three students lean over a laboratory counter; the one in the center holds a dropper over a backlit pad, one records data on paper in a math class.

From brine shrimp to blood pressure: New UMBC laboratory course brings math to life

Dec 20, 2023 / 6 minutes of reading

Small groups of students suck brine shrimp out of glass vials, squirt them into petri dishes set over graph paper, then stare intently at the wriggling shrimp while running stopwatches and recording data. It may not sound like a math class, but this is a typical day in MATH 110: Math in Action. “I believe everyone can benefit from some math in their life, so this course is trying to show how different math concepts are applied across various fields.” Continue Reading From brine shrimp to blood pressure: New UMBC laboratory course brings math to life

man in suit leans on a lab counter, interacts with two students writing on a whiteboard

Sebastian Deffner attends selective quantum science conference in Vatican City

Dec 6, 2023 / 1 minute of reading

Sebastian Deffner, associate professor of physics, attended “Quantum Science and Technology: Recent Advances and New Perspectives,” a workshop hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican City from November 30 to December 2. Deffner was among only about 70 global experts invited to the workshop, and the guest list included numerous Nobel laureates. “The leading experts in quantum science met in a unique place for a unique workshop to discuss the past, present, and future of quantum technologies,” Deffner says of the workshop. For Deffner, it was an exciting and rare opportunity. The invitation recognizes his leadership role in… Continue Reading Sebastian Deffner attends selective quantum science conference in Vatican City

group photo of five people in professional attire and conference lanyards, two wearing black stoles with red, green, and yellow accents.

UMBC chapter of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) shines at regional conference

Dec 5, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

The UMBC NSBE team defeated Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University to win the Tech Bowl competition, a Jeopardy-style game that tests teams’ knowledge of fundamental engineering principles. UMBC also claimed first through third place in the research poster presentation contest, which involved a 10-minute technical research talk followed by questions from the judges and audience. “We are so proud of the UMBC NSBE Chapter,” Keith Harmon shares. “They do tremendous work supporting UMBC STEM majors and offering service impacting youth in the Baltimore-Washington corridor.” Continue Reading UMBC chapter of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) shines at regional conference

woman in center standing on stepladder, reaching upward toward a large lens held by a huge yellow frame. Four students around her look up at what she's doing; one is standing on a ladder.

Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite science team hits major milestone

Dec 5, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC physicists Eileen Meyer and Adi Foord are on the leadership team for AXIS, a proposed x-ray satellite with the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe’s ancient past. Continue Reading Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite science team hits major milestone

UMBC, UMB receive $4 million NIH REACH grant to create new biomedical and life sciences accelerator program

Dec 1, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

UMBC is continuing its commitment to diversifying Maryland’s biomedical and life sciences ecosystem through its latest collaborative effort with the University of Maryland, Baltimore to develop a new life sciences accelerator program focused on faculty development and research commercialization efforts. Continue Reading UMBC, UMB receive $4 million NIH REACH grant to create new biomedical and life sciences accelerator program

Open, naturally lit atrium with round tables with ocean blue tablecloths filled with people. Screens and podium at the front of the room; someone is presenting.

UMBC-led aquaculture conference brings together academics, business and government leaders, educators to move the industry forward

Nov 20, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

More than 110 attendees met for the second annual Sustainable Aquaculture Systems Supporting Atlantic Salmon conference in October. The conference gave stakeholders the opportunity to share progress and address remaining challenges to move the aquaculture industry forward. USM Chancellor Jay Perman said the project is “poised to change the face of food scarcity and food production the world over.” Continue Reading UMBC-led aquaculture conference brings together academics, business and government leaders, educators to move the industry forward

An aerial view of the International Space Station, a linear facility with large solar panels on either end, giving it a barbell-shaped appearance. In an inset, the CALET instrument looks like a complicated amalgamation of boxes and tubes, attached to the station by a robotic arm.

Study finds strongest evidence yet for local sources of cosmic ray electrons

Nov 14, 2023 / 5 minutes of reading

CALET, a telescope equipped to detect extremely high-energy cosmic rays, has detected electrons arriving near Earth with more energy than ever detected before. The results suggest the electrons came from a local, young source, such as the aftermath of a supernova, and bolster current understanding of cosmic ray production. Continue Reading Study finds strongest evidence yet for local sources of cosmic ray electrons

GRIT-X 2023 presenters standing on stage

GRIT-X 2023 explores wide range of UMBC’s research and creative achievement around campus and beyond

Nov 7, 2023 / 7 minutes of reading

Spiders, robots, climate change, Vaudevillian history, and more—this year’s GRIT-X event had something for inquiring minds of all kinds, with explorations into elements of the past, our collective present, and possibilities for the future. Continue Reading GRIT-X 2023 explores wide range of UMBC’s research and creative achievement around campus and beyond

A microscope image of the helper virus and satellite virus attached together. The helper is a large blue ball with a long light blue tail. The satellite is a small purple ball with a tiny purple loop wrapped around the light blue tail, right next to the blue ball. Tan background.

UMBC team makes first-ever observation of a virus attaching to another virus

Oct 31, 2023 / 5 minutes of reading

Pairs of viruses where one needs the other to reproduce are well documented, but no one has ever see one virus directly attached to another. “I can’t believe this,” Tagide deCarvalho remembers thinking when she first saw it under the microscope. The work opens up the possibility of finding more examples of this kind of interaction. Continue Reading UMBC team makes first-ever observation of a virus attaching to another virus

Lights and cables in a computing facility.

UMBC’s Vandana Janeja aims to boost high-performance computing know-how to tackle environmental science challenges with a $1 million NSF grant

Oct 30, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Vandana Janeja was recently awarded a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will leverage high-performance computing to solve real-world problems and make it accessible to students and researchers of all backgrounds,” Continue Reading UMBC’s Vandana Janeja aims to boost high-performance computing know-how to tackle environmental science challenges with a $1 million NSF grant

UMBC mathematician Kathleen Hoffman contributes to research on animal decision-making, with robotics applications

Oct 26, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

A new study finds that species from amoebas to humans demonstrate similar patterns of movement. These results have implications for robotics development, because robots must be programmed to make the same kinds of decisions animals do to move safely and efficiently through unpredictable environments. Continue Reading UMBC mathematician Kathleen Hoffman contributes to research on animal decision-making, with robotics applications

Four men standing on stage in front of a screen that says "INCS-COE C2C CTF 2023, August 1-4, 2023, Keio University, closing ceremony"

Cracking the code: International collaboration fosters cybersecurity

Oct 19, 2023 / 5 minutes of reading

This summer, three UMBC students competed in an international “capture the flag”-style cybersecurity competition in Japan, with one Retriever taking home a victory—and all three bringing back a greater range of expertise. This opportunity helped UMBC students build global relationships and attain more practical experience in cyber defense. Continue Reading Cracking the code: International collaboration fosters cybersecurity