how to

How To – Winter 2016

Create Your Own Theatre Festival —With Zach Michel ’09, geography and environmental systems, president of the Charm City Fringe Festival Zach Michel ’09, geography and environmental systems, arrived at UMBC not quite knowing what career he wanted to pursue, but confident that “this was the right place for me to figure it out.” Michel’s enthusiasms included the performing arts, economics, and the great outdoors. Eventually he settled on geography as a career path, and landed a job with the National Geographic Foundation after graduation. Yet Michel never lost his passion for performing, including acting and writing short films. He became… Continue Reading How To – Winter 2016

How To – Fall 2015

Know If the Junk in Your Attic is a Valuable Antique —With Robert Harrison ’80, history Robert Harrison ’80, history, is fascinated by material culture. He was happily pursuing an academic career in history, he recalls, until “life intervened” and forced a change in course. “People were so much more intrigued by the material aspect over the cultural,” he explains. “Everyone kept asking me what things were worth. So I decided I better learn how to appraise.” Harrison studied American decorative arts at the Museum for Early Southern Decorative Arts in North Carolina, and at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware.… Continue Reading How To – Fall 2015

How to Win a Blind Taste Test (With Science!)

With Josh Wilhide ’10 M.S., Mass Spectrometry Facility Manager On a hot summer day, there’s nothing quite like the perky fizz of a just-opened soda to keep you cool and caffeinated. As consumers, many of us are incredibly loyal to a particular brand – even to the point of being sommelier-level tasters of sodas. Many people can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi blindfolded. But how does the hardworking human taste bud stand up to the massive data-collecting power of one of UMBC’s mass spectrometers? Josh Wilhide ’10 M.S., chemistry, can quench our thirst for this particular knowledge quite… Continue Reading How to Win a Blind Taste Test (With Science!)

How to Appreciate Jazz

With Matt Belzer, Director of Jazz Studies UMBC’s music department is known for pushing boundaries in new music – including its jazz studies program, headed up by director Matt Belzer – who’s excelled as a teacher, composer and performer. UMBC’s jazz studies program is four years old now, and it boasts three official ensembles (including a “large” ensemble) and many unofficial student groups. Jazz is woven into America’s cultural fabric, but many people are still unfamiliar with or intimidated by jazz music. “Folks sometimes feel on the outside looking in…. But that’s also part of the appeal of jazz,” Belzer… Continue Reading How to Appreciate Jazz

How To Be Fast: David Bobb ’02

With David Bobb ’02, Track & Field Head Coach Don’t get us wrong: there’s nothing bad about being slow. We like to relax as we sip our coffee in the morning. We like to take our time ambling down UMBC’s treelined thoroughfare on a cool spring morning. And we like to savor a long, juicy novel word by luscious word. Really, we do. Sometimes, though, you have to be fast. And when that time comes – whether you want to beat a fellow shopper to the last deal on the sales rack, or outstep your buddies on a lunch break… Continue Reading How To Be Fast: David Bobb ’02

Video: How to Grow Your Big Idea

From UMBC Magazine Fall 2011: How to Grow Your Big Idea.  Featuring Dean Bill LaCourse, Vivian Armour, and Gib Mason. Video by Jenny O’Grady.

How To Grow Your Big Idea

With Vivian Armor ’73, director, Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship You wake up one morning with a big, bright light bulb bobbing above your head. You start your day, feed the dog, the light getting brighter by the minute. Pretty soon, it’s keeping you up at night. Well, congratulations. Your “big idea” has arrived – and with it, a world of possibility. So, now what? Do you cash in your life savings for seed money? Get a fancy business degree? Buy the book by that guy in the suit covered in question marks? Maybe you take some (absolutely) free advice… Continue Reading How To Grow Your Big Idea

How to Stay in Touch with Your Human Roots

With Dr. Jay Freyman, Associate Professor, Department of Ancient Studies Picture yourself trapped on a desert island. What book or books would keep you best occupied for, say, the rest of your life? Dr. Jay Freyman’s answer is simple: The Oxford English Dictionary (or OED for short). At a time when fewer and fewer of us are cognizant of the history of the words that surround us, Freyman argues that this hefty tome (or the two-volume shrunken print version with magnifying glass) teaches not only the story of human language, but of humanity itself. English is a hodgepodge of languages… Continue Reading How to Stay in Touch with Your Human Roots

Video: How to be a Pottery Detective

From UMBC Magazine Fall 2010, How to be a Pottery Detective, featuring Ester Read. Video by Jenny O’Grady.

Video: How to Build a Ramen Bridge

From UMBC Magazine Food Issue, Winter 2010. How to Build a Ramen Bridge, featuring Tim Topoleski. Video by Jenny O’Grady.

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