HIV continues to pose a major global health challenge, with about 1.3 million new infections reported annually worldwide in recent years. One of the most important HIV prevention strategies is pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Healthy individuals at risk of HIV take a daily pill containing two antiretroviral drugs—tenofovir (TFV) and emtricitabine (FTC)—to block the virus before it can take hold.

These drugs only become protective after they are modified inside cells, specifically by adding a phosphate group in a step called “phosphorylation.” This activation turns them into their working forms. However, people’s responses to the drugs vary widely, sometimes leading to reduced protection.

Herana Kamal Seneviratne, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has received a two-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to explore how two key HIV prevention drugs work inside the body—specifically in colon tissue, where HIV transmission risk is especially high. The project seeks to explain why these drugs protect some people better than others and could help make prevention tools more reliable.

“One of the reasons for PrEP failure is the huge variability observed among individuals,” Seneviratne explains. This variability is concerning, because someone might partake in riskier behavior based on a belief that they are safer than they actually are.

Seneviratne’s work focuses on the colon, because unprotected anal sex carries an 18-fold higher risk of HIV transmission than vaginal sex. Oral PrEP spreads through the bloodstream, but the amount of active drug that reaches colon tissue is not well studied, and could be one of the reasons for variable drug responses. Understanding what happens in these tissues is therefore crucial for improving PrEP, Seneviratne says, particularly for men who have sex with men.

Mapping cellular machinery

Previous work, including from Seneviratne’s group, has shown that certain enzymes are involved in activating and deactivating PrEP drugs in the blood by adding and removing phosphate groups. Certain kinases add a phosphate group, and certain nucleotidases remove it. However, the activity of these enzymes in colon tissue is unknown. 

“What matters is the drug metabolite concentrations in specific sites like in colon. That’s the point that we’re trying to make,” Seneviratne says.

To address that knowledge gap, Seneviratne’s team will grow human colon cells in the lab and use genetic tools to modify the expression of these kinases and nucleotidases one at a time. Then they will measure how those changes affect the drugs’ phosphorylation status. The project will take an innovative approach using mass spectrometry imaging, a technique that lets researchers see where molecules are located and active inside tissues.

“Our group is trying to contribute to overall improved HIV prevention,” Seneviratnes says. To that end, “understanding the metabolism of these two drugs in colon tissue is important.”

In conjunction with the lab’s work with human cells, Seneviratne’s team will examine mouse colon tissue to map these enzymes’ presence and activity across different cell types and tissue regions. The project will combine traditional techniques—specifically enzyme histochemistry and mass spectrometry—in novel ways. The dual approach will allow the team to observe enzymatic activity directly in its natural tissue environment rather than in a test tube, Seneviratne explains.

The NIAID grant type supporting the work, an R21, supports innovative high-risk, high-reward ideas that push scientific boundaries. Work is already underway on this approximately $440,000, two-year award. Graduate students Korin Murray and Nimalee Jayasekera and research fellow Christian Oh will take leading roles. Jayasekera will focus on the cell and molecular biology aspects, Murray will work on advanced imaging and tissue analysis, and Oh will support both students. There will be opportunities for undergraduates as well. Overall, the project expands the group’s focus on the negative side effects of drugs that treat HIV (including a study led by chemistry Ph.D. student Nav Raj Phulara on the brain) into the effectiveness of HIV prevention drugs.

From the bench to better PrEP

By revealing how these enzymes control drug activation and deactivation in specific parts of the colon, the project aims to provide knowledge that could lead to better dosing strategies, improved formulations, or other ways to make PrEP more effective. “The data that we generate from this work, we can leverage to optimize the therapeutic efficacy of the HIV PrEP drugs,” Seneviratne said. “These two drugs set the foundation for HIV prevention.”

Seneviratne’s interest in this area grew from his postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University, where he worked closely with clinicians to identify pressing real-world problems, leading him to ask, “How can I use my bioanalytical chemistry expertise to address those questions?” His chemistry expertise, combined with early publications on these enzymes, provided the foundation for the proposal.

This kind of fundamental research strengthens public health tools like PrEP, helping more people stay protected against HIV. The findings could eventually support more personalized or reliable prevention approaches across diverse populations.

In 2022, when Pam Offutt ’82, computer science, visited campus 40 years after graduating, she was taken aback by two things: how much the university had changed and how much it had stayed the same.

“While I can still see the bones of what we knew, it is almost unrecognizable,” says Pam, who loved seeing the new buildings and how much the campus had physically grown since she and her husband, Jay Offutt ’82, computer science, graduated. However, Pam was shocked to see that the percentage of women majoring in computer science had not changed much since 1982.

“We were part of the first graduating class in computer science at UMBC. It was brand new,” says Pam. “Back then, 18 percent of the computer science population was women. When I came back to campus and looked it up, the percentage was around 20 percent. And that just doesn’t sit right after 40 years.”

Determined to be part of the solution, Pam and Jay established the Pam and Jay Offutt Graduate Student Endowment in May 2026 with a transformational $1,040,000 gift. This significant investment will expand the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) model at the graduate level, helping CWIT Scholars pursue advanced degrees at UMBC—a primary driver for moving into senior management and executive leadership roles after graduation.

While Pam’s personal experience has centered on gender equity, the Offutt endowment is designed to support any CWIT Scholar as they pursue graduate education in computing or technology, reflecting CWIT’s broader mission of inclusive excellence.

“We are tremendously grateful for Pam and Jay’s vision, which supports our commitment to inclusive excellence,” says Jeanne van Briesen, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. “The endowment will help strengthen the pipeline of talent prepared for leadership in computing and technology careers.”

UMBC’s CWIT program is committed to developing community members who are prepared and empowered to be change agents in creating technology workplaces that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The program encourages the participation and success of all students, especially those from underrepresented groups, with a nurturing and challenging community, transformative leadership experiences, and professional development opportunities. 

“The CWIT office is buzzing with happy plans for recruiting and supporting the first cohort of Offutt Scholars this fall,” says Carolyn Seaman, director of CWIT. “We are grateful for this opportunity to support so many more of our students in taking the next step toward being the tech leaders we know they can be.”

Going beyond the gift

Pam and Jay knew the problem they wanted to solve, but they took time to discuss the issue with Seaman, van Briesen, and Kim Robinson, director of major gifts in the Office of Institutional Advancement, to come up with a plan that felt like it could make a difference.

Simply funding scholarships wasn’t enough. Pam and Jay realized that in order to truly make a difference, they needed to find a way to support students throughout their academic journey. To the Offutts, the solution was simple—mentoring and leadership development.

Offutt Scholars will receive a financial award for two years to defray school expenses, participate in leadership development, mentor undergraduate CWIT Scholars, and be mentored by more senior alumni with similar professional interests. The endowment will also support staff and programming for Offutt Scholars through the CWIT Program. This investment extends beyond financial support to build a connected community across undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional mentors.

“What stands out to me about Pam and Jay’s vision is that they are not just investing in financial support for students—they are investing in a model that builds community, mentorship, and leadership that will shape how our students persist, succeed, and lead,” says van Briesen. “They asked us to think beyond access and to focus on what it takes for students to grow into leaders in the computing field.”

Pam believes deeply in mentorship. She served on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1998 to 2004, and, most recently, served as a CWIT industry mentor. 

“What makes this gift so meaningful is the journey behind it,” says Robinson, who assisted in cultivating the relationship with the Offutts throughout their engagement with UMBC. “Pam has been engaged with UMBC in so many ways—through the Alumni Association Board, as a CWIT industry mentor, at career fairs—and that connection is exactly what led her and Jay to see this gap and want to help close it.” 

For Pam and Jay, it comes back to the experiences they had as undergraduate students at UMBC and how their careers unfolded after graduation.

Computer science pioneers

Pam and Jay both started UMBC as math majors—computer science was not yet an option—and met in Calculus 101. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl both become teaching assistants. Boy and girl form a close bond by terrorizing professors. 

“As TAs, Jay and I both had keys to the same office and we used to torture the same professors that were right across the hall from us, flipping bottle caps and stuff into their room while they were teaching,” says Pam. “So, that got the door slammed on us at least a couple of times.”

It’s the classic UMBC love story.

One semester before Pam and Jay were set to graduate, UMBC launched the B.S. in computer science. Knowing what it could mean for their job prospects and earning potential, both switched majors.

“I took a couple of extra classes and finished the B.S.,” says Pam. 

After UMBC, Pam and Jay went on to Loyola University and earned master’s degrees.

In 1988, Jay founded Offutt Associates, which later folded into Interface and Control Systems, Inc. (ICS). Serving public and private sectors, ICS provided end-to-end autonomous command and control software for satellites, operational centers, testing setups, and digital business systems. Notably, ICS technology was integrated into major aerospace and defense initiatives, including NASA’s Constellation project and the Department of Defense’s TAC-SAT tactical satellite program. Jay and his partners sold ICS to SRA International in 2008, and Jay retired a few years later.

Meanwhile, Pam took on management and leadership roles in various companies, including COO at Edaptive Systems, LLC (acquired by ManTech) and CEO at MDMeta. In 2009, Pam and fellow UMBC alumnus John duClos ’90, information systems, founded Bellese Technologies, which engineers large-scale, human-centered digital products and data solutions that improve the quality, equity, and efficiency of public health systems. As CEO, Pam made a concerted effort to hire and promote women—successfully building a workforce that was 25 to 30 percent female. It was a stark contrast to the male-dominated workspaces she had experienced throughout her career, though still not the parity she envisioned. The problem, however, was not in the motivation, but in the small pool of potential female hires.

“You can’t find women to hire because women aren’t going into tech,” says Pam. “So it’s a difficult thing.”

Pam sold the company in 2022, and now serves on its Board of Directors. Around the same time, she had that inspirational visit to UMBC where she realized that she and Jay could be part of the solution, leading to the establishment of the Pam and Jay Offutt Graduate Student Endowment.

“I want to see that needle move,” says Pam.

Meet Keisha Hale, M.A.’20, applied sociology. Keisha is an educator, researcher, and author. In 2025, she published We Weather the Storm: A Poetry Memoir of Survival and Healing, inspired by her experiences surviving Hurricane Katrina and navigating foster care. Her work centers on resilience, education, and giving voice to stories that are often overlooked. Whether she’s teaching fourth grade math, analyzing data, or writing poetry, Keisha is passionate about using storytelling and research to create understanding, inspire change, and help others feel seen. Take it away, Keisha!

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC because I wanted to better understand the social systems that shape people’s lives and to gain the skills to create meaningful change. After experiencing Hurricane Katrina, navigating foster care, and witnessing firsthand how policies and institutions can impact individuals and families, I knew I wanted to study society in a way that combined research with real world application. UMBC’s applied sociology program stood out because it emphasized using data, research, and critical thinking to address complex social issues. 

Q: Can you tell us what you loved most about the applied sociology program?

A: What I loved most about UMBC’s applied sociology program was its emphasis on using research to solve real world problems. The program challenged me to think critically, analyze data, and understand the social systems that shape people’s lives. It encouraged me to move beyond theory and consider how research can inform policy, improve communities, and create meaningful change. 

Q: Can you talk about your experience as a first generation student?

A: As a first generation graduate student, there were moments when I questioned whether I truly belonged. Like many students, I experienced imposter syndrome and wondered if I was capable enough to succeed. What I learned at UMBC is that belonging is not determined by where you come from, but by your willingness to learn, grow, and persevere.

I would encourage other first generation students to not let self doubt convince them they are less deserving of the opportunities they’ve earned. Ask questions, seek out mentors, build relationships, and take advantage of the support systems UMBC has to offer. There are people here who genuinely want to see you succeed.

Looking back, I realize that believing in myself was just as important as earning good grades. UMBC gave me the confidence to trust my abilities, find my voice, and pursue opportunities that have shaped my career as a researcher, educator, and author. I hope other students give themselves permission to do the same. 

Q: Were you a part of any clubs or organizations at UMBC?

A: During my time at UMBC, I was an active member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society, and the Sociology Graduate Student Association. Both organizations gave me opportunities to connect with classmates who shared my passion for research, social justice, and community engagement.

What I appreciated most was the opportunity to learn from one another beyond the classroom. Through these organizations, I built friendships, expanded my professional network, and engaged in meaningful conversations about research, policy, and the role sociology plays in addressing real world challenges. Those experiences strengthened my sense of belonging at UMBC and reinforced my commitment to using research and education to make a positive impact in my community. 

Q: Where did you find support while at UMBC?

A: One of the things I valued most about my time at UMBC was the sense of community I found there. While there was not just one person who inspired me, the relationships I built as a graduate assistant had a lasting impact. Working alongside fellow graduate students, faculty, and staff allowed me to develop meaningful connections with people who became mentors, collaborators, and an important part of my support system.

One of those relationships was with my fellow graduate student, Samantha Fries ’18, M.A. ’25. We supported one another throughout our time at UMBC, encouraging each other academically and personally. That friendship has continued long after graduation, and I was honored to stand beside her as a member of her wedding party. 

Building a trusted, supportive community, whether through biological family or the family we create through friends, mentors, and colleagues, has always been essential to my success. UMBC reinforced that belief by surrounding me with people who invested in my growth both personally and professionally. Their encouragement gave me the confidence to pursue my goals, and those relationships continue to influence the way I approach my work as an educator, researcher, and author. 

Q: Since you’ve been a part of the UMBC community, how have you found support for your dreams? 

A: UMBC helped turn my aspirations into opportunities by surrounding me with people who believed in my potential and invested in my growth. As a graduate assistant, I gained hands-on experience while building meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, and fellow graduate students who encouraged me to challenge myself and pursue new opportunities.

The knowledge and practical experience I gained through the applied sociology program prepared me for a career in research, beginning with my role at Westat, where I supported large scale federally funded studies. Just as importantly, the confidence and encouragement I received at UMBC inspired me to continue growing beyond research. Today, I am an educator, researcher, and author, and I carry the lessons, mentorship, and sense of community I found at UMBC into everything I do.

What has made the biggest difference is knowing that UMBC did not just prepare me academically. It gave me a network of people who continue to encourage, support, and celebrate one another long after graduation. That lasting community is one of the greatest gifts UMBC has given me. 

Q: What is a piece of advice you would give a current UMBC student?

A: You never have to navigate your journey alone. UMBC is a place where people genuinely invest in one another’s success. Whether it is faculty who challenge and encourage you, classmates who become lifelong friends, or mentors who help you see your potential, there is a strong sense that everyone wants to see you succeed.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

AI is poised to reshape nearly every sector of the economy in the coming years and UMBC is adapting its curricular offerings in a variety of ways. One specific change: The university is launching a new master’s degree program to prepare students to lead the AI transformation. The new M.S. in AI program, designed for students with some computing background, offers a focused, rigorous pathway into AI research, development, and deployment.

“Within the state of Maryland and our region, there are a number of national labs and industries that are really focused on AI. This program is responding to workforce demands and really preparing students for the world of AI,” says Dmitri Perkins, a professor and director of graduate programs in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UMBC.

The first cohort of students will start classes this coming fall. The new program joins these existing UMBC AI degrees: B.S. in computer science with a specialized track in AI/machine learning and M.S. in information systems with a specialized track in AI.

UMBC’s Division of Research and Creative Achievement recently announced the recipients of the 2027 Strategic Awards for Research Transitions (START) and the 2026 Summer Research Faculty Fellowship (SURFF) awards, two of the university’s primary, internal funding opportunities that support faculty-led research and creative work. 

The latest awards cover diverse projects, including exploring the genetic origins of a neurologic disorder in Siberian huskies, securing smartphones against voice scams, building novel animated sculpture, and exploring the legacy of Argentine-born American cellist Ennio Bolognini. 

In total for fiscal year 2027, 12 faculty members and researchers across UMBC’s three colleges and the university’s research centers were awarded up to $25,000 in START funding to advance their research and creative projects. The awards help recipients build research momentum early in their careers and hone their research pitches to pursue external funding. They can also help faculty pivot to new fields of inquiry later in their careers. 

For summer 2026, 21 faculty members received a SURFF award, which supports non-tenured, tenure-track faculty members in pursuing research and creative achievement projects during the summer. Recipients are awarded $8,000 in funding. 

“Each year when we review applications, we find we have so many faculty who are being very creative and really pushing the edge of what’s known in their various disciplines,” says Don Engel, associate vice president for strategic research initiatives at UMBC, who coordinates the faculty committee that reviews prospective awards. “The proposals really illustrate the breadth of achievement that goes on across the university.”

When Demetrie Garner moved from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Baltimore, he found a wealth of opportunities in Baltimore, a strong spiritual practice, and a supportive network of friends and family. They became necessary anchors for recovering from opioid dependency and managing the workload of a full-time job while earning a bachelor’s, a master’s, and now a doctorate in public health from UMBC. 

“My story has a lot of twists and turns. I came to Baltimore in 2018 for treatment for opioid use disorder after experiencing homelessness, incarceration, hospitalizations, and treatment programs. Recovery was a process of 26 years,” says Garner, who now works in the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Overdose Response. “When I came to Baltimore, I had a clean slate. I was able to go through an expungement process of criminal records, which was a list of misdemeanors that happened during my drug and alcohol addiction. My journey to UMBC began as an adult learner, at 40 years old, after a year in recovery.”

Understanding the bigger picture

The inspiration to pursue a bachelor’s degree came from working as a recovery specialist at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore County, where he supported patients who had overdosed or were experiencing substance use disorders, many of whom faced significant social and economic conditions that negatively affected their health. Although he connected patients to treatment and recovery resources, he questioned why so many returned to the emergency department with the same challenges. That curiosity sparked a desire to better understand the systems, policies, and social factors driving addiction and recovery. 

“I wanted to understand how healthcare is failing people in recovery,” says Garner. “I decided to go back to school. The logical step was to study public health.” Making the leap from working full-time and being a full-time student without a driver’s license posed many challenges. Thankfully, in addition to his faith, friends, and family, Garner also had a team of mentors at UMBC’s School of Public Policy that continue to support him to make his vision possible.

Garner immersed himself in public health research and learned about comorbidities, where patients are managing multiple health needs like substance dependency and mental health. He found that having multiple health needs with little to no healthcare is also exacerbated by homelessness, lack of transportation, inconsistent healthcare, or an environment not conducive to recovery. The emergency room could treat the symptoms but not the root causes. 

“My undergrad journey into public health was transformative because the curriculum I was learning for the core courses in public health also exposed me to psychology and epidemiology,” says Garner. “UMBC helped me understand what was needed for me to actually serve. If I wanted to be of service, then I needed to understand not just what leads people into substance use disorder but also what drives the research.”

No limits in sight

Each learning moment inspired great curiosity. Garner sought faculty for advice and opportunities. A game-changing moment came in a research methods course with Pamela R. Bennett, professor of public policy. Bennett encouraged Garner to think beyond what was stated in the research and analyze what was in between the lines.  

“I got a D in one discussion post, so I went to Dr. Bennett’s office hours. She told me to stop synthesizing information and to start thinking critically,” says Garner. “That was a game changer because I translated what she said to me into my work.”

Another game-changing moment came in Lauren Hamilton Edwards‘ class. Hamilton Edwards, associate professor of public policy, told the class at the beginning of the semester that everyone had an A until they didn’t. Garner interpreted that as an incentive to do his best every day. “From the beginning, she gave me the kind of nurturing I needed,” says Garner. “Now, when I have an intern, I make sure that I’m the “Dr. Lauren Hamilton Edwards” to that intern, as she was with me.”

Additional supports like the McNair Scholars Program gave him the foundation and confidence to pursue graduate school, and his first experience presenting his research at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day was a humbling experience, he says. 

Garner is thriving thanks to the support of the faculty and staff in the public policy and sociology, anthropology, and public health departments, who recognized his potential.

“Associate Professor Andrea Kalfoglou called me Dr. Garner long before I believed it myself. My faculty advisor, Katie Birger, associate teaching professor, recognized my potential early on and encouraged me to pursue the B.A./M.A. pathway,” says Garner. “Now, with Professor Nancy Miller‘s mentorship, I am on track to finish my coursework by the end of the fall semester and begin my dissertation proposal in the spring of 2027.”

