Halfway through her senior year at UMBC, Naomi Mburu M26, ’18, chemical engineering, was named the very first Rhodes Scholar in university history. So, following Commencement, she packed her bags and—after squeezing in a summer trip to Kenya—headed for jolly old England to make her mark on Oxford, the oldest English-speaking university in the world. Today, more than 3,500 miles from home in her pursuit of a doctorate in nuclear fusion, Mburu writes to share her thoughts on her first year at Oxford, and the ways she’s making herself right at home.

Roughly a year and a half ago, I received one of the biggest surprises I have ever received: the opportunity to attend the University of Oxford in England. As someone who has lived and attended elementary, middle, and high school all within 15 minutes of UMBC, I was itching to see the broader world and what it had to offer. Now, I have been living in Oxford for a little over six months and wanted to share some experiences and observations with my UMBC community.

There have been several wonderful and difficult moments woven throughout my experience thus far. Meeting hundreds of other Rhodes Scholars has been one of the most wonderful aspects of this experience, as the scholars come from many corners of the world and each have such interesting experiences and perspectives on life. Some of the moments I most enjoy at Oxford involve exchanging life stories with my fellow “Rhodies” and hearing my classmates passionately talk about topics that are close to their hearts.

Having the Rhodes community around me has definitely helped ease my adjustment to English life, but there have still been many times when I felt the loneliness of leaving home and starting off alone in a new country. I found that close community and friendship can sometime take quite a bit of time, patience, and effort to create, and maintaining old friendships across time zones can be a difficult thing to juggle. Luckily, there is so much fantastic technology like WhatsApp and FaceTime that allow me to easily connect with family and friends back home, and my family was able to visit me in April. There have also been some unexpected differences that I am learning to adjust to, the main being the weather and the sun setting at 3 p.m. in the winter.  

One of the biggest surprises of Oxford has been the structure of the Ph.D. compared to universities in America. For starters, here the Ph.D. is instead called the D.Phil., and in my department the D.Phil. process solely consists of an in-depth research project conducted over 3-4 years. There are no class or teaching requirements; the only responsibility is conducting research. This was quite a shift from my time at UMBC where I found myself balancing a full, pre-determined chemical engineering course load along with extracurriculars, teaching, and research. This has given me the chance to spend my first few months at Oxford really diving into my new field of nuclear fusion and thinking critically about what I want to get out of my Ph.D.

The increased freedom does come with added responsibility, however—students must decide for themselves what they want their D.Phil. experience to look like and proactively seek out those opportunities. Coming from a more structured undergraduate experience, this freedom was initially quite intimidating. However, I have seen how the flexibility of this new schedule has afforded me lots of time to try new things, travel, ponder, and simply do things that make me happy. Oxford has lots of great spots where I go to relax, read, or think, such as Christ Church Meadow, a beautiful field complete with cows which runs along the Thames River, or any of the beautiful college gardens.

Oxford and the Rhodes community are bursting with opportunities for students to “choose their own adventure.” The Rhodes House has been a central part of my experience thus far, as it serves as a meeting place for scholars past and present to plan events, study, and hang out. I have attended many scholar-led talks, musical performances, and even a mindfulness course there. The house also serves as the location for the annual Rhodes Retreat, which is a unique chance to spend a few days reflecting and discussing deep issues of life and purpose with your cohort.

In November, I helped organize an American Thanksgiving dinner for 130 people in the Rhodes House with a diverse team of people, some of whom had never experienced this type of holiday celebration. We had mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, homemade bread, turkey, a vegan option prepared by a scholar from Israel, and one of the Jamaican scholars even made jerk sauce for the turkey! Every year, the Rhodes House also sponsors scholar trips to places like Israel, China, Palestine, and Chile. I attended the Chile trip in March, where I joined a group of 11 other scholars on a nine-day backpacking expedition through Patagonia National Park.

Outside of the Rhodes House, I have attended talks at Oxford ranging from brain surgery to the evolution of language, tried new sports like rowing, and engaged in ancient traditions such as attending formal hall in the Harry Potter-style dining halls where we wear a mandatory black gown and stand for a formal Latin grace before the meal. And in March, the university supported me to attend a fusion-focused, week-long program that involved operating the world’s oldest functioning nuclear fusion reactor, located in Prague, Czech Republic, which was a great chance to meet other students in Europe interested in fusion and gain some hands-on experience with a fusion reactor.

Overall, my time at Oxford has been full of experiences that are continuing to shape the way I view the world and use my time. I look forward to all of the adventures the next year has in store!

–Naomi Mburu ’18

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Header image: Mburu finds the end of the rainbow during a Rhodes trip to Chile, which included a backpacking expedition through Patagonia National Park. All images courtesy of the author.

“To whom much is given, much is required.” Meyerhoff scholars internalize this message, which is introduced during Summer Bridge and is almost as ubiquitous as “Focus, Focus, Focus,” and Langston Hughes’ “Dreams” at Meyerhoff gatherings. For many of the scholars, giving back has become a foundational principle in their lives, as they mentor colleagues, students, and interns in their roles as researchers, medical professionals, biotech entrepreneurs, and more.

This extension of the Meyerhoff program beyond UMBC amplifies its impact. Like a family tree, the DNA for the Meyerhoff program’s values and practices travels through generations of researchers as scholars graduate from UMBC and carry their experiences with the program wherever they go, cultivating the Meyerhoff culture in their new environments. Perhaps no simile is required—members of the Meyerhoff community feel that it is, indeed, a family.

“We truly are a family, full of people who accept and love each other as we are,” says Rhea Brooking-Dixon ’02, M10, biological sciences. After UMBC, she earned her Ph.D. from Duke University in experimental pathology, and today she is a scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton. She is married to Jason Dixon ’02, M10, computer engineering, so for them, Meyerhoff means family in multiple ways.

Families always help each other out, and that stuck with Dixon and Brooking-Dixon after graduation. They remember being asked by advisors at UMBC about participation in a study group, both to receive and give support to their classmates. “That showed us that the Meyerhoff Scholars Program wanted us to consider not just what a community could do for us,” they share, “but what we could also do for our community, whatever the scale, to help everyone develop into their best selves.”

