Meet Ting Huang ’21, psychology, program coordinator for the McNair Scholars Program in the Office of Academic Opportunity Programs where she was previously a scholar. Ting is now in a position where she gets to support the UMBC community the same way, she says, it supported her. Let’s see what she has to share!

Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I’m a UMBC McNair alum and my undergraduate field of study was psychology. I’m currently the interim program coordinator for UMBC McNair, and it has been a very meaningful, full circle moment for me to come back and serve students in the same boat as myself just two years ago.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone to know about the support you find at UMBC?

A: Don’t hesitate to reach out. It can be daunting to try to find community, particularly on a campus where you may not know which communities are safe or supportive of you. But UMBC has many wonderful scholarly programs and clubs that celebrate different parts of each person’s identities. Community is just a step away from you.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: So many people in the UMBC community have inspired and supported me, but especially my mentors at UMBC-Shady Grove and my McNair family. Each person I’ve encountered has dedicated their time to academic excellence and uplifting the voices of those who are traditionally unheard (first-gen, low-income, underrepresented individuals). Their advocacy and passion inspires me to pursue intersectional research and do my best to support my scholars. I love the sense of community that we’ve cultivated in McNair. Although I was away for two years, I was quickly welcomed back into the family when I took on my new role. Even though I am the program coordinator, I feel that my students inspire me to strive for excellence through the amazing things they do.

Q: What brought you to UMBC in the first place? 

A: I came to UMBC because of the strong sense of community I had experienced second-hand before beginning my undergraduate career here. I had heard from my cousin (UMBC alum Rose Li ’16, M.P.S. ’21) and visiting faculty about the freedom that UMBC students have in exploring their passions and undergraduate research, and decided that an undergraduate career here would be most beneficial for me. As a staff member, the McNair connections I made pulled me back to UMBC after earning my master’s. I was excited to come back to a community that supported me even though I was at another institution.

Q: What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?

A: Talking to scholars! It’s truly inspiring to listen to my scholars’ aspirations as they will be the future leaders of the world. It’s exciting to hear about the changes that the students want to make so that those from similar backgrounds to ours can receive ample support before entering higher ed.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

This week UMBC was named as one of four institutions chosen to work together on a National Science Foundation-funded project to establish a new science educational center at the Arecibo Observatory site in Puerto Rico. NSF will contribute more than $5 million over five years to establish the multidisciplinary center, called the Arecibo Center for Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills, and Community Engagement (Arecibo C3).

The center is expected to open in early 2024 and will include a research laboratory and a hands-on, interactive science center open to the public.

Patricia Ordóñez (Photo courtesy of Patricia Ordóñez)

Patricia Ordóñez,M.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’12, computer science, an associate professor in information systems, will lead UMBC’s contributions to the project. As part of the Arecibo C3 collaboration, Ordóñez is organizing a Women in Data Science Puerto Rico conference, as well as several workshops in data science that will be held both online and in person. One of the workshops will prepare attendees to participate in the 2024 Women in Data Science Worldwide datathon. Other workshops will recruit mothers and daughters to learn coding together, and will teach new skills to women and other participants who already code.

Several UMBC graduate and undergraduate students and staff members have been involved in developing and testing the workshop materials.

“My passion has always been to increase the number of Latinas in computing,” says Ordóñez, who, before joining the faculty of UMBC, was a member of the computer science department at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras. “There are too few of us in the field—creating inclusive programs from Arecibo C3 will help us bridge that gap.”

The other grant awardees are Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, and the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. In addition to data science programming, Arecibo C3 will offer a suite of activities, including explorations of biodiversity and how to identify species using short segments of DNA. The Arecibo C3 team will also advance research to explore how STEM teaching can be enhanced through the presentation of data in audio, tactile, and other sensory forms, to increase accessibility.

“The new educational center builds on the great scientific, educational, and cultural legacy of the Arecibo Observatory and is closely aligned with NSF’s goal to create STEM opportunities everywhere,” said James L. Moore III, NSF assistant director for STEM Education, in a press release. “The center aims to create new opportunities for STEM education, exploration, discovery, engagement and participation of students, scientists and researchers in various STEM disciplines ranging from astronomy and radio science to biological, computer and natural sciences in Puerto Rico and beyond.”

Ordóñez credits the talents of the whole Arecibo C3 team with turning what feels like a dream of hers into a reality. “We recognize the responsibility of what we are doing and we are going to work very hard to create the environment of inclusive excellence in Arecibo that everyone deserves, so that everyone sees they have a place in STEM,” she says.

For updates on the project, please visit the Arecibo C3 website.

