UMBC has partnered to create a global university network dedicated to securing critical systems against cyber threats: the International Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (INCS-CoE). 

The INCS-CoE has its foundations in a 2018 cybersecurity collaboration that included UMBC, Keio University in Japan, and Royal Holloway University of London. That initial group has now formally expanded to include Northeastern University, Kyushu University in Japan, and Imperial College London. 

The INCS-CoE will support the efforts of the participating universities as they work together to address cybersecurity challenges facing society. The collaboration focuses on cybersecurity for critical national infrastructures including information technology, public transit, and financial services. Additionally, the Center of Excellence will include research, advocacy, and education components.

“Trust is one of the key pillars for a free and interconnected world, for commerce and for exchange of information, be it in the real world or in the digital world,” says Karl V. Steiner, UMBC’s vice president for research. “In order for machines to communicate well with each other, we need to put in place policies and technologies that establish a trust basis.”

He explains, “The INCS-CoE is built on a similar strong layer of trust among six institutions from three different continents. This first-of-its-kind global Center of Excellence will enable us to rapidly exchange ideas and find solutions to developing issues in an increasingly networked world.”

In the future, INCS-CoE may expand to include government and corporate partners, says Steiner. 

“The challenges this first-of-its-kind partnership aims to solve span a complex set of cybersecurity issues,” said David Luzzi, senior vice provost for research at Northeastern.

Each academic institution has specific strengths and areas of expertise that they bring to the partnership. UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity and Center for Accelerated Real Time Analytics will be instrumental in contributing to INCS-CoE’s goals for UMBC.

Learn more about the INCS-CoE.

Banner image: Representatives from the partnering institutions at UMBC. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Tom Cronin, professor of biological sciences, and his longtime colleague, Justin Marshall, professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, have received the 2020 Rank Prize for Optoelectronics. The prize honors their pioneering discovery of new ways that eyes can perceive color and a rare type of light that has twisted electromagnetic waves, called circular polarization.

Lord Joseph Arthur Rank established the Rank Funds for Nutrition and Optoelectronics in 1972.  Each year, the fund committees designate prize winners in each category from an international pool of nominees. Past winners have included Mike Land of the University of Sussex, who is considered by many to be the top expert on comparative vision internationally, and Jeremy Nathans of Johns Hopkins University, who was the first to determine the DNA sequence for the visual pigments in human eyes. 

Cronin and Marshall’s award includes an unrestricted £40,000 for each recipient and a trip to London for the award ceremony on January 20, 2020. On receiving the prize jointly, Cronin says, “We’re both very glad that both of us were included. It’s been more than 30 years that we’ve been working side by side.”

Cronin and Marshall’s first joint effort, in 1988, resulted in an article that graced the cover of Nature, generally considered to be the most prestigious scientific journal in the world. With such a strong start to their collaboration, the duo decided to keep a good thing going. Since then, “Justin and I have published almost all of our work jointly. There’s very little that we do that hasn’t involved both labs,” Cronin says.

Marshall sees the collaboration as born out of mutual interests that have only grown over the years. “We see ourselves as a couple of guys interested in nature,” he says, “and the way we study it has made us get to know a fair bit of biology, but also other areas of science, like physics and chemistry, and how it all fits together in a discipline called visual ecology.”

The world’s weirdest eyes

The two researchers focus on the visual system of the mantis shrimp, which is “just extraordinarily strange,” Cronin says. He explains, “Justin and I both work to develop understanding of this very complex, extremely unusual, and very dynamic visual system that’s unlike any other that’s ever been described.”

“Basically,” says Marshall, “we got a prize for describing weirdness beyond our wildest dreams.” For example, mantis shrimps have more color channels than any other animal that humans know of. The colorful critters have at least eight, and possibly as many as 16, channels. In comparison, humans have only three. Some channels allow the shrimps to see ultraviolet light, while the large number of channels in the visual light spectrum may allow them to identify colors more quickly.

On top of that, “Mantis shrimps combine this color vision system with a very complicated polarized light vision,” Cronin says. Light can be polarized linearly—that’s why your camera screen looks black when you’re wearing polarized sunglasses. “There’s another kind of polarization that’s far rarer, and optically complex, but that mantis shrimps can see. It’s called circular polarization,” Cronin explains. In fact, mantis shrimp are the only animals known to be able to see circular polarization.

Some mantis shrimps have circularly polarized markings on their bodies, which has led researchers to hypothesize that mantis shrimps may use their circularly polarized vision to identify other individuals as potential mates or competitors. 

Camouflage, cancer, and mantis shrimps?

One might ask what mantis shrimp vision has to do with optoelectronics. The number of scientists doing basic research who are among the Rank Prize winners speaks to the importance of projects that lay the foundation for work on applications, Cronin says. “A common misconception is that if you don’t work in an optoelectronics lab, or if you don’t work with mice and zebrafishes, you’re not going to discover anything important,” he says. “And that’s just not true.”

