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Have a great Summer!!!!

Peter Wilschke’s weeks leading up to graduation have been filled with unexpected excitement. His article “Political Drivers of State Fiscal Cyclicality” has been accepted for publication in the State and Local Government Review, the official journal of the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management of the American Society for Public Administration. The journal shares the latest research on state and local governments and the intergovernmental dimensions of public-sector activity.

“I’m exploring whether and how political factors—political polarization, turnover, and electoral competition—work to explain why some U.S. states tend to spend more in good times and less in bad times, unlike the federal government,” says Wilschke, who presented the paper at UMBC’s 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day. 

During a recent conference, editors of State and Local Government Review shared with Eric Stokan, associate professor of political science and Wilschke’s mentor, that the acceptance rate of articles is about 14 percent. “That’s for the entire field of scholars,” says Stokan. “Beyond being methodologically sophisticated, several at our Midwest Political Science Association conference also noted how truly important Peter’s work is for the field and practice.”

Pursuing a research idea

A couple of years ago Wilschke attended UMBC’s Center for Social Science Scholarship’s Mullen Lecture given by Carlos A. Vegh, the Fred H. Sanderson professor of international economics at Johns Hopkins University. Vegh discussed his research on how fiscal policy is conducted over the business cycle in both developing and developed countries. Wilschke wasn’t expecting the talk would set in motion a two-year research project. “It sparked an urge in me to find out more. I knew there was more to the story,” says Wilschke.

This was Wilschke’s first time leading a research project. “I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into,” says Wilschke. He shared the idea with Carolyn Forestiere, professor of political science and his professor for research methods in political science, and she connected him with Stokan. 

Stokan says he enjoyed working with Wilschke weekly over two semesters to help him think through all aspects of the work. He taught Wilschke R, a programming language for statistical computing and data visualization. Stokan also suggested pieces of literature on the topic, which helped Wilschke think through the operationalization of his variables and analytic specifications, and framing policy. “Each session he would come back far ahead of where I thought he would be. I would consistently say, ‘Okay, your next step should be X,’ and he would have done X, Y, and Z,” says Stokan. “It was amazing. He learned R more quickly than anyone I have ever met.” Wilschke adds, “It was very helpful to have a mentor who had gone through this process multiple times before.”

After several drafts, Wilschke wanted to publish it in the Pi Sigma Alpha—the national political science honor society—undergraduate research journal. Stokan encouraged Wilschke to share the paper with Forestiere, the faculty advisor for Pi Sigma Alpha. “Eric and I encouraged Peter to submit it to a professional journal,” says Forestiere. “We figured that it would be a learning experience even if it was rejected.” They were all delighted when the journal asked Wilschke to revise and resubmit. “We were ecstatic when it was finally accepted for publication!”

Preparing for the unexpected

During the same time, Wilschke was interning at The Hilltop Institute at UMBC, a nonpartisan research organization at UMBC dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities. He worked for Morgan Henderson, principal data scientist and affiliate professor of economics, and Morgane Mouslim, policy analyst, on a research project funded by the National Science Foundation on hospital pricing transparency. His two-year internship entailed helping to organize data collected from hundreds of hospitals and writing a news brief, “The Impact of Market Concentration on Hospital Pricing” and presenting it at URCAD 2024. 

“Peter is an excellent researcher who helped our hospital price transparency project significantly over the past two years,” says Henderson. “The quality of his work is top-notch—we predict that he’ll go far.”

Wilschke did not plan on contributing empirical research to the field of political science as an undergraduate student. Looking back he is grateful for the classes and opportunities UMBC afforded him that prepared him to follow a hunch. Wilschke said that he felt that some students don’t look forward to statistical analysis or research methods classes in economics or political science because they’ve heard the classes can be difficult and may appear irrelevant at the moment.

“Once you take these courses, your world is kind of open to how empirical research is actually conducted in those fields. Without these classes I would not have known where to start,” says Wilschke. He advises students to approach empirical work as a combination of two things. “You have to care about your research question to push through all the time and hard work needed,” says Wilschke, “and put to work all the research skills you’ve learned to answer a question that needs to be answered, that policymakers can use to improve people’s lives.” This summer, Wilschke will work as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.

Meet Garvey Chu, a first generation transfer student who is about to complete his degree in mechanical engineering at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. He’s also the recipient of a Mechanical Engineering Trailblazers scholarship. When he’s not in class, you might find Garvey enjoying some recreation time. We’re excited to see what he does next. Take it away, Garvey!

