“As Maryland and Washington join six other states in approving same-sex marriage, it’s clear that the era of politicians exploiting the issue for political game appears over,” argues UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller in his latest Salon column.

Schaller traces shifting positions on same-sex marriage over the last 16 years — among both voters and politicians — focusing particularly on conservative Ken Mehlman. A former Republican strategist who managed Bush’s 2004 campaign, Mehlman now argues in favor of same-sex marriage rights, which he sees as consistent with conservative beliefs in the economic freedom, personal responsibility and family values.

Schaller concludes that “despite Santorum’s earnest attempts to reinvigorate culture war politics,” same-sex marriage no longer functions as a wedge issue in national elections.

When he retired this week from Howard County’s fire service, as the department’s deputy chief for operations, Charles Sharpe told the Baltimore Sun that his favorite part of the job was training new emergency responders on special-operations work, which he first studied at UMBC 20 years ago.

Sharpe says his training in water and rope rescues “truly proved to be of tremendous value” during his work as a search manager responding to Hurricane Katrina. He still returns to UMBC’s Emergency Health Services department annually to instruct students in a three-day search and rescue training program, a tradition which he plans to continue this year.

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC — a non-partisan health research organization dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations — has released a new issue brief in a series examining hospital community benefits after the Affordable Care Act.

The brief, titled “Partnerships for Community Health Improvement,” discusses a variety of options for collaboration in assessment, planning, priority setting and implementation of health improvement initiatives. It also provides examples of diverse collaboration models already in place among public health agencies, nonprofit hospitals and communities, and examines their efficacy as “powerful forces for promoting community health improvement and systemic change.”

This series is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.

Christopher Corbett, professor of the practice of English, laments the passing of one of Baltimore’s eccentric citizens in his latest column for the back page of Baltimore Style magazine.

“…when the bell tolls, it tolls inevitably for another Baltimore eccentric, a species more endangered than the blue crab,” Corbett writes of the passing of restaurateur Morris Martick.

Corbett’s piece, “Last call,” appeared in the March 2012 issue of the magazine.

“It’s the height of cold and flu season, with people coughing and sneezing and blowing their noses (not to mention their germs) every which way,” reports MSNBC’s “Body Odd” blog.

But not all those coughs and throat clears stem from illness, says Robert Provine, professor of psychology, who points out that we often cough when we hear others cough.

“We don’t know at this time [what’s behind it],” he says. “For example, is it because we have a brain mechanism that when it detects that sound, replicates it, as we seem to have for laughing and yawning? Or are we simply more likely to monitor our throat, to think, ‘Oh, there’s a tickle in my throat. I have to cough.’ The apparent contagiousness of coughing may be due to enhanced self-monitoring and not to a contagious response in the way we find in contagious laughs and yawns.”

The full post, “I cough, you cough: Why it’s contagious” appeared on the blog on February 29.

The “Children’s Lives at Colonial London Town” project, which was developed by UMBC’s Center for History Education’s “Making American History Master Teachers in Anne Arundel County” program, is the recipient of the 2012 Social Studies Program of Excellence Award from the Middle States Regional Council for the Social Studies, an affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies. The award will be given on March 8, 2012 in Baltimore.

Marjoleine Kars, chair of history, has worked with a group of 4th and 5th grade teachers from Anne Arundel County Public Schools for the past four years. She and Mary Davis, her AACPS teacher specialist, developed the London Town project as a way to engage the teachers in doing authentic historical research that would supplement and enrich the school curriculum. The teachers determined that their students would be interested in learning about the lives of children who lived at London Town during the colonial period.

Kars, Davis and curators and education specialists at Historic London Town and Gardens, near Annapolis, MD, assisted the teachers as they worked with primary materials on site and in various collections to craft a storybook based on the lives of three families. In Fall 2011, the teachers began piloting the materials with their students. At the same time, UMBC initiated the next phase of the project: The creation of an interactive, digital resource called “Children’s Lives at Colonial London Town.” The project’s website is being designed by the UMBC New Media Studio and will feature rich historical materials, maps, timelines, as well an interactive storybook.

The website is due to launch in Summer 2012 and will be used in a program of teacher professional development during the 2012-2013 school year.

Junior Atom Zerfas is the quintessential UMBC scholarship student: overwhelmingly outgoing and incredibly involved. A double major in psychology and math, Zerfas is no slouch where academics are concerned — but he feels just as much at home on the playing field.

Zerfas came to UMBC following his graduation from Pikesville High School in 2009. Immediately he jumped into the UMBC culture, joining the Student Events Board and Ultimate Frisbee team. In just two years, he became the Ultimate Frisbee president.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m just the president, I’m not the captain,” he explained modestly.

Atom knew one thing leaving high school: he wanted to be a teacher. After looking around at potential schools, he found UMBC and the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Program. The program helped Zerfas set up a five-year plan in which he will earn an accelerated master’s in education.

“The program has high expectations, but it gives such great support,” said Zerfas. “Honestly, I never want to skip class.”

The Sherman program requires its students to participate in a service project every year. Through the program, Atom was placed in Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School, where he realized that he wanted to be a middle school teacher.

“I was able to form close relationships with the students,” he said. “I even went to their basketball games.”

The support he’s received from the Sherman STEM Teacher Education Program— financially, academically, and morally — has shaped Atom’s UMBC experience. He has been a part of a close-knit cohort of nine scholarship students and has even been able to meet the scholarship’s namesakes, George and Betsy Sherman, who are always open to giving great advice and encouragement, he said.

Upon graduation, Atom plans to teach four years in an underprivileged middle school. The support he’s received reminds Atom of advice he was once given: “There’s someone else out there who could be here, working hard, so make sure you work harder.”

— by Jeremy Brickey ’12

February 28, 2012

To:       The UMBC Community
From:   Freeman Hrabowski, President
Diane Lee, Dean of Undergraduate Education

With great sadness, we must let you know that LaMont Toliver, Director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education, passed away late this morning after suffering a heart attack on campus.

This is a tragic loss for LaMont’s immediate family – his wife, Lisa, and his four sons, Jacquet, Tristan, Julian, and Jordan, and a granddaughter, Kamry Toliver.  (Both Julian and Jordan are students here on campus.)

LaMont’s passing is a tragic loss as well for the Meyerhoff Scholars Program family and the entire University community.  LaMont graced us with his considerable abilities for the past 22 years – his leadership and deep compassion, and his wisdom, wit, and determination.  His example will continue to inspire us, and the strong community of scholars he loved will comfort us in the days ahead.

As soon as we receive information from the Toliver family regarding funeral arrangements, we will let the campus community know.  In the meantime, please keep LaMont and members of his family in your thoughts and prayers.

* * * *

Further information is available online at the Meyerhoff Scholars Program website: http://www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff

UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller appeared on MSNBC’s “Up w/Chris Hayes” on Saturday, February 25.

Schaller frequently comments on national politics in his regular Baltimore Sun column, on Salon and through TV and radio. On “Up w/Chris Hayes,” Schaller contributed to a segment about legislative battles on social issues in Arizona, alongside Megan McCain, James Poulos and Victoria Defrancesco Soto. Schaller also appeared live on the “Nicole Sandler Show” Tuesday, February 28, discussing his latest Sun column, “An American recipe for class immobility,” and the GOP primary season.