Discovery

a large group of brown and white bunnies milling about

Pi gets all the fanfare, but other numbers also deserve their own math holidays

/ 5 minutes of reading

March 14 is celebrated as Pi Day because the date, when written as 3/14, matches the start of the decimal expansion 3.14159… of the most famous mathematical constant. The true reason to celebrate Pi Day, Manil Suri writes, is that mathematics, which is a purely abstract subject, turns out to describe our universe so well. Continue Reading Pi gets all the fanfare, but other numbers also deserve their own math holidays

Two women scientists look at something with a microscope

Creating pathways for UMBC student success in Maryland’s growing biotech industry

/ 5 minutes of reading

The biotech industry—or technology-based business that harnesses the power of biology—is booming in Maryland. And with more than 3,000 biotech companies currently operating in the state (with more on the way) and an economic impact estimated at around 17 billion dollars, according to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, there’s never been a greater demand for highly-skilled workers to fill specialized roles as researchers, biomedical engineers, and technicians.  With its presence expanding beyond the home campus in Catonsville at The Universities at Shady Grove campus in Montgomery County, a hotspot for biotech growth, and its commitment to inclusive excellence, UMBC is… Continue Reading Creating pathways for UMBC student success in Maryland’s growing biotech industry

Some of the UMBC iHARP team observes research being done on a shared computer screen.

How UMBC’s humanistic approach to AI creates positive community change

/ 7 minutes of reading

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is all over the news these days. For those who aren’t working in this sphere, it might feel mysterious or even like a science fiction film. However, for researchers at UMBC, AI is just another tool in a growing collection of instruments that can make life better for their fellow human beings. AI-driven thinking opens up possibilities for improvements and problem solving in health care, the environment, civil engineering, and beyond. It can make previously unthinkable amounts of data easy to analyze. But work of this magnitude also calls for an ethical approach, both in how… Continue Reading How UMBC’s humanistic approach to AI creates positive community change

Man standing with his arms crossed in front of a backdrop of flags from around the world and students sitting.

Studying abroad is poised to make a post-pandemic comeback – here are 5 questions students who plan to study overseas should ask

/ 4 minutes of reading

Before the pandemic struck in 2020, the number of U.S. students studying abroad had been pretty much rising steadily each year. The global spread of COVID-19, however, brought the steady growth in study abroad to a screeching halt in early 2020. Continue Reading Studying abroad is poised to make a post-pandemic comeback – here are 5 questions students who plan to study overseas should ask

Three student walk down a sidewalk on campus holding an orange balloon about five feet in diameter tethered by ropes a few feet above their heads.

Getting Your Research Off the Ground—Balloons Give Students New Perspectives

/ 6 minutes of reading

The balloons have been a mystery to much of the campus community for years, with the colorful orbs dotting the campus sky in about the tenth week of almost every semester. But for the students in Charlie Kaylor’s class, the balloons represent a culmination of the knowledge and skills they’ve gained over the preceding 10 weeks, including disciplines like ecology, statistics, botany, and sociology. Continue Reading Getting Your Research Off the Ground—Balloons Give Students New Perspectives

A coquí frog sitting on top of a person's index and thumb fingers

Mini creatures with mighty voices know their audience and focus on a single frequency

/ 4 minutes of reading

A great number of calls exist throughout the animal kingdom – and many are used to attract mates or defend territories. Evolution has favored those able to make sounds efficiently. The louder and more focused the energy in the call and the closer in pitch it is to the intended listener’s optimal hearing range, the farther away a potential mate or rival will hear it. Continue Reading Mini creatures with mighty voices know their audience and focus on a single frequency

A glowing green rectangular outline on a black background. Inside the rectangle are a few more glowing green lines an red dots. https://www.flickr.com/photos/64860478@N05/27460678507/

Organ-on-a-chip models allow researchers to conduct studies closer to real-life conditions – and possibly grease the drug development pipeline

/ 5 minutes of reading

Bringing a new drug to market costs billions of dollars and can take over a decade. That contributes to today’s skyrocketing health care costs and creates significant obstacles to delivering new therapies to patients. But organ-on-a-chip models offer a better way, Chengpeng Chen argues. Continue Reading Organ-on-a-chip models allow researchers to conduct studies closer to real-life conditions – and possibly grease the drug development pipeline

Woman smiling at camera standing outdoors, green grass and trees in background.

FTX’s collapse mirrors an infamous 18th century British financial scandal

/ 6 minutes of reading

In modern capitalism, it seems as if stories of companies and managers who engage in fraud occur like the changing of the seasons. In fact, these scandals can be traced back to the origins of publicly traded companies during the 1700s. As a historian of 18th century finance, I am struck by the similarities between what’s known as the Charitable Corporation Scandal and the recent collapse of FTX. Continue Reading FTX’s collapse mirrors an infamous 18th century British financial scandal

Two people stand to the left of a tree with a metal box and yellow label attached to the trunk. Another person stands to the right, speaking to someone off camera.

UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

/ 6 minutes of reading

On a sunny fall day in October, a handful of student and faculty researchers are scuttling around outside the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. High-tech instruments sprawl across folding tables, alongside lower-tech equipment like a hole-punch, glass jars, clippers, and Ziploc bags. A drone about the size of a couch cushion sits on the grass nearby, awaiting instructions. Continue Reading UMBC’s Matthew Baker and team study how urban trees respond to heat stress

This color composite of Centaurus A, an elliptical galaxy located about 13 million light-years from Earth, reveals the lobes and jets emanating from the active galaxy’s central black hole.

A Space of One’s Own

/ 12 minutes of reading

On a chilly morning in early spring 2022, Eileen Meyer, Roy Prouty, and Erik Crowe were on the roof of the UMBC Physics Building. They were inside the observatory dome, trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the 32-inch telescope installed when the building was constructed in 1999. They had already determined that the shutters designed to keep dust off the mirrors were jammed, rendering the telescope temporarily unusable. “So we’re up there with flashlights and ladders that are not quite tall enough,” Meyer recalls, “trying to figure out what is happening and realizing that some of the… Continue Reading A Space of One’s Own

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