Ayokunnumi Ogunsanya of Lagos, Nigeria was recently selected as one of the recipients of the 2026 Marilyn Demorest Love of Learning Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 022BC-University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Ayokunnumi was selected by the awards committee for their outstanding academic excellence and active participation within the university and the broader community. In particular, the committee was impressed by Ayokunnumi's perseverance to succeed and to live life by the PKP Motto - Philosophia Kateito Photo - Let the Love of Learning Rule Humanity. Ayokunnumi is currently pursuing a PhD in Biological Sciences.

Each spring, this chapter invites applications from its graduate student members. Two $500 awards will be distributed each year to the selected awardees. The Marilyn Demorest Love of Learning Award is bestowed in recognition of the many significant contributions made by Dr. Marilyn Demorest as a key founder and seminal leader of Chapter 22 UMBC of Phi Kappa Phi.  Dr. Demorest's clear-eyed determination, detailed planning, and appreciation of both tradition and innovation infused the infant chapter with the carefully-built scaffolding needed for it to grow into the chapter we enjoy today.  Marilyn's dedication to PKP and her own love of learning are the foundation for this award.

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

All,

Autoclave waste must be put into a black bag prior to being put into the autoclave trash cans in the research wings for disposal.

Three autoclaved red bags made their way to the loading dock before being discovered were found this morning.  I realize folks are rushing to attend to their labs needs while autoclaves are available, but please don't skip any steps that keep people safe.

Thank you! 

Audrey Grutzik, of Marriottsville, Maryland, was recently selected as one of the recipients of the 2026 Shirley C. Sorensen Undergraduate Academic Excellence Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 022BC-University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Audrey was selected by the awards committee for their outstanding academic excellence and active participation within the university and the broader community. In particular, the committee was impressed by their perseverance to succeed and to serve others. Audrey is currently pursing Bachelors degrees in Political Science, Philosophy, and English.

Each spring, the UMBC chapter invites applications from its undergraduate student members to apply for the $1,000 award. The Shirley C. Sorensen Undergraduate Academic Excellence Award is bestowed in recognition of the numerous contributions that Dr. Sorensen has made over many years to The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and especially to the former five-campus chapter, University of Maryland Chapter 22, which was chartered in 1920.

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

More About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Jada Iwuoha, of Woodstock, MD was selected to serve as the single nominee from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 22BC University of Maryland, Baltimore County to compete at the national level for a Fellowship. This recognition comes with a $1000 chapter award and the opportunity to win additional funds at the national level.    

More About the Fellowship

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi currently awards 54 Fellowships of $8,500 each, six at $20,000 each, and two at $35,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study. Each active Phi Kappa Phi chapter may select one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the Society-wide awards.  

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

More About Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 22BC

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Ridwan Sifat of Dhaka, Bangladesh was recently selected as one of the recipients of the 2026 Marilyn Demorest Love of Learning Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 022BC-University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Ridwan was selected by the awards committee for their outstanding academic excellence and active participation within the university and the broader community. In particular, the committee was impressed by Ridwan's perseverance to succeed and to live life by the PKP Motto - Philosophia Kateito Photo - Let the Love of Learning Rule Humanity. Ridwan is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy.

Each spring, this chapter invites applications from its graduate student members. Two $500 awards will be distributed each year to the selected awardees. The Marilyn Demorest Love of Learning Award is bestowed in recognition of the many significant contributions made by Dr. Marilyn Demorest as a key founder and seminal leader of Chapter 22 UMBC of Phi Kappa Phi.  Dr. Demorest's clear-eyed determination, detailed planning, and appreciation of both tradition and innovation infused the infant chapter with the carefully-built scaffolding needed for it to grow into the chapter we enjoy today.  Marilyn's dedication to PKP and her own love of learning are the foundation for this award.

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Happy end of the semester and start of summer! OHP Summer hours will begin Tuesday, May 26th.

OHP will be open Wednesdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

OHP staff will be available during normal business hours, 8:30 AM to 5 PM, via email at ohp@umbc.edu 

Let's take a look at how Stan Lee’s identity deeply shaped the golden age of American comic books.

While the general public knows him as the energetic, cameo-loving face of Marvel Comics, his narrative lens was forged in the experience of a first-generation Jewish American navigating the mid-20th century.

