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Two UMBC Professors Win NSF CAREER Awards Two UMBC scientists were recently recognized as among the nation’s top young faculty in their fields by the National Science Foundation (NSF), receiving the NSF’s CAREER award, an honor that comes with five years of research funding and support. Theodosia Gougousi, assistant professor of physics, is helping to find the next-generation hearts of consumer electronics. Haijun Su, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, uses 3-D virtual reality to make design innovations faster and cheaper for manufacturers. Nano-scale Paving Stones Without the expertise of physicists like Gougousi, beloved consumer electronics like iPhones, Blackberries and iPods… Continue Reading Two UMBC Professors Win NSF CAREER Awards

Tackling the Shortage of STEM Teachers in Baltimore Due to the growing shortage of highly-qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers, the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Scholars Program was implemented in fall 2007 to support selected STEM majors. Students are assisted academically, professionally and financially through advising, fellowships, cohort building and a summer bridge program. Above all, the Sherman Scholars Program promotes working with youth and being in the classroom as much as possible. Eleven students comprised the inaugural cohortin fall 2007, and there are currently 20 students in the program. They range anywhere from freshmen to graduate students… Continue Reading Tackling the Shortage of STEM Teachers in Baltimore

We Are Commonvision There’s a Quadmania T-shirt hanging on the wall, photographs of squirrels and a flyer about baked potatoes. There are smaller note cards, large posters and textured frames that come out from the wall. The area is covered from top to bottom with art and design – and also with creativity and hard work. “We are commonvision” is the first-ever exhibition from commonvision (a full-service print, copy and marketing center in The Commons) and showcases work from the 2008-2009 staff designers and artists. The exhibition explores the staff’s creative process, individual and group aesthetics and the way they… Continue Reading We Are Commonvision

Can a Parking Lot be Good for the Chesapeake Bay? To view scenes from UMBC CUERE’s pervious concrete installation, click the play button below. 9/3/2008 The answer could be yes, if it’s made of pervious concrete, a ‘green’ building material and the subject of a recent how-to workshop hosted by UMBC’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE). Pervious concrete allows stormwater to slowly drain through it like a sponge. Traditional concrete causes runoff that erodes waterways and carries pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. The August 27 event drew 90 public and private sector attendees from all of the… Continue Reading Green Concrete

Green Skies: A Better Environment for Air Travel Hillol Kargupta logs thousands of frequent flier miles each year to do research, conduct business for a successful, global firm and to visit his family. But it was his quest to make those flights friendlier to the environment that recently won him a highly competitive IBM Innovation Award and a $20,000 grant. Kargupta, an associate professor of computer science, is an expert on deep data mining in mobile environments. He is also the founder and president of Agnik, a company that pioneered the use of sensor technology to improve efficiency in ground… Continue Reading Green Skies: A Better Environment for Air Travel

Erickson School Helps Launch Nation’s First Elder ER In partnership with aging experts from the Erickson School at UMBC, Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring, Md.) recently launched one of the nation’s first emergency medical centers designed specifically for older adults. The Seniors Emergency Center at Holy Cross Hospital opened its doors November 5, 2008, featuring a specially designed environment to reduce patients’ anxiety and risk of falling. After a 90-day observation period and review of patient outcomes conducted with Erickson School researchers, the center becomes fully operational in February. Erickson School faculty, including internationally renowned geriatrician Bill Thomas and long-term… Continue Reading Erickson School Helps Launch Nation’s First Elder ER

Winter ’08 Graduate to Become Youngest Student at Boston Doctoral Program When Seth Vacek ’08 was younger, no one thought he’d go to UMBC. They never thought he’d go college, period, or even graduate from high school. But Vacek, who has cerebral palsy, was determined to pursue his education fully, despite what anyone said. “I didn’t let anything stop me from achieving the goals I’ve set,” he said. Vacek’s condition affects his fine motor skills and impairs both his speech and walking. Everyday tasks, such as tying his shoes, can be extremely challenging. Despite these physical barriers, Vacek did graduate… Continue Reading Winter ’08 Graduate to Become Youngest Student at Boston Doctoral Program