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Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

Written by Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems at UMBC

The Caribbean’s sandy beaches, clear turquoise water and vibrant coral reefs filled with an amazing variety of sea creatures have long been the pride of the islands.

The big three – sun, sea and sand – have made this tropical paradise the most tourism-reliant region in the world.

But now, all of that is under threat. The explosive growth of a type of seaweed called sargassum is wreaking havoc on economies, coastal environments and human health across the islands.

I study the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters, particularly in the Caribbean. The sargassum invasion has worsened since it exploded in the region in 2011. Forecasts and the seaweed already washing up suggest that 2024 will be another alarming year.

A map shows sargassum around many of the eastern Caribbean islands.
Sargassum levels were already high around many eastern Caribbean islands in late May 2024. Forecasters expect increasing sargassum washing up in June on many of the islands and in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA and University of South Florida

The Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is often referred to as a golden, floating rainforest for its vast floating sargassum blooms and the wide variety of sea life that it supports.

It is the only sea in the world with no land borders. Instead, it is bounded by four Atlantic Ocean currents: the North Atlantic current, the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Equatorial Current and the Canary Current.

A map shows the Sargasso sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, west of Florida and Georgia, and sargassum belt through the Caribbean
The Great Atlantic sargassum belt and Sargasso Sea. JL López Miranda, et al., via Wikimedia, CC BY

Without human interference, and under normal conditions, sargassum is a good thing. It has existed in the Caribbean for centuries, providing habitat and food for ocean wildlife, including threatened and endangered species such as the porbeagle shark and the anguillid eel.

Conditions over the past decade around the Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, however, have been anything but normal.

Since 2011, vast mats of sargassum seaweed have been washing up on Caribbean islands. On shore, they pile up into a dead and stinky mass.

An illustration showing sargassum washing ashore and some of the problems it causes, including health effects, inaccessible beaches and clogged water intakes.
(1) Sargassum rafts from a vast bloom known as the sargassum belt are transported to shore by ocean currents. (2) Free-floating sargassum provides food and habitat. (3) But on shore, it rots and clogs water intakes and beaches. NOAA

These sargassum events have been occurring more frequently and are lasting longer, and the amount of algae is increasing.

The situation has gotten so bad that NOAA created a weekly sargassum inundation risk index in collaboration with the University of South Florida. They have predicted that 2024 will be another terrible year for the Caribbean.

Pollution fuels a hazardous algae bloom

So, what is causing the explosive growth of this algae? Studies have pointed to pollution that the Caribbean region itself has done little to contribute to.

Humans are altering the nutrient cycle by releasing fertilizer runoff and industrial wastewater into rivers, which sends phosphates and nitrates down river systems and out into the oceans. These are key nutrients for plant growth.

An underwater photo looking up at a diver with seaweed at the surface above her.
A diver swims below a sargassum mat. Dan Eidsmoe via Flickr, CC BY

A rapid increase in ranching, logging and agriculture along the Amazon River in South America is one source, sending huge amounts of nutrients washing into the river, which terminates in the Caribbean Sea.

Another culprit is the Mississippi River, which carries nutrient-rich effluent from farms and industries into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Congo River in Africa also carries pollutants into the ocean from deforestation, and burning forests can deliver nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and iron, that further fuel algae growth.

These pollutants are swept up by ocean currents. An increase in phosphate and nitrogen water pollution, combined with warming waters, is believed to have supercharged seaweed normally carried by currents from the Sargasso Sea and created the sargassum belt, which persists across the Caribbean today.

Coasts, fishing industries can’t escape the harm

In small quantities, sargassum plays a role in beach nourishment. But when it inundates coastlines, the rotting seaweed smothers beaches and reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, killing fish and harming fragile coral reefs.

Boats sit among seaweed in an harbor. The beach between the photographer and the central boat in the image is covered with seaweed.
Sargassum can get into boat propellers and make it hard to approach shore. This was Puerto Rico in 2015. AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo

The massive influx of sargassum has also disrupted fishing operations. Fishers find themselves struggling to maintain their livelihoods as sargassum is diminishing their catch. The seaweed has damaged fishing gear and boat engines and blocked access to harbors and mooring sites.

In addition, sargassum can concentrate arsenic, which poses the risk of contaminating fish and harming people who may eat them.

Sargassum on land is a public health threat

Sargassum rots quickly when stranded. Within 48 hours, it begins to degrade, releasing hydrogen sulphide and ammonia. At certain concentrations, these gases become not only toxic to the marine environment but also to human health.

There have been a growing number of reported cases of neurological, digestive and respiratory disorders associated with the noxious gases being emitted. Guadeloupe’s air-quality monitoring institute Gwad’Air has issued red alerts in recent years because of dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide gas being emitted from rotting sargassum. https://www.youtube.com/embed/CH7MpiGCdgU?wmode=transparent&start=0 The growing sargassum problem.

The most common symptoms experienced by people living within close proximity to sargassum are headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, cough, rashes, eye disorders and effects on mood. Sargassum odors have led to an increase in nausea and headaches among school-age children. Pregnant women in the region are also being affected, with increasing reported cases of preeclampsia.

Sargassum has also clogged water intake tubes for desalination plants and power plants that use seawater for cooling, causing these units to shut down.

In the British Virgin Islands, sargassum sucked into the main desalination plant in 2023 led to smelly tap water and sporadic water shut-offs. In Virgin Gorda and St. Croix, people have reported smells, a burning sensation and skin rashes from their tap water.

Sargassum blooms also damage economies

Millions of tons of dead and rotting seaweed washing ashore can have widespread economic consequences.

The odor of the rotting seaweed attracts insects, which has been a repellent for some tourists. Cleaning the beaches and disposing of tons of debris, typically in landfills, cost the Caribbean about US$120 million in 2018.

That doesn’t include the economic losses for hotels, fisheries and other businesses.

Small businesses such as Jet Ski rentals that depend on the coast for revenue generation have at times been forced to shut down because of the odorous gases released from the decaying mass.

Is there a solution?

Research and entrepreneurial initiatives are underway to try to deal with the seaweed. Companies have tried turning it into fertilizer, cattle feed and concrete, but so far only at small scale. https://www.youtube.com/embed/5QoGoAWbvEA?wmode=transparent&start=0 Sargassum cleanup in Martinique in 2023.

Governments have made little progress beyond agreeing to some fisheries management rules to protect vulnerable species. A few countries have draft management strategies, but action is typically focused on protecting the tourism industry, with little attention given to fisherfolk and local communities.

The sargassum invasion is fueled by global pollution, and fixing that requires a global response.

The United Nations Environment Program has called for increased international cooperation to understand the causes and impact of sargassum invasions and to find ways to help the countries affected. But so far, the international community has done little to address the pollution at the root of the problem.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 250 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

The Senior Class

Retrievers for life—that’s UMBC’s promise. And a group of residents at Charlestown’s senior living community are keeping their end of the bargain. Located two miles away from UMBC’s Catonsville campus, 60 or so retired and current faculty, staff, alumni, and friends at Charlestown are enjoying the ongoing cultural and educational perks of the two institutions. Several of these “Friends of UMBC” are laying the groundwork for continued exchange and connection—jazz concerts, classes about gender and sexuality, high-profile speakers—leaving a legacy for future generations to follow.

