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

‘Why do I need to know this?’ Padhu Seshaiyer, Ph.D. ’98, on why math matters

More than 20 years ago, Padmanabhan “Padhu” Seshaiyer, Ph.D. ’98, applied mathematics, observed researchers stretching aneurysm tissue samples in a neighboring lab, generating a dataset to describe the resilience of artery walls under varying conditions. Those mathematical computations could then be used to help doctors predict how likely an aneurysm in a patient’s artery was to rupture and choose the safest effective treatment—potentially saving lives.

For Seshaiyer, that exposure was a revelation. “Mathematics has a place to change people’s lives,” he realized. Today, as a professor of mathematical sciences at George Mason University (GMU), he directs the Center for Outreach in Mathematics Professional Learning and Educational Technology (COMPLETE). Previously, he also directed the STEM Accelerator Program for the College of Science at GMU, where he later served as associate dean for academic affairs. Both initiatives embody his mission: reform STEM education so every student experiences that same powerful connection to real-world impact.

Learning from mistakes

Seshaiyer grew up in India, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering and a master’s in mathematics. He loved math but, like many kids, kept asking, “Why do I need to know this?” Seeking applied graduate programs abroad, he chose UMBC in 1993 for its strong faculty and focus on applied math research—plus a presidential scholarship that made it possible. “UMBC had some really top-notch professors, and in particular, really good people doing applied mathematics,” he recalls.

At UMBC, mentors lit Seshaiyer’s path in research and teaching. With Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, he studied finite element methods, which break a complex problem into many simple pieces, solve each separately, then combine the results to approximate the behavior of the whole. His scholarship didn’t require him to teach, but he pursued classroom opportunities anyway to enrich his experience—which they certainly did. For example, “four into eight” means multiplication in Indian English, but division to American students. “Unless you’re in front of the classroom, make that mistake, and learn from it—well, that’s how you become a good teacher,” he reflects.

From “how” to “why”

two men in suits, hands clasped in front of them, in front of a banner with the UMBC shield and "UMBC Alumni Association" on it — Padmanabhan Seshaiyer (left) with Manil Suri, one of his UMBC mentors, at the 2024 UMBC Alumni Awards. (Photo by Jill Fannon, M.F.A. ’11)

A course with former UMBC engineering professor Jay Humphrey exposed Seshaiyer to biomechanics. Impressed, Humphrey later recruited him for a postdoctoral position at Texas A&M University. It was there that Seshaiyer observed the aneurysm experiments that sparked his pivot to education reform. Traditional teaching, he had seen, often skipped the “why,” leaving students disengaged.

“There was a gap,” he says, “between understanding how to do the mathematics and the why.” That idea inspired him to found the COMPLETE Center, which has trained over 2,500 teachers since 2010 in blending procedural skills with conceptual understanding. The training is grounded in evidence-based pedagogy, such as the 5E instructional model: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.

“Students are not just consumers of mathematics,” Seshaiyer emphasizes. “They are producers of mathematics. It’s important to treat them as producers.” He starts lessons by making connections to real life. When teaching conic sections—the various cross-section shapes created if one slices through a cone—he begins with GPS satellites, which draw intersecting circles to pinpoint a location: “Now, I just told you why we need to learn what we’re learning.”

UMBC has emphasized this same shift toward relevance and active discovery in its own curriculum. MATH 110: Math in Action, launched in fall 2023, is a lab-based class for non-STEM majors that replaces traditional lectures with hands-on experiments—such as tracking brine shrimp movement to explore velocity or using clinometers to measure real-world heights—to demonstrate how math permeates everyday life. By encouraging students to investigate, analyze data, and forge their own connections, the course helps transform math anxiety into curiosity and shows that understanding the “why” can make the subject engaging and empowering for all learners.

Student-led discovery

Seshaiyer has realized that reforming mathematics education at the college level is insufficient, though. As chair of Virginia’s STEM Advisory Board, he spearheaded the state’s first K – 12 data science standards, in part responding to employer demands for a data science-ready workforce. Data science sits at the intersection of statistical reasoning, mathematical foundations, and computational thinking and may not carry the emotional baggage that straight-up “math” does for some students, Seshaiyer explains.

In Virginia’s data science curricula, students follow a hands-on cycle: acquire data, process it, visualize trends, generate a model, use it to predict future results, and communicate the findings. Students often get to choose their own projects, which have included everything from river pollution to rates of depression among high schoolers.

The process follows a framework Seshaiyer developed called the “five Cs.” It starts with “context” (a real-world problem), followed by creating a meaningful “curriculum” that incorporates integrated “content” presented via effective teaching “concepts.” Throughout the process, the teacher cultivates student “competencies” including communication skills, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

Sometimes, the best thing a teacher can do to foster these skills is step away: A high school student interested in modeling the spread of Zika virus was in Seshaiyer’s office when an undergraduate student arrived who was interested in gang violence in Puerto Rico. Seshaiyer stepped out (ostensibly for a cup of coffee) and encouraged the two to discuss their ideas. When he returned, the two students had come up with modes of gang violence “transmission” that paralleled the ways Zika spreads. The research eventually yielded a published paper on which both students were co-authors.

standing student drops a ball down a wall, alongside a meterstick. Another student uses her phone to record its fall. — Left: Students in the Building STEPs program run a trial in a lab activity about potential and kinetic energy. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC) Right: Students in MATH 110: Math in Action record the movements of brine shrimp. (Photo by Sarah Hansen, M.S. ’15/UMBC)

three students lean over a laboratory counter; the one in the center holds a dropper over a backlit pad, one records data on paper in a math class. — Left: Students in the Building STEPs program run a trial in a lab activity about potential and kinetic energy. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC) Right: Students in MATH 110: Math in Action record the movements of brine shrimp. (Photo by Sarah Hansen, M.S. ’15/UMBC)

“Mathematics for impact”

Seshaiyer’s experiences at UMBC remain foundational, including a personal relationship with president emeritus (and fellow mathematician) Freeman Hrabowski, with whom he’s shared the stage for keynote addresses. “UMBC has definitely taught me so much,” says Seshaiyer, who received a 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award from the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Recently nominated for Virginia’s Math Educator of the Year, his core passion—“mathematics for impact”—endures. UMBC is extending that same impact into K – 12 classrooms through strategic partnerships with Baltimore City high schools. A longstanding collaboration with Building STEPs brings MATH 110-style hands-on labs to rising seniors, helping build math confidence and real-world connections.

Newer partnerships, such as with the Ingenuity Project at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, include hosting campus visits for students and professional development for teachers and supporting student research in math modeling. These efforts create pipelines for engaged, math-ready learners—proving that when institutions meet students where they are, math can be an exciting path forward rather than an obstacle to overcome.

UMBC’s Seneviratne to study how HIV and cancer drugs harm the brain

Important FDA-approved drugs to treat HIV and cancer can save lives, but they come with their own risks. Some drugs used clinically are known to cause neurological side effects in up to half of patients, ranging from confusion and memory problems to permanent nerve damage. Kamal Seneviratne, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been studying exactly how these drugs harm the brain, in an effort to mitigate their negative effects.

portrait of man on white background — Work led by Nav Phulara supplied the data needed to successfully apply for MSCRF funding; he also leads the current project. (Courtesy of Phulara)

Last year, Seneviratne’s lab published the first study to reveal disruptions to brain lipid metabolism in response to the HIV drug efavirenz. The study began to show how the drug throws the brain’s lipid chemistry out of balance in specific brain regions.

Now, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) has awarded Seneviratne a $350,000 grant to continue this promising line of work. He and his students will investigate how drugs currently in use such as efavirenz, dolutegravir (another HIV drug), and a common chemotherapy agent (oxaliplatin) can damage brain cells over time.

Nav Phulara, a Ph.D. candidate in Seneviratne’s lab, was first author on the 2024 paper and will again take a leading role in the upcoming work, alongside other UMBC graduate and undergraduate students. The project offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with key techniques for work in this field, including advanced mass spectrometry imaging and human stem cell research.

From ‘what’ to ‘how’

Work supported by the new grant will take advantage of Seneviratne’s collaboration with neurologist Jinchong Xu at Johns Hopkins University, who works with human neural cells. The research team will run their trials in miniature human “brain organoids”—clusters of human brain cells grown in the lab from stem cells. Organoids mimic the physiology of a human brain far better than animal models ever could.

portrait of smiling man in front of full bookshelf — Herana Kamal Seneviratne uses a wide range of approaches to discover molecular mechanisms involved in neurotoxicity. (Courtesy of Seneviratne)

“Animal studies are useful, but there are major limitations due to species differences. It is extremely difficult to obtain human brain tissues,” Seneviratne says. “That’s why our collaboration with Dr. Xu has been a game-changer. With the organoids, we will finally see how these drugs behave inside human brain tissue.”

