Alumni Create Award Winning Documentary

UMBC alumni have created an award winning documentary about Adventures for the Cure’s (AFC) annual bike trip to raise money for diabetes research. “Adventures for the Cure,” which recently received the People’s Choice Award at the Beloit International Film Festival, will be screened at UMBC on Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m. in Lecture Hall 3 (Administration Building).

Directed by Phillip Knowlton ’03, visual arts, the film chronicles the 6500-mile trek made by Adam Driscoll ’04, information systems, AFC president and cofounder; Alex Driscoll ’07, environmental science; and Jesse Stump ’06, mechanical engineering. The three men rode single-speed, fixed-gear bicycles to raise money and awareness for diabetes and to help disabled children in Kenya. “Adventures for the Cure” focuses on Adam, who as a Type-1 diabetic has to manage his illness while riding up to 150 miles a day through rugged terrain, and on the stories of two diabetic children the group meets along the way.

“Our documentary is not just a movie about biking across the country,” said Adam Driscoll. “Its about living your life to make a difference in the world – using the skills and talents that you have and love to really get out there and make it happen.  We want to show people what friends can do when they make an effort to do something worthwhile.”

Additional alumni involved in the documentary and AFC are Patrick Blair ’03, computer science, vice president and co-founder of AFC and a Race Across America ’08 cyclist, and Greg Saylor ’05, environmental science, member of the Race Across America ’08 support crew. Current UMBC students working with AFC to promote the film are Tawny Barin, Cleo Thomas, Lauren Anthony, Mike Mene, Alanna Bradley and Daniel Edlow.

AFC seeks to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move patients beyond their perceived limits and to raise funds for diabetes research.

For more information, visit www.adventuresforthecure.com. Watch a trailer for the documentary here.

(4/21/08)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Scientist Joins NASA Mission

Timothy Stubbs, a scientist at UMBC and NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, has won funding for a project that sounds like equal parts Ray Bradbury and early David Bowie: studying how electrically charged dust moves across the moon and how it could be a hazard to humans and robots exploring the lunar surface.

Stubbs was selected by NASA to join the science team for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, being built at Goddard and scheduled for launch later this year. The LRO is NASA’s first step in plans to return humans to the moon by 2020. Stubbs is an assistant research scientist with UMBC’s Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center.

Most of the evidence for a lunar dust “atmosphere” dates back to the Apollo mission era. NASA scientists analyzing images returned by the Surveyor landers noticed a ‘horizon glow’ close to the surface after lunar sunset, believed to be caused by sunlight scattered by ultra-tiny (smaller than a few microns – a millionth of a meter) dust particles. While astronauts in orbit observed a high-altitude horizon glow (over 62 miles high) just as their spacecraft was passing out of the shadow of the Moon.

According to the “dust fountain” model developed by Stubbs and colleagues at NASA Goddard, the high-altitude dust grains inferred from the horizon glow are probably highly-charged and have been lofted upward by electric fields close to the lunar surface. Once above the lunar surface electric field, the dust grains then fall back toward the Moon under gravity, with their trajectories resembling the arc of a water fountain.

Like the rest of the lunar soil, the dust was created over billions of years by the countless impacts of tiny meteorites. It gets its electrical charge from the sun’s ultraviolet light, X-rays and the moon’s surrounding plasma (electrified gas of ions and electrons) environment. The dust’s electrostatic charge makes it move about the moon’s surface and also gives it a static-cling stickiness that can be hazardous to astronauts and their equipment.

The tiny dust fragments are sharp and jagged since there is no air or water on the moon to smooth them over time. The dust was a nuisance to the Apollo astronauts, sticking to their spacesuits and tracking inside their spacecraft.

But what was a minor annoyance for the relatively brief Apollo missions could be dangerous during the next-generation, long-duration missions being planned by NASA. Astronauts who regularly inhale the sharp dust fragments over time could develop lung diseases similar to those caused by asbestos or coal dust. The dust could also cause problems with sensitive equipment and instruments.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be directly involved with NASA’s return to the moon, as well as very excited about all the great new science that will be achieved with this historic mission,” said Stubbs.