Gold flag graphic reading "retrievers for life"
Art Johnson, professor emeritus, enjoys a jazz concert at Charlestown.
Art Johnson, professor emeritus, enjoys a jazz concert at Charlestown.

Around the café tables, heads are bobbing in rhythm tonight.

A duo of UMBC jazz students—Henry Smith ’24, on alto saxophone, and Leo Hickman ’27, on electric mandolin—are deep into their own takes on jazz standards. “Caravan,” “Misty,” and “There is No Greater Love” pour jauntily from their instruments.
 
The seniors here at Charlestown Senior Living know those tunes. Every song the UMBC jazz duo played was composed long before the student musicians were born, but just in the sweet spot for the audience. In the café where many have just eaten their crab soup and burgers for dinner, more than 100 Charlestown residents, including at least six who have tight connections to UMBC, clapped for the efforts of the young jazz players. 

After the two finished playing “All of Me,” the crowd erupted in applause. 

“That was ‘All of Me,’” Smith said into the microphone. “I feel like lots of you know that one. We’re having a great time playing for you. This is super fun!”

By 8 p.m. the crowd was stuffing dollar bills and fivers into the musicians’ tip jar by the mic and in paper bags held by volunteers at each exit. Then the seniors headed back to their apartments at the end of long corridors and in different buildings, very much like college dorms for older folks. 

Strengthening Connections

A dedicated group of nearly 60 retired and current faculty and staff, alumni, or relatives have formed to promote connections between UMBC and Charlestown, a sprawling senior community with 2,000 residents. Thanks to their efforts, UMBC professors are teaching classes at the senior living community, Charlestown residents are traveling to UMBC for events, and  helping the senior community’s restaurant staff with scholarship applications, funded by Charlestown residents, to UMBC and other Maryland colleges. 

“That’s what I’m trying to do here, make connections,” said Art Johnson, provost emeritus who retired in 2019 from his position as political science professor and director of the Sondheim Scholars program. He moved to Charlestown in 2022 and since then, like a first-year student in search of college social groups, he has been indefatigably recruiting residents to join the Friends of UMBC at Charlestown.

“It helps maintain my connection to UMBC and lets me brag a little bit about UMBC,” Johnson said, laughing. “I meet people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. As provost, I used to promote UMBC all over. This is just an extension of that.”

Johnson met Lucy McKean on the bocce court, learned one of her kids went to UMBC, and reeled her into the group. 

“Any connection will do,” Johnson said. “That’s how you build a long mailing list.”

Quote reading, “It helps maintain my connection and lets me brag a little bit about UMBC. I meet people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. As provost, I used to promote UMBC all over. This is just an extension of that.” - Art Johnson

Sitting at a dinner table on the Charlestown campus, McKean and Johnson laughed together. Thanks to the Friends of UMBC group, she’s now attending jazz concerts, which she never thought she would do.

The idea for a formal-ish group sprang from a walk that Johnson and Sam Lomonaco, computer science and electrical engineering professor, took around Charlestown in the fall of 2022. They wanted to create a web of connections between UMBC and Charlestown. 

Lomonaco, who has lived at Charlestown for three years, still teaches at UMBC. His commute is nicely short, he said, and having a partnership between UMBC and Charlestown offers “a good chance to do things together. I meet a lot of interesting people I would not have met otherwise. And,” he said with a grin, “I’ve gotten interested in jazz.”

Johnson and Lomonaco started small, with a social for UMBC-connected folks at Charlestown. They’ve grown to arrange trips to programs by UMBC’s arts and culture departments, as well as the Wisdom Institute (the association for retired UMBC faculty and staff), and those monthly jazz concerts. As well, Johnson and others publish a newsletter and are recruiting UMBC faculty to teach courses at Charlestown through ELLIC (Elderhostel’s Lifelong Learning Institute at Charlestown), including classes on galaxies, genes, and gender. 

“Art has been a binder, keeping us together,” said Bernice De Bels ’76, English, the first Black honors graduate at UMBC, who later worked in the foreign language department and now lives at Charlestown. “With UMBC we should explore what we have to offer them and what they have to offer us.”

Keeping Memory Alive

Diane Lee hugs Pamela Morgan, the former director of the Office of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice in UMBC’s education department and a Wisdom Institute Board Member.
Diane Lee hugs Pamela Morgan, the former director of the Office of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice in UMBC’s education department and a Wisdom Institute Board Member.

Of the many courses offered at Charlestown’s ELLIC program, nine are taught by UMBC faculty. That’s not a coincidence. Though the connections between Charlestown and UMBC have been sporadic, the institutions do have history. 

John Erickson, who founded Erickson Living, which owns Charlestown, has long worked with UMBC to promote the study of getting older. Through joint efforts of Erickson and then-president Freeman Hrabowski, in 2004 the state funded the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC, and Erickson Living donated $5 million for the school’s development.

Jeff Watson, who is on the faculty for the Erickson School of Aging Studies and serves as Erickson’s director of operations, also researches geriatric cognition.

“The literature and growing academic consensus is that whatever is good for the heart is good for the lungs is good for the brain,” Watson said. “Thus a healthy lifestyle, reducing inflammation and injury, while increasing physical and cognitive strength, and engaging in life, builds better brain health.”

Erickson researchers have published a study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry testing UCLA Longevity Center researchers’ findings about memory fitness on two of Erickson’s campuses, Riderwood and Oak Crest. Watson said they found that “eating wisely, exercising daily, learning consistently, relaxing meaningfully, and connecting socially” is optimal for a healthy lifestyle for seniors.  

The Friends of UMBC are all about learning and socializing while they’re matchmaking between UMBC and Charlestown. For years, Johnson said, UMBC talked about collaborating with Charlestown, but it never really manifested to the extent they envisioned.

“One of our long-term goals is to try to bring the two institutions closer together,” Johnson said. “We could cooperate on issues: sustainability, local transportation, good health care…. We talked about it years ago when I was at UMBC, but it never happened.”

Same Goals, From Different Directions

UMBC’s Wisdom Institute is trying to accomplish the same community-building as the UMBC group at the senior village. But now, they’re working together.

Johnson, who serves on the Wisdom Institute’s board, is the hub, said Diane Lee, director of the UMBC organization for retirees. 

“He brilliantly brought people together,” Lee said. “What a wonderful way to reconnect with these folks.” 

The Wisdom Institute is printing extra copies of its newsletters for distribution at Charlestown, and for a recent event, the institute rented out the Charlestown bus to bring UMBC-curious residents to a lunch and keynote by WJZ-TV anchor Denise Koch. The institute plans to invite Charlestown residents to other events, including observatory tours in UMBC’s Physics Building, monthly lunches, discussions, and concerts. 

“We really want to forge this tie,” Lee said. “We like the idea of reciprocity.”

