A Family Affair

When Sue Hahn, an administrative assistant in UMBC’s Faculty Development Center, walks across the stage to receive her B.A. in American studies cum laude at the University’s Winter Commencement, she’ll be preceded by her daughter, Patricia (“Tricia”), who will receive the same degree.

“I always promised myself I would go to college one day,” said Sue, who enrolled at UMBC in 1996. Tricia, who graduated from Catonsville’s Mount De Sales Academy in 2002, came to UMBC in 2003 after a semester at the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville. But Sue and Tricia aren’t the only Hahn family members to attend UMBC: Sue’s husband, Jeff, and son Josh graduated in 1971 and 2002, respectively. Jeff was a member of the first incoming class at UMBC in the fall of 1966; he attended two years at UMBC with a concentration in pre-pharmacy, and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1971. Son Tim and two of Jeff’s brothers also attended UMBC.

Both mother and daughter appreciated the challenges of the American studies program and the UMBC curriculum. “I liked the opportunity for critical thinking, to express my opinions through papers, group work and presentations,” said Tricia, who also is receiving a certificate in Communications and Media Studies and hopes to begin a career in pharmaceutical sales after graduation.

Sue enjoyed her new role as a student after being a staff member since 1973 and even had the opportunity to take classes with Tricia and Josh. “I gained a real understanding and appreciation for what our students go through,” she explained. “I loved every minute of it, and enjoyed being with the younger students. I’ve noticed how increasingly serious UMBC students have become, and they helped to motivate me. They were an inspiration for me to do my best.”

Sue also hopes other UMBC employees will take advantage of their tuition remission benefit: “It’s a wonderful way to challenge and better oneself, and I highly encourage anyone to be a UMBC student to gain new perspectives and insights about themselves, as well as gain a better understanding of our campus.”

(12/18/06)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

lumnus Ian Ralby Receives Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Alumni Scholarships Support Students Committed to the Advancement of Minorities

Several UMBC alumni have recognized that not all prospective college students or current UMBC students have the financial resources and community support to attend the University or continue their studies if he or she is an existing student. In an effort to support and inspire current and future UMBC students, these alumni have established two scholarships, the Second Generation Scholarship and the Esperanza Endowment Fund, to provide financial assistance to outstanding UMBC students committed to the advancement of minorities.

Second Generation Scholarship
A group of African American alumni started the Second Generation Scholarship in 1986 as a means to give back to the campus and become more involved in UMBC. The scholarship provides $1,000 to continuing students whose money for college often decreases the longer they stay in college. With the scholarship, students are able to remain at UMBC and eventually graduate. Although the scholarship amount varies each year, recipients have received awards ranging from $500 to $1,000. Among the requirements, scholarship candidates must be currently enrolled or have taken a course in Africana studies and demonstrate a commitment to improving the lives of minorities through community service, extracurricular activities or other community involvement.

Aamena Chadry, a senior bio-psychology and pre-medicine major, one of two 2006-2007 Second Generation Scholars and a two-time recipient said, “Being a full time student, it’s hard at times trying to manage all the finances that an undergraduate education requires. The Second Generation Scholarship has decreased a burden to a great extent by paying for my books that my classes require every semester.”

(For more information, contact Kim Robinson in the Office of Institutional Advancement at 410-455-3700 or the Office of Alumni Relations or call 410-455-2632.)

Esperanza Endowment Fund
The Esperanza Endowment Fund, established in February 2007 by five Latino members of the Black and Latino alumni committee, supports students of Latino ancestry and also promotes awareness of the rich Latino and Hispanic heritage of UMBC alumni and students. The committee hopes to endow this scholarship by raising $25,000 in the next five years, ensuring that it becomes a permanent resource for future generations.

“I think it’s important that we are able to give back. People who support initiatives like this are providing tools to encourage students to finish school and promote future leaders,” said committee member Joe Morales ’00, who earned a biochemistry and molecular biology degree and is now a patent attorney.

The Committee will sponsor a brunch, Legends of Excellence: 40 Years of Inspiring African American and Latino Students, to acknowledge the extraordinary individual contributions of faculty and staff who have significantly impacted the lives of UMBC’s African American and Latino students over the past 40 years. The event will be held on April 14 from 11-2 p.m. in the UMBC University Center Ballroom. Funds raised will support the newly created Esperanza Scholarship Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship.

