Readers of The New York Times opened their papers today to see a full-page announcement of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Fellows, including UMBC’s George Derek Musgrove ‘97, history. Musgrove, an associate professor of history, is one of 28 scholars across the U.S. to receive the prestigious award this year, from nearly 300 nominations. 

The College Tour—hosted by Alex Boylan of “The Amazing Race” and a team of award-winning producers—offers prospective college students and their families an opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse of colleges and universities across the country, with students as the tour guides. Through interviews with students, prospective students from around the world explore academic, social, cultural, and campus life at these institutions. The latest season highlights UMBC in a full, hour-long episode.

The show’s producers visited campus in fall 2021 to film authentic stories about what it is like to be a UMBC student. Retrievers share their favorite elements of the UMBC experience. Twenty undergraduate and graduate students across a range of majors describe how they decided to attend UMBC, what student organizations and activities they are involved with on campus, and how they have been supported and inspired during their time as students. 

The episode also takes viewers all around UMBC, including to academic buildings and common spaces where students might connect with friends, without needing to travel to campus. Students take viewers to the Dance Cube in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, for a walk down Academic Row, to play foosball in the Game Room in The Commons, and to connect with friends at OCA Mocha, just off campus. 

Showcasing student stories

Through this episode, students tell the UMBC story—and their own stories—in a brand new way. Students featured in the video wrote their own scripts to share their stories as artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, international students, transfer students, student leaders, scholar-athletes, and more. 

Giuliana Weiss ‘22, computer science and theater, shares how being tutored in UMBC’s Writing Center was their inspiration to become a tutor to support other students. “Even from my first semester at UMBC, it was clear to me that UMBC prioritizes its students,” said Weiss, in the segment about their UMBC experience. 

In addition to the students who spoke on camera, more than 250 members of the campus and surrounding Catonsville and Arbutus communities supported the project as extras and production volunteers.

Mohamed Galal, M.A. ‘25, TESOL, found a community at UMBC that welcomed him and his family when they moved to Maryland from Egypt, and helped his daughter get settled at a local public school. “At UMBC you find professors that provide support, and a friendly classroom environment,” says Galal. “This personal and academic support made me feel at home away from home.” 

Watch the episode.

Banner image: Levi Lewis ’22, English and media and communication studies, (center) during filming for The College Tour. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Robots are becoming increasingly capable of complex tasks and are moving into roles that previously could only be done by people, in sectors like healthcare, education, and elder care. UMBC’s Cynthia Matuszek has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to study how robots learn about the physical world from spoken language to improve how they work with people. The grant totals nearly $550,000 over five years.

There are robots that can do household chores, distribute medications, and even tutor students in various subjects. Matuszek, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, explains that as robots become more ubiquitous, it is important that they are trained to interact naturally and equitably with the people around them. 

Training robots to respond to the real world

Scientists train robots in a range of ways, including developing algorithms that allow them to respond to real-world interactions and to learn through experience. But there are challenges. As machine learning algorithms are made by people, they replicate human biases, which can lead to unfair outcomes. 

An overarching goal of Matuszek’s Interactive Robotics and Language Lab is to increase the usability and fairness of robots. Through the CAREER Award, Matuszek and her students will focus on creating training algorithms for robots that enable them to interact with humans in equitable, accessible ways. 

The work will start with gathering a large dataset of spoken language from a demographically diverse population. Matuszek and her team will then teach robots to understand that language through a combination of speech and inputs from sensors, such as cameras. 

This is similar to how people learn about new things from explanations given while they interact with the world using their senses. Through this approach, robots will be trained to understand how people talk about things, while avoiding some of the representation problems present in current large learned AI models. 

Matuszek says that while robots can provide value in human spaces, their usefulness is limited if they are only accessible to technology experts. Making robots that can process plain spoken language and respond appropriately will be key to their success.

“This is science that I’m excited about getting pushed forward. And having external reinforcement is a great feeling,” she says. 

UMBC faculty consistently recognized

Matuszek’s award is the 41st CAREER award received by UMBC faculty since NSF established the program in 1995. Faculty in departments across campus, from chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering to physics to chemistry and biochemistry, have received CAREER awards. 

UMBC faculty in the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) have earned several of these grants. Last year, James Foulds, assistant professor of information systems,received a CAREER Award to support his research on improving the fairness and robustness of AI algorithms. Matuszek’s award is the 15th CAREER Award for UMBC’s computer science and electrical engineering faculty. 