Quote reading, "We’re trying to capture the spirit, to continue that sense of self and community and the kind of work we did together. UMBC was not just a campus. We talked about one another as family." — Diane Lee

For 30 years, Lee taught at UMBC in the education department and worked in the administration. “I came as a visiting assistant professor with no intention of staying. But it was an exciting place and an exciting time to be there.”

She, like many of the longtime UMBC staff and faculty who now live at Charlestown, helped build UMBC from the ground up into the institution it is today. 

“It’s a wonderful place to be,” Lee said. The work was demanding but energizing, she said. “And people cared. We’re trying to capture the spirit, to continue that sense of self and community and the kind of work we did together. UMBC was not just a campus. We talked about one another as family.”

Dream Students

Donna Martin, Kate Drabinski, and students Marcus Ross, Sage Zoz, and August Wichman pose together after a class about gender and sexuality through the Enjoy Lifelong Learning in Charlestown program. Photo courtesy of Drabinski.
Donna Martin, Kate Drabinski, and students Marcus Ross, Sage Zoz, and August Wichman pose together after a class about gender and sexuality through the Enjoy Lifelong Learning in Charlestown program. Photo courtesy of Drabinski.

Kate Drabinski, principal lecturer in gender and women’s and sexuality studies, has visited Charlestown eight times to teach over three years. She jokes that if she teaches two more classes, she’ll earn a punch card for a free meal at Charlestown’s restaurant.

“It’s been some of the most valuable teaching I’ve done,” Drabinski said of the senior students learning through the ELLIC program, Enjoy Lifelong Learning in Charlestown. “They are rapt, they take notes, they ask questions. It’s a dream setup.”

On a spring Tuesday, Drabinski brought UMBC students who identify as gay, transgender, and nonbinary to the senior living community to tell their coming out stories, along with their struggles and joys around gender and sexuality. 

“It’s been really moving for us, and also for the residents, to make these connections,” Drabinski said.

One student, who performs in drag shows, grew up on the same block as one of the residents, Drabinski said. The resident stood up and said she was proud of the student, Drabinski said, “for being brave and sharing her story.”

At least one of the Charlestown residents has a nonbinary grandchild, Drabinski said. “They probably feel uncomfortable asking their grandchild these questions,” she continued, but were curious and asked many questions of the students without the fear of rejection from a family member.

And she asked the students a question in front of the residents: “What do you wish your grandparents had said to you when you told them your coming out story? They said, ‘I want you to be part of my life—I trust you and this is a gift I’m giving.’”

They also discussed the generational misunderstandings, Drabinski said, “hot-button issues.” One resident asked why drag queens were reading stories at libraries. Students were worried about the question, but Drabinski said she maneuvered the fear in the room and, ultimately, they had a “fantastic discussion, the kind of discussion you only have when you have dedicated intergenerational space.”

Drabinski said her students came away from the interaction enriched. “Just because people are old doesn’t mean they are hostile. It was a huge benefit to students to get to practice telling their stories, to build confidence, and to learn from the questions the seniors are asking. It was a really positive experience.”

Familiar Tunes in a New Way

Now that he’s retired, Johnson has time to fulfill the goal of bringing UMBC and Charlestown closer. 

One evening before the jazz concert, Johnson pulled together members of his group of UMBC folks to chat in the atrium of one of Charlestown’s buildings. 

Pat Bettridge, who came to UMBC in 1966 and did graduate work in English, was married to English professor William Bettridge, and remembers UMBC in the 1960s as “a hole in the ground.” Bettridge, who has lived at Charlestown for 11 years, helped bring UMBC artists, dancers and theater productions to the senior living community over the years. 

“It’s a good idea to get us together, to continue what we started 10 years ago,” Bettridge said.

Sebastian Petix, organizer of Charlestown’s jazz club and a friend of the Friends of UMBC, has worked with Matt Belzer, senior lecturer in jazz studies at UMBC, to bring the jazz groups to Charlestown. Petix, who played piano and trumpet and organized concert series before retirement, formed the Charlestown Jazz Club, and quickly signed onto the idea of bringing Retriever musicians onto Charlestown’s campus. 

Art Johnson, Diane Lee, and Denise Koch chat with community members at the Wisdom Institute’s Signature Event in April 2024
Art Johnson, Diane Lee, and Denise Koch chat with community members at the Wisdom Institute’s Signature Event in April 2024

“The audiences have really loved them,” Petix said. His jazz club, including some UMBC members, are planning a trip to see the UMBC semester’s final jazz recitals.

Valerie Woolston, whose husband Charles started as UMBC’s admissions director in 1968, helps edit the Friends of UMBC newsletter. She’s attended every jazz concert.

“They’re terrific,” Woolston said, nodding at the duo warming up in front of the crowd. “It’s really great to see how young people develop. They write their own music,” she said, almost as proud as a grandparent.

“I’m really pulled to UMBC,” said Woolston. “I’m really proud of it.”
Then she settled down with friends to watch the students play old, familiar tunes in a new way. 

“I’m really pulled to UMBC,” said Woolston. “I’m really proud of it.”

Then she settled down with friends to watch the students play old, familiar tunes in a new way.

Meet a Retriever—Merryll Kallungal ’24, translational life science technology graduate

Meet Merryll Kallungal, a brand new graduate of the translational life science technology program at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. In this program, students like Merryll learn hands-on skills through biotechnology labs and other applied experiences. We’re excited to hear all about her experience. Take it away, Merryll!

Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I majored in translational life science technology (TLST). I mainly attended the USG campus. I was part of the Peer Advisory Team. Outside of classes, I am interested in dancing, reading, and enjoying time with family.

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

A: All of the professors have been so wonderful in helping me with any questions i had, whether it be about classes or internship. Your advisors will always be helpful in figuring out what steps you have to take when it comes to registering for classes and also when looking for internships.

four women from UMBC's translational life sciences program in graduation robes pose together outside
Kallungal (second from right) and classmates at UMBC-Shady Grove celebrate their recent graduation. Photo by Godwin Aizenofe ’24, translational life science technology.

Q: What did you love most about the translational life sciences program at UMBC-Shady Grove?

A: What I love about the TLST program is how close the students are with each other since we are smaller major. Also, how I was able to have that one-on-one relationship with my advisor who is also my professor.

Q: What brought you to UMBC in the first place?

A: I came to UMBC at USG because the program that I was interested was only offered at USG. Plus at USG, the smaller classes allowed me to interact with my professor and get any help I need.

Q: Were you a student leader? What did you like most about it? What advice would you give incoming students?

A: Aside from being the Vice President of the Biotech Club, I was also part of the USG student council, and both these leadership experiences have helped me immensely to become a better student and also improve my leadership skills.

Q: Where are you headed from here, now that you’ve graduated?

A: My post graduation plans are to enter the work field and join a biotech company where I was an intern for the past year, then slowly think about joining graduate school for my master’s.

* * * * *

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.

