All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Scholar-athlete grads draw on resilience forged in challenging times

Kennedy Lamb and Jethro Ssengonzi are finishing their final semester with uncertainty about the world, but also a sense of hope. To cope with the challenges of graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are drawing on resilience built through past challenges they’ve faced as UMBC scholar-athletes.

On the surface, Lamb ‘20, English, and Ssengonzi ‘20, mechanical engineering, didn’t have much in common when they arrived on campus. Lamb brought her academic and softball talents from the town of Mexico, New York, 35 miles north of Syracuse. Ssengonzi left Cary, North Carolina, to become a Meyerhoff Scholar and member of the Retriever swimming and diving team. Both connected early on with mentors who would support them in their most difficult moments.

Academics “kept me going”

In high school, Lamb was a Syracuse.com three-time First Team All-League softball player. She was also student council president and a student member of her local Board of Education. Her drive, leadership, and commitment to community fit with UMBC’s culture, but she struggled in her first year on campus. Lamb played in just nine games as a Retriever freshman and nearly did not return the next fall.

Lamb at NCAA Regionals, May 2019. Photo by Joshua R. Gateley, courtesy of UMBC Athletics.

“Coming from upstate New York to Maryland with no connections, no family or friends, or really any form of support, was extremely difficult,” said Lamb. “I suffered from anxiety and depression that wasn’t diagnosed until my junior year of college. I truly almost pulled the plug and dropped out on numerous occasions, but I couldn’t give up on my dream of playing DI softball.”

Lamb credits two mentors in particular for helping her over the hump during that tumultuous freshman year. Assistant Athletic Director Abbie Day served as her first athletics’ academic advisor. Science writer Sarah Hansen, M.S. ‘15, biological sciences, a communications manager in UMBC’s Office of Institutional Advancement, helped guide her toward new opportunities for her writing.

Kennedy Lamb enters a UMBC Transit bus for an assignment as a UMBC Magazine intern. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

“In a way, my grades are what kept me going—I always knew I had that to fall back on,” says Lamb. “I loved all of my classes at UMBC and I knew the professors wanted me to succeed.”

“I took a great deal of pride in my GPA freshman year—and well, all of the years—because I knew if athletics was frustrating me, or something in my personal life wasn’t going quite right, I always had school to keep me motivated and focused,” she shares. That focus would pay off.

“I’ve had to adjust”

Ssengonzi came to UMBC after a distinguished swimming career at Green Hope High School. In addition to being a Meyerhoff Scholar, he quickly engaged with UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program. The program, which began just as he arrived at UMBC, gives students opportunities to work on multi-disciplinary teams to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society today.

Student in glasses, a tie, and a sweater vest smiles in a portrait — Ssengonzi during URCAD 2018 at UMBC. Photo by Leo Buoye ’19.

Ssengonzi’s sophomore year started off strong. Beyond swimming and coursework, he presented his summer research at the UMBC Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day in 2018.

Ssengonzi presents his research at URCAD in April 2018. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

But throughout that 2017-18 year, Ssengonzi struggled as his father, Robert, was diagnosed with cancer. Robert lost his battle with the disease in the fall of 2018. Dealing with day to day life at school while staying engaged with family was difficult.

“The last three years or so have been tough on my family,” Ssengonzi says. “I’ve had to adjust to many things. Fortunately, I’ve been able to forge ahead with the help of several people.”

He credits his massive swimming and diving family and his fellow Meyerhoff Scholars for their support throughout his UMBC journey. He also thanks mentors Maria Sanchez, professor of the practice in mechanical engineering and COEIT’s director of education and outreach, and adjunct professor Joseph Washington, Ph.D. ‘15, mechanical engineering.

“Most importantly, he cares about people”

Ssengonzi flourished over the past two years. The team selected him as one of their captains in 2019-20. And despite dealing with a troublesome quad injury, he posted lifetime bests in all of his swims. His last moments in the water as a Retriever were spent celebrating the team’s third consecutive America East championship.

“Jethro is driven and focused, sensitive and hard-working, and most importantly, he cares about people,” said head swimming and diving coach Chad Cradock ‘97, psychology.

Ssengonzi celebrates a strong swim on the path to UMBC winning the 2019 men’s and women’s swimming and diving America East championships. Photo by Colleen Humel, courtesy of Ssengonzi.

During spring break, Ssengonzi returned to North Carolina. He has not been back to campus since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. But he feels fortunate to stay connected with Retriever Nation remotely, and is already looking forward to his next steps.

Ssengonzi will pursue a Ph.D. in civil engineering at nearby North Carolina State University this fall. There, he will focus on the restoration and improvement of urban infrastructure. It’s a topic fueled by his involvement with UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program.

Path to the championship

Lamb has also enjoyed tremendous growth and success since connecting with mentors and building her community of support. She was one of nine students selected to participate in the first UMBC Interdisciplinary CoLab in summer 2018. Her three-member team worked closely with the UMBC Sustainability Office and Climate Action Steering Committee. They created four engaging informational videos on the importance of environmental sustainability at UMBC.

Under the direction of CoLab founder Carole McCann, professor and chair of gender, women’s and sexuality studies, Lamb also launched an independent project. She produced, directed, and filmed the video that UMBC now uses to publicize the CoLab program.

Lamb running near the Albin O. Kunh Library during a video shoot. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

On the field, Lamb played in a career-high 27 games in 2019. But it was her steady, veteran leadership that helped the Retrievers to an improbable run to capture the 2019 America East Championship and compete in the NCAA Tournament.

There, she also received the America East Elite 18 award. This honor recognizes the student-athlete with the highest GPA in each America East championship game.

Lamb (center, in visor) celebrates the 2019 America East Championship win with her teammates. Photo by Stephen McLaughlin, America East.

“Kennedy Lamb is one of the hardest working, most caring, dedicated student-athletes I have had the privilege to work with over the years,” said head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer. “She is a prime example to all student-athletes at UMBC and across the nation of what it takes to live an exemplary life academically, athletically, and personally.”

Lamb receives America East Elite 18 award. Photo by Stephen McLaughlin, America East.

Like many seniors, the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed Kennedy’s post-graduation plans. She awaits news about graduate school and internship opportunities in science writing at leading institutes.

High achievement with strong support

Athletic Director Brian Barrio sees Lamb and Ssengonzi’s experiences as reflecting something essential about the values of UMBC and UMBC Athletics. “The magnificent performance of Retriever student-athletes in the classroom speaks volumes about the values of this department and of UMBC as a whole,” he says. “I could not be more proud of the young men and women who put the work in to achieve these GPAs while also competing for championships on the playing fields.”

This fall, UMBC’s seventeen teams combined for a school-record grade-point average of 3.19 and 46 student-athletes earned President’s List honors (4.00 GPA). In addition to Lamb and Ssengonzi, two other UMBC scholar-athletes were valedictorian candidates for the Class of 2020.

Abigail “Abbey” Farmer, who hails from nearby Crofton, Maryland, is a dual major in health administration and policy and psychology. Before college, she swam with the Retriever Aquatics Club. Now, she is graduating in just three years with a 4.0 and as an active swimmer. She will begin a master’s degree in public policy at UMBC in the fall. And she’ll continue her swimming career.

Ilia Rattsev is completing his B.S. degree in bioinformatics and computational biology, along with a minor in computer science and a certificate of language studies in German. Rattsev came to UMBC from Moscow, Russia. He recently earned Eastern College Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Meet honors and the America East Elite 18 Award as the top student athlete at the championships, with a 3.97 GPA.