“Dr. Matuszek’s focus is on ensuring successful communication in noisy, real world, and diverse contexts,” says Keith J Bowman, dean of COEIT. “That includes contexts ensuring aging individuals can maintain their independence and a higher quality of life in their elder years.”

“It’s certainly a big honor to receive a CAREER Award,” says Matuszek. “Receiving the award reinforces that the work I’m doing has value.”

Banner image: Cynthia Matuszek. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Haleemat Adekoya ‘23, political science, received a surprise phone call last Tuesday morning. On the line were both UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and Valerie Sheares Ashby, who just one day earlier was announced as UMBC’s next president. They were calling together to share, with heartfelt congratulations, her selection as a 2022 Truman Scholar. 

Adekoya has spent the last year preparing to apply for the renowned national scholarship focused on public service. After a series of rigorous interviews, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation announced Adekoya as one of just 58 students nationwide to receive the award. Adekoya is UMBC’s fifth Truman Scholar.

“I am incredibly proud of Haleemat. Her authenticity, sincerity and humility permeate everything she does,” says Carolyn Forestiere, professor of political science. “I feel very fortunate to have worked with this extraordinary young person as her professor at UMBC, and I know she will excel at whatever she decides to do with her future.”

The Foundation selected recipients from a pool of over 700 applicants who showed a strong record of public service and also submitted a policy proposal addressing a concerning issue in society. Scholars receive $30,000 to attend the graduate school of their choice, as well as access to public service programs, mentorship, and job opportunities within the federal government.

“It is an honor and a pleasure to know that I have been named a 2022 Truman Scholar. All I can say is Glory be to God and to my village, thank you forever,” says Adekoya. “I look forward to continuing to engage in my commitment to cultivate transformative learning spaces and elevating the voices of Black children and celebrating their brilliance.” 

Two finalists

This year also marked the second time two UMBC students reached the final round of Truman Scholar selection. In addition to Adekoya, Rehman Liaqat ‘22, political science, was also chosen as a finalist. 

“Having two finalists is a huge honor for UMBC,” says April Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships. “With only 58 winners selected, that means that our students are highly competitive for this award.” Other institutions with multiple finalists include Duke, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

Liaqat and Adekoya are macro thinkers who have learned to both identify everyday problems at a local level and work towards systemic solutions. Liaqat has focused on legal advocacy while Adekoya’s interest is in education reform. Their steadfast commitment to personal growth in service of numerous communities made them strong candidates for the 2022 Truman Scholarship.

“Haleemat and I both began our journeys at UMBC serving with the Shriver Center, and now, we are both following a pathway towards lifelong public service,” says Liaqat. “This national recognition highlights the fact that UMBC is indeed a magical place that fosters community leaders and passionate public servants, such as Haleemat.” 

“This journey has only solidified what UMBC is all about: a community of care and ‘true grit’ towards transformative excellence,” he reflects.

“To have been nominated as one of the two Truman Scholarship finalists is an experience that still has me on cloud nine. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been able to experience the scholarship process with someone as incredible as Rehman,” says Adekoya. “I am confident that the better world we reimagine is more than possible because of revolutionary, compassionate, and devoted dreamers like him.”

Collective vision

When Adekoya reflects on her path leading to the Truman Scholarship she sees the combined hard work of Baltimore City and County Public School teachers and students, her UMBC family, and the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program. Their collective vision for sustainable and intentional full-service community schools propels her to think of education reform as an everyday practice. 

“Education is said to be the most powerful tool one can use to change the world. However, our current education system excludes many Black students from experiencing such a transformative tool,” reflects Adekoya. “As an education advocate for Black students, I hope to one day develop multi-faceted strategies that address the flaws within our education system.”

Driving change

With this goal in mind, Adekoya participated in the launch of UMBC’s Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program intensive virtual math incubator for 150 students at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore City during the first COVID summer. Concurrently, she served as an intern at the Maryland State Department of Education, with the Student, Family, and School Support Committee, in 2020 – 2021. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) then chose Adekoya as student representative, serving on its Education Policy Committee and Outreach, Grants, and Financial Assistance Committee for 2021 – 2022.

In 2019, prior to joining UMBC, Baltimore County Government awarded Adekoya with the “Young Woman of the Year” award for her community-engaged work as a member of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council; a mentor in a STEM program for girls; a local coordinator for the From Prison Cells to PhD program; and as founder of Dare2Bee, an empowerment organization for girls ages 9 – 18.

