Dear Colleagues,

It is with bittersweet emotion that I share that Annica Wayman ’99, M6, mechanical engineering, associate dean for Shady Grove affairs in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, will be departing UMBC to pursue the next chapter on her impressive professional path. Annica’s last day with UMBC is Friday, May 24. 

Annica will be taking on a new role as deputy director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), one of 27 institutes within the National Institutes of Health. There, she will serve as second in command, delivering leadership and direction for a wide range of translational science initiatives and overseeing the center’s $923 million budget in collaboration with the institute’s director. Given all that Annica has accomplished at UMBC, this transition seems a fitting next step—but that doesn’t mean she won’t be terribly missed at UMBC!

Over the past six years, Annica has served as a phenomenal leader and trusted colleague. She and her talented team have been trailblazers, setting high standards for UMBC STEM programs to successfully launch and grow at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. 

Annica played an instrumental role in implementing and further developing the B.S. in Translational Life Science Technology (TLST)—UMBC’s first STEM program at the Shady Grove campus. CNMS also chose to shift UMBC’s Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in biotechnology to UMBC-Shady Grove, reinvigorating the program, and additional STEM programs have followed. Annica also spearheaded development of short-term biotechnology trainingprograms for workers transitioning between industries.  

Annica was the right person at the right time to launch the TLST program. Her commitment to the vision of the program and dedication to our students are without match. Although I will miss her talent and caring nature, I will be forever grateful for the time and effort she gave to the program. Annica has left an indelible mark on TLST, and she will always be a part of USG, the college, and UMBC.

Please join me in wishing her well. 

Sincerely,

William R. LaCourse

Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Tolulope Ale, an iHARP Research Assistant, was a planning committee member for the 8th Annual Earth Day Symposium and UMBC's first-ever Earth Month. UMBC collaborated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to organize 18 events throughout April.

The Earth Month activities concluded with the 8th Annual Earth Day Symposium on April 29th. The symposium covered various topics, including measuring the Earth system, theoretical studies, model forecasts and predictions, educational outreach, and community engagement. It featured presentations from esteemed speakers and included a poster session where graduate and undergraduate students shared their environmental research. 

iHARP congratulates and thanks Tolulope for contributing to UMBC's Earth Day Symposium and Earth Month celebrations!

To learn more about UMBC Earth Day and Earth Month please visit: 
https://sustainability.umbc.edu/home/earth-month/

To read the UMBC article featuring UMBC Earth Month please visit:
https://umbc.edu/stories/8th-annual-earth-day-symposium/

To learn more about the research being conducted at iHARP research center, or if you are interested in Polar and Data research, please visit: 
https://iharp.umbc.edu/

Photo Credit: Planning committee members for the Earth Day Symposium and other Earth Day events with President Valerie Sheares Ashby. Left to right: Sharad Pandey, Adeleke Segun Ademakinwa, Kamal Aryal, Tony La Luna, Roshan Mishra, Rhonda Plofkin, Valerie Sheares Ashby, Tolulope Ale, Erin Hammer, and Maurice Roots. (Image by Zhibo Zhang)

The 10 a.m. Undergraduate Ceremony:

The 3 p.m. Undergraduate Ceremony: