The Science of Snow There are good reasons why Baltimore goes berserk about winter weather: Like many areas along the Mid-Atlantic, it often sits on the “rain-snow” line, or 32 F line, which makes storms difficult to forecast. “Small errors in predicting a storm’s track and intensity can mean all the difference between being on the warm side and getting mostly rain, or the cold side and mostly snow,” said Jeff Halverson, research associate professor at UMBC. The University’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) is home to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center research professors/weather and climate experts… Continue Reading The Science of Snow
Helping to Save the “Other Bay” While Mid-Atlantic residents are often reminded to preserve the beauty and health of the Chesapeake Bay, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Upal Ghosh recently did some hard-hat meets high-tech fieldwork to help protect the West Coast’s most famous bay from cancer-causing pollutants. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic chemicals often found in waterways near cities and industrial areas, are at the heart of Ghosh’s research. Commercial fishing is banned in the San Francisco Bay due to high PCB levels in the fish. Many other U.S. port areas are in a similar state, including the… Continue Reading Helping to Save the “Other Bay”
Helping to Save the “Other Bay” While Mid-Atlantic residents are often reminded to preserve the beauty and health of the Chesapeake Bay, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Upal Ghosh recently did some hard-hat meets high-tech fieldwork to help protect the West Coast’s most famous bay from cancer-causing pollutants. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic chemicals often found in waterways near cities and industrial areas, are at the heart of Ghosh’s research. Commercial fishing is banned in the San Francisco Bay due to high PCB levels in the fish. Many other U.S. port areas are in a similar state, including the… Continue Reading Helping to Save the “Other Bay”
Studying the Aesthetic Lives of Children In addition to teaching at UMBC, for the last few years Honors College Professor of Visual Arts Ellen Handler Spitz has traveled the U.S. and abroad to discuss her research on the relationship between children’s books and the inner lives of children. Spitz was both honored and elated to receive one of only six Clark Fellowships at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts last summer. The coveted fellowship for art historians from all over the world enables them to write scholarly works in the peaceful and collegial setting of… Continue Reading Studying the Aesthetic Lives of Children
High Marks for Leadership Educators Bradford Engel ’89 and Jacques Smith ’70 are dedicated to building innovative learning communities and creating opportunities for students and teachers to develop leadership skills. They are two examples of the mission of the UMBC education department: to research teaching and learning, and to develop caring, thoughtful, knowledgeable and skilled teachers who are responsive to children, families and the community. “My vision for a high school leadership class was to provide the tools necessary so that students could become leaders at home, in the community and at school,” said Engel, who was recently named… Continue Reading High Marks for Leadership
Illuminating the Channels of Communication UMBC’s newest research center, the Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research (CASPR), is a hotbed for innovative photonics research. Robinson Kuis, an applied physics Ph.D. candidate, conducts laser technology research in CASPR, which is funded by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In fact, UMBC is ranked 16th nationwide for NASA funding. Kuis is studying under the mentorship of Anthony Johnson, director of CASPR, and a professor of physics and computer science/electrical engineering at UMBC. Johnson is a leading expert in the area of photonics. Prior to UMBC, he was chairperson and distinguished professor… Continue Reading Illuminating the Channels of Communication
Ensuring Better Healthcare Founded in 1994 as a partnership with Maryland Medicaid, the Center for Health Program Development and Management (CHPDM) at UMBC provides non-partisan healthcare analysis to county, state and federal agencies, as well as to private foundations. “Our ultimate mission is to ensure better care for patients,” says Charles Milligan, CHPDM’s executive director. “This [center’s work] is an ongoing expression of a personal message; namely that the faculty and staff here are truly dedicated to the well-being of the community within which we live and work.” CHPDM cites among its biggest achievements: Contributing to the design… Continue Reading Ensuring Better Healthcare
Examining Media Bias The subject of bias in our media is one that gets many people’s hearts racing right around election time. And that is just what Director of Interdisciplinary Studies Patricia La Noue had in mind when choosing this year’s topic for the annual Mosaic Roundtable Forum. “What we hope students will come away with after this forum is the ability to look at media with a more critical eye,” says La Noue. In addition to encouraging campuswide discussion of contemporary issues, the Mosaic Roundtable Forum is a showcase for UMBC’s nationally-known faculty experts. (Terry Eastland, publisher of… Continue Reading Examining Media Bias
A Foundation for Professional Success The UMBC Alumni Association’s newly elected president, Anita Maddox Jackson, health science and policy ’80, has a stellar reputation in Baltimore as a highly respected professional and caring human being. Currently director of supplier diversity for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), she credits UMBC as “the foundation for my professional success. UMBC helped me forge a satisfying career and, at the same time, broaden my view of the world.” Jackson ’s substantial experience both in the corporate world and in connecting institutions across the public and private sectors includes a 21-year tenure with… Continue Reading A Foundation for Professional Success
Tools & Training for Homeland Security As the 2004 presidential election grows nearer, homeland security remains a top priority for the U.S. government and American citizens. It’s also a top priority for UMBC faculty, staff and student researchers who are partnering with state and federal agencies on a variety of research endeavors, new technologies and training aimed at improving homeland security and emergency response. New Tools for Terror Fight: Two UMBC faculty researchers are working to improve high-technology methods for detecting terrorists and their tools of destruction. Through an anti-bioterror grant from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST),… Continue Reading Tools & Training for Homeland Security
Recognizing Outstanding Faculty & Staff On Wednesday, September 29, UMBC will recognize the exceptional performance, leadership and service of four members of the University’s faculty and staff at the Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony. UMBC’s Presidential Award recipients have careers distinguished by a dedication to the fulfillment of the campus’ goals and mission, by professional accomplishments and by campus service. All members of the UMBC community are encouraged to attend the ceremony at 1 p.m. at the University Center Ballroom. President Hrabowski will also present his annual State of the University Address. This year’s Presidential Award recipients are: James… Continue Reading Recognizing Outstanding Faculty & Staff
A Smart Choice for Women At UMBC, it is cool to be smart. And it is especially cool for girls to be smart. UMBC’s array of programs that empower women to be both successful students and successful professionals has now been recognized nationally by CosmoGIRL! magazine’s new guide to the 50 best colleges for girls. Featured in the magazine’s October 2004 issue, the guide also includes such institutions as Amherst College; Brown University; Duke University; Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In compiling the list for its readership of young women ages 12… Continue Reading A Smart Choice for Women
