Writing a Biography of “No Place” Assistant Professor of History Kate Brown recently received two significant awards for A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland (Harvard University Press, 2004). The book received the American Historical Association’s prestigious George Louis Beer Prize, given for outstanding historical writing on any phase of European international history since 1895. She previously received the Heldt Prize awarded by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies. “Kate Brown is already an extraordinarily accomplished scholar, one of the rare historians to win one of the profession’s major prizes so early in a… Continue Reading Writing a Biography of “No Place”
Supporting Undergraduate Research UMBC’s emphasis on undergraduate research is one of its most distinctive strengths. Opportunities to conduct independent research—both on and off campus—are supported with grant awards and faculty support, so that research can be a part of any undergraduate’s learning experience. Each year, the UMBC community celebrates the scholarly and creative accomplishments of its undergraduates at Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD). On Wednesday, April 27, approximately 60 students will present their work to the campus community and the general public. (Events will be held on the 7th Floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library.) Founded… Continue Reading Supporting Undergraduate Research
Conducting Research for the Iraqi Special Tribunal In his last semester of law school, Ian Ralby, modern languages and linguistics/M.A. intercultural communication ’02, is taking an unexpected course and, in fact, helping to shape the course of history. Along with 20 other William & Mary law students, he is working for the Department of Justice (DOJ), providing legal support for the judges who will try Sadaam Hussein and his top lieutenants. The students are working in small groups; each is researching one of ten legal questions submitted by the DOJ that will be presented at the Iraqi Special Tribunal.… Continue Reading Conducting Research for the Iraqi Special Tribunal
A “Research Laboratory” for Contemporary Chamber Music Video: Ruckus Performance Founded in 2000 to promote the performance of contemporary chamber music, Ruckus, UMBC’s resident professional contemporary music ensemble, plays important roles both on and off campus. “With all of UMBC’s music faculty sharing a research interest in contemporary music, the Ruckus ensemble provides an important public face for UMBC’s reputation for cutting-edge research,” said Linda Dusman, professor and chair of the Department of Music. “The ensemble also serves as an important outreach tool and contributes to the cultural life of UMBC and the Baltimore-Washington region.” Ruckus bookends its UMBC… Continue Reading A “Research Laboratory” for Contemporary Chamber Music
Recognizing Outstanding Faculty Research Two UMBC faculty recently received one of the highest honors in the humanities and related social sciences. Professor of English Christoph Irmscher and Associate Professor of History Marjoleine Kars were awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships for University Teachers. This year, only 14 percent of applicants received this prestigious one-year fellowship, which recognizes faculty research that contributes to scholarship or to the general public’s understanding of the humanities. Irmscher will use his award to complete a cultural biography of biologist/geologist Louis Agassiz (under contract with the University Press of Virginia). Regarded as the most… Continue Reading Recognizing Outstanding Faculty Research
Making a Mark on Research Ishita Shah has, in her own words, a passion for science. Just ask her about molecular biology, and as she talks about her research, her experience, and her time at UMBC, it becomes clear. “My research is about bacterial transcription activation,” Shah said. “Mainly we study the bacterium E. coli. We look at oxidative stress responses and how certain transcription activators work and respond to stresses, and then regulate genes that combat superoxide and other oxidative stresses.” A Ph.D. student in the molecular and cell biology program, Shah is co-author of several papers, most… Continue Reading Making a Mark on Research
Studying Iraqi Fire Pollution Beyond its massive human and financial cost, the ongoing war in Iraq has also had an impact on the environment. Recently, UMBC volcano expert Simon Carn led a group of earth scientists to study how an explosion at a sulfur plant near Mosul, Iraq produced pollution rivaling one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recent history. On June 24, 2003, dense clouds of sulfur dioxide were produced by an explosion at the Al-Mishraq State Sulfur Plant when arsonists set massive amounts of the gas ablaze. The fire burned for nearly a month, causing widespread… Continue Reading Studying Iraqi Fire Pollution
UMBC’s Best Excel in Diverse Careers UMBC’s success in forging leaders in a wide array of fields will be celebrated February 9 at the Alumni Awards ceremony in Annapolis. Six graduates will receive the Alumni Association’s highest honor. Sheldon Broedel, 1984 M.S. and 1990 Ph.D. Biological Sciences, is chief executive and science officer of Athena Environmental Sciences. This 10-year-old company, headquartered at techcenter@UMBC, specializes in “ecologically responsible and economically sound solutions to environmental problems.” Sean Carton, 1990 English, is Dean of Digital Design at Philadelphia University, the author of Dot Bomb and a frequent contributor to Wired magazine. As… Continue Reading UMBC’s Best Excel in Diverse Careers
sound vision motion UMBC’s IRC Fellows Program, a partnership between UMBC’s Department of Visual Arts and the Imaging Research Center (IRC), has quickly built upon the existing successes of the IRC Internship Program and the Visual Arts Undergraduate Program to create a national model for the recruiting, retention, education and support of talented digital artists. “Students are transferring to UMBC with the hope that they will get into the IRC Fellows Program,” said IRC Director Dan Bailey. Designed to recognize, reward and encourage UMBC juniors and seniors who have displayed exceptional artistic talent and technical proficiency over the course… Continue Reading sound vision motion
Adventures in Ancient Studies From the History Channel to sword and sandal epic movies, 21st century citizens remain fascinated by the mysteries of the ancient world. In UMBC’s Department of Ancient Studies (ANCS), students from various disciplines enroll in classes with topics ranging from elementary Latin to women and gender in the classical world. Faculty members emphasize teaching as the cornerstone of the department and consequently draw up to 100 students in some lower-level courses. Through their creative teaching methods and the practical field experience offered to majors, ANCS connects with undergraduates and enables them to reach, sometimes literally,… Continue Reading Adventures in Ancient Studies
Art as Collaboration For over 20 years, composer Anna Rubin has collaborated with dancers, musicians and video artists. As director of UMBC’s Linehan Artist Scholar and InterArts Studies Programs, she brings the spirit of collaboration to the University’s undergraduates. “Some of the most exciting work occurs in collaboration,” said Rubin, who is also an associate professor of music. “All of my roles at UMBC allow me to work with a variety of students and faculty members to help enhance the arts environment at UMBC. There’s a great interest in collaborative work here, which I find very stimulating.” In addition… Continue Reading Art as Collaboration
Using Physics to Synchronize Clocks Even the most accurate timepieces are almost certain to disagree by at least a few seconds, which can be problematic for applications such as telecommunications, satellites, wide area networks (WANs) and global positioning systems that rely heavily on time synchronization. But thanks to sophisticated computations and high-speed electronics, distant clocks with separations of thousands of miles can be synchronized within a just few nanoseconds—one billionth of a second. Physics Ph.D. students Alejandra Valencia and Giuliano Scarcelli, under the mentorship of Dr. Yanhua Shih, conducted an experiment to show that tighter synchronization of distant clocks… Continue Reading Using Physics to Synchronize Clocks