“Haleemat is such a strong and compassionate leader. One of the things that inspires me most about her is her commitment to others,” says her mentor Jasmine Lee, director of inclusive excellence in UMBC’s Division of Student Affairs. 

“She’s not a leader because she’s ‘ahead of the pack’…but instead because she is concerned about everyone making it,” Lee shared when Adekoya was named MHEC student commissioner. “She seems to move from the front to the back, and throughout the middle, empowering everyone to move at their own pace.”

Striving together

Liaqat, a political science major, came to the United States from Pakistan when he was eleven. He spent his teen years in Salisbury, on Maryland’s eastern shore. His time was split between school and working at OC Quickstop, one of three family-owned gas stations. 

He earned recognition for supporting his local community and came to UMBC ready to build connections and his leadership skills. He soon also discovered a love of constitutional law, and a commitment to promoting human rights internationally.

In addition to being named a Truman Scholar finalist, he has also earned the inaugural Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow award. He is completing his master’s in public policy through an accelerated program at UMBC, at the same time as his undergraduate degree. Next, he will next enter a four-year joint degree program (MPP/JD) at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Householder says Adekoya’s win and Liaqat’s recognition as a finalist are “a testament to the hard work of these students” and the support they receive from programs like the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars and Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars, as well as the Honors College, Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships, and the Shriver Center. 

“This is a community that provides rich experiences for our students,” says Householder. “Those experiences spark their passions for becoming public servants and using their well-honed talents to help others.”

Featured image: Haleemat Adekoya. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Four UMBC students have been named 2022-23 Goldwater Scholars, tying the university’s past record, set just last year. This year’s recipients are Christopher Slaughter ‘23, computer engineering; Rachel Myers ‘23, chemical engineering; Tobi Majekodunmi ‘23, mechanical engineering; and D’Juan Moreland ‘23, biological sciences and music. UMBC had more winners this year than any other institution in the state of Maryland. 

“Having a full slate of four Goldwater Scholars selected for the second year in a row is an incredible achievement for the student-scholars, the faculty and staff who support them, and the university as a whole,” says April Householder, director of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships. “It means that STEM education at UMBC is preparing our students to be the best in the nation.”

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program is designed to provide the United States with “a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers” to move the nation forward. More than 1,200 students applied from over 425 institutions across the country this year. The program selected a total of 417 scholars to receive Goldwater scholarships for 2022-23. 

Aspiring minds

Goldwater Scholars each receive substantial scholarship funding that advances their undergraduate work and educational paths. The program focuses on students pursuing research, and many past scholars have published and presented their work as early as their undergraduate years.

This was a major draw for Slaughter, who has been involved in UMBC research since high school. He currently is working with Govind Rao, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, to develop an automatic glucose monitoring system using an optical biosensor. “Research has always played a huge role in my life,” Slaughter says. “That’s why I find myself in the position that I’m in today, because I fell in love with research and bioengineering. Receiving the Goldwater is so affirming—it means that I am recognized as one of most promising aspiring minds in STEM.”

When Slaughter learned that he had been selected for the scholarship, it brought tears to his eyes, he shares. It has renewed his commitment to pursuing research, even when presented with obstacles. And he can’t wait to meet the Goldwater community that will help him surpass those obstacles. “I am looking forward to connecting with other Goldwater Scholars and joining their network, and to meeting other scholars who are in similar fields,” he says.

Importance of mentorship

The process of applying for and receiving a Goldwater Scholarship was more than two years in the making for UMBC’s recipients. Majekodunmi applied to be nominated for the Goldwater during his sophomore year, but it wasn’t until his junior year that he was formally nominated by UMBC. Leading up to the deadline, Majekodunmi spent several hours each night developing and refining his application. 

“The most pivotal contributions to my essays came from several of my mentors, some of whom were previous Goldwater awardees. They took time out of their busy schedules to review my work and provide helpful feedback,” he says. “Although arduous and filled with many late nights, participating in this process has strengthened and increased my confidence in my technical writing skills.” 

All four of this year’s recipients say their respective mentors played an important role in supporting them during the application process and preparing them to compete for the award. And those mentors are now sharing in the students’ excitement. Moreland says that the first people he reached out to after hearing the news of his Goldwater Scholars were his mentor and research advisors.

Representation matters

Like Majekodunmi and Moreland, Myers shares that she was supported by mentors, family, advisors, and fellow students throughout the Goldwater application. She was at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention with Majekodunmi and Slaughter when she received the email announcing that she received the award. 