COVID forced employees away from traditional offices to home offices, making working from home no longer the exception. Before the pandemic, work-from-home proponents advocated a more flexible work week/space to give employees a better work-life balance. Has this proven to be true? As some employers try to find incentives to bring their teams back to cubicles and open-plan workspaces, the argument about which setup gives a better work-life balance continues. 

UMBC’s Elizabeth Patton, associate professor of media and communication studies and author of Easy Living: The Rise of the Home Office (Rutgers University Press, 2020), is very familiar with this argument. “Through my research, it has become evident that the issue of balancing work and life, and the integration of work into the home, has a deep-rooted history and continues to be a challenge we face today,” Patton explains to Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and host of The Academic Minute, a daily show featuring faculty from colleges and universities worldwide speaking about their cutting-edge research.

UMBC’s Academic Minute takeover week

Patton joined five UMBC scholars this fall in UMBC’s first Academic Minute Takeover Week, featuring the latest research in philosophy; modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication; language, literacy, and culture; and history. The episode was republished by NPR podcasts and Inside Higher Ed.

Learn more about Patton’s research

1. Living: The Rise of the Home Office (Rutgers University Press, 2020)
2. Race and the Suburbs in American Film (SUNY University Press, 2021)
3. Mediapolis: JA Journal of Cities and
4. UMBC humanities faculty receive NEH fellowships for research into “the why and how of our past”
5. Media Crossroads: Intersections of Space and Identity in Screen Cultures (Duke University Press, 2021)

Learn more about UMBC’s media and communication studies program.

Written by Erin K Hogan, associate professor of Spanish, UMBC and Maria Garcia-Puente, California State University, San Bernardino.

Amid expressions of outrage and disgust over a nonconsensual kiss between the male head of Spanish soccer and a Women’s World Cup-winning player, there was also laughter.

Luis Rubiales, the now ex-president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and former vice-president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), was forced to resign from those leadership positions as a result of the forced kiss on Aug. 20, 2023, which took place in front of a packed stadium in Australia and a global audience. He is also under investigation by prosecutors in Spain for sexual assault and coercion.

Throughout the high-stakes and painful drama – which dominated Spanish media for weeks on end – there were jokes. The Rubiales kiss became fodder for internet memes, skits by comedians on Spanish TV, as well as many cartoons in national and international newspapers.

As scholars of Iberian cultures and gender representation, we know that humor, much like soccer, is a national pastime in Spain. Moreover, Rubiales’ forced kiss of Jenni Hermoso, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning team, provided a perfect example of the role that comedy can play in unmasking and highlighting structural sexism.

The humor of incongruity

Humor is a social act that reflects human experience and, more to the point here, human folly.

In “Punchlines: The Case for Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Humor,” social psychologist Leon Rappoport explains that, among other reasons, we laugh at incongruity. Humor is employed, Rappoport observes, to shed light on something “clearly absurd or contradictory.”

This appears to be the basis of much of the laughter in the Rubiales case. His outlandish, unexpected and unwanted gestures – not only the kiss, but also grabbing his crotch while cheering the Spanish women on to their first World Cup win – certainly came across as incongruous.

Much of the humor poked fun at Rubiales directly. While one editorial cartoon published in the digital newspaper El Español envisioned him as the Spanish counterpart of Donald Trump, he was widely mocked across the media in posts that compared him to a brutish Homer Simpson.

The former UEFA vice president wasn’t the only person to be lampooned. His mother – with her stranger-than-fiction hunger strike demanding his exoneration – also opened herself up to ridicule. Rubiales’ many supporters at the RFEF couldn’t escape the farce-fest either. Even those who eventually turned on him were ridiculed, with one editorial cartoon portraying them as rats abandoning Rubiales’ sinking Titanic ship.

But some of the jokes called attention to bigger issues. Rubiales’ sexism on display at a major sporting event did not reflect well on the country’s international reputation, especially at a time when it is bidding to co-host the 2030 Men’s World Cup. A humorist from the national newspaper El Mundo proposed that a crotch-grabbing Rubiales be adopted as the next World Cup official mascot.

A sexist laughingstock

Such use of comedy takes a page from the book “A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar,” in which authors Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman discuss how humor can be used as a means to unify, guide public discourse, and inspire action.

It would be too much to claim that the jokes cracked during the fallout of Rubiales’ behavior led to his eventual resignation on Sept. 10. But the humor in this case helped amplify public debate and inspired action to confront structural sexism in Spain and beyond.

An example of how it did this can be seen in a parody reenactment of Rubiales’ kiss posted on the social media accounts of a self-fashioned amateur writer who goes by the online name @LolaLaMonyos.