Cronin and Marshall’s work to understand how mantis shrimps detect polarized light, and specifically circularly polarized light, has a range of applications. A medical technology for guided breast tumor surgery is currently in development, for example. 

Cronin adds, “Circularly polarized light can also be used to ‘see’ objects that are otherwise camouflaged, which is why we get funded by the military.” The unusual light can also assist in navigation that doesn’t require GPS satellites.

Marshall agrees about the value of foundational research. “We did not set out to solve these problems,” he says, “but we found solutions along the way.”

A lifetime of achievement

Mantis shrimps have rocketed to public fame in recent years, in part due to research out of Cronin’s lab and his appearances in media such as the podcast RadioLab. “I think public outreach is very important,” says Cronin, who estimates he’s contacted by at least one media outlet per month. “You need people to be interested in the fact that science is exciting, and it’s a frontier.”

The selection committee, guests of the Rank Funds, and family members and guests of the recipients will attend the celebration in London. Cronin’s colleagues plan to travel from institutions across the globe to attend the event, where he’ll give a brief acceptance speech on his and Marshall’s behalf.

“We make a great team and have been lucky over the years to work with others who also share our passion,” shares Marshall. 

The prize “recognizes a lifetime of achievement and is an exceptional honor,” Cronin says. “It will be exciting to be there with all my colleagues from 40 years of research.”

Image: Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) with eggs. Photo by Christian Gloor, used under CC BY 2.0. 

Lauren Mortimer ‘19, management of aging services, remembers visiting a nursing home for the first time during middle school. What she saw deeply saddened her. “It was the first time I had been in a nursing home,” she recalls. “All I could see were disregarded senior citizens who were lonely and being talked to like children.” Mortimer knew at that moment that she needed to change the senior care experience.

This year, a decade after she found her career path, the Centreville local earned an Erickson School alumni pin, marking her graduation from UMBC’s aging services program. At the end-of-year Erickson School ceremony, students also presented their capstone projects on research designed to inform and improve aging services. Topics included strategies for working with patients with dementia, workforce development, combating financial exploitation, exercise and sports, and communication between health care providers.

Joining the longevity economy

“Our ceremony provides an opportunity to reflect upon the tremendous personal growth of each of our graduates,” explains Dana Bradley, dean of the Erickson School. “We celebrate the amazing opportunities our graduates have as leaders in aging services to ensure that our society is ready to embrace the longevity economy.”

At UMBC’s Erickson School, Mortimer developed leadership skills through internships in aging care focusing on dementia, transitional housing, assisted living care, and independent living. Her last internship, at Brightwood Senior Living in Severna Park, evolved into a full-time staff position.

Her new role with the facility is enabling her to move forward on her career plan. Rather than provide direct care, she shares, “I wanted to be in health administration to help influence policy and improve the care of senior citizens” more broadly.

With this in mind, Mortimer has focused on growing as a leader. As a student, she served as president of the aging services council of majors, where she organized service activities to support local older adults. And while pursuing her new role at Brightwood, she’ll also begin a master’s in healthcare administration at the University of Maryland University College.

Path to innovation

Diane Tichnell ’70, political science, a member of UMBC’s first graduating class, shared advice with the program’s graduating students at the celebration event. She encouraged them to stay connected to UMBC as they launch their careers, to help open doors for future innovators. Tichnell recalled, “Even in the earliest days, UMBC was about innovation. Stay innovative and stay connected to UMBC.”

Tichnell’s emphasis on UMBC’s innovative and community-oriented spirit struck a chord with Mortimer. She used her capstone project as an opportunity to create a new support for people with dementia. Mortimer’s “Comfort Book” (currently going through the patent process) provides tools for people with dementia to soothe themselves during periods of confusion and irritability. Filled with familiar sounds, sights, and materials, it’s designed to de-stress and empower people with dementia who are experiencing challenging moments.

This is the type of creative thinking that John C. Erickson, founder of Erickson Retirement Services, had in mind when he gave a $5 million gift to establish the UMBC Erickson School in 2004. “UMBC’s forward thinking is the pathway to new products, service development, and delivery” in the field of aging, Erickson shared at the event. “It influences better aging policy, and is the foundation for innovative uses of technology to improve the quality of life for all seniors.”

Banner image: 2018 commencement mortarboards. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. Video, “Why MAgs,” courtesy of the Erickson School of Aging Services.

So, you’re thinking about becoming a Retriever? Here are 10 reasons why we know you’ll love it here at UMBC. (Twelve, if you count the puppies and squirrels.)

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF!

