“When I visited UMBC, I felt like everyone knows each other and supports each other in the physics department,” Song remembers. “That’s why I chose here.” Now, she’s rising to become a leader in the field of dust aerosols, which play a role in climate change. Continue Reading UMBC’s Qianqian Song receives FINESST Fellowship from NASA for research on dust clouds and climate
When students come to UMBC, they bring with them life experiences that shape the program they choose, the mentors they find, the research questions they ask, and the communities they build on campus. Here, five UMBC students earning their degrees this month share experiences that shaped their paths. Continue Reading UMBC’s newest grads share what inspired their unique paths
When international students arrive on campus, they find a warm welcome from their departments and fellow students. These four May graduates share how they made a home on campus during their time at UMBC. Continue Reading UMBC international students find connection on campus, from day one to degree
Whether wading in a cold stream or in the lab, mentors who foster independent thinking balanced with guidance—for research and for life—make the difference for UMBC graduate students on the national and international stage. A close-knit graduate student community adds a level of support that helps students succeed. Continue Reading Biology graduate students from UMBC earn national honors for unique aquatic research
“We want to provide an avenue for people to learn skills that they’re not going to get in the classroom or the lab,” says Alex Rittle, Ph.D. student in geography and environmental systems and chair of the GEARS planning committee. Continue Reading New GEARS symposium offers professional development opportunities to grad students across disciplines
UMBC doctoral student Jason Ashe and new Ph.D. recipient Erin Berry-McCrea have been selected for notable national honors as emerging leaders in work to address inequalities, in health care and in educational and professional spaces. Continue Reading UMBC’s Ashe and Berry-McCrea earn national honors for doctoral research addressing inequities
“We’re really hoping this new method is going to address some issues with what kinds of data get published,” says Evangeline Rose, first author on a new paper. This paper “is part of an amazing drumbeat that’s building up in the scientific community,” Kevin Omland says. “There’s a broader problem with the scientific method that’s being increasingly acknowledged, and the test we’ve developed can at least play a small role, and I hope a big role, in addressing it.” Continue Reading UMBC researchers develop new method to address deep-seated biases in science, starting with birds
“We can predict a material’s properties before experimentalists can even synthesize it,” says Can Ataca. The new methods his lab is developing will make those predictions many times more accurate, supporting other scientists in their efforts to develop materials for applications from solar cells to gas masks. Continue Reading UMBC physicist Can Ataca developing quicker, cheaper way to create novel, one-atom-thick materials
Following clue after clue, Brewster’s lab is on a mission to enable new methods that would allow organs to last longer and travel farther to those in need. NIH has rewarded the lab’s noteworthy progress toward that end with a $400,000, two-year Exploratory Research Award to continue the work. Continue Reading UMBC’s Rachel Brewster investigates cellular survival to improve the preservation of organs for transplant
“The terrific mentorship I have received here has given me confidence to continue in research and, ultimately, enter the professoriate,” Baptiste shares. Continue Reading Janae Baptiste, dedicated HIV researcher and educator, to continue as a postdoc at UMBC
“GRC gives graduate students training on how to ace professional conferences in the field, and by participating, students practice how to communicate their research in an accessible way,” says Morgan Bunting, a gerontology Ph.D. student and member of the GRC planning committee. “It’s also just a wonderful way to engage the community and learn what amazing work is going on in the Graduate School.” Continue Reading UMBC’s 40th Graduate Research Conference to focus on communication and collaboration
Smoke particles provide “seeds” that increase cooling by helping form clouds, and as a result, “The seeding effect is winning,” over the warming effect of smoke blocking the clouds from reflecting light, explains Zhibo Zhang. Continue Reading UMBC physicists discover unexpected effect of African wildfires on climate