A high-resolution approach Seneviratne’s lab employed for their 2024 paper visualizes molecules directly in intact tissues, whereas other methods require grinding up the samples. The technique, a type of mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) called MALDI MSI, allows researchers to determine not only how much of various molecule types are present in the brain, but exactly where.

Seneviratne and his collaborators will be using this technique in combination with proteomics—the large-scale study of all proteins in a cell or tissue—in their MSCRF-funded work to track exactly where the drugs and their breakdown products travel inside the brain organoids and how they disturb the brain’s lipid balance. Lipids are essential for brain cells to communicate and survive, so when their function is impaired, brain cells can die, contributing to long-term neurodegeneration.

“We want to understand the ‘how’ behind the damage,” says Seneviratne. “If we can pinpoint the exact molecular warning signs, clinicians and drug companies could one day screen new medicines early in their development to help avoid these risks.”

A holistic approach

roughly circular shape with pixelated interior in pink, red, green, yellow, and black; scale bar indicates about half the diameter of the circle is 500 um. — Different colors in this spectroscopy image of a brain organoid indicate the presence of different cell types. (Courtesy of Kamal Seneviratne)

“I’m driven by the scientific questions, not any single technique,” Seneviratne explains. “We’ll use whatever tools—imaging, proteomics, molecular biology, biochemical analyses—best let us answer them.”

By combining high-resolution MALDI MSI and proteomics with human brain organoids that contain the full neighborhood of neural cells, the project offers a highly relevant picture of drug-induced damage—helping bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and patient outcomes.

The grant also opens a path for future impact. Part of the goal of the MSCRF is to encourage technology transfer, meaning discoveries could eventually lead to a startup company and new tools for the pharmaceutical industry.

“This support lets us turn promising science into something that can genuinely help people,” Seneviratne says. “Ultimately, we hope to give clinicians better ways to protect the brain while treating deadly diseases.”

UMBC’s Steven Caruso honored for leading authentic undergrad research in the classroom

Steven Caruso ’94, Ph.D. ’02, biological sciences, received an honorable mention for the inaugural Outstanding Instructor Award from Microbiology Resource Announcements. The award celebrates instructors like Caruso, a teaching professor in biological sciences, who have published in the journal with their undergraduate students as part of a course or program. Caruso is being honored for the many bacteriophage genomes he has published with UMBC students as part of the UMBC Phage Hunters program. Phage Hunters at UMBC creates opportunities for authentic scientific inquiry for scores of students who might not otherwise conduct mentored research.

“Students participating in our Phage Hunters classes are challenged to carry out experiments as if they were working in a research lab on campus,” Caruso says. “Their work includes engaging in scientific communication; having students write and publish papers provides a tangible result at the end of their experience.”

UMBC was one of 12 institutions to pioneer the SEA-PHAGES program in 2008. Since then, almost 1,700 UMBC undergraduates have participated. UMBC students have isolated, characterized, and archived nearly 800 phages—viruses that infect bacterial cells. Of those, 87 have been sequenced and 66 submitted to GenBank, a global genetic database.

“Dr. Caruso has done a remarkable job in providing authentic research experiences to students at a very large scale. For example, this semester he had almost 100 students in his class,” shares Michelle Starz-Gaiano, professor and chair of biological sciences.

Based on conversations with students at their end-of-semester research presentations, Starz-Gaiano adds, “It is clear that they found the work challenging, but they also feel supported. It’s through this kind of experience that they learn firsthand what it is like to conduct original research, and many of them feel inspired to keep exploring what is next to discover.”

UMBC discovery opens door to broad-spectrum antivirals against dozens of dangerous viruses

A study out of UMBC, published in Nature Communications, reveals how enteroviruses—including pathogens that cause polio, encephalitis, myocarditis, and the common cold—initiate replication by hijacking host-cell machinery. The research fills a knowledge gap on this critical step and could pave the way for a new class of antiviral drugs that are effective against multiple viruses.

“My lab has been really motivated to understand how RNA viruses produce their proteins inside the cell and multiply their genome to make more virus particles,” says senior author Deepak Koirala, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Building on his group’s discovery of a crucial cloverleaf structure in the viral RNA, their latest paper, led by first author Naba Krishna Das, Ph.D. ’25, chemistry, has now shown how the cloverleaf recruits proteins to assemble the replication complex.

Seeing the bigger picture

Enteroviruses carry a small RNA genome that must do double duty: make viral proteins and copy itself to produce new viruses. A key player is a viral protein called 3CD. One half (3C) cuts the complete string of amino acids encoded by the virus’s RNA into individual proteins. The other half (3D) is an RNA polymerase—the enzyme that copies the viral RNA. Human cells don’t have anything like this polymerase, so the virus has to bring its own.

researcher stands in front of white board with stylized cloverleaf shape drawn on it holding marker, discussing research that could lead to new antiviral treatments with two students — Deepak Koirala (center) discusses his team’s research with Senali Dansou ’23, biochemistry and molecularbiology (left), and Alisha Patel ’25, biochemistry and molecular biology, and a coauthor on the new paper. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

“We previously determined the structure of the RNA alone, and other groups determined the structure of 3C and 3D separately, but now we’ve captured the structure of the RNA and proteins together, so we know how they are interacting,” Koirala explains. “We found that it’s the 3C domain of 3CD that binds to the viral RNA, and then it recruits the other components to assemble the replication complex.”

The same complex also works as an on-off switch: when 3CD is attached, the virus copies its RNA; when it lets go, the RNA can be read to make proteins instead.

The team also settled a debate by showing that two complete 3CD molecules (bringing two RNA polymerases) bind to the RNA independently, rather than forming a single fused pair. Why two are needed is still a mystery, but the picture is now clear.

four researchers in lab coats and safety glasses standing in the lab, two in the center hold up petri dishes to the light — Koirala lab members Alisha Patel, Deepak Koirala, Naba Krishna Das, and Jeffrey Vogt ’23, biochemistry and molecular biology, compare the growth on petri dishes. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

New antiviral targets

Perhaps most exciting, the seven types of enteroviruses the paper investigated all employed a very similar binding mechanism and RNA cloverleaf structure. The extent of this conservation implies the RNA cloverleaf is very important for replication, and any mutations would likely derail it. That means the RNA and RNA-protein interface is likely to be stable over time across enteroviruses, making it an even more promising drug target—and opening the door to the tantalizing prospect of a “universal” drug targeting all enteroviruses.

Drugs disrupting 3C and 3D activity are already in development, but “now we have another layer to test,” Koirala says. “What if we target the RNA, or the RNA-protein interface, so that we break the interaction? That is another opportunity. Now that we have high-resolution structures, you can precisely design drug molecules to target them.”

“Viruses are so, so clever. Their entire genome is equivalent to about one mRNA sequence in humans, yet they are so effective,” Koirala says. His latest work demonstrates “why we need to investigate this basic science—so that it can be translated into developing drugs targeting pathogens that cause so many harmful diseases.”

Renaissance Retrievers

It was polymath Leonardo da Vinci who declared, “Learning never exhausts the mind,” a credo that propelled a rebirth of education with people seeking to master art, science, and invention in pursuit of human potential. At UMBC today, this same spirit thrives among our many “Renaissance Retrievers”—students, faculty, and staff who blend disciplines into a symphony of diverse talents and whose stories reveal a community where interdisciplinary curiosity isn’t an exception but rather the engine of innovation.

Jazz harmonies and rhythms emanating from a grand piano echo through The Commons, mingled with the smell of coffee and student conversations. At the bench sits Elia Mascolo, who has just completed his Ph.D. in biological sciences, with a focus on bioinformatics and information science. He’s a math, biology, and computer science whiz who once thought he’d rather be a professional musician—and had a real shot at it.

Across the Quad, on the fourth floor of the Math and Psychology Building, Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, scrawls partial differential equations on his office whiteboard. In the evening, he pores over the manuscript of his forthcoming memoir, A Room in Bombay. It’s the latest of his non-academic publications—a list that includes a trio of bestselling novels and regular New York Times columns.

