GES

Two people stand to the left of a tree with a metal box and yellow label attached to the trunk. Another person stands to the right, speaking to someone off camera.

UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

On a sunny fall day in October, a handful of student and faculty researchers are scuttling around outside the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. High-tech instruments sprawl across folding tables, alongside lower-tech equipment like a hole-punch, glass jars, clippers, and Ziploc bags. A drone about the size of a couch cushion sits on the grass nearby, awaiting instructions. Continue Reading UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

10 people in professional clothing pose, smiling at camera in front of GRIT-X 2022 backdrop.

GRIT-X 2022 brings to life the “essence” of UMBC research and creative achievement

Amid a bustling day filled with Homecoming excitement, GRIT-X returned to UMBC this month for its sixth year, delivering a wide-ranging lineup of Retriever excellence in action. Held in the Fine Arts Recital Hall, this year’s GRIT-X was the first for new UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby. Enjoying one engaging talk after another, she deemed the event “the essence of UMBC.” Continue Reading GRIT-X 2022 brings to life the “essence” of UMBC research and creative achievement

two researchers, one just outside and one inside a large underground pipe several feet in diameter

UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has funded Urban Integrated Field Laboratories in three American cities (including Baltimore) to generate resilience-enhancing solutions to urban climate challenges in collaboration with community organizations. “What we want to try to do is partner with the communities to come up with solutions to these climate impact problems,” Claire Welty say, “and then what we’re bringing to the table are our tools to implement that.” Continue Reading UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

Darryl Acker-Carter speaking on a dock, with the floating oyster aquaculture setup behind him, to a group of teachers

Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

Bats as biomonitors, community connections to the zero-waste movement, and oyster aquaculture are just a few of the topics that students in UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) master’s program are exploring through Baltimore-centered community-engaged research. As the first cohort in the program heads into their second and final year, they are excited about their work and looking ahead to becoming the next generation of environmental science leaders. Continue Reading Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

man inspects plants growing outside a greenhouse

UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

Biodiversity “is the whole kit and caboodle,” Chris Swan says. Without it, there could be no adaptation to change. The new project will investigate differences in biodiversity in tropical and temperate streams to increase our ability to predict how biological communities may change in a warming world. Continue Reading UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

Two people standing side by side, one is wearing a stripped multicolored short sleeve shirt and the other is wearing a white dress, they are standing in front of a wall of windows and shrubbery.

UMBC’s María Célleri and Yolanda Valencia receive Mellon Fellowships for research on an immigrant community in Washington and postcolonial transformation of Quito, Ecuador

“Their work further reifies UMBC’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship, in particular in often overlooked or ignored communities,” says Dean Kimberly R. Moffitt. Continue Reading UMBC’s María Célleri and Yolanda Valencia receive Mellon Fellowships for research on an immigrant community in Washington and postcolonial transformation of Quito, Ecuador

young trees planted in rows shade the forest floor

Beyond “plant trees!”: UMBC research finds tree plantations encroaching on essential ecosystems

Trees supply a host of benefits for animals and people. However, new research led by Matthew Fagan finds that some trees planted in the tropics may be doing more harm than good. “Ecologists have been sounding the alarm on this for over a decade,” Fagan says. “But no one’s had a hard number about how much this is actually happening.” Continue Reading Beyond “plant trees!”: UMBC research finds tree plantations encroaching on essential ecosystems

An adult with dark hair pulled back wearing a Fuchsia dress jacket and a blouse with Fuchsia flowers stands in front of a tree. Immigrant, UMBC, teenager.

Giving voice to immigrant experiences

“When I arrived in Spain as a teenager, my teachers did not expect me to go to college because I was an immigrant and because I didn’t have the resources to access certain learning opportunities,” says Melisa Argañaraz Gomez, Ph.D. ’22, geography and environmental systems. “Now, as a graduate student in the U.S., remembering my experience as a teenager helps me connect with the students I support and empathize with their lives.” Continue Reading Giving voice to immigrant experiences

UMBC faculty and staff award recipients place community at the core of their success

At UMBC’s 2022 Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards (PFASA), Tamra Mendelson said she loves “getting to the core of a concept” in her research and teaching. As awardee after awardee addressed the audience, both in person and online, it became clear that all shared the same “core concept” of UMBC: community. Continue Reading UMBC faculty and staff award recipients place community at the core of their success

Scroll to Top