Meet a Retriever–Bruce Perry Jr. ’97, UMBC Chief of Police

Meet Bruce Perry Jr. ’97, psychology. Bruce has spent 33 years at UMBC as both a student and staff member. He first joined the police department in 1994 as a student aide. After graduation, Bruce rejoined the police department in 1998 as an officer and has served in many roles over the years, including Operations Commander and Deputy Chief. In 2022, Bruce was named Chief of Police. Take it away, Bruce!

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?

A: In high school, I was in a club that had a field trip to UMBC. My guidance counselor highly recommended that I apply to three colleges. UMBC was one of those three and quickly became my top choice. I have been at UMBC ever since, practically my entire adult life, moving from a graduate to a staff member in a year.

Bruce Perry Jr. attending Quadmania as a UMBC student.
Bruce attending Quadmania as a UMBC student.

Q: Where have you found support in the UMBC community?

A: Once I moved into Chesapeake Hall as a freshman and participated in Playfair, I met several other students that I connected with and became friends with. As a staff member, I was able to connect with other staff, faculty, and students through committees, programs and meetings.

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

A: I love how collaborative the people on campus are. It is easy to just call or email someone and get a quick response. There are lots of activities that take place, there are many food options, and they get to use the RAC facilities for free. I would especially mention two big events that we have every year, Homecoming and Quadmania.

Q: Tell us about your current job. What do you like most about it?

A: I first joined the UMBC Police Department in 1994 as a student aide. After graduation, I rejoined the department in 1998 as an officer and has served in many roles over the years, including Operations Commander and Deputy Chief. In 2022, I was named Chief of Police. I love the opportunity to collaborate with others across campus. I have been involved with numerous campus groups, including the Alcohol and Other Drug Committee, the Hazing Awareness Work Group, the Employee of the Quarter Committee, Mental Health First Aid Instructors, and the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) to name a few. I like that I am able to interact with other colleagues around campus.

Q: Tell us what you love most about working in the UMBC Police Department.

A: Working in the police department, every day is a different day. The members of my department feel more like family members than co-workers, which is good since we have to rely on each other. I enjoy interacting with others on campus, volunteering, and being involved in different groups and committees.

Pictured right: The Retriever Weekly (Volume 33, Number 16) announcing the hiring of three new UMBC Police officers, including Bruce.

The Retriever Weekly (Volume 33, Number 16) annoucning the hiring of three new UMBC Police officers, including Bruce Perry Jr.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: I have been fortunate enough to have each supervisor that I have had since becoming an employee be a valuable mentor. They offered a lot of guidance and advice.

Bruce Perry Jr.'s Chief of Police Swearing-In Ceremony in 2022.
Bruce’s Chief of Police swearing-in ceremony in 2022. Pictured here with UMBC president emeritus Freeman A. Hrabowski, III.

Q: What would you tell someone who is considering a career at UMBC?

A: UMBC continues to be named as a top workplace by ModernThink’s Great Colleges to Work For program. UMBC ranks as a top institution nationwide in every category, from well-being and shared governance to mission and pride.

* * * * *

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.

Meet a Retriever—Garvey Chu, mechanical engineering student at UMBC-Shady Grove

Meet Garvey Chu, a first generation transfer student who is about to complete his degree in mechanical engineering at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. He’s also the recipient of a Mechanical Engineering Trailblazers scholarship. When he’s not in class, you might find Garvey enjoying some recreation time. We’re excited to see what he does next. Take it away, Garvey!

Q: Briefly introduce yourself. What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: My current area of study is mechanical engineering and I attend the Shady Grove campus. Outside of that, I enjoy going to the gym or just playing sports like golf and basketball. Currently I am in the final weeks of my undergraduate degree.

A male student works in a lab
Garvey Chu, far right, poses with fellow classmates. Photo courtesy of Chu.

Q: Tell us about the support you’ve gotten as a student, or someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: The advisors at Shady Grove have been great. And, I feel that the professors at Shady Grove have played a significant role in introducing me to new fields and aspects of engineering. Specifically, Prof. [Adam] Bridendolph and Dr. [Joseph] Washington have shared their personal experiences in areas that I was previously unaware of. Professor Bridendolph has expertise in the automation side of engineering, while Dr. Washington specializes in biomechanics. Both of them have really opened my eyes to new possible areas in my future career.

Q: What brought you to UMBC in the first place?

A: I came to UMBC because they offered mechanical engineering and also because the convenience of the Shady Grove campus, which was really close to my home. I also heard that the professors in the STEM programs were very good.

“
[My professors] have really opened my eyes to new possible areas in my future career.

Garvey Chu, mechanical engineering student

Q: Tell us about what excites you about your academic program, what you hope to do after graduation.

A: I’m excited about having the ability to design machines or products. And, I really enjoyed the senior capstone project, where the team was tasked with developing an automated sortation machine. Not only myself, but the team members had limited exposure to many of the components the system consisted of such as pneumatics, PLC programming, and wiring. It was a totally new experience for us. Because of our selected project, we even had the opportunity to visit a technical college that had a department specializing in automation in West Virginia. I really enjoyed that visit. After graduation, I’m hoping to work in a field related to the automotive industry, satellites, or defense. 

Garvey poses near Library Pond on UMBC's main campus. Photo courtesy of Chu.

* * * * *

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.

UMBC-run program will support twice as many tech internships this summer

An innovative internship program run through UMBC that helps Maryland support growing technology businesses while also retaining talented college graduates in the region is set to more than double over the next year, thanks to a $700,000 budget investment from Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly. The funding increase is effective July 1, making it available for the summer internship season and allowing for a growing number of employers to immediately take advantage of this proven and effective workforce development program. 

Launched and administered by UMBC, the Maryland Technology Internship Program (MTIP) offers financial assistance to technology-based businesses across the state to enable them to hire more interns from colleges. To date, students from 34 Maryland colleges and universities have been placed in more than 1,000 technical internships, primarily in smaller businesses, across biohealth and life sciences, engineering, IT/software solutions, cybersecurity, and manufacturing. 

“Through programs like MTIP, UMBC is driving economic development in our state, which fulfills our mission as an anchor university,” said UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby. “I want to thank Delegate Rosenberg for helping bring MTIP to fruition as well as Governor Moore for his leadership in making this MTIP expansion possible.”

MTIP was made possible as a result of House Bill 1317, 2014 legislation sponsored by state Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg, who has continued to work with UMBC and the University System of Maryland to shape the program. Originally aimed at smaller businesses, MTIP was expanded through subsequent legislation to larger technology companies as well as state and local agencies. MTIP first received funding in the FY 2019 budget, and the first MTIP-supported interns began working in the fall of 2018. This new funding, on top of the current base budget of $365,000, will make MTIP a $1 million-a-year regional growth initiative.

Among the many MTIP success stories is Courtney Cavin ’22, M.S. ’23, chemical engineering, who turned an internship into a successful career with Astek Diagnostics, a medical device company based in Halethorpe, Maryland. Astek CEO Mustafa Al-Adhami, M.S. ’15, Ph.D. ’20, mechanical engineering, describes how MTIP interns grow—and grow the companies where they work.

a man stands and talks on a stage
Mustafa Al-Adhami speaks at a UMBC Grit-X event.

