Celebrating Student Research

UMBC is a place that believes hands-on research and discovery is an essential part of the student experience. This week, two campus events put the creativity and curiosity of UMBC student research from across the disciplines on public display.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) starts things off on Wednesday, April 25, followed by the 29th annual Graduate Research Conference (GRC) on Friday, April 27. The week presents an extraordinary opportunity for the public and campus community to explore original, interdisciplinary research findings through oral and poster presentations and to enjoy free arts performances and exhibits.

Having grown steadily since being founded in 1997 by the Office of the Provost, URCAD is now a project of the Office of Undergraduate Education. The URCAD experience gives students valuable experience preparing for graduate school or future careers. Many URCAD projects are funded by Undergraduate Research Awards (URA), competitive grants of up to $1,500 given annually to support student research over an academic year.

UMBC has declared this week Graduate Student Week, and UMBC�s Graduate Student Association has planned lectures, workshops, and a variety of festivities to enrich the lives of the University�s over 2,300 graduate students. The GRC is a chance for UMBC and University of Maryland, Baltimore grad students from different disciplines to share research ideas and learn more about the process of preparing for a scientific meeting.

Visitors to URCAD and the GRC will experience a broad spectrum of outstanding student research, including:

• Like many of his peers, chemistry Ph.D. student and Wyeth Fellow Orrette Wauchope spends long hours � he estimates 10 per day � in the lab. Wauchope studies compounds that could lead to new drugs to fight cancer and help prevent viral and parasitic diseases.
• Salutorian, Phi Beta Kappa member and former UMBC women�s basketball team captain Erin Voss is working to better understand how the body�s nerve cells heal and recover from injuries and disease. Voss, a fifth-year senior majoring in biochemical engineering, is headed to medical school at the University of Wisconsin after graduation.
• Senior interdisciplinary studies and visual arts major Truc Nguyen’s project, “Call Me Brother,” is a photo documentary chronicling the American immigration stories of four generations of her extended family. The project helped her learn living history while honing her design and photography skills for a future career in communications or marketing. Nguyen�s work will also be on display at The Commons Mezzanine gallery space all this week, with daily multimedia presentations between noon and 1 p.m.

URCAD will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University Center and Fine Arts Building. A full morning session will be devoted to dance and film presentations. For more information, please visit the URCAD Website.

The 2007 Graduate Research Conference will be held on Friday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University Center. Graduate Student Week is April 26 � May 3. For more information, please visit the GSA�s Website.

(4/23/07)

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Erickson School Launches Master’s Degree in Aging Services

The Erickson School at UMBC is now accepting applications for its new Master of Arts in the Management of Aging Services (MAgS), a unique program specifically designed to prepare leaders for the challenges and opportunities presented by an aging society.

Unlike any other graduate degree, the MAgS program weaves together disciplines in management, public policy and the study of human aging. Integrating these core disciplines combines skills and knowledge necessary for leaders providing products and -services and making policy for older adults, said Erickson School Dean Kevin Eckert.

Designed for working professionals, the program is offered in a 15-month executive master’s format. It begins with an intensive one-week session followed by sessions every two to three weekends and concludes with an integrative capstone exercise addressing a relevant issue for each student’s specific organization or agency. The inaugural class of MAgS students will be selected from a pool of applicants representing top professionals working in aging-related services, including government agencies, financial institutions and the nation’s burgeoning seniors housing and care industry.

Applications for the MAgS program can be submitted online. The Erickson School also offers an undergraduate major and minor in aging services and an Executive Education program, including CEUs and certificates. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/erickson.

For more information on UMBC’s other graduate programs, visit www.umbc.edu/gradschool.

(6/26/07)

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International Recognition for a New Filmmaking Technique

Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Eric Dyer ’95 received international recognition for his film “Copenhagen Cycles,” which uses an avant-garde approach of connecting age-old film techniques with digital technology. “Copenhagen Cycles” won the 2007 Director’s Choice Award at the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film and Video Festival in New Jersey and was also screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and festivals in Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, England and Germany.

