CNMS Hosts 17th Annual SURF

Aug 15, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

The College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences hosted the 17th annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF) on Wednesday, August 6. Over 200 students gave oral and poster presentations, explaining the results of their summer research projects. Many of the students participated in specialized programs to complete their research, including with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), High Performance Computing (HPC) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at UMBC, Summer Biomedical Training Program, and MARC U*STAR program. SURF also featured a workshop to help more undergraduates gain interest in pursuing research opportunities. SURF concluded by recognizing the commitment of the faculty,… Continue Reading CNMS Hosts 17th Annual SURF

Meyerhoff Expansion Program: Nature Jobs

Aug 3, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

Virginia Gewin writes in Nature, about diversity in science and the problems facing minorities in science. Gewin writes that, Neil deGrasse Tyson has suggested that the low numbers of minorities and women in the US science workforce are due in large part to a lack of equal access to opportunities for entering that workforce. “To solve that problem, universities are now looking to the example of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). It has crafted a formula for mentoring students from minority groups underrepresented in the sciences and helping to guide them into science, technology, engineering… Continue Reading Meyerhoff Expansion Program: Nature Jobs

Yonathan Zohar, NPR’s Morning Edition, Father of Bluefin Tuna

Jul 30, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

Yonathan Zohar, professor of marine biotechnology, was recently featured on NPR’s Morning Edition for his success in keeping, as Dan Charles of NPR says, “the tiger of the ocean,” bluefin tuna larvae alive for 10 days. “It’s amazing. We cannot stop looking at them! We are here around the clock and we are looking at them, because it is so beautiful,” says Yonathan Zohar. Charles says, “The fish can grow to 1,000 pounds. They can swim up to 45 miles per hour and cross entire oceans.” To learn more about this remarkable research: Listen to the story

Visual Ecology, Tom Cronin

Jul 18, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

A new book written by Tom Cronin and colleagues — the publisher’s note says: “Visual ecology is the study of how animals use visual systems to meet their ecological needs, how these systems have evolved, and how they are specialized for particular visual tasks. Visual Ecology provides the first up-to-date synthesis of the field to appear in more than three decades. Featuring some 225 illustrations, including more than 140 in color, spread throughout the text, this comprehensive and accessible book begins by discussing the basic properties of light and the optical environment. It then looks at how photoreceptors intercept light… Continue Reading Visual Ecology, Tom Cronin

LA Times: Mantis shrimp wear tinted shades to see UV light, Tom Cronin and Michael Bok

Jul 18, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

“When you look at a mantis shrimp, you see a vivid lobster-like crustacean whose forearms can strike with the force of a .22-caliber bullet. But when a mantis shrimp looks at you, we have no idea what it sees. That’s because the mantis shrimp possesses one of the most complex eyeballs on the planet, an organ that allows it to perceive a rainbow of colors in both the visible and ultraviolet spectrum without the massive brainpower required for human vision,” so writes Julia Rosen of the Los Angeles Times. Rosen’s story, Mantis shrimp wear tinted shades to see UV light, tells of Tom… Continue Reading LA Times: Mantis shrimp wear tinted shades to see UV light, Tom Cronin and Michael Bok

Say Something: Jesse Smith

Jul 18, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

The Chronicle has just featured math major and Meyerhoff Scholar Jesse Smith in their Say Something audio series. Smith talks about his experience with the Meyerhoff program and how peer connections through the program have given him a sense of confidence and what is possible to achieve in his career. The article also links to the HHMI story about the Meyerhoff Replication Project.

