Piles of snow and bitter cold didn’t deter U.S. congressional representative Don Beyer from meeting with UMBC’s Carlos Romero Talamás in late January to discuss the hot topic of fusion energy. Fusion reactions, which release massive amounts of energy when multiple light atomic nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus, power the Sun, and it is hoped they will soon deliver clean, reliable, and abundant energy generation on Earth, too. 

Rep. Beyer, of the 8th District of Virginia, founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus, dedicated to advancing fusion energy technology, while Romero Talamás, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, leads a laboratory exploring a novel fusion energy concept that may offer an easier path to a commercially viable reactor. During the visit on January 29, Romero Talamás gave Beyer a tour of the lab, which is located on the University of Maryland, College Park campus and brings together faculty and students from both UMBC and UMD. 

A simpler fusion machine

The centerpiece of the lab is a large machine where the researchers have been testing a relatively new approach to confining plasma—the unruly soup of particles that forms when gas gets super hot. At high enough temperatures (typically more than 100 million degrees Celsius on Earth) and densities, particles in a plasma can slam into each other with enough energy to fuse together. 

The Maryland group’s confinement approach, called a centrifugal mirror, traps the blazing hot plasma in a linear tube with strong magnetic fields at the ends that push charged particles toward the center (the magnetic mirror), while also whipping them at supersonic speeds around a central conducting rod (the centrifugal part). The rotation creates stabilizing forces that can pull a plasma back together in the face of inherent instabilities that threaten to rip it apart. 

Recent experiments confirm that the physics used to model the confinement approach accurately predicts its real-world behavior, giving the researchers confidence that they could take the approach all the way to a working fusion reactor.

In fact, Romero Talamás has founded a company, called Terra Fusion, to do just that. The company has offices in College Park and is currently looking for laboratory space in Baltimore where it can build a next-generation machine. 

The start-up joins a host of other fusion companies, primarily in the U.S. The entire field has attracted billions of dollars in private investments, including from such big players as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. While Romero Talamás’ company is just getting started, he’s confident Terra Fusion can catch up and overcome competitors because of its relatively compact, inexpensive, and simple machine design.

All the companies still face big engineering hurdles, such as finding materials that can withstand the punishing onslaught of particles and radiation within the reactor. A simpler machine should make the path to overcoming these challenges much easier. 

Public-private partnerships fuel innovation

Fusion research in the U.S. in recent years offers an example of how the public and private sectors can work in tandem to address daunting challenges. The initial experiments on the current centrifugal mirror machine were funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Once those experiments confirmed the promise of the approach, private sector investment jumped in. Romero Talamás says the U.S. government also supports private sector research by offering companies access to the specialized expertise, experimental facilities, and advanced modeling capabilities at the national laboratories. 

U.S. fusion experts hope the jostle of competing commercial ideas will shorten the time it takes to demonstrate a fusion reactor design that could meet a significant portion of humanity’s ever-growing energy demands more cleanly, cheaply, and reliably than alternative energy approaches. Despite the proliferation of groups vying to make the next big fusion breakthrough, a mostly collaborative spirit still prevails within the research community, Romero Talamás says. “If any one of these technologies succeed,” he points out, “it will benefit us all.”

By: Bruna de Padua

Photo Credit: Parker Vogel

When Parker Vogel first arrived at UMBC, he had a completely different major and career path in mind. He started out in Mechanical Engineering because he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and had dreams of becoming an Imagineer with Disney. Starting college during Covid made the whole experience feel unusual, and the online format gave him a lot of time to think about what he actually enjoyed. Even though he did well in science and math, he realized that he did not feel excited about them. What he really missed was the creative work he used to do on his high school yearbook staff where he worked as an editor. That feeling is what led him to switch to the Media and Communication Studies program, which turned out to be the perfect fit.

Once Parker joined MCS, he found classes that matched his interests and helped him strengthen the skills he wanted to develop. Some of his favorites were the Capstone course, any class that involved Adobe programs, and film creation. Learning to use InDesign, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe tools ended up becoming incredibly important for his future. He now uses those programs almost every day in his professional work, so the courses were not only fun but practical as well.

Parker also had professors who really made an impact on him. Dr. Tinga helped him push his research skills further and guided him through creating a strong Capstone project focused on horror and gore in slasher films. He also appreciated the support and influence of Dr. Drabinski in GWST, Professor Nikki Hartman in the theatre department, and the rest of the MCS faculty. Their encouragement helped him see what he could achieve with the degree and gave him confidence in the path he chose.

Outside of academics, one of the biggest parts of Parker's UMBC experience was joining the UMBC Cleftomaniacs, one of the university's a cappella groups. The group became a major source of community and friendship for him. They helped him come out of his shell and gave him something to look forward to every week through rehearsals and performances. He still follows their performances and recently went to their Fall 2025 concert, where he was proud to see how much the group has grown.

After graduating in Winter 2024, Parker began working at Annapolis Home Magazine as a publishing and digital marketing assistant. His job involves running the magazine's social media, helping create newsletters, organizing photos and text for editorial pieces, tracking advertising, and completing a variety of other publishing tasks. He enjoys seeing his contributions appear in each issue and takes pride in the work he does. The job has helped him build connections and learn skills that he never expected to pick up so quickly.

