UMBC professor of biology Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg found a box of faded letters that led her deep into her family’s history–and led scholars to fascinating new findings in Holocaust studies. By Elizabeth Heubeck ’91 Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg’s mother Marianne came of age as a German Jew during the rise of Nazism and the beginnings of the Holocaust. But she said very little to her daughter about her family’s history during that trying period. “Growing up in a house where you sort of knew something happened, though it was never discussed—it’s as if those years never happened,” says Ostrand-Rosenberg, who is now a… Continue Reading Retracing Memory
Shannon Young, who received her M.F.A. from UMBC in 2008, is one of several area artists included in “Eat Your Words,” the second exhibit presented by the Porch Project in Washington, D.C. According to the Porch Project site, “Taken together, these artists’ works will help viewers examine their own complex relationships with food, and how the acts of preparing and consuming a meal link us all to each other and the larger world.” There will be an opening reception for the show on May 21, and an artist discussion on June 4. For more information, click here. You can see… Continue Reading Eat our Words: Shannon Young MFA '08 Part of D.C. Porch Project
Scott Rifkin ’81, biological sciences, a physician and long-term care executive, was interviewed by the Baltimore Sun about his company’s acquisition of a retirement community in Pikesville. The move, says Rifkin, managing partner of Mid-Atlantic Healthcare, is personal: he and his parents still live in the neighborhood surrounding North Oaks retirement community. See the full story here. Rifkin was named a UMBC Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 1995.
Freelance journalist Matthew Van Dyke ’02, political science, is still missing in Libya. A recent story in The Atlantic magazine about another missing journalist mentions Van Dyke, who was originally reported missing March 13. Read the Atlantic story here. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued an alert about Van Dyke’s disappearance earlier this month. He is one of 15 journalists currently missing or in government custody in Libya. Read the full story here and please share; keeping Matthew in the public eye is important!
The Rev. Leo Patalinghug ’92, political science, has taken his passion for cooking to the next level, with the publication of a cookbook inspired by his family and his faith. His book, “Grace Before Meals, Recipes and Inspiration for Family Meals and Family Life,” outlines philosophies he teaches both in church and on his online cooking show, “Grace Before Meals.” Read more about the cookbook here. UMBC Magazine featured Patalinghug in its Winter 2010 edition. Read the full article here. In addition to running his cooking show, Patalinghug teaches future priests at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. Last year, he appeared… Continue Reading Alumni Chef Rev. Leo Patalinghug '92 Debuts Cookbook
Kevin Cepelak ’05, political science, has a job that comes with a pass that gets him into any Major League Baseball (MLB) park. And when he gets to his office near New York City’s Grand Central Station each day, he rubs elbows with former greats of the game and a chance to work with former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and former New York City Police Department investigators. And he spends his days compiling reports that help MLB officials tackle problem issues in professional sports ranging from steroids to gambling. Cepelak’s work as an analyst for MLB’s Department of… Continue Reading Policing the Pastime
Former professional mountain biker Marla Streb, who earned her M.S. in Marine Estuary Environmental Science from UMBC in 1991, is featured in the Baltimore City Paper’s “bike issue” this week. To quote the article: She became a world-class contender in single-track downhill—in which, just as in downhill ski-racing, “you start at the top of a mountain and they time you as you go down, one at a time, a very treacherous course with jumps, and you get to the bottom in about five minutes,” she says. In her 16-year career, she won three national and two world championships, broke 24… Continue Reading “Gravity Goddess” Marla Streb M.S. '91, in City Paper
Former professional mountain biker Marla Streb, who earned her M.S. in Marine Estuary Environmental Science from UMBC in 1991, is featured in the Baltimore City Paper’s “bike issue” this week. To quote the article: She became a world-class contender in single-track downhill—in which, just as in downhill ski-racing, “you start at the top of a mountain and they time you as you go down, one at a time, a very treacherous course with jumps, and you get to the bottom in about five minutes,” she says. In her 16-year career, she won three national and two world championships, broke 24… Continue Reading “Gravity Goddess” Marla Streb M.S. '91, in City Paper
Eduardo Gonzalez ’06, Aaron Merki ’05, and Alicia Wilson ’04, all political science graduates, were named to The Daily Record’s 2011 list of “Twenty in Their 20s” award honorees. Merki was also the recipient of the 2010 UMBC Rising Star Award for young alumni service and is an associate at Venable, LLP. Wilson was the (inaugural) 2009 UMBC Rising Star Award winner and is an associate at Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander, LLC. Gonzalez writes for the Daily Record’s “Generation J.D.” blog. Read more about Merki and Wilson on our UMBC Alumni Awards page: Aaron Merki ’05 Alicia Wilson… Continue Reading Three PoliSci Alumni named “Twenty in Their 20s” by Daily Record
The Committee to Protect Journalists has issued an alert for UMBC alumnus Matthew VanDyke ’02, political science, who has gone missing in Libya. He is one of 15 journalists currently missing or in government custody in Libya. Read the full story here and please share. Keeping Matthew in the public eye is important!
Political science major David Lesch ’83, a professor of Middle East history at Trinity University, and the author of “The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Asad and Modern Syria,” has published an opinion piece in the New York Times entitled “The Syrian President I Know.” Read the full piece here.
Baltimore Sun real estate reporter Jamie Smith Hopkins ’98, English, received a Best in Business award today for her 2010 work from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. While a student at UMBC, Hopkins worked for the Retriever Weekly. She graduated as valedictorian of her class. Read the full story in the Baltimore Sun.
