Fall 2017

graduating students laugh at undergrad commencement

Wow Moments

Who inspired YOU most as a student at UMBC? We asked, and you answered! #UMBCwow “Ilsa Lottes pulled me into Sociology, and Leslie Morgan convinced me to pursue a Ph.D. Both women were amazing mentors! So many great professors…a lot of fun was had in Rudy Storch’s Latin classes and I find myself still referring back to Jay Freyman’s word roots class.” — Connie Krach Pierson ’90, economics, M.A. ’92, sociology “Professor Schaller. He not only pushed me harder than any other professor, but he intensified my interest in politics and government. I still can’t believe he gave a quiz… Continue Reading Wow Moments

Picture Perfect

Patrick Rife ’10, visual arts As an undergraduate student of art history at UMBC, Patrick Rife ’10, visual arts, paid homage to obsolescent technology by building a sculpture out of 9,000 vinyl records. Today, as the co-founder of Baltimore-based Pixilated, Rife spends his days figuring out the key to staying on the cutting edge of a technology that calls to another throwback technology – photo booths. If you’ve been to a major party in Baltimore in the last few years, you’ve probably seen the heavy rotation of guests posing in front of one of Pixilated’s trademark photo boxes. But Rife’s… Continue Reading Picture Perfect

Wild Card – Fall 2017

Henge After a sculpture titled, Forum, by Thomas Sayre Outside the glass wall That separates us From the cold and below, Covered with an icing Of melting snow, Are the half arches Formed of earth-colored stone Placed so no two can Connect, an almost row Of almost arches Among the broken gray Of stunted columns left As if to the wind on some acropolis; A henge whose shadows Rotate across the grass, Slant across squares of paving To remind us That time is told By the movement of suns, By melting ice, The shattered rock Of a ruined forum which… Continue Reading Wild Card – Fall 2017

Fearless Entrepreneur

Delali Dzirasa ’04, computer engineering With two Retriever brothers before him, UMBC was the last place Delali Dzirasa wanted to be during college. But it turned out to be a key part of his future as president and founder of Fearless Solutions, a shining star in Baltimore’s software scene, not to mention the place where he met his wife, an officer in their company. “There’s always going to be a connection between me, Fearless, and UMBC. UMBC’s part of the story, right?” says Dzirasa. Earlier this year, Fearless was named Maryland Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S.… Continue Reading Fearless Entrepreneur

Shared Strengths

Carol Anne Huff ’93, economics, and Julie A. Gillespie ’93, economics On a rainy day in Chicago, the sisters cross town to meet up for lunch. They greet each other, laughing, and proceed to order their food with similar cadence and tastes. When the plates come, they split the dishes – an octopus salad, a crab cake – with the precision that comes from a lifetime of practice and shared biology. Let’s get the obvious points about Carol Anne Huff and Julie A. Gillespie (both formerly Sennello) out of the way. Yes, they are identical twins. Yes, they often finish… Continue Reading Shared Strengths

Things Worth Saving

Although his thoughts often take him to the faraway national monuments of Utah and beyond, Ian Kennedy ’00, interdisciplinary studies, works every day to make his long-time community, Columbia, Maryland, a better place. Before becoming a Retriever, he was a Rouse Scholar at Howard Community College; upon transferring to UMBC, he found a way to make his interests in writing and environmental preservation work together as a scholar. Kennedy has worked as a newspaper reporter, a community organizer, and – most recently – as executive director of The Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission, which oversees the health and well-being… Continue Reading Things Worth Saving

How To be a Critical Consumer of Media

With Jason Loviglio, Founding Chair and Associate Professor, Media and Communication Studies The phrase “ fake news” may sound current, but as long as there have been written and visual media, readers and audiences have puzzled and debated over how to interpret what is true. With The War of the Worlds, Orson Welles created one of the best-known early examples of broadcast audiences mistaking fiction for fact, when a small fraction of listeners tuning in to the 1938 radio broadcast reacted with panic, certain that aliens, or Germans, were invading. Today’s media consumers must filter input from various sources quickly… Continue Reading How To be a Critical Consumer of Media

Grit, Greatness…and Beyond

Throughout our 50th anniversary year, the UMBC community celebrated like it’s never celebrated before. We shared memories and images of our earliest years, and of our pioneering professors and students. We embraced the research and the relationships that make this place great. And, we tied it all up in a black and gold bow – with music and fireworks that lit up the campus night. So, what’s next for UMBC? Well, as President Freeman Hrabowski likes to say, “Success is never final.” That’s why in late spring, UMBC launched Grit & Greatness: The Campaign for UMBC, and made public a… Continue Reading Grit, Greatness…and Beyond

Shining a Light

In the face of a harrowing national epidemic, UMBC researchers and alumni work to break through the darkness of opioid addiction and the stigma that surrounds its victims. By Jenny O’Grady On a recent rainy morning, a steady stream of men and women enters and exits Riverside Treatment Services in Rosedale. They look like anyone and everyone – a neighbor, a schoolmate, a grandparent – wandering in on their way to work, leaving with steaming paper cups of coffee. They are purposeful, upbeat. “For many of them, we’re the one positive part of their day,” says center director Chuck Watson… Continue Reading Shining a Light

The Big Build

Seniors in Neil Rothman’s capstone mechanical engineering class experience the ups and downs of designing for real-life clients. By Megan Hanks In the real world, the more projects and problems an engineer works on, the better they get at coming up with solutions that actually work. That’s why, during the final year of UMBC’s mechanical engineering curriculum, students spend a semester working through the “hard knock design experiences” they need to succeed as engineers. The projects are presented to the class at the beginning of each semester by Neil Rothman, professor of practice of mechanical engineering, and come from a… Continue Reading The Big Build

A Second Chance at Life

Chuck Watson ’12, social work, is a leader in the fight against substance abuse. In addition to co-owning two Riverside Treatment Centers in Maryland, Watson is president of the Maryland Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence. There’s a reason Watson has dedicated his life to helping those struggling with opioid addiction. He knows what his clients are going through because, more than 12 years ago, Watson was going through it himself. Watson began experimenting with drinking alcohol and smoking pot in middle school and high school. It was recreational, he says, until he lost interest in activities he previously… Continue Reading A Second Chance at Life

Gun Show

For decades, artist David Hess has assembled life-size sculptures of assault rifles from what he calls “rescued” objects — everything from an old black sneaker and vintage turquoise sewing machine, to a raggedy crutch and pink Barbie bike frame — to foster dialogue about one of the most volatile issues of our time. UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture hosted “Gun Show,” the first-ever display of all 112 sculptures, this fall, as curated by Kathy O’Dell, associate professor of visual arts and special assistant to the dean for education and arts partnerships.

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