Policy & Society

A researcher stand in front of large statue of a man on a horse sits on top of a large boulder with a plaque at the center of a plaza in Mongolia

Christopher K. Tong, MLLI, returns from a research award in Mongolia to inform his work in Asian studies

/ 5 minutes of reading

“Historically, the Mongolian empire stretched from Asia to Europe, so there is intrinsic value to studying Mongolia from a humanistic perspective. It was also interesting to see how present-day Mongolians understand and represent this history, for example, the life and legacy of Genghis Khan,” says Christopher K. Tong, associate professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, who received the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) award to participate in the Overseas Faculty Development Seminar: Climate Change and Public Health: What Does Climate Change Mean for the People of Mongolia? Continue Reading Christopher K. Tong, MLLI, returns from a research award in Mongolia to inform his work in Asian studies

An adult with shoulder length, brown, wavy hair wearing a black v-neck blouse stands in front of a colorful bed of flowers

Susan McDonough, history, receives prestigious membership to the Institute for Advanced Studies to continue research on sex workers in medieval Mediterranean

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“I am incredibly energized by this opportunity to immerse myself in the archival materials I’ve been gathering concerning sex workers and their communities in the medieval Mediterranean,” shares Susan McDonough, associate professor of history at UMBC about receiving a 2024 – 2025 research membership to the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) at the School of Historical Studies in Princeton, New Jersey.  Continue Reading Susan McDonough, history, receives prestigious membership to the Institute for Advanced Studies to continue research on sex workers in medieval Mediterranean

A group of professors and graduate students sit around tables arranged in a square and look at a projection screen that shows a map of Maryland with red dots for mental health training sites

Sandra Barrueco, psychology, and colleagues receive nearly $1M to train graduate students in culturally competent behavioral health services for underserved Maryland youth

/ 7 minutes of reading

“There’s often a lot of underfunding of doctoral and master’s students to pursue mental health training and to work in the field,” explains Sandra Barrueco, professor of psychology and director of a nearly $1M grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. ADVANCE/AVANCE Maryland is changing that. Half of the grant purposefully funds graduate students to prepare the next wave of psychology professionals to meet the needs of all communities affected by the national mental health crisis. Continue Reading Sandra Barrueco, psychology, and colleagues receive nearly $1M to train graduate students in culturally competent behavioral health services for underserved Maryland youth

Peter Wilschke and a professor stand on each side of a research poster

Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

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“Once you take these courses, your world is kind of open to how empirical research is actually conducted in those fields. Without these classes I would not have known where to start,” says Wilschke. He advises students to approach empirical work as a combination of two things. “You have to care about your research question to push through all the time and hard work needed,” says UMBC’s Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, “and put to work all the research skills you’ve learned to answer a question that needs to be answered, that policymakers can use to improve people’s lives.” Continue Reading Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

A writer sits at their desk Guggenheim

Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

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UMBC’s Ryan Bloom, senior lecturer in English, has received the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation to work on the first complete edition of the French-Algerian author Albert Camus’s notebooks, journals, and other works. This year, 188 grants were awarded from more than 3,000 applicants from over 52 academic disciplines across the U.S. and Canada. Fellows are provided funding to freely pursue their creative projects through their unique process without any special conditions.  Continue Reading Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

An adult wearing a suit jacket stands outside in front of a red brick building

Students inspire William Blake’s paper on constitutional amendments in the prestigious ‘American Political Science Review’ 

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The American Political Science Review, the leading political science peer-reviewed journal,  published “Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates,” a new research article by lead author William Blake, associate professor and associate chair of political science. at UMBC The study addressed why some constitutions are amended more frequently than others. Continue Reading Students inspire William Blake’s paper on constitutional amendments in the prestigious ‘American Political Science Review’ 

Two adults stand side by side holding an award

Nancy Kusmaul, social work, receives “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy 

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UMBC’s Nancy Kusmaul, associate professor of social work, a scholar and advocate for the rights of older adults and professional caregivers, received the “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy in March 2024 at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Kusmaul’s work is informed by her 10 years of experience as a social worker and over a decade of novel scholarship.  Continue Reading Nancy Kusmaul, social work, receives “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy 

An adult speaks in front of a crowd

The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

/ 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies (GWST) department has received a $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to implement its Advancing Gender and Sexuality Studies in Community project. UMBC is one of 95 public colleges and university programs leading research on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality to receive funding from the Mellon Foundation’s $18 million “Affirming Multivocal Humanities” initiative. Continue Reading The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

A panel of professors talking with a projector screen behind them

Mellon Foundation grants CAHSS $750K to establish Global Asias Initiative 

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Kimberly Moffitt, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Socials Sciences, and co-pi Tamara Bhalla, associate professor of American studies and director of the Asian American studies minor, have been awarded a $750K grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the Global Asias Initiative. Continue Reading Mellon Foundation grants CAHSS $750K to establish Global Asias Initiative 

A person with long black hair wearing a purple blouse stands outside in front of a colorful flower bed. black hair

Dean Moffitt interviewed about media and Black hair and body politics

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Kimberly R. Moffitt, dean of UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, speaks about the inspiration for and journey of her career in an interview with mastersincommunication.com, which offers research-based data on graduate programs in media and communication studies nationwide along with insights from leaders in the field. Continue Reading Dean Moffitt interviewed about media and Black hair and body politics

A group of CoLab college students stand around a computer CoLab

American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

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The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has chosen UMBC’s Interdisciplinary CoLab for its “Undergraduate Spotlight” series. ACLS writes, “Unlike traditional group work in a college classroom, wherein majors from the same discipline are all trying to master the same material, UMBC’s CoLab projects require students to use their own skills and appreciate the skills of others.” Continue Reading American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

A group of people wearing winter gear and helmets carry a stretcher with a fake body. disaster health systems emergency

New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

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“Our new department name, signifies our commitment to emergency and disaster health education,” says Lauren Clay, associate professor of emergency and disaster health systems and department chair. “We prepare leaders that are ready to tackle the complex and evolving hazards facing communities across the United States and the world,” Continue Reading New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

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