Congratulations to our Spring 2022 Asian Studies B.A. recipients! 

We are so proud of all of you and your accomplishments! Best wishes to you on your next chapters. 

Be sure to let us know about what you're up to in the future, so that we can share your triumphs and achievements with everyone! 

Congratulations again!

Today, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) launched the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program to help build a scientific workforce that more fully reflects our increasingly diverse country. The $1.5 billion program honors UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III for his decades of leadership in growing and diversifying the pipeline of Ph.D.-level researchers, most prominently through UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program. 

Alumni leading the way

UMBC is now the nation’s #1 producer of Black bachelor’s degree recipients who go on to earn a Ph.D. in the natural sciences and engineering, and this program builds on that legacy.

Meyerhoff Scholars alumni have earned 385 Ph.D.s, 155 medical degrees, and more than 300 master’s degrees (as of April 2022). More than 370 additional Meyerhoff alumni are currently enrolled in graduate and professional school. Students who became Meyerhoff Scholars are more than five times more likely to have completed or be currently enrolled in a STEM Ph.D. program than students who were accepted to the program but declined. Several universities across the country, including Penn State and UNC Chapel Hill, have successfully replicated the program, with support from HHMI and others.

Meyerhoff alumni include such rising stars as Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering, associate professor at Duke and an HHMI Investigator, and Kizzmekia Corbett ‘08, M16, biological sciences and sociology, lead of the NIH team that developed the technology for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, and now assistant professor at Harvard. 

Kizzmekia Corbett visited campus in 2021 for an interview with CNN. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

As it has gained momentum, the Meyerhoff program has had an important ripple effect. Many Meyerhoff alumni today are cultivating diverse, inclusive research groups of their own, where they support undergraduate and graduate students on their way to careers in STEM. 

HHMI has designed the new Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program to ensure that early career faculty have resources and support to become both leaders in their research fields and effective leaders and mentors of trainees from racial and ethnic backgrounds currently underrepresented in U.S. science. These are just the sort of researchers who may have come up through a Meyerhoff alumni-led laboratory, and will now be in a strong position to build their own research groups.

Kafui Dzirasa presents at UMBC’s GRIT-X talks in 2017. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

Changing the face of science 

With the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program, HHMI expects to hire and support up to 150 early career faculty over the next 20 years. The program will select 30 Scholars every other year for the next decade. Each Scholar will be appointed to a five-year term, renewable once with evaluation. Scholars will receive up to $8.6 million over 10 years, including full salary, benefits, a research budget, and scientific equipment. 

In addition, Scholars will participate in professional development to advance their leadership and mentorship skills. They’ll also be included in HHMI’s community of scientists, educators, and students for scientific meetings, networking, and other opportunities.

“For academic science to thrive in an increasingly diverse world, we need to attract and support scientists from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds,” says HHMI President Erin O’Shea. “Early career faculty play a key role because they are the leaders of tomorrow. We’re excited to support talented early career scientists dedicated to a model of excellence in science that combines innovative scientific research and intentional, inclusive development of postdocs, students, and other lab members.”

It’s especially meaningful that HHMI, the largest private funder of biomedical research in the nation, has taken up this effort. President Hrabowski was moved to learn that HHMI wanted to name their latest and biggest endeavor to diversify the scientific workforce in honor of his decades of service. 

“We should all be encouraged by HHMI’s commitment to changing the face of science in America,” Hrabowski says. “This initiative shows what is possible when an institution is guided by its values and by evidence of what works. I am deeply honored to be connected with HHMI and with this new program.”

To learn more, see additional coverage from HHMI and in The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Science, WYPR, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Based in Baltimore, MD, Everyman Theatre seeks a proactive, collaborative, and critical-thinking leader to join a team of talented staff, artists, and Board Members in the role of Director of Finance + Administration.

**House Details**

- 4B2B house, 1 small bedroom located on the first floor is available with shared bathroom with 2 other rooms

- It has central air-conditioning/heating. There is street parking available and 2 private parking spots available as well. 

- Excellent natural light in the house. It has in-unit washer/dryer, kitchen has a dishwasher 

- House is 10 minute walk from campus and a 4 minute bus ride to campus

**Room details**

- 3 bedrooms are on the 1st floor of the house with 1 full bathroom (1 out of the 3 is available to rent - other 2 rooms occupied by male tenants)

- 1 bedroom is in the basement of the house with 1 full bathroom and living room (not available - occupied by a female tenant)

**Common Details:**

- Furnished shared family room with Smart TV and couch

-  In unit washer/dryer, dishwasher

- Utilities include: internet, electricity, water, heating, central A/C, gas. 

- Washer/dryer is located in the basement

**Rent** 

Bedroom 3: $550 per month plus utilities (usually around $40-$50 per month). A security deposit of $550 along with first month rent i.e. $550 will be required upon sign of the lease. 

Link to house pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-EHKJbg0BiYuGxBRv7FCzgvXW8NHFLuk?usp=sharing

Please contact over text/email/whatsapp for an in-person tour of the house/rooms or video or any other details. Thanks!

