UMBC’s GRIT-X event is returning for its eighth year with a lineup of dynamic talks spanning a wide range of subjects, including insight into the university’s contributions to the next Moon landing mission, a look into Baltimore City’s new violence prevention plan, human-robot interaction, and much more. 

GRIT-X, a TED-Talks styled showcase of presentations on compelling aspects of UMBC’s impact in the research and creative achievement space, is one of more than a dozen events happening during UMBC’s Homecoming 2024 celebration. This year’s GRIT-X will take place ahead of Homecoming weekend, returning to the Fine Arts Recital Hall on October 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. 

The annual series spotlights developing research from UMBC faculty experts and alumni who are doing impactful work. This year’s lineup features alum-turned-physics professor Todd Pittman, M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’96, physics, who’ll be discussing the foundations of classical and quantum physics. 

In his GRIT-X presentation, Pittman will dive deep into quantum entanglement, the major disparity between classical and quantum physics. “Right now, we’re in the era of trying to use quantum physics to do new and more powerful things in information processing,” says Pittman. 

UMBC research and creative achievement in action 

Takashi Yamashita, professor of sociology, anthropology, and public health, will discuss his research in aging and lifelong learning with his talk, “When Does Our Education End? Aging and Life Course Perspectives.” 

“I will explore a range of education benefits across life stages. I’m excited to introduce key ideas from gerontology and how they help us think about important topics in our lives, such as education, work, and leisure,” says Yamashita, who is the co-director of UMBC’s joint gerontology doctoral program with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

GRIT-X 2024 will feature:

• Guenet Abraham, Professor of visual arts
• Mehdi Benna, Research scientist at the Center for Space Sciences and Technology (CSST)
• Aryya Gangopadhyay, Professor of information systems; director of the Center for Real-time Distributed Sensing and Autonomy (CARDS)
• Stefanie Mavronis ’12, political science, media and communication studies, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, City of Baltimore
• Tamra Mendelson, Professor of biological sciences
• G. Derek Musgrove ’97, history, Associate professor of history and affiliate professor of Africana studies
• Patricia Ordóñez, M.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’12, computer science, Associate professor of information systems
• Todd Pittman, M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’96, physics, Professor of physics
• Takashi Yamashita, Professor of sociology, anthropology, and public health

Another alum-turned professor, Patricia Ordóñez, will discuss “Why moms should be the leaders in computing education” with her GRIT-X presentation. 

“I noticed that some women my age who are mothers and grandmothers, their digital skills are not as advanced as they should be because they were taking care of children or working in fields that don’t require the technology to be so advanced,” says Ordóñez. “This becomes a digital determinant of health, education, getting employment, or applying for additional opportunities.”

Ordóñez is working to develop a community computing learning center that assists mothers and others from marginalized and underserved communities to strengthen what she calls their “digital identity.” Her talk will also break down how research can impact change within communities.

“If you can’t see people that look like you in computing, it gets very isolating, and it starts to make you think maybe I’m in the wrong field,” she adds. “I’m trying to model my own experience for my students in seeing teaching and research happening at the same time.”

For the first time, GRIT-X will be followed by a reception and special showcase event held in UMBC’s Engineering Building. The reception showcase will include remarks from several GRIT-X speakers from previous years on updates on their research and recent work. The event is in partnership with the Office of Institutional Advancement and bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park.

Learn more about this year’s line up and watch the GRIT-X 2024 presentations. 

Spiders, robots, climate change, Vaudevillian history, and more—this year’s GRIT-X event had something for inquiring minds of all kinds, with explorations into elements of the past, our collective present, and possibilities for the future. 

Back for its seventh year, GRIT-X returned to the Fine Arts Recital Hall during Homecoming 2023 with presentations from faculty and accomplished alumni addressing some of the most pressing issues facing society now and throughout history, and how UMBC scholars are working to build a better tomorrow. 

“The goal of GRIT-X is to provide a sneak peek behind the scenes of some of the exciting and impactful research and creative achievement initiatives across our campus community,” says Karl V. Steiner, UMBC’s vice president of research and creative achievement. “[GRIT-X] takes you around the whole campus and beyond.”

“Disruptive” and intercultural thinking in the workforce 

GRIT-X 2023 showcased how UMBC alumni are working to fuel innovation within the workforce and how faculty are strengthening the employability of future graduates. Melanie Harrison Okokoro, Ph.D. ’11, environmental science, opened this year’s GRIT-X with her discussion on how “bold and disruptive thinking” can help executives to lead, innovate, and transform their companies in the 21st century. Okokoro is the co-founder and CEO of Eco-Alpha, a firm that provides environmental compliance services and engineering workforce development training. Her talk outlined how leaders can create “disruptive strategies” in order to stay at the forefront of changes happening in their industries. 

“Disruptive thinking is in my DNA,” said Okokoro during her presentation. “It defines how [Eco-Alpha] outcompetes our competitors in the marketplace and allows us to target a segment of the population that’s been traditionally overlooked.”

Similarly to Okokoro, Zhensen Huang, M.S. ’00, Ph.D. ’04, information systems, used bold thinking to propel himself forward in his current career as CEO and founder of Precise Software Solutions, a firm that helps government and private sector clients modernize their IT systems. Huang spoke of his student experience at UMBC after emigrating to the U.S. from a small rural village in China—a future he says he didn’t think was possible when growing up. He shared how UMBC helped even when “It’s hard for us to make a connection between what we’re doing now to the great possibilities down the road,” says Huang. 

“Embrace the present and envision the future,” Huang shared during his talk. “Sometimes you don’t know what your future possibilities are, and that’s okay. What’s important is to embrace what’s in front of you, especially the challenges.”

Irina Golubeva, professor and director of UMBC’s intercultural communication graduate program, is working to address some of those challenges students face, such as navigating culturally-diverse environments. Her GRIT-X presentation focused on her research on intercultural learning, which includes the InterEqual training program she created based on student feedback. Golubeva shared how she’s helping UMBC students develop their intercultural competence as they prepare for their professional careers. 

“We cannot ignore and disregard these tendencies of job markets, and we must prepare our students to work and live in multicultural societies by equipping them with essential intercultural and language skills,” says Golubeva. 

Investigating earthly phenomena with math and science

Justin Webster, associate professor of mathematics and statistics, explored the “relationship between mathematical models and the phenomena in the world” during his presentation. He highlighted specific examples of how mathematical modeling can deepen our understanding of infrastructure disasters like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse of 1940, and how his mathematical process helped researchers find a possible hypothesis for detecting the onset of glaucoma.

“Mathematical modeling is a scientific empowerment tool. Anyone, anywhere, can do math modeling and study anything that they’re interested in,” says Webster. “That’s why it is so important that our students at UMBC, and students more broadly, are mathematically competent and excited so that they can go on to be students of the world.”

Charles Ichoku, director of the UMBC-led Goddard Earth Science Technology and Research (GESTAR) Center II, also explored a phenomena that’s causing global concern—how rapidly the Earth is changing. Ichoku explained in his GRIT-X talk how climate change, people, and wildfire emissions are contributing to those changes to the Earth and the work he’s done with NASA’s Fire Energetics and Emissions Research project to understand causes of climate change. 

“The world is warming dangerously, and human activities are driving the warming trend through the emission of heat-trapping long-lived greenhouse gasses (GHGs), particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), which has continued its upward trend over the last several decades. Wildfires are [also] contributing significantly to that,” shared Ichoku. 

Similarly, Carlos Romero-Talamás, associate professor of mechanical engineering, explained in his presentation how most sources of energy produce carbon and GHGs, and the work that’s being done to bring the global energy-related CO2 emission levels down to net zero. He discussed the benefits of using fusion energy to achieve that goal, which includes the work he’s doing as the principal investigator of the Centrifugal Mirror Fusion Experiment, a research effort between UMBC and the University of Maryland, College Park that explores a promising alternative to traditional fusion power approaches. 

