CAHSS_research

China Hands typing on a lap top with a red background and gold stars China

China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

/ 6 minutes of reading

“As a China expert and open-source researcher, I believe the latest revelations draw the curtain back on a contractor ecosystem in which government officials and commercial operators are increasingly working together,” explains Christopher K. Tong, associate professor of Asian studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. ” In short, Beijing is outsourcing its cyber operations to a patchwork army of private-sector hackers who offer their services out of a mix of nationalism and profit.” Continue Reading China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

An adult walking along a palm tree-lined beach

Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

/ 6 minutes of reading

“The sargassum invasion has worsened since it exploded in the region in 2011. Forecasts and the seaweed already washing up suggest that 2024 will be another alarming year,” says Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems at UMBC, studies the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters in the Caribbean. Continue Reading Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

Peter Wilschke and a professor stand on each side of a research poster

Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

/ 5 minutes of reading

“Once you take these courses, your world is kind of open to how empirical research is actually conducted in those fields. Without these classes I would not have known where to start,” says Wilschke. He advises students to approach empirical work as a combination of two things. “You have to care about your research question to push through all the time and hard work needed,” says UMBC’s Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, “and put to work all the research skills you’ve learned to answer a question that needs to be answered, that policymakers can use to improve people’s lives.” Continue Reading Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

A person in the Caribbean carries large plastic jugs of water into an old apartment building

Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

/ 6 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems, studies the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters, particularly in the Caribbean. Safe water is essential for all human activity and public health. Nibbs is looking at how and why the Caribbean islands are in a water crisis, and their governments have warned that water scarcity may become the new norm. Her data is sheds light on the root causes of the water crises and to find effective, affordable ways to improve water supply systems. Continue Reading Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

A large bill board in the middle of a field reads Hell is Real

How 19th-century Spiritualists ‘canceled’ the idea of hell to address social and political concerns

/ 7 minutes of reading

“Spiritualists believed that people could maintain communication with the living even after death,” discusses UMBC’s Lindsay DiCurirci, associate professor of English. “They thought communicative spirits had a principal role to play in addressing the era’s most pressing social and political concerns, which would be impossible if souls were damned to hell. This idea was a cornerstone of their practice and a driver of their politics.” Continue Reading How 19th-century Spiritualists ‘canceled’ the idea of hell to address social and political concerns

College students sit around a table discussing a book

UMBC’s first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence shares unique research on neurodiversity in language teaching and learning

/ 8 minutes of reading

“If students have not experienced an inclusive classroom, they may be afraid of managing an inclusive classroom when they become teachers,” says Jules Buendgens-Kosten, a research assistant at the Institute of English and American Studies at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Germany and UMBC’s first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence , whose research helps prepare educators to teach students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and other minority neurotypes. “One way to reduce this fear is giving teachers tools for best practices on neurodiversity in teaching and learning.” Continue Reading UMBC’s first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence shares unique research on neurodiversity in language teaching and learning

Brick rowhomes with tall buildings in the background neediest areas

Neediest areas are being shortchanged on government funds − even with programs designed to benefit poor communities

/ 5 minutes of reading

Erik Stokan, associate professor of political science at UMBC, collaborated on a study that looked at 20 years of data from the CDBG program, which in 2022 provided about $4.3 billion to cities and states across the country. Federal rules require that 70% of these funds be spent in neighborhoods where a majority of families have low to moderate incomes – a category researchers abbreviate as “LMI.” Continue Reading Neediest areas are being shortchanged on government funds − even with programs designed to benefit poor communities

A writer sits at their desk Guggenheim

Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

/ 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Ryan Bloom, senior lecturer in English, has received the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation to work on the first complete edition of the French-Algerian author Albert Camus’s notebooks, journals, and other works. This year, 188 grants were awarded from more than 3,000 applicants from over 52 academic disciplines across the U.S. and Canada. Fellows are provided funding to freely pursue their creative projects through their unique process without any special conditions.  Continue Reading Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

An adult wearing a suit jacket stands outside in front of a red brick building

Students inspire William Blake’s paper on constitutional amendments in the prestigious ‘American Political Science Review’ 

/ 2 minutes of reading

The American Political Science Review, the leading political science peer-reviewed journal,  published “Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates,” a new research article by lead author William Blake, associate professor and associate chair of political science. at UMBC The study addressed why some constitutions are amended more frequently than others. Continue Reading Students inspire William Blake’s paper on constitutional amendments in the prestigious ‘American Political Science Review’ 

An adult speaks in front of a crowd

The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

/ 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies (GWST) department has received a $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to implement its Advancing Gender and Sexuality Studies in Community project. UMBC is one of 95 public colleges and university programs leading research on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality to receive funding from the Mellon Foundation’s $18 million “Affirming Multivocal Humanities” initiative. Continue Reading The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

A person sits on the floor leaning on a bed with their right hand on their forehead crying

Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless

/ 6 minutes of reading

2018-2019 study of domestic violence survivors in the Washington D.C.’s services for homelessness by Nkiru Nnawulezi, associate professor of psychology at UMBC, and Lauren Cattaneo, found that out of 41 participants, only four received immediate housing, with either a bed in a shelter or a hotel. Housing instability brings its own set of problems for survivors, including poor health, economic insecurity and the risk of future violence. These stresses can lead survivors back to the abusive relationship or into other unsafe housing situations. Continue Reading Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless

A large group of Chinese migrants stand in line

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

/ 6 minutes of reading

The brief closure of the Darien Gap – a perilous 66-mile jungle journey linking South American and Central America – in February 2024 temporarily halted one of the Western Hemisphere’s busiest migration routes, explains Meredity Oyen, assistant professor of history at UMBC. It also highlighted its importance to a small but growing group of people that depend on that pass to make it to the U.S.: Chinese migrants. Continue Reading Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

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