In the sketch, two women impersonate Rubiales and Hermoso and stage the kiss, as recounted by Rubiales in his public appearance before the RFEF’s general assembly. At the Aug. 25 gathering, he did not resign as some had expected. Instead, he defended his “peck” as consensual and positioned himself against both “false feminism” and gender inclusive language.

“When Jenni first showed up, she lifted me up from the ground. She grabbed me by the hips, by the legs, I don’t remember well. … She lifted me up from the ground – and we almost fell down.

“Then the peck happened during all of this celebration, with her patting me on the side a few times and then excusing herself with one more hand on the side and going off laughing,” he added.

Those words, set over the spoof reenactment, highlight just how nonsensical Rubiales’ imaginative interpretation is. Furthermore, the mismatch of his male voice and the two female bodies in the video points at the pervasive silencing of women and sexist double standards. Since being posted on X, the platform formally known as Twitter, the sketch has been viewed almost 650,000 times.

Taking a somewhat different comedic approach, the popular Spanish satirical TV program “El Intermedio” recast the events in the style of a wildlife documentary. With the title “This turned out so ‘cute’” – a play on the Spanish word “mono,” which can mean “monkey” or “cute” – the skit uses a collage of monkey clips accompanied by an authoritative male voice-over. https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEwNAyxiiRY?wmode=transparent&start=0

Funny though it is, there are also serious points being made. The writers of the sketch place the audience in a position of evolved superiority to Rubiales – reveling in the idiocy of the mockumentary’s subject.

What’s more, the piece suggests that Rubiales’ worldview and values are archaic and represent a step back in the fight for gender equality.

We would also argue that the video invites the audience to question patriarchal structures as being synonymous with the advancement of civilization. To us, the message implied is that society needs to redefine such assumptions. A world in which we can excuse harassment, sexual abuse, coercion or discrimination is incompatible with an aspiring civilized society.

None of these humorous responses to the scandal diminish the seriousness of the Rubiales incident, nor the debate they sparked. Rather, they have helped frame the way in which discussions have played out in Spain.

For Rubiales, #itsover

There is no doubt that the recriminations against Rubiales mark a tipping point in Spain’s reckoning with abuses of power related to sexual assault and broader gender inequality. For good reason, the hashtag #seacabó – translating to #itsover – has continued to trend since the scandal, after the term was directed at Rubiales by Spanish soccer star Alexia Putellas. Putellas, a two-time winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or Féminin and Best FIFA Women’s Player, affirmed in December 2021: “True victory will be when there is 100% equal opportunity for boys and girls in sports and in the world.”

The implications of the Rubiales tragicomedy have been sweeping and are still developing. It has allowed Spain, and inspired others, to confront discriminatory practices within and beyond the soccer field.

But is it also a laughing matter? We argue yes – because a sense of humor allows us to make sense of incongruities, confront them as a group, and advance toward social change.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 250 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

At UMBC, we celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni community year round, but our annual Athletics Hall of Fame induction and Alumni Awards ceremony and reception give us a chance to cheer extra loud for the outstanding Retrievers among us. 

Stanyell Odom, director of alumni engagement, says it best about the incoming class of awardees: “These award winners embody so many of the characteristics that make UMBC such a special place. They are leaders in their professions and fields—innovative teachers, educators, and scientists—and are engaged and proud members of this UMBC community.”

The 23rd Hall of Fame induction 

Coming up on October 13, as part of Homecoming’s series of events, Athletics will honor a new class of Hall of Fame, including:

• Cleopatra Borel ’02 , interdisciplinary studies, track & field
• Cornelia Carapcea ’09, information systems/financial economics, tennis
• Pete Caringi III ’15, psychology, men’s soccer 
• Carlee Cassidy Dewey ’10, media and  communication studies/sociology, women’s basketball 
• Emily Escobedo ’17, psychology, women’s swimming & diving 
• Brian Hodges ’07, financial economics, men’s basketball 

This range of Retriever student-athletes comprises a 4-time Olympian, a host of America East conference honors, a 4.0 GPA co-salutatorian, and others who are leaders on and off their field of play. The 23rd induction will take place at UMBC’s University Center Ballroom on Friday, October, 13, 2023 at 6 p.m. Register to attend or learn more about the awardees. 

Excellence in our alumni community

Later in the month, join the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2023 Alumni Awards ceremony to recognize and celebrate the professional and personal achievements of outstanding alumni, faculty, and—new this year—an exemplary staff member. 