#10:  Our Community of Retriever Believers…

Retrievers stick together in and out of the classroom…and long after we graduate. We create together, we build together, and we learn together — and we have a lot of fun together, too. One afternoon you could be playing Humans vs. Zombies and the next cheering on one of UMBC’s 17 Division I sports teams — like the men’s basketball team, which made NCAA history in 2018 by becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed. Here you can help save the Earth, experience new cultures, and make discoveries together — all in the same day. And after you graduate, you’ll always be a part of #RetrieverNation.

#9:  ….Who Change the World Every Day

Want to make a lasting mark? Through classes, clubs, internships, and research opportunities, UMBC lets you follow your passion through to practice. You’re also never in it alone. Faculty mentors guide our students at every step, and also know when it’s time for students to take the lead on projects themselves, to take their work over the finish line.  And, with more than 70,000 alumni touching lives through their work every day, you’ll be part of a proud tradition of global and local impact that’s uniquely UMBC.

#8:  Professors Who Know Your Name…

U.S. News and World Report repeatedly recognizes UMBC’s professors for their incredible commitment to teaching. In fact, in 2019, UMBC ranked #8 nationally on its closely-watched list of universities with a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching,” alongside Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, and Rice. So, what does that mean for you? It means small classes and plenty of one-on-one time with academic all-stars whose first concern is you.

#7:  …And Take You Beyond the Classroom

Speaking of commitment, that professor-student relationship doesn’t stop when class is over. At UMBC, you’ll find opportunities not only to team up on research and creative projects, but to explore even further through amazing internships. Collaboration between people in different fields results in an experiential, interdisciplinary learning environment. UMBC students are able to be active learners prepared for a multi-dimensional workforce.

#6: A World-Class Education…

Whatever your passion, at UMBC you’ll find a prestigious academic program with a reputation to truly challenge and excite you. Don’t know what you want to study yet? We’re here to help. UMBC’s mentoring and guidance can help you figure it out. Plus, we’re always looking to the future, so you’ll be prepared for grad school or a career — or both! Check out our areas of study.

#5: …For an Amazing Value

There’s a reason UMBC has been selected by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as a “Best Value” and the Fiske Guide to Colleges as a “Best Buy” year after year. Our students get an amazing value for their dollar, earning a top-notch education while graduating with less debt than students at other universities. Read more about our grad and undergrad rankings.

#4:  Baltimore is an Exciting College Town…

Craving a concert or an amazing meal? How about a ball game? Museums, theaters, performance halls, clubs, restaurants, hiking and biking trails, and professional sports are right around the corner to test your mind, challenge your creativity — and make sure you have plenty of good times. 

#3:  …With Easy Access to a World of Opportunity

Nestled between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and minutes from airports, trains, and bus routes, UMBC’s beautiful campus is perfectly situated to help you explore your passions. Learn more about our city at baltimorecollegetown.org.

#2:  Our Impressive Career Network

Not only does the Baltimore/Washington corridor brim with internships and job opportunities, you’ll also find tens of thousands of Retriever alums nearby to help you get a foot in the door. A little grit goes a long way at UMBC.

#1:  UMBC Believes in You

A big part of what makes UMBC different is that we’re truly a community of learners. Whoever you are, whatever your interests, you’ll find friends and professors here who will share your passions and broaden your perspective. You can be yourself — and become your best self — at UMBC. We can’t wait for you to join us!

BONUS REASONS #11 and 12: Our Amazing Wildlife

If you ever drop a French fry while walking between classes, not to worry. One of our trusty campus squirrels will gladly pick it up for you. UMBC’s squirrels are so friendly that many think of them as honorary mascots. But they just can’t compete with the best doggo mascot out there…

Our mascot, True Grit, is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, one of the smartest, most loyal pups out there. Gritty can be seen dancing with the Pep Band at games and Homecoming, and he’ll always give you a high five when you meet him walking down the street. Need a little luck? Just rub the nose of our True Grit statue in front of the RAC for a little extra Retriever magic – and don’t forget to pose with him on graduation day.

We love you, Gritty!

Hey @KState can your mascot play drums? pic.twitter.com/pJw6Awzk1N

— Drew Ballantine (@aballantine555) March 19, 2018

According to the recent QS World University Rankings 2020, UMBC is one of the top 500 universities in the world overall and among the best of the best in a key measure of faculty scholarship.

This new ranking recognizes UMBC as a state, national, and global leader in the area of citations per faculty member. In this category, UMBC is #48 globally, #17 overall in North America and #1 in the state of Maryland.

The directors of UMBC’s NASA partner centers (l-r): Jan Merka (Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute), Jane Turner (Center for Space Science and Technology), and Belay Demoz (Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology).

UMBC’s strength in scholarship

The World University Rankings list is produced annually by the British firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). It was initially developed through a collaboration with Times Higher Education. In recent years it has been recognized as one of the most widely-read global university rankings.