Cultivating each Meyerhoff cohort as a family begins with Summer Bridge, a six-week experience that combines academics and social activities. Students learn together, eat together, and play together, forming bonds that buoy them through their years at UMBC and beyond.

“We’re developing a community. So to generate this concept of a community, they’ve got to have a shared experience,” says Keith Harmon, director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. “So a big part of Bridge is doing everything together. You do nothing in Bridge as an individual.”

The mentality of giving back and supporting one’s community has been inherent to the program since its early days. Crystal Watkins-Johansson ’95, M3, biological sciences, earned her M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University and now serves as director of the memory clinic in the neuropsychiatry program in the Sheppard Pratt Health System, and as an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“When we recruit, we don’t talk a lot about Ph.D.s and M.D./Ph.D.s. We talk about legacy,
and we talk about service. We talk about leadership. We talk about being a part of
something that’s bigger than yourself.”
– Keith Harmon, Director, Meyerhoff Scholars Program

“As a graduate of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC, I have developed a tradition of mentoring undergraduate and graduate students from the Meyerhoff program,” Watkins-Johansson says, “as the mentoring I received through the program continues to be the foundation of my success.”

Isaac Newton said, “I have only seen farther by standing on the shoulders of giants,” and that phrase, too, has resonated with Meyerhoff Scholars. Erwin Cabrera ’10, M18, biological sciences, shares, “The Meyerhoff staff, program alumni, and UMBC faculty were my giants, so I strive to be a giant for those students who come after me.”

Cabrera’s current role aligns directly with his commitment to mentoring the next generation of biomedical professionals. After earning his Ph.D. at the New York University School of Medicine, he now serves as the associate director for the Research Aligned Mentorship program at Farmingdale State University, a program that provides additional supports—similar in ways to the Meyerhoff Scholars Program—to annual cohorts of Farmingdale students.

For some Meyerhoff scholars, it was the group experience that helped them see their true potential. “Being surrounded by a critical mass of high-achieving African Americans was extremely important to my growth as an individual,” says Kamili (Shaw) Jackson ’97, M5, M.S. ’99, mechanical engineering. “It gave me confidence and humility at the same time.”

Mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers, and changing their lives in the process, is a worthy goal and a laudable outcome of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. But the ripple effect goes even farther. Those researchers, many of whom are from underrepresented groups in STEM, bring fresh perspectives and energy to their work, and the results of their efforts can impact an even larger set of people.

“My research experience in Dr. [Michael] Summers’ lab helped me recognize the lasting impact that biomedical research could have on the lives of patients,” shares Chelsea Pinnix ’99, M7, biochemistry and molecular biology. “I began to envision myself as more than a future physician, and instead as a young woman with the potential to heal patients in my clinic and improve medical care for patients that I would never meet through meaningful research.”

As the Meyerhoff Scholars Program enters its fourth decade, the emphasis on paying it forward is just as strong as it was at the program’s founding in 1989. Except now, there already exists a network—a family—of hundreds of Meyerhoff alumni ready to support upcoming students in all that they wish to pursue, which goes far beyond earning a degree (or three).

And that message of changing the world is part of the conversation from the start. Teaching students to think beyond the degree toward thinking about a career where they can make real change in the world, both by doing meaningful research and mentoring others, is an important part of the Meyerhoff program.

“When we recruit, we don’t talk a lot about Ph.D.s and M.D./Ph.D.s.,” Harmon says. “We talk about legacy,
and we talk about service. We talk about leadership. We talk about being a part of something that’s bigger than yourself.”

Learn more about the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at meyerhoff.umbc.edu.

Photos courtesy of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.

From its very first days, Earnestine Baker, Executive Director Emerita, has been an integral part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. UMBC Magazine sat down with Baker to talk about some of the ways she — along with other staff and students — laid the foundation for the program’s successes over the last thirty years.

UMBC Magazine: What are some of your first memories of how the Meyerhoff Scholars Program came to be?

Earnestine Baker: Immediately what comes to mind is the phone call I received from Dr.Hrabowski, inviting me to a meeting in his conference room. I was working in the Office of Financial Aid as the Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships; UMBC did not have a scholarship program at that time. Tom Taylor, the Director of Financial Aid, initiated UMBC’s formal scholarship program.

So in that capacity, I worked to establish the scholarship program for incoming freshmen. One afternoon in the summer of 1988, I received a life-changing call from the Assistant to the Vice Provost, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, inviting me to come to a meeting to discuss scholarships. I was thinking that we would talk about my work and plans for UMBC’s scholarship program, but instead he laid out his plan for recruiting, to UMBC, African American men who would go on and achieve Ph.D.s in science. He met with Mr. and Mrs. [Robert] Meyerhoff, and he wanted to develop this program. I hesitated a little but finally said “Okay,” and he said, “I want to create the environment that we had when we were undergraduates [at Hampton Institute now Hampton University.]” And when he said that, I knew immediately what he was talking about. … During the meeting he asked if I would look into developing an application for the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. I went back to my office, developed a design and that’s how I began working with the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. By the way, the first application received for the Meyerhoff Scholars Program was from Chester Hedgepeth now an M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

UMBC Magazine: How did you initially spread the word about it?

Earnestine Baker:  So that’s an excellent question, because what happened after that meeting I thought was very smart of Doc. He sent letters to all the state superintendents of schools, principals, the heads of private and parochial schools, letters to guidance counselors throughout the state, community leaders, inviting them all to come to UMBC for a meeting. During this meeting, he again laid out his plan for the Program; first buy-in approach I thought.

Additionally, we asked students who were the people who made an impact in their lives educationally. And they said, “My teacher in biology,” or “My guidance counselor,” or, “My minister,” “My pastor of my church,” or “Someone down the street.” We collected names and addresses of individuals and invited them also to this meeting, and … asked them to nominate students for the scholarship. From this came the Meyerhoff Nomination Process.

UMBC Magazine: How did folks react to the program at the very beginning?

Earnestine Baker: That’s what was great about this meeting with the superintendents, principal and others …yes we announced the scholarship, but we also wanted support, buy-in, plus community ownership for the Program we were about to launch.

UMBC Magazine:  So in a way, you were opening the door to the people who were most likely to make it successful, because someone coming to the meeting was already going to believe in what you’re talking about. That seems like just such a smart move.

