All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Tomasz Macura loves a challenge.
At sixteen, Macura is putting the finishing touches on two Honors Theses for B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. He will continue studies towards a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Cambridge’s (UK) Trinity College — considered the most prestigious of the 37 Cambridge colleges. Cambridge has more Nobel Prize winning alumni, 70, than any other university in the world. He will be the school’s youngest and he will be its youngest Ph.D. student since World War I.
Age aside, Macura stands out as one of the nation’s most promising scholars in the areas of math and science. He was one of sixteen winners of the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, which pays tuition, fees, and a $29,000 stipend per year for four years. Because of its selectivity, the Fellowship is considered the most prestigious Science and Engineering graduate award in the U.S. All together, Macura – who only ten years ago didn’t speak a word of English – has been offered more than $800,000 in academic awards from some of the most prestigious foundations and institutions in the U.S. and beyond.
He credits his parents, both M.D./Ph.D.s, for instilling in him love and respect for knowledge. “A major part of my academic success is due to UMBC faculty. I was lucky to do research with Professors Matthias Gobbert and Jacob Kogan. They are brilliant professors who are very busy with their own research but make the time to focus on mentoring.”
“Tomasz is young, bright, highly motivated, and already an independent researcher. I am confident that Tomasz will become a leading authority in his research field,” said Kogan.
Macura is establishing a legacy at UMBC. His 13-year-old brother, Wiktor, is a sophomore here with a 4.0 GPA and a full merit scholarship. “Wiktor is my brother and my best friend.” Wiktor is also his partner, as the brothers have formed a foundation to give back to the community.
The Macura Brothers Foundation was established by the Macuras to help gifted children from Poland (their homeland) and other Eastern-European countries. “We are very fortunate and grateful for the opportunities presented to us in America and are doing our best to give back.” The Foundation donated over $5,000 of educational materials to the Hungarian Student Research Society and the Polish Library in Washington D.C. Now the Brothers are working on establishing “The One” Scholarship for immigrant prodigies studying in the United States.
“Tomasz is exceptionally bright,” said UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski III. “But he’s a very hard worker, very inquisitive, and has a great sense of humor. I am impressed not only by Tomasz’s achievements in the classroom and lab, but also by his sincere interest in others. He is a wonderful role model for other academically talented young people.”
Macura is sure of one thing, “No matter what I will do after my Ph.D. degree, I will always cherish the time I spent at UMBC – my Alma Mater. This is the place I grew up intellectually and personally.”

 

One of the 1.8 million photographs in UMBC’s Special Collections: Newsboys and Supply Men at Newspaper Office for Baseball Edition,  5 p.m., Cincinnati, Ohio, August 1908 by Lewis Hine

“Curating UMBC’s Special Collections”
UMBC’s Special Collections Department is one of the country’s leading resources for photography, science fiction, Marylandia, biological science archives, and other notable collections of rare books, artifacts and manuscripts. And it’s all at the fingertips—wearing protective gloves, of course—of the campus community and visiting scholars. As Chief Curator, Tom Beck manages and continues to develop the collection, housed at the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery.
UMBC’s Photography Collections alone include 1.8 million photographs by some of the world’s leading photographers, including a portfolio by Ansel Adams; archives by Mildred Grossman, Lotte Jacobi and Lewis Hine; and work by Berenice Abbott, Judy Dater, Roland Freeman, David Plowden, Minor White, and others.  
In order to build Special Collections, Beck is dedicated to developing relationships with photographers and their families, as well as writers, scholars and major organizations. He often collaborates with members of the campus community. For example, UMBC’s science faculty helped the Collections become the foremost center for history of biology archives. Over the past twenty years, the University has acquired archives from the American Society for Microbiology, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Society for Chemistry and Molecular Biology, the Society for Developmental Biology, the Society of Protozoology and the International Union of Immunological Societies, among others.
Recently, Stephen Braude, professor and chair of the philosophy department and a nationally known expert on parapsychology, assisted Beck in acquiring work by thoughtographer Ted Serios, reputed to be able to print images from his mind onto photographic material.
Beck also collaborates with the Friends of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, and with the Library Gallery’s Curator of Exhibitions, Cynthia Wayne, who mounts solo and group exhibitions culled from the extensive Photography Collections. Future exhibitions include newly acquired work by David Seymour, founder of the prestigious Magnum Photos, Inc.
Of the importance of Special Collections, Beck says, “The great Bauhaus educator Laszlo Moholy-Nagy said that ‘the illiterate of the future will be ignorant of both camera as well as pencil.’ The future that he conjectured about has arrived and we live in a world awash in images. People are knowledgeable about them, but not enough. So a collection like ours being available for study is critical for a society that is based so much in visual imagery. Our students have the incredible opportunity to access material right on campus that is rarely found in one place and previously was only available to a privileged few. Here at UMBC, anyone can see these images.”
In addition to his work at UMBC, Beck teaches at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C. He is working on two books about David Seymour: one to be published by the British art publisher, Phaidon, and another for UMBC to showcase Special Collections’ new Seymour photographic holdings.
                                                                                            