To inform its competitive World University Rankings list, QS takes into account six metrics: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio.

Deepa Madan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, with her student Karla Negrete.

In addition to recognizing UMBC’s particular strength in citations per faculty, the report also categorizes UMBC’s research output as “very high.”

“I share with our colleagues in the pride that their publications are so highly cited,” says Karl Steiner, vice president of research. “This is a welcome indicator that UMBC’s scholarly work is widely recognized and has a growing and long-lasting impact on the broader scientific community.”

Quickly rising to prominence

In addition to the newly announced QS ranking, Times Higher Education has again recognized UMBC as one of the world’s top young universities as part of the Golden Age University Rankings. This year, UMBC ranks #86 on the list—one of 12 U.S. universities in the world’s top 100.

This list highlights visionary institutions that have quickly risen to prominence on the world stage—over decades rather than centuries. It specifically includes institutions established 1945 – 1967.

“UMBC’s continued recognition as a Times Higher Ed Golden Age University is affirming, indeed. It speaks to what we, as members of this community, know and experience about UMBC on a daily basis—that this is a vibrant, dynamic, exciting and forward-moving place,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, vice provost for enrollment management.

UMBC is the only school represented from the state of Maryland.

Banner image: UMBC campus in the spring. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

By John Rennie Short, professor, public policy, UMBC

In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not unconstitutional.

The majority ruled that gerrymandering is outside the scope and power of the federal courts to adjudicate. The issue is a political one, according to the court, not a legal one.

“Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority decision. “But the fact that such gerrymandering is incompatible with democratic principles does not mean that the solution lies with the federal judiciary.”

So for now, partisan gerrymandering, in which politicians get to choose their voters rather than voters choose their representatives, will remain a fact of American political life.

What is the background to this decision? And what does the decision mean for democracy in the U.S.?

Cracking and packing

State legislatures have the constitutional responsibility to draw up the boundaries of congressional seats after the results of the census, which is conducted every 10 years.

In many states, if one party is in the majority at that time, they can use their power to manipulate the boundaries to their advantage. That’s called partisan gerrymandering, and it involves what’s referred to as “cracking and packing.”

Cracking spreads opposition voters thinly across many districts to dilute their power. Packing concentrates opposition voters in fewer districts to reduce the number of seats they can win.

Just one example: In 2012, Republicans in Ohio drew up congressional boundaries that packed most Democratic voters into just four of the 16 congressional districts. The 9th District was referred to as the “snake on the lake” as it slithered along the edge of Lake Erie from Cleveland to Toledo to pack in as many Democratic voters as possible.

It worked. In the 2018 election, Ohio Republicans won just 52% of the votes but picked up 11 of 16 of the congressional seats.

I have researched the U.S. voting system, analyzed Supreme Court rulings and shown why gerrymandering is now more prevalent since the 1990s. Sophisticated computer programs and ever more detailed information on voters’ location and preferences now allow politicians to crack and pack with surgical precision.

In 2004, the Supreme Court effectively sanctioned gerrymandering. In Vieth v. Jubelirer, the court ruled 5-4 not to intervene in a case brought by Democrats in Pennsylvania over a redistricting plan they claimed was unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

After the ruling, partisan gerrymandering increased, especially in the redistricting round after the 2010 census.

In 2017, and again in 2018, the Supreme Court passed up opportunities to decide upon the constitutional legality of gerrymandering by effectively punting on the cases.

In other cases, the court actively intervened.

Republican-controlled Shelby County, Alabama filed a case against the constitutionality of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The act had protected minority voters’ rights in the South from being diluted by gerrymandering and other methods. In the 2013 case Shelby v. Holder, the court overturned key elements of the act, in a 5-4 ruling. The ruling encouraged partisan gerrymandering in the states – Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia – previously under federal scrutiny for their legacy of discriminatory voting practices.

Mounting legal challenges

There have been other legal challenges to partisan gerrymandering.

In Virginia a Republican map drawn up in 2011 that packed many African American voters into just 11 of the state’s 100 House of Delegates districts was challenged. A federal judge saw racial gerrymandering at work and ordered a new map. A Republican challenge to that ruling came before the Supreme Court. The Republican challenge was dismissed on June 17, 2019.

The court’s decision in the Virginia case was not about whether the gerrymandering was unconstitutional. Instead, a 5-4 majority of the court ruled that the Virginia Republicans had no legal standing to mount the appeal when the state senate and the state attorney general had decided against appealing. The new map stood.

In Ohio, a three-judge federal panel ruled that the Republicans attempted to cement a Republican majority of congressional seats when they drew up new districts. The state legislature was ordered by the court to draw a new map for the 2020 election.

