by David Hoffman

With black and gold streamers flying across campus and pathways covered in paw prints, UMBC is busy preparing for an action-packed Homecoming 2017. Running October 5 through 14, this year’s calendar boasts dozens of events for the whole UMBC community to enjoy, combining new traditions with perennial favorites.

The festivities will kick off on Thursday, October 5 with the 2017 Alumni Awards Ceremony, an annual event to honor alumni and faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. This year, UMBC will recognize alumni Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D. ’06, public policy; Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering; Kate Laskowski ’06, biological sciences and chemistry; Alejandro Cremaschi ’93, music; Dennis Williams, II ’14, American studies; Lauren Mazzoli ’15, mathematics and computer science, and M.S. ’17, computer science; and Steven Storck ’08, mechanical engineering, M.S. ’09, mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. ’14, mechanical engineering. The UMBC Alumni Association will present this year’s outstanding faculty award to Marc Zupan, associate professor and graduate program director in mechanical engineering.

The awards ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, with a reception immediately following (register online). Detailed biographies of this year’s awardees are available through the UMBC Alumni Blog. For those who aren’t able to attend, the ceremony will be livestreamed through the UMBC Facebook page.

As the sun sets on Friday, October 6, Retrievers will gather on Erickson Field to light the annual Homecoming Bonfire, a beloved student tradition the entire campus community can enjoy. This year’s celebration includes free food, games, and giveaways.

That weekend will feature the first of our UMBC Homecoming games—destination events for students and alumni alike, as well as the broader UMBC, Catonsville, and Arbutus communities. On Sunday, October 8, women’s soccer will play against Hartford and volleyball will compete against Albany, with both matches starting at 1 p.m. Men’s basketball will host a tip-off event to celebrate the upcoming 2017 – 18 season on Friday, October 13 at 6 p.m.

Another major highlight during that energy-filled day will be the Homecoming Comedy Show. This year, Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, will perform in the RAC (doors open at 8 p.m., the show starts at 9 p.m.). Tickets are $30 for students, $35 for alumni, faculty, staff, and the public, and are anticipated to sell out soon.

Saturday, October 14 will be particularly action-packed for athletics alumni, with the women’s and men’s lacrosse alumni games, softball alumni game, men’s basketball annual Black & Gold Scrimmage, men’s lacrosse alumni game, and baseball alumni batting practice featuring Kids Run the Bases. At 7 p.m. that evening, after a pregame athletics alumni social, men’s soccer will compete against Albany at the Retriever Soccer Park.

Also on Saturday, UMBC will host Grit-X, back by popular demand from last year’s 50th anniversary celebration. This year’s Grit-X Talks will feature some of the university’s most intriguing alumni and faculty minds on topics from implantable electronics and black holes to language and choreography. The event will take place October 14, 10 a.m. – noon in the Black Box Theatre at UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

Among the speakers this year are alumni award recipient Kafui Dzirasa, associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine; Sean Pang ’09, English, and M.A.T. ’11, Washington Post 2017 Teacher of the Year; and Gymama Slaughter, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering at UMBC. This event is free and open to the public (advance registration preferred).

In addition to hosting Grit-X and athletics events, on October 14 UMBC will also welcome Retrievers from near and far to Homecoming Carnival, with rides, games, and food trucks, noon – 9 p.m. on Erickson Field. Admission is free and open to the public, and visitors can purchase a $5 wristband on the day of the event for unlimited carnival rides.

During the carnival, Retriever grads will have a chance to reconnect with each other at the Alumni Tent through gatherings for alumni of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, Residential Life Alumni, and more. The Humanities Scholars Program and Honors College will also host alumni gatherings during the day. Fab Four alumni, who graduated in UMBC’s earliest years, will enjoy a special Homecoming luncheon in the Skylight Room, overlooking the Carnival festivities.

For more details on these and other Homecoming events, head to the UMBC Homecoming website.

Header image: UMBC men’s soccer fans cheer at a game during Week Welcome 2017. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Move-in day is a highly anticipated undertaking for college students everywhere, and UMBC is no exception. Lugging their suitcases, decorative furnishings, and pre-semester anxieties, UMBC students swarm the campus to turn their little dorm into home for the next four months. Sometimes they enjoy a little help from family and friends. Below are recent images of Retrievers moving in and enjoying the campus-wide welcome. A big thank-you to Alexis Harris ’19 for taking the photos!

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Move-in day excitement always carries over into Welcome Week activities where students meet up with old friends and make new ones, too! Below you can see glimpses of move-in days and welcome weeks of the past, courtesy of Retriever Weekly‘s past, available online in UMBC’s digital archives.

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“I loved those first days so much that I decided to become a New Resident Student Assistant helping freshmen with their move-ins for the next two years, and a Resident Assistant my senior year,” recalls Karen Lewis ’97, American studies, about moving in at UMBC. Lewis is pictured below.