Zhibo Zhang receives $710K grant from NASA

May 28, 2014 / 2 minutes of reading

Zhibo Zhang, an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department, and his collaborators received a three-year grant of $710K from NASA’s Sciences of Terra and Aqua program to study the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) clouds. The MBL clouds cover about 20% of Earth’s surface. They play a pivotal in Earth’s radiative energy budget. Prof. Zhang’s research will help us understand the horizontal and microphysical structure of MBL clouds and provides guidance for the development of future NASA satellite missions. As PI, Zhang will lead a group of researchers from UMBC, NASA GISS, and the Univ. of Illinois. Zhang was also recently… Continue Reading Zhibo Zhang receives $710K grant from NASA

UMBC scientist receives Maryland Innovation grant from TEDCO to advance the development of a vaccine to combat a deadly fish virus

May 28, 2014 / 3 minutes of reading

Professor Vikram Vakharia, Professor of Marine Biotechnology at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) in Baltimore, received a $100,000 grant from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). Vakhria will use the funds to develop a vaccine against viral infections in fish populations. Such viruses can be devastating to fish populations world-wide. A vaccine could have tremendous implications for hatcheries and rearing ponds that provide high-protein fish to tens millions of people. Many viral diseases in fish have been reported worldwide. Of particular concern is infections caused by nervous necrosis virus (NNV). This virus is of concern because it impacts… Continue Reading UMBC scientist receives Maryland Innovation grant from TEDCO to advance the development of a vaccine to combat a deadly fish virus

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Takes UMBC’s Meyerhoff Program On the Road

May 20, 2014 / 2 minutes of reading

Today, UMBC and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced the Meyerhoff Adaptation Project, a five-year partnership between the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Penn State, UNC Chapel Hill and UMBC. This project will expand UMBC’s innovative Meyerhoff Scholars Program — which has seen dramatic results in successfully preparing minority students for STEM careers — to Penn State and UNC Chapel Hill. Since 1993, the Meyerhoff program has graduated more than 900 students in STEM disciplines; alumni have earned 144 PhD degrees, 39 MD/PhD degrees, 1 DVM/PhD degree, 239 Masters degrees, and 107 MD degrees. The program is built on… Continue Reading Howard Hughes Medical Institute Takes UMBC’s Meyerhoff Program On the Road

UMBC Celebrates Grand Opening of Science Learning Collaboratory

May 2, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

On April 28, UMBC celebrated the opening of the Science Learning Collaboratory in a festive event featuring remarks by Senator Barbara Mikulski, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) President Robert Tijan, President Hrabowski and CNMS Dean Bill LaCourse. Located in the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building, the Science Learning Collaboratory is an innovative, interdisciplinary lab created through a partnership between UMBC and HHMI. The event’s speakers discussed how important hands-on lab experience is to inspiring and preparing students in the sciences. Senator Mikulski remarked, “Right here at UMBC, you’re teaching the warriors of the future to go out and do things that no… Continue Reading UMBC Celebrates Grand Opening of Science Learning Collaboratory

Pres. Hrabowski and UMBC Students Headline U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference

Apr 25, 2014 / 1 minute of reading

President Hrabowski and three undergraduate scholars from UMBC kicked off the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference with a keynote panel on April 23. Dalton Hughes ’14, chemical engineering, Lauren Mazzoli ’15, mathematics and computer science, and Mitchel Zavala ’14, mechanical engineering, spoke about their UMBC experiences in a discussion moderated by PBS Newshour co-anchor Judy Woodruff. The panel addressed major issues in STEM education, including the challenge of retaining students as STEM majors, the need to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM, and the importance of mentorship and a supportive peer community in student success. Mazzoli, Zavala and… Continue Reading Pres. Hrabowski and UMBC Students Headline U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference

UMBC scientists receive Maryland Innovation grant from TEDCO to advance bioremediation of PCB-contaminated sediments

Apr 23, 2014 / 4 minutes of reading

Professor Kevin Sowers, Professor of Marine Biotechnology at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), and Professor Upal Ghosh, at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, have received a $100,000 grant from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). The grant will fund research to that will ameliorate the environmental harms of PCB’s. The program is an initiative of the Technology Council of Maryland (TEDCO) created in 1998 to spur commercialization of scientific research in Maryland as part of the state’s efforts to foster economic development through academic research. Sowers is a global leader in environmental science and has pioneered a… Continue Reading UMBC scientists receive Maryland Innovation grant from TEDCO to advance bioremediation of PCB-contaminated sediments

CNMS

Search UMBC.edu