In the weeks leading up to the Alumni Awards Ceremony, we’ll be profiling each honoree in more detail here on our blog. Today, meet Marc Zupan, associate professor and graduate program director of UMBC’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and this year’s Outstanding Faculty Award winner.

In just over 14 years at UMBC, Marc Zupan, associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has become known as a connection-maker. He connects students with internships, job opportunities, and graduate programs. He’s made international connections with Portugal’s Universidade do Porto through the Global Engineering Program. And he’s made connections across disciplines, bridging the gap between STEM and the humanities by incorporating elements of both into his own teaching.  Asynith Palmer ’06, English, a writer who worked with Zupan to secure funding and design the curriculum for the Global Engineering Program, says it’s his genuine interest in his students’ lives and experiences that makes him the kind of teacher and mentor that he is. “Marc…trains his creativity on helping his students,” she writes. “In fact, he feels energized by meeting with them, learning their interests, suggesting — or creating — possibilities for internships and research, and watching them thrive.” As a researcher, Dr. Zupan focuses on characterizing the behavior of and modeling materials across length scales. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in solid mechanics of materials and completed his undergraduate work at the University of Dayton. He came to UMBC after a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge MicroMechanics Centre in the U.K., he is a visiting professor at the Universidade do Porto, Portugal and was an active abroad Fulbright Scholar from 2012 to 2013 at the Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto.

Join us for the Alumni Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 5!

Scholars Program Applications for 2018 are now live! Current students interested in applying to one of UMBC’s elite programs, may access the online application with their UMBC Campus ID. 

Current and transfer students are eligible to apply to the following:

Cyber Scholars Program (transfers & current students eligible)
Application Deadline: March 1, 2018

Sherman STEM Teacher Education Program (transfers & graduates eligible)

Application Deadline:

Spring 2018 - October 15, 2017

To submit your application today, click here.

Recruiting is a central part to building and maintaining any successful athletics program. The goal ultimately is that this investment in a future college athlete’s career will bring the university more returns in finance and, perhaps more importantly, status. While a budget is made possible by the school and the athletics business department, UMBC’s recruiting is handled mostly by the coaching staff of the teams individually.

In talking with some UMBC recruits, it seems that regardless of an athlete committing as a freshman or a transfer, the most important time period to recruit is in high school, when as teenagers, athletes are most susceptible and receptive to an university offer.

Junior Sara Moeller, an attacker for the women’s lacrosse team, was made an offer as early as her sophomore year of high school. The offer came from the UMBC women’s lacrosse head coach in a rather unorthodox way. According to NCAA rules, high school athletes cannot be contacted before their junior year. However, the head coach at the time, Coach Giro, was in pursuit of Moeller after scouting her at Sky Walkers Lacrosse, a club team based out of Baltimore. In turn, Giro relayed his offer through her coaches at the time.

While Moeller deferred the offer, thinking it too soon to make that big a decision, the university stuck in her mind and became the only school to which she applied.

“I didn’t want to commit when they first presented the offer, but as other schools were looking at me, I had to tell the coaches here [at UMBC], that other schools were interested,” said Moeller, “that’s when I received a financial offer and that was it.”

Even for a transfer athlete, contact in high school is an investment that pays off for recruiters. UMBC baseball redshirt sophomore and economics major, Stephen Schoch transferred from Appalachian State in North Carolina last year. In a similar fashion to Moeller, Schoch was contacted by UMBC in high school. A key difference in the process of recruiting from high school versus from another college, is the immediacy of the exchange.

“When I was being recruited by App State, the process was slow, which I liked. There wasn’t much pressure,” said Schoch. “Most schools will give you an offer and say, you have a week to decide, which I think is pretty unfair to an athlete.”

Transferring to UMBC was more of a time crunch, Schoch revealed. He was made an offer by Coach Bowen on their first meeting after being given permission to contact other schools by App State. A native of Laurel, MD, Schoch emphasizes the proximity and familiarity as an important aspect in an athlete’s decision.

“My head coach at App State was not returning,” said Schoch, “So I decided I needed to go to a place where I knew the coaching staff and I could definitely play … and the coaches here knew me already and we have a good relationship, you know, go where you’re comfortable.”

Moeller echoes the same sentiment in her relatively easy decision to attend UMBC.

“That’s why I took it: 1. I’m in state and 2. It’s cheaper because of the scholarship and financially it was just a good fit for me,” said Moeller.

The budget remains a huge aspect of recruiting. Monetary expenditures include not only scholarship offers but airfare and meals for prospective athlete visits, as well as travel for coaching staff and recruiters. Schoch reveals the most important part of the decision in the end, is the financial offer as he explains how the number marks an athlete as an “investment” and an asset to the team. This overall gives an athlete a sense of importance and belonging to the program.

This economic factor makes recruiting an even more convoluted process of meetings and numbers, as well as the most essential aspect of athletic performance. It appears to have paid off for UMBC, with all-star athletes like Moeller and Schoch bringing their teams closer to success.

“It’s a weird process,” said Moeller, “it’s a very weird process.”

Last Monday, the UMBC women’s soccer team broke a 2-0-0 Lehigh advantage in their third game against the school since 2002. This game followed a 2-2 draw with St Francis U on September 14, where the Retrievers were held scoreless for over 70 minutes after two early goals. UMBC showed their defensive strength again when they prevented Lehigh from making anything of two early corners and a first period characterized by mostly being played in the UMBC half.

UMBC held 0-0 at half time despite a lack of attacking power. Lehigh made 11 shots in the first period, all but 2 going wide and the rest impressively saved by GK Leah Roth and the back line.

