Ivan Erill and colleagues discovered a new kind of relationship between viruses, where a satellite virus that needs its “helper” virus to replicate attaches to the helper’s neck to make sure they enter the host cell at the same time. Continue Reading Vampire viruses prey on other viruses to replicate themselves − and may hold the key to new antiviral therapies
Kerri Evans, assistant professor at UMBC’s School of Social Work, worked with faculty from two universities to identify three main barriers for adult asylum-seekers and other immigrants who wanted to go to college or get advanced degrees. Continue Reading Higher education can be elusive for asylum-seekers and immigrants
UMBC’s Erin K. Hogan, associate professor of Spanish, explains with Maria Garcia-Puente, California State University, San Bernardino, how humor has allowed Spain, and inspired others, to confront discriminatory practices within and beyond the soccer field amid the expressions of outrage and disgust over a nonconsensual kiss between Luis Rubiales, the male former head of Spanish soccer and a Women’s World Cup-winning player, and a Women’s World Cup-winning player. Continue Reading Soccer kiss scandal exposes how structural sexism in Spain can be a laughing matter
Mentorship guides the growth of students studying fungi in UMBC professor Mark Marten’s lab. Continue Reading Students discover the beauty of mold and mentorship in Mark Marten’s UMBC lab
In this interview, Manil Suri discusses his unique perspective on mathematics and his goals in writing his latest book. “There’s just so much joy to be had out of mathematics,” Suri says. “So this book is written for people who want to really engage with mathematics on the level of ideas rather than get into computations and calculations.” Continue Reading ‘Big Bang of Numbers’ – The Conversation’s book club explores with author Manil Suri how math alone could create the universe
Patricia Young, professor of education, discusses the merits and downfalls of AI in the classroom along with other scholars. Continue Reading Should AI be permitted in college classrooms? 4 scholars weigh in
Curly-haired chemist Tara Carpenter explains how your hair’s structure affects its sometimes unpredictable and undesirable behavior on hot and humid summer days. Continue Reading Why does your hair curl in the summer? A chemist explains the science behind hair structure
“This book is my love letter to my unnamed queer Palestinian ancestors. It is the knowing glance, playful wink, and double entendre between us,” Mejdulene Bernard Shomali, assistant professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, says about her new book Between Banat: Queer Arab Critique and Transnational Arab Archives. “It is the ways we call one another, not only for recognition and community but to action and movement toward a joyful and pleasurable queer Arab future.” Continue Reading Creating Queer Arab Joy
At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Special Collections we’ve recently completed a major digitization and rehousing project of our collection of over 5,400 photographs made by Lewis Wickes Hine in the early 20th century. Continue Reading The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they’ve left behind
Family stories, told honestly, reach people in ways that reams of advice and pages in history books cannot. When personal narratives reach the classroom, students respond by opening up, say two professors who have published memoirs of their family tragedies as a way to process their grief and share their stories. “I believe that writing personal narratives and sharing my own family’s stories helps build trust and rapport in the classroom,” said Aharona (Roni) Rosenthal, director of Judaic Studies at UMBC. “Writing personal narratives can serve as a model for students and encourage them to listen to their grandparents’ stories,… Continue Reading Writing your way through your own history—and sharing the narrative
UMBC research scientist Bob Leamon explains that El Niño is officially here, and while it’s still weak right now, federal forecasters expect this global disrupter of worldwide weather patterns to gradually strengthen. Continue Reading El Niño is back – that’s good news or bad news, depending on where you live
Meredith Oyen, associate professor of history and Asian studies, an expert on China-U.S. relations, helps explain the context of the recent encounters on the Taiwan Strait and how they fit within growing tensions between the two countries on the South China Seas. Continue Reading US, Chinese warships’ near miss in Taiwan Strait hints at ongoing troubled diplomatic waters, despite chatter about talks
