Md Badrul Hasan, Ph.D. ’26, mechanical engineering, has been selected to receive the prestigious Urmila and Karman Ghia Graduate Student Scholar Award. Hasan presented his work at the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Fluid Engineering Division’s Summer Conference held July 26-29, 2026, in Bellevue, Washington. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ASME Fluid Engineering Division. 
Photo: Badrul (at the center) receives the FED 2026 Urmila and Karman Ghia Graduate Student Scholar Award at the ASME Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting in Bellevue, Washington, July 2026. He is joined by Ning Zhang, Chair of the ASME Fluids Engineering Division, and Kevin Anderson, Vice Chair. (Photo courtesy of Badrul)

Hasan was recognized for his recent paper, "A Baseline Aposteriori Evaluation of Machine Learning Predicted Eddy Viscosity Fields in Mesoscale Hurricane Boundary Layer Simulations," co-authored with his faculty mentors, Meilin Yu, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Tim Oates, professor of computer science and electrical engineering. This work addresses the long-standing challenge of hurricane modeling: standard weather models cannot resolve the small turbulent swirls inside a storm, and instead relies on simplified formulas that apply one fixed setting across the entire hurricane. This approach can smooth out critical energy-containing structures within the storm, and lead to prediction uncertainty.

Hasan trained a physics-constrained machine learning model to adapt local model parameters to the flow conditions at each location within the storm. While purely data-driven machine learning models often become unstable in real-world simulations, Hasan’s configurations remained numerically stable throughout the demanding tests. This achievement is a crucial first step toward making these advanced models useful for atmospheric forecasting, Hasan says. 

The work was supported by a 2025-26 College of Engineering and Information Technology Interdisciplinary Proposal award. Hasan presented this research at COEIT Research Day from 2024 through 2026, most recently receiving the 2026 Doctoral Student Award in the Foundations and Applications of Artificial Intelligence category.

“As Badrul's Ph.D. advisor, it has been incredibly rewarding to watch him grow from a new graduate student into an independent researcher in the field of physics-informed machine learning,” says Yu. “I look forward to seeing Badrul continue to advance the field and make lasting contributions to physics-informed machine learning and computational fluid dynamics.”

As part of the award, Hasan will serve on the Computational Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee for the coming year. Following his graduation from UMBC, he will join the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University as a postdoctoral researcher. He will work on an Office of Naval Research-funded project focused on predicting real-time changes to shorelines during storms.

If you are interested in applying your writing and legal analysis skills to a campus-led initiative, look no further than the Associate Editor position for the Pre-Law Review.

Your duties will include:

• Conducting first-round edits
• Working hands-on with writers
• Performing primary cite-checking
• Committing approximately 2-8 hours a week
• You MUST be a sophomore/junior/senior to apply!

If this sounds like the job for you, please fill out the following form no later than August 28th at 11:59 pm: http://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevW2HsvYYlSKSFZZhQga7rRAPm7-b1egBQ-JrdXJC_gPCgxA/viewform 

Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram: @umbc.prelawreview to stay updated on events, opportunities, and to read our Spring 2026 issue!

Happy first day of classes!

The first week of classes marks the start of a new semester filled with opportunities for learning, growth, and success. As students settle into their courses, the Office of Disability Access and Resources encourages students with approved accommodations to plan ahead and take the necessary steps to ensure their accommodations are ready for the semester.

Taking action early helps create a smoother semester and allows students, faculty, and DAAR staff to work together collaboratively to support an accessible and inclusive learning environment. Students should remember to:

• Submit semester accommodation requests through the DAAR student portal (Accommodate) to have their letters sent out
• Review your approved accommodations and request a meeting with staff if your support needs have changed
• Schedule accommodated testing with DAAR in advance
• Stay informed about important deadlines, timelines, and accommodation requirements

For detailed instructions, resources, and support, visit our website. Planning and staying connected with DAAR helps students start the semester prepared and make the most of their academic experience.

Wishing all UMBC Retrievers a successful and accessible semester!

#UMBC #UMBCRetrievers #FirstWeekOfClasses #NewSemester #UMBCStudents #Accessibility #DisabilityResources #StudentSuccess #UMBCDAAR

The Fall semester has begun and we are excited to serve you! Please see attached our Fall Hours of Operations - for more information, visit our Dine on Campus website. 

Dine on Campus

The first week of classes marks the start of a new semester filled with opportunities for learning, growth, and success. As students settle into their courses, the Office of Disability Access and Resources encourages students with approved accommodations to plan ahead and take the necessary steps to ensure their accommodations are ready for the semester.

