two researchers, one just outside and one inside a large underground pipe several feet in diameter

UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

Oct 4, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has funded Urban Integrated Field Laboratories in three American cities (including Baltimore) to generate resilience-enhancing solutions to urban climate challenges in collaboration with community organizations. “What we want to try to do is partner with the communities to come up with solutions to these climate impact problems,” Claire Welty say, “and then what we’re bringing to the table are our tools to implement that.” Continue Reading UMBC to co-lead new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative with $2.3M grant

New UMBC research finds that viruses may have “eyes and ears” on us

Sep 23, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

A virus’s ability to sense its environment, including elements produced by its host, adds “another layer of complexity to the viral-host interaction,” says Ivan Erill. Right now, viruses are exploiting that ability to their benefit. But in the future, he says, “we could exploit it to their detriment.” Continue Reading New UMBC research finds that viruses may have “eyes and ears” on us

two people in lab coats and gloves examining small vials in a brightly lit lab

UMBC and University of Maryland School of Medicine receive $13.7M NIH FIRST grant to increase faculty diversity

Sep 23, 2022 / 3 minutes of reading

The grant will enable the universities to hire a group of four faculty members at UMBC and six at UMSOM, each of whom will have cross-campus appointments at both institutions. “Faculty hired under UM-FIRST will advance our teaching and research missions and serve as leaders for institutional change as we pursue our vision of a diverse professoriate,” says William LaCourse. Continue Reading UMBC and University of Maryland School of Medicine receive $13.7M NIH FIRST grant to increase faculty diversity

Darryl Acker-Carter speaking on a dock, with the floating oyster aquaculture setup behind him, to a group of teachers

Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

Sep 19, 2022 / 6 minutes of reading

Bats as biomonitors, community connections to the zero-waste movement, and oyster aquaculture are just a few of the topics that students in UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) master’s program are exploring through Baltimore-centered community-engaged research. As the first cohort in the program heads into their second and final year, they are excited about their work and looking ahead to becoming the next generation of environmental science leaders. Continue Reading Students in UMBC’s ICARE program connect scientific research with community

about 20 black plastic pots containing small native plants

UMBC-led Baltimore Ecosystem Study receives federal support for critical environmental monitoring

Sep 13, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

The Baltimore Ecosystem Study, led by UMBC in close collaboration with area partners, has been collecting data for more than 20 years on the Baltimore region’s watersheds, ecology, and social issues related to the environment. Continue Reading UMBC-led Baltimore Ecosystem Study receives federal support for critical environmental monitoring

Woman with auburn hair stands with a man with dark bears in a lab. She wears a tie dyed lab coat and he wears a white lab coat.

UMBC’s new AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows focus on STEM workforce inclusion, youth justice

Sep 8, 2022 / 4 minutes of reading

UMBC faculty Erin Lavik and Erika Fountain will serve as 2022-23 Science and Technology Policy Fellows with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in the prestigious program’s 50th class. They will work to inform actionable, science-based policies in federal government. Continue Reading UMBC’s new AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows focus on STEM workforce inclusion, youth justice

Portrait of man in a dress shirt with arm on a staircase railing.

UMBC’s Anupam Joshi, cybersecurity innovator, to expand leadership impact as 2022–23 ACE Fellow

Sep 2, 2022 / 4 minutes of reading

Anupam Joshi, a professor focused on both high-impact computing research and expanding access to computer science and cybersecurity education, has been named a 2022-23 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. He will spend the coming academic year with University System of Maryland (USM) leaders. Continue Reading UMBC’s Anupam Joshi, cybersecurity innovator, to expand leadership impact as 2022–23 ACE Fellow

The iHARP research team sitting and Vandana Janeja standing. All are looking at a laptop screen

UMBC to lead climate-focused NSF data science institute through $13M award

Sep 1, 2022 / 4 minutes of reading

Tens of millions of people live in areas that are at risk for flooding due to climate change, sea level rise, and melting of glaciers. UMBC’s Vandana Janeja and a team of researchers are using data science, machine learning, and AI to analyze enormous volumes of climate data, and Arctic and Antarctic observations, in ways that could help populations prepare for and respond to these risks. Continue Reading UMBC to lead climate-focused NSF data science institute through $13M award

A group of five people in a room with glass walls, sitting at a table with laptops in front of them.

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

Aug 31, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC has led numerous high-impact health care research projects over a nearly 30-year history at UMBC. “The Hilltop Institute epitomizes the spirit of UMBC’s mission to integrate teaching, research and engaged scholarship, and service to benefit communities in Maryland and beyond,” says Cynthia Woodcock, executive director of Hilltop. Continue Reading The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

man inspects plants growing outside a greenhouse

UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

Aug 29, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

Biodiversity “is the whole kit and caboodle,” Chris Swan says. Without it, there could be no adaptation to change. The new project will investigate differences in biodiversity in tropical and temperate streams to increase our ability to predict how biological communities may change in a warming world. Continue Reading UMBC’s Chris Swan awarded NSF funding for U.S.-Brazil partnership on stream biodiversity

two students observe a well plate in a brightly lit laboratory

UMBC’s Chengpeng Chen receives $1.7M NIH grant to develop human liver model

Aug 26, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

Today, less than 10 percent of drugs succeed in clinical trials. Chengpeng Chen is betting that a more accurate liver model, employed early in the drug discovery process, can increase the efficiency of drug development and our understanding of certain diseases. Continue Reading UMBC’s Chengpeng Chen receives $1.7M NIH grant to develop human liver model

UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease

Aug 23, 2022 / 5 minutes of reading

Drug resistance is a growing problem in treating fungal disease. Jeffrey Gardner is searching for a new way to treat these infections with bacterial enzymes. It’s a new area of research for him, but “if you can find an interesting bug, with some interesting physiology,” he says, “the types of questions can really span major different areas.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease