Star on the Rise

When Luke Roberts plays piano and sings, he is at ease and does so with a purely natural ability.  He is confident and plays his original songs with the grace and passion of a seasoned pro.

It is no surprise that a junior mechanical engineering student and Meyerhoff Scholar has many talents, but it was Roberts’ positive attitude and dedication to his craft that made it clear why he won the second season of the international YOBISing online music competition.

Roberts, who is from Laurel, Md., began his musical journey by learning drums when he was young.  He soon realized it was a hobby that was going to stick.  He eventually learned piano and began singing and writing songs.  His father was in a local band, and his brother Daniel, also a UMBC student, plays guitar, piano and sings.  His younger brother Michael plays bass, piano and sings.

“Music connected to a part of me and allowed me to let things out that I couldn’t any other way,” said Roberts, who was one of 30 semifinalists out of nearly 3,000 international musicians. 

Roberts entered the YOBISing contest in January of 2009, and only those with enough votes advanced in the competition until the contest closed this past May and a winner was selected. He made it clear that he wouldn’t have gotten far without support. 

Roberts utilized Facebook and the support of the UMBC community through 40 weeks of the competition to push his song “Turn Me Around” all the way to first place after seven weeks of semi-finals.  Flyers, banners, emails to listserves and t-shirts were created by Roberts and friends to promote his participation in the contest. 

“It was cool for everyone else, almost like a UMBC victory too,” he said. “People I don’t even know still come up to me and say ‘congrats man!’”

As the winner of theYOBISing contest, Roberts received $18,000, a trip to Los Angeles, VIP tickets to the 2011 Grammy Awards and VIP tickets to a celebrity awards after-party. 

Roberts admits he spent most of the money paying for school. 

While Roberts has a passion for music and songwriting, he is also very interested in studying mechanical engineering and getting a Ph.D.  He is interning at Johns Hopkins where he is doing research on prosthetic hands, and working to develop a glove that can detect if an object is slipping through its grasp. 

“Always have back-up options,” said Roberts. “A huge part of me is engineering.”

Roberts does find the time to balance his two worlds.  He plays drums and piano simultaneously (one instrument with each hand) in his band, Band of Brothers, with his siblings. They just released a CD and play locally at community events, and will perform at “A Taste of UMBC” during Homecoming on Saturday, October 16.

He also emphasizes that music is sometimes a profound experience, and that he strives to connect to people with his art.  This is something that he shares with his brothers.

“I think that the real success of the band will lie in whether or not our music is able to reach people where they are, in a way that helps them to come to a better place,” said Roberts.  “If we achieve that, then we will have succeeded.  That is something that all of us as brothers deeply want to achieve.”

If you plan to enter the YOBISing competition this year, Luke Roberts will greet you on the website as the host of the third season. 

(9/17/10)

Victory!

      Watch game highlights >

UMBC junior midfielder Andrew Bulls scored with 11:58 remaining, as the Retrievers rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat tenth-ranked Princeton, 2-1, and advance to the second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championships.

“We are ecstatic to come away with a victory against a really, really good team,” said head coach Pete Caringi. “Princeton is one of the best teams in the country and this is a very tough place to come up and get a win. I am really proud of our players.”

The Retrievers improve to 12-4-3 and extending their unbeaten streak to seven straight games, while snapping the Tigers’ (13-4-1)12-game winning streak. 

UMBC advances to take on host 12th-seeded William & Mary on Sunday, November 21, at 5 p.m. The fan bus departs from UMBC’s Stadium Lot at 12 p.m. The cost is $20 per person round trip but does not include a ticket to the game. Contact Kristen Alexander at kristen2@umbc.edu by 6 p.m. Saturday to reserve a seat on the bus. Tickets to the game, which can be purchased at William & Mary’s Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field, are $5 for adults and $3 for youth 14-and-under and for students with valid ID.

The game was tied at 1-1 at intermission when the potent tandem of Bulls and Levi Houapeu struck for the second time in the game. Junior back Andy Streilein served a ball deep into Princeton territory, where the duo both tried to run it down. Houapeu got to it first and after breaking into the box, slid a pass to the right for Bulls, who just tucked the ball into the far left corner.

The Tigers dominated the early action, but did not break through until the 32nd minute in unorthodox fashion. Antoine Hoppenot’s corner kick from the left corner eluded UMBC goalkeeper Dan Louisignau and bent into the goal, just inside the far corner.

But a Tiger handball seven yards outside the box provided UMBC an opportunity that they would convert. Bulls took the kick and bent it around the wall and off the right post. The rebound came out diagonally and Houapeu converted the rebound to knot the score at 1-1 in the 42nd minute.

Houapeu’s goal was his 15th of the season, matching his total of the 2009 campaign. The assist for Bulls was the 28th of his career, tying UMBC’s all-time leader James Hamilton (’01).

Louisignau made a season-high 10 saves in the UMBC cage.

