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Think. Create. Engage. What makes UMBC offerings in the arts and humanities unique? Why might you choose to attend a UMBC theatre performance, humanities forum lecture or arts exhibition? And, perhaps most important, what does the arts and humanities experience at UMBC feel like? Those are some of the questions that a committee of from UMBC’s Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA), the provost’s office and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) started asking last year. Beginning today, the results can be seen in a new branding and marketing campaign that reflects—and sets expectations of—the experience at UMBC.… Continue Reading Think. Create. Engage.

UMBC Receives Grant to Operate NASA Center Focused on Space Weather The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) will administer a new NASA research center focused on studying space weather and the impact it can have on human activities. The Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI), operating under a 5-year, $10 million cooperative agreement, will provide support and resources for university researchers to collaborate with scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as they refine efforts to predict the solar activity that ejects charged particles into space. The “weather” created by these events interferes with power grids, telecommunication systems and other… Continue Reading UMBC Receives Grant to Operate NASA Center Focused on Space Weather

Looking East UMBC’s new Asian studies program will give students the opportunity to learn about Asian languages, cultures and the significant impacts that the region is having on the world. The first public institution in Maryland with an Asian studies degree, UMBC offers a major, a minor and a certificate. Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and the director of the new program, has been advocating for an Asian studies program on campus for many years. Recently, the right conditions—a cohort of faculty members with expertise in Asia and an increasing focus on making UMBC into a global campus—have come together… Continue Reading Looking East

A Meeting of the Minds While cleaning out his closet on a recent visit home, Phillip Fitzgerald found a box of old awards. Flipping through certificates and plaques for various achievements, he noticed a trend: Almost every award was related to science, dating all the way back to his third grade science fair. He realized science has been his life since he was a child. “It was in the books from the beginning,”he said matter-of-factly. This summer, Fitzgerald will continue on that path as he travels to Lindau, Germany, to participate in the 61st Meeting of Nobel Laureates. This annual… Continue Reading A Meeting of the Minds

Hands-on History Marie Spiro had been collecting artifacts to use in her classroom at the University of Maryland, College Park for over 50 years. So when the archaeologist decided that it was time for her collection to find a new home, she looked for a place that would honor her one wish for the objects: that rather than living in cases, the artifacts would be used, handled and studied by students learning about archaeology and the ancient world. She found such a place in UMBC’s ancient studies department, and the first third of Spiro’s collection arrived in the department—and the… Continue Reading Hands-on History

Great Gates Michael Young ’11, philosophy, was recently awarded the Gates Cambridge scholarship, one of the world’s most selective academic awards. This fall, Young will enroll at the University of Cambridge to pursue his master’s degree in philosophy. “It’s a great honor and I’m very humbled. I look forward to representing our community,” said Young. The Gates Cambridge program, which is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates, aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. The awards cover the full cost of full-time graduate study and research in any subject available at… Continue Reading Great Gates

Marching into the Future A collaboration between two UMBC faculty members is exploring the potential of a movement known as the “digital humanities” – wherein digital tools are used to explore history and other subjects in all their depth and complexity. Since 2008, Anne Sarah Rubin, associate professor of history, and Kelley Bell ’05, M.F.A. imaging and digital arts, assistant professor of graphic design, have been putting together Sherman’s March and America: Mapping Memory. The multimedia site launched in July 2010, funded with a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies and support of UMBC’s Imaging Research Center. Rubin… Continue Reading Marching into the Future

Engaging Student Voices Lectures on political cartooning and free speech have taken Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher—UMBC artist-in-residence and editorial cartoonist for The Economist—to dozens of campuses around the world, but none quite like UMBC. In Russia, students broke into spontaneous applause when they learned that freedom of speech protection in the U.S. Constitution enables Kallaugher to satirize political leaders without fear of reprisal. The ability to critically draw your own head of state, he argues, is true evidence of freedom of expression. At UMBC, he works with a team of bright and energized student bloggers who exercise this freedom as journalists… Continue Reading Engaging Student Voices