Rattsev has completed research in the lab of Maricel Kann, associate professor of biological sciences, where he developed a passion for cancer research. After graduation, he plans to continue his career in cancer research. He’s currently weighing graduate school and lab research options.

Four male swimmers wearing matching warm-up gear stand in front of an America East sign holding an America East trophy. — UMBC’s Ilia Rattsev, Jeremy Gates, Jack Carlisle, and Jethro Ssengonzi (l-r) accept the trophy for the 2020 America East Championship on behalf of UMBC men’s swimming and diving; Feb. 16, 2020. Photo by Brian Foley for America East.

Barrio’s mind is always on how to support UMBC’s student-athletes in reaching their goals, whether that’s in the lab, on the field, or in their communities. For now, that support reaches students from a distance, but he’s already thinking ahead to when competition resumes post-pandemic.

“The next time you come watch our teams compete,” Barrio says, “take a minute to reflect on how hard these Retrievers are working in all phases of their lives.”

Featured image: Jethro Ssengonzi (r) with fellow swimmer Diego Morales ’23 (l) at a home meet. Photo by Ian Feldmann ’20, courtesy of UMBC Athletics.

Article written by Steve Levy, associate athletic director for athletic communications.

UMBC celebrates opening of student venture OCA Mocha, “where coffee meets community”

The plan began percolating in early 2017, when UMBC entrepreneurship professor Gib Mason ՚95, economics, presented a challenge to his Innovation, Creative Problem-Solving, and the Socialpreneur class. Local business and community groups had asked UMBC for ideas on how to better connect the University and its surrounding communities. That class assignment evolved into a student-led enterprise that could benefit UMBC and its neighbors for years to come.
After more than two years of planning, construction, relationship-building, and first-hand experience with the ups and downs of starting a business from scratch, the project has become a reality. The doors of OCA Mocha—a coffee shop and community gathering space in downtown Arbutus—opened at 6 a.m. on November 4, 2019. More than 100 students, UMBC faculty and staff, and members of the community attended a grand opening celebration that afternoon.

A large crowd of people gathers inside a coffee shop. — A crowd of supporters gathers for OCA Mocha’s grand opening.

From class project to brick and mortar business

Student co-founder and recent UMBC alumna Krishna Gohel ՚18, biological sciences, called the grand opening “a dream come true.” When the project began in the spring of 2017, she and her classmates “knew UMBC needed something…and that the surrounding communities needed something…[and] we realized that [we] needed the same thing: unity.”
Gohel called OCA Mocha “the missing piece of the puzzle,” a sentiment expressed repeatedly during the grand opening festivities.

Three young people in OCA Mocha sweaters pose, smiling. — Co-founders (l-r): Krishna Gohel, Deep Patel, and Michael Berardi

Michael Berardi ՚19, media and communication studies, student co-founder and current OCA Mocha general manager, noted that “dozens of minds” helped conceive of OCA Mocha “and hundreds of hands have touched this project.” He reflected, “It’s truly been incredible.”
Berardi and other speakers told the assembled crowd about OCA Mocha’s roots as a place where members of the UMBC and local communities could gather. This new space is now a hub for them to connect with and learn from each other, enjoy some coffee, and attend university- and community-sponsored events. It all centers around the unique core vision for OCA Mocha—creating a university-community relations effort located not on campus, but in the community.

Student in OCA Mocha-branded sweater and cap poses with university president in suit and tie, in front of artwork/ — Michael Berardi and President Hrabowski at the OCA Mocha grand opening.

Locally made

The OCA Mocha team worked to refine its business plan and to transform commercial space that the University leased on East Drive in Arbutus. What began as an empty shell full of potential became a warm, welcoming space with a coffee bar, a community meeting room, and a stage for live music, open mic nights, and other entertainment. The space also includes a gallery for rotating art exhibits by members of the UMBC and local communities.
Renovations began in March 2019, with Joe Regier, executive director of UMBC Transit and community connections, serving as UMBC’s on-site lead and liaison with the construction crew. The team sought to support the community by using local contractors and vendors whenever possible.

Man with white hair and a beard poses, smiling, holding coffee, wearing an OCA Mocha sweater, amidst a crowd. — Joe Regier celebrates the OCA Mocha grand opening.

The wooden detailing on the coffee bar was created by craftsmen Michael McAuliffe and Bill Carter ՚98, interdisciplinary studies. Like so many others in the community, they donated their time and talents to the project. OCA Mocha partnered with Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company as its sole coffee supplier because of the company’s commitment to giving back to its local community and to supporting efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

Where coffee meets community

OCA Mocha’s tagline, “Where coffee meets community,” speaks volumes. Bettina Tebo, president of the Greater Arbutus Business Association, is one of the project’s earliest supporters. At the grand opening event, she called OCA Mocha “just the beginning of the amazing things that can happen from this relationship…and from the connections that we’re building.”

Three people says — Celebrating the big day.

Vrinda Deshpande ՚20, biological sciences, UMBC Student Government Association (SGA) president, said OCA Mocha is “a very special place to be”—an example of the “power that [students] have to make change.” SGA has provided funding for the project and plans to use the community meeting room for meetings and programming.
UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski told the crowd, “I don’t know when I’ve seen this kind of excitement.” He noted, “we believe in southwestern Baltimore County,” calling OCA Mocha “another step in building the partnership we’ve had for 50 years.”

Six people of different ages sit together in a row, preparing to give remarks. — Event speakers (l-r) Deep Patel, Pres. Freeman Hrabowski, Krishna Gohel, Vrinda Deshpande, Bettina Tebo, and County Executive John Olszewski

Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, Ph.D. ՚17, public policy, presented the OCA Mocha team with a citation that reads, in part, “Your determination in creating a place where the community of Arbutus can repose and meet while further advancing the overall aesthetic of the community is greatly commendable.”
The team also received a resolution from the Baltimore County Council, presented by staff for Councilman Tom Quirk, “extend[ing] its respect, admiration, and sincere congratulations to OCA Mocha upon their grand opening.” Maryland General Assembly District 12 Senator Clarence Lam and Delegates Terri Hill and Jessica Feldmark, and District 44B Delegate Pat Young, also attended the celebration.

Eleven people pose on a small stage, holding local government citations in recognition of the space where they stand. — OCA Mocha founders celebrate with local leaders.

Wrapping up the formal program, student co-founder Deep Patel ՚19, biological sciences and financial economics, who is now a co-owner of the private investment group that runs the coffee shop, led a ceremonial ribbon-cutting featuring members of the OCA Mocha team, UMBC and community leaders, and public officials.
The day of firsts continued into the evening as the SGA Senate convened its weekly meeting in the community meeting room.

A group of young people gathers for a meeting around a table, with laptops. — SGA holds the inaugural gathering in OCA Mocha’s community meeting space.

Patrons viewed the inaugural OCA Mocha gallery exhibit, featuring artwork by students from nearby Lansdowne High School and students who participated in the UMBC Choice Program’s “Youth in Action” event.

A woman takes a photo of a youth art exhibit in a busy community gallery space. — Delegate Terri Hill views the artwork on display.