Parker is open to many possibilities. He likes his current job and can see himself staying there long term, but he also has other creative ideas he would love to explore. He has thought about starting his own publication, writing a novel, creating a podcast, or growing his social media presence. He does not feel rushed to choose one path. Instead, he feels grateful for everything he learned in the MCS program because it gives him the confidence to try any of these goals when the time feels right. Parker's journey at UMBC changed direction more than once, but each change helped him move closer to the creative work he truly enjoys.

By: Michelle Lopez

Photo Credit: Rahne Alexander

Meet Kristen Anchor, an Associate Teaching Professor in UMBC's Media and Communication Studies Department. Her artistic and professional background brings a unique perspective to the classroom. As a filmmaker, curator, musician, and audio-visual designer, she mentors emerging media creators, drawing from her rich artistic background. Her commitment to community-based media practices shapes both her teaching and creative work, fostering an environment of ongoing evolution and collaboration.

Before joining UMBC, Professor Anchor directed the film and video programs at Baltimore's Creative Alliance for nearly a decade. There, she curated screenings, developed workshops, and fostered connections among local filmmakers and artists. While working at Creative Alliance, she pursued her own creative endeavors, including co-founding the band The Degenerettes with her wife, Rahne Alexander. Though the band no longer tours, their music continues to resonate with new listeners online, highlighting the ongoing impact of their work.

Professor Anchor's teaching journey began during her time in UMBC's Intermedia and Digital Arts MFA program. A Graduate Assistantship led her to work in the New Media Studio, where she further developed her skills as a camera operator and video editor. This experience, coupled with her involvement in MCS 101 labs, paved the way for her transition from part-time work to a full-time lecturer role. In her teaching, she emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and creativity, designing assignments that provide structure while allowing room for experimentation. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in her experiences within Baltimore's art community, where collaboration and mutual support work hand-in-hand.

Looking ahead, Professor Anchor anticipates significant innovation in multimedia. She is interested in the evolution of virtual and augmented reality, the increasing overlap of gaming and cinematic storytelling, as well as the development of collective storytelling through social platforms. 

Professor Anchor's work at UMBC reflects her dedication to helping students navigate a constantly changing media landscape. Through hands-on production, reflective conversations, and collaborative projects, she prepares students to become thoughtful media makers. Her active involvement in Baltimore's arts communities enhances student experiences within the MCS department, bridging the gap between academic theory and local creative practice.

By: Mika Lopena

Photo Credit: Mika Lopena

No two career paths unfold the same way, and for UMBC MCS alum Nick Elza '24, the path toward his degree was shaped by self-discovery and a lifelong interest in both movement and storytelling. From childhood through his college years, Nick trained extensively in martial arts, developing discipline, body awareness, and a deep appreciation for physical strength and technique. This foundation would later play a meaningful role in the work he found most fulfilling.

Nick arrived at UMBC as a philosophy major, drawn to complex questions and the challenge of thinking deeply about the world. At the same time, he had always been fond of film. He admired the emotional force of visual storytelling and understood how powerful it is to guide an audience's feelings through carefully crafted images and sound. Despite this passion, he initially felt uncertain and somewhat pessimistic about pursuing film seriously. The industry seemed difficult to enter, and he questioned whether he could truly build a career within it.

During his freshman year, the pull toward filmmaking became too strong to ignore, and he switched to cinematic arts in hopes of following that interest. By sophomore year, however, he felt unsure once again and transitioned to Information Systems, searching for a sense of direction. Although IS offered stability, it did not spark the enthusiasm he felt when working with media or discussing creative ideas. After reflecting on the interests that had stayed with him the longest, Nick realized that philosophy, communication, media studies, and film all intersected in ways that felt natural. When he discovered Media and Communication Studies, he found a home for all of these passions. The major allowed him to combine analytical thinking with creative expression, and by his junior year, he knew he had made the right choice.

Today, Nick works as a Physical Therapy Technician, a role strengthened by years of martial arts experience and an intuitive understanding of movement and recovery. He supports patients, many of them older adults, as they rebuild mobility and strength. He often describes the clinic as a "gym for the elderly," a phrase that reflects his appreciation for the resilience he sees in the people he assists.

Nick continues to stay connected to his creative roots through his collaboration with Stanley Brown, a fellow UMBC alumnus. Together, they work on film projects that involve storyboarding, shooting, and editing with equipment such as drones, car mounts, and traditional cameras. These projects allow Nick to continue exploring the emotional depth of filmmaking, a passion he has carried for most of his life.

During his time at UMBC, Nick completed a social media internship with Black Hills Information Security. He connected with campus cyber clubs, researched global cybersecurity conventions, edited YouTube content, and helped increase community engagement through thoughtful outreach and giveaways. The experience showed him that communication plays an essential role in every field, even highly technical ones.

Nick looks back on his MCS coursework with gratitude. Dr. Snyder's early lessons in semiology, branding and marketing assignments in classes like MCS 355, and documentary projects that introduced him to editing and camera techniques all helped shape his confidence as both a communicator and a storyteller.

As he considers the future, Nick is exploring paths such as PTA school, potential military service, and further educational opportunities. His journey reflects an honest and evolving search for purpose, shaped by creativity, discipline, and a desire to support others. Whether he is guiding a patient through recovery or shaping a narrative behind the camera, Nick continues to follow the passions that have guided him from the beginning.

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• Topic: Accessibility Strategies for STEM courses
• Date & Time: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 · 12 - 1 PM
• Event Details:  This session will be hosted via Webex. Register for the event or visit the myUMBC Event post and select "Join Online" to register.