What are some of your favorite move-in day memories at UMBC?

Celebrate National Tutor Appreciation Week by getting to know Math Lab Tutor Brianna Salmond!

Tell us a little about yourself.

- I am a Math major/ Psych minor here at UMBC. I’ve worked in the Math lab since Fall 2015. I plan on getting my Masters in Education after graduation. 

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

- As stated before, I’ve tutored in the Math Lab since Fall 2015 but I’m also part of the Sherman Scholars Program. I am also a grader/TA in the Math department. 

How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

- I got involved with being a tutor because of my Mentor Mrs. Tighe in the Math department. I decided to become a tutor because I knew that when I was in many of other student’s place, I wanted the help. I knew that I wanted to help people that needed help as well. 

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

- My favorite thing about being a tutor is the lightbulb that brightens in the students minds when they finally understand what I’m saying. They have a certain look of accomplishment and I truly appreciate because I made it more clear for them to understand. 

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

- Students should utilize tutoring because it is a resource that is available. Students shouldn’t have to suffer if they don’t understand something that their professor might’ve been vague about. If someone needs a little more help, that doesn’t mean you’re “dumb” or you “just can’t learn”, like some may think. We are here to help and people should feel comfortable taking advantage of that help. No question is a “dumb” question. 

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session? 

- When preparing for a session, DO NOT just come in to say “Okay, teach me stuff.” You should have specific questions already prepared, whether it’s a homework question, practice question, or something that wasn’t clear in class. We are tutors, not professors. 

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

- I am usually in the Math Lab (located in the Library) from 4-5pm on most days. Mondays I am there 4-6pm, Tuesday 4-7pm, Wednesday 4-5pm, and Thursdays 3-6pm. 

With black and gold streamers flying across campus and pathways covered in paw prints, UMBC is busy preparing for an action-packed Homecoming 2017. Running October 5 through 14, this year’s calendar boasts dozens of events for the whole UMBC community to enjoy, combining new traditions with perennial favorites.

The festivities will kick off on Thursday, October 5 with the 2017 Alumni Awards Ceremony, an annual event to honor alumni and faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. This year, UMBC will recognize alumni Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D. ’06, public policy; Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering; Kate Laskowski ’06, biological sciences and chemistry; Alejandro Cremaschi ’93, music; Dennis Williams, II ’14, American studies; Lauren Mazzoli ’15, mathematics and computer science, and M.S. ’17, computer science; and Steven Storck ’08, mechanical engineering, M.S. ’09, mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. ’14, mechanical engineering. The UMBC Alumni Association will present this year’s outstanding faculty award to Marc Zupan, associate professor and graduate program director in mechanical engineering.

The awards ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, with a reception immediately following (register online). Detailed biographies of this year’s awardees on available through the UMBC Alumni Blog. For those who aren’t able to attend, the ceremony will be livestreamed through the UMBC Facebook page.

As the sun sets on Friday, October 6, Retrievers will gather on Erickson Field to light the annual Homecoming Bonfire, a beloved student tradition the entire campus community can enjoy. This year’s celebration includes free food, games, and giveaways.

That weekend will feature the first of our UMBC Homecoming games—destination events for students and alumni alike, as well as the broader UMBC, Catonsville, and Arbutus communities. On Sunday, October 8, women’s soccer will play against Hartford and volleyball will compete against Albany, with both matches starting at 1 p.m. Men’s basketball will host a tip-off event to celebrate the upcoming 2017 – 18 season on Friday, October 13 at 6 p.m.

Another major highlight during that energy-filled day will be the Homecoming Comedy Show. This year, Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, will perform in the RAC (doors open at 8 p.m., the show starts at 9 p.m.). Tickets are $30 for students, $35 for alumni, faculty, staff, and the public, and are anticipated to sell out soon.

Saturday, October 14 will be particularly action-packed for athletics alumni, with the women’s and men’s lacrosse alumni games, softball alumni game, men’s basketball annual Black & Gold Scrimmage, men’s lacrosse alumni game, and baseball alumni batting practice featuring Kids Run the Bases. At 7 p.m. that evening, after an pregame athletics alumni social, men’s soccer will compete against Albany at the Retriever Soccer Park.

Also on Saturday, UMBC will host Grit-X, back by popular demand from last year’s 50th anniversary celebration. This year’s Grit-X Talks will feature some of the university’s most intriguing alumni and faculty minds on topics from implantable electronics and black holes to language and choreography. The event will take place October 14, 10 a.m. – noon in the Black Box Theatre at UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

Among the speakers this year are alumni award recipient Kafui Dzirasa, associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine; Sean Pang ’09, English, and M.A.T. ’11, Washington Post 2017 Teacher of the Year; and Gymama Slaughter, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering at UMBC. This event is free and open to the public (advance registration preferred).