Earnestine Baker:   Right, it was a very wise decision. We let our leaders in education know that UMBC will provide another opportunity for them to support students whose goal is to increase the number of scientists who will teach and become researchers.

UMBC Magazine: What was it like bringing students into research opportunities for the first time, when you were still figuring pieces of the experience out?

Earnestine Baker:   The students were very excited. We knew for them to have a competitive application for graduate and professional schools, they needed strong research experiences, be it in industry or in higher education. Initially, a larger number of students were completing research in industry and not in higher education, at the NIH, National Science Foundation, NSA, and NASA; we had more connections in industry at that time.

At UMBC, the first faculty member to take one of our students in his lab was Dr. Frank Hanson in the Biology Department. I said to Frank, “I need to find a lab placement for one of our students,” and he said, “Well, let’s look at it and see what we can do.”

It took many, many meetings with high schools, universities, federal and state agencies and individuals to get our message “out.” Many of these meetings included Charles “Tot” Woolston – you don’t hear much about his efforts, but he gave tremendously while promoting the Meyerhoff mission and goals. Dr. Phyllis Robinson, Biology Department was extremely helpful in advising the program for internships and graduate school placements. A major breakthrough for research opportunities came when Dr. Hrabowski connected with Leadership Alliance, whose executive office is at Brown University.

Dr. James “Jim” Wyche was the director of the Leadership Alliance as well as a faculty member at Brown. This partnership, provided opportunities for our students to participate in research at the top leading institutions across the nation. There are about 38 schools in the Alliance now. I invited one of the Leadership Alliance faculty members from Harvard University to visit UMBC, meet faculty and the Meyerhoff Scholars. From this meeting – the next two summers, she (the late Dr. Jocelyn Spragg) selected three Meyerhoff Scholars for summer research at Harvard. The Meyerhoffs Scholars were Crystal Watkins M3, Damon Tweedy M4, and Andrew Atiemo M4. Their work was exceptional and created an interest in Meyerhoff Scholars at other top tier universities. This was a very exciting time, and my confirmation that “yes, we can do this.” Jocelyn invited me to visit Harvard while Damon and Andrew were there. She remained a good friend and strong supporter of UMBC and the Meyerhoff Program.

UMBC Magazine:   I would love to talk about Summer Bridge, because that is what comes up so often with everyone as a really pivotal moment of the Meyerhoff experience.

Earnestine Baker:  I feel Summer Bridge is the key component. It is the beginning stages of becoming a Meyerhoff Scholar and truly understanding the goals of the Program and what it means to work together as a family; the true feeling of the Meyerhoff family.  I often say to students “you don’t have to love each other, you don’t have to like each other, but you have to help each other.”

It’s not only about working together as students, but also learning how to work with faculty, staff and administrators; teaching the UMBC way, the Meyerhoff way. Academically, we talked about high expectations and goals. We had regular meetings and talked about how the Program expected students to perform academically, personally, socially … in all aspects of their undergraduate career.

What is critically important, and what we have tried to communicate over the years, is that you cannot be successful in STEM trying to do it alone, nor should you try. Interdependence is taught during Summer Bridge, and it’s very important. Some students’ approach is similar to high school, “I have to do this by myself. I cannot – I don’t – I shouldn’t ask questions, because if I ask questions it shows that I’m not smart, I’m not capable, and I’m not intelligent.” Hence some don’t want to ask questions or reach out for help. Some have the mindset, “It’s me. It’s mine. And that’s the way it’s going to be.”   I know it’s a part of their growing-up experience. For some, it’s the first time — hearing when you gain knowledge and achieve you should, and we expect you to, share what you have gained with others. When one wins we all win. When one fails we all fail. In Meyerhoff failure is not an option.  Can you imagine the reaction in a calculus class when the lowest grade on a test – let’s say 69 – becomes the grade for everyone in the class? Not happy campers.  Over the years I have enjoyed and appreciated the lesson learned in this class; seeing the class come together and work to achieve an “A” was just what I hoped would happen. It’s a powerful lesson and it has been passed forward.  During Summer Bridge scholars are expected to move about campus together – a part of the bonding process.  I remember once a group of scholars decided to leave their cohort early for lunch.  Upon my arrival to the dining hall one of the dining hall staff members reported to me that some Meyerhoffs had arrived early and she knew that they were not supposed to do that.  This to me was a wonderful example of institutional buy-in.  This staff member knew and supported our mission.

It begins with Summer Bridge, and the lessons learned hopefully will continue. I’m told it continues at the graduate level and in the work place. Summer Bridge is not easy. LaMont (Toliver) and I used to plan, plot, and scheme to make each Meyerhoff co-hort the best they could be. No gaps in the line while walking to class together, 6 a.m. wake-up calls, never late to anything, sit in the front of class … Scholars were not always happy with us, I know, but I hope they realize the reasons and can see and appreciate the benefits. For what we have accomplished over thirty years – “it is worth it.”

UMBC Magazine: What’s it like talking with students about Summer Bridge now, especially those who didn’t initially understand what you were trying to do?

Earnestine Baker:  It was a challenge seeing Meyerhoff Scholars go through Summer Bridge and initially not understanding its purpose, not getting it. Sometimes I saw hurt on their faces, or anger, and I said to them, ‘ Just listen. Just listen and you’ll come to understand what it is that we are trying to do.’ … And now I hear – ‘Okay, I’m out. I’ve graduated now, and I get Summer Bridge. I understand’…and they find themselves repeating some of the same principals not only to their students and colleagues, but to their kids…. I feel this part of my life has been so worthwhile. At the end of the day, I exhale and reflect, and I say, ‘Thank you, God.’”  Many scholars have expressed their gratitude for my support over the years and I am grateful.  But the only thank you I desire is to see them give back to others.

Learn more about the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at meyerhoff.umbc.edu.

Photos, top to bottom, provided by the Meyerhoff Scholars Program: Baker with Lamont Dozier, a member of the second Meyerhoff cohort; Early Meyerhoff students studying; Baker with members of the Meyerhoff Parents Association; Meyerhoff student activity on the Quad.

In 1989, Baltimore philanthropist Robert E. Meyerhoff sat down with then-UMBC vice provost Freeman Hrabowski with a bold vision for the University—to create a program that would offer high-achieving African American men a doorway into STEM scholarship at the highest levels. Thirty years later, the Meyerhoff Scholars Program is a national leader on the forefront of efforts to increase diversity among future leaders—both women and men—in science, engineering, and related fields. Because of that, UMBC is also the leading producer nationally of African American undergraduates who go on to earn M.D./Ph.D. degrees.

This spring, as the program celebrates its 30th anniversary with its more than 1,100 alumni worldwide, Meyerhoff and Hrabowski sat down again to discuss the impact of what they started. This is an edited excerpt of that conversation.

Hrabowski:  Bob, you may recall that at that time UMBC was having a challenge in that young African Americans were coming in wanting to major in science or pre-med, and they were not doing well. They were not doing well….

Bob Embry of the Abell Foundation called me and he said, “Bob Meyerhoff has an interest in talking to you.” And when I got to you, it was like a marriage made in heaven, because all you did, the whole time, was ask me questions. You were trying to understand the problems, and the issues, and you did tell me, I will never forget it, that you truly believed that if children were given the same opportunities as your children, with the same support, they would do just as well. They would do quite well. And that’s how we got started.

Meyerhoff: And, there’s no question about it, that I was impressed right from the beginning with the first class. the students you had … were really impressive….And almost every year, they are more impressive.

Hrabowski: And let me just say, the fact that [the] Howard Hughes [Medical Institute] has put so much money into replicating the program at other places, and that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is just starting this process out in California, replicating the program, says a lot. The most important thing is…you have to have people who really care, and as you said at the beginning, who believe these young people can do it. And then we have to be clear about those expectations…And then we have to evaluate and be honest about what works and what doesn’t work. That makes the difference.

Meyerhoff: I’m so proud. I mean, if I wasn’t proud of them, I wouldn’t like the idea they call themselves Meyerhoffs. It’s complimentary to me that they’re called Meyerhoffs. I mean, they’re all much more educated in science than I am, and they have accomplished much more in science and engineering than I have or ever could. So I’m so very proud of the fact that they are where they are. They’re just so outstanding, and they’re just proving day after day after day how successful the program is.

Hrabowski: That’s right. And you have been a pioneer in being a visionary for this program, and these students are pioneers, because many have become the first African American, for example, or the first woman to complete these degrees. And once the first does it, then other people say, “I want to be like that.”

Meyerhoff: Right.

Hrabowski: “And I want to do that.” And that’s for every race in the program, for every possible group, they have been leading and showing other kids that it can be done…

You know when I think about it, this 30th anniversary, Bob, represents two things. Number one, your belief in the dream. The dream that these young people could excel. And number two, the magical notion that this is a time that we celebrate dreams realized. These are dreams realized, when you look out and you see hundreds of young people who are now serving society as scientists, and engineers, and physicians, we can’t help but think dreams realized. We continue to hold fast to dreams.

For more information about the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the 30th Anniversary Celebration, visit meyerhoff.umbc.edu.

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Header image by Marlayna Demond ’11. 

By Mariano R. Sto. Domingo, Department of Psychology Faculty, UMBC, and Viji Sathy, Teaching Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jerome Adams is the 20th surgeon general of the United States and former Indiana state health commissioner.

Angelique Johnson is a co-founder and CEO of MEMStim, a company that produces implantable electronics to treat brain disorders.

Isaac Kinde is the chief scientific officer at PapGene, Inc., a company that sells molecular tests meant to detect cancer early. He is also a recognized national expert in molecular cancer diagnostics.

All three graduated from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. The program was co-founded by Robert Meyerhoff, a Baltimore philanthropist, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabowski in 1988 with the goal of increasing representation of minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs at UMBC.

Since then, about 1,500 students have gone through the program and pursued careers that range from public health practitioners to entrepreneurs. Many alumni are professors.

What makes the Meyerhoff work?

The Meyerhoff Scholars program has been called the “gold standard” for providing a path into STEM research for African Americans, Hispanics, and economically disadvantaged white students who are underrepresented in the field. It has also been credited with changing the culture of the campus at UMBC.

Based on the success of the Meyerhoff program at UMBC, we wondered if the program could be successfully replicated on other college campuses, particularly in light of the fact that earlier attempts at other schools did not succeed.

In a study published April 26, we conclude that the answer is: yes. We conducted the study with funding and advisory support from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. We are part of the inter-institutional research team that has tracked the academic performance of the students on our campuses.

Before we get into the details of our findings, first here’s a bit of background on the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and how it works.

Practice for success

For the past 30 years, minority students who are part of the program are coached to sit in the front rows of their classes, raise their hands to ask challenging questions, and stay after class to engage their professors. These cohorts of students attend a summer bridge program before their first semester in college, live on the same residence hall and form study groups. They also volunteer in communities, work in laboratories on campus during the semesters and off-campus during summers throughout college.

Faculty and campus leaders serve as champions for their success until and after they complete bachelor’s degrees.

The cohort-based program recruits high achieving high school students to work closely and excel together. Critics have said that practice of picking top students is “elitist.” But Hrabowski, the co-founder, has defended the program as being responsive to students who want to earn an advanced STEM degree.

The program includes 13 key program components designed to provide academic, social and professional support to equip students for STEM graduate programs. These components include advising and counseling, tutoring, quality research experience and mentorship.

Payoffs and benefits

Evidence shows that African American Meyerhoff scholars earn higher grades in STEM majors – 0.25 points higher on a 4.0 GPA, to be exact. Evidence also shows that African American Meyerhoff scholars are twice as likely to graduate from STEM majors than similar students. They are also 7.5 times more likely to pursue and complete advanced degrees versus those who decline the scholarship.

UMBC is now the second top producer of black STEM-Ph.D. degree recipients, second only to Howard University, and the number one producer of MD-Ph.D. degree recipients.

Brent Staples, an editorial writer for The New York Times, has noted that the Meyerhoff Scholars Program is “so well known that the university no longer needs to recruit for it.”

“Critics have sometimes accused the Meyerhoff program of cherry-picking bright students who would perform spectacularly well wherever they went to school,” Staples wrote. “But the numbers suggest that the school’s instructional strategy makes a real difference.”