Stubbs’ project will use instruments on the LRO and other spacecraft to measure how much lunar dust there is and map the moon’s electric fields to better understand when and where the dust is most likely to be a problem for the manned missions planned for 2020 and beyond.

(4/15/08)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Timothy Stubbs, a scientist at UMBC and NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, recently won funding for a project that sounds like equal parts Ray Bradbury and early David Bowie: studying how electrically charged dust moves across the moon and how it could be a hazard to humans and robots exploring the lunar surface.

Stubbs was selected by NASA to join the science team for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, being built at Goddard and scheduled for launch later this year. The LRO is NASA's first step in plans to return humans to the moon by 2020. Stubbs is an assistant research scientist with UMBC’s Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center.

Most of the evidence for a lunar dust “atmosphere” dates back to the Apollo mission era. NASA scientists analyzing images returned by the Surveyor landers noticed a ‘horizon glow’ close to the surface after lunar sunset, believed to be caused by sunlight scattered by ultra-tiny (smaller than a few microns – a millionth of a meter) dust particles. While astronauts in orbit observed a high-altitude horizon glow (over 62 miles high) just as their spacecraft was passing out of the shadow of the Moon.

According to the “dust fountain” model developed by Stubbs and colleagues at NASA Goddard, the high-altitude dust grains inferred from the horizon glow are probably highly-charged and have been lofted upward by electric fields close to the lunar surface. Once above the lunar surface electric field, the dust grains then fall back toward the Moon under gravity, with their trajectories resembling the arc of a water fountain.

Like the rest of the lunar soil, the dust was created over billions of years by the countless impacts of tiny meteorites. It gets its electrical charge from the sun’s ultraviolet light, X-rays and the moon’s surrounding plasma (electrified gas of ions and electrons) environment. The dust’s electrostatic charge makes it move about the moon’s surface and also gives it a static-cling stickiness that can be hazardous to astronauts and their equipment.

The tiny dust fragments are sharp and jagged since there is no air or water on the moon to smooth them over time. The dust was a nuisance to the Apollo astronauts, sticking to their spacesuits and tracking inside their spacecraft.

But what was a minor annoyance for the relatively brief Apollo missions could be dangerous during the next-generation, long-duration missions being planned by NASA. Astronauts who regularly inhale the sharp dust fragments over time could develop lung diseases similar to those caused by asbestos or coal dust. The dust could also cause problems with sensitive equipment and instruments.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be directly involved with NASA’s return to the moon, as well as very excited about all the great new science that will be achieved with this historic mission,” said Stubbs.

Stubbs’ project will use instruments on the LRO and other spacecraft to measure how much lunar dust there is and map the moon’s electric fields to better understand when and where the dust is most likely to be a problem for the manned missions planned for 2020 and beyond.

Chess “Final 4” Comes to UMBC

As the UMBC community continues to honor the men’s basketball team’s historic first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament, the campus is positioned to host the 2008 President’s Cup, known as the “Final Four of College Chess,” on April 5-6.

Admission is free and spectators are invited to attend this United States Chess Federation (USCF) National event, which determines the 2008 National Collegiate Chess Team Champion. All matches will be held in the UMBC Game Room (2nd floor of The Commons).

To get the campus community excited about hosting the Final Four, UMBC has organized “Chess Week,” a week’s worth of events, activities and giveaways leading up to the 2008 President’s Cup. Events include a pep rally, a giant chess match between some of UMBC’s finest chess team members and much more.

The President’s Cup features the top four American college chess teams from the prestigious 2007 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship. This year’s finalists are “Pan Am” champion University of Texas-Dallas (UTD), UMBC, New York University (NYU) and Miami-Dade College (MDC).