“Don’t be afraid”

As Garner’s expertise in public health and policy grew, so did his career opportunities. Today, he serves as the quality assurance manager for Baltimore City’s Behavioral Health Consent Decree. His work focuses on improving outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health crises, giving him a unique perspective on how public safety and public health intersect to advance overdose prevention and crisis response.

“I no longer see those 26 years to recovery as a period of failure. They gave me lived experience that I now use to help others entering recovery,” says Garner, who, throughout that time, drew strength from the unwavering faith of his grandmother, Hazel Parker; his sister, Shontell Cooper, and his mother, Clara Turner, who never stopped believing change was possible. He hopes his story inspires others to begin their own path to healing. 

“UMBC offered me, someone with a lived experience of homelessness and substance use disorder, a door that I would normally not have access to,” says Garner. “College is an opportunity to discover who you are and what matters to you. Don’t be afraid to engage with professors, challenge ideas, and use your voice.”

Learn more about UMBC’s public health programs.

Meet Lynn Dutrow. Lynn graduated from UMBC in 1989 with a B.A. in psychology and a certificate in early childhood education. Since then, she has worn many hats, including counselor, coach, and speaker. In 2022, she added another hat—author—when she published her first book, Aligned As F*ck: Transforming Your Inner Assholes (Like Anxiety) into Allies. Much of her work focuses on anxiety, overwhelm, and creating lives that feel more aligned and less exhausting. Lynn is deeply curious about humans and firmly believes humor belongs in serious conversations. Take it away, Lynn! 

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I chose UMBC because it felt like the best of both worlds—it was close enough to home that I could get back when I wanted to, but far enough away that I could have the full experience of living on campus and becoming independent.

I actually didn’t know what I wanted to study. My parents wanted me to study business, but after my first psychology class, I was hooked!

Back then there were three dorms and two sets of apartments, only one of which even had kitchens! Living on campus was an education in itself. Some of my most memorable lessons about human behavior came not from textbooks, but from sharing living space with a variety of colorful personalities. In hindsight, my roommates may have unknowingly contributed to my professional training.

Pictured right: Dutrow on stage at her UMBC graduation.

What I remember most and appreciate, even 40 years later, are the approachable and supportive professors and the opportunities to gain hands-on experience through practicums and internships. Those experiences helped me connect what I was learning in the classroom to real people and real situations, something that has remained important throughout my career.

Looking back, I can see how those experiences laid the foundation for work that has taken many forms over the years: from education and school psychology to counseling, coaching, speaking, and writing. While the specific roles have changed, the common thread has always been a fascination with people and a desire to help them better understand themselves and navigate life’s challenges.

If you had told me in 1989 that my psychology degree would eventually lead me to become a counselor, coach, speaker, and author, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But the curiosity about people that drew me to psychology in the first place has been the common thread through every chapter of my career.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your current work?

A: Much of my work focuses on helping people navigate anxiety, overwhelm, and the exhausting experience of feeling like they’re constantly fighting with themselves. What I love most is helping people realize they aren’t broken. Watching someone shift from “Why am I like this?” to “Ohhh…this part was trying to help” never gets old.

Q: Can you tell us more about your work as an author?

A: People often ask what motivated me to write my book, Aligned As F*ck: Transforming Your Inner Assholes (Like Anxiety) into Allies, and the honest answer is that I realized I was repeating the same conversations over and over again…with clients, friends, family members, and occasionally random strangers. I wanted to put the information I found myself sharing most often into one place where people could return to it when they needed it.

I also hoped, somewhat naively, that writing the book would mean I could stop repeating myself. It turns out that’s not how humans work. What I discovered instead is that people often need to hear the same ideas many times and in many different ways, and I’m grateful to keep being part of those conversations.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

In his new book, Empathy Machines: This American Life, Podcasting, and the Public Radio Structure of Feeling, Jason Loviglio, professor of media and communications, critiques and analyzes the making of and the impact of one of his favorite shows on National Public Radio (NPR), “This American Life”—a radio show turned podcast that received the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting. “This American Life,” created and hosted by Baltimore-native Ira Glass, became a listener favorite for its magical way of weaving stories about everyday people into larger human issues, sounding more like a sympathetic, curious neighbor instead of a serious professor. The irony is not lost on Loviglio, who thanked his students in the book for reminding him that accessibility ensures that the public, his students, and their families, not only academic editors, understand the research. He wants this young audience to learn about radio and be inspired to research their own media and communications passions.

“The people I have had the honor of calling my students over the years have done more than anyone else to help me learn how to communicate ideas about communication and media clearly and simply,” writes Loviglio in his acknowledgements. “The MCS undergraduates are among the least pretentious and least entitled people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Too numerous to name here, I give a collective thanks to you for the lessons of clarity you’ve taught me and for the laughs.” 

Long before Loviglio became an author and the co-editor of Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast and Audio Media and of The Routledge Companion to Radio and Podcasting Studies, he was a young kid in love with “weird radio shows,” notes Loviglio. “I remember listening at night to my red transistor radio when I was little, maybe 9 or so. I put it under my pillow so my parents wouldn’t hear it,” says Loviglio. “I mostly listened to weird nationally-syndicated late night public radio shows, like Dr. Demento and local sports talk shows.”  