Contributions to support the Esperanza Endowment Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship are also being accepted at http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/support (under “other designation,” type Esperanza Fund or Second Generation Scholarship), or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 410-455-2632 or alum@umbc.edu for more information. For details on Legends of Excellence, including the award recipients, visit http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/legendsofexcellence.

(3/16/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Alumnus Ian M. Ralby Receives Prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Ian M. Ralby, UMBC’s 2002 Valedictorian, will enter the M.Phil. program in International Relations at Cambridge University with funding provided by the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, considered one of the world’s most selective academic awards.

“President Hrabowski and UMBC helped me to become a Gates Cambridge Scholar,” said Ralby, who graduated with a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics and a M.A. in Intercultural Communication. “UMBC nurtured my intellectual curiosity. My work in modern languages and linguistics and intercultural communication helped solidify my passion for international affairs. Through study abroad in Switzerland–made possible by my Humanities Scholarship–I discovered the field of international conflict resolution. UMBC has continued to support me throughout my time in law school and in the practice of law. President Hrabowski remains an important mentor and role model for me. His support has been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today.”

While completing his J.D. at the College of William and Mary in 2005, Ralby was part of a legal team that worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to provide legal research and support for the Iraqi High Tribunal as it prepared its legal case against Saddam Hussein.

When Ralby begins his studies at Cambridge in fall 2007, he plans to focus on means of establishing the rule of law in post-conflict societies, examining how post-conflict justice processes could be better used to facilitate reconstruction. He intends to continue studying for a Ph.D. in International Relations. Ultimately, Ralby plans to devote his career toward assisting failed states as they attempt to recover from collapse.

Since earning admission to the Virginia state bar, Ralby has served as an associate in the Norfolk, Va., office of Hunton & Williams, an international law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Beijing and Brussels.

Read the full news release.

(3/5/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Celebrating Student Research

UMBC is a place that believes hands-on research and discovery is an essential part of the student experience. This week, two campus events put the creativity and curiosity of UMBC student research from across the disciplines on public display.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) starts things off on Wednesday, April 25, followed by the 29th annual Graduate Research Conference (GRC) on Friday, April 27. The week presents an extraordinary opportunity for the public and campus community to explore original, interdisciplinary research findings through oral and poster presentations and to enjoy free arts performances and exhibits.

Having grown steadily since being founded in 1997 by the Office of the Provost, URCAD is now a project of the Office of Undergraduate Education. The URCAD experience gives students valuable experience preparing for graduate school or future careers. Many URCAD projects are funded by Undergraduate Research Awards (URA), competitive grants of up to $1,500 given annually to support student research over an academic year.

UMBC has declared this week Graduate Student Week, and UMBC�s Graduate Student Association has planned lectures, workshops, and a variety of festivities to enrich the lives of the University�s over 2,300 graduate students. The GRC is a chance for UMBC and University of Maryland, Baltimore grad students from different disciplines to share research ideas and learn more about the process of preparing for a scientific meeting.

Visitors to URCAD and the GRC will experience a broad spectrum of outstanding student research, including:

• Like many of his peers, chemistry Ph.D. student and Wyeth Fellow Orrette Wauchope spends long hours � he estimates 10 per day � in the lab. Wauchope studies compounds that could lead to new drugs to fight cancer and help prevent viral and parasitic diseases.
• Salutorian, Phi Beta Kappa member and former UMBC women�s basketball team captain Erin Voss is working to better understand how the body�s nerve cells heal and recover from injuries and disease. Voss, a fifth-year senior majoring in biochemical engineering, is headed to medical school at the University of Wisconsin after graduation.
• Senior interdisciplinary studies and visual arts major Truc Nguyen’s project, “Call Me Brother,” is a photo documentary chronicling the American immigration stories of four generations of her extended family. The project helped her learn living history while honing her design and photography skills for a future career in communications or marketing. Nguyen�s work will also be on display at The Commons Mezzanine gallery space all this week, with daily multimedia presentations between noon and 1 p.m.

URCAD will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University Center and Fine Arts Building. A full morning session will be devoted to dance and film presentations. For more information, please visit the URCAD Website.

The 2007 Graduate Research Conference will be held on Friday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University Center. Graduate Student Week is April 26 � May 3. For more information, please visit the GSA�s Website.