“I was absolutely elated and felt so honored,” she recalls. “All I could think was, ‘Wow, what I represent matters. What my fellow awardees represent matters,’” Myers says. 

Reflecting on the power of that moment, she shares, “I just imagined a young black girl from a community like mine, seeing me in this position and saying to herself, ‘So I can definitely do that too,’ just as I’ve said when I met women like Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett in high school or Dr. Lola Eniola-Adefeso during my freshman year at UMBC.” 

Both Corbett ‘08, biological sciences and sociology, and Eniola-Adefeso ‘99, chemical engineering, are alumni of UMBC and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program who have made enormous contributions to biomedical research at a global scale. “I’m just excited to be another catalyst for other people’s dreams becoming a reality,” says Myers, “just as Dr. Corbett and Dr. Eniola-Adefeso have been for me.”

Majekodunmi similarly shares, “Becoming a Goldwater Scholar awardee is a celebration of the many influences in my life that have contributed to my development and success. To name a few, there are my family, teachers, mentors, and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.” 

He reflects, “My success is made possible because of their support, inspiration, and wisdom.”

Banner image: UMBC’s 2022 Goldwater Scholars. From left, Tobi Majekodunmi, Christopher Slaughter, D’Juan Moreland, and Rachel Myers. All photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

“Educators genuinely want what is best for their students,” says Farah Helal ’24, the newly appointed 2022 University System of Maryland (USM) student regent. “Student representatives provide educators and policymakers with the perspective needed to ensure the student voice is valued and understood throughout the decision-making process.”

Governor Hogan announced Farah Helal’s appointment to the USM Board of Regents as a student regent in February and she was formally confirmed in March. She will serve as one of two USM student regents from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024, including as a voting member during her second year. 

Helal will represent the USM student voice in meetings and committees working on issues that impact the system’s twelve institutions. Key topics involve setting tuition and fee rates, approving new degree programs, and approving capital and operating budgets. 

“I recognize the value and impact of having accurate representation,” says Helal. “This appointment comes with a great deal of responsibility, but the value and benefit to my community makes it worth it.”

Focusing on structural changes

Helal is eager to represent Maryland college students at a time when students are in need of additional support and resources. In addition to focus areas guided by student input, there are three areas of improvement she would like to help address. 

First, she wants to support initiatives that address how students have experienced the pandemic. This includes shifts in their learning experiences as well as evolving concerns regarding health and safety. 

Like many of her peers, Helal is experiencing the pandemic during a heightened social justice movement. Her second focus area highlights college students’ commitments to challenging structural barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

“My generation is proactive in creating the social change we want to see within our institutions,” says Helal. “This will require the university system to effectively address issues with curriculum and infrastructure that perpetuate inequalities on our campuses.”

Her third area of focus is student mental health and wellbeing. Helal notes that having grown up in an “electronically dependent society with the influence of social media” has created a culture of constant communication where every type of news is immediate. This constant flow of vast quantities of information is straining student mental health and wellbeing, she suggests, particularly when combined with work, academic, and personal stressors. Helal looks forward to collaborating with the board and community members to improve mental health resources on USM campuses.

Leading with experience

Helal is a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar in UMBC’s Honors College, majoring in global studies and political science. She also holds a variety of leadership positions at UMBC that have helped her prepare for serving community needs.

She also serves as director of the Government Affairs Committee for UMBC’s undergraduate Student Government Association. One of her roles is as chief lobbyist pursuing SGA’s county, state, and federal agenda. 

“Farah consistently goes well beyond the requirements and makes meaningful contributions to all that she is involved in,” says Jessica Cook, associate director of the Sondheim Scholars Program. “Farah has breathed new life into SGA’s government affairs work and has earned everyone’s respect.”

Helal notes the committee was able to bring a bill for consideration before the Maryland General Assembly to increase wages for the incarcerated people who are working for Maryland Correctional Enterprises. It is an issue many USM students care about and want to change, she says.

UMBC’s Candace Martinez-Doane, assistant director of leadership and governance for Campus Life, is Helal’s SGA advisor. She has seen Helal care deeply about those around her and strive to ensure their voices are heard. 

“Part of that work has been to help her committee members refocus when their work stalls or hits roadblocks,” explains Martinez-Doane. “She does her research and works with kindness and tact in a way that has shown her maturity and skill.”

