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
From cooking and cleaning to fixing your car, understanding chemistry can enlighten all aspects of life. That’s just one reason why Dean William R. LaCourse still loves sharing the joy of his favorite subject in front of a classroom. Continue Reading Better Living Through Chemistry
“Many people in the antiviral field had been pushing for many years, warning people that this kind of viral pandemic could happen,” says Katherine Seley-Radtke. Thankfully, her decades of work put her in a strong position to contribute to a new surge of antiviral research. Continue Reading Creating new antiviral drugs: Katherine Seley-Radtke’s innovative “fleximer” research to receive $3.5M from NIH
At UMBC’s 2022 Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards (PFASA), Tamra Mendelson said she loves “getting to the core of a concept” in her research and teaching. As awardee after awardee addressed the audience, both in person and online, it became clear that all shared the same “core concept” of UMBC: community. Continue Reading UMBC faculty and staff award recipients place community at the core of their success
A protein produced by viral DNA is orchestrating the critical “SOS response” in a large group of bacterial species, according to a new study in Nucleic Acids Research. “It’s the SOS response because if the bacteria or virus doesn’t get it right, they die,” Ivan Erill says. Continue Reading Viral inventors: UMBC study finds virus DNA orchestrates a critical cellular pathway in bacteria
“Be willing to be an independent thinker and be willing to be wrong,” says graduate student Amanda Belunis as ways to succeed in analytical chemistry. Continue Reading The Rocky Yet Rewarding Road of Graduate Research
Persistent. Innovative. Determined. These are the words UMBC’s commencement speakers returned to again and again to describe the Class of 2021. And despite a year of challenges—missing family and friends, technological frustrations, life lived through the computer screen—one of the resounding themes of this year’s Commencement ceremonies was gratitude. Continue Reading Graduating with gratitude: UMBC welcomes a new class of alumni
On the back of every UMBC black and gold ID card is a guide to essential emergency resources, including numbers for health, counseling, sexual assault, and suicide prevention helplines. The new card design was the result of student advocacy through UMBC’s Retriever Courage initiative, seeking to better prevent and respond to sexual assault and violence. And the person who suggested that change is Autumn Cook, graduating this week, a tireless advocate for fellow UMBC students. Continue Reading UMBC’s newest grads leave a legacy of advocacy, inclusion, and support for fellow students
This fall, the student-organized TEDxUMBC gave ten speakers the opportunity to share their stories, experiences, and expertise with the world. Surprisingly, the theme, “Unmasking Uncertainty,” was actually conceived far before COVID-19 surged globally. Continue Reading TEDxUMBC brings community together through “Unmasking Uncertainty”
Kizzmekia Corbett’s team was the first to demonstrate a vaccine that successfully stopped viral replication in both the lungs and nose. Continue Reading Alumna Leads Team to Breakthrough Coronavirus Vaccine Results
“We are so proud of UMBC’s Goldwater Scholars,” says April Householder. “Their research—in neuroscience, genetics, and machine learning bias—is timely and important.” Continue Reading Three UMBC student researchers receive prestigious Goldwater Scholarships
After three months of studies, the vaccine her team developed is about to enter a phase I clinical trial, a crucial hurdle on the way to FDA approval. Continue Reading UMBC Alumnae Racing to Develop Coronavirus Vaccine