An experimental animator who often uses computers to create his films, Dyer produced “Copenhagen Cycles” using a new filmmaking method that he developed, merging digital animation and a pre-cinema technique. He compiled hundreds of photographs he took while bicycle riding around the streets of Denmark during his 2005 Fulbright Fellowship. First, Dyer printed and cut the sequences of the moving images and built about 25 zoetrope-like paper sculptures, then spun the sculptures and recaptured the collaged movements with a fast-shutter digital video camera. The art installation version of “Copenhagen Cycles” includes the bicycle wheel-sized zoetropes and a video demonstration of the unique filmmaking process.

In his animation courses at UMBC, Dyer is teaching his students to use his new method of filmmaking. “By using this experimental process, my students learn the value of mixing hands-on and digital techniques. They discover pathways or tangents they wouldn’t normally take when using only a computer. In the end, they surprise themselves and grow as artists,” he said.

Dyer is collaborating with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center for his next project, which will use 3D animation and 3D printing technologies to create zoetropes for a new film and installation. He hopes to complete the project in early 2008.

(4/10/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Realizing Their Potential: UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Through the Shriver Center at UMBC, hundreds of students stepped outside the boundaries of the classroom this summer and gained real-world experience by participating in an internship or co-op. These students were able to obtain professional opportunities, grasp the links between theory and practice and learn valuable job-related habits and skills at Wyeth Research, Maryland Department of Labor, Department of Defense, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Otto Bock HealthCare, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, W.R. Grace, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Department of State, GE and the Maryland Department of Transportation, among others.

Employers, on the other hand, were given a chance to evaluate potential new employees. John Sheridan, special agent and regional recruiter for the FBI, said, “At UMBC, I always meet a qualified, intelligent, eager and mature student body. UMBC should be very proud.”

Christine Routzahn, associate director of internships and co-ops, said, “The Shriver Center is dedicated to providing employers with the talent and energy that UMBC students offer. By complementing classroom teaching and research with the internship and co-op program, UMBC continues to develop our students as tomorrow’s leaders.”

Click here to read about some of UMBC’s summer interns and co-ops.

(8/29/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Realizing Their Potential:
UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Name: Nadeesha Ranasinghe Arachchige
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Graduation: December 2008
Placement: Wyeth Research

“What I liked most about my internship with the drug safety and metabolism group was the opportunity to work with extremely talented and skilled scientists in sophisticated labs.”

Duties:

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

The Serious Science of Human Nature

Robert Provine’s groundbreaking research into what makes us human has earned him attention from scientists and media from around the world. Provine studies how instinctive behaviors like laughter, yawning and tickling give new insights into evolution, brain function and social science. Two of his essays were recently chosen for “best of year” literary anthologies, placing him alongside top comedic minds from “The Simpsons,” “The Daily Show” and “The Onion” as well as leading scientists.

One of his essays appears in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006, a book introduced by “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and compiled by novelist Dave Eggers. The book also includes contributions from Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman and satire from “The Daily Show,” “This American Life” and “The Onion.”

On the more serious side, a Provine essay on yawning was chosen for “The Best American Science Writing 2006,” putting him in the company of top writers from The New York Times, Wired, The New Yorker and others. Other well-known works have cited Provine’s unique research, including bestsellers like Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, Steven Pinkner’s How the Mind Works and Kay Redfield Jamison’s Exuberance.

“It’s a pleasure being in the company of scientists and writers whose work I admire,” said Provine, a professor of psychology who’s been at UMBC for 32 years.

Provine is also one of the most cited researchers in leading textbooks in his specialty, not surprising for a former student of the Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist Rita Levi-Montalcini. Comedians Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall have mentioned his ideas in their monologues, and Provine has been involved in television shows with humorists Bill Cosby, Conan O’Brian, Al Franken and Alan Alda.

A man of diverse academic and personal interests, Provine enjoys racing his Corvette, painting and playing jazz saxophone. But one of his biggest passions is teaching and researching with students. All of the co-authors on his research papers are UMBC undergraduates, several of whom are featured in his 2000 book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation which he calls “in part, a story about undergraduate research at UMBC.”

Provine’s future plans include a forthcoming article on how tickling is the basis for the self/other perception, the root of social play and a good source of information on how to build better robots. He joins other scientific and literary luminaries in “What is Your Dangerous Idea,” his third contribution to the Today’s Leading Thinkers series of texts based on essays for Edge.org.

