On June 3, 2025, UMBC graduate student Noah Sienkiewicz successfully defended his dissertation in Atmospheric Physics, titled “Characterization of the HARP2 instrument and its Influences on the Polarimetric Retrieval of Aerosol Particles” in front of his PhD committee members, UMBC Department of Physics faculty, ESI colleagues, family, and friends.

Dr. Sienkiewicz discussed three major components of his doctoral research: (1) the development of a simulation for scheduling and taking data from ESI’s HARP CubeSat satellite sensor over scientifically interesting global targets, (2) the pre-launch calibration of the HARP2 instrument on the NASA PACE mission, and (3) a characterization of HARP2’s measurement uncertainty relative to aerosol properties.

Over the past eight years, Noah was a core member of the HARP2 science team and followed the development of the instrument from conception, assembly, calibration, launch, post-launch support, data processing, and scientific communication at several international conferences and in two first-author publications. He will begin a NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) fellowship in July 2025 under Dr. Reed Espinosa at NASA GSFC. In this new role, he will further study the relationship between multi-angle polarimeter measurements, like those from HARP2, and the climate information contained in their datasets.

Congratulations, Dr. Sienkiewicz!

Photo: Dr. Noah Sienkiewicz and his advisor Dr. J. Vanderlei Martins, Physics professor and ESI director, pose together after his defense. Photo credit: Anin Puthukkudy/ESI

Photo: Dr. Noah Sienkiewicz celebrates the end of his PhD journey with ESI colleagues and fellow graduate students. From left to right: Dr. Anin Puthukkudy, Dr. Brent McBride, Greema Regmi, Dr. Noah Sienkiewicz, Nirandi Jayasinghe, Rachel Smith, and Dr. Xiaoguang Xu. Photo credit: Anin Puthukkudy/ESI

Use this link to see the full list of accepted items for electronic recycling: https://electronicsvaluerecovery.com/materials-we-accept/

Cant make it on June 6th? Use our e-cycler on The Commons Main Street to drop off e-waste any time, or email us at sustainability@umbc.edu to arrange for larger items. 

Hi everyone,
I’m an incoming PhD student looking for housing near UMBC campus—ideally within walking distance or along the Paradise shuttle route. My budget is $500–700 and the desired move-in date is in July.

I’m hoping to find a roommate who is neat, honest, calm, outgoing, and organized so we can enjoy a peaceful, happy, and clear-minded semester together. I’m open to mixed-gender housing, but I would prefer female roommate.

Feel free to text or WhatsApp me at 763-321-0711.

Thanks!

We continue to look for small ways to make life easier on our RT community. Let us know what you think about the rich text editor! 

• Help employees with their overall financial well-being, including retirement savings habits, asset allocation, income planning, and complex planning discussions, as well as with decisions at retirement or a job change.
• Offer a comprehensive approach to retirement planning, fully integrated with online planning tools and resources.
• Utilize industry-leading research and analysis to help address your needs, and plan holistically across your financial resources.

Click on this link to schedule a meeting with the Fidelity rep, Paul Vutiprichar, CRPC. 

Upcoming on-campus dates:

• Tuesday, June 10th
• Tuesday, August 5th

Happy summer everyone! As we wind down from the spring semester, CARAT would like to announce the implementation of a new DocuSign agreement for additional compensation.

This agreement, developed in coordination with the CAHSS Dean's Office and Human Resources, will be used going forward for all additional compensation and payroll stipends on CARAT-managed awards. This process will not affect student, Graduate Research Assistant, or Contingent hires.

When it comes time for someone to be paid additional compensation on an award, the PI and the payee will both receive the DocuSign from the CARAT staff to confirm the payment. This agreement must be signed in order for the person to receive their payment, so we ask that you review the DocuSign promptly so that any questions may be addressed.

We hope that this will help reduce some questions that people may have regarding their additional compensation as well as improve CARAT's documentation for our awards.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your grant manager or submit a General Inquiries ticket via the CARAT RT queue.

June marks National LGBTQ+ Pride Month and offers the nation the opportunity to reflect on the incredible contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. Our nation is at its best when it welcomes, represents and includes people of all backgrounds. This includes people with disabilities and the intersections shared with the LGBTQ+ community. According to a study published in 2012, fully 36 percent of women in the LGBTQ+ community and 30 percent of men in the community also self-identify as people with disabilities. Learn more about the intersection via RespectAbility here, especially with Leah Ilana's essay on the need for safe refuge.  More  Disabled LBGTQ+ Profiles, in their own voices, are profiled here.

We celebrate with you! You matter! UMBC Resources include:

oSTEM Group for LGBTQ+ Students working in STEM fields

Spectra UMBC for LGBTQ+ Mathematicians