 
 
 

Class of 2003 Valedictorian Erika Danna
2003 Valedictorian Erika Danna  
Class of 2003 Valedictorian Erika Danna balanced academic excellence, research experience and community service while at UMBC. She accumulated a 4.0 GPA while working in Dr. Suzanne Rosenberg’s lab since June 2001 as one of the first students in the Department of Defense-funded Breast Cancer Undergraduate Research Experience (BCURE) program.
A biological sciences major, Danna presented her research findings at two major national scientific meetings, as well as four UMBC-sponsored research symposia. She also was part of the BCURE program’s Race for the Cure team to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. Danna has also been active in other service and extracurricular activities including Garden Harvest, the Golden Key Honor Society and Community Service Corps.
When she first came to UMBC, Danna was focused on becoming a physician, but she was gradually drawn to a biomedical research career. Danna credits her UMBC teachers and mentors with influencing her.
“At UMBC I enjoyed learning about how scientific discoveries are made, and I became very interested in participating in research myself,” she says. Danna, a native of Ellicott City, Maryland, will begin her doctoral studies in immunology at Stanford University in the fall.
“Erika is a real go-getter student,” says Rosenberg. “She has taken great advantage of her time in the laboratory and she has a terrific future ahead of her in research.”
 
 
 

 
Taryn Bayles gets freshmen excited about science through competitive, hands-on projects.

Making Engineering Exciting

If you’re strolling across the UMBC campus and happen upon a catapult contraption flinging water balloons across a field or homemade hot air balloons floating high above the Engineering and Computer Science building atrium, be sure to look for Taryn Bayles.

Bayles is an energetic and inspiring lecturer in UMBC’s Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering who specializes in getting freshmen excited about science through competitive, hands-on projects.

Three years ago, Bayles came to UMBC and began teaching ENES 101 – Introduction to Engineering Science. In addition to class lectures, Bayles ends each semester with a competition that puts theoretical principles into some fun, real-life use.

Bayles prides herself with coming up with a new contest each year. To date the competitions have revolved around human-powered water pumps, water balloon catapults and model hot-air balloons. The idea being that formulas and physical laws are easier to understand when students are using them to do something fun —  launching projectiles at a target, or seeing whose mini hot-air balloon stays aloft the longest.

“I like to have my students build things,” Bayles says. “The freshmen are always very creative. They come up with innovative things that a senior may not have thought of.”

Bayles likes to be hands-on as well, even making herself the target for the final stage of the water balloon catapult contest this spring. She also makes sure the materials are inexpensive, use only simple tools and require very little technical background since all the competitors are just starting out in college.

Bayles’ passion for making science education fun goes beyond her own classes. Since coming to UMBC, she has worked with Anne Spence, a lecturer in mechanical engineering and Claudia Morrell, director of planning and grants at the Center for Women and Information Technology, on four National Science Foundation grants for engineering education outreach.

One grant puts UMBC students in area high school science classrooms to give hands-on engineering demonstrations. Another project is developing a CD-ROM of engineering based algebra lessons to help high schools comply with a new Maryland law making algebra a required course. Other grants are funding a video project on women and technology and scholarships for computer science and engineering students.

“These grants work two ways,” Bayles says. “UMBC students get class management skills from teachers while the teachers get engineering knowledge from the students.” Bayles also teaches courses in Chemical Engineering Analysis, Transport Phenomena II and has taught a summer course for high school teachers and guidance counselors to help them better use engineering principles in their classrooms.

Bayles’ commitment to her students doesn’t end when they graduate. She often uses her extensive private sector background to help former students find summer jobs with industry leaders like DuPont. “I encourage all of my students to do research at another university or a summer internship so they can be sure they want to pursue a career in engineering,” Bayles says.

When she’s not working hard as an advocate for science education at UMBC, Bayles’ top priority is her two children. But even at home, it’s tough to take the engineer out of the mom. Bayles is proud that, in addition to being very involved in the PTA, she also regularly teaches hands-on science classes at her children’s elementary school.