Beyond UMBC

On the USM Student Council, Helal advocates for student-led legislation as co-director of government relations. She also collaborates with USM institutions on their legislative agendas and coordinates the legislative activities of the Student Council within the Maryland General Assembly and the Office of the Governor.

Helal also remains dedicated to Howard County, where she is from, as a student representative on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee of the Howard County Public School System. The group is part of Howard County’s High School Advisory Council to the Superintendent. 

Value of reflection

Helal’s focus on raising awareness about students’ mental health and wellbeing has been a longtime commitment. In high school she ran a two-year research project to study how academic stress impacts students’ mental and physical health and academic success. 

The study helped Helal understand how important it is to stop and assess wellbeing before burning out. On a personal level, she learned that the quality of her work is dependent on how well she takes care of herself, and she encourages others to think about this connection. 

Helal uses daily reflection exercises as a tool to help assess the impact of her work and her needs, and she encourages her peers to do so as well. She also notes the importance of enjoying life outside of school and work, to keep perspective. Spending time with her family, taking time to have fun, and being active in her Egyptian, Arab, and Muslim communities are all activities that reenergize her.

“I constantly reflect about the time, effort, and energy it takes to work towards something that is meaningful, impactful, and purposeful,” says Helal. “Pausing to reflect and take part in my community is how I ensure my work is aligned with my purpose and intentions, and stays consistent with what I initially set out to be—a student voice for positive change.” 

Featured photo: Farah Helal. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC unless otherwise indicated.

The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents has appointed Valerie Sheares Ashby as the next president of UMBC. She will become UMBC’s sixth chief executive on August 1, 2022, following current UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski’s retirement from UMBC. She will be the first woman to serve in this role.

Sheares Ashby will join UMBC from her current position as dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, where she has served since 2015. She received her B.A. and Ph.D degrees in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and completed postdoctoral research at Universitat Mainz in Germany. She came to Duke from UNC, where she served on the faculty since 2003 and chaired the chemistry department from 2012 to 2015. 

While at UNC, Sheares Ashby served on the university’s Arts & Sciences Foundation Board of Directors and Research Advisory Council, and chaired the College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Diversity Task Force. She also directed UNC’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, working to increase the number of underrepresented students completing doctoral degrees and becoming professors in STEM and social, behavioral, and economic sciences.

“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead a university that has excelled in so many ways that are essential both nationally and to me personally—particularly in regards to foregrounding inclusive excellence,” Sheares Ashby says.

Selection process

Sheares Ashby was selected as UMBC’s next president through an intensive national search chaired by USM Regent Michelle Gourdine. The USM Board of Regents conducted the search, and a diverse group of UMBC faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members served on the search committee.

“Dr. Sheares Ashby is clearly the impressive scholar and dynamic leader we need to build on the strong foundation of inclusive excellence at UMBC,” says USM Board Chair Linda R. Gooden. “UMBC is a jewel—nationally and internationally recognized for its innovative teaching and pathbreaking research. All of this success is due to the dedication and hard work of President Hrabowski and his outstanding team. The Board of Regents knows this legacy will be in good hands with Dr. Sheares Ashby.”

“I am grateful to the UMBC presidential search committee, chaired by Regent Michelle Gourdine, for finding such a distinguished leader among so many great candidates,” says Gooden. 

“I’m excited to see how Dr. Sheares Ashby’s vision will shape the next chapter for UMBC,” says USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “Without question, she has the experience and the attributes needed to grow UMBC’s academic and research prominence, and she’s steeped in the culture of inclusive excellence that has made the university a national exemplar of access, equity, and achievement. It’s hard to imagine finding a better fit for a school whose future is as bright as UMBC’s.”

Legacy of momentum

President Hrabowski announced his anticipated retirement from UMBC in August 2021. The university has risen to national prominence over his three decades of leadership. In February, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recognized UMBC as a doctoral university with very high research activity, popularly known as Research 1 (or R1). UMBC is now one of three R1s in Maryland, joining Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland, College Park.

In January 2020, UMBC received Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in recognition of a deep commitment to strengthening the bonds between campus and community. UMBC also recently joined the University Innovation Alliance, a consortium of public research universities focused on student success. U.S. News consistently ranks UMBC among the nation’s top leading institutions for both innovation and undergraduate teaching. 

Together, these honors highlight that at UMBC top-quality education and research go hand-in-hand, and community engagement is essential to both. 

