In four decades at UMBC, W. Edward Orser’s research and teaching have helped uncover American triumphs and tragedies in city neighborhoods, small towns and parklands. By Richard Byrne ’86 Forty years ago, when W. Edward Orser arrived in Baltimore as a young professor in American studies at UMBC, he was also planting himself in new soil. Orser had studied at Randolph-Macon College and Yale University before he and his wife, Jo Annette, were among the first waves of those who answered John F. Kennedy’s call to service in the Peace Corps. They spent two years in Ethiopia before he returned… Continue Reading Locale Hero
In a developing world awash with suffering, Jeffrey Wilkinson ’89, interdisciplinary studies, has used his medical skills to focus on a very specific problem for African women: a hugely debilitating condition known as obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula occurs in women who undergo a difficult childbirth or are victims of sexual violence. The fistula is a hole that appears between the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and the vagina. It often develops after prolonged labor, and the condition causes incontinence and infections, as patients cannot hold in their urine or fecal matter. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that… Continue Reading Fighting Fistula – Jeffrey Wilkinson ’89, INDS
After 9 a.m. – and until the last classes of the day – UMBC is a busy place. The Commons and Quad and Academic Walk bustle with students and faculty and staff going busily about the business of learning. Classrooms and labs are filled with the sounds of lectures and discussions – or the concentrated silence of experiments and exams. The parking lots are full – and parking services employees write tickets to the scofflaws. But there is also a great deal going on at UMBC and in its vicinity before most people turn their cars onto the Loop or… Continue Reading Early Risers
Donna Lewis ’86, English, leads a double life. She earned her law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore and is currently an attorney with the Department of Homeland Security after 12 years in private sector litigation. But away from the office, Lewis is a humorist who draws cartoons, writes and performs stand-up comedy. (In 2007, she competed in the Washington Post’s “Funniest Fed” stand-up competition.) UMBC Magazine asked Lewis how she squared the law and the laugh. She argues that they are more intertwined than you might think: When people find out you’re a lawyer… Continue Reading Double Threat – Donna Lewis ’86, English
Shakespeare: Page to Stage Michele Osherow is one of UMBC’s rising stars in the humanities. An assistant professor of English, she serves as director of the Humanities Scholars Program and as the associate director of the Dresher Center for the Humanities. Osherow also runs a monthly Shakespeare reading group and organizes events such as an April marathon reading of Shakespeare’s sonnets – put together with UMBC associate professor of theatre Alan Kreizenbeck. But Osherow’s Bard-ic efforts don’t stop at the edge of Hilltop Circle. In addition to having won multiple awards as an actress, she is also the resident dramaturg… Continue Reading Discovery – Summer 2009
Monkee Business In a crowded basement bar in Silver Spring in late winter, the Stepping Stones are bashing out a version of the Monkees’ “Mary, Mary.” As the song veers out of its chorus, UMBC professor of public policy and economics Timothy J. Brennan unleashes a dirty and riveting guitar solo that has the crowd buzzing with approval. By day, Brennan is a researcher whose work tackles the intersection of markets and government regulations – antitrust laws, utilities, and copyright. But in his free time, you might find him playing jazz guitar, working over a blues song with friends, or… Continue Reading At Play – Summer 2009
Making a Splash Wondering how the Retrievers’ men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have sustained their tournament excellence over the past few years? A weeklong dose of sea and sand during winter break is part of the equation for success. Each year, coach Chad Cradock ’97, psychology, takes his teams to Florida, where they stay in a hotel by the water in Boca Raton and enjoy life on the beach for their midseason training camp. The warm weather is a nice backdrop for some intensive training, however. “We really focus on developing them and getting stronger,” said Cradock, who… Continue Reading At Play – Summer 2010
The Doctors Are In It’s Career Week at UMBC – an annual event focused on helping students and recent alumni select and secure jobs. Justin Alexander ’09, ancient studies, is looking for work this spring. He clutches a copy of his resume as he enters the University Center Ballroom. He’s come to the right place. This is the Resume ER, a clinic staffed by a rotating team of employers and alumni dedicated to triage and surgery on clutter and disorganization in the gateway document for all jobseekers. Two staffers from UMBC’s Career Services Center – Lori Logan-Bennett, associate director of… Continue Reading The News – Summer 2010
It’s no secret that these are tough economic times. So what advantages do UMBC students have in the struggle to find and secure a career? The great education that they receive at UMBC is one asset. But the strength of the university’s commitment to securing internship opportunities is another head start that UMBC students have in the job hunt. As UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, points out in our “Up on the Roof” feature, the university works hard to nurture relationships with potential employers in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. He also emphasizes the number of opportunities that UMBC has created… Continue Reading To You – Summer 2010
How challenging and timely internships changed the career trajectories of four UMBC alumni. By Meredith Purvis, Derek Roper ’11, and Erika Shernoff Photos by Howard Korn Mastering an academic discipline is an important step in preparing for a successful career. Yet for many UMBC students, internships have been another key element in career success. Internships can confirm a career direction and provide some early connections in a chosen field. Sometimes, however, the right internship is more than that. It can help a student take a giant first step in his or her career, or encourage a radical change in direction.… Continue Reading Turn to Earn
Shari Elliker ’83, interdisciplinary studies, and Neil Beller ’83, interdisciplinary studies, spend Thursday mornings together on WBAL-AM in the glow of the “On Air” sign, with Beller as a regular weekly co-host on Elliker’s successful AM talk radio show. Radio is a shared bond between Elliker and Beller since they shared the microphone on a popular program on WMBC in the 1980s. An active supporter of UMBC’s baseball team, Beller is also an Emmy-winning editor and the president of Kit & Kaboodle Productions. And in addition to The Shari Elliker Show (which she has hosted since 2007), Elliker is an… Continue Reading Over Coffee – Summer 2010
How UMBC is pushing the frontiers of research and training in cyber security – and keeping its own networks safe from attacks. By Joab Jackson ’90 Photo Illustrations by Aaron Goodman Defending UMBC from web attacks is a more than a full-time job. It’s a 24/7/365 undertaking. Earlier this year, for instance, Mike Carlin ’96, biological sciences, Ph.D. ’09 information systems, was driving to New York. UMBC’s assistant vice president of Infrastructure and Support paused to check his Blackberry at a rest stop in New Jersey when he received what looked to be an official UMBC e-mail, informing him that… Continue Reading Battlefield of Bits and Bytes
