Dr. Fred Huemmrich is a beacon of hope for every undergraduate student who is unsure of their professional future. In some ways, Huemmrich is just an average Joe. He enjoys the outdoors: canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching and the like. His co-worker, Dr. Peyta Campbell, remarked that he is “kind, positive, a good speaker and comes up with ideas how to explain difficult issues and propose good practical solutions. He works consistently and enthusiastically and this is very motivating for others.”

Huemmrich is currently a research professor for UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology department. He gathers and studies remotely-sensed data to understand ecosystems. More specifically, he studies the detection and description of plant stress across the globe. In his most recent research, he analyzed data collected from two spectrometer devices attached to NASA satellites to study plant stress in evergreens. He is a “soft money” scientist which means that he funds his research by applying for grants from government agencies like NASA.

“Field work has probably been my favorite part of my job over the years,” Huemmrich said. “Just last week, I worked in Puerto Rico. I have worked on field campaigns in Kansas grasslands, boreal forests in the arctic tundra, deserts, and now tropical forests.”

Huemmrich has loved studying nature since he joined a student chapter of the Audubon Society at his high school in Pittsburgh. There, he spent a lot of time in the woods caring for a local wildlife preserve. He then attended Carnegie Mellon University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics. Shortly after he graduated, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland hired him as a computer programmer.

At Goddard, he worked with the spacecraft attitude of NASA satellite — how the satellites point and move in space. Huemmrich was able to hone his already proficient programming skills at Goddard, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to become a full-time programmer. So, he enrolled in the graduate program to study geography at the University of Maryland, College Park and earned a Ph.D in 1995.

While continuing to work at Goddard, Huemmrich programmed equipment as part of a team that used microwave sensing to map the decline of sea ice using satellite data. “Back in those days, we were just starting to learn how to create those maps of declining that you see all the time nowadays,” he said.

With this job, Huemmrich found himself at a crossroad that would lead to his professional happy place. Did he want to become a full-time programmer, or a scientist? While programming promised an exciting and lucrative career future, he chose to follow the profession that he adored since his years in high school. “I chose to be a scientist.” Laughing, he said, “that definitely wasn’t the more profitable decision!”

Nonetheless, his current profession allows him to combine his love for nature with the programming and technical skills that he mastered throughout his college and early professional years. “My job is a very happy place where I can study ecosystems using my knowledge of physics to understand the technological systems that we use,” Huemmrich said. He could not be more satisfied with his current career. “I’m way more passionate about my current job than any of my previous jobs,” he said.

Huemmrich points out that he did not reach his professional happy place instantaneously. “When I was an undergraduate student, not only did I not know what I wanted to do – I didn’t even know that what I’d end up doing even existed,” he said.

After years of work and discovery, Huemmrich takes pride in his accomplishments. “It is just amazing how much our understanding of the planet has changed in the past 30 years since I was an undergraduate,” he said. “Admittedly, I’ve been just a tiny cog in all of it, but it has been a very exciting time.”

The post Fred Huemmrich finds his happy place at JCET appeared first on The Retriever.

May 12, 2017 by Megan Hanks

Three current undergraduate students and one recent alumna have received highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Awards for 2017.

Daniel Ocasio ‘17, chemical engineering; Matthew Landen ‘17, computer science; Brandon Enriquez ‘17, economics and mathematics; and Hollie Adejumo ‘16, chemical engineering, all received fellowships.                 

“UMBC is proud to have four of our undergraduate students and alumni chosen for this nationally competitive award — selected from over 13,000 applicants– to support their graduate study that will lead to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in science and engineering,” said April Householder, director of undergraduate research and nationally competitive scholarships. “Daniel, Matthew, Brandon, and Hollie affirm UMBC’s commitment to the twin goals of undergraduate research and a distinctive undergraduate experience, and we look forward to what they will accomplish in graduate school and their careers.” 

Ocasio will use the fellowship funding to support a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He will study chemical contaminants in different kinds of water sources, and will develop technologies to treat the chemicals in the water for reuse applications. His work will include research with graywater, which is water from bathroom sinks, tubs, showers and washing machines. Repurposing both wastewater and graywater for drinking and other uses can help areas affected by water shortages manage water resources effectively.

“Being selected for the NSF GRFP, to me, is reassurance that I am prepared to excel in my graduate studies,” Ocasio said. “This opportunity will afford me freedom in my graduate research to pursue topics that may not otherwise get attention.”

In addition to the NSF GRF, Ocasio received the Ford Foundation Fellowship from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Ford Foundation Fellowships aim to increase faculty diversity at institutions across the United States. Ocasio also received the National GEM Consortium Fellowship, which enables underrepresented minority students to pursue graduate education in science and engineering.

Landen will pursue his Ph.D. in computer science, with a focus on security and privacy issues, at Georgia Tech in the fall.

“By joining this community of scholars, I know I would have the ability to excel in a scientific environment by engaging in collaboration with fellows of diverse experiences to create novel discoveries,” Landen said.

Enriquez will pursue his Ph.D. in economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his time at UMBC, he particularly values “how I am pushed by mentors to be innovative and creative,” he explains.

Beginning in fall 2017, Adejumo will pursue her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. Her research will focus on environmental biotechnology and water quality.

“I am both very humbled and honored to receive the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship,” she said. “This award will provide me with the flexibility and support that I need to pursue my interests and develop my research skillset.”

Adejumo also thanked her research collaborators and mentors, particularly Lee Blaney assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. “I attribute my success to their support,” she says.

This year’s range of NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awards continues a strong trend for UMBC. In 2016, six UMBC students and alumni from a diverse set of majors received the fellowship to pursue graduate study at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine, among other leading institutions.

Image: Daniel Ocasio, right, working alongside Lee Blaney, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, in the lab. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.