And in Michigan a panel of federal judges ruled that many of the state’s legislature districts were unconstitutional, drawn up to ensure a partisan advantage. No more snake on the lake.

The Supreme Court set aside these last two lower court rulings on May 24, 2019 in preparation for this recent decision. The two cases are now sent back to lower courts for dismissal. The snake on the lake lives on for another election cycle.

Maryland and North Carolina

Gerrymandering is especially rampant in Maryland and North Carolina. In both states powerful politicians admitted that their plan was to solidify their party’s control.

Republicans in North Carolina drew a map in 2016 to ensure control of 10 of the state’s 13 congressional districts. Democratic voters were overwhelmingly packed into three districts with the remainder cracked across the remaining 10.

Democrats in Maryland drew a map with gyrating boundaries in order to cement their 7-1 advantage in congressional seats.

When lower federal courts struck down these gerrymandered congressional district maps, politicians in both states appealed to the Supreme Court.

Arguments were heard on these cases in March 2019.

From the questioning, it appeared that the liberal justices – Breyer, Ginsburg, Kagan and Sotomayor – would rule against gerrymandering and the more conservative justices – Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Gorsuch and Kavanaugh – were against the court getting involved.

The votes predictably split along the ideological divide.

In the majority opinion, combining the Maryland and North Carolina cases into one decision, the court’s conservative majority noted that existing measures of gerrymandering do not provide precise and judicially discernible standards. The opinion was authored by Chief Justice Roberts, who has long held the opinion that it is impossible to measure, let alone overcome, partisan gerrymandering.

Responding for the liberal minority, Justice Kagan read her dissent in open court – a sign of her intense disagreement with what she saw as the court’s unwillingness to uphold fair and free elections. She wrote that the decision “debased and dishonored our democracy.”

Now what?

Partisan gerrymandering will continue. But so will resistance against it, I believe.

There is a way for states to avoid gerrymandering. Newly formed, nonpartisan redistricting commissions, working outside the influence of the legislature to draw legislative district lines, already exist in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana and Washington.

These commissions resulted from citizen initiatives to reform the process. But most states east of the Mississippi, for instance, do not have a ballot initiative process that would allow voters to initiate reform.

Gerrymandering has a pernicious impact on the electoral system and on the wider democratic process. It encourages long-term incumbency and a consequent polarization of political discourse.

But now the Supreme Court has made it clear that the solution does not lie with federal judges.

It is up to the voters.

*****

John Rennie Short, professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Header image by Claire Anderson on Unsplash.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

One wall in Ellen Hemmerly’s office in bwtech@UMBC North is home to a large aerial photo of UMBC’s campus before bwtech was built in 1989; next to it is an image taken from a similar angle that shows the completed research park just outside the campus loop. 

On a conference call, Hemmerly efficiently works through a document with her team, making notes on a folded sheet of paper and delegating tasks to the group. As the executive director of bwtech, Hemmerly is responsible for every facet of the research park’s success and requires the ability to switch between tasks at a moment’s notice. She does so exuding patience, a sense of calm, and intentionality. 

For more than two decades, Hemmerly has led UMBC’s technology park—the first-university-affiliated research park in Maryland—as it has grown and expanded to encompass start-up companies in industries including cybersecurity, the life sciences, information technology, and clean energy. Over the years, she has accumulated dozens of awards for her leadership and business acumen. At the end of June, Hemmerly will retire as executive director, leaving a healthy outlook for the park and a lasting legacy on Maryland’s economy.

“Ellen has set the standard for what it means to be an economic development professional,” says Greg Simmons, M.P.P. ’04, vice president for institutional advancement at UMBC. “She has that rare balance of vision and pragmatism that has allowed her to see the big picture vision for bwtech and UMBC, while using her considerable expertise to focus on the myriad of details required to build a park, engage partners, negotiate leases, host industry leaders, and build an innovation community.”

History of bwtech@UMBC

bwtech@UMBC is unique because it is both a department within the university and a 501c3 organization, which speaks to the impact that entrepreneurship and innovation has had on the university. “It has been a wonderful and rewarding experience leading bwtech and witnessing its growth and success,” says Hemmerly of her time at UMBC. “The interactions with colleagues from UMBC and the local entrepreneurial community have been especially fulfilling.” 

Among those partnerships are the businesses Hemmerly helped build from the ground up. A few years after Delali Dzirasa ’04, computer engineering, graduated from UMBC, he was accepted into one of bwtech’s incubators to grow his software company Fearless Solutions. With support and mentorship from Hemmerly, the company took off.

“Ellen has shown us the importance of being friendly and, most importantly, being fearless. She’s taught us that kindness and business should go hand in hand; that businesses are most successful when you build strong relationships and partnerships along the way,” shares Dzirasa. “Ellen is unassuming and deeply generous, and she’s been there to give us help every single time we’ve needed it. And we’ll always be grateful to her for that.”