He seems very happy to have found a niche that carries his ideas around the world and can take him to the chimpanzee section of the zoo, the opera house and then to the toy store for research. “Unlike most jobs, professors are lucky to be able to pursue their ideas where ever they lead,” he said.

Provine suspects there is a good reason why his research and writing have wide appeal. “The social sciences have traditionally focused on the environmental influences on behavior and the differences between individuals and cultures,” he said. “But my work has attended to basic elements of human nature that all individuals and cultures have in common.”

(12/11/06)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Transforming the Teaching of Science

Changes in the way UMBC faculty are teaching introductory chemistry is not only increasing pass rates but creating more interest in chemistry.

Professors Ralph Pollack and William LaCourse came to Diane Lee, dean of undergraduate education, with concerns about student performance in Chemistry 101. The large lecture classes that usually contained over 200 students left little room for more than a handful of students to participate, and additional weekly recitation classes did not make a difference in student grades.

The Department of Chemistry, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Shriver Center worked together to create the Chemistry Discovery Center, a problem-based, high-tech learning lab (University Center, Room 201) focused on cooperative learning. Two years later, pass rates in Chemistry 101 are increasing, fewer students need to repeat the class and faculty have seen additional improvement at all grade levels. The number of majors, second majors and minors in chemistry and biochemistry is growing. And an overall improvement in group skills is also migrating to upper-level chemistry classes.

“Science is a cooperative endeavor, not a solitary one,” said Pollack. “In the Chemistry Discovery Center, students become active participants in the learning process, and we know that those who work in groups do better than those who work alone. It gets them thinking about problems and coming to their own conclusions. They’re not just memorizing.”

During two-hour weekly sessions, students divide into groups of four, and receive worksheets to guide them in their development of the ideas and principles that form the basis of the unit being studied. Students take ownership of the group through rotating roles, from managing the group to computing and recording the information. Faculty and teaching assistants can send and view group work from a central monitor. (UMBC’s Continuing and Professional Studies helped fund the lab’s first year, while the National Science Foundation funded the second year.)

“You don’t really understand the information until you are doing the problems yourself,” said freshman Frances Andrada. “Working with your peers and helping each other makes it easier to remember the information.”

“Students become more independent and responsible for their learning by developing critical work skills – teamwork, communication, management and self-assessment. It’s another way UMBC provides students with an entrepreneurial skill set,” added LaCourse.

Lee said that the Chemistry Discovery Center’s success has sparked interest from other departments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in creating similar labs. “It’s wonderful to see students excited about solving problems. What’s more, for those students who want to become teachers, it shows them firsthand how to make science more accessible.”

UMBC and partners in the Chemistry Discovery Center will celebrate its success with a ribbon cutting and reception on May 11. President Hrabowski will begin the program at 9:30 a.m. in the University Center, Room 201.

(5/7/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Two UMBC Alumni Receive Prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarships

Matthew Loftus ’07, chemistry, and Hadi Gharabaghi, ’06, visual arts, have received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. Only 34 students in the nation received this year’s scholarship, which honors high achieving students with financial need. Considered one of the most generous U.S. academic awards, it provides up to $50,000 per year for up to six years of graduate or professional study in any field.

Now in his first year at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Loftus came to UMBC on a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship. He spent summers doing volunteer work in Africa and was vice president of Students Taking Action Now in Darfur (STAND). He received the William Donald Schaefer Award for the best applicant to the Maryland International Education Association scholarship when he studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt.

Loftus hopes to work as a doctor in developing countries after medical school. “I am blessed and privileged to be a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship,” Loftus said. “It allows me to be free to pursue a career in international health serving others without having to worry about any debt from medical school.”

Gharabaghi is pursuing an M.A. in Cinema Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Originally from Iran where he studied math and physics in high school, he became interested in the arts and humanities while at Montgomery College, and later transferred to UMBC. His work has been exhibited at Caladan Gallery, Current Gallery, Iranian.com and the Middle East Institute. He also completed an internship at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

After receiving his master’s degree, Gharabaghi plans to obtain a Ph.D. in Media Studies and teach at the university level. “The prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship bestowed upon me has materialized my belief in the American Dream,” Gharabaghi said. “Having entered this country as a refugee nearly a decade ago, I aspired to achieve and maintain academic excellence since in Iran, I was unjustly denied opportunity due to my religious affiliation. For me, this scholarship is the validation of years of perseverance. Therefore, on the onset of 40, I feel more determined than ever to pursue my dream of an academic career in humanities.”

