All posts by: Sarah Hansen, M.S. '15

Two circles, each with many round blobs ranging from blue through green, yellow, and red, based on elevation of the crater. Each circle has a black line traveling from the edge (the pole location 4.25B years ago) to the center (present-day pole).

UMBC’s Viswanathan uses the Moon’s craters to track its shifting poles over 4.25 billion years

Oct 5, 2022 / 5 min read

To trace the Moon’s poles over time, the research team examined the combined effects of more than 5,000 craters on the Moon’s surface. “All this cratering is like a record” of the Moon’s history, Vishnu Viswanathan says. The team found relatively stable poles over time, which would have created favorable conditions for accumulation of resources like water near the poles. Continue Reading UMBC’s Viswanathan uses the Moon’s craters to track its shifting poles over 4.25 billion years

two researchers, one just outside and one inside a large underground pipe several feet in diameter

UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

Oct 6, 2022 / 5 min read

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has funded Urban Integrated Field Laboratories in three American cities (including Baltimore) to generate resilience-enhancing solutions to urban climate challenges in collaboration with community organizations. “What we want to try to do is partner with the communities to come up with solutions to these climate impact problems,” Claire Welty say, “and then what we’re bringing to the table are our tools to implement that.” Continue Reading UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

portrait of Ivan Erill

New UMBC research finds that viruses may have “eyes and ears” on us

Sep 23, 2022 / 5 min read

A virus’s ability to sense its environment, including elements produced by its host, adds “another layer of complexity to the viral-host interaction,” says Ivan Erill. Right now, viruses are exploiting that ability to their benefit. But in the future, he says, “we could exploit it to their detriment.” Continue Reading New UMBC research finds that viruses may have “eyes and ears” on us

two people in lab coats and gloves examining small vials in a brightly lit lab

UMBC and University of Maryland School of Medicine receive $13.7M NIH FIRST grant to increase faculty diversity

Sep 23, 2022 / 3 min read

The grant will enable the universities to hire a group of four faculty members at UMBC and six at UMSOM, each of whom will have cross-campus appointments at both institutions. “Faculty hired under UM-FIRST will advance our teaching and research missions and serve as leaders for institutional change as we pursue our vision of a diverse professoriate,” says William LaCourse. Continue Reading UMBC and University of Maryland School of Medicine receive $13.7M NIH FIRST grant to increase faculty diversity

Darryl Acker-Carter speaking on a dock, with the floating oyster aquaculture setup behind him, to a group of teachers

Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

Sep 19, 2022 / 6 min read

Bats as biomonitors, community connections to the zero-waste movement, and oyster aquaculture are just a few of the topics that students in UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) master’s program are exploring through Baltimore-centered community-engaged research. As the first cohort in the program heads into their second and final year, they are excited about their work and looking ahead to becoming the next generation of environmental science leaders. Continue Reading Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

red robot-shaped viruses on the surface of a purple-blue cell, artist's rendering

Viruses may be ‘watching’ you – some microbes lie in wait until their hosts unknowingly give them the signal to start multiplying and kill them

Sep 15, 2022 / 6 min read

There’s more to virus biology than meets the eye. Viruses that infect bacteria can listen for key cellular signals to help them make decisions. Even worse, they can use the cell’s own “ears” to do the listening for them. Continue Reading Viruses may be ‘watching’ you – some microbes lie in wait until their hosts unknowingly give them the signal to start multiplying and kill them

man inspects plants growing outside a greenhouse

UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

Sep 13, 2022 / 5 min read

Biodiversity “is the whole kit and caboodle,” Chris Swan says. Without it, there could be no adaptation to change. The new project will investigate differences in biodiversity in tropical and temperate streams to increase our ability to predict how biological communities may change in a warming world. Continue Reading UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

Portrait of Jeffrey Gardner outdoors

UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease

Sep 2, 2022 / 5 min read

Drug resistance is a growing problem in treating fungal disease. Jeffrey Gardner is searching for a new way to treat these infections with bacterial enzymes. It’s a new area of research for him, but “if you can find an interesting bug, with some interesting physiology,” he says, “the types of questions can really span major different areas.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease

Dark yellow ball (the sun) with brighter yellow projections rising from the surface

UMBC’s Leamon defines “solar clock” that can precisely predict solar cycle events years in advance

Aug 12, 2022 / 5 min read

New research shows that a “solar clock” based on the sun’s magnetic field, rather than the presence or absence of sunspots, can predict events in the solar cycle, such as surges in dangerous solar flares or changing weather trends, years in advance. Continue Reading UMBC’s Leamon defines “solar clock” that can precisely predict solar cycle events years in advance

a cargo ship in port

UMBC-led team generates first global map of cargo ship pollution, revealing effects of fuel regulations

Aug 24, 2022 / 5 min read

Cargo ship pollution causes problems for port cities. The pollutant particles also have a cooling effect on the planet when they interact with clouds. Tracking pollution from ships as regulations change can help scientists clarify the poorly-understood role of clouds in climate. Continue Reading UMBC-led team generates first global map of cargo ship pollution, revealing effects of fuel regulations

 

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