Two people look at model plane in lab space.

UMBC teams with the Navy and the University of Arizona to develop new capabilities for hypersonic flight

Jun 23, 2023 / 6 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Ankit Goel has been investigating better ways to control aircraft flying at hypersonic speeds, by primarily focusing on the vehicle’s engine. He recently received more than $850,000 in funding from the Office of Naval Research to further the investigations. Over the next three years he will partner with Kyle Hanquist at the University of Arizona and researchers from the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) to develop improved engine control strategies and assess their performance in ground experiments conducted at the NAWC facility at China Lake, California. Continue Reading UMBC teams with the Navy and the University of Arizona to develop new capabilities for hypersonic flight

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Michelle Starz-Gaiano brings leadership experience, relationships to new department chair role

Jun 23, 2023 / 6 minutes of reading

Michelle Starz-Gaiano began as an assistant professor at UMBC in 2008. Since then, her research program has blossomed, she’s mentored half a dozen graduate students and more than 50 undergraduates, and she’s taken on numerous leadership roles. Now she’ll add department chair to that list. “I think we have amazing people working and studying here,” she says, “and I really want to make sure they can be successful.” Continue Reading Michelle Starz-Gaiano brings leadership experience, relationships to new department chair role

Students walk between academic buildings.

UMBC awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support promising STEM students with financial need

Jun 20, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC has been awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support students with financial need who intend to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Continue Reading UMBC awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support promising STEM students with financial need

a researcher who's hands are only showing working with cybersecurity technology

UMBC’s 2023 Cybersecurity Exploratory Project Awardees Announced

Jun 14, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Cybersecurity Leadership Task Force has recently awarded funding to seven exploratory projects on cybersecurity education and research, with a goal of enhancing UMBC’s role as a leader in cybersecurity. Continue Reading UMBC’s 2023 Cybersecurity Exploratory Project Awardees Announced

X-ray emissions from black hole jets vary unexpectedly, challenging leading model of particle acceleration

Jun 5, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

“One of the reasons we’re excited about the variability is that there are two main models for how x-rays are produced in these jets, and they’re completely different,” Eileen Meyer explains. “And one of those models is completely incompatible with any kind of variability.” As such, the new findings appear to rule out one leading theory of how particle acceleration works in black hole jets. Continue Reading X-ray emissions from black hole jets vary unexpectedly, challenging leading model of particle acceleration

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UMBC leads research into light-based timing and navigation technologies for DOD-funded consortium

Jun 2, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

Every day, radio signals from GPS satellites help millions of people figure out what time it is and where they are. Yet the system is vulnerable to disruptions and attacks. Sometimes users are unable to access critical information. Other times, adversaries may try to fool users into thinking they are somewhere they aren’t.

For this reason, researchers at UMBC are working to develop alternative timing and navigation technologies. Continue Reading UMBC leads research into light-based timing and navigation technologies for DOD-funded consortium

Creating “AI Scientists”: Tyler Josephson advances a new field of research through $650,000 NSF CAREER award

May 12, 2023 / 5 minutes of reading

Tyler Josephson’s lab sits off a main corridor in the department of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering at UMBC. Open the door, though, and you’ll see nary a beaker, chemical closet, or lab coat. Inside, a few computers sit on tables. You might see equations scrawled on the white board or a few students poring over lines of code. Using this modest setup, Josephson has launched an ambitious project to equip computers to make scientific discoveries—starting in the realm of chemistry. This March he won a prestigious NSF CAREER award to advance the project. Continue Reading Creating “AI Scientists”: Tyler Josephson advances a new field of research through $650,000 NSF CAREER award

Satellite image showing Africa on the right and a large sweep of tan atmospheric dust over the Atlantic Ocean along with white and gray clouds

UMBC researchers co-author new Science study on how atmospheric dust impacts ocean health

May 8, 2023 / 3 minutes of reading

New findings reveal details of the complex relationship between atmospheric dust and vast populations of phytoplankton at the ocean’s surface. These tiny photosynthetic organisms form the foundation of the ocean food chain and play a key role in the global carbon cycle, so the new research will be especially useful as dust patterns shift with climate change. Continue Reading UMBC researchers co-author new Science study on how atmospheric dust impacts ocean health

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Working to diversify and advance environmental science, UMBC, USGS and EPA sign new agreement

May 5, 2023 / 3 minutes of reading

On a recent Friday, representatives of UMBC, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gathered in UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery and pledged to work together to diversify and advance environmental science. Continue Reading Working to diversify and advance environmental science, UMBC, USGS and EPA sign new agreement

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U.S. News Best Graduate School rankings for 2023–24 name UMBC programs among best in the nation

Apr 25, 2023 / 3 minutes of reading

U.S. News announced its 2023-24 Best Graduate School rankings, highlighting UMBC graduate programs in a broad range of fields, from public policy and several types of engineering to mathematics and other sciences. Continue Reading U.S. News Best Graduate School rankings for 2023–24 name UMBC programs among best in the nation

Large smoke clouds emitting from the Zaca forest wildfire in California

New UMBC/Los Alamos research on megafire smoke plumes clarifies what they contain, how they move, and their potential impacts

Apr 21, 2023 / 4 minutes of reading

In recent years, large, intense wildfires, known as megafires, have increasingly caused severe damage to forests, homes, and crops. In addition to megafires fatally impacting humans and wildlife alike, they may also be impacting climate change. New research led by UMBC’s Stephen Guimond provides insight into how the large smoke plumes produced by megafires can be more accurately modeled and characterized to improve our understanding of how they might impact the earth. Continue Reading New UMBC/Los Alamos research on megafire smoke plumes clarifies what they contain, how they move, and their potential impacts

UMBC student smiling while presenting research at URCAD 2023. (Marlayna Demond '11/UMBC)

Lighting design to flu treatment: UMBC students share research and creative work at URCAD 2023

Apr 20, 2023 / 10 minutes of reading

In 2020, Renata Taylor-Smith ‘24, theatre, eagerly prepared for her first trip to Munich, Germany to study theatrical lighting design, but a week before she was meant to fly to Germany, her trip was canceled due to COVID-19. She learned that the show she was working on would be postponed indefinitely. Discover how she pivoted to have a valuable research experience, recently shared at UMBC’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD 23023), where hundreds of students presented their work. Continue Reading Lighting design to flu treatment: UMBC students share research and creative work at URCAD 2023