Fall 2012

Student Turmoil at UMBC 40 Years Ago — What Happened?

This essay was written by Manus O’Donnell ’72, English, who served as editor of the Retriever Weekly and as a senator in the Student Government Association. A little over 40 years ago UMBC was embroiled in protests and occupation rumors. The Viet Nam War created a lot of controversy in that period. 8 students were killed by National Guard during the riots at Kent State University in Ohio. Colleges everywhere had spontaneous student rioting. Across the country student bodies were organizing and college administrations were scrambling. UMBC was no exception. An envoy from Rutgers University came to recruit UMBC into… Continue Reading Student Turmoil at UMBC 40 Years Ago — What Happened?

Up on the Roof – Fall 2012

UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, takes your questions. Q. When you speak about UMBC’s achievements, you always stress the contribution made by your predecessor as president: the late Michael Hooker. What is his legacy at UMBC? What role did he play in your life as a mentor and friend? — Richard Byrne ’86, English A. Michael Hooker was capable of seeing what others did not think possible. He clearly saw the great potential of UMBC to become an increasingly important institution of higher education in our country. He had no trouble saying that UMBC was going to be the… Continue Reading Up on the Roof – Fall 2012

To You – Fall 2012

Traditions don’t start easily. Someone has to plant the seeds. Attract attention to them. Nurture them. Allow them both to grow and take root. The image on the cover of the Fall 2012 issue of UMBC Magazine is one tradition that has taken root at the university. UMBC’s presidential insignia – worn by the university’s president at every commencement – was a gift from the university’s Alumni Association that recognized the school’s milestone 30th anniversary in 1996. The insignia was purposely created to have a contemporary look that reflected the innovation that characterized the institution. The insignia’s design includes not… Continue Reading To You – Fall 2012

The News – Fall 2012

FIRST IMPRESSIONS By the time you read this, the first phase of UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities Building will already be teeming with students and faculty eager to study, teach, work and play in the brand-new space. So what are they seeing as they walk into the building? UMBC Magazine managed to get a peek as the furniture arrived – and just before faculty and staff moved into the place in late July. One of the jewels of the new building is the 275- seat proscenium theater (1), which is a significant upgrade on the theatre department’s former performing space,… Continue Reading The News – Fall 2012

Over Coffee – Fall 2012

From the moment we rise each day, we are surrounded by messages from the media: news, advertising, images, sounds, video, texts. How do we make sense of it all intellectually? Students in UMBC’s Media & Communication Studies (MCS) major are trying to do just that. UMBC Magazine sat down with Jason Loviglio, director of the program, and Donald Snyder, a lecturer and director of the MCS internship program, to find out more about one of UMBC’s fastest growing majors. * * * * * UMBC Magazine: People might be surprised that many of the major’s introductory classes are grounded in… Continue Reading Over Coffee – Fall 2012

Staging the Struggle – Photo Essay

Essays by Maurice Berger, Research Professor and Chief Curator at UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture. Click on any photo to enlarge. Return to Staging the Struggle. Ernest C. Withers Sanitation Workers Assembling for a Solidarity March, Memphis, March 28, 1968 Gelatin silver print National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution This image from the African American photographer Ernest Withers—one of the most famous pictures of the civil rights era— stands as a tribute to the slain leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and a poignant reminder of the continued urgency of the struggle he died… Continue Reading Staging the Struggle – Photo Essay

Maurice Berger poses in the "For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights" exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture Gallery of the Smithsonian's American History Museum July 27, 2011 in Washington, DC.  The traveling exhibit, which focuses on the power of visual media, is on display to November 27 and is organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland and the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Interrogating Images: Q&A with Maurice Berger

Whether he is enlightening readers on the nuances of photographs with his posts on “The Lens” blog at The New York Times, curating an exhibit such as For All the World to See, or testing the boundaries of memoir and cultural criticism (as he did with his book White Lies: Race and the Myths of Whiteness), you can count on Maurice Berger to be at the forefront of American culture’s engagement with its history and visual culture. Berger is research professor and the chief curator at UMBC’s Center for Arts, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC). He is also a consulting… Continue Reading Interrogating Images: Q&A with Maurice Berger

Maurice Berger poses in the "For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights" exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture Gallery of the Smithsonian's American History Museum July 27, 2011 in Washington, DC.  The traveling exhibit, which focuses on the power of visual media, is on display to November 27 and is organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland and the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Interrogating Images: Q&A with Maurice Berger

Whether he is enlightening readers on the nuances of photographs with his posts on “The Lens” blog at The New York Times, curating an exhibit such as For All the World to See, or testing the boundaries of memoir and cultural criticism (as he did with his book White Lies: Race and the Myths of Whiteness), you can count on Maurice Berger to be at the forefront of American culture’s engagement with its history and visual culture. Berger is research professor and the chief curator at UMBC’s Center for Arts, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC). He is also a consulting… Continue Reading Interrogating Images: Q&A with Maurice Berger

How to Win a Blind Taste Test (With Science!)

With Josh Wilhide ’10 M.S., Mass Spectrometry Facility Manager On a hot summer day, there’s nothing quite like the perky fizz of a just-opened soda to keep you cool and caffeinated. As consumers, many of us are incredibly loyal to a particular brand – even to the point of being sommelier-level tasters of sodas. Many people can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi blindfolded. But how does the hardworking human taste bud stand up to the massive data-collecting power of one of UMBC’s mass spectrometers? Josh Wilhide ’10 M.S., chemistry, can quench our thirst for this particular knowledge quite… Continue Reading How to Win a Blind Taste Test (With Science!)

Discovery – Fall 2012

EXPLORING THE BORDER When human beings have to be at a certain place at a certain time, they have lots of handy aids to do so: alarm clocks and watches, maps and GPS systems. Michelle Starz-Gaiano, an assistant professor of biology at UMBC, is fascinated by the question of how cells do the same thing. “Cells leave on time and get to a destination on time during development,” she says. “They get to the right places almost all the time and they don’t get lost.” What guides cells? One aspect of this question that researchers in Starz-Gaiano’s lab want to… Continue Reading Discovery – Fall 2012

Conserve and Protect – Lekelia “Kiki” Jenkins '97, BioSci

As a child, Lekelia “Kiki” Jenkins ’97, biological sciences, could often be found on a fishing pier on the Chesapeake Bay, dangling a line for fish or chicken-necking for blue crabs with her family. Today, you’re more apt to find her on a commercial fishing boat in Ecuador as she researches how fishermen can keep from catching protected species such as sea turtles. It’s a race against time as Jenkins works with fishermen and government regulators to adopt new technologies out on the water. It can take 15 years or longer to come up with a new device to keep… Continue Reading Conserve and Protect – Lekelia “Kiki” Jenkins '97, BioSci

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