Alumni Awards 2018

Alumni Awards 2018: Dr. Mariajosé Castellanos

As senior lecturer and undergraduate program director in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, & Environmental Engineering, Dr. Mariajosé Castellanos’ reach extends far beyond the classroom. From core undergraduate to advanced graduate coursework, Castellanos serves as “a doorway into our department,” and “doorway from our department into the world,” according to UMBC professor and department chair Dr. Mark Marten. Castellanos will receive the Outstanding Faculty Award at the UMBC Alumni Awards ceremony on October 4. Notably, Castellanos transformed Thermodynamics, a challenging departmental core class, from a traditional lecture style course to a flipped-learning and team-based class in an effort to improve… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2018: Dr. Mariajosé Castellanos

Alumni Awards 2018: Mark Doms ’86, math and economics

From undergraduate student at UMBC to Chief Economist and Under Secretary of Economic Affairs for the Department of Commerce under the Obama administration, Mark Doms ’86, mathematics and economics, has spent his career as an economist focused on economic public policy. Specializing in monetary policy, forecasting, labor force developments, innovation, big data, and applied microeconomics, Doms has made hundreds of presentations about the U.S. economy and appeared regularly as a subject-matter expert on CNBC’s Squawk Box and Bloomberg. His highly-cited research is published regularly in top journals, earning Doms recognition in the top 3% of economists as measured by citations.… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2018: Mark Doms ’86, math and economics

Alumni Awards 2018: Mina Cheon MFA ’02, Imaging & Digital Arts

Mina Cheon MFA ’02, Imaging & Digital Arts, is a Korean American global new media artist, scholar, and educator. Dividing her time between Baltimore, New York, and Seoul, Korea, Cheon produces artwork – “Polipop” – that draws inspiration from global media and popular culture, intersecting politics and pop art in evocative ways, while maintaining her connections to UMBC and the MFA program. “All of Dr. Cheon’s accomplishments indicate a level of insight, innovation, persistence, and quality of production that serves as a model for what our IMDA grads and alumni might attain at not only a local and national, but… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2018: Mina Cheon MFA ’02, Imaging & Digital Arts

Alumni Awards 2018: Saira Khan ’09, English

When Saira Khan ’09, English, was accepted into UMBC, she had just moved back to the United States form Pakistan. As Khan reacclimated to the country, she found UMBC’s welcoming campus a good fit. “I didn’t want to go to a campus with tens of thousands of students,” says Khan, who spent two and a half years as a student manager for Commonvision, designing and developing media strategy. “UMBC was the perfect choice.” Kahn will receive the Outstanding Alumna in Humanities award at the UMBC Alumni Awards ceremony on October 4. Since then, Khan has come a long way, achieving in… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2018: Saira Khan ’09, English

Alumni Awards 2018: Kimberly Ellison-Taylor ’93, ISM

For many in the UMBC community, “success is never final” has become a familiar motto. Kimberly Ellison-Taylor ’93, information systems management, epitomizes UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski’s familiar words by excelling in her work, while also creating opportunities for women and minorities in her field of technology and accounting. “Kimberly shares UMBC’s mission of inclusive excellence,” says UMBC development officer Susie Lynch, who nominated Taylor for the award. Ellison-Taylor will receive the UMBC Alumni Award for Outstanding Alumna in Engineering & Information Technology at a ceremony on October 4. As the Global Strategy Director for the Financial and Professional Services Industries… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2018: Kimberly Ellison-Taylor ’93, ISM

2018 Alumni Awards: Mimi Dietrich ’70, American studies

On September 19, 1966, UMBC opened its doors to students for the first day of classes in the institution’s history. Mimi Dietrich ’70, American studies, was among those “pioneer” students, encouraged by faculty and administrators to take advantage of a campus where everything was both new and possible. “So many of them were inspiring because they were joining us in this new university,” says Dietrich, who has in her decades as an alumna continued to show her passion for UMBC in a variety of ways. Dietrich will receive the UMBC Alumni Award for Distinguished Service at a ceremony on October… Continue Reading 2018 Alumni Awards: Mimi Dietrich ’70, American studies

2018 Alumni Awards: Zainab Alkebsi ’09, political science

Growing up, Zainab Alkebsi ’09, political science, always knew she wanted to become a lawyer. The daughter of Yemeni immigrants, Alkebsi is the first in her family to attend law school, as well as the only deaf member of her family. As an attorney, Alkebsi hoped she could help break down barriers to accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Now, as policy counsel for the National Association for the Deaf (NAD), Alkebsi does just that. In her role with NAD, Alkebsi interfaces with government agencies, Congress, coalitions, media, and businesses on all issues affecting the deaf and… Continue Reading 2018 Alumni Awards: Zainab Alkebsi ’09, political science

2018 Alumni Awards: Chief Judge Wanda Keyes Heard ’79, political science

Chief Judge Wanda Keyes Heard ’79, political science, was drawn to UMBC by the intimate class sizes and impressive credentials of the political science faculty, but quickly grew to love the campus and remained an on-campus student throughout her undergraduate days. Today, she is the first female Chief Judge in the history of the 8th Judicial Circuit, appointed to the position after serving the citizens of Baltimore City as a Circuit Court Judge in Baltimore for 19 years. Though 40 years have passed since her time at UMBC, she credits her time as an undergraduate student for her professional successes… Continue Reading 2018 Alumni Awards: Chief Judge Wanda Keyes Heard ’79, political science

2018 Alumni Awards Announced

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UMBC Alumni Association recognizing alumni and faculty who have made outstanding contributions to the University, their professions, and communities. In October, the individuals below will be honored. Interested in learning more about the award recipients? Profiles will be posted here at UMBC Magazine leading up to the awards ceremony. REGISTER TODAY: Join us Thursday, October 4, to celebrate these individuals at the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall. 2018 UMBC Alumni Award Winners Outstanding Alumna in Engineering & Information Technology Kimberly Ellison Taylor ‘93, Information Systems Global Strategy Director, Oracle Outstanding Alumna… Continue Reading 2018 Alumni Awards Announced

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