Meanwhile, Bonnie Lander, production coordinator for the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB), is speaking with urgency into her headset, quickly resolving a catering glitch before guests arrive for a performance of Shakespeare in Harlem. The following night, she’s onstage, lending her soprano to an experimental music festival put on by High Zero Foundation, a Baltimore-based group Lander also supports as a board member and volunteer.

While Lander sings, Mareisha Banga, a senior double majoring in information systems and design, is coding on her laptop, and Mahrukh Eijaz, a senior studying information systems and media and communication studies, is analyzing how media consumption affects  our worldviews.

Mascolo, Suri, Lander, Banga, and Eijaz merge scientific rigor and technical analysis with artistic and literary expression. In a world of specialization and targeted career goals, these community members might sound like rare exceptions. But at UMBC, they’re far from alone. The university’s interdisciplinary ethos invites students, faculty, and staff to forge paths that cultivate the full spectrum of their interests  and potential.

Nearly half of UMBC students are pursuing either a second major, a minor, an undergraduate certificate, or a combination of these. Looking at the most popular majors across UMBC’s three colleges, 58 percent of psychology majors are taking on an additional area of study, including dance, chemistry, and creative writing; 55 percent of biological sciences majors are working toward additional credentials, such as in music, finance, and Arabic; and 30 percent of information systems majors are pursuing something else, from entrepreneurship  to Japanese.

illustration of a student working on art projects and math homework

And for students whose interests don’t fit within an established major, there is the Individualized Study Program (INDS). Launched in 1969—only three years after the university’s founding—INDS is one of the longest-standing individualized degree programs in the country. It affords motivated, intellectually mature students the opportunity to construct their own academic sequence, limited only by their ingenuity.

Employers see the value in a diversified education. A 2013 survey commissioned by the Association of American Colleges and Universities revealed that 80 percent of employers believe all college students, regardless of major, should gain broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences to succeed in today’s workforce. Skills like critical thinking, communication, and adaptability don’t just fill résumés, though; they build lives resilient to shifting workforce winds and position UMBC alumni to impact the world for good.

Speaking from an apartment in Vienna, Austria, where he’s about to launch a postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical biology at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Mascolo describes how overhearing his older sister’s piano lessons as a child inspired him to sit down at the bench. “It felt just like a big toy. But a super interesting one,” he recalls.

Eventually, he took his own lessons. “When I was studying classical music, I didn’t see the point of jazz music at all. I was like, ‘I don’t know what that is,’” he admits with a laugh. But curiosity won: Hearing a modern jazz piece, “I had to admit I had no idea what I was hearing. I didn’t like it yet, but there was structure; it was something different from random.” He found the genre’s improvisational chaos a puzzle demanding a solution. What started as an academic mission evolved into joy and appreciation. “I wanted to defeat jazz, and the opposite happened,” he says.

Poised to pursue music full time after high school, Mascolo’s parents urged him to take a detour at university. “They said, ‘You have always had this super strong interest for science. Why don’t you do one year of something scientific? If you still say after that, “I just want to do music,” we’ll support you.’”

illustration of a student working on math and art projects, showing versatility

He chose biology, thinking it would leave more room for piano gigs. But “after one year, I was like, ‘Actually, I like science a lot. I want to keep doing both.’” He was drawn to UMBC to work with computational biologist Ivan Erill, but when classmates learned he played piano, they recruited him for the department band, Fever Dream. “They said, ‘Hey, we figured out that you were a piano player,’ and I could not say ‘no.’”

Mascolo’s two passions might seem completely different, but there are surprising and profound parallels. Both biology and jazz resist tidy reduction. “Music and biology share complex structures that invite analytical exploration, despite differing contexts,” he notes. In bioinformatics, he applies information theory to gene regulation, much like decoding harmonic progressions.

“You start with these simple rules, and then something is built on those in a way that is too complex to completely figure out,” he reflects. “Biology and music demand a leap of wonder. It’s like a color; can you describe a color with words to a blind person and have them know exactly what the color looks like? It’s not clear that you can actually reduce that to language.”

This duality guards against tunnel vision. Having once obsessed over jazz stardom, imagining that “that was the only important thing in the world,” and then coming to experience just as much passion for scientific research, has taught Mascolo, “It doesn’t do justice to a person to equate fulfillment with a specific career.”

Suri, too, has found ways to meld his disparate skills. His novels, like The Death of Vishnu, long-listed for the 2001 Booker Prize and short-listed for the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award, have graced The New York Times-bestseller list, his math-related columns have helped demystify the discipline for lay audiences, and he has contributed to progress in the mathematical field of numerical analysis. Yet his dual life as novelist and mathematician started as a lark. “Everyone has hobbies,” Suri says. “I know people in the department who act in plays, for example. My hobby was writing.”

Not until he was tenured did Suri join writing groups and classes at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda. He broke onto the literary stage when an agent excerpted his debut novel in The New Yorker.

Suri’s writing and math worlds merged with his 2022 book The Big Bang of Numbers, which traces how to “build the universe with only math.” The book was inspired in part by a math-humanities mash-up UMBC honors seminar, which he co-taught with English faculty and Folger Theatre resident dramaturg Michele Osherow. That course also led to a play, ‘The Mathematics of Being Human,’ co-written by Suri and Osherow that premiered at UMBC and then ran at the National Museum of Mathematics in New York City and other sites in the U.S.  and Canada.

This fusion sharpens his teaching, too. In a writing-intensive history of math course, Suri grades students’ writing like a novelist. “They got a shock. ‘Hey! This guy is really serious about essay writing,’” Suri laughs. “Writing is so essential when you’re trying to articulate technical things.” Employers echo this claim: Broad liberal arts skills like communication boost employability across fields. Suri’s students—many future STEM teachers—emerge equipped to bridge disciplines.

Lander’s voice soars through experimental operas at night, but by day, she orchestrates UMBC’s performing arts venues. As operations and production coordinator for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, she books events, manages staff, and troubleshoots the rare crisis—like the time fog from a theater rehearsal triggered fire alarms mid-concert. “Everybody had to evacuate. After we all returned to the hall, the pianist sat down, picked up where she left off, and finished the last 10 minutes of a 70-minute piece. It was incredible.”

In 2007, Lander co-founded Rhymes With Opera, which premiered more than 22 chamber operas over its 15-year run. In 2018, she began working with 2640 Space, a nonprofit event venue in Baltimore. During the pandemic, “I wrote out the entire handbook and operations manual for 2640 Space. It was a big labor of love,” she says. In that role, her love of events management grew.

illustration of 4 large podiums with a violin, artist's paint palette, laptop, and science beakers sitting on top of each. small people are walking on the ground below.

Lander joined UMBC in January 2023, blending her worlds. Her role in the PAHB “pays the bills and comes with a wonderful community,” she says, and “I still have plenty of time outside of work to continue pursuing performance.” On top of her production role, she teaches voice lessons and led an improv workshop for UMBC’s Linehan Artist Scholars.

The contrast in the skills required for logistics management versus performance keep her on her toes. During a performance, “Your primary role is to exist solely in the present moment,” while coordinating events requires tracking many elements on a strict timeline. “When is the caterer showing up? When is furniture being delivered?” Lander says. “But, as with a musical performance, if you’ve prepared well, you can usually just press play, enjoy the event, and go home having made an impact.”

In Lander’s experience, UMBC’s venues aren’t just stages—they’re launchpads for lives lived in 360 stereo.

Mareisha Banga fuses aesthetics and algorithms as a senior double-majoring in design and information systems. Banga is drawn to user experience and user interface (UX/UI) projects, where the visual and functional worlds collide. “I didn’t want to just make something beautiful. I wanted to make it work,” she says.

“Having both perspectives made me a more well-rounded thinker and creative,” Banga says. “The more I learned about systems and how people interact with technology, the better I became at designing visually. Similarly, design helped me understand the human element behind the technical problems I was trying to solve. They push and inform each other in ways I didn’t expect when I first declared both majors.”

Those connections have created unique opportunities for Banga, including as a designer for the UMBC Student Events Board. “Not only do I get to design and plan events, which I love, but the fast-paced environment and tight turnaround times have helped me grow as a professional in ways I didn’t expect. It’s taught me how to work under pressure, communicate with people, and what it really means to be a student leader on campus.”

Her unique skillset is attractive to prospective employers, too. “My interviewers have consistently been fascinated by my background, wanting to dig deeper into how I think about problems from both perspectives,” Banga says. “I genuinely believe I wouldn’t have the same prospects if I’d only focused on one major.”