UMBC improved to 4-4-0 when allowing the game’s first goal this season and held Princeton below two goals for only the second time since Sept. 19.

“Our game against Princeton was monumental for the Men’s Soccer program,” said Charles Brown, director of athletics. “We beat a nationally ranked opponent on their own turf and our team played with grit and determination. We are very proud of the entire team and coaching staff. We look forward to traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia to take on the 12th ranked William & Mary as we advance in the NCAA Division I Soccer Championship. GO RETRIEVERS!”

(11/19/10)

Rebecca Boehling, professor of history and the director of the Dresher Center for the Humanities, will read from her recent book, Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust: A Jewish Family’s Untold Story at Baltimore’s Pratt Library on Wednesday, February 22.  The discussion, which will also feature Boehling’s co-author, Uta Larkey, is part of the Schapiro Lecture Series, which is sponsored by a bequest from Gloria Schapiro.

Based on letters discovered by Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, professor of biology, Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust reveals a Jewish family’s struggle over whether to leave Nazi Germany while confronting ever increasing obstacles to emigration and immigration. The book documents family members’ hopes and fears as they are scattered over three continents, forced to contend with wartime postal delays and the deafening silence of loved ones left behind.

The lecture will take place at the Central Library’s Poe Room at 6:30 p.m. on February 22. For more information, visit the Pratt website.

A comic strip created by Donna Lewis ’86, English, an attorney in Washington, D.C., will be syndicated through the Washington Post Writers Group, according to the Baltimore Jewish Times.

Enter Lizzie, the “star” of “Reply All,” a new comic strip scheduled to debut on Monday, Feb. 28, through the Washington Post Writers Group syndicate. Penned by Baltimore-born cartoonist Donna A. Lewis, “Reply All” is loosely based on the artist’s own life: Lizzie is a single woman who is doing well in her career, but who still harbors self-doubts.

“She’s modeled after successful women who like who they’ve become,” says Ms. Lewis, 48. “She’s confident, yet insecure, about everything she does. It’s like when someone says, ‘I love your outfit’ and your response is ‘really?’ Does Bill Gates question his every thought?”

Read the full story in the Baltimore Jewish Times here.

Read another story about Donna in the Baltimore Sun.

Brian Dannelly ’97, visual arts, has been tapped to direct actor Chris Colfer in the high school comedy film, “Struck by Lightning.” Colfer recently won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel in the popular TV show “Glee.” On January 20, Variety reported, “Dannelly will be in familiar territory with ‘Lightning,’ having previously helmed teen dramedy ‘Saved!,’ which starred Jenna Malone, Mandy Moore and Macauley Culkin. Dannelly’s smallscreen directing credits include the pilot for ‘Weeds,’ as well as ‘Pushing Daisies’ and ‘United States of Tara.’”

Dannelly received a UMBC Alumni of the Year Award in 2005. More information can be found here and here.

As his Food Network show “Ace of Cakes” comes to an end, celebrity chef Duff Goldman ’97 is expanding his immensely successful Charm City Cakes business to Los Angeles, says the Baltimore Sun.

Read the Sun story here.

Dave Giegerich ’88, a well known Baltimore-Washington area musician, has passed away. Giegerich founded the Hula Monsters, and had played at the White House and the Kennedy Center.

Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Celebrating Resilience

Huguens Jean, ’03, ’11, Ph.D., electrical engineering, and Clifford Muse, ’11, information systems, returned to Haiti in March 2010, after the devastating January earthquake, to fulfill their grandfather’s last request of them. As he was dying of cancer, he asked that at his funeral they celebrate his life and “find the joy.” “I had no idea what that meant until we encountered these people in Haiti,” said Jean, “These images of life continuing on.”

The brothers missed their grandfather’s funeral when the earthquake made travel to Port-au-Prince impossible, but they resolved to find a way to honor his memory. The new documentary film “Lift Up,” co-directed by Jean and UMBC alumnus Phillip Knowlton, records their journey back home.

“Lift Up” tells a story of people who have faced profound obstacles with resilience and courage. It also contests overly simplistic representations of Haiti that the filmmakers argue have too often dominated the media. Now reporters have a different story to tell.

In their grandfather’s honor, Jean and Muse built a kite like those they had flown together as children in Port-au-Prince, which they then flew in the 2010 Smithsonian Kite Festival in Washington, D.C. In some ways, however, it is this film that is the memorial, rather than the kite alone. As their grandfather wished, through this film Jean and Muse find the joy of life even at a moment of profound national suffering.

“Lift Up” has captured the public’s interest, appearing in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post, as well as on WYPR’s Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast. “The brothers hope the film will introduce American viewers to another side of Haiti,” notes Sun reporter Childs Walker. “Growing up in Port-au-Prince, they saw the dark side of humanity but also reveled in warm households packed with extended family…and a rich tradition of passing stories from one generation to the next.”

