introducing UMBC’s User Studies Lab
“This lab enables us to harness the precise study of movement and perception, which will open up doors of collaborations across many different disciplines that are interested in its study. Collaborative work through this lab will bring us closer in our joint pursuit of knowledge of human behavior and interaction with and through technology,” says Vandana Janeja, interim chair of information systems. Continue reading Wearable sensors and infrared cameras: Introducing UMBC’s User Studies Lab
U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence selects UMBC Training Centers to design a cyber curriculum for soldiers
The U.S. Army recently selected UMBC Training Centers as the sole recipient of an award to develop a novel cybersecurity curriculum for soldiers. UMBC was the only recipient selected, explains Kent Malwitz, president of UMBC Training Centers. This relatively rare move by the Army affirms the quality of UMBC Training Centers’ proposal and existing programs. Continue reading U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence selects UMBC Training Centers to design a cyber curriculum for soldiers
Teaching among trees: Field research project grows UMBC partnership with community colleges
“It’s a great example of the relationships we’re building with the community colleges,” Sarah Jewett says. “What I love about this program is that it utilizes curricular infrastructure that’s in place at the community colleges, and networks and research expertise here at UMBC. We’re really drawing on the assets at both institutions to make this work.” Continue reading Teaching among trees: Field research project grows UMBC partnership with community colleges
Baltimore Field School: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports UMBC’s inclusive approach to community-based research
“We want to think differently about how public humanities work can be done by reflecting on what ethical community-university partnerships look like,” says Nicole King, associate professor of American Studies and director of the Orser Center. “This collaborative process takes a great deal of time, listening, and building trust.” Continue reading Baltimore Field School: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports UMBC’s inclusive approach to community-based research
UMBC’s Jiaqi Gong receives $1M NIH grant for wearable sensor to help breast cancer survivors maintain complex medication schedules
The goal of the project is to design an intelligent, wearable sensor system for breast cancer survivors to help them more closely follow their prescribed medication routine. “We will focus on understanding the links between environmental, personal, and behavioral contexts of medication-taking behavior,” Gong says. Continue reading UMBC’s Jiaqi Gong receives $1M NIH grant for wearable sensor to help breast cancer survivors maintain complex medication schedules
Baltimore Sun names UMBC a top place to work and Pres. Hrabowski #1 in leadership
UMBC is ranked #12 among all large employers in the area, and is the only university and only government institution featured on the list. New this year, the Sun named UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski the top leader among the region’s large employers. He shared, “While we have collective and individual goals, and we are committed to moving toward them, we also understand the fundamental truth that nothing is more important than the people who make up the organization.” Continue reading Baltimore Sun names UMBC a top place to work and Pres. Hrabowski #1 in leadership
UMBC researchers find many countries will not meet ambitious forest restoration goals without support
“There’s a time to build your castles in the air, and now it’s time to put foundations under them. We’re underinvesting in the foundations, and we need to spend more international aid money on helping countries figure out how to meet these commitments,” Matt Fagan says. “I’d like to hope that this article helps generate more support for that kind of work, because I think it is possible to make this kind of change.” Continue reading UMBC researchers find many countries will not meet ambitious forest restoration goals without support
UMBC’s Pelton and Daniel are developing light-driven chips to enable super-fast computing
Physicist Matt Pelton and chemist Marie-Christine Daniel are both engaged in photonics research, which is “the idea of using light—photons—to do information processing instead of using electrons like you do in electronics,” explains Pelton. The work poses challenges, but if Daniel, Pelton, and their students succeed, they’ll be setting the stage for a revolution in computing. Continue reading UMBC’s Pelton and Daniel are developing light-driven chips to enable super-fast computing
UMBC and UMB partner to become Maryland’s first “age-friendly” universities
“What I love about the UMB and UMBC connection is that we draw many people together for a greater good. This is an interdisciplinary journey to address aging through policy, business management, life sciences, entrepreneurship, and technology lens,” said UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski Continue reading UMBC and UMB partner to become Maryland’s first “age-friendly” universities
UMBC researchers work to support first responders through NSF-funded stress-response technology
Through a $370,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, UMBC researchers are using a wristband to collect stress level information from first responders during simulations that mimic on-call situations. They are developing a visual display system to aid first responders in understanding and reflecting on how they react to stressful situations. Continue reading UMBC researchers work to support first responders through NSF-funded stress-response technology
UMBC’s Top Highlights of 2019
As UMBC welcomes 2020, we celebrate the student successes, athletic achievements, research breakthroughs, and community news that made 2019 a year to remember. Continue reading UMBC’s Top Highlights of 2019
UMBC places ninth at 2019 Pan-Am Team Chess Championship
The UMBC Chess A team earned victories over the A team from the University of Pennsylvania as well as the B teams from the University of Toronto, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Pennsylvania. UMBC finished the competition ahead of Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. Continue reading UMBC places ninth at 2019 Pan-Am Team Chess Championship
UMBC receives NSF support to enhance data science courses, research, and student experiences
Data science has rapidly grown at UMBC, and faculty are now working to enhance data science courses, research, and student experiences. The goal is to ensure they are inclusive, empowering, and effective in preparing students to tackle the urgent problems our society is working to solve, and can scale up to meet student and workforce demands. Continue reading UMBC receives NSF support to enhance data science courses, research, and student experiences
Preparing for impact: Four new UMBC grads share what drives their research
Cindy Chelius, Miranda Marvel, Naqiya Ghulamali, and Ryan Oliver study very different things, but they are all driven to contribute to positive change through their research. They also hope to carry forward the support they found at UMBC as mentors to a future generation of researchers. Continue reading Preparing for impact: Four new UMBC grads share what drives their research
UMBC graduates create their own paths to excellence, focused on succeeding together
Each graduating student’s path looks different. For many Retrievers, UMBC offers an opportunity to develop not just knowledge and skills, but also self-awareness that enables them to pursue personal passions. That self-awareness often means understanding what kinds of support made an impact on their experiences, and how they can lend support to those coming up behind them. Excellence for these seniors is about more than accolades; it is about succeeding together. Continue reading UMBC graduates create their own paths to excellence, focused on succeeding together
UMBC’s Lisa Kelly receives NSF grant to develop a safer, greener chemical production method
“The approach that we propose will induce chemical reactions that would otherwise need a lot of harsh reagents and organic solvents, and just a lot of nasty stuff,” Lisa Kelly says. “This is a greener route.” The technique could support efforts from drug development to synthetic materials production. Continue reading UMBC’s Lisa Kelly receives NSF grant to develop a safer, greener chemical production method
UMBC’s Jason Schiffman and his YouthFIRST lab advance early identification and treatment of psychosis
“On average, life expectancy for someone with schizophrenia is twenty years less than someone without schizophrenia,” says Schiffman. “We are changing the paradigm by moving away from institutionalization and incarceration, and towards prevention—enabling people with psychosis a chance to live a life of their choosing in the community and the opportunity to reach towards their highest potential.” Continue reading UMBC’s Jason Schiffman and his YouthFIRST lab advance early identification and treatment of psychosis