All posts by: Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque


A person with shoulder length, brown, straight, hair, wearing a black blazer and a spotted black and beige blouse.

Tackling food insecurity in disasters: UMBC’s Lauren Clay develops a new model through $520K NSF CAREER award

“Dr. Clay’s research demonstrates the importance of bringing a social science lens to the understanding of disaster science, management, and resilience,” says Christine Mallinson, director of UMBC’s Center for Social Science Scholarship. Continue Reading Tackling food insecurity in disasters: UMBC’s Lauren Clay develops a new model through $520K NSF CAREER award

Three women stand side by side on a cement path with a white brick building behind them.

UMBC humanities faculty pursue groundbreaking archival research through over $135,000 in prestigious fellowships

Elizabeth Patton, Mirjam Voerkelius, and Amy Froide have received prestigious research fellowships to explore archives and reveal new findings about unique historical events in the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom. Continue Reading UMBC humanities faculty pursue groundbreaking archival research through over $135,000 in prestigious fellowships

A group of five people in a room with glass walls, sitting at a table with laptops in front of them.

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC has led numerous high-impact health care research projects over a nearly 30-year history at UMBC. “The Hilltop Institute epitomizes the spirit of UMBC’s mission to integrate teaching, research and engaged scholarship, and service to benefit communities in Maryland and beyond,” says Cynthia Woodcock, executive director of Hilltop. Continue Reading The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

Professor Christopher Tong and an image of the Yangtzi River

Turning the Tides

For Christopher Tong, discovering clues hidden in texts documenting history’s most devastating floods isn’t just about the promise of making social, cultural, and political change. It’s also a personal journey inspired by generations of his own family. In July of 2021, the city of Zhengzhou, China, had more than seven inches of rain in one hour, flooding subway train cars filled with commuters and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate. Around this time Christopher K. Tong, an assistant professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, was surrounded by materials he had collected during his trip to the People’s Republic… Continue Reading Turning the Tides

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

A group of five people standing close together on a street with trees on either side of them.

Rethinking collaborative public humanities research in New Orleans and Baltimore

The success of taco trucks and Soul Food pop-ups in post-Katrina New Orleans has raised complex questions about food truck regulation, worker rights, immigration issues, and local vs. tourist experiences that often pit these communities against each other. UMBC’s Sarah Fouts and local organizers Toya Ex Lewis and Fernando López are implementing Project Neutral Grounds to share these vendors’ experiences and histories. Continue Reading Rethinking collaborative public humanities research in New Orleans and Baltimore

Five adults stand outside next to each other on a pathway. Fulbright.

UMBC’s 2022 Fulbright student scholars will travel the world to explore difficult questions

Nine recent UMBC graduates and alumni will soon travel to the UK, El Salvador, Kuwait, France, Colombia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Germany as 2022 Fulbright U.S. Student scholars. They include emerging leaders in education, astrophysics, cybersecurity, human rights, and more, and they are excited to explore difficult questions through fresh perspectives. Continue Reading UMBC’s 2022 Fulbright student scholars will travel the world to explore difficult questions

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

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