Childcare Costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellows and Institutional Research Training Awards

Notice Number: NOT-OD-24-116

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-24-116.html

Please refer to the full notice for more details.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Meet Bruce Perry Jr. ’97, psychology. Bruce has spent 33 years at UMBC as both a student and staff member. He first joined the police department in 1994 as a student aide. After graduation, Bruce rejoined the police department in 1998 as an officer and has served in many roles over the years, including Operations Commander and Deputy Chief. In 2022, Bruce was named Chief of Police. Take it away, Bruce!

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?

A: In high school, I was in a club that had a field trip to UMBC. My guidance counselor highly recommended that I apply to three colleges. UMBC was one of those three and quickly became my top choice. I have been at UMBC ever since, practically my entire adult life, moving from a graduate to a staff member in a year.

Q: Where have you found support in the UMBC community?

A: Once I moved into Chesapeake Hall as a freshman and participated in Playfair, I met several other students that I connected with and became friends with. As a staff member, I was able to connect with other staff, faculty, and students through committees, programs and meetings.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the support you find here?

A: I love how collaborative the people on campus are. It is easy to just call or email someone and get a quick response. There are lots of activities that take place, there are many food options, and they get to use the RAC facilities for free. I would especially mention two big events that we have every year, Homecoming and Quadmania.

Q: Tell us about your current job. What do you like most about it?

A: I first joined the UMBC Police Department in 1994 as a student aide. After graduation, I rejoined the department in 1998 as an officer and has served in many roles over the years, including Operations Commander and Deputy Chief. In 2022, I was named Chief of Police. I love the opportunity to collaborate with others across campus. I have been involved with numerous campus groups, including the Alcohol and Other Drug Committee, the Hazing Awareness Work Group, the Employee of the Quarter Committee, Mental Health First Aid Instructors, and the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) to name a few. I like that I am able to interact with other colleagues around campus.

Q: Tell us what you love most about working in the UMBC Police Department.

A: Working in the police department, every day is a different day. The members of my department feel more like family members than co-workers, which is good since we have to rely on each other. I enjoy interacting with others on campus, volunteering, and being involved in different groups and committees.

Pictured right: The Retriever Weekly (Volume 33, Number 16) announcing the hiring of three new UMBC Police officers, including Bruce.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: I have been fortunate enough to have each supervisor that I have had since becoming an employee be a valuable mentor. They offered a lot of guidance and advice.

Q: What would you tell someone who is considering a career at UMBC?

A: UMBC continues to be named as a top workplace by ModernThink’s Great Colleges to Work For program. UMBC ranks as a top institution nationwide in every category, from well-being and shared governance to mission and pride.

* * * * *

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.

Welcome to Summer 2024!

CBEE IN THE NEWS: 

Chesapeake Quarterly‘s Complicated Contaminants: Finding PFAS in the Chesapeake Bay - Volume 23, Number 1 | May 2024

EXCERPT FROM:  Diagnosing the PFAS Problem: Scientists Investigate So-Called ‘Forever Chemicals’ in the Chesapeake Bay

By Ashley Goetz | May 8, 2024

“We kind of think of ourselves as the doctors of the environment,” says Upal Ghosh, a professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In order to make a diagnosis, a doctor might study your symptoms, order tests, and review your medical reports. Similarly, when there are signs of sickness in an ecosystem, scientists start with the Symptoms.

They formulate ways to gather information—collecting field samples, analyzing them in a lab, running experiments, and using mathematical models. And, like doctors, only once they learn enough to diagnose the problem can they begin to offer remedies. 

For per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, science is still largely in the diagnosis stage.

PFAS, perhaps most commonly known by their nickname, “forever chemicals,” are a vast group of human-made chemicals found in common household products, like nonstick pans, carpets, cosmetics, and fast-food packaging. They are widespread, long-lasting, and in some cases, toxic. Studies have shown that even at very low levels, certain PFAS can harm people and wildlife. 

…. 

Although PFOA and PFOS are no longer made in the United States, they are still regularly detected in water and soil samples. That’s because PFAS don’t get recycled in the environment. The carbon-fluorine bond in PFAS is one of the strongest in chemistry, making PFAS super-stable. “People have called the perfluorochemicals molecular rebars,” says Ghosh. “They don’t break down.” Over time, PFAS have escaped from the places they were made, used, and thrown away into the soil, air, and water that support life on Earth. And once introduced, PFAS tend to stick around.

….

Fate and Forecast

When it comes to PFAS, nearly every researcher will tell you, “It’s complicated.” And they’re right. Thousands of chemicals are classified as PFAS. They are seemingly everywhere, and they behave unlike many of the contaminants researchers and regulators have dealt with before.