Diane Bell-McKoy has been named UMBC’s Distinguished Alumna for 2003.

Empowering Baltimore  

Diane L. Bell-McKoy, who graduated from UMBC in 1973 with a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work, has been named UMBC’s Distinguished Alumna for 2003.

After almost 20 years working with drug treatment programs and poverty issues, and as an advocate for children, Diane Bell-McKoy took the reins as president and CEO of the Empower Baltimore Management Corporation in 1994. She has faced the challenge of bringing together people from different backgrounds with varying experiences and beliefs to put together and carry out a collective vision.

Under her leadership, Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone has had unparalleled success and has become a national and international model. Bell-McKoy and her staff, in partnership with others in the business community, have seen the creation of 5,000 new jobs and helped 8,000 unemployed city residents find work. Empower Baltimore has also created new initiatives, such as a Hospital Hopkins and University Hospital program, which has trained hospital workers and upgraded them to work as surgical technicians.

In her previous position as deputy chief of staff to the Honorable Kurt L. Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore, Bell-McKoy spearheaded the development of an agency dedicated to the delivery of both human services and community capacity building assistance; designed and implemented a new policy structure to guide the mayor in matters related to social capital (The Mayor’s Human Services Sub-Cabinet); designed the City’s rebuilding policies committee; served as the chair of the Sandtown-Winchester Initiative in partnership with the Jim Rouse Enterprise Foundation; and designed the City’s first Youth Leadership Program.

“Diane is a distinguished alumna who is precisely the kind of citizen that UMBC strives to graduate,” says Cynthia M. Hill, assistant vice provost, who nominated Bell-McKoy for the award. “Her strong liberal education is effectively blended with a strong sense of social responsibility. She is in every sense a leader with an extraordinary ability to forge collaborations among government, business, and community entities to increase social capital and improve the quality of life for those who might otherwise remain
disenfranchised.”

At the annual Alumni Awards Reception and Ceremony on April 24, UMBC also             honored:

Outstanding Alumna of the Year

Adrienne A. Jones

B.A., Psychology ’76

Speaker Pro Tem, Maryland House of Delegates

Community Leadership Award

Emma Byrne

B.A., Sociology ’70

Retired Teacher, Baltimore City Schools

Alumni Volunteer of the Year

Robert Baruch

B.S., Computer Science ’89

President, CEO and Founder, Raba Technologies, Inc.

In addition to celebrating the achievements of UMBC alumni, over 40 student scholarship and award recipients were recognized.

Members of UMBC’s Chess Team and Advisor Alan Sherman (bottom row, left)

The Undisputed Kings of College Chess
  

UMBC has won titles at the “World Series, and the “Final Four” and has now completed the “Grand Slam” … of college chess that is.

UMBC’s chess team is well-known as one of the most powerful in the nation, as it has won six Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championships (The World Series of College Chess) in the past seven years and, in early April, took its first-ever President’s Cup title (The Final Four of College Chess).  They completed their victory tour online by winning the National College Chess League’s online tournament, played over the Internet.

While the NCCL championship doesn’t have a snappy nickname of its own, it has a very special meaning to the UMBC team. They now hold all three major chess titles simultaneously — the Grand Slam of College Chess – a feat no other team has ever accomplished.

UMBC’s win at the President’s Cup effectively made them the undisputed champs of college chess, as they had been edged out in previous years by their rivals at the University of Texas, Dallas. This year was UMBC’s first time competing in the NCCL Championship.

UMBC’s success on the chess board has drawn attention to UMBC as a place with unbeatable brain power – an image backed up not only by their impressive wins by also by the soaring SAT scores of first-year students and the University’s federal research funding. UMBC’s reputation in chess, combined with its impressive academic record and scholarship opportunities has attracted some of the very best chess players from around the country and around the world.

The UMBC chess team has garnered attention from a host of national media outlets — from “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show” to CNN and National Public Radio. Why is chess such a big deal at UMBC? Perhaps the Baltimore Sun said it best in an April 8 editorial: “At UMBC, it’s cool to be smart, and the smartest students — even with names like ‘The Exterminator’ and ‘’The Maryland Mauler’ — are the heroes.”

 
UMBC Presidential Teaching Professor Robert Deluty is a clinical psychologist and published poet.

