CAHSS

News and Updates about UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Donald Norris

Donald Norris weighs in on what’s next for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley

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Following Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley officially ended his bid for the presidency. WJZ-TV ran a story examining what’s next for O’Malley as he begins the next chapter in his political career. Donald Norris, professor and director of UMBC’s School of Public Policy, is an expert in Maryland state politics and has closely followed former Gov. O’Malley’s career. He was interviewed for WJZ’s story and said it’s possible that O’Malley could serve in an advisory role to the next president. “He could become a Cabinet secretary, even though he said he doesn’t want to,” said Norris. “But… Continue Reading Donald Norris weighs in on what’s next for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley

Kimberly Moffitt reflects on Black History Month and today’s social movements

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As local educators and museum officials are in the midst of planning events for Black History Month, the Baltimore Sun published an article reflecting on the events of 2015 and opportunities to expand commemorations in remembrance of recent history. Kimberly Moffitt, an associate professor of American studies, was interviewed for the article and discussed the importance of connecting the past with the present. “If you think about it, history is occurring daily, right? So yesterday is history,” said Moffitt. “So even though the Black Lives Matter campaign in particular is seen as recent and current history, it is something that has… Continue Reading Kimberly Moffitt reflects on Black History Month and today’s social movements

UMBC faculty provide 2016 election analysis in local and national media outlets

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With the Iowa Caucuses just days away, UMBC faculty have been in the news weighing in on the current state of the presidential race. Kimberly Moffitt, an associate professor of American studies, was a guest on the Baltimore Sun podcast “Roughly Speaking with Dan Rodricks” to discuss the recent Republican presidential debate on Fox Business Network. During the segment, Moffitt shared her thoughts on the interactions between candidates and economic and foreign policy issues in the race, among other topics of discussion. Political Science Professor and Chair Thomas Schaller wrote an opinion piece for The Hill that focused on the rise of Sen.… Continue Reading UMBC faculty provide 2016 election analysis in local and national media outlets

UMBC’s MDQuit researchers celebrate ten years of progress toward a smoke-free Maryland

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Nearly 250 health professionals and researchers will gather in Ellicott City this month to mark a major milestone: ten years of dramatically reducing tobacco use across the state. In the decade since Carlo DiClemente established MDQuit as a resource hub for doctors and health officials, the Maryland’s smoking rate has declined from 31 percent to under 17 percent. Continue Reading UMBC’s MDQuit researchers celebrate ten years of progress toward a smoke-free Maryland

Dawn Biehler

UMBC expert examines urban wildlife management questions in New York Times column

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Following up on recent sightings of wildlife in the New York City area, The New York Times published an opinion series exploring the question of how urban dwellers should cope with urban wildlife. Dawn Biehler, an associate professor of geography and environmental systems, contributed to the series and wrote a column that examined the social and cultural contexts of urban wildlife arguments. “The line between valued urban wildlife and unwanted pest is — and always has been — subjective, shaped by geography and social position,” Biehler explained. “When urban nature provokes anxiety, we would do well to take a hard look not just… Continue Reading UMBC expert examines urban wildlife management questions in New York Times column

A man with a beard and mustache wearing dark rimmed glasses and a blue suit and striped tie smiles at the camera, there are green trees in the backgound

Constantine Vaporis selected for national Asian studies speaker series program

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Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and director of the Asian studies program, has been selected for the ASIANetwork Speakers Bureau. The program is a new distinguished speaker series hosted by the ASIANetwork, a consortium of 160 liberal arts colleges and universities that aims to “strengthen the role of Asian Studies within the framework of liberal arts education to help prepare succeeding generations of undergraduates for a world in which Asian societies play prominent roles in an ever more interdependent world,” according to the organization’s website. Vaporis was nominated and selected for the prestigious program from among faculty in all disciplines. The ASIANetwork… Continue Reading Constantine Vaporis selected for national Asian studies speaker series program

Amy Bhatt

Amy Bhatt describes how Seattle’s South Asian technology workforce is changing the face of global giving

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A feature published in the December 2015 edition of Seattle Magazine examines how Seattle’s South Asian population is becoming more visible in the philanthropic community. Amy Bhatt, an assistant professor of gender and women’s studies, researches South Asian migration trends in the tech industry and provided perspective on how the philanthropic community has grown over time. “There’s a lot of wealth that has accumulated here,” Bhatt said in the article. As a result, the first generation of international tech workers in the Pacific Northwest has helped incubate a number of nonprofits and foundations. Bhatt also observed in the article that more South… Continue Reading Amy Bhatt describes how Seattle’s South Asian technology workforce is changing the face of global giving

“Science” article argues Earth has entered a new epoch defined by human impacts on the planet

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Robust evidence supports the finding that humanity has entered a new geological era, reports a new paper in Science, co-authored by Erle Ellis, professor of geography and environmental systems. The Anthropocene is defined through the impacts that human activity has had on the Earth. This latest article on the concept outlines findings to justify the establishment of the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch. Ellis is among 24 internationally-known geoscientists who make up the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the international scientific organization in charge of the geologic time scale, which produced the Science article. He explains,… Continue Reading “Science” article argues Earth has entered a new epoch defined by human impacts on the planet

Justin Velez-Hagan

UMBC economic policy researcher examines the impact of Puerto Rico’s debt crisis

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Justin Vélez-Hagan, a Ph.D. student in UMBC’s School of Public Policy and executive director of the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, has been in the news recently after Puerto Rico defaulted on more bond payments, falling deeper into debt. Vélez-Hagan was recently a guest on Al Jazeera America, HuffPost Live, and the BBC and discussed the impact of the financial crisis and what needs to be done for the commonwealth to bounce back financially. On HuffPost Live, Vélez-Hagan joined other economic analysts and researchers and examined how the financial crisis is affecting Puerto Rican citizens (watch the full segment). “The… Continue Reading UMBC economic policy researcher examines the impact of Puerto Rico’s debt crisis

UMBC professor’s book selected as one of six best books of poetry in 2015

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Piotr Gwiazda, an associate professor of English, has been selected for a prestigious list “Best Books of Poetry in English 2015.” The list was compiled by Adam Zdrodowski, a poet and translator who has published three collections of poetry and translated authors such as Gertrude Stein and William S. Burroughs. The list included six top poetry books published in 2015 from around the world, including Gwiazda’s Aspects of Strangers which received strong praise from Zdrodowski: “At first, the poems may seem simple, and yet it quickly turns out their simplicity is misleading. Simple phrases keep building up, bringing new pieces of information, sometimes… Continue Reading UMBC professor’s book selected as one of six best books of poetry in 2015

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