Contact:

Sana -

Phone: +1 240-374-8603

Email: sana8@umbc.edu

**House Details**

• 1 Bedroom with a private full bathroom available in a 4B2B townhouse
• It has central air-conditioning/heating
• Free street parking available  
• Excellent natural light in the house. It has in-unit washer/dryer, kitchen has a dishwasher 
• House is 10 minute walk from campus and a 3 minute bus ride to campus, closest bus stop is Linden Ave

**Room details**

• 1 bedroom is in the basement of the house with 1 full bathroom and living room, available starting June 1st 2022

• 3 bedrooms are on the 1st floor of the house with 1 full bathroom (all occupied by male tenants)

**Common Details:**

- Furnished shared family room with Smart TV and couch

-  In unit washer/dryer, dishwasher

- Utilities include: internet, electricity, water, heating, central A/C, gas. 

- Washer/dryer is located in the basement

**Rent** 

Basement Bedroom: $650 per month plus utilities (usually around $40-$50 per month). A security deposit of $650 along with first month rent i.e. $600 will be required upon sign of the lease. 

Please contact over text/email/whatsapp for an in-person tour of the house/rooms or pictures of the house or any other details. Thanks!

Contact:

Sana -

Phone: +1 240-374-8603

Email: sana8@umbc.edu

Student teams recently gathered at Betamore, a Baltimore-based entrepreneurship and coworking space, to battle in the final round of UMBC’s annual Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition. Greg Cangialosi ‘96, English, founded the competition in 2014 to provide UMBC student entrepreneurs with a chance to pitch innovative ideas to a panel of judges, and to get advice and support in developing their concepts. 

This year’s competition included two distinct tracks: technology and innovation, and social impact. The top three ideas in each track received funding to help move their ventures forward. 

The live event included competitors from all three UMBC colleges who pitched a diverse range of ideas. Here, some of the participants share advice for other students who are interested in entrepreneurship but may not be sure where to begin.

Tip 1: Pursue what you love

Mahmoud Shalby ‘23, computer science, says that in order to be a successful entrepreneur you have to be passionate about your concept to stay motivated through challenging times. Shalby and his collaborator Faheel Kamran ‘22, computer engineering, took first place in the technology and innovation track for their idea Haven, which is an encrypted, privacy-focused cloud storage service. 

Mahmoud Shalby and Faheel Kamran at the event. (Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.)

“The best tip I’d share about entrepreneurship is to love what you do. It might seem simple and intuitive, but it’s a necessary component of the entrepreneurial journey that you have to consciously take into account,” Shalby says. “There’ll be countless sleepless nights, functions you have to miss, friends that you won’t see. The only way you can endure all of that is to fully love what you do.” 

Tip 2: Don’t fear failure

Basil Udo ‘22, biochemistry and molecular biology, placed third in the technology and innovation track for his idea Xeddy, a marketplace for digital assets, coupons, and collectables. Udo explains that entrepreneurship provides learning opportunities, often when things don’t work out as expected. 

“Learning from experience means you need to experience. Let go of the fear of failure because growth requires failure,” he says. “The earlier you start”⁠—even if you aren’t initially successful—“the sooner you win.”

Tip 3: Match a problem with a solution

Michael Chapman ‘23, mechanical engineering, took first place in the social impact track for his idea Seeker. It’s a toy that provides individuals with dyspraxia—a common neurological disorder affecting movement—the ability to participate in activities that their peers enjoy. 

Michael Chapman, center, at the Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition. (Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.)

Chapman says that the world is full of problems to be addressed. “Entrepreneurship is simply the discovery of the one problem that resonates with you and its accompanying solution,” he says. “If you are able to find a way to market your solution for a problem people experience, then you are well on your way to becoming an entrepreneur.”

Tip 4: Know your value

Kayla Massey ‘22, dance and information systems, placed second in the social impact track for her idea Pennies for Pointe, which works to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in dance. She says that in order to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to believe in your idea fully, and see it as valuable. 

Kayla Massey, right, with Greg Cangialosi after the event. (Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.)

“How you see yourself and your organization is how other people see you,” Massey explains. “Always believe that your idea is valuable, and be certain that no matter how many people are doing something similar to what you want to do, there is nobody who can do it quite like you.”

Massey has experience expressing that confidence in sharing her work, beyond the entrepreneurship competition. Her dance piece Between You and Me was selected to be performed at the American College Dance Association’s virtual gala event held in early May. The American College Dance Association is an organization that promotes the talent and creativity of prominent college and university dance departments. A panel of judges selected Massey’s piece for performance out of more than 50 submissions. 

Tip 5: Take action

Tamara Buchanan M.S. ‘22, health information technology, earned third place in the social impact track for PlusOne Technology, which allows individuals to search for transportation for medical appointments. She explains that a solid idea matters, but taking action on that idea is essential. 

“It’s great when an idea comes to your mind and you believe in it. But the worst thing you can do is to sit on it and never bring it into fruition,” she says. “Someone is waiting on your business to help change or elevate their life. So take action. Seek help and utilize all the entrepreneurship resources available to you at UMBC. Start today. You can do it.”

Other award winners at the event included Talon Schroeder ‘25, and Noah Masri ‘25, both studying computer science. They took second place in the technology and innovation track for their idea Crypto Briefcase, an all in one place to do anything web3.

Students interested in exploring entrepreneurship opportunities can explore the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to learn about upcoming events and competitions.