As the baristas, many of whom are UMBC students, continued to serve patrons, the OCA Mocha stage featured its first live act, local musician Jeremy Gilless. He was followed onto the stage by Matt Davenport ՚18, music technology; Tyler Moonlight; and Sushito, featuring Fayo Ojo ՚20, computer science, and led by OCA Mocha student co-founder Chris Roa ՚19, interdisciplinary studies.

A man in a checked shirt and glasses plays a guitar onstage. — Jeremy Gilless performs at the grand opening.

OCA Mocha is open daily. For information on hours, events, and how to reserve the community meeting room, visit OCA Mocha’s website.

Featured image: Adib Afnan ’19, biological sciences, prepares drinks at the OCA Mocha grand opening. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Retriever Nation welcomes another class to its ranks

The start of the school year is invigorating for the whole university community, whether you’re starting your first year in college, transferring from a different institution, or gearing up to teach for the tenth year. And UMBC is channeling all that energy in classic Retriever ways.

Inflatable games in The Commons, a petting zoo on Erickson Field, food trucks everywhere—nothing says Welcome Week like a campus filled with activity. New students also have opportunities to reflect on what they hope to experience and achieve as college students, as well as learn about the foundational principles that are essential for our campus community to thrive.

Each student has a story

“We received a record number of applications this year, and the class of 2023 has all the strong academic credentials we’ve grown to expect at UMBC,” says Dale Bittinger ’16, M.P.P., assistant vice provost of undergraduate admissions, orientation, and school partnerships. “But even though you might start with the class’s numbers, it goes far beyond that. The students’ stories make the foundation of the class’s greatness.”

Hailing from 28 states and 31 countries, the incoming class of 2023 is eager to join in the unique community UMBC fosters among students. “UMBC has always been on my mind,” says Samiksha Paudel, biology. “I think it’s the best fit for me because of the size and the sense of community.”

Paudel hugs a newfound friend, Erica Doerrter, pre-nursing. Photo by Kennedy Lamb ’20.

“I chose UMBC because I heard that it’s cool to be a nerd here,” adds Natalie Davenport, psychology, “and so far, I haven’t been disappointed.”

Young man with blonde hair stands in front of podium reading "UMBC." He wears a suit jacket. — Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles ’23, political science and financial economics. Photo by Arionna Gonsalves ’19.

Warm welcome from leaders

At Convocation (“a calling together” from Latin, as President Freeman Hrabowski pointed out), leaders of the campus community welcomed new students as fellow Retrievers. He encouraged them to take risks while also reminding them that they are in control of their destiny.

He also emphasized the principles that make Retriever Nation such a special place to grow and learn. He noted, “We value treating others with respect, standing against any kind of prejudice, and speaking out with courage about what is right and wrong.”

In case you missed it, that was President Hrabowski giving all of our new Retrievers their first A! #UMBCwelcome pic.twitter.com/0t5W10SDbE

— UMBC (@UMBC) August 27, 2019

SGA President Vrinda Deshpande affirmed that failure happens—it’s trying new things that is so important.

“When things don’t go according to your plans- take a step back, breathe, forgive yourself, and make a new plan.” – Vrinda Deshpande, @umbcsga president (we heard an audible sigh of relief when she shared that no one expects your first year to be perfect) #UMBCwelcome pic.twitter.com/b7RwtJgyq5

— UMBC (@UMBC) August 27, 2019

At the annual Fall Opening Meeting for faculty and staff, students reminded them of their mission at UMBC. Incoming student and Honors College member Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles fled Venezuela with his family and settled in Howard County in pursuit of stability and access to education. He shared that during his time in high school, all he heard about was UMBC.

“When I first stepped on campus, I felt overwhelmed. Not just because of what college represents in everyone’s lives, but also because of how incredible the school was,” said Partipilo Cornielles. “I was able to see how there were so many opportunities for everyone.”

Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles at UMBC’s 2019 Fall Opening Program. Photo by Arionna Gonsalves ’19.

President Hrabowski ended the event with a brief version of his State of the University report and the familiar words attributed to Aristotle: “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” He then added an addendum, saying that recently a colleague had pressed him, asking, what if someone doesn’t have the chance to have a choice? “The nobility of what we do,” answered President Hrabowski, “is that we are creating opportunities for so many people to have that chance to make a choice.”

Campus is growing for students

Soon came the first day of classes. New and returning students walked through the doors of the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) for the first time, glimpsing bold colors and high tech classroom and lab spaces. With anticipation, they patiently stood in line to try the new line up of halal meals in The Commons and relaxed in True Grit’s updated dining hall, reconnecting with friends. Others enjoyed walking across the fresh green grass of the quad and spotting new pocket gardens with native plants.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1vyJHEhpkx/

UMBC’s Shady Grove campus is also expanding this year as construction continues on a building that will house the new translational life science technology major. Students in this major are eager to apply their skills and interest in the life sciences to creating innovative biotechnology solutions that will transform the health, agriculture, and environment sectors. They will find a welcoming home in the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (BSE) Education Facility at Shady Grove this fall.

Discovering your place at UMBC

While not all of the first week of the fall semester is fun and games, there are also literal games, as the soccer teams kick off their new season. In an opening game against St. Francis, the women’s team kept the score tied 2-2 into overtime. The men’s soccer team is matched with Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. on August 30, giving new and returning Retrievers a chance to join their voices in a big WOOF WOOF as they cheer on the team.

Junior Kathryn Moormann deflects the ball from the goal. Photo by Ian Feldmann ’20.

Though it’s a fast-paced introduction to campus, Welcome Week allows incoming students to bond with each other, and get an introduction to the UMBC experience from returning Retrievers. Whether they’re attending a pool party, morning yoga by the UMBC Library pond, or a “unity web” community activity, UMBC students use this week as a chance to start building relationships that will serve as the foundation for their years at UMBC.

“I’m excited to see what these students can do,” says Bittinger. “I don’t even know if they know what they’re capable of, but I hope they discover their place in the world here at UMBC. I’m as excited as they are to see them succeed.”

Happy first day of classes! Whether you're new to #RetrieverNation or you've called UMBC home for a while, start the year with our favorite mantra in mind: thoughts ➡️ words ➡️ actions ➡️ habits ➡️ character ➡️ destiny. #UMBCwelcome pic.twitter.com/f1dOJi48tg

— UMBC (@UMBC) August 28, 2019

This article was written by Randianne Leyshon ’09, assistant editor of UMBC Magazine, with contributions from Kait McCaffrey.

Banner image: New Retrievers gather to spell out “UMBC” on Erickson Field. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11.

Leaders in public service, music, and addiction research to address UMBC’s Class of 2019

At UMBC’s upcoming commencement ceremonies, students and their families and supporters will hear from three distinguished speakers, each honored as a leader in their field. They include a UMBC alumnus recently elected county executive, the first woman conductor of a major American orchestra, and one of the world’s top addiction researchers.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski

On Wednesday, May 22, new Baltimore County Executive John “Johnny O” Olszewski, Jr. will speak at UMBC’s graduate commencement ceremony. Olszewski is a lifelong Baltimore County resident who frequently speaks of his strong belief in the power of public service. He earned his Ph.D. from UMBC in public policy in 2017. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Goucher College and master’s degree from George Washington University.

After college, Olszewski returned to his community to teach social studies and special education at Patapsco High School. The experience affected him in a profound way. As he recently wrote in the Baltimore Sun, “I am a teacher. I don’t work in a classroom anymore, but my days teaching at Patapsco High School have shaped me into the person I am today. They shape the kind of county executive I want to be.”