The Poetry of Experience

As a clinical psychologist, Presidential Teaching Professor Robert Deluty has devoted his adult life to exploring the workings of the human psyche. Recent years, however, have seen his work take a more creative turn. In addition to being a researcher, psychotherapist, and award-winning mentor, Deluty is also a poet whose work has appeared in publications such as The Baltimore Evening Sun and The Wall Street Journal.

Psychology is Deluty’s first passion and his research interests have ranged widely throughout the course of his career. In his graduate work and early years at UMBC, he explored the development and treatment of aggressive and submissive behavior in children. He now focuses on how clinical psychologists treat their patients, from  ways of assisting clients in making moral and ethical decisions to the influence of religious beliefs on approaches to therapy.

Deluty began his creative writing career almost  11 years ago when his wife encouraged him to write about a deeply personal event from his own life — the moments leading up to the arrival of his second adopted child. “We were waiting for our son to arrive from Korea,” he recalls, “and it led me to think about my relationship with my own father, who had passed away several years before.” This experience led to an essay that, much to Deluty’s surprise, was published in The Baltimore Evening Sun.

He turned to writing poetry after a failed attempt at an essay evolved into a publishable poem. He has since published over 500 poems in a variety of publications, including his book, Within and Between, released in 2000. Deluty’s poetry takes many forms, although he most frequently writes in a Japanese poetic form called senryu. Senryu share the same structure as haiku, but, unlike haiku, usually describe human subjective situations and are often satiric, pathetic, or ironic. Like his first essay, much of his poetry comes directly from his own experiences with his family and work.

Deluty’s creative endeavors have not stopped his work in psychology. In fact, his latest research finds common ground within the two fields. In a recent article published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy, Deluty explores the common processes and goals of a psychotherapist and a writer of haiku or senryu poetry. “The psychotherapist and the senryu writer share characteristics such as the desire to bring about new awareness or insight in their audience and the need to be absolutely genuine in the feelings and attitudes they express,” says Deluty. “My writing has made me a better psychotherapist and my work as a psychotherapist has made me a better poet because these common goals and processes reinforce each other in all aspects of my work.”

Click here to read Robert Deluty’s poetry.

 
UMBC Psychology chair Carlo DiClemente’s work has revolutionized treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse.

The Psychology of Conquering Addiction

Psychology professor and department chair Carlo DiClemente began studying addiction among smokers while completing his dissertation at the University of Rhode Island. Now, more than twenty years later, his research has revolutionized how health professionals treat alcoholism and drug abuse.

In October, 2002, DiClemente’s work was recognized nationally when he received one of five Innovators Combating Substance Abuse awards from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

“I was first drawn to studying smoking because it was a behavior that was easy to evaluate and where it was always possible to find people actively trying to change their behavior,” says DiClemente, “What I found was that many different treatments produced change equally well and that people who stopped smoking without any outside medical intervention could be as successful as those who had.”

From these observations, DiClemente, with colleague James Prochaska of the University of Rhode Island, went on to develop a model for the process of change among addicts. This model, the Transtheoretical Model of Change, identifies stages of change and other factors that predict treatment outcomes.

Previously, treatment for substance abuse was thought to benefit only people who were motivated to enter treatment on their own. The Transtheoretical Model, however, is a more effective treatment developed for the individual rather than a “one size fits all” approach.

DiClemente has also applied the model in studies on alcoholism and will soon use his $300,000 RWJF award to fund a study of the model for cocaine users. The funding will also allow DiClemente to gather a small group of substance abuse researchers and treatment providers who use the Transtheoretical Model to discuss the most effective ways to apply it in treatment.

Since 1984, when DiClemente and Prochaska published their first book on the Transtheoretical Model, it has been incorporated in the treatment of a number of health and addictive behaviors in the United States and abroad. “I’ve been in touch with colleagues as far away as Germany and New Zealand who are using aspects of the Transtheoretical Model to assist patients with a wide variety of health problems such as asthma and diabetes, as well as substance abuse.”

The continuing importance of his work keeps DiClemente excited about his research. “I’ve seen the ravages of alcohol and drug problems. To see the impact this model and my research has made gives meaning to my work. It’s been wonderful to be part of a process of helping people understand how to get from addiction to recovery.”

 
Men’s Lacrosse Coach Don Zimmerman was recently inducted into the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

A Classroom with Goals

Don Zimmerman is a teacher. You may know him as the head coach of the men’s lacrosse program at UMBC, but for over two decades he has taught the game to All Americans and beginners with the same basic principles.

On January 25, Zimmerman was inducted into the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the United States Lacrosse Hall of Fame. UMBC standout defenseman Gary Clipp ‘77 joined him as an inductee during the gala affair at Martin’s West in Baltimore.

