Meyerhoff Scholars

Kevin Yang '07, Katelyn Niu '05, and their son holding up their Homecoming 2023 nametags.

Meet a Retriever—Kevin Yang ’07, Alumni Association Executive Vice President

Meet Kevin Yang ’07, computer science and financial economics. Kevin is a real estate entrepreneur, the current executive vice president and vice president of finance of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, and one half of an alumni power couple. Kevin met his wife, Katelyn Niu ’05, biochemistry, when the pair found themselves in the same physics study group as undergrads (because where else do you find love at UMBC?). They both share a passion for UMBC that runs deep. Take it away, Kevin! Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?  A. I grew up in… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Kevin Yang ’07, Alumni Association Executive Vice President

Students walk between academic buildings.

UMBC awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support promising STEM students with financial need

UMBC has been awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support students with financial need who intend to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Continue Reading UMBC awarded $1 million in grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support promising STEM students with financial need

A young man stands in a black polo shirt talking into a microphone

Meet a Retriever—Xavier Smith ’23, M31, computer engineering, scholar and mentor

Meet Xavier Smith, a senior computer engineering student who is heading to MIT next year to pursue his dreams of earning a Ph.D. and starting a biotech company. As a part of UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program, the U-RISE Scholars Program, and a number of other organizations on campus, he truly understands the meaning of community. Take it away, Xavier! Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you? A: I am a senior studying computer engineering on the communications track. In fall of 2023, I will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where I will be… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Xavier Smith ’23, M31, computer engineering, scholar and mentor

Path to Success: Psychiatrist Chinedu Varma ’04, M12, serves Retrievers at UMBC Counseling Center

When asked what kind of advice she has for first-year students as an alumna, Chinedu Onyedike Varma ’04, M12, interdisciplinary studies, has a simple answer: find your passion, get involved, and have fun – “as long as it’s safe,” she’s quick to add. As a consulting psychiatrist at the UMBC Counseling Center, keeping students safe is a big part of her job, along with giving them the mental health support they need to have the best college experience possible. Students seek out Counseling Center services for a whole range of concerns, whether they’re grappling with anxiety and depression, questioning aspects… Continue Reading Path to Success: Psychiatrist Chinedu Varma ’04, M12, serves Retrievers at UMBC Counseling Center

Alumni Awards 2017: Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, Chemical Engineering

In the weeks leading up to the Alumni Awards Ceremony, we’ll be profiling each honoree in more detail here on our blog. Today, meet Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering, associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine and this year’s Outstanding Alumnus in Engineering and Information Technology. As an associate professor of psychiatry, behavioral science, neurobiology, and neurosurgery at the Duke University School of Medicine, Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, chemical engineering, has dedicated his career to creating a kind of “pacemaker for the brain,” a device that can effectively rewire neurological signals in patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2017: Kafui Dzirasa ’01, M8, Chemical Engineering

Alumni Take Flight with Robo Raven III

Man has long envied the avian ability of flight. Wings offer the opportunity for flight, yes, but also for exploration and a different point of view. Now, three UMBC alumni are working to borrow that vantage point through the Robo Raven project at the University of Maryland, College Park. We spoke with Meyerhoff alumni Ariel Perez-Rosado ’11, M19, mechanical engineering; Luke Roberts ’12, M20, mechanical engineering; and Alex Holness ’13, M20, mechanical engineering, about their continued connection in graduate school and what it is like to work on this amazing micro air vehicle. Q: Why did you decide to study… Continue Reading Alumni Take Flight with Robo Raven III

GE Innovator: Brian Wayman '99, MechEng

Mechanical engineering major Brian Wayman ’99 is using the skills he learned at UMBC and at Georgia Tech (MS, Ph.D.) to improve the lives of premature babies. A mechanical engineer at GE Healthcare, Wayman was profiled recently on the College of Engineering and IT’s website. Prior to joining GE in July 2010, Wayman was the R&D Team Lead, New Product Development at Becton Dickinson. Brian has several patents and patent applications for his work at Becton Dickinson on disposable syringes designed to prevent re-use of the syringe following injection.  In addition, he has several publications in peer-reviewed bioengineering journals. Read… Continue Reading GE Innovator: Brian Wayman '99, MechEng

Benyam Kinde ’10, Biological Sciences, Named Gilliam Fellow

Benyam Kinde ’10, biological sciences, is one of 10 students in 2011 to be named a Gilliam Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Kinde, who was UMBC’s 2010 valedictorian and a member of the 18th cohort of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, is in the Harvard-MIT combined MD-PhD Program. Read more about the award here.

Bioengineering and Blitzing: Brooke Coley ’03

Brooke Coley ’03, chemical engineering, remembers it as a dream play for a football defense.  Two defenders burst through the offensive line just moments after the snap, trapping the quarterback in the backfield. One defender tackles the quarterback, allowing the second defender to zero in on the ball and yank it loose… Read more in the Winter 2010 issue of UMBC Magazine…

Bioengineering and Blitzing: Brooke Coley '03

Brooke Coley ’03, chemical engineering, remembers it as a dream play for a football defense.  Two defenders burst through the offensive line just moments after the snap, trapping the quarterback in the backfield. One defender tackles the quarterback, allowing the second defender to zero in on the ball and yank it loose… Read more in the Winter 2010 issue of UMBC Magazine…

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