Yet, buoyed by increasing public interest and concern, researchers continue to seek answers about PFAS. “How do you design a remedy? It really starts with defining the problem correctly,” says Upal Ghosh. Only then, he says, can we turn our attention toward the interventions and engineering needed to treat the issue.

Read full article

Congratulations to Nelanne Bolima, ‘24 chemical engineering, biotechnology & bioengineering track, the president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) student chapter and the leadership team of NSBE on receiving the Organization of the Year Award. UMBC’s Office of Student Affairs recognized NSBE during the annual end of the year event, CelebratingOrgs which honors and recognizes student organizations for their valuable work at UMBC. 

Recently, the NSBE chapter at UMBC, under the leadership of Nelanne Bolima and Conference Planning Chair Jean-Thierry Klassou, attended the NSBE50 Annual Convention in Atlanta, GA. During the convention, UMBC actively participated in both the Academic Tech Bowl and the Technical Research Competition. Their exceptional contributions and dedication were recognized with the prestigious R2 Membership Zone Award, highlighting their significant growth, engagement, and impact within the NSBE community.

Organization of the Year Award Description - The Student Organization of the Year award is presented to an organization that has made a significant effort to further its purpose through its contribution to the UMBC community. This award recognizes the student organization that has demonstrated consistent flexibility, initiative, creativity, and perseverance through its activities and programs. Furthermore, the organization embodies the UMBC spirit through its commitment to leadership development, collaboration among groups, and programmatic efforts to enhance the quality of campus life at UMBC. The Student Organization of the Year is considered a role model for other organizations on our campus.

Read more about NSBE’s success 

Read more about Nelanne’s research in Dr. Mark Marten’s lab: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/cbee/posts/133755

An Dang ’24: A chemical engineer who helped pull off a big student conference

By: Catherine Meyers | Published: May 21, 2024 | UMBC NEWS

An Dang ’24, chemical engineering, an international student from Vietnam, arrived at UMBC in 2021 as a transfer student from Montgomery College. When switching colleges, she also switched majors: from biology to chemical engineering. She quickly became involved in activities in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering and this year helped the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) pull together a major student conference for the first time. 

Q: What drew you to UMBC?

A: I talked to Mark Marten, the chair of the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering (CBEE), and I got the sense that the department is small and they really support their students. That caring environment is what I wanted. It’s also, honestly, an affordable option.

Q: Who were some of your mentors?

A: I’m working in the lab of Lee Blaney, one of the environmental engineering professors. He’s my research advisor and really helped me navigate the process of applying to grad school. In the fall, I’m going to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to pursue my Ph.D. And Neha Raikar, a senior lecturer in the department, devotes so much of her time to making sure students are supported. She’s like a motherly figure for a lot of us.

Q: What clubs and activities were you involved in?

A: I was a CBEE student ambassador. We went to high schools and community colleges to advertise the department and answer student questions. I’m also involved in the AIChE student chapter. At first I was the service chair and I mostly helped with planning K-12 outreach events. This year, we hosted the AIChE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference and I was on the planning committee. I was in charge of corporate and university relations—I helped secure sponsors for the conference, and made sure we had funding.

Q: What were some of the skills you developed serving in these roles?

A: I’m not an extrovert, and being in these roles forced me to go out of my comfort zone. I learned how to speak professionally with people in higher positions, so they take me seriously, and maybe even want to give us money. The other big thing I realized is that no matter how well I prepare, sometimes things will go wrong, and that’s okay. We all need to give ourselves grace.

Q: How did it feel to host a big conference?

A: It was a lot of hard work! The student organizers spent a lot of time together, and we really got to know each other well and develop close relationships. There are only 28 people from the department in my graduating class, and many of them are in AIChE. When the conference went well, it felt great!

Q: What other places did you find community at UMBC?

A: I am an international student, and I worked for International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). I got to know some of the staff in the office really well. One problem that I ran into while I was here is that I lost my social security card. I had a lot of challenges getting a new one because there was a mix-up in the social security office with my middle and first name. ISSS helped me write a very good letter to justify my case, and I finally got my card. I’m very grateful that I got that help from them because it’s an important piece of documentation.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: I’m continuing in chemical engineering and plan to go to grad school to study catalysis engineering, which is studying how to speed up chemical reactions. I’d like to work in industry, particularly in the field of renewable energy. Anything that helps with the environment—that’s what I want to focus on.

Photo credit: An Dang (Marlayna Demond '11/UMBC)