(8/20/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Announces New Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

UMBC has recently added several new degree and program track opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. With these programs recently approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the university continues to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in their careers and employers with talented graduates in a variety of fields.

UNDERGRADUATE

Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Communication Studies
As communication becomes increasingly digital, interactive and pervasive, knowledge of new media technology is essential. The B.A. in Media and Communications Studies is an interdisciplinary program that combines a liberal arts education with an understanding of the dynamic and complex changes in communication, culture and knowledge. Students will gain critical media literacy while learning to use relevant new technologies to communicate effectively. Internships and capstone projects will introduce students to the worlds of radio, television, print and web journalism; public relations and advertising; non-profit policy work and advocacy; as well as careers in education, health and administration. Students in the program must complete an additional major, minor or certificate. Visit the Media and Communications Studies web site at www.umbc.edu/mcs or contact program director Jason Loviglio loviglio@umbc.edu) in the Department of American Studies for more information.

Bachelor’s Degree in Gender and Women’s Studies
Gender and Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that seeks to understand and articulate how gender makes a difference – in the lives and experiences of women, as well as men; in the practices and institutions of human societies; and in the cultural products of societies, such as art and literature. Emphasizing the importance of historical, cross-cultural, and international perspectives, Gender and Women’s Studies critically examines the intersections of gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and ability to make visible structures of power that otherwise remain hidden. Graduates with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies enter careers in business, education, public service, healthcare, social services, law, politics and news media. Contact program director Anne Brodsky (brodsky@umbc.edu) in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program (www.umbc.edu/wmstudies/) for more information.

Bachelor of Arts in Physics Education
There is a chronic shortage of secondary school science teachers, especially physics-trained teachers, in Maryland and throughout the U.S. In response, UMBC has created a Bachelor of Arts in Physics Education that will graduate fully trained physicists who are able to teach physics at the secondary level. The program is offered in collaboration with UMBC’s Department of Education. Contact program director Philip Rous (rous@umbc.edu) for more information.

Program Track in Computer Science: Game Development
Program Track in Visual Arts: Animation and Interactive Media The Baltimore/Washington region is ranked third in the number of computer game companies nationally. Employers are looking for talented programmers and artists to meet increasing demands in the gaming field. Based on employer feedback, UMBC has created a game development track for students pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science, and an animation and interactive media track for students pursuing a B.A. in Visual Arts. Visit http://gaim.umbc.edu/ for more information, or contact program directors Marc Olano (olano@umbc.edu) in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering or Eric Dyer (dyer@umbc.edu) in the Department of Visual Arts.

Program Track in Health Administration and Policy: Public Health
The Health Administration and Policy Program (HAPP) is designed for career-oriented students who recognize that health and health care in the U.S. are major public concerns and plan to seek employment in one of a variety of administrative, supportive, planning, research or policy positions. The new track in Public Health provides students the opportunity to add courses in the natural sciences as part of their program requirements. Visit www.umbc.edu/happ or contact associate program director Joyce Riley (riley@umbc.edu) in the Department of Sociology for more information.

GRADUATE

Master’s Degree in Professional Studies: Biotechnology
Designed for current and aspiring biotech professionals, the M.P.S. in Biotechnology program incorporates advanced life science courses with regulatory and management courses. In addition to providing advanced instruction in the life sciences, the program provides practical instruction on how to successfully bring new products to market. The program also includes coursework in leadership, management and financial management to a life science-oriented business. Visit the M.P.S. Biotechnology program web site (www.umbc.edu/biotech) or contact program director Rick Wolf (biotechinfo@umbc.edu) for more information.

Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Degree in Geography and Environmental Systems
The environment is an emerging focus on the UMBC campus, and the graduate programs in Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) will emphasize the kinds of interdisciplinary collaboration needed to address critical problems affecting the natural environment and human society. Students will have the opportunity to earn an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in three areas: Environmental Systems, including water resources and earth-surface processes, ecosystem science and atmospheric processes; Human Geography, with an emphasis on coupled human-natural systems including impacts of human activities on the environment, the socioeconomic consequences of environmental degradation and environmental policy; and Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing. Visit the GES graduate program web site (www.umbc.edu/ges/GES_graduate_program) or contact program director Andrew Miller (miller@umbc.edu) in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems for more information.

