“We know that a lot of insects migrate, but we have full life history and full migration data for only a couple. This is the first dragonfly in the Western Hemisphere for which we know this,” says Colin Studds. “We’ve solved the first piece of a big mystery.” Continue Reading Three generations, thousands of miles: Scientists unlock the mystery of a dragonfly’s migration
UMBC’s Office of the Vice President for Research presented awards to support the work of two dozen UMBC faculty examining topics from health disparities among people with diabetes to natural language processing. Continue Reading Faculty receive START and SURFF awards to pursue new research and creative work
“Being on the Bahama Oriole Project was my first hands-on glimpse at international research,” Matthew Kane ’19 says. “It was the first time I had seen scientists from two different countries collaborating on a conservation project on this scale.” Continue Reading Bahama Oriole Project team awarded NSF grant to offer more UMBC undergrads international research experiences
Forests store carbon, clean water, prevent soil erosion, and provide habitat for a wide range of species, “but all those benefits start kicking in when forests are older,” says Matthew Fagan. Based on their new research, Fagan and colleagues argue that nations would do better to take the long view when committing to forest restoration. Continue Reading New UMBC research suggests need to rethink goals of global reforestation efforts
“More than half of the world’s population lives in cities,” says Chris Swan, “and understanding how these environments function from the natural, physical and social science perspectives has never been more important.” Continue Reading Twenty years of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study: An icon of urban ecology research
Traveling far from home for an immersive research experience can be transformational for an undergraduate. Living and working in a completely new environment, with new colleagues, can be intimidating, but it also offers powerful opportunities for growth. Five STEM BUILD students from UMBC took that plunge this summer, and all made lasting memories that will inform their paths forward. Continue Reading South Africa to Colorado: Summer research helps UMBC STEM BUILD students chart their course
The restoration of Maryland’s Blode Dam is a one-of-a-kind natural experiment that will help test how relatively inexpensive drones can help scientists understand the integrity of streams and rivers. Continue Reading Drones to track one of the largest dam removals on the Eastern Seaboard
“If we want to understand how what we do on the landscape influences stream integrity and downstream health in places like the Chesapeake Bay,” says Matthew Baker, “then being able to map the connections between human activities on the land and the circulatory waters system that delivers their effects to the Bay is paramount.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Matthew Baker teams up with Chesapeake Conservancy to create detailed stream maps
“We are changing Earth’s climate faster than at any time since the fall of the dinosaurs,” says Ellis. For scientists, he notes, “What’s controversial…is when did this begin? […] When did humans literally become the global shaper of the earth?” Continue Reading When did humans start to transform Earth? UMBC’s Erle Ellis introduces the Anthropocene.
“Confronting the barriers to health equity compels us to look across disciplines and toward collaborations among social scientists, scientists and engineers, and humanists and artists,” said Dean Scott Casper at the event. Continue Reading UMBC health justice research forum focuses on the value of community voices
“I love this paper because it points out an important flaw in several studies,” says Matthew Fagan, “and also because those studies are really important to understanding how best we should restore the planet’s forests.” Continue Reading UMBC ecologist and colleagues expose bias in forest restoration studies
While working in the city comes with challenges, Chris Swan hopes to discover a Goldilocks concoction of plants that tolerate the poor soil found in vacant lots, attract native pollinators, and reduce runoff of contaminant-laced water into the Chesapeake Bay. Continue Reading UMBC’s Chris Swan featured in The Atlantic for transforming vacant lots in Baltimore