Senior Mahrukh Eijaz has similarly merged two fields that initially might seem unrelated. “I’ve always been interested in how people and technology interact. My information systems major gives me the tools to understand how systems and data work, while my media and communication studies major helps me think critically about how messages and meaning shape those systems,” Eijaz says. “I wanted to bridge the gap between tech and storytelling, because I believe the most impactful innovations come from people who can speak  both languages.”

“I wanted to bridge the gap between tech and storytelling, because I believe the most impactful innovations come from people who can speak both languages.” - —Mahrukh Eijaz, information systems and media and communications senior

Like Banga, Eijaz has found that her unusual double major has opened doors. “Having both degrees has made me more confident in my ability to adapt and collaborate,” she shares. “I feel more prepared to work in interdisciplinary environments, whether it’s in UX design, digital marketing, or tech policy, because I can translate ideas between technical and creative teams as well as with consumers.”

Support she found at UMBC has enhanced her ability to blend her two majors. “Professors in both departments encouraged me to find connections between the fields, instead of treating them as separate paths,” Eijaz says.

That encouragement is no accident. The way Eijaz is making connections, like the way Mascolo dissects jazz chords with the same analytical eye he brings to gene regulation, is exactly the inclination UMBC seeks to cultivate. The role of a liberal arts institution is not to slot students into pre-grooved tracks, but to offer fertile terrain where seemingly disconnected gen-eds become scaffolding for unexpected connections. In this environment, every Retriever forges a personal mosaic of ideas, methods, and passions no single major could contain.

It is here, in this complex intermingling, that Renaissance Retrievers emerge—adaptable, inspired, and whole.

CNMS GradFest fosters research connections and builds community

On November 7, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) gathered for the college’s second annual CNMS GradFest.

Prableen Chowdhary, Ph.D. ’24, biological sciences, currently a postdoc with Rachel Brewster, professor of biological sciences, and a member of the student-led planning committee, expressed hope that GradFest would “spark conversations and collaborations across disciplines.”

CNMS dean William LaCourse offered advice to attendees as the program kicked off. “Whatever you do in life, do it with all your heart. If you’re doing research, do it like you own it,” he said. “Live in the present and seize opportunities. Enjoy every moment, like this moment today. You can’t change yesterday; when I make mistakes, I’m grateful for grace and forgiveness. And you can plan for tomorrow, but you can’t control it.”

woman speaks into handheld microphone, standing next to a lectern; man stands behind the lectern — Prableen Chowdhary (left) and Hasan Al Banna, CNMS GradFest’s two emcees, welcome attendees to the event. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Following the introductions, seven students presented “lightning talks,” five-minute presentations describing their research in engaging, accessible terms for those outside their field. The talks featured students in biological sciences, physics, chemistry and biochemistry, marine biotechnology, and mathematics and statistics. They discussed topics like novel therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer, innovative two-dimensional materials for improved sensors, and previously unobserved plasma jets from black holes.

GradFest as a stepping stone

“Part of our goal was to intentionally include graduate students with less presentation experience or early-stage projects,” shared Maria Cambraia, director for research and international affairs in CNMS, and lead staff member on the planning committee. “GradFest gives them a chance to practice in a friendly environment.”

group photo of 12 people in front of curtain wearing conference lanyards — Lightning talk presenters and CNMS GradFest planning committee members worked hard to make the event a success. Rear, left to right: Maria Cambraia, Lara Scott, Andrew Wolff, Sean Ravel, Peng Yan, Codi Hrynko, Jalil Ahmad. Front, left to right: Prableen Chowdhary, Lizbeth Joy Tan, Megha Pandya, Ronita Sequeira, Hasan Al Banna. Planning committee members not pictured: Ayo Ogunsanya, Elana Frazier, Jeanne Ngo. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Following the talks, the ballroom buzzed during two poster sessions, where dozens more students discussed their projects with peers, mentors, and guests. GradFest encouraged presentations of research at all stages of development.

Muhammad Jalil Ahmad, president of the Mathematics and Statistics Graduate Student Association and a planning committee member, presented a lightning talk and poster on mathematical modeling for complex phenomena like weather or disease spread.

Ahmad, a fourth-year applied mathematics Ph.D. candidate mentored by Animikh Biswas and Kathleen Hoffman, professors of mathematics, agreed. “Presenting at GradFest is useful before heading to a bigger stage, like a national meeting,” he said. “Even at a math conference, people are studying different topics, so it’s good to practice communicating with people outside your field.” He added that GradFest offers the opportunity to network with researchers using similar methods for different applications.

man speaking into handheld microphone on stage; large projector screen behind him reads "real-world models" with bullet points for "weather" and "epidemiology" — Muhammad Jalil Ahmad (left) and Lara Scott (right), Ph.D. students in mathematics, presented lightning talks at GradFest. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

woman speaks from lectern on stage; large projector screen shows fruit fly egg chamber and fruit fly — Muhammad Jalil Ahmad (left) and Lara Scott (right), Ph.D. students in mathematics, presented lightning talks at GradFest. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Ian Kirn ’23, physics, a second-year physics Ph.D. student, presented a poster on asteroseismology, which investigates earthquake-like phenomena on stars. Kirn chose to pursue his Ph.D. with Eileen Meyer, professor of physics, after doing undergraduate research with her. “It’s important for different disciplines to talk to each other, because they’re actually all related,” Kirn says. “This event encourages collaboration.”

Fidelia Asomani, a third-year biological sciences Ph.D. candidate working with Erin Green, associate professor of biological sciences, called GradFest “a good first opportunity to get my feet wet presenting.” Asomani studies yeast, which shares basic functions with complex organisms. “It’s important to invest in studying processes conserved across species,” she says, which can inform human disease treatment.

man speaks and gestures toward poster as two people listen — Ian Kirn (left) discussed his astroseismology research, and Fidelia Asomani (right) explains her research on protein regulation in yeast, with GradFest attendees. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

woman stands in front of her poster speaking to four people — Ian Kirn (left) discussed his astroseismology research, and Fidelia Asomani (right) explains her research on protein regulation in yeast, with GradFest attendees. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

The humble heart of a scientist

LaCourse also encouraged embracing humility. “By remembering you won’t always be the best, humility helps you celebrate others’ successes and accept failure—and research involves a lot of failure,” he said. “Humility is a path you walk, not a trait you innately possess, and it leads to learning, growth, and respect.”

By late afternoon, GradFest had turned strangers into collaborators, boosted first-time presenters’ confidence, and made the ballroom a launchpad for breakthroughs. Attendees left with new contacts and the dean’s words in their hearts—proof that bold discoveries can begin with a humble “hello.”

Learn more about graduate programs in CNMS.

Meet a Retriever—Maggie Williams ’24, physics, Quantum Science Institute Graduate Fellow

Maggie Williams ’24, physics, is a second-year physics Ph.D. student, a Quantum Science Institute (QSI) Graduate Fellow, and an officer in the Physics Graduate Student Association (PGSA). In her research with Sebastian Deffner, associate professor of physics, she studies biological processes at a microscopic scale, where the physics of atomic interactions—including quantum effects—come into play. Outside the lab, Maggie enjoys playing guitar, listening to music, hiking, and reading.

On November 6, Maggie is giving an interactive live demo of quantum key distribution, where participants can experience firsthand how quantum physics makes eavesdropping detectable and secure communication possible. All are welcome. Take it away, Maggie!

Q: What brought you to UMBC for graduate school, and how did your path at UMBC begin?

A: I applied to graduate school because I wasn’t done learning. As a UMBC undergraduate, my first upper-level physics course was Thermal and Statistical Physics, taught by Dr. Deffner. It was very challenging, but it sparked my interest in statistical physics, and soon I began sitting in on Dr. Deffner’s research group meetings to learn more about the field and what research involves. Not long after, I completed a research project under his guidance and presented a poster at UMBC’s 2023 Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day.

Working with Dr. Deffner led me to begin reading current papers and graduate texts to better understand my work, which only made me want to learn more. Since I already knew about the strong, close-knit community at UMBC from my undergraduate experience, choosing UMBC for graduate school felt like the best option for my success.

Earning my bachelor’s degree was not without challenges, though. After struggling through classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt burned out and unsure about continuing my education, so I took a gap semester in spring 2022 to complete an internship at the tourism organization Visit Baltimore. After some time in the corporate world, I decided to finish my bachelor’s degree and returned to UMBC that fall. During my time away, UMBC advisors and faculty checked in and helped map out a clear path to graduating, which made my transition feel more manageable.

Q: Tell us about your current research and what fascinates you about it.