Can the program be replicated?

“Some critics have argued that although the Meyerhoff program is successful at UMBC, its success could not be replicated elsewhere,” Freeman Hrabowski acknowledged in an article he co-authored for Issues in Science and Technology. “They maintain that UMBC is a unique place with a president who is African American and a program champion in a way that cannot be copied. They also claim the program is expensive.”

To put the issue of whether the program could be copied to the test, we looked at two different programs that were patterned after the Meyerhoff Scholars program – the Millennium Scholars program at Penn State University, which began in 2012, and the Chancellor’s Science Scholars program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which began in 2013.

Prior to these programs, UNC and Penn State each had between 100 and 200 graduates who went on to earn STEM doctoral degrees but only four to six of the students were African American students. While it’s too early to tell what the outcome will be, preliminary indicators suggest that both programs are on target to surpass early Meyerhoff rates of entry into STEM Ph.D. and MD-Ph.D. programs. For instance, the rate for the first group of Meyerhoff scholars back in 1993 was 10%, whereas the rates for UNC and Penn State in 2017 were 21% and 50%, respectively. The current Meyerhoff rate of entry into STEM Ph.D. and MD-Ph.D. programs is 48% immediately after graduation.

Some may think that the programs got these results by cherry-picking exceptionally talented students. To address this question, we looked at students who were in the programs and compared them to students of similar demographics and academic strength and interest who were not in the programs. The study involved nearly 1,500 students across the three campuses.

We found that students who are part of the programs stayed in their STEM majors at a rate of between 91% and 94%, versus 78% to 80% for non-participants. And program participants earned GPAs of between 3.48 to 3.59, versus 3.15 to 3.22 for those who were not in the program.

Adopting the model

What our findings show is that in order for a Meyerhoff-type program to work, the program can’t be implemented in just any old way. Success requires a full commitment to the entire Meyerhoff model. It also takes training program staff and faculty on how to follow the model fully. Unlike earlier attempts at other schools, UNC and Penn State implemented all aspects of the program.

It also takes money. For instance, the programs at Penn State and North Carolina run off endowments of US$7.1 million and $15.5 million, respectively. Both endowments were created by dedicated fundraising campaigns, much of it going to scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, research and travel experiences for the students.

Finally, there should be a rigorous evaluation of the program that provides ongoing feedback and that tracks the academic performance of program participants.

If more colleges follow the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, it stands to reason that years from now there will be more individuals from diverse backgrounds excelling in STEM careers, much like Jerome Adams, Angelique Johnson and Isaac Kinde are now.

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Header image: Joshua Brown, an IMSD Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows, works in the lab at UMBC. Photo courtesy of Marlayna Demond ’11.

Editor’s Note: The Conversation has received funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Mariano R. Sto. Domingo, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Viji Sathy, Program Evaluator, Chancellor’s Science Scholars; Teaching Associate Professor, Dept of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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

JEROME ADAMS ’97
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Notable Achievement: U.S. Surgeon General

Back in the ’90s, Jerome Adams was just a kid watching UMBC basketball games and making sure he never missed Quadmania. Now, he has a bit more on his plate—like being “Top Doctor” for the entire United States.

“UMBC as a school has constantly shown they punch above their weight. There’s nothing we can’t do.”

— Jerome Adams ’97

In 2017, Adams was named Surgeon General, tasked as the leading spokesperson on public health for the federal government and serving as the “Nation’s Doctor.”

Adams credits UMBC with helping him get to where he is today. As a student in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, he never forgot UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski’s reminder that to whom much is given, much is required.

“UMBC and Dr. Hrabowski and the Meyerhoff Program work together
to inspire folks to be the best that they can be.”

Driven in her work by memories of her grandmother, Dr. Tabassum Majid, M18, ’10, interdisciplinary studies, M.A. ’18, management of aging studies, has made a career of education and research related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Recently, she was recognized in the Baltimore Sun’s “25 Women to Watch in 2018” list. Following her undergraduate study in neurodegenerative disorders of the aged, she earned her Ph.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and had a fellowship at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. Today, as executive director of the Integrace Institute, former Meyerhoff Scholar Majid looks ahead to ways of improving the lives of elders and their support networks, and many of the tools she uses every day come from the interdisciplinary education she received at UMBC. Here, Majid tells us how taking a chance on UMBC, and granting the trust of her most precious possession — her dreams — has made all the difference.

“Trust us with your dreams; you were meant to heal the world.”

This is one of the first things that I heard as a freshman at UMBC, the first time a mentor ever pushed me to both be vulnerable and challenge the universe at the same time.

The mantra has stayed with me throughout my personal and professional journeys since setting foot on a campus that I have come to consider a second home. The story began there.

UMBC was not my first choice until I met the people in it. I had dreams, big ones: neurosurgery at Yale, curing Alzheimer’s disease, traveling the world and making music come alive.

Yet, my heart and mind were one when I interacted with society’s most vulnerable: Older adults with dementia who reminded me of my lifelong hero — my grandmother — and children with chronic illness but sunny dispositions.

It took some trust to hand that over to the gentle soul who greeted me on my first day on campus. How could I refuse a place that was saying yes to my dreams, telling me that anything was possible? Freshman? Meyerhoff Scholar? Creating your own interdisciplinary studies degree focused neurodegenerative disorders of the aged? “We can figure that out,” they said. You want to be SGA Vice President? “We’ve never had a freshman do that, but why not? You were meant for greatness. Grit is in your nature.”

The opportunities kept coming, but I didn’t understand why. I kept looking for something to tell me I was in the right place doing the right thing. And then it happened. I was asked to write down the story of my grandmother. A release valve opened, passion flowed out, and I started to solidify those dreams. Before I knew it, I was graduating and off to Houston, Texas, to work with my new set of mentors, internationally renowned pioneers in Alzheimer’s and dementia research.

I finished my Ph.D. degree by focusing on all of those who came before me, who paved the path. Who I trusted with my dreams. My parents, two immigrants who came to the U.S. to give me a better life; my grandmother, who inspires me daily; my mentors, dozens of them, who encouraged, guarded, and nurtured my dreams. I defended my dissertation and got a letter from that same gentle soul at UMBC: “You’ve done what you went there to do; now you may come home.”

