Former UMBC baseball standout and newly-drafted Baltimore Oriole pitcher  Zach Clark ’06, psychology, was interviewed this week by the blog Orioles 101.

Read the interview here.

Clark, who pitched and was a designated hitter for the Retrievers, spent seven years in the Orioles farm system, most recently with the Bowie Baysox, before being added to the Orioles roster in November of last year.

When Michael Stovall ’04, Ph.D., public policy, came to UMBC as a graduate student in 1996, he wasn’t just looking for a change of pace. He was ready to change his life.

A recent article in the Frederick News-Post chronicles Stovall’s second career as chair of the Business & Social  Sciences Department at Carroll Community College, where he helped develop an Aging Studies program that has lead to a number of transfers to UMBC’s Aging Services program, he said.

Read the Frederick News-Post’s story, “Teacher Thankful for a Chance at a Second Act” here.

Stovall came to UMBC to study public policy after years of working in government and community-based jobs in Frederick. He quickly grew to love the field of aging, and with the encouragement of his professors chose to focus his dissertation on “Innovations in Senior Centers in Maryland.”

“I  had the good fortune of taking Soc/Anthro courses with Kevin Eckert and Leslie Morgan who are both respected experts in the field of aging which got me interested in the field of aging/gerontology,” he told UMBC.

Stovall presented his dissertation research at the National Society on Aging/American Society on Aging Conference in Philadelphia in 2005 and started teaching sociology at Carroll Community College in the fall of 2005. He currently teaches and serves as chair of the Business & Social  Sciences Department there.

“My favorite thing about teaching at CCC is the variety of students that come to a community college,” said Stovall. “It is the diversity of students and the different paths they take that bring them here. I feel that my experiences as an older student at UMBC and my years of working with a variety of government and community services enable me to communicate effectively with all kinds of students. I still find each class to be an adventure, and in every class I learn more from my students than they learn from me.”

In the last week of December, UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller published a year-in-review in the Baltimore Sun, highlighting Maryland’s legalization of same-sex marriage, the rise of Gov. Martin O’Malley on the national stage, decreasing rates of violent crime and property crime in Maryland, and improvements in Maryland students’ performance on national education tests. He then recognized the achievements of UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski, who in 2012 received the Heinz Award for Human Condition and was appointed by President Obama to the new Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Schaller also appeared in a New York Times blog post by Paul Krugman, who applied the central argument of Schaller’s book Whistling Past Dixie to the issue of gun control.

Every so often, we’ll chat with an alum about what they do and how they got there. Today, we’re talking with Dr. Melanie D. Harrison ’11, Ph.D., Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science, who works as a water quality specialist with NOAA, and who recently was elected by the membership of the American Geophysical Union, the premier professional organization in the earth sciences, as one of two Early Career Scientists on the AGU Council.

Name: Dr. Melanie D. Harrison
Current title: Water Quality Specialist
Employer: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA Fisheries

Q: What path brought you to UMBC’s Ph.D. program in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences?

A: As an undergraduate at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, I had dreams of becoming a medical doctor. However, I soon realized that I faint at the site of blood and cannot cut a straight line in a stick of butter.  So I quickly began to look for other avenues of interest in the field of science, took a botany course my first year and fell in love with environmental science!

In the summer of 2005, I participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF) program called Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, where I met my former doctoral advisor Dr. Peter Groffman.  His personal and professional mentorship led me, in the fall of 2006, to the doctoral program at UMBC focused on Water in the Urban Environment, in the Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science (MEES) Program as an Integrative Research Education Graduate Trainee (IGERT), a program also found by NSF.

Q: What was your experience here like?

A: My first year attending UMBC was a bit of an adjustment for me academically and socially. I quickly found support through close connections with other IGERT students, as well as mentor-mentee support from professors and many of the programs devoted to helping Ph.D.’s complete their doctoral degree at UMBC.  The campus staff provided support for students and I found the diverse learning environment to be complimentary to my personal and academic needs. Throughout my tenure at UMBC, I found the academic rigor and integrity of the university’s academic leaders to be a much needed and welcomed challenge for me. I was motivated and focused on completing my doctorate, I met others who were just as focused as I was, and I loved it!

The research environment at UMBC fosters innovation and collaboration within and outside the university setting, to address real-world environmental issues in the urban environment.  I was able to engage with stakeholders (local and federal) who were interested in the research I was conducting and having that dialogue was imperative to understanding the implications of my research in a real-world context.

Q: What lead you to focus your dissertation on restoration actions in urban watersheds as a strategy to reduce nitrogen loading in urban storm water runoff?

A: As an REU, I spent the summer of 2005 traveling back and forth to Baltimore, conducting research related to reducing nitrogen pollution in urban restored streams, primarily from urban storm water runoff and leaky septic systems for the BES Long-term Ecological Research (LTER). I was amazed at the number of stream restorations that were conducted, but how so few were engineered to resemble a ‘natural’ stream environment. I began to wonder if these systems really were improving water quality and if so by how much; and “were there other features on the landscape such as wetlands that might also play an important role in the nitrogen removal process in urban landscapes”? From then on I was hooked and it seemed a natural progression for me to study urban aquatic ecology. A year later, I returned to UMBC as a doctoral student to study nitrogen removal in urban wetlands and stream ecosystems.

Q: Tell us a little bit about what you do with NOAA Fisheries. What exactly is a “water quality specialist”?