Taking action early helps create a smoother semester and allows students, faculty, and DAAR staff to work together collaboratively to support an accessible and inclusive learning environment. Students should remember to:

• Submit semester accommodation requests through the DAAR student portal (Accommodate) to have their letters sent out
• Review your approved accommodations and request a meeting with staff if your support needs have changed
• Schedule accommodated testing with DAAR in advance
• Stay informed about important deadlines, timelines, and accommodation requirements

For detailed instructions, resources, and support, visit our website. Planning and staying connected with DAAR helps students start the semester prepared and make the most of their academic experience.

Wishing all UMBC Retrievers a successful and accessible semester!

#UMBC #UMBCRetrievers #FirstWeekOfClasses #NewSemester #UMBCStudents #Accessibility #DisabilityResources #StudentSuccess #UMBCDAAR

Do you play an instrument or sing? Join a student ensemble!

Make music! Make friends! Receive course credit! UMBC provides a wide range of performance experiences, open to audition by students in any academic area. Ensembles offered include Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Camerata Choir, Jubilee Singers, Gamelan Ensemble, and more.

See full list of available ensembles here. Contact ensemble directors to learn more and schedule an audition time.

Welcome back! Curl PWR is so excited for another semester of growth, good vibes, and great hair days ✨ Wishing you all a smooth and successful semester and a Happy First Day of Classes!!!

Dear New and Returning Erickson School Students,

My name is Nancy Kusmaul, and I serve as the Interim Dean for the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC. This is my 13th year at UMBC and my first with the Erickson School. I am looking forward to getting to know each of you this year.

I wanted to welcome those of you who are new to UMBC and welcome back to all of our returning students! Erickson's faculty and staff are excited about the new academic year. Please join us for a welcome-back open house and pizza party on Tuesday, September 1, from 12–2 p.m. at the Erickson School, 5523 Research Park Drive, Suite 230. RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekp6B8ZaR8OVBEb-Et9zS0ySBJM1g_klFJ6LL6fS-_dJ-aCg/viewform?usp=header Come, meet our faculty, and share what you are most excited about this academic year. We are looking forward to seeing you all!

We wanted to share a few resources for students who may need support. Check out these links for more information. Faculty and advisors are always available if you have questions about your classes and degree plans.

The Erickson School offers several scholarships. Watch Scholarship Retriever for deadlines and dates. While these options may help you pay for your education, we recognize that these options do not offer immediate support.

If you need more immediate financial support, please contact the Financial Aid Office or apply for the Stay Black and Gold Emergency Fund or the Sprint to the End award for students in their last semester. There are food, supplies, and other resources for students at UMBC's Retriever Essentials.

For a detailed list of academic resources and student support, see: Student Resources – Academic Success Center.

Have a wonderful semester!

Sincerely,
Dr. Kusmaul

Nancy Kusmaul, PhD, MSW
Interim Dean, Erickson School of Aging Studies
Associate Dean and Chair, Baccalaureate Social Work Program

Explore the legal side of creative work with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MDVLA)!

This event is presented by UMBC’s Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA).

Date: Wednesday, September 30

Time: 12 – 1pm (lunch at 11:45 am)

Location: Performing Arts and Humanities Building, Room 216

RSVP by September 24 for lunch

• Join Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MDVLA) for a discussion on common legal issues that an artist might face when doing creative work.
• The discussion will include an introduction to contracts, intellectual property, and business entity basics.
• The goal is to empower artists to better understand legal issues related to their creative work and assess when the right time is to talk to an attorney for additional support.
• This information is relevant to any type of creative entrepreneur or small arts organization interested in protecting themselves and their art.
• This is a great opportunity for students interested in arts law, intellectual property, entertainment law, business law, or working with artists and creative organizations.
• Founded in 1985, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MDVLA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Maryland artists’ and organizations’ legal rights through pro bono legal services and education.

Christia Ravenell is the Director of Legal Services at MDVLA. In this role, she provides legal assistance to MDVLA clients, develops legal resource guides and professional development workshops, supports volunteer attorneys, and participates in advocacy and stakeholder initiatives on behalf of MDVLA and its constituency. A Baltimore native, Ravenell holds degrees from Howard University, New York University, and Georgetown Law. When she’s not at an Art Law Clinic, you can find her in dance class or digging through crates at your local record store.

As a reminder, Procurement has upcoming virtual training sessions. If you are attending a training session and have not completed the training survey please see the bottom of the MyUMBC event post or click here for the survey please complete by end of Business Tuesday 8.25.2026.

Procurement 101: September 1st 9am-noon: for new employees to introduce them to UMBC Procurement Policies and Procedures.

Procurement Refresher Training: September 8th 9am-11am Reccomended for employees that would like a high-level refresh on Procurement Policies and Procedures.

Paw Training 1: September 15th 9am-noon OR  Paw Training 2: September 17th 9am-noon
Highly recommended for all UMBC Employees that utilize the Paw System. These will be duplicate trainings. You do not need to sign up for both trainings. 

Procurement Q&A: This Q&A session is for Faculty and Staff that have questions for the Procurement team.