UMBC faculty, students, alumni, and community partners gathered in the University Ballroom April 20, 2016 for “A Look Ahead XIX: Explorations in Transformative Research,” a day of research talks, presentations, and networking opportunities focusing on the life sciences and hosted by UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS).

Dean Bill LaCourse opened the event by commenting on the dedication of UMBC partners and alumni, reflected in the two plenary speakers, saying, “This year’s ‘A Look Ahead’ shows the UMBC greatness we have today has its roots in greatness.”

“A Look Ahead” appealed to scientists at all stages of research. In his plenary, Isiah Warner, decorated analytical and environmental chemistry professor at the Louisiana State University and a UMBC parent, addressed the challenges of changing one’s research focus after developing a reputation in a particular field. As an investigator with an established lab and students relying on him, his decision to switch directions would ripple beyond himself, he realized. But ultimately, he said, “It was worth taking that leap of faith.”

Warner leaped from expertise in fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique that uses emitted light to analyze compounds, to ionic liquids. Ionic liquids are comprised of charged particles (ions) and are liquid at room temperature. The ions in ionic liquids don’t “pack nicely” together, instead flowing around each other, Warner said. However, ionic compounds that do pack well form solids at room temperature. Warner dubbed these “GUMBOS,” for “group of uniform materials based on organic salts,” as a nod to the dish popular in his Louisiana home.

GUMBOS are “tunable,” meaning scientists can change their properties with precision. And because they are solids, GUMBOS can be produced as nanoparticles, or “nanoGUMBOS.” Warner’s lab discovered one nanoGUMBO that killed cancer cells, but not healthy cells, in both petri dishes and mice. While nanoparticles have been developed for drug delivery before, the challenge has been getting the drug “loaded” into the particle. In this case, “The drug is the material,” said Warner. Besides its application to possible new cancer treatments, Warner’s team sees potential for applications in life sciences, solar cells, and engineering.

Taking the stage after Warner, Paula Grabowski ’76, chemistry, professor of biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, focused on her “journey through science,” including her time at UMBC and pioneering graduate work in Thomas Cech’s lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Grabowski’s research has focused on RNA. For many years, RNA was believed to be nothing more than a transient, string-like molecule in the cell, delivering its message to build a protein and then rapidly breaking down. But “there’s so much more to [RNA],” Grabowski said. She was part of the project in Cech’s lab that discovered an essential role that RNA plays, that of enzyme catalyzing chemical reactions.

Grabowski’s passion for her work is palpable. “I was chomping at the bit to get onto that project,” she said.

Suggesting a radically different view of RNA to the scientific community came with its challenges. For a long time, even the lab didn’t believe what they were seeing. How could a simple RNA molecule be a catalyst? “[The result] smelled like an artefact,” Grabowski said. But after developing some new experimental techniques and running countless repeat trials, the evidence was overwhelming: RNA can serve as an enzyme.

Since Grabowski’s original discovery, RNA researchers have uncovered more surprises. For example, “RNA is a molecular contortionist,” explained Grabowski, describing the ways that it folds into remarkably complex three-dimensional structures—no longer just a simple string. Scientists now believe that RNA catalyzes a broader array of reactions, and they’ve developed techniques to create RNA molecules called “aptamers” that could have broad applications for disease treatment. This promising line of research “takes RNA from bench to bedside,” Grabowski said.

Grabowski also spoke of her time at UMBC as an undergraduate during the university’s first decade, recalling professors who “made chemistry come alive” and helped her realize she “wanted to have a passion.”

Reflecting on how UMBC has changed and remained  the same over the decades, Grabowski shared that as a student, “UMBC faculty cared about my success as a student and my future,” and she sees that “UMBC is a treasure” today. Looking across at the audience of student researchers and successful alumni, she shared, “I couldn’t be more impressed with what has happened here.”

Image: Dr. Isiah Warner, Dean Bill LaCourse and Paula Grabowski ’76 at the A Look Ahead event. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. 

You know it's true. If you say the library, you're just lying to yourself

More than 1,000 speakers representing 50 countries gathered in Baltimore for the TESOL 2016 International Convention from April 5-8, 2016. The gathering celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the TESOL International Association and covered a range of topics including language testing and assessment, technology in language learning, bilingual education, and refugee and immigration concerns. UMBC’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs had many major roles at the event, demonstrating UMBC’s impact around the globe in TESOL.

Heidi Faust, associate director of TESOL Professional Training Programs in the education department, received a grant to research English teacher professional development through professional learning communities (PLCs). She presented her work at the convention and discussed how the global demand for access to English is increasing and more teachers are transitioning from teaching English to adults to younger learners. Faust is using her grant to gather data, surveys, and analysis of teacher reflective journals to test sustainable models for teacher professional development.

“There’s opportunity for empowerment,” Faust explained during her presentation. “My hope is that this will be transformative for teachers at the professional level and communities will continue to sustain their growth.”

Faust also organized an academic session at the convention in her position as chair of the Intercultural Communication Interest Section, and she presented as part of the newly formed TESOL Diversity Forum.

Joan Shin ’08, Ph.D., language, literacy, and culture, and professor of the practice in the education department, was an invited speaker at the convention and presented her work using song to teach young learners English and also hosted a “Tea with Distinguished TESOLers.”

Before the convention, Shin was named a “30 Up and Coming” TESOL professional for her work as an international leader in teaching English to young learners. Her work has taken her to Brazil, Turkey, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and ten other countries to train English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers to meet the needs of elementary-aged students. She has received praise and recognition for a National Geographic Learning book series that she co-edited with Jodi Crandall, founding director of the language, literacy, and culture program and professor emerita of education, designed to give learners the skills and knowledge they need to learn English and understand the world around them.

“With this honor, I feel inspired to work even harder to make a positive difference in the education of English learners through my work with teachers here in Maryland and worldwide,” Shin said after receiving the award.

The TESOL convention local committee included UMBC education department faculty members Laura Hook, Doaa Rasheed, and Yeji Yoon, and many alumni and partners connected with UMBC’s TESOL programs attended an anniversary reception at the convention. This included colleagues from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Education, National Geographic Learning, and several other organizations.

The ESOL program began at UMBC in 1979, and hundreds of alumni are currently practicing ESOL teachers locally, throughout the country, and around the world. Read more about UMBC’s ESOL programs on the education department website.

Header Image: Heidi Faust presents at the 2016 TESOL International Convention. 

Join us for Flat Tuesdays Friday Café Day in Upper Flat Tuesdays from 12:00pm - 3:00pm on Friday the 22nd and be entered in the raffle to win a free Fetty Wap ticket!

Upper Flat Tuesdays will be serving only non-alcoholic beverages so guests under 21 are welcome to enter!

Guests must be present at the time of the raffle to claim their prizes.

Be a Leader at one of the nation’s leading Children’s Museums! Port Discovery Children’s Museum is one of the nation’s top children’s museums. Our mission is to connect purposeful play and learning, within our walls and beyond. Our goal is to make a positive impact on the lives of children and their families by providing innovative public exhibits and activities, offering programs that respond to community needs and serving as an alternative education resource for schools, teachers and families.