A: I study nonequilibrium statistical physics, which uses mathematics to model systems heavily affected by randomness. Right now, I’m finishing a project on small, active processes inside cells that are not in balance, with a particular focus on how cells copy information from DNA to RNA, and how tiny errors can build up as an organism ages. Because cells are so small, their behavior is naturally random, and events in the cell that are far apart in time barely affect each other.

That makes Markovian dynamics, which assumes the next step of a system depends only on its current state, a good framework for modeling these systems. This project also provides a simple testbed for future studies that aim to model microscopic biological processes.

“

Graduate school is challenging, and I’ve had my own moments of discouragement and impostor syndrome. When that happens, I try to turn it into a chance to deepen my understanding, which has only fueled my curiosity about a subject.

Maggie Williams ’24, physics, and a second-year physics Ph.D. student

In my graduate work, the idea that mathematics, combined with physical intuition, can effectively model complex quantum systems continues to fascinate me. I plan to focus my Ph.D. research on quantum many-body systems, which are large groups of tiny particles (like electrons or atoms) that follow quantum rules (such as being able to act like waves or exist in multiple states at once) and whose behaviors are tightly interconnected, so you have to consider how they all influence each other at the quantum level.

Q: What do you love about UMBC’s physics program and the community that supports you?

A: One thing I love about my program is its small-but-mighty community, which makes it easy to reach professors or senior grad students for support, advice, or just a chat. My cohort has inspired me to push toward my goals and has been a steady support network when classes or work get overwhelming, so I’m genuinely grateful for my peers at UMBC.

four physics graduate students playing spikeball on a lawn; one is diving for the ball — Edgar Rueda, Sandra Cheng, Cassie Daniele, and Maggie Williams (left to right) enjoy an intense game of spikeball at a Physics Graduate Student Association event. (Courtesy of Williams)

Q: How is being part of QSI benefiting your Ph.D.?

A: QSI fosters a welcoming community across disciplines that has helped me learn about fields I might not otherwise have the chance to explore. It also provides practical support, from funding for research materials and supplementary textbooks to travel support for conferences and meetings, and it offers chances to lead academic seminars!

Q: How are you involved on campus, and what do you enjoy about it?

A: I serve on the PGSA council. It’s a great way to boost morale among first- and second-year students, encourage socializing outside of class and work, and help us get to know each other. I also enjoy the event-planning side—it’s an opportunity to get creative and come up with fun group activities. The other council members are supportive and kind, and it’s been a great experience so far.

Q: What advice would you give to a high schooler or undergraduate interested in physics and/or quantum science?

A: Don’t hesitate to reach out to teachers and mentors: Ask questions, introduce yourself, and start conversations. Networking matters in every field, and it’s especially important in academia. I’d also encourage them not to dwell on setbacks. Graduate school is challenging, and I’ve had my own moments of discouragement and impostor syndrome. When that happens, I try to turn it into a chance to deepen my understanding, which has only fueled my curiosity about a subject.

In the end, a genuine interest in learning and the drive to keep pursuing knowledge are the most important ingredients. I believe these things have brought me to where I am today, and I’m excited to see where my journey through graduate school takes me. This is only the beginning!

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Lighting the path: Jackie King’s unyielding vision

In the crisp autumn air, Jackie King laces up her running shoes, her white cane—affectionately named Amigo—tucked nearby. The UMBC alumna is training for the New York City Marathon. The effort underscores a life shaped by triumphs and relationships, rather than her gradual loss of sight.

After years of misdiagnosis, in 2017, King finally learned she had retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition causing progressive vision loss. Today, King is legally blind—and yet she radiates resilience and positivity. “I have chosen this,” she says firmly. “I could choose to be like, ‘Oh man, this sucks,’ every day, all day. But I’ve chosen not to.”

In her early 20s, King built a graphic design business in Baltimore, mixing paints and hand-lettering signs when she could still see clearly. But by age 30, dark flecks were regularly drifting across her field of vision, making night driving and dim spaces like movie theaters challenging.

As her vision faltered, a recurring dream of a college campus spurred her to enroll at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) as an art history major, but she shifted to psychology after a professor’s nudge. “I fell in love,” she recalls. “Studying behaviors and people—it seemed so natural.” King arrived at UMBC in 2002 as a Ph.D. student in human services psychology.

The vision to see others’ potential

Jackie King and two other women in neon green tops running on a road; one wears a top that says "guide," indicating she is trained to lead runners with reduced vision — Jackie King (center) trains with Achilles International every Saturday. (Image courtesy of King)

King’s dissertation evaluated Baltimore’s Sisters Circle mentoring program for middle and high school girls, revealing that unstructured, long-term relationships boosted self-esteem and academic drive—and the benefits often extended to mentees’ families. Earning her Ph.D. in 2009, King joined UMBC as assistant director of the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, and today she is the associate director of the Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE), which replaced MARC. In that role, she applies her research, guiding hundreds of students through graduate school applications and academic and personal challenges.

“I often see so much more in them than they see in themselves,” King says. “Seeing their potential is my gift—and then I get to let them in on the secret.” Sharing her own struggles with students builds trust, modeling that seeking help is a strength.

Phyllis Robinson, U-RISE director and a professor of biological sciences, praises King as “the linchpin that makes the program run smoothly.” Robinson supports King’s pursuits on and off the road, admiring her “compassionate and caring approach” amid her vision challenges.

Adapting hasn’t been easy for King, though. She hasn’t driven in a decade, and reading text on paper is now impossible. Adopting the cane 18 months ago, she admits, was “the hardest hurdle.” Yet she reframes her loss: “I would not be as compassionate or empathetic without this journey. It could have been otherwise—but the fact that it isn’t? I’m making the best of it.”

A healthy mix of challenge and community

Jackie King smiling with another women runner wearing medals — Jackie King (left) and her daughter, Demirise King, celebrate after racing in the Baltimore Running Festival’s half marathon on October 18, 2025. (Image courtesy of King)

Running anchored King. At age 45, she trained on UMBC’s 1.8-mile loop for her first marathon. She ran the Baltimore race with Team in Training, fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As running alone grew riskier, she was thrilled when Achilles International, a nonprofit that supports athletes with disabilities, launched a Baltimore chapter in April 2024. Now, 15 to 30 athletes—visually impaired, neurodivergent, amputees, stroke survivors, and more—and their volunteer guides gather each Saturday in Patterson Park to train.

“I came for the challenge; I’ve stayed for the community,” King says. “No one’s judging your pace—6 minutes or 17. There’s a place for you with Achilles.”

After seeing how much the organization has meant to her mom, King’s daughter, Demerise King, is fundraising for Achilles International as she also trains for NYC this fall.

“I’ve watched my mom navigate her vision loss for as long as I can remember,” she shares. “She’s given me a gift by illustrating what it looks like to push past obstacles. Knowing that she is safe while running with the Achilles community gives me a sense of peace.”

King’s forthcoming memoir reflects her reluctant embrace of her condition. “I did not want to be here, but I am,” she says. As King tapers for NYC, she takes a spiritual approach to her situation, affirming that “I’m preparing for what’s been prepared for me.” As her vision dims, she runs with an illuminated heart, lighting the path for hundreds of UMBC students and others along the way.

Learn more about UMBC’s Ph.D. program in human services psychology.

Unsung heroes: Meet 4 UMBC building managers who keep research moving

The College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences is home to high-tech scientific instrumentation alongside traditional infrastructure like water pipes and HVAC systems, all of which UMBC researchers and students rely on. That equipment also requires regular maintenance and occasional upgrades, and it’s the often-invisible work of UMBC’s skilled and experienced building managers that keeps things humming. Four CNMS building managers welcomed us into their world, sharing everything from what it takes to succeed in their roles to the hidden gems found in their buildings.

