Primary Colorist

Jan 19, 2012 / 13 minutes of reading

UMBC professor of political science Thomas Schaller’s 2006 book Whistling Past Dixie offered a controversial roadmap for the Democratic Party’s path back to electoral success – and thrust him into the D.C. spotlight. What does he see ahead in an already fractious 2012 electoral cycle? By Richard Byrne ’86 Illustrations by William L. Brown Professor of political science Thomas Schaller is an affable and loquacious fellow – a consistent pick among UMBC undergraduates as one of the university’s top teachers, as well as a fan of the rock band Wilco and the Washington Capitals hockey team. But Schaller has attracted… Continue Reading Primary Colorist

Discovery – Winter 2012

Jan 19, 2012 / 10 minutes of reading

SWEET RELIEF? Think of sugar and you likely think of the tasty treats to which they lend sweetness – candies and soda and ice cream – or the way that a spoonful of it helps the medicine go down. But sugars have a potential medical role past helping Mary Poppins get some bitter but healing syrup down the hatch. Certain complex sugars, known as polysaccharides, can also play a role in improving the health of children according to UMBC researchers. Polysaccharides are attached to the outside of bacteria. These polysaccharides come in different types (or flavors, if you like), and… Continue Reading Discovery – Winter 2012

How To Be Fast: David Bobb ’02

Jan 2, 2012 / 4 minutes of reading

With David Bobb ’02, Track & Field Head Coach Don’t get us wrong: there’s nothing bad about being slow. We like to relax as we sip our coffee in the morning. We like to take our time ambling down UMBC’s treelined thoroughfare on a cool spring morning. And we like to savor a long, juicy novel word by luscious word. Really, we do. Sometimes, though, you have to be fast. And when that time comes – whether you want to beat a fellow shopper to the last deal on the sales rack, or outstep your buddies on a lunch break… Continue Reading How To Be Fast: David Bobb ’02

Video: How to Grow Your Big Idea

Sep 13, 2011 / 1 minute of reading

From UMBC Magazine Fall 2011: How to Grow Your Big Idea. Featuring Dean Bill LaCourse, Vivian Armour, and Gib Mason. Video by Jenny O’Grady.

Today's Forecast: Stellar

Sep 2, 2011 / 11 minutes of reading

Researchers at UMBC’s newly formed NASA research center wrestle with basic questions about our neighborhood star – and the effects that its weather can create on Earth. By Anthony Lane On the morning of September 1, 1859, a British solar astronomer was using his telescope to look at a projected image of the sun when something strange happened: Two brilliant patches of white light pierced the thicket of sunspots he’d been tracking. Richard Carrington, the astronomer, was astounded by what he saw. He scrambled outside to find someone to join him as a witness to the amazing spectacle, but… Continue Reading Today's Forecast: Stellar

Today’s Forecast: Stellar

Sep 2, 2011 / 11 minutes of reading

How To Grow Your Big Idea

Sep 2, 2011 / 4 minutes of reading

With Vivian Armor ’73, director, Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship You wake up one morning with a big, bright light bulb bobbing above your head. You start your day, feed the dog, the light getting brighter by the minute. Pretty soon, it’s keeping you up at night. Well, congratulations. Your “big idea” has arrived – and with it, a world of possibility. So, now what? Do you cash in your life savings for seed money? Get a fancy business degree? Buy the book by that guy in the suit covered in question marks? Maybe you take some (absolutely) free advice… Continue Reading How To Grow Your Big Idea

Discovery – Fall 2011

Sep 2, 2011 / 10 minutes of reading

LEARNING (FROM) THE LINGO “Baldamoreans do not speak the king’s English.” That’s how one Lexington Market patron jokingly described the city’s linguistic style to Inte’a DeShields ’13 in a podcast that was produced as a class assignment by the language, literacy and culture Ph.D. student. But that’s exactly how Christine Mallinson, an assistant professor in the program, likes it. “Not that much linguistic research has been done on the unique accents of Baltimore, but the city is a good laboratory for studying language variation,” Mallinson explains. Charm City is a living laboratory for Mallinson’s research and pedagogy. The podcast, for… Continue Reading Discovery – Fall 2011

Video: Las Meninas Behind the Scenes

Jun 13, 2011 / 1 minute of reading

From UMBC Magazine Summer 2011: Las Meninas “Load-in and Rehearsal.” Read more about this theatre production’s journey to the Kennedy Center here. Video by Chris Hartlove.

Storm Stalker

May 19, 2011 / 10 minutes of reading

Hurricanes are powerful – and they also hold great mysteries. UMBC researcher Jeffrey Halverson uses the latest technology in collaboration with NASA to unlock those secrets and make potential storm victims safer. By Jack Williams Hurricanes as strong as the infamous Hurricane Katrina which ravaged New Orleans and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 rarely hit the Delmarva area. But as Hurricane Isabel showed in 2003, a hurricane – even a storm that is weakening – can cause serious damage to our region. Isabel’s power pushed water up the Chesapeake Bay to flood Fells Point and the… Continue Reading Storm Stalker

Retracing Memory

May 19, 2011 / 8 minutes of reading

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

Tapping Into the Wire

Sep 24, 2010 / 7 minutes of reading

American Studies professor Kimberly Moffitt felt like a stranger when she moved to Baltimore. But her research on public attitudes about the gritty HBO crime drama brought the city closer to home. By Richard Byrne ’86 Photos by Howard Korn When assistant professor of American Studies Kimberly Moffitt arrived in Maryland and moved into the Liberty Heights neighborhood in the northwest section of Baltimore four years ago, she had an almost immediate aversion to the place. For Moffitt, Charm City wasn’t so charming. “I’ve lived in a number of major cities,” she says. “New York, Boston, Chicago and D.C. And… Continue Reading Tapping Into the Wire

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