Rounds 1 and 2 will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., respectively, on April 5. Round 3 is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 6, with a tiebreaker match (if necessary) at 2:30 p.m.

UMBC’s legacy as a chess power includes four Final Four victories (2003-2006) and seven Pan-Am titles (1996, 1998-2002 and 2005). UTD is a three-time Final Four champion and a six-time Pan-Am winner.  

UMBC and UTD are the only Final Four winners since the event’s 2001 inception. Alan T. Sherman, director of the UMBC chess program and organizer of the 2008 Final Four, considers NYU and MDC to be respectable challengers for this year’s championship.

“We eagerly await the opportunity to avenge our narrow second-place finish to UTD at the Pan-Am,” Sherman says.

UMBC features four International Grandmasters: Sergey “The Stealth” Erenburg (Board 1, Israel), Timur Gareev (Board 2, Uzbekistan), Pawel “The Polish Magician” Blehm (Board 3, Poland) and Katerina “The Kiev Killer” Rohonyan (Board 4, Ukraine). Rohonyan, a senior computer science major, will remain at UMBC to study for her PhD.

The President’s Cup uses a Team Round Robin format scored by total individual points. Each team has four players and up to two alternates. Standard USCF rules apply.

Throughout each round, international Grandmaster Sam Palatnik will provide free move-by-move commentary in Commons Room 329. All games will be broadcast move-by-move at www.monroi.com.

(3/31/2008)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Hold Fast to Dreams

Hailed as a national model for preparing students of all backgrounds for careers in science and engineering-related fields, the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program will mark its 20th anniversary April 4 and 5 with a scientific symposium and celebration expected to draw 600 participants from across the nation.

Nearly 200 Meyerhoff alumni will join students, families, mentors and supporters in honoring the program’s success. The weekend includes poster sessions and scientific presentations demonstrating the talent and accomplishments of Meyerhoff alumni and students; panel discussions on “Building a Diverse Science and Engineering Workforce” and “Diversifying the Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. Pipeline” featuring Meyerhoff alumni, mentors and supporters; and department open houses.

“Our Twentieth Anniversary event is a special milestone for a program that has already established many milestones in advancing diversity in the STEM fields,” said Michael Summers, chair of the symposium, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “The impact that Meyerhoff alumni have on the world as scientists, medical doctors, engineers, educators and more is inspiring. We are especially excited that corporate and foundation partners and representatives from federal agencies will attend in order to connect with Meyerhoff talent.”

Earnestine Baker, executive director of the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, said, “The Meyerhoff Program’s success is built on the premise that, among like-minded students who work closely together, positive energy is contagious. By assembling such a high concentration of high-minority students in a tightly knit learning community, our Meyerhoff Scholars continually inspire one another to do more and better. Therefore, it is fitting that we bring our alumni back to campus to reconnect, share research and network.”

Currently, 200 Meyerhoff alumni have completed graduate degrees, and 250 more are in graduate school. “The Meyerhoff program is truly making a difference,” said LaMont Toliver, director of the Meyerhoff Scholar Program. “Meyerhoff Scholars are twice as likely to graduate with a science or engineering major than students who decline the scholarship offer. Their GPAs in science, math and engineering are higher, and they are significantly more likely to enroll in a graduate program in a technical field.”

At every gathering of Meyerhoff Scholars, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski reminds students of the importance of persistence, asking them to recite the Langston Hughes poem expressing that sentiment:

“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.”

A symbol of the Meyerhoff Program’s culture and a reminder of the importance of their shared goals, these words reinforce the value of investment in personal aspirations and those of an entire community.

Hrabowski said, “UMBC has become a national model for excellence and inclusiveness in higher education. Science magazine has identified the Meyerhoff Program as one of the nation’s leading initiatives ‘for training minorities and women scientists,’ specifically citing ‘institutional leadership’ as one of the program’s strongest components because our leading faculty and staff have embraced the program.”

For more information on the Meyerhoff program, visit www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff.

(4/1/08)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