In 2006, Olszewski was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates at age 23. He served for nine years and was the youngest person ever elected as chair of the Baltimore County Delegation. During his time in the General Assembly, he championed numerous bills, including paid sick leave for all Maryland workers. His advocacy for Baltimore County focused on economic development and education reform, two issues he has continued to focus on as county executive.

Olszewski lives in Dundalk with his wife, Marisa, and their daughter, Daria.

BSO Music Director Marin Alsop

UMBC will host two undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 23. Maestra Marin Alsop, music director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), will speak in the first ceremony to graduates in UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the School of Social Work; and the Erickson School. She will also receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree.

Alsop has spent her career dedicated to showing how music really does have the power to change lives. As a conductor, educator, and leading advocate for the arts, she inspires musicians to give of their best in performing for all audiences. As a pioneer in a traditionally male-dominated field, she created a fellowship for women conductors in 2002. All 17 of the fellowship’s recipients remain involved in the field and five are now American music directors.

When she was named BSO music director in 2007, Alsop became the first woman conductor of a major American orchestra. She also holds roles as the principal conductor and music director of São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. In September 2013, Alsop made history as the first female conductor of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms in London and was immediately invited again for 2015.

As a student of the Leonard Bernstein’s, she was awarded the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize and is the only conductor to receive the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. In 2008 she founded OrchKids, which brings together musicians and youth from some of Baltimore’s most challenged neighborhoods. The program works in partnership with six public schools and has served over 1,000 children.

“I believe the arts are an incredible opportunity, especially for young people, to gain self-esteem,” Alsop has said previously, in The Baltimore Sun. “When you start to see yourself mastering something so complicated [as a musical instrument], then you can see yourself mastering something else.”

“I wish we could reach thousands of kids,” she shared. “There are so many kids who deserve this.”

NIDA Director Nora Volkow, a leading addiction researcher

Physician Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will address undergraduates from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, College of Engineering and Information Technology, and interdisciplinary studies during UMBC’s second undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 23.

Volkow became director of NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health, in May 2003. As the lead funder of world-wide research on the connections between health and drug abuse and addiction, NIDA brings together a wide diversity of scientists who develop and implement solutions for one of the world’s most pressing and urgent public health issues.

Volkow’s own research has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. Her focus on neurobiology has helped make breakthroughs in other public health issues such as obesity, ADHD, and aging.

Volkow was born in Mexico, earned her medical degree from the National University of Mexico, and carried out her psychiatric residency at New York University. She has taught in the department of psychiatry and was associate dean of the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. Prior to her tenure at NIDA she held leadership positions at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, including director of nuclear medicine, chairman of the medical department, and associate director for life sciences.

To date, Volkow has published more than 600 scientific articles and edited three books on neuroimaging for mental and addictive disorders. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000 and twice has been named one of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 People Who Shape our World.” She will receive an honorary doctor of science degree at the ceremony.

Community members who are not able to attend the ceremonies in person can view them live through the commencement webcast or follow them on Twitter @UMBC and through #UMBCgrad. Videos of the remarks will also be available online after the ceremonies.

This story was written by Marie Lilly, director of community engagement.

Featured image: BSO Music Director Marin Alsop. Photo by Margot Shulman.

UMBC international students find connection on campus, from day one to degree

When Angel Badewole ’19, chemical engineering, began as a first-year student at UMBC, it was her first time living apart from her family in Lagos, Nigeria. Early on, she knew her success attending college in another country would depend on finding multiple places to plug in and connect. She would need to find or build a home away from home make it through her four years abroad.
Just looking at Badewole’s résumé tells a story of connection. She lists community-building and academic excellence as her two intentional goals. She built a self-made family through Residential Life—“It pulls together people that are so different”—and with the faith-based Bethel Campus Fellowship—“It’s a great place, it has the best connections.” Badewole also discovered a distant aunt who lives in Frederick, who would quickly become her “Maryland mom.”

Five students wearing UMBC t-shirts sit, smiling, in the stands at an outdoor athletic game. — Angel Badewole, left, and her chemical engineering capstone group project members at a UMBC men’s lacrosse game. Photo courtesy of Angel Badewole.

Badewole’s story resonates with many international students at UMBC. Maybe they heard about the institution through friends of the family, a lucky Google search, or UMBC’s reputation in their field of study. Then, often without having visited the United States, they arrived on campus, determined to make the most of their time here, both in the classroom and through connecting with people.
For doctoral students, that time is often much longer than four years.

Finding support in a time of transition

Amrita Anam, Ph.D. ’19, information systems, began her seven years at UMBC in a spring semester, meaning she moved from Bangladesh to Baltimore in January. “What is happening? Is this how I die?” laughs Anam, remembering the chilly weather in those first few weeks of adjustment.
She found her welcome in the information systems department, with professor and chair Aryya Gangopadhyay. “When I spoke to Dr. Gangopadhyay, I really liked how warm he was. There was no way I could do this without the support I got from my department.”
Sitting now on the patio in front of the campus Starbucks, Anam explains the research interests that drew her to UMBC. “I use social media data, Twitter particularly, and I use it for disaster response, but the interesting thing is that instead of using text analytics, I use signal processing.”

Three students wearing matching shirts that say "Innovate Good" — Anam and her teammates made the finals of the 2017 UMBC Hackathon. Photo courtesy of Amrita Anam.

With her background in electrical engineering, Anam wanted to attend a school on the East Coast to be near her sister in New York. She also knew she’d need funding to see her through a Ph.D. program. She found that through her assistantship at UMBC.
“If you come here directly to a very tough Ph.D. research scenario, it takes some time to even understand what’s happening,” says the cheerful data scientist. She appreciated that her department understood how to support her during her first months at UMBC. “School is not the same in my country, people are not the same, research is not the same, so I feel like those are the things that I needed some time to cope with,” says Anam.

A woman in a yellow shirt, jeans, and sandals sits on a wooden bridge, with trees in the background. — Amrita Anam in a green space on UMBC’s campus. Photo courtesy of Amrita Anam.

While she was finding her feet in the information systems world, Anam connected with the Indian Student Association, as there was no formal group yet for Bangladeshi students. As the number of Bangladeshi students grew, she co-founded the Bangladesh Student Association to celebrate Bengali holidays, serving up delicious street food and showcasing regional dance styles.

Four dancers demonstrate movements from Bangladeshi cultural traditions, in Bengali clothing. — Amrita Anam, right, participates in a dance with the Bangladesh Student Association. Photo courtesy of Amrita Anam.

Anam’s time at UMBC has been fruitful academically and socially, but a personal tragedy recently shook her to her core. Both her parents had always encouraged her to continue pursuing her education, pushing her out of her comfort zone when she needed it. But, as she came close to finishing her Ph.D., her father—“a film director, very artsy, very nerdy”—passed away suddenly.

A student in graduation clothing poses with parents and sister by UMBC sign. — Amrita Anam’s father, mother, and sister joined her on campus to celebrate her M.S. graduation.

Anam says she felt completely supported by her department during this upheaval and, with their encouragement, was able to finish the degree she had been working so hard to earn for so many years. On a warm spring morning, the day after defending her dissertation, Anam shared, “They’ve seen me grow in all these years, so they were also very proud and happy.” She is now looking forward to her upcoming position at Amazon as a business intelligence engineer.