“My coaching philosophy has always focused on teaching the fundamentals – the little things that make the big difference. Lacrosse is a game of skill and precision, best played when using a simple, basic approach,” said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman has been associated with Baltimore lacrosse since the early 1970’s. He was a prep standout at St. Paul’s School and earned All America honors in 1976 at Johns Hopkins. After assistant coaching stints at both Princeton and North Carolina, he returned to Baltimore in 1984 as head coach of his alma mater. Zimmerman became the first lacrosse coach to win a national title in his initial season, taking Hopkins (14-0) to the top in 1984, and capturing the title again in  1985 and 1987.

In 1994, Zimmerman came to UMBC and changed the direction of the program. On May 2, 1998, UMBC shocked the lacrosse world with a 12-8 win over #1-ranked Maryland and earned its first-ever NCAA Division I championship appearance. The 1999 Retrievers proved the previous year was no fluke, as wins over Navy, North Carolina and Maryland once again landed them in the tournament.

“Our goal at UMBC has always been to get ourselves to the same level as the other top teams in the country. What we’re doing in lacrosse runs parallel to what we’re doing as a university. We feel we have an outstanding product at UMBC and we want people to know that,” Zimmerman says.

The Retriever mentor is well-known outside of Baltimore as well. He served as an assistant coach of the United States team in the 1986 World Games and as head coach for the South squad in the 2002 North-South All Star game. He has been an ambassador for international lacrosse, becoming one of the first coaches to teach the game in Japan.

“I have been fortunate to work with so many quality young men throughout my career,” Zimmerman says. “Whether All America, All World or role player, my heart holds a special place for those that have made the sacrifice and commitment demanded of them. My hope is that as these players look back, they remember me as a mentor who treated them with fairness and respect.”

Policy Sciences PhD graduate Keith Elder’s studies how race impacts America’s health care system.

Inquiries and Inequities in managed Care
  

In a time when health care is one of the most urgent issues in the U.S. political spectrum, Keith Elder, Ph.D. graduate from the UMBC Policy Sciences (POSI) Graduate Program, is examining the tough questions surrounding our nation’s health care system.

Elder’s dissertation examines the racial disparities in managed care between majority and minority physicians. Specifically, it looks at health care contracts between physicians and organizations (such as HMOs) and attempts to determine if there is any connection between termination or denial of contracts and ethnicity.

“Patient demographics impact the rate of contract denials and terminations,” says Elder. “The greater the percentage of Latino and African American patients a physician serves, the higher the probability that physician will have a contract denied. The larger the percentage of Asian patients a physician sees, the higher the probability the physician will have a contract terminated.”

“After examining certain economic market level variables, the differences still exist. Some may look to other explanations for these differences in rate of contract denial and termination – namely, discrimination,” Elder says. Nancy Miller, assistant professor of policy sciences, corroborates Elder’s results, stating that they “offer evidence that requires serious reflection and action on the part of policy makers.”

Elder’s research draws data from the Maryland Physician Survey developed and conducted by the Center for Health Program Development and Management at UMBC. He drew from a sample size of about 1200 people. Elder will present his research at a symposium the center is holding March 26, The Effect of Managed Care on Minority Physicians and Socially Vulnerable Populations in Maryland: Data Findings and Policy Alternatives.

Unfortunately, the inequity that Elder identified in his research is not a new pattern in health care. “Minority physicians have reported inequities for years,” says Elder. In a 1994 survey of minority physicians, Elder says that “over 90 percent believed that they had experienced some form of discrimination. The same physicians believed that any health care reform would place them at a disadvantage in the managed care selection process.”

In addition to the Policy Sciences faculty, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski has also been of great help to Elder: “He’s always given me support,” says Elder. “He gave me direction in how to plan for my dissertation defense, personal insights, told me what research opportunities I should be involved in. He wanted to make sure when I left here that I was ready for every opportunity that crossed my radar.”

Elder graduated from UMBC last fall and is currently doing research analysis for the POSI program. Next semester, he will begin a position as assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. While he will teach a university course, he also plans to spend a lot of time pursuing his research interests: “I definitely hope to further examine aspects of managed care and racial disparity,” states Elder.

Ronald Holzloehner (right) celebrates his successful Ph.D. defense with his mentor, Prof. Curtis Menyuk.

A Global Education in Telecommunications  

Berlin, Germany native Ronald Holzloehner will receive his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UMBC this month, after traveling the world while winning international acclaim for his research on how to make fiber optics communications faster and more reliable.

