On May 13, 2021, J. Marvin Cook, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Instructional Systems Development graduate program at UMBC, died peacefully with his family by his side at the Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, Maryland. He was born in Natchitoches, Louisiana to Clyde and Ernestine Cook in 1929. Marvin was 91 at the time of his passing; he lived a full and impactful life, always focused on following his faith service to others. He was passionate about his faith, continually learning, and had always interested in helping people through his vocation and avocations. This was evident in his educational… Continue Reading Remembering Dr. J. Marvin Cook
On the back of every UMBC black and gold ID card is a guide to essential emergency resources, including numbers for health, counseling, sexual assault, and suicide prevention helplines. The new card design was the result of student advocacy through UMBC’s Retriever Courage initiative, seeking to better prevent and respond to sexual assault and violence. And the person who suggested that change is Autumn Cook, graduating this week, a tireless advocate for fellow UMBC students. Continue Reading UMBC’s newest grads leave a legacy of advocacy, inclusion, and support for fellow students
When listeners tune in to the Retriever Tales podcast hosted by Tirzah Khan ‘21, information systems, who is graduating this week, they’ll hear UMBC voices sharing their journeys of finding and creating community. Moving, inspiring, funny, and thought-provoking, the show is a testament to Khan’s own UMBC experience and a broader culture of co-creating community at UMBC. Continue Reading UMBC together: Graduating Retrievers reflect on building community through conversations
Due to the pandemic, the NCAA has offered senior college athletes around the country a waiver to compete for an extra year. Many fourth-year student-athletes at UMBC and around the country will take advantage of this opportunity, but others decided to press forward with making the most of an unusual senior year before shifting gears to the next phase of their lives. Continue Reading Strong finish: UMBC student-athletes discuss support and resilience in “one of the toughest years”
We are deeply saddened to share that Dr. Thomas “Tom” Roth passed away on Sunday, April 18, at the age of 89. Tom devoted his career to UMBC students for over 25 years, first as a biological sciences professor, and later as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, before retiring in 1998 and transitioning to the role of emeritus professor. Tom joined the UMBC community in 1972 and made significant contributions to building the university from the ground up. His creative approach to teaching cell biology and dedicated mentorship touched the lives of countless students and faculty members. According to biological… Continue Reading Remembering Dr. Thomas “Tom” Roth
On the evening of April 18, UMBC defeated Yale University to win the American Mock Trial Association National Championship for the first time in program history. UMBC Mock Trial President Sydney Gaskins ‘21, political science, remembers thinking, “What a beautiful day to win a national championship.” But she didn’t quite realize exactly what becoming a champion would feel like. Now, she knows. Continue Reading UMBC Mock Trial defeats Yale to win first national championship
Due to the constraints of COVID, student researchers have become even more creative in using technology not just to display their research, but to pursue their research at a time when in-person interviews, fieldwork, and traditional performances aren’t possible. Students learned to do interviews online and navigated lab research within physical distancing guidelines. They also responded to the pandemic by examining the changes in society and in themselves. Continue Reading URCAD 2021 showcases creativity, resilience of UMBC student researchers
To tackle questions about how the brain signals body movements, Ramana Vinjamuri, CSEE, is gathering a team of UMBC researchers and corporate and government partners. He received an Industry University Cooperative Research Center planning grant from NSF in 2020, and he sees UMBC as perfectly situated to move this kind of high-impact research collaboration forward. Continue Reading UMBC researchers work to advance neurotechnology through emerging consortium
The Research Experience for Undergraduates in Smart Computing and Communications will bring together a cohort of 10 undergraduate students to participate in a paid 10-week, full-time research experience from June 7 to August 13. While the summer 2021 program will be remote, each student will work closely with a research group and mentor. Continue Reading UMBC offers new Research Experiences for Undergraduates in smart computing, big data