Keep knocking on doors. It works.

Tobi Odunsi, M.S.’19, cybersecurity, first found himself in Maryland in 2017 for the wedding of his godbrother. He wasn’t originally looking at graduate schools in the United States, but decided to visit the UMBC campus since he was in the area.
Interested in cybersecurity, Odunsi met with Toby Gouker, a faculty member in technical management, on a warm summer day. The Tobi-Toby meeting went well. “They didn’t have to do much convincing,” says Odunsi. After digging through the UMBC website, he already knew it would be a good fit. “As soon as I stepped into the school, I knew, ‘I like this.’”

Man sits at a computer, while another man stands alongside him, looking at the monitor together. — Odunsi, right, troubleshooting a network issue with Tim Boyle, a network engineer in the Division of Information Technology. Photo courtesy of Tobi Odunsi.

Like Badewole, Odunsi is from Lagos, Nigeria, and also found comfort with a faith community near campus, attending Christ Apostolic Church and the International Friends Club. Those connections helped ease his transition, but another key component to his comfort was staying with his godmother until he found a job and a community of friends on campus. “She was my home away from home,” he says.

A large group of students poses for a selfie. — Odunsi and a group gathered to celebrate Easter with the International Friends Club. Photo courtesy of Tobi Odunsi.

Before coming to UMBC, Odunsi already had a strong interest in The Internet of Things—everyday devices that connect online with users and each other, like the smartphone app that pings your coffee maker to start brewing. Odunsi knew that for his graduate degree, he needed to find an unique niche in the broad field. He eventually decided on software defined networking, an approach to cloud computing.
On campus, Odunsi was ready to hit the ground running, and to knock on a lot of doors to find the right opportunity. “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity when you don’t have it, than for you to have an opportunity and not be prepared for it,” he says.

Man stands in front of powerful computing equipment, moving cables. — Tobi Odunsi setting up a next-generation firewall in one of the main data centers on campus. Photo courtesy of Tobi Odunsi.

Before long, Odunsi knocked on just the right door. When he reached Damian Doyle, assistant vice president of enterprise infrastructure in UMBC’s Division of Information Technology and told him about his research interests, Doyle responded, “Wow, we’ve been looking for someone to actually do something like that,” describes Odunsi. “So it’s like, the stars were aligned. And now UMBC is the first school in the University System of Maryland to implement that type of technology in their data center.”

A student poses with two staff members, all three smiling, inside an arts building. — Odunsi with Damian Doyle, right, and Ray Soellner, left, the associate director of telecommunications. Photo courtesy of Tobi Odunsi.

“Damian is a very great guy—his door is always open. There’s no time I’ve tried to schedule a meeting with him that he turned me down. He’s mentored me not just on work, but also given me guidance on how to proceed with my career, family, and likes of that sort,” says Odunsi, who will begin his position as a technology development program associate at Geico after graduation in May.
When Odunsi’s mother visited campus and met Dr. Hrabowski, he told her that her son had “a good head on his shoulders,” and she began to tear up. “She was so appreciative of how far I’ve come and the support they’ve given me.”

The office that makes it possible

Odunsi attributes the ease of his academic experience to the team in UMBC’s office of International Education Services (IES). “For international students…you need to always make sure you’re in the right standing,” says Odunsi. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but whenever I go there, it feels like home.”
Anam agrees wholeheartedly. “Studies are stressful,” she says, but thanks to IES, “I never have to stress about anything else.” She’s grateful to Michelle Massey, IES associate director, and other IES staff for their dedication to making sure international students can focus on their academic programs rather than spending all of their time worrying about visa paperwork.
Haixu Leng, Ph.D. ’19, physics, remembers that Massey was one of the first people to greet him on campus, and to welcome him to the United States. Whenever he thinks about UMBC, he thinks about the helpful and patient team at IES.

A Google search can change everything

Leng owes his time at UMBC to an internet search for quantum optics programs. He was then drawn to UMBC from China because “the UMBC physics department is a relatively small department, in which you can get the attention that you may not get in a very large department. I really liked it.”
As Leng settled into the physics department, he found a place in associate professor Matthew Pelton’s lab. There, using a home-built single-particle microscope, he studied the interaction between light and materials at the nanometer scale.

Two scientists in white coats, glasses, and gloves stand in a physics lab. — Haixu Leng works in the lab with his advisor Matthew Pelton. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Over his five years on campus, “the physics building became my favorite place,” says Leng. “It almost felt like home to me.” His other favorite place on campus is the library. There, he formed a friendship with Henan Zhao, a current Ph.D. student in computer science, over long study sessions. They have since married.

A man and woman stand next to each other, in front of a curtain in a ballroom. — Haixu Leng at his PhD candidacy event with Henan Zhao. Photo courtesy of Haixu Leng.

Opening UMBC to the world
International students who make their home at UMBC find many ways to continue celebrating their own cultures while taking part in the wealth of communities campus has to offer. It’s a two-way exchange that Badewole appreciates.
“There are so many different people here,” says Badewole, “and that’s good in two ways. One, you will find people who are like you in many different respects: a community in your academic area, a community in whatever you believe in, a community in your interests; and two, you get to find a lot of people who are different than you and who you can then learn from.”
Odunsi sees the campus’s welcoming atmosphere as a trickle-down effect from the values of UMBC leadership. “There’s this community of international students at UMBC—it keeps growing—and Dr. Hrabowski has been monumental in that effort to bring international students here,” says Odunsi. “He’s opening the school to not just a few set of people, but to the world at large.”
Featured imaged: Angel Badewole, right, with friends from Bethel Christian Fellowship. Photo courtesy of Angel Badewole.
This article was written by Randianne Leyshon ’09, assistant editor of UMBC Magazine.

Retriever Courage partners take stock of community work to prevent and respond to sexual assault

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a national campaign focused on preventing sexual assault, harassment, and abuse, and it’s a month of great significance for the UMBC community. This year’s programming at UMBC is especially meaningful as the University responds to a call by students, faculty, and staff to do more to prevent sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct.

Retriever Courage: Speak, listen, learn, act

Retriever Courage was formed in fall 2018 in response to specific recommendations from students, faculty, and staff on how the university administration could improve community safety and wellbeing. The initiative outlined a shared governance process to better prevent and respond to sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct in ways that are inclusive, proactive, caring, and transparent.

This work involves dozens of partners across the university. They include the University Steering Committee, Retriever Courage Implementation Team, student and faculty/staff advisory committees, a prevention and response training implementation team, and procurement groups that assisted with the selection of an external consultant team now reviewing all related UMBC policies, practices, and resources.

“The thoughtful efforts of students, and the responsiveness of the University administration, faculty, and staff has been groundbreaking,” says University Steering Committee Chair Adam Harvey ’17, Ph.D. ’21, physics, who also serves as vice president of the Graduate Student Association. “Retriever Courage is beginning to transform the culture at UMBC and how people support each other in the campus community.”

At the same time, Retriever Courage partners say continuing to increase campus-wide involvement is critical to the long-term work of creating lasting change and growing a community where everyone feels safe and supported.

“Preventing sexual violence and misconduct is a collective and ongoing responsibility,” says Susan McDonough, associate professor of history, and affiliate faculty of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies.

McDonough serves as faculty co-chair for the Retriever Courage Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee. She shares, “We have joined together to show up and do what we do best – to learn about the history of our own policies and practices, to research ways that other institutions have tackled these issues, and to educate for awareness and prevention.”