I came back to Maryland and decided to teach, to give back, and begin my research trajectory. I started teaching and mentoring UMBC students as an adjunct faculty member while doing my post-doctoral research. I found the most joy in seeing others be inspired to achieve their dreams, to discover their grit. I kept working with individuals with dementia and their caregivers, and got an amazing job at the Integrace Institute, a non-profit organization in Maryland that integrates research, education, and consulting together to transform the lives of those with neurocognitive changes.

I needed more knowledge on this new industry, so I came back to UMBC for my MAgS degree. Every day is different now. Whether I am teaching staff members on how to individualize care, chatting with a resident about their life, presenting at a national research conference on brain health, I’m living those dreams with my UMBC family. One of my students used her museum design background to create an exhibit space to communicate research and educational findings in an innovative way. Another is using his musical talents to help us with a meaningful music study. Faculty and staff are co-creating curriculum and collaborating on research and future intergenerational programs. We are always looking ahead for more ways to grow, expand, and change.

It has been a transformational journey for me, expanding and changing as quickly as UMBC. In times of change, however, it is comforting to know that a walk around the loop will always welcome me home.

With their hearts in the work and their ears to the ground, the people behind some of UMBC’s longest-standing homegrown programs are solving big societal problems. But the work is never done.

By Jenny O’Grady

On the wall of the office, in bright Retriever gold, hangs UMBC’s vision statement, a bold call to action for any and all who happen to wander past. A call to “connect innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement.” A call to “advance knowledge, economic prosperity, and social justice.” No simple task, indeed.

There’s a quote from late Baltimore civic leader Walter Sondheim, as well. Christopher Steele keeps them here as a reminder that we’re all here to serve as well as learn. It can be messy work, he says, but worth the pursuit.

“Look at our vision statement. This notion of social justice and civic engagement are clearly stated…it’s in our values,” said Steele, Vice Provost, Division of Professional Studies, and Executive Director of the Shriver Center.

Founded in 1966, during a time of great civil unrest, UMBC is rooted in a type of service-learning that cuts across disciplines and traditional social structures. And the backbone of that work is programs like those of the Shriver Center, and many others homegrown on the UMBC campus, that over the last several decades have worked to address major societal problems of their time — from inclusivity in the workplace, to social justice in our cities — in collaboration with community partners.

Time passes, and successes come hard earned, because moving the needle takes both persistence and patience. Challenges change over time, forcing student learners and their instructors to bend and re-learn as they go.

The vision statement doesn’t precisely define the “why” of it all, but that’s not necessary. The answer is woven through everything these programs do.

Leveling the Playing Field

Imagine having a passion for technology or science, and the desire to make a difference with your talents. Now imagine encountering multiple locked doors before you as you attempt to enter the field of your choice — or even to pursue the study that drives you. Imagine hearing over and over again that this is “just the way it is,” or worse, the silence of no one noticing.

Decades after their founding, issues of accessibility in learning and industry still exist in the STEM fields. But, UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) forge on, as they have for 30 and 20 years, respectively, working to open doors for underrepresented groups both as they learn, and as they move into the workforce.

“This is what drives us…increasing the number of women, and the participation of women, as well as other underrepresented groups in computing and engineering,” says Carolyn Seaman, associate professor of information systems and interim director for CWIT, not only because of the principal of fairness, but because the industry needs it.

“Better design requires a diverse set of perspectives, a diverse set of life experiences, a diverse set of requirements,” that can only be improved through diversification of these traditionally male dominated work spaces, she says.

As one of the nation’s leading sources of African Americans who get Ph.D.s in science and engineering, UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program does its work for similar reasons. Many academic doors haven’t traditionally been open to these students — not just at the college level, but far before that.

“There’s so much potential, and there are so many problems in the world. We need as many hands in the work as possible,” says Keith Harmon, director of the Meyerhoff program.

Both Meyerhoff and CWIT have evolved over time, as industry and societal needs revealed themselves. CWIT, for one, broadened its scope to include not just women, but male allies who could contribute to a shared vision. The program has also branched out to cover study areas that map directly to industry needs with the creation of its Cyber Scholars group, and worked to expand the program to students who need them most.

“We had people saying, ‘Well, you’re serving the best of the best, which is fantastic, but there are more than 3,000 other students in the [College of Engineering and IT]. How can you serve them?’” said Danyelle Ireland, associate director of CWIT. “We’ve done great things for our scholars, so there’s now more demand.”

Even if his program could double in size, however, Harmon believes that pushing the numbers too far could hurt the one-on-one attention his students receive, and, ultimately take away from the experience. Students in both programs graduate among tightly-knit groups who often refer to their cohorts as families.

T-SITE Scholar Kiante Brantley ’15, M.S. ’16, computer science, recalls a fellow CWIT Scholar found time to personally tutor him in a class he was struggling in even though he was working 20 hours a week with a full course load.

“Being a minority in STEM is hard, but you have a support system of other minority students, faculty, and alumni, then the struggle becomes easier,” says Brantley, now a Ph.D. student at College Park. “CWIT created a family that provided students like myself with the encouragement to make it through…tough times.”

For CWIT, the family means living on a residence hall together, eating together, doing Zumba together, and celebrating life’s victories. The same happens with the Meyerhoffs, where new students begin school the summer before fall semester — in a Summer Bridge program, an academic and social immersion that helps students quickly establish solid study habits — as cohorts that stick together long after graduation.

Rockford “Rocky” Foster ’13, mathematics, a member of the 21st Meyerhoff cohort who is nearing completion of a Ph.D. in mathematics at UC Berkeley, says he was embraced by the community immediately. Because of what he learned, he has started a “mini- Meyerhoff” system on the west coast, seeking out mentors and mentees as a solid support system. The Meyerhoff program’s “secret sauce,” he says, is the strength of those bonds; 30 years in, those bonds can be found across the country.

“So now, when a Meyerhoff undergrad is facing a challenge, chances are there’s a Meyerhoff who can empathize and provide guidance. When they identify an institution or professor they want to work with, there’s someone who can put them in touch or put in a good word,” says Foster.