Holzloehner came to UMBC after receiving his master’s degree from the Technical University of Berlin and spending a year at UC Santa Barbara on a Fulbright scholarship. In late 1998 he came to UMBC and joined Dr. Curtis Menyuk’s research team in the  Optical Fiber Communications Laboratory, which works closely with the telecommunications industry to push the frontiers of communications technology.

During his four and a half years at UMBC, Holzloehner and the rest of the team presented their work at national and international conferences, were published in respected journals, and won prestigious awards. Holzloehner received the Best Speaker Award at the UMBC Student Conference last year, and also won an IEEE LEOS student award fellowship last fall, an award of which only 10–20 are given annually world-wide. His dissertation describes a new method for computing bit error rates in optical fiber communications systems.

“Working with Curtis Menyuk was a good experience, and I certainly learned a lot,” he says. “I worked hard, many nights and weekends, but I wrote a bunch of papers, won some awards, got to travel the world by visiting conferences, and learned much about how science is conducted and managed in the US. What’s amazing about UMBC is the energy and tenacity with which it pursues its goals — President Freeman Hrabowski does a whole lot to promote the school, much like a sports team.”

Like other high-tech researchers, Holzloehner also experienced the ups and downs of the so-called “New Economy.” At the 2003 UMBC Engineer of the Year ceremony, Holzloehner spoke about the lessons high-tech industry has learned from recent scandals. “Corporate greed existed not only at Enron, but also in the telecom industry, and I think we engineers should do whatever we can to fight for solid and sound business models,” he said.

After an arduous search, Holzloehner accepted a postdoctoral position back in Germany at the University of Nuremberg’s newly founded Max-Planck Institute, and will start working there in July. The institute focuses on quantum optics, quantum computing, and some communications, while working closely with top companies like Lucent.

As he prepares to return home for a new chapter in his career, Holzloehner carries with him memories of his American education. “The U.S. is really an amazing country, and it is still able to attract many foreigners that help it grow,” he says. “The advantage that the U.S. has over many other countries is impressive, at times frightening. People should remember that many of these achievements are due to immigrants who work extremely hard.”

 
UMBC’s Ram Hosmane is the 2002 Maryland Chemist of the Year

Maryland Chemist of the Year

UMBC chemistry professor Ramachandra “Ram” Hosmane was named the Maryland Chemist of the Year by the Maryland division of the American Chemical Society in a ceremony on December 11 in Towson.

Hosmane, a faculty member at UMBC for 20 years, was honored for his career contributions to biomedical research, including the development of anti-cancer and anti-viral drugs as well as for creation of a powdered, artificial blood mix for use in emergency transfusions.

Hosmane is the third UMBC chemist to be named Chemist of the Year since the Society began giving the award in 1962. “This award is well-deserved recognition for the outstanding contributions that Ram Hosmane has made to synthetic and medicinal chemistry.” says Ralph Pollack, UMBC chemistry department chair and professor.

“I was surprised and shocked to win this honor,” says Hosmane. “I thought had little chance of winning it considering the fact that the nominations come from all over Maryland, including academia, industry and government.”

Hosmane’s recent breakthroughs include development of bulkier and leaner
forms of the natural building blocks of genetic material, nucleosides and nucleotides. The compounds have shown potential to fight against cancers including prostate, breast, lung, leukemia, colon, skin, kidney, brain and ovarian. The compounds also show promise against a dozen different viral infections, the major ones being hepatitis B and C, West Nile and herpes.

Hosmane’s artificial blood invention holds promise as a universal substitute for whole blood during emergency transfusions. The artificial blood requires no typing or cross-matching, is free of bacteria or viruses and is storable as a dry powder for indefinite periods of time. It can be carried to the scene of accident and administered as a buffered salt solution in water without having to transport the patient to the
nearest hospital.

Since joining the UMBC faculty in 1982, Hosmane has contributed well over a hundred original research articles in peer-reviewed, international scholarly journals and he is also the author of a half-dozen patents and disclosures on a variety of themes. He has been continuously funded since 1984 by both federal agencies and industrial partnerships. In addition to his research endeavors, Hosmane has trained
more than 75 scientists from all over the world, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scientists and visiting professors.

Two years ago, Hosmane won the “Outstanding Educator of the Year” award from the Maryland Association for Higher Education (MAHE). He was the UMBC Presidential Research Professor during 1998-2001, and has been the Provost’s Exceptional Sponsored Research Fellow ever since that program was initiated at UMBC.