interdisciplinary

Professor Christopher Tong and an image of the Yangtzi River

Turning the Tides

For Christopher Tong, discovering clues hidden in texts documenting history’s most devastating floods isn’t just about the promise of making social, cultural, and political change. It’s also a personal journey inspired by generations of his own family. In July of 2021, the city of Zhengzhou, China, had more than seven inches of rain in one hour, flooding subway train cars filled with commuters and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate. Around this time Christopher K. Tong, an assistant professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, was surrounded by materials he had collected during his trip to the People’s Republic… Continue Reading Turning the Tides

three people walking

UMBC launches Faculty Expert Search tool to connect scholars with the public and each other

Every day UMBC faculty are hard at work testing antivirals in the lab, untangling the impacts of healthcare policy, and processing satellite data on Earth’s atmosphere. They are developing best practices for K-12 teaching, remediating water contaminants, and exploring how actors express intimacy on stage. But how can journalists, students, or the general public learn who these faculty are and what they study? And how can faculty connect with each other for innovative research collaborations? Anyone seeking UMBC experts can now find them through a new online tool that makes searches fast and easy. Continue Reading UMBC launches Faculty Expert Search tool to connect scholars with the public and each other

An animation still of a character dressed in a bright yellow rain jacket and holding a yellow umbrella while standing at the summit of dark purple and blue mountain with dark purple clouds behind the mountain.

UMBC celebrates 25th Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day with an expanded global audience

“While we are eager to get back to the live event, there are definitely aspects of the online event that have widened the scope of URCAD,” says April Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships. “Presenters were able to invite friends and family members from other countries to view their presentations, and invite international scholars as potential future collaborators.” Continue Reading UMBC celebrates 25th Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day with an expanded global audience

A group of ancient buildings made of light brown mud bricks on the side of a hill in Morocco.

UMBC’s Erle Ellis and international team show people have shaped Earth’s ecology for 12,000 years

“Our work shows that most areas depicted as ‘untouched,’ ‘wild,’ and ‘natural’ are actually areas with long histories of human inhabitation and use,” says UMBC’s Erle Ellis, professor of geography and environmental systems and lead author. Continue Reading UMBC’s Erle Ellis and international team show people have shaped Earth’s ecology for 12,000 years

A woman with long dark hair pulled back in a pony tail by a white, black, and orange scarf wearing a black shirt and white pants walks on a paved walkway with a green tree and some green shrubs behind her and a short yellow wall and a city behind her.

New UMBC grads honor parents’ immigrant journeys by forging their own paths

Graduating seniors Anthony Cano, Renato Zanelli, and Maya Scheirer came to UMBC with pride and hunger instilled by their immigrant parents’ work ethic. They brought rich cultures, languages, and hearts full of dreams and aspirations with the goal of forging futures of their own. “As a first-generation college student,” Zanelli says, “I can now be a role model for my younger cousins. I can help and inspire them. They will not have to do it alone.” Continue Reading New UMBC grads honor parents’ immigrant journeys by forging their own paths

UMBC’s Pelton and Daniel are developing light-driven chips to enable super-fast computing

Physicist Matt Pelton and chemist Marie-Christine Daniel are both engaged in photonics research, which is “the idea of using light—photons—to do information processing instead of using electrons like you do in electronics,” explains Pelton. The work poses challenges, but if Daniel, Pelton, and their students succeed, they’ll be setting the stage for a revolution in computing. Continue Reading UMBC’s Pelton and Daniel are developing light-driven chips to enable super-fast computing

Open spaces nurture open minds in UMBC’s new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building

“When you share a kitchenette with a biologist, a chemist, an engineer and somebody from public policy, it’s inevitable that new things will brew,” says Greg Szeto, who is moving in to the ILSB with the new Translational Center for Age-Related Disease and Disparities. The ILSB “is a total game-changer for me,” adds Chris Hawn. With its state-of-the-art instrumentation, “There are protocols where I can get ‘level unlocked.’ It just opens things up for me and my students.” Continue Reading Open spaces nurture open minds in UMBC’s new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building

UMBC convenes research forum on immigration and mobility in higher education

“The research results showed that for each undocumented student that graduates from a four-year college, who would not have gone otherwise, the net benefits to the state were $350,000,” explains Gindling. “Providing access to higher education and financial aid to undocumented youth is a good investment for the individual, for the state, and for the government as a whole.” Continue Reading UMBC convenes research forum on immigration and mobility in higher education

UMBC celebrates student achievement in the arts, humanities, and social sciences

“CAHSS’s amazing students do it all: think and learn across boundaries and borders, develop their identities as scholars and citizens, and contribute their imagination and expertise to local and global communities,” says Scott Casper, dean of CAHSS. “Given all they’ve already accomplished, it’s exciting to envision what they’ll do next.” Continue Reading UMBC celebrates student achievement in the arts, humanities, and social sciences

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