“The truth is there are many people who are born with such networks in place; their families have accumulated a sort of academic wealth. But other people, historically disadvantaged people, have been denied the ability to accumulate this wealth. The incredible thing about Meyerhoff is that they built it in less than thirty years.”

As a Cyber Scholar, Priyanka Ranade ‘18, information systems, participated on an all-woman team in a cyber engineering competition sponsored by Northrop Grumman. The team won first place, and today Ranade works at Northrop as a cyber software engineer and serves as a mentor to a current Cyber Scholar team.

“We are not taught to solely invest in our own dreams,” she said, but “to use our strengths in helping others in their journeys, too.”

Filling a Teaching Need

Studies show that students in high-needs schools who are taught by teachers who come from similar backgrounds — and who can understand their specific needs and challenges — are more likely to succeed. And yet, filling those teaching spots presents a perpetual challenge, because teaching in those areas often carries stigmas that scare away potential candidates.

“The biggest challenges, we find, is just finding enough students who want to be teachers, whose families support that career path, and who want to teach in Baltimore,” said Rehana Shafi, director of the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, which for the past decade has worked to fulfill the mission of “for every Baltimore student an exceptional STEM educator.”

Today, the program has more than 90 alumni teaching and leading in schools all over the state, including in Baltimore city and Baltimore County, and 64 current students. Getting students interested in the first place may be difficult, but the program works to help them understand why this is such a special — and important — calling.

“We’ve shifted how we talk about teaching,” said Shafi. “We talk about social justice and equity. STEM is an integral part of our mission, but at the end of the day, we want people who are approaching teaching from those two lenses…especially when you’re working with kids — and with families and communities — who are the most underresourced.”

Knowing the challenges their students are facing as they student teach, the Sherman program in the last few years made shifts to offer higher levels of support, with the addition of staff who offer dedicated professional coaching for students. It also targets recruitment efforts in city schools because people often want to return to their home community to teach. And the program now requires annual applied learning experiences (an increase) in city schools or with programs that support kids from city schools.

This includes major work at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore city, where for the last six years the Sherman program has partnered on teacher professional development with math teachers, afterschool enrichment programs, and (along with elbow grease from the UMBC Peaceworker Fellows Program and financial support from the Northrop Grumman Foundation) the launch of a new Lakeland Community and STEAM Center.

Elizabeth “Rosie” Plitt ’14, psychology, M.A.T. ’16, education, who is in her second year of teaching kindergarten at Lakeland currently, says the professional coaching specifically regarding community and cultural responsiveness she received through Sherman is what sets the program apart.

“The program has opened my eyes to my passion for teaching in urban schools,” she said. “The community, the connection, and the reward outweigh the many challenging aspects that occur throughout the year.”

Joseph Skowronski ’18, biochemistry and molecular biology, joined Sherman “on a whim,” he said, “but it was a decision that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. I knew immediately that I was in the company of dedicated professionals who wanted nothing more than for each and every one of us to succeed and be the best teachers we could be.”

Currently completing both his master’s of arts in teaching and a year-long student teaching internship at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Skowronski said he “loves walking into a class and seeing a fellow Sherman in the room. An instant connection is made in that moment, and I have a friend and partner in the class on day one.”

For Shafi, though pushing the numbers of students working in high-need schools is a goal, the real mark of success is a shift in thinking among them.

“We really want our students to deeply understand who they are and what they walk into the room with, and who their students are. That takes time,” said Shafi. “And then, when people ask, ‘What do you teach?’ that the first thing they say is ‘I teach students.’ It might be math. It might be chemistry. It be elementary, but ‘I teach students.’”

A Community That Cares

Dealing directly with critical social challenges can be messy, but for the past 25 years the Shriver Center has moved and changed to keep up with the challenge, connecting thousands of students and faculty to partner with people and communities to address their needs. Alongside them, the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars have also contributed to service-learning, internships, activism, and research to enact social change since 1999.

Named in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver with the mission of “addressing critical social challenges by bridging campus and community through engaged scholarship and applied learning,” UMBC’s Shriver Center serves as an umbrella organization with numerous spokes and broadly sweeping goals. The center runs programs covering everything from service-learning and community engagement (including the Shriver Living Learning Community, and service and leadership scholarships) and Public Service Scholars programs for students, to orchestrating engaged scholarship by faculty, to advocacy, academic support, and work experience for youth offered by the Choice Program, and intense community engagement via the Shriver Peaceworker Program.

“We’re trying to move toward social justice and increased equity across the board in society,” through approaches that involve students, faculty and communities, said Shriver Director Michele Wolff ’89, sociology.

“On the student side, we want to create spaces in which they feel empowered to become change agents to tackle issues identified by the community…and with faculty, we want to collaborate to connect their research and creative work with community-based activity. And then, we work directly with the community to help them address their identified needs, usually with students as the resource that helps build their capacity to lead positive change.”

Studies by members of the Shriver staff have shown that in addition to helping surrounding communities, applied learning of this sort also improves GPAs and graduation rates among participating students, while nurturing skills in leadership, public speaking, personal growth, and career exploration.

The center’s Choice Program offers community-based case management services and aims to foster healthy development and resiliency among youth from under resourced schools and communities. It served nearly 1,000 youth and their families in 2017, resulting in lower recidivism rates and a reduction in out of home placements.

When she came to UMBC, MaryBeth Hyland ’06, social work, wanted to become an orthodontist. But, her experiences working as a site coordinator with the Choice Program and living in the Shriver Living Learning Community put her on track for an entirely different career. In one case, she helped a youth with serious dental issues get pro-bono treatment with an orthodontist with whom she had previously interned.

“It was in that experience that I realized that I wanted to help people to get the support they needed to live better lives,” said Hyland. Today she runs SparkVision, an organization that helps individuals and companies to live in alignment with their values. “And I changed my major to social work and began to thrive.”

Many Shriver alumni maintain their connections long after they graduate. Peaceworker alumna Katie Long, M.A. ’10, intercultural communication, who currently works as program director and Hispanic liaison for the Friends of Patterson Park in Baltimore, still calls upon her Peaceworker family for support and camaraderie.