(4/23/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Erickson School Launches Master’s Degree in Aging Services

The Erickson School at UMBC is now accepting applications for its new Master of Arts in the Management of Aging Services (MAgS), a unique program specifically designed to prepare leaders for the challenges and opportunities presented by an aging society.

Unlike any other graduate degree, the MAgS program weaves together disciplines in management, public policy and the study of human aging. Integrating these core disciplines combines skills and knowledge necessary for leaders providing products and -services and making policy for older adults, said Erickson School Dean Kevin Eckert.

Designed for working professionals, the program is offered in a 15-month executive master’s format. It begins with an intensive one-week session followed by sessions every two to three weekends and concludes with an integrative capstone exercise addressing a relevant issue for each student’s specific organization or agency. The inaugural class of MAgS students will be selected from a pool of applicants representing top professionals working in aging-related services, including government agencies, financial institutions and the nation’s burgeoning seniors housing and care industry.

Applications for the MAgS program can be submitted online. The Erickson School also offers an undergraduate major and minor in aging services and an Executive Education program, including CEUs and certificates. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/erickson.

For more information on UMBC’s other graduate programs, visit www.umbc.edu/gradschool.

(6/26/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

International Recognition for a New Filmmaking Technique

Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Eric Dyer ’95 received international recognition for his film “Copenhagen Cycles,” which uses an avant-garde approach of connecting age-old film techniques with digital technology. “Copenhagen Cycles” won the 2007 Director’s Choice Award at the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film and Video Festival in New Jersey and was also screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and festivals in Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, England and Germany.

An experimental animator who often uses computers to create his films, Dyer produced “Copenhagen Cycles” using a new filmmaking method that he developed, merging digital animation and a pre-cinema technique. He compiled hundreds of photographs he took while bicycle riding around the streets of Denmark during his 2005 Fulbright Fellowship. First, Dyer printed and cut the sequences of the moving images and built about 25 zoetrope-like paper sculptures, then spun the sculptures and recaptured the collaged movements with a fast-shutter digital video camera. The art installation version of “Copenhagen Cycles” includes the bicycle wheel-sized zoetropes and a video demonstration of the unique filmmaking process.

In his animation courses at UMBC, Dyer is teaching his students to use his new method of filmmaking. “By using this experimental process, my students learn the value of mixing hands-on and digital techniques. They discover pathways or tangents they wouldn’t normally take when using only a computer. In the end, they surprise themselves and grow as artists,” he said.

Dyer is collaborating with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center for his next project, which will use 3D animation and 3D printing technologies to create zoetropes for a new film and installation. He hopes to complete the project in early 2008.

(4/10/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Realizing Their Potential: UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Through the Shriver Center at UMBC, hundreds of students stepped outside the boundaries of the classroom this summer and gained real-world experience by participating in an internship or co-op. These students were able to obtain professional opportunities, grasp the links between theory and practice and learn valuable job-related habits and skills at Wyeth Research, Maryland Department of Labor, Department of Defense, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Otto Bock HealthCare, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, W.R. Grace, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Department of State, GE and the Maryland Department of Transportation, among others.

Employers, on the other hand, were given a chance to evaluate potential new employees. John Sheridan, special agent and regional recruiter for the FBI, said, “At UMBC, I always meet a qualified, intelligent, eager and mature student body. UMBC should be very proud.”

Christine Routzahn, associate director of internships and co-ops, said, “The Shriver Center is dedicated to providing employers with the talent and energy that UMBC students offer. By complementing classroom teaching and research with the internship and co-op program, UMBC continues to develop our students as tomorrow’s leaders.”

Click here to read about some of UMBC’s summer interns and co-ops.

(8/29/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Realizing Their Potential:
UMBC Interns and Co-ops

Name: Nadeesha Ranasinghe Arachchige
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Graduation: December 2008
Placement: Wyeth Research

“What I liked most about my internship with the drug safety and metabolism group was the opportunity to work with extremely talented and skilled scientists in sophisticated labs.”

Duties:

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

The Serious Science of Human Nature

Robert Provine’s groundbreaking research into what makes us human has earned him attention from scientists and media from around the world. Provine studies how instinctive behaviors like laughter, yawning and tickling give new insights into evolution, brain function and social science. Two of his essays were recently chosen for “best of year” literary anthologies, placing him alongside top comedic minds from “The Simpsons,” “The Daily Show” and “The Onion” as well as leading scientists.