Q: Briefly introduce yourself. What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: My current area of study is mechanical engineering and I attend the Shady Grove campus. Outside of that, I enjoy going to the gym or just playing sports like golf and basketball. Currently I am in the final weeks of my undergraduate degree.

Q: Tell us about the support you’ve gotten as a student, or someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: The advisors at Shady Grove have been great. And, I feel that the professors at Shady Grove have played a significant role in introducing me to new fields and aspects of engineering. Specifically, Prof. [Adam] Bridendolph and Dr. [Joseph] Washington have shared their personal experiences in areas that I was previously unaware of. Professor Bridendolph has expertise in the automation side of engineering, while Dr. Washington specializes in biomechanics. Both of them have really opened my eyes to new possible areas in my future career.

Q: What brought you to UMBC in the first place?

A: I came to UMBC because they offered mechanical engineering and also because the convenience of the Shady Grove campus, which was really close to my home. I also heard that the professors in the STEM programs were very good.

Q: Tell us about what excites you about your academic program, what you hope to do after graduation.

A: I’m excited about having the ability to design machines or products. And, I really enjoyed the senior capstone project, where the team was tasked with developing an automated sortation machine. Not only myself, but the team members had limited exposure to many of the components the system consisted of such as pneumatics, PLC programming, and wiring. It was a totally new experience for us. Because of our selected project, we even had the opportunity to visit a technical college that had a department specializing in automation in West Virginia. I really enjoyed that visit. After graduation, I’m hoping to work in a field related to the automotive industry, satellites, or defense. 

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Dear Colleagues,

It is with bittersweet emotion that I share that Annica Wayman ’99, M6, mechanical engineering, associate dean for Shady Grove affairs in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, will be departing UMBC to pursue the next chapter on her impressive professional path. Annica’s last day with UMBC is Friday, May 24. 

Annica will be taking on a new role as deputy director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), one of 27 institutes within the National Institutes of Health. There, she will serve as second in command, delivering leadership and direction for a wide range of translational science initiatives and overseeing the center’s $923 million budget in collaboration with the institute’s director. Given all that Annica has accomplished at UMBC, this transition seems a fitting next step—but that doesn’t mean she won’t be terribly missed at UMBC!

Over the past six years, Annica has served as a phenomenal leader and trusted colleague. She and her talented team have been trailblazers, setting high standards for UMBC STEM programs to successfully launch and grow at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. 

Annica played an instrumental role in implementing and further developing the B.S. in Translational Life Science Technology (TLST)—UMBC’s first STEM program at the Shady Grove campus. CNMS also chose to shift UMBC’s Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in biotechnology to UMBC-Shady Grove, reinvigorating the program, and additional STEM programs have followed. Annica also spearheaded development of short-term biotechnology trainingprograms for workers transitioning between industries.  

Annica was the right person at the right time to launch the TLST program. Her commitment to the vision of the program and dedication to our students are without match. Although I will miss her talent and caring nature, I will be forever grateful for the time and effort she gave to the program. Annica has left an indelible mark on TLST, and she will always be a part of USG, the college, and UMBC.

Please join me in wishing her well. 

Sincerely,

William R. LaCourse

Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Tolulope Ale, an iHARP Research Assistant, was a planning committee member for the 8th Annual Earth Day Symposium and UMBC's first-ever Earth Month. UMBC collaborated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to organize 18 events throughout April.

The Earth Month activities concluded with the 8th Annual Earth Day Symposium on April 29th. The symposium covered various topics, including measuring the Earth system, theoretical studies, model forecasts and predictions, educational outreach, and community engagement. It featured presentations from esteemed speakers and included a poster session where graduate and undergraduate students shared their environmental research. 

iHARP congratulates and thanks Tolulope for contributing to UMBC's Earth Day Symposium and Earth Month celebrations!

To learn more about UMBC Earth Day and Earth Month please visit: 
https://sustainability.umbc.edu/home/earth-month/

To read the UMBC article featuring UMBC Earth Month please visit:
https://umbc.edu/stories/8th-annual-earth-day-symposium/

To learn more about the research being conducted at iHARP research center, or if you are interested in Polar and Data research, please visit: 
https://iharp.umbc.edu/

Photo Credit: Planning committee members for the Earth Day Symposium and other Earth Day events with President Valerie Sheares Ashby. Left to right: Sharad Pandey, Adeleke Segun Ademakinwa, Kamal Aryal, Tony La Luna, Roshan Mishra, Rhonda Plofkin, Valerie Sheares Ashby, Tolulope Ale, Erin Hammer, and Maurice Roots. (Image by Zhibo Zhang)