“I came into the office during Courtney Cavin’s first week and sketched out a concept for testing urine for UTI,” said Al-Adhami. “At that point, Astek Diagnostics was just the two of us. Two years later, we’ve developed our first Alpha cartridge and she is Astek’s chief product officer.” 

“We are accepting applications for summer internships now and are ready to immediately scale up,” said Jen Spencer Heilman, UMBC program director for workforce initiatives, noting that the popular program often has a waitlist of interested companies. “We currently average about 160 internships a year. This new funding will allow us to increase matching funds to employers and support more than 300 students across the state each year. Historically, we’ve had to turn away a number of employers due to reaching funding capacity. We are thrilled for this opportunity to expand our support to more companies.”

Heilman said she looks forward to the program’s partnership with UpSurge Baltimore and the Baltimore Tech Hub Consortium as an ecosystem builder for Baltimore tech. Employers interested in receiving financial support for technical intern hires should review the MTIP eligibility and guidelines.

Office Hours with President Sheares Ashby and URCAD student artist

During her office hours, President Valerie Sheares Ashby makes it a point to meet weekly with students and hear about their UMBC experiences and their aspirations for life after UMBC. Today, Jenna Beshara, a senior English and visual arts double major, shares her Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) project with the president. Beshara, who spent last summer on a study abroad program in Wales, painted a series of Welsh watercolor landscapes with paints she made herself using only natural ingredients. In this excerpt of their conversation, she and President Sheares Ashby discuss the importance of pursuing art and research through a sustainability lens.

President Sheares Ashby: These paintings are just beautiful. I feel like the water is just coming off the page. Is that the way you painted it or is it actually texture?

Jenna Beshara: Thank you! It’s a little bit of both, because the pigment—no matter how much you grind it or sift it—it’s still going to be a little bit coarse and gritty. I found out that it takes about a week to make one batch of pigment. You start with flowers or vegetables or plants—red cabbage actually makes the best blue—and you put them in a pot and pour boiling water over it. Then it’s a sequence of simmering and letting it rest. After you strain out all the materials, you add in a salt compound and baking soda. You grind what’s left, which turns into a mud-like consistency. It needs a week to dry and then you grind it and strain it several times. 

But to make the paint, there’s quite a bit of chemistry involved. The idea just kind of came to me because acrylic paint is like liquid plastic. It’s really bad for the environment.

Two women standing behind a table with 5 paintings on it, examining them.
Beshara shares her paintings with President Sheares Ashby.

Sheares Ashby: I am a polymer chemist, so I know what you mean. I appreciate that you did watercolor and environmentally friendly materials. That is very impressive. How did you decide to start this project?

Beshara: After I came back from Wales, I knew I wanted to apply for a Fulbright student grant to do more arts research. My mentor, Timothy Nohe, a professor in visual arts, suggested I use URCAD as a jumping-off point for my research project.  He supports me in everything that I do. I’ll come to him and I’m like, “Hey, I want to do this.” And he’s like, “Awesome, do it.” 

At one point in this project, I was so frustrated because I wanted to make oil paintings. The homemade oil wasn’t drying, and it looked so gritty. So I went to Professor Nohe and said, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” And he said, “Well, if the medium isn’t working, just change it.” And that blew my mind, and I was like, “Whoa, I can do that?”

Sheares Ashby: When I look at these paintings of these beautiful landscapes, it reminds me that from an environmental framework that if we do not care for this, it will not continue to look like this. This beauty that you have captured is not guaranteed. We have a responsibility to keep this as beautiful as it is.

“
I love UMBC because our students are so focused on making some version of difference in the world, no matter the discipline.

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Beshara: I’m applying for an Undergraduate Research Award to keep studying this because the supplies to make the paint can get a little pricey. But it’s so important, with climate change, that sustainability and art can go hand-in-hand.

Sheares Ashby: I love UMBC because our students are so focused on making some version of difference in the world, no matter the discipline. It is rare that I run into a student who doesn’t think about whatever they care about in an interdisciplinary way. Most of my students—like you—are thinking about how they are going to change something in the world to make it better. 

Meet a Retriever—Amy Caballero ’22, new social worker with strong ties to UMBC-Shady Grove

Amy Caballero graduated from UMBC 2022 with her bachelor’s degree in social work. She stayed on at the Shady Grove campus to complete her master’s in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and she graduates this May. She has a job lined up as a youth development specialist at a local nonprofit. Outside of academia, she says, she’s obsessed with her two dogs, enjoys bouldering, reading fiction and manga, and hanging out with friends. Take it away, Amy!

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone to know about the support you find at UMBC?

A: The support is here, and many are here to help! It can sometimes be scary to ask for help, but people here want to ensure that you succeed during your time at UMBC and beyond! I have still maintained contact with professors and staff post-graduation. I’d recommend that you look into the resources on campus and remember that they are there for you to use.

headshot of a smiling woman in a black cardigan
Caballero at her social work field placement.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: Dr. Katie Morris [Ph.D. ’21, language, literacy, and culture], the program director at UMBC-Shady Grove, was a great source of support for me during my undergrad years. Prior to starting, she advocated on my behalf to ensure that certain credits were accepted to fulfill the minor requirement. She provided a space to discuss any ideas or concerns I had while providing feedback. She is a great inspiration to me because of her advocacy on behalf of students.

Q: Tell us what you love about your academic program.

A: I loved how passionate all my professors were about social work and their love for the subject they taught. They were all eager to teach and ensure that all of us understood the subject matter. I was involved with the Social Worker Student Association (SWSA) and the creative freedom in creating events was something I enjoyed. It provided me with opportunities to learn more about the UMBC-Shady Grove community, meet other students, and network as well. During my time at SWSA, we were able to collect over 200 menstrual products and donate them to a local nonprofit, I Support the Girls.

two women in professional clothes chat on bright yellow chairs in a school
Amy Caballero ’22 talks with a colleague at her social work field placement in Seneca Valley High School.

Q: Tell us about your primary WHY, and how it led you to UMBC.

A: I became interested in social work because it has an interdisciplinary approach to social issues and advocacy. I came to UMBC because I had heard about its amazing social work program and saw that it was available at the UMBC-Shady Grove campus.

Q: Tell us about the people who helped you grow at UMBC, and why their HOW made such a difference to you.

A: I have found support through professors and staff at the UMBC-Shady Grove location. They helped connect me with internship and scholarship opportunities. They were really passionate about what they taught and are a prime example of the different routes you can take as a social worker. 

Q: What’s your favorite part of being a part of Retriever Nation?

A: My favorite part is receiving UMBC Magazine and reading about updates related to UMBC. It’s pretty cool that they have events to welcome back alums!

(Right: Caballero’s dogs, Nori and Cookie.)

two small dogs stand on their hind legs

* * * * *

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.

Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

Written by Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems at UMBC.

In the popular imagination, the Caribbean is paradise, an exotic place to escape to. But behind the images of balmy beaches and lush hotel grounds lies a crisis, the likes of which its residents have never experienced.

Caribbean islands are in a water crisis, and their governments have warned that water scarcity may become the new norm.

