Belay Demoz has been part of UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) since its founding more than 20 years ago, and has been serving as its director since 2014. In his decades as a climate scientist, he’s published countless scientific papers, organized dozens of professional conferences, and has become known as a dedicated mentor committed to fostering a more inclusive culture in meteorology. This year, Demoz adds to his long list of professional accolades a notable new honor: election as a fellow to the prestigious American Meteorological Society (AMS).

Demoz grew up in Eritrea at a time of significant drought, famine, and conflict. As one of few Eritreans to receive the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree, he became determined to use his education to make a difference for his country. “Hardship is the greatest teacher,” he shares.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, Demoz read an article about cloud seeding, a form of human-directed weather modification typically intended to induce rain and snow. Then, he saw an advertisement for a graduate program in physics at University of Nevada-Reno, and a lightbulb went off in his mind. He applied, was accepted, and in 1986, after his family put up their home as collateral to enable his exit, he departed Eritrea for graduate school in the United States.

In his distinguished career, Demoz has led several major scientific projects, such as the International H₂O Experiment (IHOP) in 2002, which collected measurements of water vapor and other particles in Earth’s atmosphere, and documented characteristics of cirrus clouds, wispy high-altitude clouds whose role in climate is still poorly understood. Demoz also continues to lead the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) project, a collaboration between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy that seeks to understand nighttime, warm-weather precipitation over the United States’ Great Plains and similar environments.

Currently, Demoz is involved with a project that collects climate data from a global system of weather balloons known as GRUAN. The only university-run station is in Beltsville, Maryland—a collaboration between Howard University and UMBC. Demoz, who was previously professor and director of graduate studies in the department of physics and astronomy at Howard, continues to collaborate with the university and attends most of the station’s weekly balloon launches.

While Demoz’s research focus has shifted over the years, his dedication to supporting fellow researchers, especially students and junior faculty from underrepresented groups, has never wavered. He especially enjoys the combined educational and research orientation of the center he directs, JCET, which is a collaboration between UMBC and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “JCET is unique because of its educational focus,” Demoz shares. “I’ve always believed in the goal of JCET to connect scientists and students.”

As a scientist who recalls the experience of being one of very few people of color to attend professional conferences in his field, Demoz is also proud to see climate science become increasingly diverse and inclusive. A new collaboration between UMBC, NOAA, Howard, and the City University of New York, funded last fall through NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program with Minority-Serving institutions, will encourage even more supportive connections between students and climate scientists from a wide range of backgrounds. Demoz is excited to see this new partnership take off, and would like to see more multi-agency collaborations that bring students and professional scientists together.

“Belay Demoz epitomizes inclusive excellence in all aspects of his being, demonstrating his exemplary character in his roles as director of JCET, professor of physics, and informal mentor,” shares Bill LaCourse, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, which administers JCET. “The college and his colleagues are very proud of him, and we are fortunate that he is a member of the UMBC community.”

Arissa Falat ‘18, biochemistry and molecular biology, knew last spring how she wanted to spend her summer vacation: making new discoveries in a lab. She did just that, working with Steven Fletcher, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to create mimics of tiny protein structures that could fight cancer by disrupting the mechanism that allows tumors to grow unchecked. Each day she painstakingly carried out complex synthesis reactions, purification processes, and verification techniques to move the project forward.

Falat is one of eight UMBC undergraduates who worked full time in UMB pharmaceutical sciences labs this summer as part of a new internship program sponsored jointly by UMB and the UMBC Office of the Provost, and managed at UMBC by the Office of Academic and Pre-professional Advising. The students presented their work at both a UMB poster session and UMBC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fest, held in August.

Ken Baron, assistant vice provost for academic advising and student success, coordinates the program at UMBC. He is committed to helping students “get grounded in their career areas early,” and focuses on connecting students at all levels—not just juniors and seniors—with research opportunities.

Zachary Clifford ’20, chemistry, has enjoyed the opportunity to do impactful hands-on research early in his undergraduate career. Clifford’s work for Maureen Kane, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, involves analyzing data sets to identify small molecules that may be biomarkers for damage caused by radiation exposure. It was a big shift from the inorganic chemistry research he did in high school, but Clifford says it helped him recognize that “data analysis is a very important part of the scientific process.” He intends to pursue a research career and already plans to work with Zeev Rosenzweig, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, this fall.

Alexandra Morris ’19, biochemistry and molecular biology, says the internship taught her “so much beyond what I learned in class”—knowledge that can really only be gained through lab experience. She worked to modify the structure of a common cancer drug to reduce its toxicity to healthy cells in the lab of Fengtian Xue, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “It was really rewarding because I had a clear goal,” she shares. Morris hopes to pursue a clinical internship next summer, and to continue her education after UMBC with a Pharm.D.

Additional participants this summer were Kellie-Ann Kelly ’19, biological sciences; Cierra McKoy ’20, biological sciences; Temiloluwa Okusolubo ’19, biological sciences; Racheal Spruill ’19, biological sciences; and Anh Tran ’18, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Previous participant Joanna Lum ’19, biological sciences, is now a year out from an influential internship with Peter Swaan, professor of pharmaceutical sciences. She believes strongly in the lasting impact of summer lab internships. “Before this experience, I had no idea what working in a lab was like, let alone considering it as a career,” she shares, but “after spending eight consecutive weeks learning and asking questions in the lab, I began loving what I was doing, and I started seeing myself doing this in the future.” Now she does research in the lab of Erin Green, assistant professor of biological sciences, and intends to pursue graduate school in the biomedical sciences.

Baron is excited to continue to formalize and expand the internship program as part of the growing connections between UMBC and UMB. Developing a new program to provide diverse, faculty-guided research opportunities for undergraduates involves a lot of moving parts, but, Baron says, it also represents “the best of what a university can do for its students.”

“UMBC’s most recent recognition truly displays how our excellence is not by accident,” says UMBC Student Government Association President Joshua Massey. “The time and effort our community puts into developing high value research and learning experiences, plus engaging student life on campus, is worthy of national attention.”

For students, families, and educators following UMBC’s rise to prominence as a top public research university, these lists will sound familiar. U.S. News has now recognized UMBC as a higher ed trailblazer for a decade, first on its Up-and-Coming list and now on its newer Most Innovative list. This year, UMBC appears alongside Arizona State University, Stanford, MIT, Georgia State University, Carnegie Mellon, and Harvard.

The U.S. News innovation metric incorporates everything from research and technology to curriculum and campus life, while the Undergraduate Teaching list hones in more specifically on the core classroom experience.

“These rankings reflect the respect thought leaders across the country have for our university, and they speak to our strength as an institution focused on both research and the undergraduate educational experience,” says President Freeman Hrabowski. “We are proud to be included on both lists.”

UMBC’s recognition for Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching for the past several years demonstrates consistency in high quality teaching, with a firm emphasis on student support and inclusive excellence. The 2018 list highlights UMBC’s educational excellence alongside such universities as Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Rice, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Duke, and Yale.

“UMBC faculty are dedicated to providing each student with a distinctive educational experience,” says Katharine H. Cole, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “UMBC creates an enriching environment for students to explore new ideas, and develop into effective and compassionate global leaders.”

This U.S. News recognition comes on the tail of several other major rankings and honors for UMBC. In summer 2017, Princeton Review again featured UMBC in its popular undergraduate guide, The Best 328 Colleges. Like U.S. News, the publication’s UMBC profile highlights the quality of teaching found at the university and UMBC faculty’s deep commitment to student success.

UMBC has also been featured on several lists of top-value national universities that balance quality and affordability, such as Forbes and Money magazines and Princeton Review’s 2017 Colleges That Pay You Back guide, which includes the top U.S. colleges that balance “a superb education with great career preparation at an affordable price.”

For more details on the latest rankings news, see the UMBC News rankings page.