In addition to hosting Grit-X and athletics events, on October 14 UMBC will also welcome Retrievers from near and far to Homecoming Carnival, with rides, games, and food trucks, noon – 9 p.m. on Erickson Field. Admission is free and open to the public, and visitors can purchase a $5 wristband on the day of the event for unlimited carnival rides.

During the carnival, Retriever grads will have a chance to reconnect with each other at the Alumni Tent through gatherings for alumni of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, Residential Life Alumni, and more. The Humanities Scholars Program and Honors College will also host alumni gatherings during the day. Fab Four alumni, who graduated in UMBC’s earliest years, will enjoy a special Homecoming luncheon in the Skylight Room, overlooking the Carnival festivities.

For more details on these and other Homecoming events, head to the UMBC Homecoming website.

Header image: UMBC men’s soccer fans cheer at a game during Week Welcome 2017. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Global demand for fish is growing quickly, but many species are already severely overfished, leaving scientists and industry experts searching for ways to more safely and efficiently farm fish. In response, two UMBC research teams are developing revolutionary innovations for off-shore fish farming, to help mitigate the risks of disease and escapes in captive fish populations. Both recently received extremely competitive awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pursue their work further.

Yonathan Zohar, professor and chair of marine biotechnology, explains that the teams’ work “makes the point of how you can use advanced approaches and strategies of biotechnology to open some of the major bottlenecks in the aquaculture industry.”

Any time a large number of individuals of any single species is in a confined space—from fish to chicken to trees—disease can spread easily, as all members of the group share the same vulnerabilities. That’s why farmers vaccinate their animals against each species’ most common foes. For rainbow trout and salmon, two of the most popular food species in the United States, one danger is infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV).

An effective vaccine to protect fish from IHNV is available, but it must be injected individually into every fish at a cost of $0.30 per dose. That makes its application extremely labor-intensive and expensive. Vikram Vakharia, professor of marine biotechnology, has taken on the task of developing a new oral vaccine for IHNV that can be delivered in fish food, which would drastically reduce labor and costs.

To produce the vaccine, Vakharia infects cabbage looper larvae (a common moth species) with a virus that is genetically engineered to produce the protein that comprises the outer shell of IHNV, surrounding its genetic material. By freeze-drying and grinding up the larvae, sprinkling the powder on fish food pellets, and feeding the augmented food to fish, the protein gets into the fish’s system and triggers immunity to the disease without making them sick. “I’m using insect larvae as a factory” to produce the protein, which serves as a vaccine, Vakharia explains.

A new USDA grant Vakharia has received will enable him to focus on improving the delivery mechanism’s efficiency to ensure all fish in a treated population are protected. “Here is an approach to provide a new generation of vaccines that are edible,” says Zohar. “The possibility of delivering the vaccine through the feed is a major breakthrough.”

Ten-Tsao Wong, assistant professor of marine biotechnology, and Zohar are tackling a different issue facing off-shore fish farms: the risk of escapee fish. Wong’s project doesn’t prevent fish from escaping from their pens, but it renders them sterile, limiting the ecological damage they can do if they ever escape.

Because escaped farmed fish would be unable to mate with wild fish, wild populations would be protected from taking up genetic material from captive fish, which could be detrimental to the wild populations’ survival. This also would prevent captive fish from acting as an invasive species that eventually eradicates native individuals.

Just recently, thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon from a floating net pen farm in the Pacific Northwest escaped, with the potential to out-compete native salmon, causing widespread concern in the fishing industry as well as among scientists and environmentalists. “We want to limit this kind of risk,” Wong says. “Once you have a sterile fish, even if they escape, they’re not able to reproduce.”

In addition, sterile fish “can be more cost-effective,” says Wong. “Because they don’t develop gonads [reproductive organs], they can put more energy into muscle development.” In addition, reproductive hormones can weaken a fish’s immune system, so sterile fish can be more robust in the face of health threats.

Rather than genetically modifying the fish, which would make them a GMO food and alienate some consumers (as well as be illegal in the U.S. aquaculture industry), Wong simply places fish eggs in a bath containing a drug that, at a specific, early window in development, prevents their reproductive organs from growing later on. In an initial trial, Wong’s technique had an 84 percent efficacy rate in salmon. “The technology is working, and the conditions need to be optimized,” he says. “The new funding will help us move forward and enhance the efficiency.”

Vakharia and Wong were selected as the only award recipients in their respective categories in a call for proposals from the USDA this spring, and both projects were supported at maximum funding levels—an expression of the agency’s belief in the importance of the work.

For both projects, “the proof of concept is there,” says Zohar. “Now it’s about optimizing the system so it can be a tool for the industry.”

Image: The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which houses UMBC’s marine biotechnology department. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.