“To follow President Freeman Hrabowski is a distinct privilege, as he has been a role model for so many in higher education over the last 30 years, including myself,” Sheares Ashby says. “His extraordinary leadership and dedication to UMBC ensures that I am arriving at a university that is already performing at a very high level. There is no ceiling on what we can achieve from here.”

Welcoming UMBC’s next president

“My colleagues and I are thrilled to learn of this great news,” says President Hrabowski. “Dr. Sheares Ashby is nationally known as a chemist and as a proven academic leader across the liberal arts and sciences. We are very fortunate to have attracted such a talented visionary executive. She is both brilliant and a wonderful human being.”

Sheares Ashby’s research in synthetic polymer chemistry emphasizes designing and synthesizing materials for biomedical uses. She is the recipient of an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award, DuPont Young Faculty Award, 3M Young Faculty Award, and numerous other teaching and research awards.

She is also a university leader committed to elevating all disciplines. As dean at Trinity College, she increased the national and global prominence of the humanities and social sciences by investing in faculty- and student-driven strategic areas. And she completed the Duke Forward campaign, exceeding the college’s $435 million fundraising goal by $45 million. This included $200 million raised for financial aid.

Sheares Ashby has shown a deep commitment to supporting students of all backgrounds, elevating public impact research across all fields, prioritizing effective teaching and learning, and creating a welcoming and supportive university community. In these ways, her work closely aligns with UMBC’s values and strategic priorities.

“I have tremendous respect for all the members of the UMBC community,” Sheares Ashby says, “and I am looking forward to working in partnership with the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who are the heart of this institution.”

Featured image: UMBC’s presidential medallion. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

U.S. News announced its 2023 Best Graduate School rankings today, including outstanding UMBC graduate programs across all three colleges. Top fields where UMBC excels range from computer science and several types of engineering to psychology and statistics. Among UMBC’s 14 Best Graduate School rankings for 2023 are seven top-100 programs.

This recognition honors UMBC faculty, staff, and students’ combined commitment to excellence, says President Freeman Hrabowski. “These rankings reflect the energy and creativity of our colleagues and students,” he shares. “We’re very proud of everyone involved.”

To develop the rankings, U.S. News combined quantitative data and expert opinions on the reputations of over 2,000 programs, gathering input from more than 23,000 deans, program directors, senior faculty, and other leaders. 

Continued success in engineering

UMBC’s engineering programs ranked in the top 100, both broadly and in multiple subfields. Overall, UMBC engineering jumped up 9 spots to rank 99th, tied with the University of Oklahoma and Illinois Institute of Technology. UMBC’s environmental engineering graduate program moved up to 55th. The university also ranked 77th in chemical engineering, 89th in computer engineering, 99th in mechanical engineering, and 113th in electrical engineering.

Additionally, U.S. News ranked UMBC’s graduate programs in computer science 74th in the nation.

This recognition and the forward momentum it represents come at an important moment for the university. UMBC marks the 30th anniversary of the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) this year.

“COEIT’s continued success and UMBC’s newly designated R1 status are a testament to our outstanding students, staff, and faculty, and support from our campus,” says COEIT Dean Keith J Bowman. “Investments in UMBC by our state and our corporate partners have enabled the continued ascendance of programs across UMBC.”

Strength in natural and mathematical sciences

Today’s rankings also honor programs from UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), including mathematics (54th), statistics (54th), biological sciences (119th), chemistry (115th), and physics (95th). The statistics program joins top-55 institutions like University of Chicago, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia. 

“The U.S. News graduate program rankings reflect many years of effort and dedication by the faculty, staff, and students in the college. Their commitment to world-class research, mentoring, and inclusive excellence provides the foundation for UMBC’s growing reputation as an R1 university,” says CNMS Dean Bill LaCourse. “I am grateful that our programs are receiving the recognition that they deserve.”

Excellence in social sciences

In the social sciences, UMBC’s psychology graduate programs came in at 122. UMBC joins fellow top-125 universities in psychology ranging from Johns Hopkins and Rutgers to University of Delaware and American University.

Additionally, UMBC is 140th in the interdisciplinary category of geology. This U.S. News ranking includes fields ranging from environmental sciences⁠—part of UMBC’s College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS)⁠—to geophysics.

“The departments of geography and environmental systems and psychology consistently elevate the work of the social sciences in our College and at UMBC,” says CAHSS Dean Kimberly R. Moffitt. “I am most appreciative of the tremendous efforts of the faculty, staff, and students that are reflected in these rankings and are worthy of such recognition.”

