All posts by: UMBC News Staff

UMBC Receives Grant to Operate NASA Center Focused on Space Weather

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) will administer a new NASA research center focused on studying space weather and the impact it can have on human activities.

The Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI), operating under a 5-year, $10 million cooperative agreement, will provide support and resources for university researchers to collaborate with scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as they refine efforts to predict the solar activity that ejects charged particles into space. The “weather” created by these events interferes with power grids, telecommunication systems and other activities on Earth, while also threatening spacecraft and creating risks for space travel.

“This agreement offers a great opportunity to continue research that is deepening our understanding of solar and magnetospheric physics,” said Jan Merka, director of the new center. “The main goal is to more reliably predict space weather so we can avoid the impacts on space and Earth activities caused by extreme solar and magnetospheric events.”

The GPHI research portfolio was formerly part of the UMBC-administered Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center (GEST). The cooperative agreement that established GEST in 2000 expired in May, and research now encompassed by GPHI was re-competed separately from the rest of the GEST portfolio. The remainder of GEST is now administered under a new cooperative agreement between NASA and the University Space Research Association.

The research group at GEST that focused on heliophysics has expanded to 16 researchers at GPHI.

UMBC has a long history of working closely with scientists at NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to GPHI, UMBC administers the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), which focuses on geosciences and is now in its sixteenth year. The university is also a partner in the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), which focuses on astrophysics.

“We are delighted to continue collaborating with NASA in the area of planetary and heliophsyics research as GPHI scientists work to expand our understanding of space weather,” said Geoff Summers, UMBC’s vice president for research. “This ongoing area of research is particularly exciting as it both increases our understanding of the solar system and helps explain the effect of space weather on Earth.”

(6/21/11)

Looking East

UMBC’s new Asian studies program will give students the opportunity to learn about Asian languages, cultures and the significant impacts that the region is having on the world. The first public institution in Maryland with an Asian studies degree, UMBC offers a major, a minor and a certificate.

Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and the director of the new program, has been advocating for an Asian studies program on campus for many years. Recently, the right conditions—a cohort of faculty members with expertise in Asia and an increasing focus on making UMBC into a global campus—have come together to bring his dream to fruition.

As the economies and global influence of Asian nations continue to grow, both students and educators are realizing that knowledge of the region can give graduates an advantage as they begin their careers. The program aims to prepare students for various professional paths related to Asia, such as advanced academic research, international relations, international business and trade, governmental service and international law.

Noting the number of Asia-focused classes and events already happening on campus, Vaporis said that “the program will coordinate all of the things that are already going on as well as encourage new ones, and be a voice and organizing mechanism for those elements.”

The program’s value as an organizing mechanism was made clear in the days after the devastating earthquake that hit Japan on March 11. The Asian studies program was able to serve as a central coordinator for relief efforts, working with other departments to quickly organize a lecture, concert and (with the help of the Japanese Culture Club) two fundraisers.

A new course, “Asia 100,” will introduce students to the program. Taught by Vaporis, the course will also draw on participating faculty to show the different approaches to the area of study. Departments that may intersect with the program include history, economics, music, modern languages and linguistics and American studies, and potential courses that can be taught through the new program range from a philosophy course called “The Philosophy of Asian Martial Arts” to a political science course teaching “International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Region.” UMBC is also the only public university in Maryland to teach the three major East Asian languages: Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Vaporis said that having the program on campus will open up future opportunities. For example, faculty members will have access to resources to help them create courses for the program. “We’ll be able to host faculty development workshops to infuse Asia in the curriculum for people who have the interest but maybe not the expertise,” Vaporis said.

The program will also bring speakers to campus and, Vaporis hopes, expand study abroad opportunities in Asian countries.

 (5/12/11)

A Meeting of the Minds

While cleaning out his closet on a recent visit home, Phillip Fitzgerald found a box of old awards. Flipping through certificates and plaques for various achievements, he noticed a trend: Almost every award was related to science, dating all the way back to his third grade science fair. He realized science has been his life since he was a child.

“It was in the books from the beginning,”he said matter-of-factly.

This summer, Fitzgerald will continue on that path as he travels to Lindau, Germany, to participate in the 61st Meeting of Nobel Laureates. This annual gathering of leading scientists brings together about 20 Nobel prize winners and other internationally recognized scientists with 500 “young researchers” selected from a global pool of the brightest collegiate scholars.