“Sexual violence is not a special interest issue, but rather a social justice issue that impacts us all,” says Student Advisory Committee Co-chair Aliya Weberman Ph.D. ’21, clinical and community psychology. “Whether it is attending a Sexual Assault Awareness Month event, such as Take Back the Night; joining a group or committee working on these issues, such as We Believe You or Retriever Courage; or just telling someone impacted by sexual violence that you believe them and it’s not their fault; we can all make a difference.”

Commitment to action

Committee members share that several Retriever Courage projects directly responding to UMBC community input have been completed or are underway.

UMBC is currently distributing new campus ID cards that prominently display emergency resource information, and two Retriever Courage displays, including both on- and off-campus resources, were installed in The Commons. The displays are part of a pilot project proposed by the student activist/advocacy group We Believe You.

UMBC hired Jody Shipper, J.D., and Cherie Scricca, Ed.D. of Grand River Solutions, Inc. to work with Retriever Courage partners and the UMBC community during the spring semester. The consultants are reviewing UMBC policies, practices, and resources related to sexual assault prevention and response, and will share their recommendations in May.

Over 2,000 UMBC community members have participated in mandatory, in-person Title IX/sexual misconduct prevention and response training since December, and faculty and staff also completed a complementary online training. About 200 students are participating in an in-person pilot training project in April that will help determine a plan for training all students.

Facilities Management also continues to repair and add lighting in areas of concern to students.

Elle Everhart, staff co-chair of the Faculty-Staff Advisory Group and program management specialist in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, says, “We are only just beginning to address the broader issues of toxic masculinity and rape culture on our campus, but the work done to date is a strong first step.”

“A 365-days-a-year undertaking”

As this work moves forward, the Retriever Courage partners are continually thinking about how the university can better support survivors of all identities and experiences. “We truly all know survivors whether we know them by name or not,” says Jess Myers, director of UMBC’s Women’s Center. “Our efforts to support survivors and cultivate a survivor-responsive campus need to be a 365-days-a-year undertaking,” Myers adds. “We all are responsible for this work.”

Implementation Team Co-Chair and Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young feels heartened by the work to date and committed to the work ahead. “We are encouraged by the engagement and collaborative spirit of our Retriever Courage partners and the UMBC community,” she shares. “The safety and wellbeing of our students and our entire community have been and must remain our priority in the long term.”

“The work of Retriever Courage is just the beginning,” says Young. “We encourage everyone to be involved as we make broader and far-reaching improvements in order to have a lasting impact.”

The UMBC community is invited to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month workshops and events organized by the Women’s Center and campus partners, including Take Back the Night on Thursday, April 18, 6 to 9 p.m.

UMBC community members can also get involved with Retriever Courage by contacting committee members and learning other ways to help prevent and respond to sexual violence/misconduct at UMBC.

Featured photo: A Take Back the Night survivor speak-out event. Photo courtesy of the Women’s Center at UMBC.

UMBC’s David Di Maria briefs Congressional staff on opportunities to support international students

UMBC’s David Di Maria recently visited Capitol Hill to brief Congressional staff on a key issue affecting higher education and the U.S. economy: opportunities for international students. To attend a U.S. university, international students must complete a student visa process, which can be both long and confusing for prospective students, their families, and the U.S. colleges and universities they hope to attend. With numerous immigration and education policy bills pending before Congress, Di Maria and colleagues in the higher education community offered their international education expertise to inform the debate.

Di Maria, associate vice provost for international education, spoke during the session “Student Visas, International Students, and the American Innovation Ecosystem.” He and other experts from the education and business communities provided perspectives on issues like visa processing and renewal procedures, the importance of international students to the U.S. economy, and ways to retain international students as members of the U.S. workforce after graduation.

Economic impacts

Di Maria, who is known as a U.S. expert in the international education community, highlighted that international students “boost innovation, support 455,000 U.S. jobs, contribute nearly $40 billion to the U.S. economy, bring unique diversity to our campuses, and bolster U.S. foreign policy.” According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, during the 2017-18 academic year, the nearly 20,000 international students enrolled at Maryland institutions of higher education contributed more than $700 million to the State’s economy, and supported more than 8,600 jobs.

UMBC has maintained strong international student enrollment, with more than 1,000 international students attending UMBC annually over the past several years. However, many other universities across the country have been challenged by declines in international student enrollments, which can, in turn, negatively affect the economies of individual states and the U.S. as a whole.

Opportunities for students and the nation

In addition to speaking about international student enrollments, Di Maria also discussed employment for these students after graduation.

Di Maria noted that visa caps and related policies result in U.S. schools producing “highly trained individuals and sending them somewhere else” for employment. He explained that in addition to affecting opportunities for the students, this prevents the U.S. from reaping the economic benefits that these recent graduates will provide when they enter the workforce, a point reiterated by panelist Jon Baselice from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Kinu Harichandran, an international student from Pakistan, shared her experience as a graduate student at Georgetown University, where she earned a master’s and is working on a Ph.D. in vaccine research. She recounted the process for renewing her visa during her doctoral studies, and the toll it took on her research because she had to return to Pakistan for the renewal process.

During the several months Ms. Harichandran was in Pakistan, her professor monitored her research to keep it from being lost. She said her story is not unique, noting “professors are hesitant to take international Ph.D. students because of the possibility for gaps in research.”

When asked for one takeaway for the assembled Congressional staff, Di Maria recommended that the U.S. implement a national-level international education strategy, improve support for students, and adopt immigration policies that allow the U.S. to retain top graduates in our workforce. This, he suggested, could have a major impact by helping the U.S. attract international students, improving their experience, and encouraging them to contribute their skills and talents as members of the U.S. workforce.

This story was written by Mary Ann Richmond ’93, history. Featured image: David Di Maria, associate vice provost for international education, in the UMBC Commons. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Retriever basketball heads to America East playoffs

The month of March is a favorite for Retriever Nation, with America East playoffs on the horizon and memories of UMBC’s 2018 March Madness victory on everyone’s mind.

This year, both UMBC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will compete in America East postseason play. The winners will then go on to compete in the 2019 NCAA Championships at the end of March.

Tyler Moore ‘20, psychology, and graduate student Joe Sherburne ‘18, financial economics, are leading their teams on and off the court. These team captains have both been standouts in 3-point field goals, and have each earned 2019 Academic All-District 2 First Team (CoSIDA) honors.

Women’s basketball ready for America East quarterfinals

Janee’a Summers ‘21, psychology, joins Moore as co-captain of the women’s team. Even as one of the youngest teams in the nation—with no seniors this year—the team has finished the regular season strong to earn the No. 7 seed in the America East tournament.

Among this season’s most exciting contests, the Retrievers upset UAlbany in a late season game. Later on, with their playoff fate on the line, they won at New Hampshire, 55-47, to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Retrievers will take on second-seeded Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (see game info). Students can enjoy the game with friends and popcorn at a watch party in the Sports Zone, also starting at 7 p.m.

Men’s basketball heads into postseason at No. 3

The 2018-19 season figured to be a challenging endeavor for the men’s team, led by head coach Ryan Odom. Standout guards Jairus Lyles ‘17, sociology; K. J. Maura ‘18, sociology; and Jourdan Grant ‘18, media and communication studies, completed their UMBC careers in 2018. The Retrievers’ phenomenal NCAA success in 2018 also assured they’d be considered a team to beat by this year’s opponents.