Meet the building managers:

Erik Crowe, Physics Building
Dennis Cuddy, Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building
Brian Moravec, Meyerhoff Chemistry Building
Sam Williams, Biological Sciences Building and Schwartz Hall

Erik Crowe
Building Manager, Physics Building

Erik Crowe brought five years of hands-on expertise as a laboratory specialist in the UMBC physics department and prior experience at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to his current role as physics department building manager, which he assumed in 2019. Today he supports faculty, staff, and students in physics—including the Earth and Space Institute and Quantum Science Institute—overseeing everything from HVAC systems to lab renovations. Crowe thrives on the blend of technical innovation, educational support, and collaborative spirit he gets to practice in his role.

building manager interacting with large piece of fabrication equipment — Erik Crowe works in the Physics Building’s basement machine shop, where he fabricates custom instrument parts for researchers and trains students to do the same. Crowe built 35 parts for AirHARP, a critical precursor to UMBC’s HARP2, which is currently orbiting Earth on NASA’s PACE mission. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I appreciate that every day presents new challenges to problem-solve and support occupants of the Physics Building. My position allows me to leverage my technical background in facilities management and in educating students, staff, and faculty about prototyping and precision machine operations in the machine shop. I also appreciate my collaboration with my colleagues. We have a wonderful staff team in physics, and I couldn’t be successful in my position without their support. The faculty, staff, and students are always finding new ways to push me to expand my skill set.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I started my career as a process engineer developing and fabricating cryogenic detectors, devices that use ultra-low temperatures to very sensitively detect particles, for the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I thoroughly enjoyed the work, but working in a cleanroom is grueling, and I was looking for something new. Encouraged by my former college advisor, I applied for the lab specialist position at UMBC and was hired in December 2014. It was the change that I needed. I have grown both professionally and personally over the last decade, hitting career goals and growing my family.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I am particularly proud of collaborating with the structural maintenance department in facilities management (FM) to renovate approximately 40 spaces in the building over the course of a year and a half. These included research labs, office spaces, and our graduate student wing. It is a tremendous amount of work to plan, organize, and facilitate a project of that size, but we were able to do it with minimal interruption and impact to the building occupants.

I am also proud of the ongoing work to improve the HVAC system within the Physics Building. Over the last decade, we’ve gathered data and addressed the underlying issues, so completing the HVAC study last year was a huge milestone for me. We have a lot of work left to do, but we are moving in the right direction every day.

man wearing safety goggles operates a lathe — Crowe operates a lathe, which is useful for creating complex shapes in various materials. The lathe is the only instrument Crowe does not train others to use due to the risk of injury; he takes safety in the shop very seriously and is proud of the space’s safety record. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: It takes large doses of patience, persistence, organization, and communication skills to be a successful building manager. You have to prioritize different issues that arise on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. There are emergencies where a building system might go down or malfunction. In those situations, you have to stay calm, gather data, run through your contact list, formulate a plan, communicate the impact, and follow up to make sure all aspects of an issue are addressed. You also have to be prepared to pivot when things don’t go smoothly.

I submit work orders every day to keep the building running. There are small maintenance and renovation projects where I meet with the FM shops to discuss our approach, there are large-scale projects that can significantly impact occupants and their academic and research activities, and everything in between. My day is never the same and the requests I receive ebb and flow.

Q: What are some of your favorite spaces or hidden gems in the building?

A: The machine shop is my favorite space in the building. Over the last decade, I have built the shop to match the department’s needs. I am proud of the resource it has become and my interactions with students, staff, and faculty to help them develop their technical skills. I am excited about the future of the space, and how we can continue to grow its capabilities and educational programming. It’s a lean facility, but it packs a punch.

Not all of our research activities are performed inside the building. We installed a dedicated research platform on the roof in 2018, which gathers data for atmospheric physics and astrophysics research. But the roof doesn’t just house equipment—it also provides some of the best views on campus of the Baltimore skyline.

man wearing safety goggles works in machine shop, holding small piece of metal — Erik Crowe maintains the Physics Building’s machine shop (left) and instrumentation on the building’s roof (right). (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

man stands on roof, large tanks to his left — Erik Crowe maintains the Physics Building’s machine shop (left) and instrumentation on the building’s roof (right). (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Dennis Cuddy
Senior Facilities Manager, Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building and beyond

Dennis Cuddy, administrator of the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) and senior facilities manager in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, is in his 26th year at UMBC and his sixth in his current role. Cuddy’s career exemplifies innovative problem-solving and dedication to UMBC’s scientific ecosystem, from orchestrating the renovation of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building to managing dozens of classrooms, labs, and core facilities that support hundreds of students and researchers.

man pushes button on a small screen on front of a large white rectangular instrument — Dennis Cuddy maintains research equipment in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, which opened in 2019. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What do you appreciate about your role?

A: UMBC has allowed me to use my strengths in organization, scheduling, and operations while exposing me to skills like web development, event planning, and major construction operations—above and beyond what I could offer when I was hired. Now, I handle building operations across colleges and consult for administrative departments I’ve worked with over the years. It’s fulfilling to be asked your opinion about how things can run better.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I answered an ad in the Baltimore Sun for a chemist, which listed managerial duties similar to what I was doing at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. I still have the ad somewhere at home.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I oversaw the renovation of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building from 2002 to 2005. When we needed additional funds to finish the project, I wrote a construction grant to the National Center for Research Resources that was awarded. Being tasked with reporting the research activities going on in the renovated space for 20 years after the fact was the price I paid, but it was worth it.

man looks out on green roof; skylights visible to his left — The ILSB sports a green roof, which reduces cooling costs but also complicates building maintenance. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: It takes patience, good communication, organization, and being proactive when needed (and knowing when that is). You have to be a representative of the university and a good steward of state-appropriated funds. Helping colleagues when needed is essential, because even buildings with dedicated facility managers often lack backups.

Q: What are some of your favorite spaces or surprising facts about the building?

A: The lobby by the third floor elevators is pretty amazing, with the green roof and double helix staircase to the fourth floor, but I find that sitting in the main lobby, anonymously taking in the beauty of the space and the energy of the students, is the most rewarding. Most people don’t know that the ILSB sits on a redirected creek bed, and even during the driest times, the water table is only eight feet beneath the basement floor.

man pushes buttons on a small screen mounted on a podium in a classroom; round tables and a bright pink wall with a TV screen on it in the background — The ILSB houses several active learning classrooms with extensive audio visual equipment that Cuddy also oversees. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Brian Moravec
Building Manager, Meyerhoff Chemistry Building

Brian Moravec honed his skills through two decades in USDA molecular biology labs. For the last six years, he has ensured that research and teaching go smoothly in the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building as its building manager. Moravec coordinates repairs and maintenance, manages inventories, and supervises the department’s glassblower and teaching lab manager—turning potential disruptions into opportunities for safety and efficiency.

man adjusts a research poster hanging on a wall — Brian Moravec will do anything to keep his building spic and span, including stopping to straighten a poster during a tour of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I like that my responsibilities change from day to day. One day I may spend most of my time in the office completing administrative tasks, and the next day I might respond to an urgent water leak. I also like that my colleagues in the department, college, and facilities management all have the same goal: Keep things running safely and smoothly to serve our community’s education and research needs.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I worked in a molecular biology lab at the USDA in Beltsville, Maryland for 20 years. Near the end of that time, I was able to take temporary work as a facility operations specialist at the National Agricultural Library and the National Arboretum. These temporary jobs boosted my interest in the field of building management and operations. When I saw an opening at UMBC in a STEM field, I decided to make a switch.

man inspects large blue instrument with white screen in the middle — Brian Moravec maintains the behind-the-scenes systems that keep the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building running. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I am proud of the water damage mitigation I helped with during the 2022 Christmas flood. Our building was damaged, but we didn’t lose any scientific equipment because I had prepared some items in advance, just in case we needed to divert water around million-dollar instruments. I am also proud of the safety record in both the teaching and research labs in the building. Our building can be dangerous, with flammable and toxic materials, but the safety training and equipment we provide helps keep what can be a dangerous place very safe.

Q: What is something you want people to know about the building or your role?

A: People should know that sometimes the building smells—it’s old! There are a lot of different chemicals in use, but a strange odor by itself is not dangerous. Also, I consider myself a problem solver. People come to me with all sorts of difficulties and issues. I may not be able to fix them all, but I can almost certainly find someone that can help.

man flips through a very full key ring — Brian Moravec manages and distributes keys for all spaces in his building, and there are a lot of them! (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

man stands on brick walkway, leaning against a sign that reads "Meyerhoff Chemistry Building" — Brian Moravec manages and distributes keys for all spaces in his building, and there are a lot of them! (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Sam Williams ’99
Building Manager, Biological Sciences Building and Schwartz Hall

Sam Williams ’99, history, has dedicated 24 years to UMBC, serving the last 11 as building manager for the Biological Sciences Building after 13 years as assistant athletics director for facilities and operations. His role spans routine maintenance, crisis response, vendor coordination, budget oversight, and safety compliance.

man wearing elbow-length blue gloves bends down to reach into a large freezer — Sam Williams maintains the many freezers that store experimental samples in the Biological Sciences Building. Some are as cold as -80 degrees Celsius. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I appreciate the fact that no day is ever the same. I feel like we have a great department, from the students to the faculty and staff, which makes coming to work a lot easier.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I’ve been a part of two major events: COVID and the great flood in December of 2022. Both of these events brought their own set of challenges. However, the biggest goal for both was making sure that research continued and building occupants were able to work in a safe environment. I have a lot of memories from both.

Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: I feel like you need patience and the ability to adapt. Things can change by the minute, so being prepared and prioritizing is an essential skill. I would also say that problem-solving is one of the best skills I’ve learned. Having a good working relationship with building occupants and FM makes my life a lot easier, too.

portrait of smiling man standing in front of mural of animals — Sam Williams helped coordinate repair of the Biological Sciences Building’s mural (pictured), which was damaged in a flood in 2022. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)

Meet a Retriever—Rishi Nixon, Honors College senior, Parkinson’s researcher, and performing storyteller

Rishi Nixon, a senior biological sciences major and member of the Honors College, brings a kaleidoscope of interests and skills to his time at UMBC after transferring from Montgomery College. He’s been a performing storyteller for more than 10 years, originally with his 4-H youth club and now independently. Nixon conducts research on Parkinson’s disease at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and plans to pursue a medical degree after UMBC.

Q: Tell us about someone in the UMBC community who has inspired or supported you.

A: Meeting Kendyl Walker, my honors college advisor, on my first day of classes made UMBC feel like home. Especially coming into this new environment after leaving my community college—she met me where I was on day one and continues to make me feel supported every time we meet.

Q: Tell us about what you love about your academic program or an organization you’re involved in.

A: My honors college seminar on race, poverty, and gender in Baltimore, taught by Dr. Jodi Kelber-Kaye (“Dr. K.”) opened my eyes to issues facing the city and was one of my most impactful UMBC courses. It helped cut through the ways the city is sometimes talked about in Maryland politics, emphasizing the importance of funding programs that help lift up Baltimore.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to complete a second seminar with Dr. K: an applied community service experience at a nonprofit organization in the city called Moveable Feast, which helps deliver medically-tailored meals to Baltimore residents experiencing food insecurity.

In August 2025, I engaged with the city for the first time in my capacity as a performing storyteller. I performed at the Irvington Peace Park for an annual summer camp organized by Cynthia Wagner, teaching professor in biological sciences, for youth who live in her West Baltimore community. The peace park—a beautiful space built by community members from clearing a vacant lot—was a magical site for the camp, and the kids were a wonderful audience.

Photo right: Rishi Nixon at the National Storytelling Conference in Georgia with the vice chair and vice chair-elect of the board of the National Storytelling Network.

group photo of three people wearing lanyard nametags

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about it?

A: Something Dr. K. said once sums it up: “UMBC is a small town.” I see UMBC as a really welcoming place for students who are comfortable leaning on their advisors, mentors, and supporters. It’s very comforting to see faces you recognize each day all over “town.”

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

young man in white lab coat seated at a lab bench holding a black drawer - honors college — Rishi Nixon sits at his lab bench at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he conducts Parkinson’s research.

A: I came to UMBC because of its excellent reputation for undergraduate teaching and scientific research opportunities, but also to maintain the small-town feeling and one-on-one learning I received at Montgomery College.

Now that I’m here, UMBC’s research reputation has proven true. I’ve conducted research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and also in my coursework. At UMSOM, I study a neuron protein called proSAAS that helps unclump misfolded proteins in the brain that are responsible for neuron death in Parkinson’s disease.

And in my Experimental Biology Lab course, taught by Dr. Tracy Smith, associate teaching professor in biological sciences, I got to participate in ecological research. We visited on-campus sections of the West Branch of Herbert Run to measure the diversity of macroinvertebrates (e.g. fly larvae, water beetles, etc.). We collected them from the stream bed, logged their abundance and the number of types of organisms, and drew a conclusion about the stream’s overall health and pollution levels based on an index of biodiversity levels associated with different degrees of stream health.

Our calculations determined that the stream is very healthy, which is probably a result of UMBC and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund investing in restoring the streams. In fact, the most abundant species of macroinvertebrate we found (damselfly larvae), are actually sensitive to pollutants, yet they were thriving in campus streams when we surveyed in September 2025.

Q: How has UMBC supported your “why”?

A: UMBC’s Honors College has been core to supporting my “why.” They have been huge supporters in connecting me with opportunities for research, and their seminars are excellent for deep one-on-one learning in very niche areas (e.g., Dr. K. and Baltimore). It’s hard for me to imagine my UMBC experience without the Honors College. Its staff and programming helped deepen my existing interests, including pursuing service in Baltimore after my coursework on the city and taking a seminar in neuroscience after conducting research in neurobiology.

Q: What would you tell other transfer students about UMBC?

A: I would encourage other transfer students to apply to the Honors College—I think the small class sizes and the one-on-one advising preserve a similar experience at community colleges. I am also very grateful that UMBC is able to provide generous merit scholarships to support transfer students coming from honors programs at Maryland community colleges.

Ripples of excellence: This Meyerhoff alumnus is expanding UMBC’s legacy

“I have been in your shoes.” Erwin Cabrera ’10, biological sciences, often finds himself sharing these words during monthly meetings for Stony Brook University’s Simons STEM Scholars. Some of the bright-eyed students in front of him are the first in their family to attend college. Others may be nervous about upcoming exams or graduate school application deadlines. All are striving toward careers in STEM within the program’s supportive community—and these “family meetings” are one element of that support.

As the program’s inaugural executive director, Cabrera isn’t just leading a replication of UMBC’s renowned Meyerhoff Scholars Program: He’s channeling the same cohort spirit, rigorous support, and unyielding belief in students’ potential that transformed him from a self-described “rough around the edges” undergrad into a champion for emerging scientists from all backgrounds. On October 29, Cabrera will receive a 2025 Outstanding Alumni Award from UMBC’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.

man walking along outdoors with three students wearing matching blue Simons Scholars t-shirts, all laughing — Erwin Cabrera gets to know students “through and through” in order to support them better. (Photo by John Griffin/Stony Brook University)

Cabrera’s journey began in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Cabrera initially resisted considering UMBC, despite his older brother, Ramon Cabrera ’09, a Meyerhoff Scholar, already thriving there. At Meyerhoff selection weekend, two days of activities for students offered admission, he changed his mind. Amid UMBC’s nerdy reputation, Cabrera saw peers who looked like him, dreamed like him, and supported one another fiercely. “I could see myself there,” he says.

Achievement grounded in love

Cabrera dove into research with Phyllis Robinson, professor of biological sciences. She “gave me a lot of grace” as he stumbled early on, Cabrera recalls, recognizing his potential before he had smoothed some of his edges. He balanced lab work with the UMBC’s Major Definition hip-hop dance team with mixed success—at his request, an advisor once showed up at rehearsal to remind him of study time. Later in his UMBC career, Cabrera, an M18 (the shorthand Meyerhoffs use to designate their cohort), served as a Meyerhoff Summer Bridge counselor and peer mentor for younger cohorts. “This is a lot of emotional labor, but super fun,” he remembers thinking of those roles, which would anticipate his career.

After UMBC, Cabrera earned a Ph.D. in neurobiology and neuroscience at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, followed by a postdoc. Yet his heart was in administration. “I love science, but what I loved the most was teaching people in the lab and the impact it could have on folks’ lives,” he says. In 2019, he became director of the Research Aligned Mentorship (RAM) Program at Farmingdale State College, which is loosely inspired by Meyerhoff principles. It integrates research as an undergraduate retention tool, drawing economics and business students alongside STEM majors.

In October 2022, Cabrera made his next big career move, becoming the first Meyerhoff alumnus to helm a full replication. A $2.5 million Simons Foundation grant to UMBC seeded the adaptation at Stony Brook, located on Long Island, and later Stony Brook received its own major grant from Simons to fully develop its program. Now in its third year, the program mirrors Meyerhoff’s core—cohort-based community, intensive mentoring, Summer Bridge, and research immersion—while adapting for the local context.

man speaks with two students and a staff member outdoors on a brown lawn, all wearing dark red Stony Brook t-shirts — Alongside Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith (second from right), Erwin Cabrera (second from left) speaks with Simons STEM Scholars following a recent “family meeting” for the program, an important mechanism for building community among the scholars. (Photo by John Griffin/Stony Brook University)

“New York students are very different. They’re highly independent; some of them are regularly traveling three hours on the subway,” Cabrera notes. Early challenges included combating “hyper independence,” where some scholars struggled to trust that program leaders had their best interests at heart. His solution? “I just upped that love factor,” Cabrera says. He gets to know students “through and through,” offering tough love rooted in consent: “Do you need me to show up?” he asks, while also encouraging ownership. “This is yours at the end of the day,” he reminds students.