Today, Fearless Solutions employs nearly 75 people. Dzirasa says that Hemmerly has influenced how he leads his company. “Ellen has been instrumental to Fearless’ success since we first got started in our cube as a company of one. She’s been there for us in every stage of our growth, and she has always been resourceful and gracious in getting us the help we need,” Dzirasa explains. “Beyond general business guidance, she also supported our growth through networking and connections. Ellen regularly introduced us to potential customers, partners, and mentors, and we could always count on her to be our cheerleader.”

Currently, bwtech@UMBC is home to about 130 companies in its north and south research parks. These incubator companies and incubator-affiliated companies have nearly 1,800 employees, significantly contributing to economic development in the state of Maryland. Through programming, networking, and resources, businesses at bwtech are able connect with other companies, researchers, academic institutions, and potential investors to foster collaborations. They are also able to take advantage of the university’s resources, and bwtech’s affiliation with UMBC has helped boost its reputation as UMBC’s name is shared, explains Hemmerly.  

Growing Maryland businesses 

Under Hemmerly’s leadership, bwtech has helped drive economic growth in the Baltimore region and across the state of Maryland. bwtech@UMBC has supported hundreds of companies in growing their businesses by providing access to professional opportunities and mentors.

In 2018, bwtech@UMBC supported more than 3,200 jobs and contributed $700 million in labor income and business sales. Additionally, bwtech@UMBC contributed $5.5 million in taxes to Greater Baltimore and $12.4 million in taxes to Maryland in 2018. Like Fearless, many of the companies that have graduated from bwtech’s incubators have remained in the state, says Hemmerly, and she’s proud that more than half of the companies in bwtech are owned and operated by either women or underrepresented minorities, contributing to increased diversity within tech companies in the region. 

Hemmerly has played a crucial role in helping the leaders of companies make connections across the state, and in promoting initiatives and programs at bwtech@UMBC. “I am most proud of the success of the many companies which have been part of bwtech and the increased visibility over time of bwtech’s brand,” Hemmerly says. “bwtech is considered an important asset to UMBC, the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, and our regional economic development partners.”

The research park at bwtech is currently at capacity, and the demand for space continues to increase. UMBC and bwtech leaders are working with local and state officials to identify and explore possible expansion opportunities, Hemmerly explains. 

Over the years, bwtech has launched several initiatives to expand its impact across the region, country, and abroad, including the iCyberCenter@bwtech which supports companies from around the world, including the United Kingdom, as they establish themselves in Maryland. bwtech has received Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise (RISE) Zone designation from the Maryland Department of Commerce, a designation that supports existing companies, new companies, and UMBC faculty interested in commercializing their work.

A legacy of loyal leadership 

Detail person that she is, Hemmerly is quick to share how she is approaching the transition out of the role that she has long held. To ensure that nothing falls through the cracks, Hemmerly is working with her team to turn over projects that will need to continue after she retires, and to tie up loose ends, renew leases and contracts, and set next year’s budget. Her calendar may not be as packed as it has been in the past, but Hemmerly says that it is a positive change. 

“It’s nice to be able to think proactively about what needs to be done,” she explains, smiling.

Hemmerly is proud of what she has helped build, and how bwtech@UMBC has significantly impacted the Maryland economy, as well as helped put Maryland on the map as a cybersecurity hub. Simmons notes that these accomplishments wouldn’t have happened without such a strong leader at the helm.

“She has led with grace and integrity, and UMBC couldn’t be more appreciative of all she has accomplished,” he says. 

Learn more about bwtech’s partnerships and projects.

*****

All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for the UMBC Magazine.

The Maryland Small Business Administration recently named UMBC alumna Samantha Walls ’12, psychology, the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year for her outstanding work in growing her daycare establishment, Leaps Ahead Learning Center. 

Walls attributes her success to the lessons she learned as an undergraduate. “UMBC gave me the skills I needed to interact in a professional work environment and helped me develop multitasking skills that continue to aid me in owning a business. This award is symbolic of the great teachers I had.” 

She notes that seven years post-graduation, her childhood developmental psychology class sticks with her and is still helpful as she works with children each day. In addition, while taking an education class with Dr. Susan Blunck, Walls volunteered at the Maryland Science Center where she further developed her skill set for playfully and instructionally interacting with children. 

When Walls was just 23, she opened the Halethorpe-based daycare and has dedicated the past five years to best serving her families, staff, and the children who attend. She prides herself in providing enriching activities for the children, maintaining close communication with the families, and creating a positive work environment for her staff. 

As a business owner, Walls explains that she sometimes questions herself, but that this award solidifies her dedication to the program and that shows she is “helping people and making the center as successful as possible.” She notes that her staff, two of which are current UMBC students, work diligently to support her and the growth of the program. 