Within the past five years, every island in the region has experienced some sort of water scarcity. For example, Trinidad is experiencing its worst drought in recent memory, and residents are under water restrictions through at least the end of June 2024, with fines for anyone who violates the rules.

Dominica, considered the nature island of the Caribbean for its mountain rain forests, is seeing a significant decrease in freshwater resources and increasingly frequent water shortages. In Grenada, known as the spice isle, drought has affected water systems throughout the island.

An apartment building in the Caribbean with large blue water barrels sitting outside each unit on platforms similar to where you might see a window air conditioner.
Apartments in Havana, Cuba, store water to provide supplies when the public system isn’t operating. Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Jamaica is also facing water restrictions and has had to resort to water shutoffs in recent years, limiting water availability to a few hours per day in some areas. St. Vincent and St. Kitts have had to ration water. Barbados has experienced several water bans in recent years.

In fact, recent data shows that the Caribbean is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world.

I study the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters, particularly in the Caribbean. Safe water is essential for all human activity and public health. That’s why it is important to understand the root causes of the water crises and to find effective, affordable ways to improve water supply systems.

3 reasons water demand is outstripping supply in the Caribbean

Changing precipitation patterns and droughts are straining Caribbean water supplies, but water demand has also been outstripping supply for a number of reasons.

1. Rapid urbanization and industrialization

The Caribbean is one of the most rapidly urbanizing regions in the world. About three-quarters of its population lives in cities, and that percentage is rising, adding pressure on public water systems.

At the same time, increased industrialization and commercialization of agriculture have degraded water quality and in some cases encroached on sensitive water catchment areas, affecting the soil’s capacity to retain water.

People on a beach with a large airplane landing and hotels in the background on Sint Maarten.
A plane lands in Sint Maarten. Visitors’ water needs come first on many islands that depend on tourism. Richie Diesterheft/Flickr, CC BY-SA

This competing demand for limited fresh water has reduced stream flows and led to water being drawn down from sensitive sources. In Dennery North, a major farming community in St. Lucia, water shortages have left residents collecting water from rivers and other sources for their homes and farms.

Unregulated extraction of groundwater can also worsen the problem. Many islands depend on groundwater.

For example, 90% of water supply in Barbados comes from groundwater, while in Jamaica it is 84%. However, increasing demand and changes in annual rainfall patterns are affecting the ability of aquifers or groundwater to recharge. As a result, supply isn’t keeping up with demand. This is a huge problem for the island of Utila, located off the coast of Honduras, where the current rate of aquifer recharge is only 2.5% annually. For comparison, Barbados has a recharge rate of 15% to 30% of annual rainfall.

2. Water-intensive tourism industry

It’s no secret that the Caribbean is a popular tourist destination, and tourist economies depend on vast quantities of water.

Even during water rationing, water is diverted to hotels and other tourist-dependent sites first. That can leave local residents without water for hours or days at a time and facing fines if they violate use restrictions.

Tourism not only increases the consumption of water but also the pollution of water resources. Building golf courses to attract more tourists further increases tourism’s water demand and runoff.

3. Weak water infrastructure governance

Another problem water systems face is weak governance that leads to excessive loss of treated water before it even reaches the customer.

A well-performing water utility will usually have water losses – known as nonrevenue water – below 30%. In the Caribbean, the average nonrevenue water is 46%, with some as high as 75%.

A line graph of precipitation across the caribbean from 2011 to 2021

The reasons range from lack of appropriate management practices to metering inaccuracies, leaks and theft.

Climate change and extreme weather worsen water insecurity

These troubled water systems can struggle on good days. Worsening extreme weather, such as hurricanes and flooding, can damage infrastructure, leading to long outages and expensive repairs.

The Caribbean is the second-most disaster-prone region in the world. The islands face frequent earthquakes, landslides, devastating hurricanes and other destructive storms. As global temperatures and sea levels rise, the risk of extreme weather and storm surge causing erosion, flooding and saltwater contamination increases.

A red and white map of hurricane's and their financial impact on the Caribbean

Three months after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017, well over 14% of the Caribbean population was still without potable water. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 left Grand Bahama Utility Co. and the country’s Water and Sewerage Corp. with U$54 million in damages. A year after Dorian, WSC was “still working on restoring operations to pre-Hurricane Dorian levels.”

How hybrid rainwater harvesting can help

Improving water access in the Caribbean means working on all of those challenges. Better governance and investment can help reduce water loss from theft and leaks. Government and social pressure and educating tourists can help reduce waste at hotels and resorts.

There are also ways to increase water supply. One involves being more strategic about how the islands use a practice the region has relied on for centuries: rainwater harvesting.

Rainwater harvesting involves capturing rainwater, often from where it runs off rooftops, and storing it for future use. It can replace irrigation, or the water can be treated for household uses.

A large tank with an intake pipe above and tubes running from the bottom sits on a cement slab in a yard next to a fence with wildflowers along it.
An example of a rainwater harvesting tank. Penny Mayes via Wikimedia, CC BY

Right now, rainwater harvesting is not managed as part of the islands’ centralized water management system. Instead, households bear the cost to finance, build and maintain their own systems. Finding technical support can be difficult, leaving households to contend with seasonal variations in water quantity and quality. That makes risks to drinking water safety difficult to identify.

If rainwater harvesting were instead combined with central water systems in a managed hybrid water model, I believe that could help expand safe rainwater harvesting and address water issues in the region.

It’s a relatively new concept, and integrating decentralized sources can be complex, including requiring separate pipes, but it has potential to reduce water stress. Decentralized sources, such as rainwater harvesting, groundwater or recycled gray water, could serve as backup water sources during shortages or provide water for nonpotable purposes, such as flushing toilets or irrigation, to reduce demand for treated water.

Engineers in Australia are weighing the potential of hybrid water systems to help face the challenges of delivering secure, safe and sustainable water in the future.

Fulfilling a human right in the islands

The World Health Organization has declared that access to a sufficient, safe and reliable water supply is a fundamental human right, and that to accomplish this, water suppliers have a responsibility to provide adequate quantities of potable water.

Hybrid water systems could help ensure water safety and security for island communities and improve the water systems’ resilience amid the human and environmental pressures facing the Caribbean.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 250 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Meet a Retriever—Ron Pettie ’82, retired police officer and true Retriever Believer

Meet Ron Pettie. Ron is a retired Baltimore City police officer and a loyal Retriever alumnus, graduating with a B.A. in English in 1982. When he’s not writing postcards to incoming UMBC students, commenting on UMBC Alumni Association Facebook posts, or attending alumni events, Ron can be found spending time with his wife Christine. Ron’s path in life may not have always gone according to plan, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Take it away, Ron!

Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I am a true believer that education is priceless. I arrived at UMBC after receiving a top-notch education in the Baltimore City Public School System. I had the intention of working in engineering as a career, but at the end of my time at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Karl Yount led me to truly appreciate the English language. So, I set another goal to become an English teacher at Poly. I attended Catonsville Community and obtained an associate’s degree before moving on to UMBC to study English and focus on my goal. Well, fast-forward a few years later and I became a cop in Baltimore City, where I worked for 27 years before retiring as a sergeant. Here is where education became important. In the Baltimore City Police Department, I worked patrol, recruitment, applicant investigation, administrative sgt. to the major, medical abuse investigator, OSHA, Red Cross, and worker’s compensation liaison.