Marking the last weeks of the season, UMBC’s University Center Ballroom buzzed with a contagious energy last month as more than 150 undergraduate and high school students from across the U.S. shared the results of summer research they had conducted with UMBC faculty and graduate student mentors.

“It is a privilege to have so many students coming from far and near to participate in the authentic research experience UMBC provides,” shared Dean Bill LaCourse, of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. As he told the crowd gathered for UMBC’s 20th Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF), “It’s not cookbook—it’s real science we’re doing here.”

LaCourse acknowledged that spending a summer away from home can be challenging, but by immersing themselves in their summer research, students also gain “another community: a scholarly community.”

To kick off the day’s program, five groups of students presented their research, beginning with Kaaliyah McDowell, of Morgan State University, and Carl Bannerman, Community College of Baltimore County, who explained their study exploring phages (viruses that infect bacterial cells) in nearby freshwater sources. The team also included Jonathan Poole, of Gallaudet University, and Jackson Narrett ‘17, biological sciences. Together, they worked with Tagide deCarvalho, manager of UMBC’s Keith Porter Imaging Facility, through the STEM BUIILD program.

Angelie Matar, a rising junior at Louisiana State University, shared her progress in improving a chemotherapy drug delivery mechanism. Working with Marie-Christine Daniel-Onuta, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Matar succeeded in attaching a drug molecule and a fluorescent dye to gold nanoparticles, which creates “a more efficient, multi-functional nanoparticle for chemotherapy,” that also reduces chemotherapy’s toxicity to healthy cells, Matar explained.

Caroline Larkin ’17, bioinformatics, is researching cancer from a very different angle. Working with Daniel Lobo, assistant professor of biological sciences, she’s using artificial intelligence to create a computer program that will decode how different cell types within a tumor interact to influence its growth, metastasis, or collapse. The eventual goal is personalized medicine, by using a similar program to predict what course of treatment would be most effective at destroying a particular tumor in a particular patient.

Adam Ring, a rising senior at Emory University, participated in this summer’s SCIART fellowship, a collaboration between UMBC, Johns Hopkins, and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Ring and fellow SCIART participants Chloe Cao, rising senior at Johns Hopkins University, and Hope La Farge, recent alumna of the University of British Columbia, worked with Daniel Rowlands, visiting lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, and Terry Drayman-Weisser, retired director of conservation and technical research at the Walters, to develop techniques for determining the origins of illegal ivory. By detecting trace metals in ivory samples, the team could locate the ivory’s origin based on which water sources the elephants consumed. The findings are critical to helping governments crack down on illegal poaching and ivory trade.

Students also expressed how much the summer experience meant to them as they prepare to make choices about their futures. Mark Minnis ’18, information systems, spent his summer working in the UMBC lab of Amy Hurst, associate professor of human-centered computing, as well as a makerspace she developed in Baltimore for local high school students. There, Minnis helped to devise and implement a more effective workflow system for student staff members, which gave him a broader sense of the possibilities for a research career. He shared, “I had an amazing experience.”

Chelsea Mikal worked with Lee Blaney, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, to measure the absorbance characteristics of sunscreens. Sunscreens can end up in waterways, and the light they absorb can affect photosynthetic life. Mikal is a rising junior at Mt. Hebron High School in Howard County. Though not yet an undergraduate, she already knows where her research interests lie. The experience has “definitely pushed me in the research direction,” she shares, “and Dr. Blaney is an amazing mentor.”

Dean LaCourse encouraged these presenters, and the dozens of others who participated in SURF, to be proud of their work, not just for how it helped them grow as researchers, but also as tangible contributions to their scientific fields. “I assure you that your discoveries have added to scientific knowledge, which in the end benefits society through empowerment,” he shared.

As the students prepared to return to their homes and universities across the nation, LaCourse reflected that the UMBC student research experience would always be a part of them. “Hopefully,” he said, “this summer we’ve lit a flame of passion that will drive you to greater undertakings.”