A: In general, a water quality specialist is responsible for safeguarding all aspects of water quality through scientific analysis and the setting of targets and standards in response to specific legislation. At NOAA Fisheries my work is multifaceted; I am involved in regulation and compliance, providing solutions to water quality problems associated with the impacts to listed species, primarily salmon and steelhead, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). My work can vary depending on the water quality issues; for example, I may visit sites of concern, for potential sources of pollution or contamination; identify sources of complaints about discharge operations; provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with technical assistance when necessary; liaison with stakeholders and representatives from regulatory authorities; investigate reasons for lapses in water quality and suggest changes or solutions to those problems; and finally conducting research, data interpretation, and analysis related to water quality and setting up field surveys.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

Working at NOAA is all about Science, Stewardship and Service.  Because my work is very interdisciplinary, I have been able to use my research background to help inform policy, practice and implementation associated with water quality issues as it pertains to the conservation and recovery of ESA listed species. I thoroughly enjoy this aspect of my work as it allows me to have the breadth and depth that I need to effectively communicate at many different levels. My job also, provides a platform for me to continue to conduct research that is applicable to solving real-world environmental problems.

Q: What would you say to students interested in pursuing a career of this sort?

A: Having a career as a water quality specialist may seem like a specialized position, but the work is very interdisplinary and encompasses various fields of science to cultivate the specialty. Of all areas of environmental studies, this area is rapidly developing. It is also one of the most diverse areas in terms of disciplines. My words of advice for students who are interested in pursuing a career in water quality are to (1) always think interdisciplinarily and seek out ways to increase your understanding across and within disciplines to increase your knowledge base, (2) network with others who are in the field, (3) ask questions and capitalize on opportunities (intern, volunteer, collaborations, etc.), and finally (4) keep an open mind about being a specialist; don’t limit your opportunities. The world needs highly adaptable professionals with excellent skills in organization, planning, communication, and critical thinking. Remember, diversity spurs innovation, so be creative and design your own career path.

* * * *

Want to tell UMBC alumni about your cool career? Contact Jenny O’Grady at jogrady@umbc.edu.

Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American Studies, was a guest on the “Marc Stenier Show” on Wednesday, January 2, where she looked back at the year in politics and discussed the fiscal cliff.  She was joined by Bob Somerby, editor of the Daily Howler, Richard Vatz, professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies at Towson University, Lenny McAllister, conservative media personality, public speaker and writer, and Cheri Honkala, co-founder of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and co-founder and former vice presidential candidate for the Green Party.

“From a media critic perspective, I’ve just been irritated by the amount of rhetoric around the conversation that has kept us from getting any work done,” Moffitt said, adding that the media’s coverage of the fiscal cliff has made it difficult for the public to be informed on the real issues in the debate.

The full conversation can be heard here.

Rather than voting for or against a debt ceiling increase, lawmakers should vote to eliminate the debt ceiling entirely, suggest UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers and colleague Philip G. Joyce in a recent Baltimore Sun op-ed.

The scholars call the debt ceiling “an anachronism that causes more harm than good” and “a distraction from any reasonable debate on taxes and spending.” They suggest Congress should vote to repeal it, set reasonable targets for debt reduction over a multiyear period, and then use performance data to identify which government programs do and don’t work. Such data could inform arguments for cutting, sustaining or boosting spending for different programs.

A new Bloomberg Businessweek article sheds light on tax subsidies that benefit college athletic programs, including hundreds of millions in funding for stadium construction and sports departments’ exemptions from taxes on ticket, television and other income generated by their stadiums.

UMBC’s Dennis Coates, professor of economics, argues that college sports may not be the best use of tax exemptions. “When one thinks of charity, they don’t think of charity flowing to the head football coach of a big state university.” Questioning municipal  financing for stadiums Coates notes, “Using the borrowing power of the state and tax-exempt interest to build stadiums for sporting events isn’t the real purpose of the university, either.”

In the wake of Maryland’s recent vote to expand gambling locations and allow table games, Capital News Service asked Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, if sports gambling is in the state’s future. “It’s always possible that somebody could pursue it,” Norris said, “I just can’t foresee that happening.”

Norris further commented, “I’m willing to guess that the current governor is so fed up with the gambling issue that I’m sure he will not support anything.” To move sports betting forward, he suggests, there would have to be more active support for such legislation across the state. The full article is in the Afro, Washington Times and other local papers.

Canadian newspaper The Windsor Star has featured new research from UMBC’s Eric Zeemering, assistant professor of public policy, on how government and NGOs in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan form cross-border cooperative relationships to promote economic development and create sustainable communities (see full article in the Journal of Urban Affairs).

Zeemering told reporter Dave Hall that although there are great opportunities for collaboration between Windsor and Detroit, the international border often serves to keep the communities apart and “there needs to be a concerted effort to forge those relationships.” Zeemering notes, “The danger in creating cross-border relationships at the political level is that those people change, and the best way to forge those relationships is to establish them at the ground level with city employees.” He cites the Windsor-based International Joint Commission, which focuses on water quality in the Great Lakes, as a strong example of lasting cross-border cooperation.

UMBC has again made the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of the 100 best values in public higher education. The list ranks four-year colleges and universities that “deliver academic quality and affordability.” This marks the fourth year in a row UMBC has appeared among Kiplinger’s best values. On the 2013 list, UMBC ranks 78 for in-state students and 61 for out-of-state ones, both up from last year. Four other Maryland universities made the list, highlighting the state’s commitment to both affordability and excellence in public higher education.

Kiplinger’s assesses quality and affordability based on a number of factors, including retention and graduation rates; student-to-faculty ratios; tuition and fees; and financial aid. The full methodology is available here. The complete rankings are online here.