Fitzgerald is the second UMBC student in a row to be accepted; Benyam Kinde ’10 attended the meeting last year.
A senior completing a major in biochemistry and molecular biology, Fitzgerald is also a first-generation college student from Prince George’s County, where he was valedictorian at Suitland High School.

He has flourished at UMBC from the day he was accepted into the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. The Meyerhoff program was founded to increase diversity among young leaders in science, technology and engineering fields. Fitzgerald said the program has had a big influence on him.

Fitzgerald finds a spirit of collaboration through the Meyerhoff program and throughout campus. He said UMBC offers a “safe zone,” which contrasts with the “cut-throat” environments he has seen elsewhere.

At UMBC, Fitzgerald has worked with Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, professor of biological sciences and Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Chair of Biochemistry. Together they are researching tumor immunology, focusing on how inflammation and a specific type of suppressor cells can promote cancer by inhibiting the body’s immune system. Fitzgerald has also interned at the New York University School of Medicine under Dan Littman, professor of molecular immunology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. There he studied how certain immune cells, called dendritic cells, can shuttle HIV to target T cells, greatly increasing HIV infection rate. Fitzgerald received this internship through HHMI on recommendation from Michael Summers, HHMI Investigator and UMBC professor of chemistry and biochemistry.  

One key influence in Fitzgerald’s life was his high school biology teacher, who encouraged him to do a summer research project at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“It turned my love of studying science, into a love of researching science,” he said, explaining that he believes this appreciation for science should be shared.

Fitzgerald is a tutor in the chemistry tutorial center, and he has been a teaching assistant for introductory biology. He also volunteers at Prince George’s Tennis and Education Foundation, a non-profit that provides opportunities for young people to excel academically, athletically and socially through tennis. Fitzgerald said he has more to offer with Bunsen burners and Erlenmeyer flasks than he does with a racket.  

With all this on his plate, Fitzgerald still finds time for himself to unwind with his other talents. Fitzgerald is learning to play the piano and guitar, while also taking singing lessons. He says this is a treat to himself for his last semester at UMBC.  It is an artistic release that he hopes will benefit him as he pursues a joint M.D./Ph.D.  at Johns Hopkins University.

“Success is when you reach a point in life where with whatever you’re doing you find happiness in doing it, whether that is career based or not,” Fitzgerald said. “It is not in correlation with income or number of degrees; a successful person is someone who can wake up and be excited for what they are going to do that day.”

He has big plans for his career in biochemistry, and he said UMBC has been just the place to put him on this path.
“UMBC has supported my passion for scientific research so much through its emphasis on research and giving hands-on training,” he said.  

He remembers the overwhelming feeling of getting accepted into the Nobel Laureate meeting in Lindau.

“It means,” he said, “there are people out there that are seeing potential in me.”

 (4/29/11)

Hands-on History

Marie Spiro had been collecting artifacts to use in her classroom at the University of Maryland, College Park for over 50 years. So when the archaeologist decided that it was time for her collection to find a new home, she looked for a place that would honor her one wish for the objects: that rather than living in cases, the artifacts would be used, handled and studied by students learning about archaeology and the ancient world.

She found such a place in UMBC’s ancient studies department, and the first third of Spiro’s collection arrived in the department—and the classroom—this semester. The collection features Greek, Roman and Byzantine artifacts, and contains mosaics, pottery, figurines and other pieces that date back as far as 15,000 years. The next third of the artifacts will come to campus in early 2012, with the final portion arriving in 2013.

“I’ve always wanted this to be passed on, and I have the opportunity to pass it along to an outstanding department,” Spiro said. “I’m so happy that the collection has found a home. That’s my dream fulfilled.”

The collection also fulfilled a dream for Marilyn Goldberg, chair of ancient studies, who was eager to extend the department’s focus on hands-on learning into the classroom. Although ancient studies undergraduate students participate in internships at places like the Walters Art Museum and digs in locations from Fell’s Point to Transylvania, Goldberg is thrilled that the Spiro collection allows students to physically interact with the artifacts without leaving campus. The collection is ideal for research and teaching because it includes many objects that ancient people used in their everyday lives.

“Students can look at a piece in its entirety, look at the back of it and the profile of it, see how it’s made,” Goldberg said. “You can’t turn a picture over.”

With the financial support of local Greek organizations, including the Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee and the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Associations of Baltimore and Washington, DC, the ancient studies department brought the artifacts to campus this February.