While he doesn’t expect students to fall in love with radio as he did, in his History of Media class, he wants students to understand the power and importance of radio long before stories were mobilized in the palms of our hands 24/7 worldwide. Loviglio encourages students to look beyond Google and instead find people whose lives were shaped by radio. 

He wants students to explore what radio meant in everyday life and how it conveyed and reflected emotions such as fear, danger, excitement, and joy—functioning as empathy machines that inspired deeper forms of storytelling and laid the groundwork for public radio and podcasts.

Q: What are empathy machines?

A: I think it’s safe to say that public radio has been explicitly understood as an empathy machine at least since the radio show “This American Life’s” debut in 1996. If we allow for synonyms of empathy, then radio has been understood this way for a lot longer. There’s a longer history regarding various media of communication as uniquely efficient machines for producing empathy. Most famously, of course, is the novel. And before that, oral storytelling. The idea of radio as an empathy machine stems from a specific history referred to as the technological sublime.

The notion that we can invent and communicate our way into equality is central to the way we understand Western history since at least the printing press. The book, particularly the novel, has been hailed for its powers to impart democracy and empathy. This history is opposed by an equally compelling one in which the machine represents the antithesis of democratic values of participation and empathy. A dominant theme in media history is the role of technology as an extension of human values, such that we no longer hear the metaphors in our arguments.

Q: Did you always know you were going to write about “This American Life” instead of general radio?

A: It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized the best way to tell the story of public radio and podcasting was through NPR’s “This American Life.” It was first produced in 1996 by WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio, and then picked up nationally by Public Radio International. It became a massive show.

“This American Life” is also one of the first shows to start offering a podcast version, in case you missed an episode. Around 2014, “This American Life” started to shift, where more people were listening to it as a podcast. I wrote to Ira Glass last year, and he still calls it a radio show. That’s still his default understanding of it, even now.

Q: Did you have fun writing this?

A: Yes and no. I had fun thinking about it and fun listening to the shows. This is such a great way to tell stories. But it was hard to write because the shows kept changing. My thoughts kept changing. I began writing the book during President Obama’s administration, when I was thinking positively about American history. Then, Trump won.

I didn’t think that because President Obama was elected, it meant that everything was great and we had cured racism. I thought a particular version of liberalism had won. Definitely very capitalistic, definitely very interested in style, maybe more than substance, but there was a story everyone was telling about the country that was designed to make people feel very comfortable. Not only liberals, but also very privileged people, and not particularly political.

Trump winning the 2016 presidential election was a reminder that there is another story. I knew the other far-right story, but I thought that more people were happy for the positive symbolic victory that President Obama represented in terms of being biracial and being born to an immigrant father. This educated, cosmopolitan elite could also speak across different cultural registers. I thought that’s what I was writing about. Then the Trump administration began, and I felt I had to write about this darker story. That meant I had to think differently about the long, slow death of liberalism. There was something rotten in the creeping neoliberalism of the era that put some of us to sleep, left others out in the cold, and mobilized a politics of racial grievance on the right.

Q: What was the critique?

A: I’m not speaking for everyone, but people like me: privileged, educated, and progressive but kind of complacent. What did we do for the eight years of the Obama administration and the previous two or three decades of creeping neoliberalism? What were we listening to? Public radio. That’s what we were listening to. That’s the soundtrack of the frog and the pot. The pot slowly heats up, the frog is comfortable, and doesn’t realize it’s slowly boiling. I love public radio. I love “This American Life.” I love podcasting, but I also wanted to look critically at the story we were telling about empathy, who is telling the story, and who is the story about? 

Important exceptions long persisted at the margins of the public radio industry. “Latino USA” is the longest-running public radio Latino news and cultural program in the United States. It is unique in that it has people of color behind the microphone. It is designed by the people that it speaks to, but most of public radio is not that way. In contrast, “This American Life,” in a way, is the epitome of white liberalism. It’s really beautiful storytelling, but in the service of this kind of sound effect of liberalism and empathy, instead of something a little bit more gritty and radically engaged that maybe we should have been trying to tune into.

Q: Did the mindset about who gets to tell the radio story shift during or after the social justice protests of the summer of 2020?

A: Yes. That is when it all falls apart. The whole public radio storytelling format starts to collapse in the late 2010s because most of these shows are run by white producers and white on-air talent who are telling stories about others. All the contradictions just start to crash into each other, and a lot of the shows go off the air. There are all these awkward moments of reckoning. Shows changed. One week, the radio show “Invisibilia,” an NPR podcast about the unseen forces that shape human behavior, like ideas and beliefs, was being produced by all-white women from NPR, The New Yorker, and Slate magazine. Then, in part due to the collapse of the specific logic of empathy that animated the show, there is a switchover to new hosts—two women of color, who cheerfully embraced a more politically engaged set of feelings, like confrontation and discomfort. The show was canceled in 2023, suggesting that the format could not bear certain kinds of changes to its structure of feeling.

The same thing happened with “Reply All,” a popular podcast about the internet and digital culture, created and hosted by Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt, two white men from New York City. They had a massive implosion. Goldman and Vogt were called out for perpetuating plantation culture in the workplace, where leadership and decision-making are dominated by white executives or managers, right in the middle of doing an exposé on Bon Appétit, a high-end food culture magazine, for doing precisely the same thing. “Reply All” was calling out a white-run magazine, and the people who were doing a lot of the grunt work but not getting paid were people of color and young people, who spoke up about the hypocrisy. That show collapsed in a couple of weeks. 

It’s really a radical moment because radio shows and podcasts don’t get to tell the same stories without ever changing who gets to tell the stories. You don’t get to pretend you care, but not change. And so things really start to feel the strain by 2020.

Q: Are shows today more liberal or conservative as a result of the shift in 2020?

A: There are many shows today that center on conflict and unhappiness with the status quo—that Trumpism has gone too far. I try to write about how we are in a whiplash between this rhetoric of empathy and the rhetoric of Trumpism, this hostility to the idea of caring for others. I don’t know how many people took the political implications of empathy seriously, but rhetorically, it shaped a good deal of the public radio structure of feeling.

Q: Why did you thank your students in the book?

A: Students are reading less and less, and academics like me want to write clearly, and we usually don’t because we’re not thinking about 17-year-olds. We’re not thinking about the parents of 17-year-olds who might encounter our research in a faculty magazine or a newspaper. We’re thinking about the people who review academic journals or books.

One reason I thanked the students is that in the MCS methods class, students read articles written by MCS faculty. If they’re learning about history, they’re reading something I wrote or something Liz Patton, chair and associate professor of MCS, who writes about media history, identity, and space, wrote. If they’re reading about globalization and representation, they’ll read research byTracy Tinga, associate professor of MCS, who focuses on critical conversations about media, power, development, and digital cultures in African contexts, or research by Fan Yang, professor of MCS, who writes about the intersection of cultural studies, transnational media studies, globalization, postcolonialism/postsocialism, urban communication, and contemporary China. And now, they are reading work on social media and mental health, thanks to our newest colleague, Holly Avella. They’re also reading or viewing the work of Chung-Wei Huang, teaching assistant professor, Kristen Anchor, teaching associate professor, and Donald Snyder, teaching professor of MCS.

Students love reading faculty research, so I want to make sure what I’m writing is accessible to students. It’s a conversation starter when students connect personally with the research. 

Q: Do students in your classes listen to the radio?

A:  Some do. I think they do so a bit more after they’ve had a class with me. I want to make sure all my classes have opportunities for different kinds of creativity and engagement. In my History of Media class, I have students think about radio and pay attention to what is on the radio by having them interview a grandparent or someone older in their lives about their experiences with the radio. Students create small stories by conducting interviews and editing them into short radio diaries in a style similar to “This American Life.”

A lot of our students are immigrants or international students, and even more are children or grandchildren of immigrants. Radio remains especially important in much of the world, particularly in the Global South and in regions shaped by uneven development. This assignment helps students learn about their grandparents, and for some, it becomes the most meaningful conversation they have ever had with them. I’ve had students come back and tell me, “My grandfather died, and I have this recording of us talking for your assignment. It’s the only thing I have of him.” That’s why I really value this assignment. 

Q: Is listening to the radio really a thing of the past?

A: Video games and gaming culture are increasingly central to sound studies because so much of these experiences are built around audio design. Many major games are intentionally structured to sound like radio, as in Grand Theft Auto, which features more than a dozen in-game radio stations with full playlists. In this sense, radio continues to shape not only podcasting but also video games, providing a template for how soundscapes are constructed for audiences. Even though radio may seem obsolete or old-fashioned, it remains one of the dominant frameworks through which people understand and design contemporary sound culture.

Register to attend an interview with Loviglio on July 21, 2026, at the Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore City, hosted by Aaron Henkin, award-winning public radio producer and podcaster. Read more UMBC Humanities Books stories.

Alfred Boakye first began thinking deeply about the care and well-being of elders and their families while caring for his centenarian grandmother, Margaret Nyarko, in his home city of Tema, on the Atlantic coast of South East Ghana. She was in charge of her essential self-care routine—bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring from sitting to standing, and continence—and more complex daily tasks necessary for independent living: medication management, meal preparation, transportation, and shopping. But even with her mobility, his grandmother lacked a social network. 

Acting as both a devoted grandchild and a caretaker, Boakye experienced firsthand the complexities of aging. He learned to respect his grandmother’s independence while finding ways to support her where she needed help. Boakye, now a UMBC gerontology Ph.D. student in the social, cultural, and behavioral track, notes that his grandmother’s children didn’t live with her, and her grandchildren didn’t understand her aging process. As her friends and siblings passed away, her social circle shrank. “I asked her what motivated her to stay at church for hours, and she says the church supports her, brings her communion, visits her, and brings her Christmas gifts.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in human resources at the University of Ghana, Boakye wanted to broaden his understanding of aging and caregiving. In 2021, he moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in gerontology at Georgia State University (GSU), where he met his mentor and master’s thesis chair, Jennifer Craft Morgan, professor and director of the GSU Gerontology Institute.