From Stanley Lieber to Stan Lee

Born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922 to Romanian Jewish immigrant parents, he grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan, during the Great Depression. Like many Jewish creatives of his generation—including his frequent collaborators Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) and Joe Simon—he entered the fledgling comic book industry because more prestigious publishing avenues were largely closed to Jewish writers and artists.

Initially, he divided his name into "Stan Lee" as a pen name, intending to save his real family name for a future "Great American Novel." Instead, the moniker became a global brand.

Jewish Themes in the Marvel Universe

Lee’s secular Jewish upbringing and the cultural anxieties of the post-WWII era heavily influenced the themes, morality, and subtext of Marvel's most iconic characters.

• The Outsider Narrative: Characters like the X-Men and the Hulk served as profound metaphors for prejudice, otherness, and assimilation. The X-Men, co-created with Jack Kirby, directly mirrored the struggles of marginalized groups fighting for acceptance in a society that feared and hated them for being different.

• The Flawed Hero: Before Marvel, comic heroes like Superman were flawless, godlike figures. Lee introduced characters with deep-seated neuroses, financial struggles, and family issues. Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is a quintessential New York archetype—fraught with guilt, self-doubt, and the heavy burden of responsibility.

• The Golem Myth: The concept of the Hulk and the Fantastic Four's Thing (whom Kirby later explicitly confirmed as Jewish) pull heavily from the Jewish folklore of the Golem—a creature made of clay or stone brought to life to protect the vulnerable, but burdened by its own monstrous nature and strength.

• The Fight Against Tyranny: Growing up as Jewish refugees fled Europe, Lee and his contemporaries used their medium to fight fascism. During World War II, Lee enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving domestically as a "playwright" writing training manuals, slogans, and cartoons.

A Lasting Cultural Legacy

Stan Lee’s work helped shift comic books from disposable children's entertainment into a modern American mythology. By anchoring fantastic stories in real New York neighborhoods and injecting them with a distinct immigrant-driven ethos—the struggle to fit in, the obligation to protect the community, and the idea that anyone can be a hero—his Jewish heritage became permanently woven into the fabric of global pop culture.

Hi all, am currently looking for a place, anybody who has an apartment or looking for a room mate can hit me up, all male house prefered 484 353 9752

Searching for a chill, clean, and respectful roommate to take a private room in our student townhome. 

✨ Perks:

• Fully equipped kitchen
• In‑unit laundry
• Porch and Garden
• WiFi
• Central AC/heat

🚗 2‑min drive to UMBC and stores like Weis, Giant 

🚌 2‑min walk to bus stop

If you're interested or want more details, feel free to reach out: 667‑434‑8064

“Bartleby NEEDS YOU!” This was the handwritten call to arms in 1979, for writers and poets to submit their work to Bartleby, UMBC’s creative arts journal. The sentiment of this flyer is not that different from its first publication in 1972 and from today’s social media posts alerting students to upcoming submission deadlines. 

This unwavering spirit brought Howard Quinn ’80, English, back to campus in fall 2025 for the Bartleby 50+ celebration. He shared his memories as one of six editors of the 1979 – 1980 edition and reveled at the Bartleby covers and works, displayed in showcases at the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, some with typed-up poems printed on newsprint or cardstock and stapled together like the edition with 35 pieces that he helped edit—including his own poem, “Wind Down Wind” about loss. 

In 2026, Bartleby—under the recently chartered Student Media Collective—editors read 200 art submissions, 120 poetry submissions, 60 fiction submissions, and 23 creative nonfiction submissions. The ensuing 160-page publication is book-bound and printed on glossy paper. Over five decades, Retrievers have continued to creatively express the personal and political events that have defined their lives, including war and national identity, rebellion, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ identity, social isolation, and joy and love. 

Quinn came to Bartleby’s retrospective to celebrate the publication’s ongoing impact and to share a message from his friend Martha Campbell ’82, American studies, a Bartleby editor for three and a half years.

“I know that Bartleby has endured because people showed up to create art, give voice, share ideas, and they did that work year after year,” wrote Campbell, perhaps inadvertently echoing a line from her poem published during her tenure: “And the clock moves on, slow, but certain in its ways.” 

Read more Spring 2026 UMBC Magazine stories.