“Fusion energy is considered the ultimate source of energy—the fuel is abundant and is non radioactive,” says Romero-Talamás. “It is urgent to decarbonize our economy and our energy infrastructure because we are harming the planet [and] are running towards a climate disaster.”

Past histories and future possibilities 

Michelle R. Scott, associate professor of history, brought the GRIT-X audience back to a moment in time in which Black Vaudeville performers used economic empowerment as a form of resistance in the 1920s. Scott explained her research into the institutional history of the Theater Owners’ Booking Association’s (T.O.B.A.) origins, which she wrote about in her book T.O.B.A. Time: Black Vaudeville and the Theater Owners’ Booking Association in Jazz Age America(University of Illinois Press, 2023). 

“The [Vaudeville] circuit itself—its success—was a testament to Black excellence in terms of business, Black artistic skill, and a momentary period of interracial cooperation. It was truly an example of Jazz-age resistance,” Scott said during her presentation. 

Mercedes Burns, assistant professor of biological sciences, explained a different kind of history—the history of arachnids. Burns, who received an NSF CAREER Award earlier this year, enlightened the audience with her research on spiders, opiliones (commonly known as daddy longlegs), and other kinds of arachnids. She outlined reasons why we should appreciate these “unloveable” creatures. 

“Spiders have been living their lives for much longer than any vertebrate has —they’ve persisted over a millennia,” Burns explained in her GRIT-X talk. “Arachnids…thoughtfully consume unloveable things in our habitats. Arachnids are [also] quite attentive to their environment. They are master architects and material scientists. If you’re curious about the organisms that surround you and you’re interested in learning more or appreciating what those organisms do for the environment and their ecosystem, that leaves no room for fear.”

As a result of her being the first known female African American arachnologist, Burns had a species of trapdoor spiders named after her in 2021, called Ummidia mercedesburnsae. She reflected on the accomplishment, saying “Having experienced that honor of being the matranim of a described species really underscores the legacy that I want to leave.”

Fellow UMBC NSF CAREER Award recipient Cynthia Matuszek, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, brought the GRIT-X audience into the future with her presentation on the possibilities of human-robot interaction. Matuszek explained how humans and robots can interact and exist in the same space and how robots can be more useful. 

Her work in UMBC’s Interactive Robotics and Language Lab focuses on using grounded language—which refers to language that has meaning in and pertains to the physical world—as a tool to build robots that can perform tasks in real-world environments, instead of being programmed to handle a fixed set of predetermined tasks. 

“In order to have robots that are useful in human spaces, we need robots that are flexible and capable of interacting in a variety of contexts,” Matuszek explained in her presentation. “When people use language, we don’t just use words. We use gestures, we point to things, we look at things, and we use body language. Useful language learning for robots needs to take all of these factors into account.” 

Learn more about GRIT-X 2023, past speakers, and their research.

Amid a bustling day filled with Homecoming excitement, GRIT-X returned to UMBC this month for its sixth year, delivering a wide-ranging lineup of Retriever excellence in action. Held in the Fine Arts Recital Hall, this year’s GRIT-X was the first for new UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby. Enjoying one engaging talk after another, she deemed the event “the essence of UMBC.”

“What a beautiful day,” said President Sheares Ashby, in her remarks to the GRIT-X audience. “Not only were [the presenters] brilliant, they were people-centric. They were thinking about things that were real and important to each one of our lives being better, the universe being better, our bodies being better, and our communities being better. I cannot have experienced a better first GRIT-X.”

Watch the GRIT-X 2022 talks

Rethinking digital divides: Creating access, experiential learning, and empathy in the digital world

Delali Dzirasa ‘04, computer engineering, opened this year’s GRIT-X event with a presentation detailing how his company, Fearless, led the development of the Searchable Museum to complement the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition. Dzirasa elaborated on how his team, including several UMBC alumni, was able to reimagine this exhibit specifically for online audiences amid the pandemic. The Fearless CEO was the third in his family to deliver a GRIT-X talk, following his wife, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa ‘03, biological sciences (GRIT-X 2021), and his brother Kafui Dzirasa ‘01, M8, chemical engineering (GRIT-X 2017).

