Research

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Partnership with biotech giant Genentech benefits UMBC graduate students

/ 3 minutes of reading

UMBC doctoral students are reaping the benefits of an innovative partnership between UMBC and biotech leader Genentech. In year three of a five-year program, six students have received financial support and started conducting research with the company through Genentech Fellowships. In addition, many more students have benefited from regular contact with Genentech senior scientists through their on-campus lecture series.  Continue Reading Partnership with biotech giant Genentech benefits UMBC graduate students

woman stands in front of glass wall, lab benches with purple chairs behind.

“Hidden” sex differences in neurological reward pathways suggest opportunity for improved psychiatric therapeutics

/ 4 minutes of reading

New research shows sex differences in how mice process rewarding stimuli, with implications for behavior. “If you want to understand susceptibility and develop better treatments, you have to understand the mechanisms at these synapses,” Tara LeGates says. “You have to understand what’s happening, and you have to understand it in each of the sexes.” Continue Reading “Hidden” sex differences in neurological reward pathways suggest opportunity for improved psychiatric therapeutics

China Hands typing on a lap top with a red background and gold stars China

China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

/ 6 minutes of reading

“As a China expert and open-source researcher, I believe the latest revelations draw the curtain back on a contractor ecosystem in which government officials and commercial operators are increasingly working together,” explains Christopher K. Tong, associate professor of Asian studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. ” In short, Beijing is outsourcing its cyber operations to a patchwork army of private-sector hackers who offer their services out of a mix of nationalism and profit.” Continue Reading China turns to private hackers as it cracks down on online activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary

An adult walking along a palm tree-lined beach

Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

/ 6 minutes of reading

“The sargassum invasion has worsened since it exploded in the region in 2011. Forecasts and the seaweed already washing up suggest that 2024 will be another alarming year,” says Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems at UMBC, studies the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters in the Caribbean. Continue Reading Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

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Molly Mollica wins American Heart Association Career Development Award

/ 1 minute of reading

Molly Mollica, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering who joined UMBC in August 2023, has been selected for an American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development Award, which will provide more than $200,000 to fund her research for the next three years. Mollica studies the biomechanics of blood platelets, which play an essential role in healthy blood clotting, but can also contribute to the formation of blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. Bleeding and clotting have been shown to vary between males and females, but the reasons are not well understood. In her AHA-funded research, Mollica will investigate how… Continue Reading Molly Mollica wins American Heart Association Career Development Award

Peter Wilschke and a professor stand on each side of a research poster

Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

/ 5 minutes of reading

“Once you take these courses, your world is kind of open to how empirical research is actually conducted in those fields. Without these classes I would not have known where to start,” says Wilschke. He advises students to approach empirical work as a combination of two things. “You have to care about your research question to push through all the time and hard work needed,” says UMBC’s Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, “and put to work all the research skills you’ve learned to answer a question that needs to be answered, that policymakers can use to improve people’s lives.” Continue Reading Peter Wilschke ’24, political science and economics, publishes empirical research as the sole author in the State and Local Government Review journal

A person in the Caribbean carries large plastic jugs of water into an old apartment building

Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

/ 6 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Farah Nibbs, assistant professor of emergency and disaster health systems, studies the intersection of critical infrastructure and disasters, particularly in the Caribbean. Safe water is essential for all human activity and public health. Nibbs is looking at how and why the Caribbean islands are in a water crisis, and their governments have warned that water scarcity may become the new norm. Her data is sheds light on the root causes of the water crises and to find effective, affordable ways to improve water supply systems. Continue Reading Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

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