Science & Tech

UMBC Participates in National Engineering Education Initiative Announced at White House

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UMBC is among more than 120 U.S. engineering programs leading a transformative movement in engineering education announced at the White House today.In a letter presented to President Barack Obama, UMBC and peer institutions committed to establish special educational programs designed to prepare undergraduates to solve “Grand Challenges.” These challenges are complex yet achievable goals to improve national and international health, security (including cybersecurity), sustainability, and quality of life in the 21st century.Together, the schools plan to graduate more than 20,000 formally recognized “Grand Challenge Engineers” over the next decade.Dean Julia Ross, of UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology (pictured below), will represent UMBC at a special meeting of… Continue Reading UMBC Participates in National Engineering Education Initiative Announced at White House

Erle Ellis, GES, Discusses the Anthropocene in Nature

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A recent article in Nature outlines the debate surrounding a movement to establish the Anthropocene as a new global epoch. The Anthropocene refers to the part of the world’s history where humans significantly impact earth systems. In the article, Erle Ellis, geography and information systems, argues against the current effort to formalize the Anthropocene as an epoch. He states, “We should set a time, perhaps 1,000 years from now, in which we would officially investigate this. Making a decision before that would be premature.” Click here to read, “Anthropocene: The human age” in Nature.

Kavita Krishnaswamy, CSEE Ph.D. Candidate, on CNN

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UMBC student Kavita Krishnaswamy, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science and electrical engineering, was interviewed by CNN about how she has used a Beam telepresence robot to visit museums, attend computing conferences, and defend her Ph.D. proposal. Telepresence robots consist of a screen on motorized wheels that allows users to visit places and interact with people remotely. Krishnaswamy is also an undergraduate alumna of UMBC (’07, computer science and mathematics). Her Ph.D. proposal focuses on using robotics to increase autonomy for people with severe disabilities and draws on her personal experiences with limited mobility. Click here to read “Will robots help the… Continue Reading Kavita Krishnaswamy, CSEE Ph.D. Candidate, on CNN

Richard Forno on Cybersecurity

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Richard Forno, assistant director for UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, addressed the Southwest Baltimore Economic Forum on February 24, 2015. He considered such questions as: What is cybersecurity? How safe is your network? What threats are there to our government?

Vanderlei Martins on the Value of Cube Satellites

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Vanderlei Martins, a professor of physics and researcher with the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) joined Sheilah Kast on Maryland Morning to discuss his cube satellite or CubeSat project. Martins is working with students, other professors and NASA scientists to build the backpack-sized satellite. Martins plans to use his tiny satellite to study the role of aerosols, particles in the atmosphere, in cloud formation. Aerosols, he says, are essential for forming clouds. If there weren’t any aerosols there wouldn’t be any clouds. Listen to the program  

Richard Forno on Cyber Attacks on State Facilities

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Richard Forno was interviewed by the Associated Press about cyber attacks on the rise in Utah. “Utah state officials have seen what they describe as a sharp uptick in attempts to hack into state computers in the last two years, and they think it related to the NSA data center south of Salt Lake City,” wrote the Associated Press. “Maybe these hackers are thinking: ‘If we can attack state systems, we can get info that NSA isn’t releasing,” said Richard Forno. Where does this leave Utah? Forno and Tim Junio, a cybersecurity researcher at Stanford University, say that the NSA data center may interest hackers… Continue Reading Richard Forno on Cyber Attacks on State Facilities

Richard Forno on Cybersecurity and Government Accountability

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Richard Forno, assistant director for UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, made an appearance on All Sides With Ann Fisher, a public radio program broadcast out of Columbus, Ohio to discuss cybersecurity and corporate accountability. Mandy Trimble was sitting in for Fisher. Guests along with Forno were: Joseph Marks, a cybersecurity reporter for Politico Pro, and Dakota Rudesill, an assistant professor of law at the Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University. Trimble posed the question to Forno, should we implement corporate accountability in the event of cybersecurity breaches. Forno said, there is the “practicality of accountability,” because “problems like this… Continue Reading Richard Forno on Cybersecurity and Government Accountability

Biology and Batteries

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In the quest to make a better battery Evgenia Barannikova, a graduate student at UMBC in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, has isolated a peptide, a small sequence of amino acids, which binds to lithium manganese nickel oxide (LMNO), a material that can be used to make high performance batteries. “Biology provides several tools for us to solve important problems,” said Evgenia Barannikova, a graduate student at UMBC. Barannikova works in the lab of Mark Allen and studies how biological molecules in general can improve the properties of inorganic materials in batteries. “By mimicking biological processes we can find the better… Continue Reading Biology and Batteries

Technology in Baltimore with Ellen Hemmerly

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On February 3 Ellen Hemmerly, executive director, of bwtech@UMBC spoke with AHA Business Radio. She talked about her career path, the economic impact of bwtech@UMBC on the Baltimore metropolitan area and the benefits of being at bwtech@UMBC. “We welcome a diverse set of companies,” she said, “but they have to be technology companies.” Hemmerly says that bwtech@UMBC is not just about real estate, but that it’s about helping companies to grow and succeed. Listen to the entire interview.

Renetta Tull, Graduate School, Featured in “Women in Data”

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Renetta Tull, associate vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, is featured on the cover of Women in Data: Cutting-Edge Practitioners and Their Views on Critical Skills, Background, and Education. The report includes interviews with 15 women about their success, motivation and views on opportunities available to women in tech fields. In her interview, Tull focuses on the need for early exposure to computing careers. She says, “Women can be more involved with computing fields, and certainly, opportunities for ubiquitous computing limit restrictions for engagement. However, women need to know that they are invited to the table; they need to… Continue Reading Renetta Tull, Graduate School, Featured in “Women in Data”

Erle Ellis, Accidental Discovery

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Erle Ellis, associate professor of geography and environmental systems was taking a walk down the beach when he found a smooth object. Thinking it was some relic of years of ocean polishing he put it in his pocket only to discover a trash heap a short distance away. Triggered by his accidental discovery, Ellis measured on a global scale how much of Earth has been changed by humans. Using satellite data, he concluded that at least two thirds of the land surface have already been modified for agriculture, cities, mining and other human purposes. The oceans have also become an… Continue Reading Erle Ellis, Accidental Discovery

Dr. Tom Cronin Presents “Visual Ecology: The Unexpected Abilities of Animal Eyes” (3/9)

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Monday, March 9, 2015, 4 p.m.: “Visual Ecology: The Unexpected Abilities of Animal Eyes,” a presentation by Dr. Tom Cronin in the Library Gallery Humans are visual creatures. We’re also introspective and curious, a combination that makes us all by nature amateur visual ecologists (even if we don’t know it, or even what it means!) Since vision dominates how we experience our world, we naturally wonder how other animals see their own worlds. When a cat is entranced by images of fish on a television screen, does it see colors? Does it think they are real fish? What is it… Continue Reading Dr. Tom Cronin Presents “Visual Ecology: The Unexpected Abilities of Animal Eyes” (3/9)

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