After retiring from the police department, I worked for another 10 years in security at Sinai Hospital before retiring as a lieutenant. I have seen the best and the worst in people. These days, I am officially retired and parenting two youngsters with my wife Christine.

Pictured right: Ron at Homecoming 2022 positing with a cutout of True Grit.

Ron Pettie '82, English, at Homecoming 2022.

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

A: UMBC is truly an all-inclusive, friendly, and down-to-earth place.

“
I still get chills every time I walk into the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

Ron Pettie '82

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: My folks got me to college. The costs were a lot different back then. I bought my books myself, but my parents made it all possible. I also had the fortune of learning from some wonderful educators, including Ms. Barbara Dunsen, my 5th-grade teacher. We are good friends to this day. Ms. Dunsen, along with Carolyn Freeland, integrated the teaching staff at #226. I can’t forget Mr. Bachman and Karl Yount who poured the English language out to me. Then there’s UMBC…William Bettridge, Philip Landon, Kenneth Baldwin, Joan Korenman, William Edinger, Elizabeth Ermarth, and J. Leeds Barroll. So many folks were such great influences! I met some amazing educators and every one of my English professors had a knack for pushing me. There was also a group of English majors that ate lunch together, talked about lectures, compared books, and helped each other throughout our time at UMBC.

Ron and Christine Pettie with UMBC President emeritus, Freeman A. Hrabowski, III.
Ron and Christine Pettie with UMBC President Walerie Sheares Ashby.

Left: Ron and Christine Pettie with UMBC president emeritus, Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. Right: Ron and Christine Pettie with UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby.

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC because I had heard there was a level of difficulty and I wanted to continue the challenges from Poly.

Q: What’s something you love about your academic program?

A: I have always loved writing. Now that I have time, I have recently rekindled my love of writing and started revisiting works from decades ago.

Ron Pettie '82, English, and Christine Pettie at UMBC's 50th anniversary celebration.
Ron and Christine Pettie at UMBC’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Q: What’s your favorite part of being a part of Retriever Nation?

A: There’s always something big at UMBC. What can I say…I enjoy visiting campus for events—especially Homecoming—hitting the bookstore for UMBC gear, catching shows at the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, and celebrating UMBC every chance I get.

Q: What drives you to support UMBC?

A: I give as much as I can and mostly throw my support to the English Department…but spread it out as well.

* * * * *

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.

How 19th-century Spiritualists ‘canceled’ the idea of hell to address social and political concerns

Written by Lindsay DiCuirci, associate professor of English at UMBC.

Between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio, drivers pass a billboard on Interstate 71 that has achieved some internet fame.

Since 2004, a black sign has risen from this flat stretch of highway declaring “HELL IS REAL.” The H in “Hell” is painted in red, a color Christians have long associated with sin and Satan.

The developer who erected the warning, Jimmy Harston, has similar signs scattered across the Midwest, including ones that ask, “If you died today, where would you spend eternity?”

For years, this confrontational sign was mostly a local attraction. But it gained wider notoriety when Ohio’s two Major League Soccer teams, Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, dubbed their 2017 matchup “Hell is Real.” The sign has now spawned TikTok content, T-shirt designs, mugs and decals. But it also reflects a genuine belief in hell held by a majority of Americans today, though the numbers are slipping.

A 2023 Gallup poll found that 59% of respondents believe in hell, while 67% believe in heaven. The numbers for hell belief are far higher among those who identify as Protestant Christians (81%) and Republicans (79%).

Hell belief is holding steady in the U.S., but this was not always the case. In my research on spirit communication in 19th century American culture, I have found an organized effort to “cancel” hell by Spiritualists, who made up the fastest-growing religious movement of the century.

Spiritualists believed that people could maintain communication with the living even after death. They thought communicative spirits had a principal role to play in addressing the era’s most pressing social and political concerns, which would be impossible if souls were damned. This idea was a cornerstone of their practice and a driver of their politics.

Hell hath no fury

Many traditions, including Catholic Christianity, have beliefs about eternal destiny, but Protestant beliefs predominated in America’s settler colonies.

Puritan minister Michael Wigglesworth’s epic and best-selling poem “Day of Doom,” written in 1666, scared generations of believers with its vivid depiction of “yonder Lake,/where Fire and Brimstone flameth.”

A century later, revivalist minister Jonathan Edwards warned of the “dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God” awaiting the unrepentant.

On the edges of organized religion, though, were believers interested in alternative afterlives. Swedish theologian and scientist Emmanuel Swedenborg, for example, speculated in 1758 that “The world of spirits is not heaven, nor is it hell; but it is a place or state intermediate between the two.”

Swedenborg’s ideas gained public traction in the U.S. after sisters Kate and Margaret Fox of Hydesville, New York, reported “rapping” and “knocking” sounds in their home. The knocking seemed responsive to the sisters’ questions, and they soon claimed that they could hold conversations with the deceased. Rising from this domestic drama was a national and international phenomenon that recalibrated people’s relationship with death and offered a balm to the grieving.

Some of the Foxes’ first advocates were Quaker activists Isaac and Amy Post. Isaac Post became a writing medium, recording alleged spirit communications from luminaries like George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte and also everyday people.

A painting showing a building with tall pillars surrounded by fires all around it. Hell
An 1841 painting ‘Pandemonium’ by John Martin, based on John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ where Pandemonium is the capital of Hell. John Martin via Wikimedia Commons

Spiritualists held that after shedding the body in death, the spirit would continue on a celestial journey. A spirit’s assignment was to help those still in their bodies to create a better, more just world. Through mediums, séances and object manipulation, spirits were believed to be able to enlighten the living by giving them a glimpse into life on a broader plane of existence.

Spiritualists felt that embodied life was narrow and full of biases, wants, needs and conflicts. In his 1850 book, “Singular Revelations,” spirit medium Eliab W. Capron recorded an insight he claimed to receive from the spirit of radical Methodist preacher Lorenzo Dow, who had died 14 years prior: “The Presbyterians say hell is a place of fire and brimstone that burns the soul forever. This is not so. The Hell is man’s own body, and when he escapes from that he escapes from bondage.”

Fires of reform

In neutralizing the threat of hell, Spiritualists believed that even deeply corrupted spirits could spur the living toward progressive reforms.

In an 1858 gathering of self-described “friends of free thought” in Vermont known as the Rutland Free Convention, Spiritualists and social reformers debated the question of hell vis-a-vis issues like slavery, the death penalty and maternity.

Lecturer and clairvoyant Andrew Jackson Davis cheekily announced to the Rutland crowd, “Hell has undergone the most extensive alterations and improvements” in the hands of Spiritualists. By caring “less about the fear of the devil, and more about the actual necessity of goodness,” people could act expediently to address real social problems rather than fight what Davis considered imaginary ones.

