The Eyes Have It When you think of advanced, complex visual systems – eyes with far more acuity of vision than human eyes – you do not think of shrimp. Tom Cronin does. He collects samples of a variety of the animals to study how they view the world, and to see if anything he can learn from them would be useful to us. Specifically, Cronin, a professor of biological sciences at UMBC, studies mantis shrimps, named because of their folded arms and tilted, mantis-like stance. The creatures – some of which are edible, and can range in size from… Continue Reading Discovery – Summer 2010
Most members of the UMBC community who drive between the university’s main campus and its south campus don’t know that they’re passing a bit of Baltimore’s cultural and religious history along the way. Tucked on a hill near south campus is the motherhouse of the Oblate Sisters of Providence – a Catholic religious community founded in the United States by women of African descent. During her studies at UMBC, Sharon Knecht ’99 and ’03 M.A., history, became involved in helping the Oblates tell their uniquely American story. In the following essay, Knecht shares her experience as an archivist with the… Continue Reading Pictures From Providence – Sharon Knecht ’99 and ’03 M.A., history
When Reid Thompson ’85, biological sciences, was named chairman of Vanderbilt University’s Department of Neurological Surgery this past fall, it was yet another big step forward on a road that began at UMBC. The recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus in Natural and Mathematical Sciences in 2008, Thompson credits UMBC with giving him a wide-ranging store of knowledge that has helped to shape him as a surgeon, a researcher and an administrator. “One of the things I learned at UMBC was a different way of looking at the world,” says Thompson. “A broad way of looking at the world that comes… Continue Reading The Matter of Mind – Reid Thompson ’85, biological sciences
The UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame was instituted in 1970’s, and has grown to include 96 members. Hall of Famers are chosen by a committee of athletic alumni based on their excellence on the fields and courts and their subsequent graduation from UMBC. Visit the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame online
Distinguished Alumna/us of the Year Award Established in 1988, the Distinguished Alumna/us Award was presented to an alumna/us who has achieved national recognition for excellence in his/her profession or field of endeavor. This award was presented until 2003. Past recipients were: 2003: Diane L. Bell-McKoy ’73 2002: Ram S. Mohan ’92 2001: Richard Chisolm ’82 and William Whiteford ’80 2000: Dr. Tayebeh Pourmotabbed ’86 1999: Robert G. Seasonwein, Esq. ’71 1998: Charles L. Bevins, M.D., Ph.D. ’76 & ’86 1997: Dr. Charles A. Taylor, ’73 1996: Dr. Richard Lytel ’75, Dr. Lauren A. Schnaper ’71 and Peggy Southerland ’75 1995: … Continue Reading Past UMBC Alumni Award Winners
Only four short years have passed since Rithy Chhay graduated from UMBC, but he is already on the fast track to success. At just 26 years old, the computer science grad is a senior software engineer with Red Arch Solutions, a software and systems engineering firm in Columbia, Md. He’s a young husband, as well, and one of the core members of the recently re-energized Chapter of Young Alumni steering committee. Then again, Chhay has been ahead of the game for most of his life, as least where computer science is concerned. “I started writing my own computer programs when… Continue Reading A Natural Progression: Rithy Chhay '02
Stephanie Cole Hill ’86 sometimes feels like a woman in a man’s world. Most of the other executives at Lockheed Martin Corporation, a major engineering firm which earns most of its income from contracts with the U.S. military, are men. Hill began to face feeling like “the only one in the room” early in her computer science career, a feeling she still experiences sometimes. However, she learned not to let that feeling get her down. “I have learned that you have a choice. You can allow others’ perceptions to define you, or you can decide to define their perception and… Continue Reading A Healthy Balance: Stephanie Hill '86
Each year, the UMBC Alumni Association presents awards to honor alumni for their professional and personal achievements and service to the University. Learn more about our past award winners. ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Michael George ’87, Information Systems, has spent the past 12 years with Amazon.com in Seattle, WA. Mike started his Amazon career as the Director of Systems and Networking Operations. Since then, he has held senior positions that span several functional areas; Director of WW Third Party Platforms, GM/Dir of WW Marketplace, VP of Human Resources, VP of WW Payments, VP of Spoken Word Audio, and now VP… Continue Reading 2010 UMBC Alumni of the Year & Distinguished Service Award Winners
Each year, the UMBC Alumni Association presents awards to honor alumni for their professional and personal achievements and service to the University. Learn more about our past award winners. ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Michael George ’87, Information Systems, has spent the past 12 years with Amazon.com in Seattle, WA. Mike started his Amazon career as the Director of Systems and Networking Operations. Since then, he has held senior positions that span several functional areas; Director of WW Third Party Platforms, GM/Dir of WW Marketplace, VP of Human Resources, VP of WW Payments, VP of Spoken Word Audio, and now VP… Continue Reading 2010 UMBC Alumni of the Year & Distinguished Service Award Winners
Brooke Coley ’03, chemical engineering, remembers it as a dream play for a football defense. Two defenders burst through the offensive line just moments after the snap, trapping the quarterback in the backfield. One defender tackles the quarterback, allowing the second defender to zero in on the ball and yank it loose. As the football falls from the quarterback’s hands to the turf, the second defender alertly scoops up the ball and scampers all the way down the field for a 41-yard touchdown. Coley was the second defender on the play, and the touchdown she scored were the first points… Continue Reading Bioengineering and Blitzing – Brooke Coley ’03, chemical engineering
If you marvel at how well UMBC’s buildings have been maintained over the last decade or so, you can point to the hard work of James Donlan ’85, economics, who until recently served as the university’s director of facilities management. In that position, Donlan supervised the maintenance of 3.6 million square feet in UMBC’s 49 buildings. He also guided the university through some of its most challenging renovations of major buildings and constructions of new buildings in the past 15 years. And while his departure means the university has big work boots to fill, Donlan is tackling a challenge that… Continue Reading Building and Bonding – James Donlan ’85, economics
Sideshows featuring amazing feats and astonishing freaks became an industry in the United States in the 19th century. But these traveling caravans have been on the endangered list in recent decades. Collecting the artifacts and celebrating the artistry of this vanishing industry has proven addictive to James Taylor ’73, interdisciplinary studies. Taylor’s magazine about the sideshows – James Taylor’s Shocked and Amazed! On & Off The Midway – has been featured prominently in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Baltimore Sun. His collection of sideshow memorabilia was the backbone of Baltimore’s late, lamented American Dime Museum, and… Continue Reading Carny Attraction – James Taylor ’73, INDS