The Retrievers’ record stood at 9-9 and 1-2 in America East play in mid-January. Moreover, starting forwards Max Curran ’20, sociology, and Daniel Akin ’21 suffered season-ending injuries in December and January respectively. But the tide soon turned.

With a strong defense, the team earned ten wins in the final 13 games. UMBC defeated eventual regular season champion Vermont twice in that span, including a 65-56 win before a national television audience (ESPNU) at the UMBC Event Center on February 21.

To cap the regular season, UMBC rallied from an 18-point second half deficit to defeat New Hampshire, 56-53, on March 2. Freshman guard José Placer’s 3-point field goal with 2.4 seconds left on the clock punctuated the comeback.

As a result, UMBC earned the No. 3 seed in the America East Tournament and will host No. 6 UAlbany at the UMBC Event Center on Saturday, March 9. Students are invited to a pre-game social in the Sports Zone, starting 11:30 a.m. Tip-off time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tickets are now available online for both students and the general public.

Featured image: UMBC team captain Joe Sherburne during a game against Vermont. Photo by Gail Burton.

This article was written by Steve Levy, UMBC Athletics.

President Hrabowski shares an inclusive approach to difficult conversations in Bipartisan Policy Center interview

In a recent interview at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Bob and Elizabeth Dole Series on Leadership, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski shared his perspective on leading diverse and inclusive communities in today’s political environment.

Hrabowski grounded his talk in his own experience with the civil rights movement. He also drew listeners back to the founding of UMBC, noting, “It’s only been since the 1960s that we have said in the most clear manner that we need to bring more people into the mainstream.” He pointed out, “When the university was founded in the 1960s, we really were the only university in the state where kids of all races could come.”

More than 50 years later, UMBC still takes pride in its diverse community, which Hrabowski noted includes new immigrants and first-generation Americans with families from more than 100 countries, and first-generation college students, as well as students from military and intelligence families in the Washington, D.C. region. Hrabowski also pointed to UMBC’s socioeconomic diversity and the brain power of public research universities, saying, “You don’t have to be wealthy to succeed intellectually.”

How does this diverse group feel about the current heated political rhetoric? “People are angry, as you might imagine…people [at UMBC] believe in our country and they know we can be better than this,” said Hrabowski.

Reflecting on his conversations with students, Hrabowski told the audience, “young people will ask those of us of other generations ‘why haven’t you made it better than this?’…this is where the role of a teacher or mentor becomes most important.” He wants students to understand that “democracy is messy,” but change is possible, and we are empowered to make our communities and our country what we want them to become.

Hrabowski said he is “very proud” of how the UMBC community handles difficult conversations about policy and political issues, working across differences in perspective and opinion. He noted that “sometimes students need a chance to be upset with each other and have those conversations to find common ground.”

The key, Hrabowski suggested, is finding constructive ways to “help people not to give in to the anger of the moment.” He explained that educators have an important role in helping students learn how to effectively analyze complex issues, including ideas they disagree with, and to “understand the need to agree to disagree agreeably, with some civility.” By doing these things, Hrabowski said, students learn how to engage in respectful, productive public discourse.

Just as he views UMBC as a model for inclusive excellence in public higher education, Hrabowski sees Maryland as a model for bipartisanship and civility in state government. “[O]ur state is one of the few I see where you have more bipartisan agreement. We have a Republican governor who is supporting education, and a Democratic legislature, and they are working to make things happen… They are working together in a way that America needs to look at.”

The full interview is available through the Bipartisan Policy Center on SoundCloud.

This story was written by Mary Ann Richmond ’93, history. Featured image: President Hrabowski and UMBC students in a group discussion in the Dresher Center for the Humanities.

GRIT-X showcases groundbreaking UMBC research, scholarship, and creative achievement

An inaugural GRIT-X event held during UMBC’s 50th anniversary weekend featured some of the university community’s most fascinating new research and creative work.

Faculty and alumni from across disciplines presented a series of engaging talks before an enthusiastic audience in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall. Hosted by Karl Steiner, vice president for research, GRIT-X featured three sets of 10-minute talks that covered topics from the process for creating a successful theatre company to dealing with contaminants of emerging concern in local watersheds.

“We really wanted to put a program together that…gives a glimpse at the diversity of programs and groundbreaking, impactful research and the many thought-provoking topics that many of our alumni and faculty are working on,” explained Steiner at the beginning of GRIT-X.

Several talks centered around what faculty and alumni are doing locally in and around Baltimore.

Kiirstin Pagan ’11, theatre, and Katie Hileman ’12, acting, shared how a dream that started when they were undergraduates at UMBC has led to the creation of the award-winning Interrobang Theatre Company, which is set to produce its seventh show later this year. Pagan and Hileman explained how they started the company and why they chose to remain in Baltimore after graduating.

“We love Baltimore,” shared Hileman. “We see it as a place of potential and growth, and it’s a place where artists are doing their work because they feel passionate about it…it’s also a place that’s really receptive to new and interesting work.”

Focusing on environmental impacts, Lee Blaney, an assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, explained how everyday items like antibiotics, sunscreens, and fragrances, once they are consumed, become contaminants that impact Baltimore streams.

Lee Boot, director of the Imaging Research Center (IRC), described how visual knowledge and information can reflect and influence how people think about the world. He described a current IRC project titled “The Art of Transformation,” where UMBC students, faculty, and staff are working with community organizations and residents in Baltimore to try to develop culture-based solutions and approaches to community development.

“This entire enterprise where university people and community people are working hand-in-hand is a collaborative effort without a real hierarchy,” said Boot.

Many presentations focused on public policy, civic engagement, and social issues. Tyson King-Meadows, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, discussed how voters react to what they hear and see depending on their own lens and who is delivering the message, and how they insulate themselves from information that they don’t agree with, resulting in what King-Meadows cautions is a less empowered citizenry.

Drawing on her book Beyond the Checkpoint – Visual Practices in America’s Global War on Terror (University of Massachusetts Press 2014), Rebecca Adelman, associate professor of media and communication studies, shared how an experience she had at an airport security checkpoint helped sparked a research project where she investigated American visual culture of the Global War on Terror and its impact on society.

Thomas Schaller, professor and chair of political science, examined the decline in civics education in high schools and how it should influence teaching college students about politics and their significance in such a polarized and partisan climate.

Karsonya Wise Whitehead ’09 Ph.D., language, literacy, and culture, reflected on the letters that she has written to her two sons as they have grown. She emphasized how the power of the written word can be a teaching tool and window into navigating parenthood.

“When people read letters to my black sons and they see my love for my sons poured out onto the page, it is a different experience. It’s a different way of connecting. It’s a way of taking the research off of the page and putting it into your lives,” said Whitehead.

Vanderlei Martins, professor of physics, highlighted UMBC’s efforts to research how pollution is influencing Earth’s energy balance and precipitation.

In a presentation about “disruptive innovation,” Govind Rao, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, talked about transformative UMBC inventions that have the potential to save millions of lives, such as a cardboard incubator for premature infants, currently being tested in India, and a suitcase-size device to manufacture medicines on-demand.

“I’m hoping that we continue to make positive change for the rest of the world,” said Rao.

Read more about UMBC’s 50th anniversary weekend, and watch the full video of the GRIT-X event below.

