Policy & Society

Gary Kachadourian ’12, MFA in Visual Arts, to Participate in MAP’s Young Blood 2012

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Gary Kachadourian ’12, imaging and digital arts, will be participating in the Maryland Art Place’s Young Blood 2012: Work by Recent MFA Graduates exhibition this summer. In addition to Kachadourian’s large-scale installation, the fifth annual exhibition will feature work by artists from the Maryland Institute College of Art, The University of Maryland-College Park and Towson University. The exhibition runs from July 18th to August 25th, and will feature an artists’ talks and reception at 6 p.m. on the 18th. For more information, visit the Maryland Art Place’s website here.

Seth Sawyers ’99, History, in The Baltimore Sun

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For Father’s Day 2012, The Baltimore Sun published an essay written by alumnus Seth Sawyers ’99, history, entitled “Driving with Dad.” Sawyers, who teaches essay writing for the English Department, recounted his memories of riding around Western Maryland with his father and brothers as a boy. The piece is at times poignant, but often humorous, such as when Sawyers remembers one incident involving his father convincing another driver to go through a broken light which only flashed red. He writes: “Somebody behind us honked. Dad craned his neck, looking at the light. Somebody honked again. Dad yanked on the parking… Continue Reading Seth Sawyers ’99, History, in The Baltimore Sun

Constantine Vaporis, History, to Give Lectures Aboard Cruise

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Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and director of the Asian studies program, will give a series of lectures onboard the Orion II, an Australian-operated cruise ship, during  a ten-day tour around the islands of Japan and Korea. The cruise will begin in Hokkaido in the far north, travel along the Sea of Japan to Busan, Korea, and then through the Inland Sea. The ship stops in a number of cities, including Otaru, Kanazawa, Matsue, Busan, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Kobe. During the cruise, Vaporis will deliver lectures entitled “A Maritime View of the Japanese Archipelago,” “The Samurai in History” and “Popular… Continue Reading Constantine Vaporis, History, to Give Lectures Aboard Cruise

Dr. William LaCourse Becomes Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

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UMBC is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. William LaCourse as Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) beginning July 1st, 2012, according a press release by Provost Designate and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Philip Rous. Holding a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry obtained at Northeastern University in 1987, Dr. LaCourse had been serving as Interim Dean since August of last year, and had previously served as Acting Dean, as well. He had previously served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well as Scientist at the Ames Laboratory of Iowa State… Continue Reading Dr. William LaCourse Becomes Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Samantha Hawkins ’14 Competes for “Miss Maryland” Title

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Samantha Hawkins ’14, cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, is competing for the title of Miss Maryland. Hawkins was named Miss Free State in March, a title that earned her the chance to compete at the Miss Maryland pageant. As the reigning Miss Free State, she will be working in the community on her platform issue of “Building Stronger Communities: Preserving Culture and Appreciating Diversity,” and serving as a goodwill ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network. A humanities scholar, honors college member, and art history minor, Hawkin’s talent is the piano. “It seems that with the Miss Maryland Organization the possibilities… Continue Reading Samantha Hawkins ’14 Competes for “Miss Maryland” Title

Joseph Tatarewicz, History, Testifies Before Congress

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Joseph Tatarewicz, professor of history, was  part of an American Historical Association sponsored briefing for congressional members and staffers at the House Committee on Science, Technology and Space on Friday, June 15. The focus of the session was the historical context of two issues of current legislative concern: commercialization of space travel and space exploration and the future of human participation in space exploration. Joining Tatarewicz were: James Grossman, Executive Director-American Historical Association; Roger Launius, Smithsonian National and Space Museum Senior Curator; Matthew Hersch, University of Pennsylvania; and Alexander MacDonald, NASA Emerging Commercial Space Office.

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in The Baltimore Sun

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Political Science professor Tom Schaller tackled legalized gambling in his June 12 column for The Baltimore Sun, “Casinos are no game-changer for Maryland finances.” With the recent opening of the Maryland Live! Casino in Arundel Mills, hopes are high that the expansion of gambling in the state can aid in issues with the state budget and local economy via tax revenue, spending by tourists, increased job creation, and other potential benefits. Schaller, however, noted a 2002 column of his which detailed the complexities of legalized gambling, arguing that many of the forms of gaming introduced in Maryland over the years… Continue Reading Tom Schaller, Political Science, in The Baltimore Sun

Future Meyerhoff Scholar Austin Murdock in Pasadena Patch

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Incoming freshman Austin Murdock was profiled in a short June 7 article for the Pasadena Patch. Murdock is participating in the “Summer Bridge” sub-program of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which the student is quoted in the article as “basically just… getting us ready for school.” The article also details his work with the Department of Defense (DOD) during his senior year, along with his academic achievements, including graduating in the top five percent of Chesapeake Senior High School, a Certificate of Merit and membership in both the National Honor Society and the World and Classical Languages Honor Society. Among his… Continue Reading Future Meyerhoff Scholar Austin Murdock in Pasadena Patch

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in Salon

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In a June 5 essay for the online magazine Salon entitled “Can liberals cure stupidity?“, Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, discussed one of the major obstacles for the left in today’s political climate: the general public’s overall lack of knowledge regarding a number of the most controversial issues we face. From what areas should be cut in the federal budget to the size of the gay community in the country, Schaller cataloged a number of instances in which the American people have misunderstood important fiscal, governmental, and social matters, a fact that Shaller believes demonstrates that, “[g]iven that the… Continue Reading Tom Schaller, Political Science, in Salon

Michael T. Abrams and Cynthia Boddie-Willis, The Hilltop Institute, in Psychiatry Online

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Psychiatry Online published an article entitled “Cervical Cancer Screening and Acute Care Visits Among Medicaid Enrollees With Mental and Substance Use Disorders” on June 1, which counted among its co-authors Michael T. Abrams and Cynthia Boddie-Willis, a Senior Research Analyst and Director of Health Services Policy and Research for The Hilltop Institute, respectively. The piece, which involved creating logistic models using data from women enrolled in Medicaid for 2005, used cancer screening and acute care visits as dependent variables and mental illness flags and independent variables in order to “compare rates of cervical cancer screening and acute care (primary or… Continue Reading Michael T. Abrams and Cynthia Boddie-Willis, The Hilltop Institute, in Psychiatry Online

Arnold Blumberg, English, in The Baltimore Sun

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The zombie trend continues to spread across the pop cultural landscape and shows little sign of slowing down. Speaking with The Baltimore Sun‘s John-John Williams IV for a June 9 story entitled “Pop culture’s undying affection for zombies“, Arnold Blumberg, adjunt faculty member in English and co-author of Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For, illustrated the history of this now-ubiquitous staple of modern popular culture, as well as theorizing as to why the walking undead seem to have captured our culture’s imagination in recent times. “There has never been a figure that has reflected all the fears we have as the… Continue Reading Arnold Blumberg, English, in The Baltimore Sun

Robert Provine, Psychology, mentioned in NPR’s “Krulwich Wonders”

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NPR host and blogger Robert Krulwich devoted the May 26 edition of his blog Krulwich Wonders to a post entitled “A Puzzle: Why Aren’t They Laughing?”. The post discusses a popular internet video ostensibly involving a Belgian television interviewer laughing at the “strange” voices of an interviewee and an audience member. Krulwich wrote of how the stone-faced reaction of the general audience in the video contradicts the findings of Robert Provine, professor of psychology. “It seems unnatural and seems to contradict what neuroscientist Robert Provine says about laughing — that it’s contagious, that ‘we laugh when we hear other people laugh.… Continue Reading Robert Provine, Psychology, mentioned in NPR’s “Krulwich Wonders”

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