In 2023, the year his grandmother passed away and the year he completed his master’s at GSU, Boakye published his first aging-related article, “Does the Church Care? Assessment of Social Support Strategies on the Health and Wellbeing of Older Adults within the Tema Metropolitan Assembly-Ghana” in the African Journal of Ageing Studies.

Craft Morgan fostered Boakye’s interest in gerontology and encouraged him to continue his work at the doctoral level, leading him to UMBC’s gerontology doctoral program, which is an interdisciplinary program in collaboration with the University of Baltimore. “Professor Craft Morgan has held my hand from the day I started my master’s program and continues to do so today,” says Boakye. “I always feel privileged that I have her in my corner.”

Stigma of male caregivers

Boakye’s studies are also informed by his experience being the primary caregiver to his father. Before moving to the U.S., Boakye did the grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry for Stephen, his 76‑year‑old father. He became aware of the multiple obligations children have when caretaking for themselves, their families, and their parents, as well as the isolation that can happen, especially if you are a male caregiver.

At the time, Boakye saw himself as being a “helpful child,” a term associated with a Ghanaian proverb that states, “If they take care of you to grow your teeth, you take care of them to lose theirs.” The proverb is more than words—it is a way of life in Ghana, which reinforced Boakye’s caregiving role and emphasized what it takes to be a helpful child—one built on responsibility and reciprocity. But it’s easier said than done. “I had to juggle my ‘identity’ as a male caregiver in a historically patriarchal society with my caring masculinity,” says Boakye. “Caregiving is predominantly perceived as ‘women’s work’ in Ghana, and men who take on these roles are often stigmatized and labeled ‘Kojo besia,’ which translates to ‘man woman’. To avoid such labeling, I was hesitant to ask for help, despite the toll caregiving took on my physical and psychological well‑being.” 

Boakye presented his research and personal experience to the leadership of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) during their visit to UMBC this spring. Thanks to the UMB Provost’s Global Scholar Program, Boakye will be traveling to Ghana this summer to engage with male caregivers—to listen to their caregiving experiences, explore what these experiences mean to them, and co‑create resources to support them. He will use this research to finish his master’s thesis in applied sociology—Boakye’s third master’s degree.

Meeting Japan’s centenarians

In 2024, Boakye joined the Global Healthy Aging in Japan study abroad program, organized by Taka Yamashita, professor of sociology, anthropology, and public health and co-director of the gerontology doctoral program. The two-week program leads students through research, community centers, and historic sites in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo. Japan is known for its cutting-edge research and policy that supports the active lives of the world’s largest aging population and the highest number of centenarians. The students visited multigenerational living communities and centers that merge theoretical research with real-world practice and outcomes.

Boakye was not expecting that at a time when he was missing his grandmother the most, Kanagawa would make him feel like he was home in Tema. It wasn’t only that both Japan and Ghana operate on a similar collective familial care system focused on intergenerational living and inclusion, notes Boakye. It’s also the physical environment. “The buildings are close together, and people put chairs in front of their homes to talk,” says Boakye. “Older adults greet passersby, and people stop to have a conversation with them. They will tell you they are out for a little sun.”

A highlight of the trip for all the students was meeting a supercentenarian. The 110-year-old woman welcomed them and kissed each of them on the cheek. “All the students say that they were blessed to have this welcome and that she could still talk to us,” says Boakye. “It was really emotional for me. I just kept thinking of my grandmother.”

Boakye was also impressed by the Kanagawa ME-BYO approach to aging, which encourages monitoring vital signs using biomedical technologies. ME-BYO focuses on preventing and minimizing illness progression through programs that promote healthy behaviors such as a balanced diet, exercise, and social activities. “My experience in Japan has been one of the best things that has happened in my personal and academic life and in my career,” says Boakye, who wants to find a way to incorporate ME-BYO into his current and future caregiving research and practice. “This trip has equipped me with the cultural competence, literacy, sensitivity, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills needed to have a real-world impact in the field of gerontology.”

Looking Ahead

With five years of longevity research, Boakye now understands that his grandmother’s experience is common for many older adults in Ghana. He discovered in the 2021 Population and Housing Census of Ghana that adults 65 years of age and older make up 4.3 percent of Ghana’s population. However, he explains, the need for person-centred and geriatric care services has not kept up with the demand.

“I feel like I am now clearly connecting the dots between my experiences in Ghana, what I saw in Japan, and what I have learned in class. I am passionate about encouraging more men to engage and support the people they love, but also seek help when they need it,” says Boakye. He plans to finish his doctoral program in fall 2027.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Alfred’s research grow during his time at UMBC,” says Nancy Kusmaul, professor at UMBC’s School of Social Work, his dissertation chair, who Boakye works with as a research assistant. “He is committed to raising the voices of paid and unpaid caregivers who provide vital services to older adults and people with disabilities in the US and abroad. I am confident that he will continue to make significant contributions to the field.”  

He knows there is a long road ahead, but he is confident that he is on the right path. “I want to build culturally relevant and gender‑sensitive resources that support male caregivers, not only to improve their health and well‑being but also to amplify their voices when it matters most.” His grandmother, Margaret, continues to inspire Boakye’s work on how caregiving shapes the experiences of both the carer and the care recipient. 

Learn more about UMBC’s gerontology doctoral program.