UMBC’s strength in research has helped grow graduate programs in all colleges. “We are so proud of our focused development in research and graduate education,” says Janet Rutledge, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “This growth has led to our recent R1 classification as well as these graduate program rankings, which reflect UMBC’s overall excellence as a leading public research university.”

Banner image: Nilanjan Banerjee, computer science and electrical engineering, (right) working with a student in the lab in 2018. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Kimberly R. Moffitt is the new dean of UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS). Moffitt, a professor of language, literacy, and culture (LLC) and affiliate professor of Africana studies, has served as interim dean since August 2020, leading CAHSS through the challenges of COVID-19 while achieving several notable milestones.

As Provost Philip Rous shared in his announcement to the university community, “Moffitt has served with distinction as interim dean of the College by providing outstanding leadership during one of the most challenging times for our entire campus community.”

Dean Moffitt earned a Ph.D. in mass communication/media studies from Howard University and holds an M.A. in mass communication from Boston University and B.A. in political science from UNC-Charlotte.

Moffitt began her career at UMBC in 2006 as an assistant professor of American studies and she became director of the LLC program in 2018. She is UMBC’s first Black dean of a college. She brings an exceptional record of leadership in shared governance, having previously served as president and vice president of UMBC’s Faculty Senate, among other key leadership roles.

“The campus is delighted by the appointment of Dr. Moffitt as dean—in many ways, she represents the best of UMBC,” shares President Freeman Hrabowski. “Most importantly, she will be a strong voice for the arts, humanities, and social sciences, both on and off campus.”

Dean Moffitt interviewing President Hrabowski at the 2022 RetriEVER Grateful Tour.

“I am excited about the opportunity to continue serving the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences,” says Dean Moffitt. “As a communication scholar I’m hopeful to use my expertise to elevate the great scholarship of our faculty colleagues and the initiatives carried out by our staff for all to see, learn, and experience.”

Dedication to CAHSS

As interim dean, Moffitt led a series of key projects to advance and support faculty and student research, teaching and learning, and development. 

Moffitt and co-PI Patrice McDermott, vice provost for faculty affairs, received a $3 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to launch Breaking the M.O.L.D. (Mellon/Maryland Opportunities for Leadership Development) with partners Morgan State University and the University of Maryland, College Park. This program will develop a pipeline to higher ed leadership for scholars in the arts and humanities. It will focus on interested faculty members at the rank of associate and full professor, particularly women faculty and Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native faculty.

Dean Moffitt and Patrice McDermott, 2021.

Speaking of the project collaborators, Moffitt shared, “This experienced team of diverse senior leaders has an opportunity to create a structural answer to elevate diverse leaders from the arts and humanities. This will enable faculty to apply distinct knowledge, skills, and perspectives to address our communities’ needs as leaders at their respective institutions.”

Moffitt has long been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at UMBC and in Baltimore. Following the recent global call for social justice for Black lives and rise of anti-racist work Moffitt developed the “Looking in the Mirror” speaker series with Patricia Young, professor of education and special assistant to the dean for strategy and innovation. Over the past two semesters, UMBC faculty and staff have discussed topics related to microaggressions, mental health in academia, equity, and systemic racism to create strategies for moving forward as a college.

Additionally, she has led a redesign of the CAHSS website to better reflect the college’s vast range of majors, programs, and diverse student and faculty scholarship. In fall 2021 and spring 2022, Moffitt also spearheaded faculty media workshops to provide faculty with strategies and resources to share their work with the greater public. 

Commitment to Baltimore

Moffitt is also known for her dedication to Baltimore. Her community-engaged work has benefited Baltimore families and community organizations. 

In addition to being a board member of Maryland Humanities and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, she is a founding board member of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys. The school aims to “provide the finest liberal arts education possible to Baltimore’s next generation of young men, ensuring that they will become global citizens trained to learn, lead, and serve our community, our nation, and our world.” 

As a frequent guest host on WYPR’s former The Marc Steiner Show, she has spoken about race, politics, education, and culture in Baltimore. She has also shared her work through The Baltimore Sun and other local media outlets, reaching broad public audiences.

(L-R) Marc Steiner; Kimberly Moffitt; Kalima Young, assistant professor of electronic media and film at Towson University; and Nathan Connolly, the Herbert Baxter Adams associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, on “The Black Panther: Academic and Visceral Readings” episode. Photo courtesy of The Marc Steiner Show.

National engagement

In conjunction with her collaborations in Baltimore, Moffitt has also taken her scholarship to national audiences. This includes her work on mediated representations of marginalized groups as well as the politicized nature of Black hair. 