Can we reduce the deluge in sea levels with a data deluge?

Vandana Janeja, professor and chair of information systems, discussed the research she’s leading as the director of the NSF HDR Institute for Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in the Polar Regions, or iHARP. Janeja outlined how she and the iHARP team are utilizing data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and polar science to analyze enormous volumes of climate data as well as Arctic and Antarctic observations in ways that could help populations respond to the harmful impacts of climate change. 

Sounds of the world through the violin

Airi Yoshioka, professor of music, delivered her presentation on how the cultural background of a composer manifests in the music they create. Yoshioka played excerpts of music from several composers around the world, explaining how they were able to express their cultural identities through their music. The violinist then captured the imagination of the audience with her striking performance of “Sentimental” from “Five Little Milonguitas” by composer Pablo Ortiz from her 2015 album Sueños Misticos.

Community building: How to build with materials that are stronger than brick and mortar

Alicia Lynn Wilson ‘04, political science, serves as vice president for economic development at Johns Hopkins University. She has taken part in some of the largest redevelopment efforts in the country, overseeing more than $10 billion in redevelopment projects in the last decade. Wilson shared her perspective on how every person is involved in construction, being actively engaged in the community-building enterprise. Her presentation outlined five principles that she relies on when forging and maintaining community connections.

Glucosome: 4D Visualization of the secret society of metabolic enzymes

Minjoung Kyoung, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, started her presentation on metabolic enzymes in an unexpected way: by showing the audience a picture of donuts. The image helped to entice the audience as they listened to her research on how the food we eat transforms into glucose and the metabolic process that happens as a result. The presentation explored the glucose metabolism and its 4-dimensional network with mitochondria in living cells, and how Kyoung’s team built the Lattice Light Sheet Microscope to better visualize small features inside of living cells.

Green walls or greenwashing? Tree planting dreams meet reality

Matthew Fagan, associate professor of geography and environmental systems, delved into his research related to forest restoration and reforestation showing that sometimes, planting trees can cause more harm than good. He educated the audience on the rise of tree planting initiatives around the world and the reality of what has happened as a result of reforestation efforts. 

The many faces of immune cells: Building back tissues after trauma

Kaitlyn Sadtler, ‘11, biological sciences, who earned an honorary doctorate from UMBC in 2022, presented on immunology and how the body works to heal after injuries. Sadtler is an investigator and chief of the section on immunoengineering at the NIH’s National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. She earned a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. She described her lab’s research into different immune cells and how they respond during injuries. She also shared how her team is working to develop new methods to help modulate the immune response to injury and implantation of medical devices.

The quantum universe is weird, but our world is not: Schrödinger’s cat is dead, right?

Sebastian Deffner, associate professor of physics, focused his presentation on demystifying the world of quantum physics and the quantum universe. He offered the audience an introduction to the components of this growing field of study. He also explained different interpretations of quantum mechanics with his analysis of the “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment.

Sometimes systems fail us: Designing alternatives for domestic violence survivors

Nkiru Nnawulezi, associate professor of psychology, has been working with the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence to collect data on the experiences of domestic violence survivors in Washington D.C., particularly related to housing services. She closed the afternoon’s program by detailing her experience of conducting research interviews with the survivors. She explored what can be done to create more inclusive community responses that support domestic violence survivors in more effective and sustainable ways.

Karl V. Steiner, vice president for research and creative achievement, was the master of ceremonies for GRIT-X 2022. Moderators included: Keith J Bowman, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology; Kimberly R. Moffitt, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and William R. LaCourse, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

Nothing is sweeter than a Homecoming that truly feels like coming home. And after a year’s hiatus, Retrievers streamed onto campus Saturday, October 9, with family and friends in tow to celebrate. Eager to reconnect with each other and campus, alumni, students, and friends took part in carnival games, rides, and food trucks—with everything pausing for one of the most anticipated moments of every Homecoming: the puppy parade.

It wouldn’t be a UMBC Homecoming without an opportunity to promote the passion and achievements of our faculty and alumni. In the Proscenium Theatre, Grit X presenters delved into compelling aspects of UMBC’s impact in the areas of research, scholarship, and creative achievement.