Following a December preview screening at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C. and a benefit screening in Los Angeles on January 12, the film will be shown during Welcome Week at UMBC on January 27, 8:00 p.m., in the Skylight room on the top floor of the Commons. The campus is invited to attend the free event, which will also include a talk with the filmmakers.

(1/20/2011)

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UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III takes your questions.

Q. Innovation is something that you talk about in many venues across the country, and you’ve been acknowledged as an innovator in higher education. How do you view the overall importance of innovation in the university and the nation as a whole? How does UMBC instill a desire to innovate in students, faculty and staff?

— Richard Byrne ’86, English
Editor, UMBC Magazine

A. I talk a lot about Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind and the need to have a balanced approach to solving problems. His new book is titled Drive and it’s a book about how true motivation – the motivation that creates sustained change – occurs not simply because of extrinsic rewards, but because people really believe that it is important to do something.

What’s interesting about UMBC is that people here are investing in creative initiatives not because people told them to do something different, but because they really believe – and they know – that they are empowered to think broadly and differently about the possibilities for the campus.

How does that fit in with innovation? Well it seems to me that to create a climate of innovation, leaders need to say to the community that thinking matters. And they also need to worry less about failure and focus more on a vision of who we want to be. And to do that people need to feel comfortable coming up with ideas that sometimes seem to be kooky. Things that we haven’t really tried before. Whether it’s talking about how we market ourselves, or how we teach and learn, or how we use innovation in research, the fact is that UMBC encourages people to think broadly and differently and creatively.

I would agree with Pink that the secret to high achievement is that people really want to direct their own lives. They want to be able to learn and create new things. And they want to feel empowered to make decisions about the future of the institution and the work that they do here.

That’s what we’re working to do at UMBC. Get away from telling people what to do, and at all levels – students, faculty, staff and alumni – ask everyone to help us think differently about the institution.

I know that I am using students and colleagues to inspire me to think differently. I am constantly listening to their ideas about changes we need to make at the university. The inspiration comes from all around me.

Q. Taking into account UMBC’s overwhelming growth during your tenure, the distinguished honors you have received, and UMBC’s #1 rating as an up and coming university two years in a row, what are your long and short-term goals – both for the university and for yourself?

— Katie Locke ’06, psychology

A. I think the goal is just to continue building quality here at UMBC. Building on the success that we’ve had. Getting the word out about just how excited we are about the work that we do here. The more that people come to our campus and talk to our students and faculty and staff, the more impressed they are.

I just celebrated my 40th wedding anniversary. So I’m a strong believer in stability and building on that stability. My marriage is better than ever and what I see at UMBC is more impressive than ever.

People are always asking: “What else do we need to do?” I say: Keep doing what we’re doing. Focus on the work and the excitement and substance of this work. Emphasize the use of technology and collaboration across disciplines. Find new ways to bring the campus to people.

There’s something very exciting about not knowing how far we can go. We’re constantly evolving.

Have a question for Dr. Hrabowski? Please visit retrievernet.umbc.edu/askthepresident

A modern university such as UMBC thrives on excellence in teaching and innovation in research.

We all know good teaching when it touches our lives and the lives of those close to us. But research poses difficulties in definition and assessment. The work done in UMBC’s laboratories and libraries often takes years to touch the lives of everyday citizens. How do we approach it?

As the UMBC Magazine team applied the finishing touches to this issue, I noticed that all three of our main features in the Winter 2011 edition touch on the role of research in the university.

Our story by Anthony Lane on Yonathan Zohar and his research on fish farming at the Columbus Center in downtown Baltimore is the sort of effort that most readily comes to mind when we think of academic work’s intersection with the larger world. Zohar and his colleagues in UMBC’s Department of Marine Biotechnology are confronting the global problem of depleted oceans with a combination of biological research and the development of new technologies that reproduce breeding environments. It’s research that may reshape our future.

Research can also bring the past much closer to our present. Scott McLemee’s article on associate professor of history Anne Rubin not only lays out the scholarly excellence of her research on the Civil War, but also her position as one of the pioneers in what’s now known as the “digital humanities.” Rubin’s work uses many of the possibilities of the Internet – including videos and interactive maps – to not only make her research on America’s greatest calamity more vivid, but also bring it to a new generation of scholars and students.

Our cover story for this issue examines dance at UMBC, and some might wonder just how dance is research. But at UMBC, there’s already an event each year that explicitly links academic research to creative endeavors such as choreography and performance. Known as the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (or URCAD), it celebrates undergraduate research (the best of which is published in the annual UMBC Review) and the work of students who pursue the arts with rigor and talent.

This year’s URCAD is Wednesday, April 27, 2011. UMBC’s president Freeman A. Hrabowski, III says that it “is one of the best academic events of the UMBC year because it reflects the strength of our academic program, including the strong relationships between faculty and students, the rigor of research here, and the broad enthusiasm for, and talent in, the creative arts on our campus.” Check out the schedule of events at www.umbc.edu/undergrad_ed/research/URCAD/index.html.

— Richard Byrne ’86