Moffitt is co-editor of Blackberries and Redbones: Critical Articulations of Black Hair/Body Politics in Africana Communities. She also co-created the Black Hair Syllabus with Tunisia Lumpkin, a language, literature, and culture doctoral student. This is the first website with resources and scholarship about Black hair in media, business, children’s literature, and more.

This February, she launched ColorStuck? a podcast interrogating color and hair politics among Diasporic Black women.

Dean Moffitt has published numerous articles and book chapters, as well as five co-edited volumes. In addition to Blackberries and Redbones, these include Michelle Obama and the FLOTUS Effect: Platform, Presence, and Agency (2019), Gladiators in Suits: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Representation in Scandal (2019), The Obama Effect: Multidisciplinary Renderings of the 2008 Campaign (2010) and The 1980s: A Transitional Decade? ( 2011). 

Moffitt doing research.

Her work on media representation includes exploration of the Black body in Disney programming (presented at Grit-X 2018) and the impact of colorism on Black girls and mother-daughter relationships. Moffitt serves as vice president of the National Association for Media Literacy Education as a national expert in this field.

Dean Moffitt speaking at UMBC’s Grit-X 2021.

Next steps

As dean, Moffitt looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to promote innovative interdisciplinary teaching and research, as well as fruitful partnerships. She recently contributed to UMBC securing the largest-ever gift in university history – $21 million from the Sherman Family Foundation to support UMBC’s K-12 and early childhood education work. 

Also, with Moffitt as interim dean, UMBC established its first endowed professorship in economics, with a $1 million gift plus a $1 million Maryland state match in memory of Fred and Virginia Pausch. Moving this work forward will be a priority. 

Dean Moffitt with Tim Gindling, professor of economics, and Denise Meringolo, associate professor of history and acting director of UMBC’s Dresher Center for the Humanities.

“On behalf of our faculty, staff, students and the UMBC leadership team I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dean Moffitt for her hard work and commitment as interim dean and welcome her to her new permanent position,” says Provost Rous.

“I look forward to being a part of UMBC’s bright future as a newly-designated R1 institution that has much to offer higher education and our students,” says Moffitt.

Featured image: Kimberly Moffitt. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 unless otherwise noted.

Rechargeable alkaline batteries are readily available at many stores and pharmacies, but they are rigid and cannot be used in slim or small devices that require batteries. Deepa Madan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and her research team are working to develop zinc-chitosan gel-based batteries that are enclosed in flexible plastic. This would revolutionize how consumers power devices they use every day.

Deepa Madan.

Zinc, chitosan, and manganese dioxide—all components of the gel-based batteries—are abundantly available and are safe for people and animals to be around, Madan explains. Zinc-based air battery technology is already used to create small, rigid batteries, like those used in hearing aids. For this new technology, she envisions a broader array of possible forms and uses, particularly for wearable health monitoring devices.

Madan’s work has received a phase 1 award from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). The MII is a partnership between the State of Maryland and five academic research institutions in Maryland, including UMBC, which promotes the commercialization of research conducted at the universities involved. It helps to get innovative products to consumers more quickly.

Improving battery safety

The goal of this work is to develop a flexible, rechargeable zinc battery (RZB) prototype that can be used in wearable devices such as watches, wireless headphones, and health devices. “By demonstrating the unique advantages of safety and design flexibility—which enables larger battery footprint and, hence, better performance—we expect to enable RZB commercialization and gain market share for wearable health monitoring devices,” Madan explains.

Enhanced durability is an additional benefit of the RZB technology. These batteries can continue to safely generate power even if they are punctured, bent, or cut. 

During testing, Madan and her students poked six holes in the plastic that contained the battery. They found that the holes reduced the power generated from 100 percent to about 88 percent. The remaining power was still enough to power a small light. 

“I have always been interested in exploring eco- and user-friendly principles in research,” says Aswani Poosapati, Ph.D. ‘20, mechanical engineering. “After meeting with Dr. Madan, I saw how we can adapt these concepts to make a unique, highly-performing battery, to make a difference in people’s lives. This experience allowed me to see myself as a researcher and has also spurred my desire to explore more.”

The results of this research are promising, Madan says. Initial results show battery performance at levels comparable to existing products. With this finding and several additional benefits, she hopes to quickly move toward bringing these new batteries to market.

Banner image: Deepa Madan, right, in her lab in the ILSB. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.