UMBC spotlights the power of collaboration and community in opening of new science building, GRIT-X talks

Oct 21, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

“Already there are research teams working in this building on such complex issues as age-related disease, environmental degradation, and health disparities,” says Dean Bill LaCourse. Solutions to our most complex challenges “are found through a convergence of talent and effort,” bringing together the perspectives of people from different fields and backgrounds. This is what the new building is designed to achieve. Continue Reading UMBC spotlights the power of collaboration and community in opening of new science building, GRIT-X talks

MHEC selects UMBC’s Jordan Troutman, who bridges technology and policy, as student commissioner

Oct 17, 2019 / 3 minutes of reading

Jordan Troutman has been selected to be the student commissioner for the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). He’s a computer science and mathematics major passionate about applying his work at the intersection of technology and policy to improve society. Continue Reading MHEC selects UMBC’s Jordan Troutman, who bridges technology and policy, as student commissioner

UMBC receives $2.8M from NSF for master’s program to prepare a diverse environmental science workforce

Sep 18, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

“The primary mission of UMBC is inclusive excellence, and our program applies that mission to the environmental sciences,” says Tamra Mendelson. “Our main objectives are to bring a diversity of backgrounds to the environmental workforce and to improve the way that scientific research is applied to environmental problems.” Continue Reading UMBC receives $2.8M from NSF for master’s program to prepare a diverse environmental science workforce

New UMBC study shows powerful effects of road salt and urban infrastructure on waterways

Sep 17, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

The relationship between urbanization and water chemistry was “more complex than we thought,” Matthew Baker says. Overall, though, he says, “We need to pay closer attention to the materials we’re using in and on infrastructure,” and “we definitely have to lower the amount of road salt we’ve been applying,” to keep our local ecosystems healthy. Continue Reading New UMBC study shows powerful effects of road salt and urban infrastructure on waterways

UMBC’s Sander Goossens determines structure of Mercury’s core as part of NASA team

Sep 12, 2019 / 4 minutes of reading

Sander Goossens and his team used their new analysis “to see if there was anything we could say about the planet’s deep interior that people hadn’t been able to say before.” There was: The team discovered the percentage of the planet’s core that was solid versus molten, which provides clues to the evolution process for Mercury and other planets. Continue Reading UMBC’s Sander Goossens determines structure of Mercury’s core as part of NASA team

National Institute on Aging funds UMBC’s Erin Green to investigate how cells do “quality control” as we age

Sep 10, 2019 / 4 minutes of reading

The project will explore the function of an enzyme called Set6, about which little is known. Erin Green hopes to “break open a broader understanding in the field of what its role is, especially in the context of protein quality control,” which could inform pharmaceutical development for treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Continue Reading National Institute on Aging funds UMBC’s Erin Green to investigate how cells do “quality control” as we age

UMBC’s Minjoung Kyoung to help develop first 4D map of a cell’s metabolic pathways

Aug 30, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

“I’ve always been interested in how proteins are working in the real system, in real time, in real action,” Minjoung Kyoung says. She’ll get to explore those dynamics with funding from a new five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The pathways she’s studying are relevant to some of the most pervasive diseases in the country. “My dream is to be able to predict disease before symptoms occur,” she shares. “That would be the best.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Minjoung Kyoung to help develop first 4D map of a cell’s metabolic pathways

UMBC’s Lee Blaney and federal, state partners publish landmark study on contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay

Aug 26, 2019 / 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Lee Blaney and research partners have published a landmark study on contaminants of emerging concern in the Chesapeake Bay that quantifies concentrations of antibiotics, estrogenic hormones, and UV-filters in multiple locations of the Bay. The work highlights the importance of understanding how previously unexamined chemicals impact the environment. Continue Reading UMBC’s Lee Blaney and federal, state partners publish landmark study on contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay

Open spaces nurture open minds in UMBC’s new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building

Aug 26, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

“When you share a kitchenette with a biologist, a chemist, an engineer and somebody from public policy, it’s inevitable that new things will brew,” says Greg Szeto, who is moving in to the ILSB with the new Translational Center for Age-Related Disease and Disparities. The ILSB “is a total game-changer for me,” adds Chris Hawn. With its state-of-the-art instrumentation, “There are protocols where I can get ‘level unlocked.’ It just opens things up for me and my students.” Continue Reading Open spaces nurture open minds in UMBC’s new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building

Wind, solar, and…flutter? UMBC’s Justin Webster is using math to move this emerging tech forward

Aug 14, 2019 / 4 minutes of reading

“There’s no such thing as free energy, but there are lots of situations where there’s ambient energy available,” like a flapping flag, Justin Webster says. “You just have to find an efficient mechanism for turning it into meaningful, useful energy.” That’s what Webster and colleagues from Duke and Carnegie Mellon hope to help make happen with their new grant from the NSF. Continue Reading Wind, solar, and…flutter? UMBC’s Justin Webster is using math to move this emerging tech forward

Team of UMBC grad students takes first place at 2019 BMEidea competition

Aug 12, 2019 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC’s team competed in the biomedical and bioengineering innovation student category of the competition, and presented a device called ASTEK, which allows physicians to more effectively treat bacterial infections. Continue Reading Team of UMBC grad students takes first place at 2019 BMEidea competition

Group of five people stands in front of a window. They are smiling.

NASA and DoE fund UMBC’s Zhibo Zhang to pursue ambitious atmospheric research

Aug 6, 2019 / 5 minutes of reading

“You can look at the data and you see discrepancies between the climate models and the observations,” says graduate student Kylie Hoffman. “Some of it we can explain, and some of it we can’t. Identifying the discrepancies and being able to modify the climate models to be more accurate down the road is very important.” Multiple projects in Zhibo Zhang’s lab are helping labs all over the world address questions like this. Continue Reading NASA and DoE fund UMBC’s Zhibo Zhang to pursue ambitious atmospheric research