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


Portrait of smiling Valerie Sheares Ashby; inside an academic building

Let’s celebrate! UMBC marks the inauguration of President Valerie Sheares Ashby with community events, April 18 – 27

“These first…months have been energizing, inspiring, and joyful. The more people I meet, and the more I start to make connections, the more I love this place,” President Valerie Sheares Ashby says. Her Investiture ceremony on April 27 is a historic milestone in the life of the university, one not to be missed.  Continue Reading Let’s celebrate! UMBC marks the inauguration of President Valerie Sheares Ashby with community events, April 18 – 27

Two students in professional attire pose outside the UMBC Biological Sciences Building.

UMBC’s Arjun Kanjarpane and Anya Viswanathan receive prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

Both recipients have the potential to make a major impact in their fields and in people’s lives through their research. “We are delighted that UMBC has continued its impressive string of Goldwater awards for this year,” says April Householder “This indicates just how strong STEM education at UMBC is—indeed, it’s among the best in the country.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Arjun Kanjarpane and Anya Viswanathan receive prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

four researchers in white lab coats seated in a traditional wet lab.

UMBC’s Ivan Erill demonstrates fast, low-cost method to monitor spread of antibiotic resistance over time

A new computational method developed by Ivan Erill and colleagues is simple, fast, and effective at detecting the spread and source of antibiotic resistance genes. “It’s great for studies trying to find insight into what’s happening in bacterial genomes,” Erill says. Continue Reading UMBC’s Ivan Erill demonstrates fast, low-cost method to monitor spread of antibiotic resistance over time

Four researchers in lab coats stand in a lab, two holding petri dishes up to the light. Glass-doored cabinets in the background.

Deepak Koirala to grow understanding of how enteroviruses replicate with $786K NSF CAREER Award

Diseases such as polio, the common cold, and meningitis are all caused by closely related enteroviruses and the way that these viruses multiply in the body is poorly understood. Deepak Koirala hopes to change that by investigating how the RNA structures within these viruses’ genetic material enable them to multiply. The answers could lead to drugs that attack specific mechanisms critical for viral replication, stopping these diseases in their tracks. Continue Reading Deepak Koirala to grow understanding of how enteroviruses replicate with $786K NSF CAREER Award

Portrait of a woman in a fuschia top outside a brick building with some greenery.

Mercedes Burns to study arachnid evolution in Japan through prestigious NSF CAREER Award

“The questions I’m asking in this CAREER grant set the stage,” she says, for discovering how arachnid species that can reproduce both sexually (with a mate) and asexually (without a mate) “control whether it’s going to be one reproductive mode or the other,” Mercedes Burns says. “Ultimately we want to understand what allows for this kind of reproductive strategy in these systems, which we don’t see commonly in animals.” Continue Reading Mercedes Burns to study arachnid evolution in Japan through prestigious NSF CAREER Award

Man in white lab coat standing in front of a chemical hood with lots of colorful containers.

UMBC’s Smith lab discovers enzyme ATE1’s role in cellular stress response, opening a door to new therapeutic targets

A new paper in Nature Communications illuminates how a previously poorly understood enzyme works in the cell. Many diseases are tied to chronic cellular stress, and Aaron T. Smith and colleagues discovered that this enzyme plays an important role in the cellular stress response. Better understanding how this enzyme functions and is controlled could lead to the discovery of new therapeutic targets for these diseases. Continue Reading UMBC’s Smith lab discovers enzyme ATE1’s role in cellular stress response, opening a door to new therapeutic targets

Three student walk down a sidewalk on campus holding an orange balloon about five feet in diameter tethered by ropes a few feet above their heads.

Getting Your Research Off the Ground—Balloons Give Students New Perspectives

The balloons have been a mystery to much of the campus community for years, with the colorful orbs dotting the campus sky in about the tenth week of almost every semester. But for the students in Charlie Kaylor’s class, the balloons represent a culmination of the knowledge and skills they’ve gained over the preceding 10 weeks, including disciplines like ecology, statistics, botany, and sociology. Continue Reading Getting Your Research Off the Ground—Balloons Give Students New Perspectives

Lots of skinny pink squiggly lines mixed with green dots and a green swath at the lower left; black backgroun

New “Life Magnified” USPS stamp series features Tagide deCarvalho’s images of microscopic life

Tagide deCarvalho produces artistic images of microscopic life that combine her skill at the lab bench with her artist’s eye. Her artwork continues to earn her accolades worldwide. “I just get so excited when I see things under the microscope,” she says, and her art is “a way to capture the excitement and share it with other people.” Continue Reading New “Life Magnified” USPS stamp series features Tagide deCarvalho’s images of microscopic life

Man in a suit stands onstage in a dark theatre, with a vertical banner that says "UMBC - GRIT-X" behind him.

Manil Suri’s new book, “The Big Bang of Numbers,” introduces readers to the wonder of math

It’s rare to meet a mathematician who is also a bestselling novelist, but UMBC’s Manil Suri is happy to be unique. “The Big Bang of Numbers,” Suri’s first nonfiction book, is written to show people who aren’t necessarily fond of math that the discipline is foundational to our world—and can even be fun. Continue Reading Manil Suri’s new book, “The Big Bang of Numbers,” introduces readers to the wonder of math

Two people stand to the left of a tree with a metal box and yellow label attached to the trunk. Another person stands to the right, speaking to someone off camera.

UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

On a sunny fall day in October, a handful of student and faculty researchers are scuttling around outside the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. High-tech instruments sprawl across folding tables, alongside lower-tech equipment like a hole-punch, glass jars, clippers, and Ziploc bags. A drone about the size of a couch cushion sits on the grass nearby, awaiting instructions. Continue Reading UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

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