Second period started with a foul in the box, awarding a penalty to UMBC. Number 20 Gabby Boehmer scored from the spot, giving UMBC a 1-0 lead. The goal seemed to light the fire under the Retrievers, who attacked cosistently for the next ten minutes, winning two corners that were unfortunately saved. UMBC defense never took their eyes off the ball, preventing a run from Lehigh’s number 3 Maggie Wadsworth.

The Retrievers’ luck ran out with 15 minutes to go in normal time when Wadsworth scored a close goal from a square by number 9, Clare Severe. Soon after, Roth made an amazing save to prevent a quick second goal from within the box.

The end of second period was characterized by skilled dribbling from goal scorer Boehmer and quick runs from number 10 Nikki Saad, who leads UMBC in assists this season. Lehigh fell back into their own half to defend against UMBC attacks until the whistle blew.

During overtime, UMBC’s defense took several calculated risks, like breaking back line formation to one-on-one with a Lehigh player in possession and winning the ball back. Lehigh’s attacks were sloppy and rushed as they tried to score a late goal but ultimately the game ended at a tie.

UMBC Coach Leslie Wray said after the game, “We’re always going to work both sides of the ball. We’re always gonna be an attacking team in our half, and then we all have to defend.” The forwards and midfielders this game all certainly did their defensive parts, and UMBC moved as a whole: the back line pushed forward during attacks and the front line fell back when Lehigh made a run. She also cited Meredith Webber at center back and GK Leah Roth as the most important players this game. Webber is a freshman who hadn’t played CB for UMBC before, but performed well. According to Wray, she had to step in for a player with a concussion, and “she was phenomenal.”

When informed that she had broken this two-game loss streak against Lehigh in her first game against them, Coach Wray said, “it’s one step at a time. We’ll go from a loss to a tie, and hopefully next time it’s a W.”

UMBC men’s soccer team (4-1-0) defeated the nationally ranked West Virginia University Mountaineers (3-1-2) 3-1 in a tight game. The game was played at Retriever Soccer Park on September 13, and it was UMBC’s third home game of the season. The Retrievers performed admirably against the No. 19 ranked Mountaineers who were previously unbeaten, and the crowd turnout got to see a good attacking display from the home team.

UMBC dominated the game in the first half, with incisive attacks and quick passing without the requisite finishing in the early periods. The Retrievers appeared to favor attacking down their right side, possibly exploiting a weakness down their visitors’ left. The plan worked as their attack was able to create chances to score allowing Sophomore Colin Weyant to hit the crossbar with a fierce drive followed by senior Sammy Kahsai who was particularly wasteful with three wide shots in the first half.

Eventually UMBC unlocked WVU’s defence midway through the first half with two goals from set pieces. The first goal came from a free kick, headed down by senior Tom Paul and tucked in by junior James Gielen, after freshman Matt Bailey’s shot was blocked. The second goal followed soon after, with junior Kyle Saunderson heading in off the crossbar following a corner from Bailey.

There was controversy over who scored UMBC’s second goal, as Saunderson’s header hit the crossbar and looked to have went in before sophomore Nick Gumbs tapped the ball in.

“I’m not really sure. I headed it and I got taken out. I guess it is mine,” said Saunderson.

In the second half, the Mountaineers began to grow into the game and broke UMBC’s defensive resilience in the 72nd minute when Albert Andres-Llop scored a free kick from 20 yards. The 2-1 scoreline made the game tense for the Retrievers but Saunderson headed in his third goal of the year from a set piece to close out the win for UMBC.

After the game, assist hero Bailey said of his team’s finishing:

“Like coach said earlier, we do not have that killer mentality quite yet. We got a lot of hungry guys who want to score, [and] it is just that final piece, but I think [the killer mentality] is coming, we are getting more goals every game. Pretty soon, it’s going to be a lot better. We are going to see a lot more goals scored and a lot less against.”

Saunderson gave insight into Coach Carinji’s attacking game plan.

“It is definitely a game plan [getting me forward for set pieces]. Coach sets [the defenders] up with great corner, throw in and free kick plays. Between Tom Paul, Gregg [Hauck] and I, that is some big bodies and we are always dangerous on free kicks”.

The Retrievers worked hard in defence and created numerous chances in attack to defeat the mighty Mountaineers. They also preserved their unbeaten home record, which is something to hold on to as UMBC faces “one of the toughest schedules in UMBC history” according to Coach Carinji. They play tough schools Navy, Western Michigan and University of Maryland in the coming days.

It’s that time of year and Open Enrollment is fast approaching.  Please join us for our Annual Health Benefits Fair on Tuesday, October 3rd in the University Center Ballroom.  More Information is on the Benefits website under Open Enrollment:
 
Here are some things to expect with regards to this year’s Open Enrollment:

• Open Enrollment will run from October 12th through November 15th

• Employees will use the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to make changes to their benefits and/or to sign up for Flexible Spending for 2018

• Individual Open Enrollment Packets are expected to arrive next week.  We will contact departments with instructions for packet pick up.  Departments will deliver Open Enrollment Packets to their faculty and staff (those who currently have benefits).

• Contractual Employees & Retirees will receive Open Enrollment Materials to their home.

• We have a new Prescription Vendor:  Caremark/CVS Health effective January 1, 2018.  Employees currently enrolled in prescription drug coverage will automatically be enrolled with Caremark. 

• State Wellness Activities completed in 2017 will rollover to 2018.

• 2018 Premiums (Rates) are now posted on the HR website under Open Enrollment 
• Questions about Open Enrollment?  Please email hrbenefits@umbc.edu