Her husband, Erik Walls ’13, geography, also graduated from UMBC.

Walls attended the 2019 Maryland Small Business Week Award Luncheon in Woodlawn, Maryland, on June 6, to receive her award. She was joined by several other outstanding Maryland entrepreneurs and small business advocates.

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Header image: Samantha Walls receives her award with members of the SBA Committee. Photo courtesy of Walls.

Leadership Montgomery has selected Annica Wayman and Sunil Dasgupta, both of UMBC at The Universities at Shady Grove, to join the newest cohort of the Connecting Our Region’s Execs (CORE) program. Wayman ‘99, M6, serves as UMBC’s associate dean for Shady Grove affairs, in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), and Dasgupta is UMBC’s program director for political science at Shady Grove.

As CORE participants, Wayman and Dasgupta will take part in monthly interactive sessions, network with other Montgomery County leaders, and visit unique county businesses to learn more about what makes “MoCo,” as it is affectionately known, tick. They are the first members of the UMBC community to be selected since the program’s inception in 1990, an indication of UMBC’s growing presence in Montgomery County through the Universities at Shady Grove.

Supporting Montgomery County

“As UMBC looks to expand in Montgomery County and serve its residents, my participation in Leadership Montgomery will be instrumental,” Wayman says. “Through Leadership Montgomery, I look forward to gaining a deeper knowledge of the issues facing Montgomery County. I will use that knowledge to develop higher education programs at UMBC-Shady Grove that effectively address the county’s workforce needs. I also hope to make lifelong connections with other area leaders, so that together we can better Montgomery County.”

Annica Wayman ’99, M6, mechanical engineering.

Wayman is already taking action toward these goals. She is spearheading the launch of the Translational Life Science Technology Program, a new CNMS bachelor’s degree. This program directly addresses the needs of the region’s thriving biotech sector, and will help local residents access the growing number of jobs in this field. She looks forward to introducing the master’s of professional studies degree in biotechnology to the Shady Grove campus in fall 2019 and developing future programs.

“UMBC-Shady Grove in MoCo plays a critical role in the strategic vision of the college in supporting the Maryland economy and keeping our talent at home,” says CNMS dean Bill LaCourse. “USG is an ideal location for this work due to its proximity to the cluster of biotechnology companies along the I-270 corridor and the high-quality public schools of Montgomery County.”

LaCourse adds, “Dr. Wayman is a talented and experienced professional, and I am delighted that she has been selected as a member of the latest Leadership Montgomery cohort.”

The Universities at Shady Grove.

Serving students from all backgrounds

Dasgupta has committed himself to higher education at UMBC, and at Shady Grove specifically, because of the population of students the campus serves. When he joined UMBC in 2009, he says, “I saw an opportunity to build a program as part of an innovative university known to be at the forefront of what I like to call the democratization of higher education in America. It’s an institution where a large number of students were first-generation college graduates, new immigrants, minorities, and from other groups traditionally not associated with higher education.” Dasgupta shares, “I was excited to be making a difference.”

And he has. For example, in addition to his courses, Dasgupta offers weekly Wednesday Wipeout opportunities for faculty, staff, and students at Shady Grove to gather for discussions of current events. It’s not required for any class, but the room is always packed. It’s a chance for community members from all backgrounds to discuss sometimes controversial issues in a civil format—a valuable skill for everyone. It’s this kind of “above and beyond” effort that sets Dasgupta apart.

Dasgupta has also founded a non-profit, Conexion Escolar, that makes information ordinarily available only to English-speakers more accessible to speakers of Spanish, such as information about K-12 schools in the county. Multilingual college students use their skills to translate the materials. They make connections with families in local communities to help make sure they get the information they need. Conexion Escolar aspires to expand its language offerings in the future.

Students study together at UMBC-Shady Grove.

“For many years, Sunil Dasgupta has led our political science program at Shady Grove with inspiration and dedication,” shares College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Dean Scott Casper. “He will bring wide-ranging experience to the Leadership Montgomery cohort, while developing valuable relationships that enhance our work in Montgomery County.” 

UMBC’s very best

As the cohort kicks off its year of activities, Christopher Steele, vice provost for the division of professional studies, is thrilled for Wayman, Dasgupta, and UMBC. “We are so proud of Dr. Dasgupta and Dr. Wayman for being selected as members of the 2020 Leadership Montgomery CORE cohort program,” he says. “We are hopeful that they are the first of many UMBC colleagues who will participate in this excellent civic leadership program.” 

Steele shares, “These two remarkable leaders perfectly reflect the fact that UMBC offers its very best to Montgomery County.”

Banner image: Sunil Dasgupta, political science, with students at UMBC-Shady Grove. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

In the late spring, the UMBC Center for Social Science Scholarship (CS3) convened researchers for the 2019 Research Forum: Immigration and Mobility in Higher Education. The event was the fifth in a UMBC research forum series that highlights original research and interdisciplinary discussions about pressing national and international issues. Christine Mallinson, director of CS3, co-hosted the event with Karl Steiner, vice president for research, to spotlight UMBC’s immigration research and to enable new collaborations.

Through the forum, Mallinson aimed to create a space for discussion and brainstorming for both students and faculty. “This critically relevant forum creates new collaborations and research that can change conversations about the effect immigration has on education, economics, workforce, and policy,” she explained. 

Panelists and attendees included UMBC faculty, staff, and students from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT), and College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), as well as the Office of International Education Services. 

Julie Park, associate professor of sociology and director of Asian American studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, delivered the event’s keynote address. Park spoke to the changing demographics and intergenerational mobility of new immigrants who are working to attain secondary and postsecondary degrees.

Trauma-informed services

The first panel, “Borders of Opportunity: Migration, Education, and Mobility and Immigration Policies,” focused on global education, the social welfare of immigrants in the U.S., and the information-seeking behavior of highly educated immigrants. 

In this panel, Jayshree Jani, associate professor of social work, shared research on the burdens that undocumented students carry. Daunting situations such as being separated from their parents, having a parent incarcerated, and being unable to access social services cause long-term trauma for children, even years after reunification or receiving support services. “When someone is undocumented and living in fear, it is really hard for them to have a stable life,” explained Jani. 

Her research showed how visible and invisible consequences of trauma currently overwhelm local schools, communities, and law enforcement. She described a significant need for training in how to provide trauma-informed services, and noted that this gap has had major negative impacts.

Jani’s call to action was to inspire her colleagues and future providers to conduct more research. “In order to support trauma-informed services in schools,” she argued, “universities need to encourage research on this population and prepare future professionals to create, expand, and provide services.”

International student perspective

Awareness of and access to services is a hurdle that undocumented and documented immigrants, as well as international students and faculty, must navigate. Doctoral student Wajanat Rayes, information systems, attended the forum, bringing to the event her perspective as both an international student and a researcher.  

Rayes investigates the role that information networks play in the lives of international students. She specifically focuses on the transition to the U.S. of highly skilled Saudi Arabian international students who are also mothers. “I like how information can empower people and mitigate the challenges we have day today,” she says. 

“I am a faculty member at a university in Saudi Arabia and a mother,” Rayes shares. “I have had a lot of challenges in my transition to studying in the U.S. I hope my research will help other mothers navigate the system in the future.”

Immigration and higher education

The second panel examined “Immigration Policies and Politics: Local, National, and International Impact.” Four UMBC faculty presented the latest research about higher education policies and their effects on immigrant and international students. They also discussed the current landscape of international research exchange in higher education and the role of higher education associations in immigration policy debates.

In this session, UMBC researchers Tim Gindling, professor of economics, and Lisa Dickson, associate professor of economics, focused on access to higher education for undocumented youth. Their ongoing research covers the cost-benefit analysis of policies that determine the price of higher education for undocumented students—access to-state resident tuition and additional financial aid. They also examine the impact of the national Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy on students’ enrollment, graduation, and persistence in higher education.

“The takeaway, however we looked at the data, was that the benefits were greater than the costs,” explained Gindling. The research results showed that for each undocumented student who graduates from a four-year college, who would not have gone otherwise, the net benefits to the state were $350,000. 

“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,” said Gindling.

The power of listening

After participants and audience members listened to the panelists they were given an opportunity to share different perspectives on these issues through microtalk roundtables. Groups joined sessions on law and policy, transnational migration, and higher education. 

One discussion centered around what a stronger, more positive relationship between immigrants and the United States would look like. Immigrants who are able to access higher education and financial aid are more likely to move into the white-collar workforce. Entering the professional workforce means immigrants also earn more and pay higher taxes. Greater earning power opens opportunities to buy property, start businesses, and contribute to a thriving state and national economy. 

“It is important to listen to the array of immigrant experiences,” explained Ruth Temesgen ‘19, sociology, who attended the event as part of her Immigration and Refugee Law class. Her parents were highly skilled government employees in Ethiopia who left during the country’s civil war. Their credentials did not transfer in the United States. They could only access service-level jobs.

Seeing how much her parents and other immigrants have struggled inspired Temesgen to pursue a path to law school. “Reaching beyond our comfort zones to understand how global events impact people at a personal, economic, educational, and mental health level can change what is now an isolating experience to a welcoming and prosperous partnership.” 

To learn about future CS3 events, join the conversation on Twitter at @UMBCSocSci.

Banner image: (L to R): Steiner, Mallinson, Don Engel, assistant vice president for research, and Casper. All images by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.