Cutouts of President Freeman Hrabowski and True Grit welcomed attendees to the Alumni + Friends tent, but seen almost as frequently around the bustling field was the real Dr. Hrabowski and everyone’s favorite campus comfort dog, Chip. (We all need a little extra comfort from Chip these days as we think about saying goodbye to President Hrabowski at the end of this school year!)

So many campus groups collaborated to create a safe Homecoming experience for everyone to enjoy. “Homecoming 2021 was the perfect example of how the UMBC community comes together to support one another,” says Jess Wyatt, assistant director of Alumni Engagement and one of the lead coordinators for the event. “Despite having no idea what the landscape would look like, we were able to plan and execute an event that allowed our alumni, students, and greater campus community to come together around a shared love of UMBC.”

Wyatt pictured here with her own #FutureRetriever at the Homecoming Ice Cream Social. Photo by Kiirstn Pagan for UMBC.

Homecoming is also a time to welcome our cohort of #FutureRetrievers! We’re so excited to look forward to your 2039 graduation ceremony!

As the evening wound down on Erickson Field, the Down and Dirty Dawg Band and the UMBC Dance Team led the way to the Retriever Soccer Park, where the men’s team battled rival Stony Brook University. The men’s team did not ultimately triumph, but the stands were packed with fans rejoicing in the chance to once again cheer on the Retrievers together.

• UMBC men’s soccer plays against Stony Brook. Photo courtesy of Ian Feldman ’21 for UMBC.
• Fans giving it their all at the October 9 Homecoming game. Photo courtesy of Kiirstn Pagan for UMBC.

And finally the return of yet another favorite tradition, the Erickson Field bonfire.

Homecoming may be over, but UMBC is still welcoming Retrievers home. On Wednesday, October 20, the Alumni Association Board of Directors will honor the 2021 Alumni Award recipients.

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Header image of the fall 2021 carnival by Kiirstn Pagan for UMBC.

Dogs…carnival rides…dogs…ribbon cutting ceremonies…dogs…Alumni Awards…did we mention dogs? All that means Homecoming season at UMBC!

So grab your pumpkin spiced latte and a nice warm blanket as we dive into the events that make October such a fun month for current, past, and future Retrievers. Since we promised you dogs, we’ll start off with the evergreen puppy parade! 

Homecoming is the obvious place for different graduating classes to meet up, but it’s so much more special when that fellow Retriever is your relative! We also love the dedication future Retrievers have years before they even apply.

At UMBC, Homecoming isn’t confined to one weekend, we celebrate the festivities with as many events as possible, including our 31st annual Alumni Award ceremony, complete with the Surgeon General, Jerome Adams ’97, M4, biochemistry & molecular biology and psychology,  lifting his daughter onto the stage in this magical photo.

Another special guest on campus meant that students and alumni spent an evening with Trevor Noah, who brought his usual wit along with a more serious side to talk about about his personal narrative and give advice on how students can best tackle college before taking their next steps.

And some more good dogs and other animals, because we know why you’re really here.

The carnival rides Retrievers have come to love and expect took up most of Erickson field, and nearby, alumni-owned businesses set up their wares.

Other notable events we celebrated as a community included the ribbon cutting for the new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, attended by a few familiar faces. After the DNA double helix was cut, people gathered to listen to Grit-X, three engaging talks by some of UMBC’s brightest minds.

The alumni community gathered across campus to reconnect and make new memories. A small collection of photos below showcase the spirit filled days of UMBC Homecoming. See a more comprehensive look at all the events here.

And to close it out, the annual bonfire lit up the night. Rendered here by UMBC’s Commonvision.

 

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Happy Motion Monday! Check out this piece from Noah. Be sure to attend the Bonfire THIS Friday! See all the great Homecoming events at homecoming.umbc.edu #UMBC #UMBCart #cvmotionmondays #UMBCLife

A post shared by commonvision (@commonvision) on Sep 30, 2019 at 8:47am PDT

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All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 and Arionna Gonsalves ’19.