Master’s Degree in Professional Studies: Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Pending Approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission)
UMBC’s Master’s in Professional Studies: Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology program will be offered at the Universities at Shady Grove campus in Rockville. The program will offer an applied curriculum for early and mid-career students planning to enter or advance in the I/O workforce. It explores and integrates such topics as organizational behavioral management, human factors, and professional human resources practice, and culminates with a professional capstone experience. The program enables students to develop a portfolio while building strong relationships with faculty and industry professionals. Upon completing the M.P.S., students will possess advanced knowledge of organizational behavior management, ethical issues in organizational psychology, the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, the dynamics of teamwork, and employee motivation. Evening, weekend and select online courses will be available for busy professionals. For more information, contact Diane Alonso at 301-738-6318 or dalonso@umbc.edu or visit www.umbc.edu/shadygrove/iop.

Master’s Degree in Management of Aging Services
The newly formed Erickson School is offering an applied professional M.A. degree program focused on preparing leaders in practice and scholarship who will improve society by enhancing the lives of older adults. The unique program is designed for professionals working in the growing array of aging-related services, including in government, business and non-profit sectors. It will provide a solid interdisciplinary foundation in human aging, management and policy. Graduates will leave the program with the skills and knowledge to make a unique contribution to organizations addressing the needs of an aging society. Contact program director Leslie A. Morgan (lmorgan@umbc.edu) in the Erickson School (www.umbc.edu/Erickson) for more information.

Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering (Pending Approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission)
The Master’s of Science in Systems Engineering will provide the technical background required for successful systems engineers in the 21st century. The program is designed for engineering professionals who want practical experience that can be immediately applied on the job. Students will learn from industry experts how to develop complex systems that meet customer requirements. The core curriculum will consist of five courses developed and taught by senior systems engineers to equip students with the processes, techniques and tools required to practice systems engineering. These courses will address the entire systems engineering life cycle, including requirements analysis, systems architecture and design, modeling, simulation and analysis, and system implementation and testing. The elective portion of the program consists of courses that provide an overview of technical disciplines that lie at the heart of today’s systems and courses in a related technical discipline chosen to meet the specific career needs of each student. Contact program director Ted Foster (tfoster@umbc.edu) for more information.

(7/23/07)

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UMBC Awarded $2 Million to Fund Entrepreneurship Education

*Learn about Entrepreneurship Week Events (Feb. 24-Mar. 3)
*Read about UMBC student and faculty entrepreneurs
*Visit the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship Web site

UMBC is expanding its entrepreneurship education and programming, thanks to a $2-million grant from the Kauffman Foundation.

The mission of the Kauffman Campuses Initiative is to catalyze entrepreneurship programs outside of business and engineering schools. The award acknowledges the success of UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, created six years ago through a gift of $1 million from the Alex. Brown Foundation to develop a leading university entrepreneurship center for the Baltimore region.

“The Kauffman grant allows us to take entrepreneurship programming to the next level,” said Vivian Armor, director of the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship. “We can expand course offerings, improve programming that exposes students and faculty to important entrepreneurial concepts and help develop systems to support individuals launching successful business ventures or social entrepreneurship programs that address community needs.”

Armor believes that UMBC’s upcoming Entrepreneurship Week (February 24 through March 3, part of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA) can serve as an awareness campaign about entrepreneurship, often misunderstood as a concept that only applies to business.

“Entrepreneurship can play an important role in all disciplines,” she said. “Faculty and students pushing the envelope in science and technology, breaking new ground in the creative arts or crafting new solutions to society’s problems can all be entrepreneurs. Some people don’t even realize what they are doing is entrepreneurial.”

The Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship is committed to working with faculty and students across the campus. Its most recent summer institute was designed for members of the visual and performing arts faculty, who learned how to incorporate entrepreneurial concepts into their classes. The Center will continue to offer institutes in a variety of disciplines.

The Center also offers courses, lectures and other student and faculty programming, and is a partner in UMBC’s ACTiVATE program, funded by the National Science Foundation to address the unique needs of accomplished women interested in starting technology companies. Eight women in the two-year-old program now lead their own tech companies.

(2/19/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