Research

Portrait of Jeffrey Gardner outdoors

UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease

Drug resistance is a growing problem in treating fungal disease. Jeffrey Gardner is searching for a new way to treat these infections with bacterial enzymes. It’s a new area of research for him, but “if you can find an interesting bug, with some interesting physiology,” he says, “the types of questions can really span major different areas.” Continue Reading UMBC’s Jeffrey Gardner receives $1.3M from NIH to discover new treatments for fungal disease

Dark yellow ball (the sun) with brighter yellow projections rising from the surface

UMBC’s Leamon defines “solar clock” that can precisely predict solar cycle events years in advance

New research shows that a “solar clock” based on the sun’s magnetic field, rather than the presence or absence of sunspots, can predict events in the solar cycle, such as surges in dangerous solar flares or changing weather trends, years in advance. Continue Reading UMBC’s Leamon defines “solar clock” that can precisely predict solar cycle events years in advance

A Civil-War-era jacket (blue) covered with embroidered words

Sparking History at The Peale

SPARK, an annual group exhibition of works by faculty, staff, alumni, and students at UMBC and Towson University returns for its fifth edition August 13-September 25. SPARK: New Light features work from 24 artists, and opens concurrently with the Founder’s Day Grand Reopening of The Peale, a celebration of the completion of extensive renovations to the historic facility. Continue Reading Sparking History at The Peale

a cargo ship in port

UMBC-led team generates first global map of cargo ship pollution, revealing effects of fuel regulations

Cargo ship pollution causes problems for port cities. The pollutant particles also have a cooling effect on the planet when they interact with clouds. Tracking pollution from ships as regulations change can help scientists clarify the poorly-understood role of clouds in climate. Continue Reading UMBC-led team generates first global map of cargo ship pollution, revealing effects of fuel regulations

UMBC’s Eileen Meyer and team find strongest evidence yet of a black hole zooming away from its galaxy’s center

“This is probably the most clear-cut case” illustrating this phenomenon that scientists are aware of, says Eileen Meyer. The black hole is zipping away from its galaxy’s center at more than 4.5 million miles per hour. Continue Reading UMBC’s Eileen Meyer and team find strongest evidence yet of a black hole zooming away from its galaxy’s center

Nancy Pelosi is deciding whether she will visit Taiwan

Why the big fuss over Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan?

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn’t confirmed when – or even if – she is to visit Taiwan. Yet such is the sensitivity over the island’s status that reports of her possible trip have resulted in a warning by China of “serious consequences” and a suggestion by President Joe Biden that the visit was “not a good idea,” writes Meredith Oyen. Continue Reading Why the big fuss over Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan?

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

Two people standing side by side, one is wearing a stripped multicolored short sleeve shirt and the other is wearing a white dress, they are standing in front of a wall of windows and shrubbery.

UMBC’s María Célleri and Yolanda Valencia receive Mellon Fellowships for research on an immigrant community in Washington and postcolonial transformation of Quito, Ecuador

“Their work further reifies UMBC’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship, in particular in often overlooked or ignored communities,” says Dean Kimberly R. Moffitt. Continue Reading UMBC’s María Célleri and Yolanda Valencia receive Mellon Fellowships for research on an immigrant community in Washington and postcolonial transformation of Quito, Ecuador

Crowds gather at Kaab "the house of God" a large rectangular building with white, brown, and black layers of stone. in Mecca, Saudi Arabia for Hajj,

From caravans to markets, the hajj pilgrimage has always included a commercial component

This year, an estimated 1 million people will perform the hajj, which is considered one of the five pillars in Islam. Chaos ensued in early June 2022 when Saudi Arabia announced a hajj “lottery” for Western pilgrims that made it mandatory for people from Europe, the Americas and Australia to apply for visas through a random draw through the Saudi government-backed website. Under the lottery, only 50,000 permits were allowed from these 50 countries, compared with 25,000 for U.K. Muslims alone in previous years. Continue Reading From caravans to markets, the hajj pilgrimage has always included a commercial component

A pregnant woman looks down at her belly. anti-abortion

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers will likely outlast the age of Roe – here’s how they’re funded and the services they provide

The anti-abortion movement is often criticized as caring little about these matters. UMBC’s Laura Antkowiak, political science, who has studied the intersections of abortion and social welfare issues, I became intrigued by a large but little-known subset of anti-abortion activists who claimed to support women during pregnancy and after childbirth. Continue Reading Anti-abortion pregnancy centers will likely outlast the age of Roe – here’s how they’re funded and the services they provide

Two people dresses in suits shake hands.

Trump-endorsed candidates would generally win even without his support – and that’s usually the case with all political endorsements

“As a political scientist who studies voting and public opinion, I have my doubts about the true power of Trump’s endorsements,” says Ian Anson, assistant professor of political science at UMBC. “Instead, it is more likely that most of the candidates Trump has chosen to endorse were already on track to win their respective races.” Continue Reading Trump-endorsed candidates would generally win even without his support – and that’s usually the case with all political endorsements

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