The first students to work with the collection are currently enrolled in the Museum Studies class taught by Esther Read, lecturer in ancient studies. The class is a lecture/lab hybrid, with students spending the first half in discussion about the issues faced by museums and the second half working with the artifacts. Read has worked both in museums and on award-winning archaeology digs.

“I want them to see that these objects are more than just pretty things in cases. Whoever owned that piece originally, it had meaning to them, it had meaning to Marie Spiro when she collected it, it has different meaning now that she’s given it to us, it’ll have a meaning here at the institution and for the student who works with it,” said Read. “You have so many groups and so many relationships with one object. Which story do you present?”

Students will need to keep those issues in mind when Phase II of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building opens: it will include an archaeology lab where students can study the artifacts and space where they can display the exhibits they curate.

“There are so many potential projects,” said Goldberg. “I keep getting ideas about the possibilities for the collection and what we can do with it.”

(4/15/11)

Great Gates

Michael Young ’11, philosophy, was recently awarded the Gates Cambridge scholarship, one of the world’s most selective academic awards. This fall, Young will enroll at the University of Cambridge to pursue his master’s degree in philosophy.

“It’s a great honor and I’m very humbled. I look forward to representing our community,” said Young.

The Gates Cambridge program, which is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates, aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. The awards cover the full cost of full-time graduate study and research in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Other 2011 U.S. scholars include students from Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, the University of Chicago and other universities.

Young, who has also taken a heavy course load in biological sciences while at UMBC, plans to attend medical school after completing his degree at Cambridge. His goal is to work in bioethics, examining the philosophical framework and ethical theory grounding standards of care in medicine and public health.

“I think that the combination of philosophy and medicine can make medicine a more examined practice,” said Young. “It’s not something that people typically think about, because the alliance is not always clear… but the ways in which philosophers think, and the critical tools they use to analyze arguments, are ones that can be applied across the disciplines.”

In addition to his work in philosophy and biological sciences, Young is the founding director of Healing Harmonies, a student-run volunteer organization that organizes performances by student musicians for the elderly and sick, on the editorial board for Bartleby and a fencer on the UMBC fencing team.

“He’s a jack of all trades but he’s also a master of many of them. It’s rare to find that kind of excellence in more than one field,” said Simon Stacey, associate director of the Honors College, who helped Young prepare his application.

In order to be considered for the award, Young had to first gain acceptance to Cambridge. Then, his essay was reviewed by a selection committee and he was interviewed by a panel of scholars.

“The interview turned into a very interesting discussion about the dialogue between the disciplines and the utility of such a dialogue as it pertains to philosophy and medicine,” Young said.

Young is one of 30 2011 U.S. Gates Cambridge Scholars. The scholars were chosen from 800 applicants from 21 states and 30 U.S. colleges and universities. The American scholars will be joined by 60 Gates Scholars from other parts of the world.

UMBC alumni Philip Graff ’08, physics, and Simon Gray ’08, chemical engineering, received Gates Cambridge Scholarships in 2008. Ian Ralby ’02, modern languages and linguistics, M.A. intercultural communication, received the scholarship in 2007 and 2008.

“I think it’s really quite remarkable that a UMBC student, once again, should be among the few chosen,” said Stacey.

(4/8/11)

Marching into the Future

A collaboration between two UMBC faculty members is exploring the potential of a movement known as the “digital humanities” – wherein digital tools are used to explore history and other subjects in all their depth and complexity.

Since 2008, Anne Sarah Rubin, associate professor of history, and Kelley Bell ’05, M.F.A. imaging and digital arts, assistant professor of graphic design, have been putting together Sherman’s March and America: Mapping Memory. The multimedia site launched in July 2010, funded with a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies and support of UMBC’s Imaging Research Center.

Rubin says that the version now online is a work in progress representing about twenty percent of what the creators have in mind. They hope this “proof of concept” will help them to secure the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities when they apply for funding this fall.

The site design is simple and elegant. But closer examination also reveals a sophisticated engagement with issues in historiography (that is, the questions historians ask themselves about the methodology of reconstructing the past).

Visitors to the site are greeted by a map showing the area covered by Sherman’s men as they made their way between Atlanta and Savannah in November and December of 1864. The troops followed two different courses between those points, scorching the earth as they went. At the bottom of the screen is a timeline. Slide the cursor on it and you can trace the progress of each wing of the Union Army. Click on one of the highlighted towns along the way, and there pops up a short video based on events in that area during the campaign.