A black and white yellowed photo of a woman wearing a lace collar dress.
Spirit medium Achsa Sprague. vtdigger/via Wikimedia Commons

Spirit medium Ascha Sprague linked hell belief to the persistence of capital punishment in American jurisprudence, asking, “Who blames man that he hangs his brother between heaven and earth, when he has been taught to believe that the Almighty God, infinite in power and wisdom, will in a moment plunge him into a burning pit, and save him never?”

In other words, Spiritualists warned that the idea of hell allowed people to remain complacent: Let hell punish the brutal enslaver, the cruel prison warden, the merciless factory foreman, the abusive husband. Hell gave believers a way to escape the responsibility of addressing burning social ills in the here and now. By relinquishing the “bottomless pit, which they have been taught to believe in,” Isaac Post quoted a spirit saying, a new ethos of urgent and sweeping reform could materialize.

Even today, some spiritual activists consider hell belief an impediment to systemic social change. For example, prison abolitionist Hannah Bowman wrote in a 2023 collection on spirituality and abolition, “Insofar as hell is defined by coercion/confinement, separation, and retribution, it is to some degree related to any societal and state interventions reliant upon those practices.”

To hell and back

Putting out the fires of hell was not easy in the 19th century U.S., especially at the outbreak of the Civil War when mass death fed apocalyptic rhetoric. The promise of God’s “terrible swift sword” of judgment was sung out in the canonical words of suffragist Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Spiritualism’s popularity waxed and waned after the war, and its reformist leanings largely faded. Mass casualty events like war and flu led to periodic revivals, especially of séance culture. But hell belief in America ultimately held steady and reignited by the middle of 20th century.

The reasons for this range from a decline in religious belief between the world wars to a religious revival following them, and the horrors of war itself. In his 1949 memoir, “To Hell and Back,” World War II 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy recounts a fellow soldier’s impromptu verses; “Oh, gather round me comrades and listen while / I speak / Of a war, a war, a war, where hell is six feet deep.” Hell was everywhere.

Cornell University’s Roper Center poll from 1957 – in the thick of the Cold War – found that 74% of Americans polled believed in an afterlife, but 84% felt that the dead were uncommunicative. These modern trends indicate that hell belief captures the zeitgeist of an era. It ebbs and flows along with attitudes about justice, human suffering and even the health of the planet.

The “Hell is Real” sign has experienced a similar flux. Last summer, street artist LISP pasted a cutout of a cartoonish red devil on the highway sign and shared the covert operation on Instagram. “Is nothing sacred?” one user asked, riffing on the sign’s iconic, if peculiar, status. The sign has since been replaced with a fresh one, a visible reminder that for some people, hell belief will never die.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 250 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Neediest areas are being shortchanged on government funds − even with programs designed to benefit poor communities

Written by Eric Stokan, assistant professor of political science at UMBC; Aaron Deslatte, assistant professor of public administration at Indiana University, and Michael Overton, associate professor at of political science and public administration at the University of Idaho.

If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. And you would typically be right.

This is the case even with programs that have been specifically designed to benefit low-income communities. Over the long run, federal funds tend to flow toward areas that are relatively better off.

That’s what we found in a recent study of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.

We looked at 20 years of data from the CDBG program, which in 2022 provided about $4.3 billion to cities and states across the country. Federal rules require that 70% of these funds be spent in neighborhoods where a majority of families have low to moderate incomes – a category researchers abbreviate as “LMI.”

To count as LMI, a household must make 80% or less of the median income in an area. So, in the Baltimore metropolitan area, which in 2023 had a median household income of US$121,700, a household could make up to $97,600 and qualify. If 51% or more of the households in a census tract earn less than that income, then the tract is eligible for LMI funding.

We asked what happens as that share increases: Are those communities more likely to receive additional funding?

We found that the neighborhoods with the largest share of low- to moderate-income families, relative to the city, were less likely to receive CDBG funds than communities that were closer to the 51% threshold. In other words, the neediest places weren’t the ones most likely to receive money.

The neediest areas get less

As scholars of political science and public administration, we were not entirely surprised by our findings. Other researchers have documented similar trends for other programs, including the Opportunity Zones program, which may be targeted toward neighborhoods that have begun to gentrify.

These findings are also consistent with analyses of the CDBG program in evaluations of a few large cities. In our work, which looked at more than 15,000 census tracts in nearly 1,300 cities, we concluded that these effects aren’t limited to a small number of urban communities.

What’s more, economic development policies already worsen these effects. Property tax abatements and other tax policies aimed at attracting businesses and development often leave schools deprived of critical funding, which exacerbates social and racial inequities.

This isn’t just a problem with federal programs. The political scientist Jessica Trounstine, in her influential 2018 book “Segregation by Design,” has shown that cities distribute their public investments in ways that systematically worsen existing inequities.

In the case of the CDBG program, local governments have a lot of discretion in distributing funds. That creates a conflict between two goals: growth and equity. Will governments optimize for economic growth, seeking maximum returns on investment and increasing tax dollars with community development funds? Or will they use these funds to bolster the hardest hit and economically disadvantaged communities?

Cities, for their part, must confront trade-offs regarding the type of investments to make and where to make them. For cities, this could mean using funds to build a public park in a wealthier neighborhood or to repair a youth services center in a very low-income community.

If these examples seem stark, consider that Pharr, Texas, used a portion of its CDBG funds to buy equipment to host festivals, and the council in Comstock Township, Michigan, unanimously decided to use CDBG funds to expand the water capacity at a local craft brewery.

Both activities may be important for economic development; qualifying these activities as community development, however, neglects the focus on helping those with the least.

From the federal government down to city governments, lawmakers are increasingly focused on improving social equity. The reality is that many cities in the U.S. are profoundly unequal, and the most disinvested communities are already plagued with socioeconomic challenges. Adults and children in these environments often live with an increased risk of everything from asthma to toxic exposure to lead.

That’s why it’s so concerning that programs designed to reduce inequality in disinvested communities may be systematically targeted toward relatively better-off neighborhoods with a return-on-investment justification.

What governments can do

Fortunately, policymakers aren’t powerless. Our research indicates there are steps that all levels of government can take.

At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development might tighten the requirements around how it, as well as state and local governments, distributes CDBG dollars. Over the years, scholars have sought changes to the funding formula to improve equity.

Since states decide how CDBG funds are allocated to local governments, they could play a key role in improving social equity access. Specifically, they could get rid of competitive bidding processes for these funds and instead prioritize local governments with higher needs.

Finally, local governments could consider using redistributive spending mechanisms – such as providing CDBG funds for youth programs, services for the disabled, or even subsistence payments – to ensure that neighborhoods with the greatest need receive these funds. They should also work with community development organizations and neighborhood groups when considering their spending priorities.

Getting community input is especially important. That’s because, as our research found, the poorest neighborhoods were more likely to receive CDBG funds when community development corporations – nonprofit organizations that represent local interests – participated in decision-making.

In community development, as in so much of life, it matters who has a seat at the table.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 250 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

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