Photos: Header image: Vanderlei Martins. All images by Jim Burger. GRIT-X at UMBC, September 17, 2016.

Founders Day celebrates 50 years of inclusive excellence at UMBC

On September 19, 1966, the first students began classes at UMBC. Fifty years later to the day, the UMBC community gathered for a special Founders Day celebration to reflect on the first generation of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who paved the way for university to become a national model of inclusive excellence.

Before a full crowd at the Retriever Activities Center (RAC), Robin Mayne ’69, American studies, UMBC’s first graduate, presented a letter she wrote to UMBC’s current freshman class and to future UMBC students over the next fifty years. It will be placed in a time capsule that will be opened in 2066.

Mayne described how her liberal arts education at UMBC inspired her to become a lifelong learner and provided her with the critical thinking skills needed to grapple with the complexities of today’s world.

“At [UMBC’s] core was engagement of both students and faculty in studies, creativity, community, political action, and social awareness and responsibility,” shared Mayne. “In the 50 years since those beginnings, these commitments have not diminished, but have only expanded and intensified.”

Vrinda Deshpande ’20, mathematics, formally thanked Mayne and accepted her letter on behalf of the freshman class. She reflected on her desire, and that of her fellow new Retrievers, to build on the foundation they are inheriting. “With these lessons, I know that my class’s next four years will reflect the same dedication that the first graduating class had to education and changing the world for the better,” Deshpande said.

The program also included top photos from the 50th anniversary celebration weekend and a living history that was presented by faculty, student, staff, and alumni leaders, documenting significant milestones over the university’s 50-year history.

President Freeman Hrabowski delivered the 2016 State of the University Address, reflecting on the university’s growth and achievements over the last 50 years. He highlighted rapid increases in UMBC’s research funding and partnerships, as well as the university’s economic impact. He also spoke to the impressive accomplishments of 70,000 UMBC alumni and the university’s commitment to issues of social justice and equality.

President Hrabowski also highlighted a New York Times story by columnist Frank Bruni, published during UMBC’s 50th anniversary weekend, that praised the university for serving as a national model of inclusive excellence—being a place where students of all backgrounds can achieve great things.

“From the ceiling of the student commons hang flags of countries from which students have come. There are more than 100,” wrote Bruni. “It’s a kind of kaleidoscope, and as I walked under it with Freeman Hrabowski, U.M.B.C.’s dynamic president, he stressed the school’s determination to ‘connect students to people different from themselves and lives different from their own.'”

“This has been a 50-year experiment in Catonsville,” Pres. Hrabowski explained in his remarks at Founders Day. “Can you bring people together from all races, backgrounds, and religions, and have them learning how to work together, to live together, and to listen to each other? That’s what we’re in the process of doing in our country, and it’s what we believe we are doing on this campus and will do even more of in the time to come.”

After commemorating UMBC’s first 50 years, President Hrabowski closed the Founders Day celebration by emphasizing that there is plenty of work still to be done in achieving sustained future success.

“We are forward-looking and responsive. We have a strong focus on inclusive excellence. We believe in high expectations and a passion for learning. But most important, we still believe in hard work.”

Read more about UMBC’s 50th anniversary celebration in The Baltimore Sun article “Over 50 years, UMBC has cultivated a research mission from former pastures” (with video).

Images: UMBC 50th Anniversary Founders Day Celebration, September 19, 2016. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. Video by New Media Studio.

Brewster lab to examine “pause button” on embryonic development, with eye on improving organ transplant

Embryos of zebrafish, a workhorse model organism in biology labs, routinely survive without oxygen for up to 50 hours by hitting the pause button on their development. Rachel Brewster, professor of biological sciences, and her team are working hard to learn how they do it. She hopes mechanisms that enable survival without oxygen could eventually be intentionally triggered in tissues like donated organs, to increase the length of time that can pass before they are transplanted.

That brief window of time is a major limiting factor in the availability of organs for transplant. Today, donated organs are cooled to slow metabolism and reduce oxygen consumption. Using that technique, hearts and lungs last only four to six hours, and kidneys up to 48. After that, tissues break down due to lack of cellular energy. This sliver of time to identify a recipient and deliver an organ means recipients are limited to a small geographic area in which to find a donor. Each day in the U.S., 79 people receive organ transplants and 22 die waiting for an organ.

Brewster’s research is supported by an Idea Discovery Grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD is interested in ways to improve transplant technology to increase the chances that injured soldiers would have timely access to donor organs and other tissues. If successful, the benefits would extend beyond the military.

The zebrafish Brewster work with “can arrest everything they’re doing as a mechanism to conserve cellular energy,” she says, so the goal is to “find the signaling mechanisms that shut down cellular activity.” Tissues survive by reducing energy consumption when energy production plummets in the absence of oxygen.

One of Brewster’s goals with the new project is to understand the timing of arrest—when development is paused—in zebrafish embryos. The research group has already learned that younger embryos arrest faster and more efficiently than older embryos. Also, older embryos are less likely to survive when oxygen is reintroduced.

Brewster would like to understand the sequence of arrest, as well. For example, does cell division in muscles arrest before it does in the digestive tract? Does tissue in an extremity like the tail succumb to a lack of oxygen before brain tissue? Are there essential systems that never arrest? “We can’t identify signaling mechanisms that cause arrest until we define arrest,” she says.

The team also hopes to identify small molecules whose concentrations in the cell change quickly upon oxygen deprivation, allowing them to mediate the rates of cellular processes on a short time scale. Brewster believes these molecules’ rapid effect on the cell makes them more likely to be involved in arrest than slower processes, such as the rate at which proteins are built from genetic instructions and then modified by cellular machinery.

Brewster hypothesizes that the involved small molecules activate or deactivate larger effector molecules, such as a class of proteins known as “kinases,” that carry out the arrest process. The team’s most ambitious goal is to identify those effector molecules. Rather than one “master regulator” molecule that controls the arrest process, Brewster explains, “It’s more likely every tissue fending for itself.” She adds, “My hunch is that the system is sloppier than we predicted.”

The experiments themselves are challenging and complex. The team will work with individual zebrafish embryos, and even using very young, fairly homogeneous embryos won’t make them all perfectly identical. Individual differences may show up as false positives in their results. “To figure out what is signal versus noise is not easy,” says Brewster.

One tack the team is taking to find molecules that trigger arrest is to knock out candidate molecules one by one. They’ll know they’ve got a winner if embryos without that molecule continue to develop in oxygen-deprived conditions.

“To actually identify a molecule that promotes arrest would be very exciting,” says Brewster. In addition to the organ transplant, another application of intentionally-triggered arrest might be during open heart surgery to prevent or slow tissue damage. Someday, NASA might use the technique to trigger a low-metabolic state in astronauts, similar to hibernation, to allow them to survive trips farther and farther from Earth.

Beyond practical applications, this project attracted Brewster on a more fundamental level. “Ninety-nine percent of developmental biologists study how development progresses,” she explains. “I was intrigued by the prospect of studying the exact opposite.”

Brewster is excited to share her passion for discovering how development can be paused with the many students who work in her lab, such as Ph.D. student Jong Park, who will focus on this project. Undergraduates have also contributed significantly to the research. “I’m very proud that most of the preliminary data was produced by undergrads,” she says. “It’s really kudos to them that we got this thing funded.”

Image: Rachel Brewster at work in her lab; photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.