One of his essays appears in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006, a book introduced by “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and compiled by novelist Dave Eggers. The book also includes contributions from Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman and satire from “The Daily Show,” “This American Life” and “The Onion.”

On the more serious side, a Provine essay on yawning was chosen for “The Best American Science Writing 2006,” putting him in the company of top writers from The New York Times, Wired, The New Yorker and others. Other well-known works have cited Provine’s unique research, including bestsellers like Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, Steven Pinkner’s How the Mind Works and Kay Redfield Jamison’s Exuberance.

“It’s a pleasure being in the company of scientists and writers whose work I admire,” said Provine, a professor of psychology who’s been at UMBC for 32 years.

Provine is also one of the most cited researchers in leading textbooks in his specialty, not surprising for a former student of the Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist Rita Levi-Montalcini. Comedians Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall have mentioned his ideas in their monologues, and Provine has been involved in television shows with humorists Bill Cosby, Conan O’Brian, Al Franken and Alan Alda.

A man of diverse academic and personal interests, Provine enjoys racing his Corvette, painting and playing jazz saxophone. But one of his biggest passions is teaching and researching with students. All of the co-authors on his research papers are UMBC undergraduates, several of whom are featured in his 2000 book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation which he calls “in part, a story about undergraduate research at UMBC.”

Provine’s future plans include a forthcoming article on how tickling is the basis for the self/other perception, the root of social play and a good source of information on how to build better robots. He joins other scientific and literary luminaries in “What is Your Dangerous Idea,” his third contribution to the Today’s Leading Thinkers series of texts based on essays for Edge.org.

He seems very happy to have found a niche that carries his ideas around the world and can take him to the chimpanzee section of the zoo, the opera house and then to the toy store for research. “Unlike most jobs, professors are lucky to be able to pursue their ideas where ever they lead,” he said.

Provine suspects there is a good reason why his research and writing have wide appeal. “The social sciences have traditionally focused on the environmental influences on behavior and the differences between individuals and cultures,” he said. “But my work has attended to basic elements of human nature that all individuals and cultures have in common.”

(12/11/06)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Transforming the Teaching of Science

Changes in the way UMBC faculty are teaching introductory chemistry is not only increasing pass rates but creating more interest in chemistry.

Professors Ralph Pollack and William LaCourse came to Diane Lee, dean of undergraduate education, with concerns about student performance in Chemistry 101. The large lecture classes that usually contained over 200 students left little room for more than a handful of students to participate, and additional weekly recitation classes did not make a difference in student grades.

The Department of Chemistry, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Shriver Center worked together to create the Chemistry Discovery Center, a problem-based, high-tech learning lab (University Center, Room 201) focused on cooperative learning. Two years later, pass rates in Chemistry 101 are increasing, fewer students need to repeat the class and faculty have seen additional improvement at all grade levels. The number of majors, second majors and minors in chemistry and biochemistry is growing. And an overall improvement in group skills is also migrating to upper-level chemistry classes.

“Science is a cooperative endeavor, not a solitary one,” said Pollack. “In the Chemistry Discovery Center, students become active participants in the learning process, and we know that those who work in groups do better than those who work alone. It gets them thinking about problems and coming to their own conclusions. They’re not just memorizing.”

During two-hour weekly sessions, students divide into groups of four, and receive worksheets to guide them in their development of the ideas and principles that form the basis of the unit being studied. Students take ownership of the group through rotating roles, from managing the group to computing and recording the information. Faculty and teaching assistants can send and view group work from a central monitor. (UMBC’s Continuing and Professional Studies helped fund the lab’s first year, while the National Science Foundation funded the second year.)

“You don’t really understand the information until you are doing the problems yourself,” said freshman Frances Andrada. “Working with your peers and helping each other makes it easier to remember the information.”

“Students become more independent and responsible for their learning by developing critical work skills – teamwork, communication, management and self-assessment. It’s another way UMBC provides students with an entrepreneurial skill set,” added LaCourse.

Lee said that the Chemistry Discovery Center’s success has sparked interest from other departments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in creating similar labs. “It’s wonderful to see students excited about solving problems. What’s more, for those students who want to become teachers, it shows them firsthand how to make science more accessible.”

UMBC and partners in the Chemistry Discovery Center will celebrate its success with a ribbon cutting and reception on May 11. President Hrabowski will begin the program at 9:30 a.m. in the University Center, Room 201.

(5/7/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