But the three-minute clips don’t just recite information on the military campaign, as viewed with the benefit of nearly 150 years of hindsight. The stories they tell reflect the variety of groups affected by the march. Yankee soldiers, Confederate citizens, and newly freed slaves, for example, each experienced things from distinct perspectives. And those final weeks of 1864 threw a long shadow, inspiring later generations to create books, films, and tourist attractions. How events were woven into the public memory becomes part of the story. The site looks at General Sherman, of course – but also at Margaret Mitchell, who wrote Gone With the Wind.

“I like big questions, big issues, ‘going wide’ in looking at history,” says Rubin. “What appealed to me about Sherman’s March as a subject was the possibility of using the map as a way to frame the ‘multipositionality’ of events – how they looked from a variety of perspectives. As a digital history project, this isn’t just a collection of facts about the past. It’s also about narrative, storytelling, and memory.”

“Rather than shy away from conflicting interpretations of the past, as many museums do, the modern approach is to embrace them.” says Rick Shenkman, founder and editor of the digital History News Network. “And this Sherman’s March and America does – using digital tools to map both the events and the nature of historical memory itself.

Read the full story in UMBC Magazine.

(4/8/11)

Engaging Student Voices

Lectures on political cartooning and free speech have taken Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher—UMBC artist-in-residence and editorial cartoonist for The Economist—to dozens of campuses around the world, but none quite like UMBC. In Russia, students broke into spontaneous applause when they learned that freedom of speech protection in the U.S. Constitution enables Kallaugher to satirize political leaders without fear of reprisal. The ability to critically draw your own head of state, he argues, is true evidence of freedom of expression. At UMBC, he works with a team of bright and energized student bloggers who exercise this freedom as journalists on USDemocrazy, a news site for students, by students.

“I tell everyone about USDemocrazy and my experience here at UMBC because it fits right into that picture,” says Kallaugher. “New social media, as we know, has turned out to be an important lever to enabling societies and people to express themselves in ways they have not been able to do until now, and it’s a tool that’s worth harnessing as much as possible.”

USDemocrazy has come a long way since January 2009, when it transitioned from a map-based informational site for young people about the U.S. political system—created through Kallaugher’s leadership—to a UMBC student-authored daily news blog. “Our bloggers are now journalists and I tell them that they are empowered to walk up to anybody to ask a question,” Kallaugher says. “They’re not going to be witnessing history as it unfolds; they’re going to be partaking in history. They are going to frame the important subjects and help educate people about what’s going on.”

To-date the blog has received hundreds of thousands of views from readers in all 50 states and 130 countries, and it continues to grow. This is in large part because Kallaugher sees himself not just as an artist-in-residence, but “also an ambassador for UMBC, reaching parts of the country and the world that for the first time are getting that introduction.”

In addition to international trips—such as a 12-day visit to universities in Jordan and Lebanon and a standing-room-only talk at TEDxWarwick—Kallaugher has spoken at museums, arts events, on public radio and with technology and entertainment firms around the country. He has also begun collaborating with middle and high schools that want to utilize USDemocrazy as a tool to teach students about current events and the importance of being informed, taking advantage of the site’s accessible writing and engaging format.

Beyond their commitment to post two to three times a day, six days a week, 52 weeks a year, USDemocrazy’s student bloggers have branched out to producing original research articles and video content and live-Tweeting, covering the Colbert-Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and the State of the Union. Senior members now mentor new bloggers on efficiently creating high quality content to meet tight deadlines. “The voice of the blog…sounds like people who are fresh and new to the news,” Kallaugher reflects, “and I think people who are fresh and new to the news themselves respond to that.”

The aims of the blog are indeed similar to Kallaugher’s own goals as editorial cartoonist for The Economist. “My job is not to make people laugh. It’s to make people think,” Kallaugher remarked in the San Francisco Examiner. “You’re trying to further the political discourse using a tool which is accessible to the masses.”

Kallaugher is excited about emerging opportunities to reach new audiences through USDemocrazy as young readers increasingly turn to online news sources. Plus, he says, working with a talented technical crew at UMBC’s Imaging Research Center and energized young writers at a moment of profound media transition is “an irresistible combination.”

Learn about KAL’s early work at UMBC through UMBC Magazine. Students and faculty interested in working with USDemocrazy can email KAL directly.

(4/1/2011)