All posts by: Magazine Editor

Vivian Ekey ’11, political science and modern languages and linguistics, was recently chosen to be a Rangel Fellow. The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service in which they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy. Each year, the Rangel Program selects 20 outstanding Rangel Fellows in a highly competitive nationwide process and helps support them through two years of graduate study, internships and professional development activities, and entry into the Foreign Service. As a Humanities Scholar at UMBC, Ekey traveled to Argentina and… Continue Reading Ekey ’11, PoliSci and MLL, Named Rangel Fellow

A native of Iran, Sara Khaki ’10, visual arts, has seen the after-effects of war first-hand. Now she’s combining her passion for film making and the love of her home country into a documentary that examines how one doctor has “dedicated his life to offering hope and healing to those whose lives and bodies have been ravaged by war.” Khaki’s film, “Facing the Mirror,” recently won the Center for Asian American Media’s “Ready, Set, Pitch” award — along with $5,000 in research and development funding to help expand the documentary to full-length. She is also currently running an indiegogo campaign… Continue Reading Khaki ’10, Vis Arts, Explores Impact of War in Film

Students kicked off Career Week 2013 a bit more “dressed to impress” than normal this year thanks to alumni, staff and faculty donations to “Clothes The Deal,” a program through which students improved their career wardrobes (for free!) and better prepared themselves for future job searches. See the full Career Week schedule here. Several dozen students waited in line outside UMBC’s Women’s Center Thursday morning for the first crack at hundreds of pieces of donated business attire: skirts, blazers, ties, and suits. By the end of the event Friday afternoon, 362 students had taken at least one piece of clothing,… Continue Reading Alumni Help Student Job Searchers “Clothes The Deal”

Two alumni appear in a new promotional video launched by UMBC’s Department of Physics. The video, which talks about the types of study and research conducted within the department, featured physics alumni Antonia Gambacorta ’08, Ph.D., who is a staff physicist for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Paul Cunningham ’10, Ph.D., who is a staff physicist for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. “Being at UMBC opened a door that proved critical in launching my career,” said Gambacorta. “I had the opportunity to learn from the leading experts in the field of remote sensing and I had access… Continue Reading Ph.D. Alumni Help Promote Department of Physics

Timothy Lynch ’87, interdisciplinary studies, was recognized at the 2013 Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards, an annual celebration of the accomplishments faculty and staff campus- and system-wide. Lynch was honored with the Presidential Distinguished Staff Award-Professional Staff for his work as the assistant director of summer, winter, and special programs. This award recognizes exceptional performance, leadership and service by a full-time member of the associate staff. Lynch’s contributions were summarized in the awards program: “Since graduating from UMBC in 1987, Timothy Lynch’s commitment to student service, has been unwavering in dedication. [. . .] In his role as assistant director,… Continue Reading Lynch ’87, interdisciplinary studies, Honored with Presidential Distinguished Staff Award

For many of us, a 30th birthday celebration means balloons, presents and parties with friends and family. For Maaden “Madie” Eshete ’07, biological sciences, however, the milestone birthday will also mean a lasting change for hundreds of rural Ethiopians without access to clean water. A first-generation Ethiopian-American, Eshete is nearing the end of a giving campaign to raise $10,000 for charity:water, which aims to help an estimated 800 million people worldwide without access to clean water by providing freshwater wells, rainwater catchments, sand filters and other lasting solutions. We talked with Eshete, who is a digital communications manager for the… Continue Reading Eshete ’07, BioSci’s “$10,000 Birthday Wish”

Several faculty members and alumni were awarded Individual Artist Awards by the Maryland State Art Council this month. The Maryland Art Council Individual Artist Awards are monetary prizes given to a select group of artists each year. This year the Maryland Art Council welcomed applications from artists working in fiction, painting, media/digital/electronic arts, solo theatrical performance and works on paper. Recipients in the media/digital/electronic arts category include: Kelley Bell ’06, MFA IMDA, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts Carrie Fucile, Adjunct faculty, Visual Arts Agnes Moon ’09, MFA IMDA Phil Davis ’07, MFA IMDA Christine Ferrera ’10, MFA IMDA Recipients in the works… Continue Reading Alumni and Faculty Receive MSAC Individual Artist Awards

In a Q&A with City Biz List, Joseph T. Jones ’06, social work, CEO of The Center for Urban Families, shares some of the challenges of his childhood years, and some of the secrets to his success in the non-profit sector, including a mentor relationship with UMBC president Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. Jones founded CFUF, a non-profit organization that connects men and women to career paths and strengthens their families, in 1999. As he tells City Biz List: I met Freeman at an event that I was speaking at in 2004 about education, father absence, and my personal story. After… Continue Reading Jones ’06, social work, on Hrabowski as Role Model