From UMBC to New York and beyond

At Stony Brook, Cabrera wears two hats: He’s a research professor in neurobiology and behavior, teaching honors courses and advising juniors through grad school applications. He also interfaces with program funders, manages the budget and staff, and more. Somehow he also travels to Kenya and Switzerland to support study abroad partnerships.

“It’s all-encompassing,” he admits. Yet the success of the program keeps him going. Last summer, three Simons Scholars interned at Harvard and two at Stanford. “As a Meyerhoff from UMBC, I know the legacy of the program,” Cabrera says. “It’s my job to provide that vision here at Stony Brook, when this program did not exist three years ago. To see it coming to fruition is overwhelming in the best way possible.”

“Everyone’s watching. It’s pressure because I’m the first,” Cabrera confesses. But amplifying UMBC’s ripple effect feels like a privilege. Since 1988, the Meyerhoff Scholars Program has supported over 1,800 undergraduates. Alumni have earned 488 Ph.D.s—including 80 M.D./Ph.D.s—making UMBC the nation’s top baccalaureate origin for African American M.D./Ph.D. recipients. Over 70 Meyerhoff alumni hold faculty posts at elite institutions like Harvard and Duke; more than 200 are in grad programs. Meyerhoff participants are 5.3 times more likely to pursue STEM Ph.D.s than students offered admission who decline.

aerial photo of large group, all holding up blue t-shirts that say "S3" for Simons Scholars cohort 3, a tradition carried over from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program — Erwin Cabrera with the third cohort of Simons STEM Scholars during their Summer Bridge experience. (John Griffin/Stony Brook University)

This success has sparked over a dozen replications nationwide. HHMI’s 2013 – 2018 Meyerhoff Adaptation Project tailored the model for Penn State and UNC Chapel Hill. Howard University’s Karsh STEM Scholars and Stony Brook’s Simons initiative build on key elements like research engagement. International efforts at the University of Toronto Mississauga and University of the Philippines Los Baños adapt for local contexts, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative founded programs at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego. Collectively, these efforts have empowered thousands of students, turning UMBC’s vision into a movement. “I am guided by the quote, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,'” Cabrera says, highlighting his passion for his work.

Cabrera has kept in touch with Meyerhoff staff Keith Harmon and Mitsue Wiggs, who occasionally connect him with current UMBC students for mentoring, and remembers the influence of the late LaMont Toliver, an early director of the Meyerhoff program, fondly. He also stays connected through UMBC’s Filipino American Student Association and Alumni Advisory Board.

In the midst of the demands of his role, Cabrera preaches and models balance. This fall, he vacationed in Japan with his spouse. “You need to see me take a break—we’re not robots,” he says, reminding his students not to obsess over performance. “You don’t have to be perfect; I want you to be a college student, and learn about who you are,” he tells them. In doing so, Cabrera serves his scholars as whole people—ensuring UMBC’s legacy of inclusive excellence endures, one resilient scholar at a time.

Quantum on track: UMBC researchers demonstrate feasibility of using quantum devices to manage urban train scheduling, using a Baltimore transit line as a model

Train delays can cascade into stalled commutes, economic losses, and vacation snags. Scheduling trains is computationally complex, though: It can take hours or days to solve large transportation networks on traditional computers, when disruptions like train breakdowns or traffic accidents demand much quicker solutions. A new study led by UMBC researchers—and focused on Baltimore’s Light RailLink, a hybrid tram-rail network sharing roads with cars inside Baltimore City—harnesses quantum computing to address this challenge, using an approach that blends physics, computer science, and mathematics.

In their new paper, Sebastian Deffner, associate professor of physics; postdoctoral fellow Emery Doucet; doctoral candidate Reece Robertson; and collaborators Krzysztof Domino and Bartłomiej Gardas at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics in the Polish Academy of Sciences tested whether quantum devices could manage train schedules under real-world conditions. The team leveraged the “noise” inherent in quantum computers—random, unwanted disturbances that cause an effect similar to radio static—to model unpredictable train travel times.

Their results suggest that quantum computers can solve transportation scheduling problems, but more advanced hardware is needed to make using quantum devices practical, especially for larger networks.

Randomness on the rails

Doucet and Robertson discussed the work at Baltimore’s Camden Yards Light RailLink Station, while Orioles baseball fans unloaded from trains at regular intervals and delivery trucks rumbled by. Their enthusiasm cut through the urban din, their voices rising over the clatter and clank of passing Baltimore Light RailLink cars.

a light rail train sitting on the track at the station. Train reads "Camden Yards," and the station sign reads "Convention" — Baltimore’s Light RailLink is a good example of a complex system that would benefit from a way to address disruptions quickly and efficiently. As hardware improves, new research suggests quantum computers could help. (Elijah Davis, M.F.A. ’21/UMBC)

“How long it takes you to get between two stations where you have a lot of shared infrastructure in between—you can’t really predict that precisely,” Doucet says, gesturing toward the tracks and their intersection with a nearby stoplight. This randomness complicates scheduling, but the team’s diverse expertise—spanning theoretical physics, algorithm design, and quantum hardware—facilitated creative solutions.

Noisy doesn’t have to be bad

Current quantum computers are classified as “NISQ,” or “noisy intermediate-scale quantum,” pronounced “nisk.” That means they’re error-prone with only moderate power. Rather than fighting the noise, though, the researchers used it to mimic everyday randomness, like traffic delays.

“The ‘N’ in NISQ stands for ‘noisy,’ but that doesn’t mean that the noise has to always be deleterious,” Doucet explains. “We wondered if maybe we could use the noise that the device is subject to as a tool to model the chaos and randomness.”

man writing on whiteboard — Sebastian Deffner leads the research group that published the new paper. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

The team tested their approach on two different quantum computers, one made by IonQ, which is headquartered in Maryland, and the other by D-Wave. Each company’s quantum devices use quantum bits, or qubits, slightly differently to process information. The research team was able to solve scheduling problems with up to 12 trains on D-Wave’s system, which contains thousands of qubits, and only two trains on IonQ’s 25-qubit system.

This proof-of-principle work demonstrates that quantum computers can tackle concrete problems, though they’re not yet faster or cheaper than classical supercomputers for large networks—the experiments cost about $65,000.

“What we’ve shown is that with the currently available hardware, you can already solve practical problems,” Deffner, senior author on the new paper, says. The study highlights the need for larger, less noisy quantum systems to handle bigger networks.

Merging expertise, expanding possibilities

The potential impact is significant; rapid rescheduling could prevent network-wide disruptions.

“If you have an issue on a train network, everything has to stop until you reschedule, at least in that region—and the longer it takes you to come up with a new schedule, the more disruptive the original problem becomes,” Doucet noted, as a train coasted noisily into the platform.

an LED sign reads "TRAIN COMING" with a graphic of a train — The bustling Baltimore Light RailLink operates as a train outside Baltimore City, and as a tram subject to traffic within the city limits, making it an interesting challenge for scheduling. (Elijah Davis, M.F.A. ’21/UMBC)

Robertson, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science, added, “Within the next few generations of quantum technology, the problems we could address will get larger, approaching problems that are intractable on current hardware.”

Robertson’s computer science background complements the team’s physics expertise.

“Someone else might be able to help me with physics intuition, and then I can help them by suggesting an algorithm we could use to test their idea, or by applying some computational intuition that we could use in designing our quantum solution.”

“Quantum information science is truly interdisciplinary,” adds Deffner, who is also affiliated with the UMBC computer science and electrical engineering department and has master’s level math training.

Beyond trains

This interdisciplinary, quantum-based approach could eventually optimize logistics, financial portfolios, or drug discovery—fields with complex, random variables. The study, funded through Deffner’s fellowship at the National Quantum Laboratory, involved coding, theoretical modeling, and experiments on real quantum devices—a departure for Deffner’s typically theory-focused research group.

Working on the Baltimore system was a fun challenge, Deffner says, because the Light RailLink transitions from operating as a train unaffected by traffic outside the city to a tram navigating city streets and stopping at traffic lights inside Baltimore. “Because of its unusual characteristics, it was just a unique problem. And of course, it’s cool to work on a local system,” Deffner says.

By uniting diverse expertise, UMBC’s team is turning quantum noise into a strength, paving the way for efficient solutions to real-world problems.

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

Learning from mistakes

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