“I think the practical idealism that is instilled by the Peaceworker Program is much of the reason why many of us are able to continue with the fight for social justice and betterment of our city,” she said.

Service is also a core value of the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars, who often collaborate with Shriver Center programs. By working closely on problems like poverty, inadequate education, or services for immigrants or disabled people, students broaden their horizons, build empathy, and become exposed to people they might not otherwise, says Laura Hussey, director of the program and associate professor of political science.

“When students learn about problems through direct encounters with the people they affect most keenly, the problems start to look a little different, and perhaps also more complex, than they might have looked from a set of statistics or ideological arguments,” says Hussey. “It’s a great learning exercise to balance and weigh these types of evidence — what students witness at their service sites, what they read in their textbooks, what they hear in the news or from their favorite political sources.”

During his years as a Sondheim Scholar, Evan Leiter-Mason ’17, economics and political science, started a student-run volunteer tax service for people in need of assistance. Today, he continues that work via the CASH Campaign of Maryland, driven by a desire to create a world free from poverty and financial hardship.

“The Sondheim program affirmed my existing desire to be involved in public service by connecting it to the legacy of Walter Sondheim and his work to make Baltimore a better place to live for its citizens,” said Leiter-Mason, who said he found mentors and friends who share his values and drive to help. “I believe we all have a responsibility, in our own way, to imagine and work toward a better world than the one we have.”

Two Meyerhoff Scholars Program alumnae, Kavita Krishnaswamy, M13, ’07, mathematics, and Tabassum Majid, M18, M.A. ’18, aging studies, ’10, interdisciplinary studies, have been included in the Baltimore Sun‘s “25 Women to Watch in 2018” annual listing.

Read the article online here.

Current Ph.D. student Kavita Krishnaswamy, who through her work as a roboticist focuses on giving people with severe disabilities greater independence, has invented voice command interfaces, and is working on another that responds to eye movement. Krishnaswamy, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive disorder that severely limits her movement below the neck, works from home via a telepresence device, and will attend the 2018 Heidelberg Laureate Forum. “Life is always beautiful,” Krishnaswamy tells the Sun. “Instead of complaining, people should remember to do something to make it better.”

Through her work as executive director at Integrace Institute, Tabassum Majid brings an interdisciplinary approach to the future of aging, and the needs of an increasingly diverse demographic.  Integrace was featured in the film “Every Three Seconds” with 23 other organizations from around the world for its work on Alzheimer’s disease prevention. “We are looking at who’s the next generation of customers and seniors,” Majid tells the Sun. “And that’s how we get that first step onto the global stage. The documentary was just the beginning in my opinion.”

The “25 Women to Watch in 2018” piece features “leading voices in business, activism, research and more” from a range of backgrounds and industries, the Sun writes. The awardees will be featured in a special supplement on Sunday, October 14.

Learn more about the Meyerhoff Scholars Program here.

For Annica Wayman M6, ’99, mechanical engineering, this fall marks a homecoming wrapped up in a new beginning. After eight years with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), building programs from the ground up to support research projects that address international development challenges such as global health, agriculture, food security, and renewable energy, Wayman is ready for a new chapter.

Wayman, who holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a bioengineering emphasis from Georgia Tech, sees parallels between what she did at USAID and her new role at UMBC as the College of Natural and Mathematical Science’s associate dean for Shady Grove affairs. In particular, a UMBC campaign t-shirt with “Transform Lives” in large, bold print caught her attention.

“That’s what I was doing at USAID,” Wayman says, “and that’s what I have a chance to do here through science and engineering.” As leader of the charge to launch UMBC’s new Translational Life Science Technology (TLST) undergraduate program at Shady Grove, “There’s still a theme of translating scientific discovery to solutions that transform society, so I’m able to do that, and I’m also transforming students’ lives so they can go on to do those things.”

Building a New Program

The brand-new TLST program, which is administered through the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), trains students in the work that happens “behind the scenes,” Wayman explains—between discoveries in basic science and fully-forged applications in practitioners’ hands, such as drugs or medical devices. Often, gaps in communication and a lack of translational science professionals prevent promising new therapies from ever getting past the earliest stages of development.

The TLST program hopes to change that by training people in the “in between” tasks, such as conducting animal studies and clinical trials, developing processes to scale up production of promising treatments, and learning how to make sure new products are the ones practitioners actually need to help patients.

Wayman will also lead a re-launch of the Master of Professional Studies degree in biotechnology at Shady Grove, which had previously been offered at main campus. Other new programs may follow.

Wayman says UMBC is well-suited to offer such programs at Shady Grove for several reasons, including the Rockville campus’ location in the heart of Montgomery County, where 75 percent of Maryland’s 2,300 life science companies have set up shop. In addition, “UMBC is not scared to take risks,” Wayman says, “and we look for those cutting-edge opportunities to be at the forefront of what careers and industry needs are out there, so that we can prepare students for what is to come and not just what’s already here.”

UMBC’s culture of inclusive excellence is also an asset. “You really need a diverse set of folks—not just diverse in disciplines, but also a diversity of thinking and ethnicity,” says Wayman, who is an alumna of the Meyerhoff (M6 cohort) and MARC Scholar programs. “UMBC has always been really good at fostering an equal playing field,” she adds, “so that all people feel like their voices matter and they can all equally achieve and work together.”

A Supportive Community

Wayman credits her own success in part to the supportive culture she experienced as an undergraduate. “When I was here, I felt that the Meyerhoff staff and the faculty just had such a caring approach,” she shares. In addition, “as an engineering class, we were great peer mentors to each other… Being an African-American female in engineering, I was looking to be sure I could get the support I would need and UMBC delivered greater than my expectations.”

On top of her strong STEM background, Wayman understands that the success of the scientific enterprise is driven by interdisciplinary collaboration. “From where I come from at USAID, that’s huge—we realize that understanding the technology alone is not sufficient to solve a development challenge. You have to understand the culture, the people, the political context, the history of the country.”

“UMBC is continuing to try to push the envelope into what’s the next wave of innovative education, not just in STEM but also blending it with the arts and humanities,” Wayman says, and she’s looking forward to being part of that push.

Learn more about UMBC’s new Translational Life Science Technology and Master of Professional Studies in Biotechnology programs.