“The cohort represents excellence in our alumni community,” says Odom, “and now honors both the faculty and staff who’ve made lasting impacts on the lives of our Retriever alumni.” Cheer on the individuals below on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 6:30 in the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

Outstanding Alumni

• Humanities – Aaron Ralby ’05, English and modern languages and linguistics, founder and CEO, Linguisticator
• Social Sciences – Josh Michael ’10,political science,Ph.D. ’22, public policy,  executive director, Sherman Family Foundation
• Visual & Performing Arts – James Dorsey ’05, music technology and vocal performance, artist and National Board Certified Educator, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland 
• Engineering & IT – Annica Wayman ’99, mechanical engineering, associate dean and professor of the practice, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, UMBC
• Natural & Mathematical Sciences – Kay Bidle ’91, biological sciences, professor, Department of Marine & Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University

Distinguished Service

• Anwesha Dey, Ph.D. ‘04, biochemistry and molecular biology, director, Discovery Oncology and Distinguished Scientist, Genentech

Rising Star

• Asif Majid ’13, interdisciplinary studies, assistant professor of theatre and human rights, University of Connecticut

Outstanding Staff

• Rehana Shafi, director, Sherman Teacher Scholars Program

Outstanding Faculty

• E.F. Charles LaBerge, Ph.D. ’03, electrical engineering, professor of the practice, computer science and electrical engineering, UMBC

OCA Mocha and UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement are partnering to host an exhibit in conjunction with International Education Week (IEW) that centers around UMBC community members’ experiences with living, studying, or working in an international or intercultural environment. 

Artists regardless of location or experience are invited to submit hangable work created using any medium.

Deadline Extended! Submissions are being accepted until midnight on October 22.

Full details available on the attached call.

Inioluwa Oluseyi has wanted to be a neurosurgeon as long as she can remember. She didn’t anticipate how much fly husbandry would play a role in her reaching her goal. In a fall 2022 genetics class with Fernando Vonhoff, “He talked about how his lab works on flies to answer questions related to neurological issues, so that just immediately clicked for me,” says Oluseyi, a biological sciences junior.

She talked to Vonhoff, an assistant professor of biological sciences, after class about opportunities. He gave her a tour of the lab the following week, and she started working with his research group soon thereafter. In the fall and spring, Oluseyi gained skills in fly husbandry, dissection, and common testing protocols. 

Vonhoff was impressed with her progress, and it was clear that by summer Oluseyi would be ready to take on her own project. Vonhoff suggested she apply for research scholarships, including the new Thomas F. Roth Research Award.

Roth joined the UMBC faculty in 1972 and helped get the fledgling university off the ground. He was instrumental in forging the culture of collegiality in the biological sciences department that continues today. Roth passed away in 2021, and his sons Kurt and Peter Roth established the research award in his memory.

Oluseyi is an international student from Nigeria, and she was happy to learn that she was eligible for the Roth award. Many scholarships are limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. “I was so excited,” she recalls. “Finally, I had this opportunity to apply to.”

Pushing her thinking

Oluseyi is the first recipient of the Thomas F. Roth Research Award. She also successfully applied for a UMBC Undergraduate Research Award (URA) for the 2023 – 2024 academic year based on her work in Vonhoff’s lab. Her URA proposal builds on her Roth-funded summer research and outlines experiments to study the behavioral responses of flies to pain, including whether experiencing pain changes their preference for plain versus ethanol-laced apple juice, or if it affects their mobility or feeding and mating patterns.

This summer, she bred the flies needed for her fall experiments. She also supported testing on flies with altered genes, for a project led by Ph.D. student Claudia Gualtieri, to learn how those genes are involved in various behaviors. “Ini has always been willing to go the extra mile,” Gualtieri says. “She was eager to learn despite challenges, and she did all of this while bringing a contagious smile into the lab,” Gualtieri says.

Oluseyi’s summer experiences funded by the Roth award “made me push my thinking,” she says, and may lead to changes in the project she proposed for her URA.

“I think I want to broaden my horizons,” Oluseyi says. “My research proposal was very much behavioral, but now I want to refine it and go deeper into the gene level.” 

Growing relationships, setting goals

Spending so much time in the lab over the summer also afforded opportunities to enrich her relationships with labmates and think deeply about her future. “I branched out and talked to a lot of new people and learned what they were studying,” Oluseyi says. “That helped me to improve my scientific thinking.”

Her connection with Vonhoff also shifted. “Now we’ve talked more and connected in a different way,” Oluseyi says. “Before I saw him as my supervisor, but now I see him as a mentor—someone I can come to if I need anything.”

Those conversations covered the immediate work in the lab as well as Oluseyi’s longer-term goals. Originally, she was planning on medical school. Now that she knows she enjoys research and has discussed her options with Vonhoff, Gualtieri, and others in the lab, the M.D./Ph.D. path toward life as a physician-scientist is appealing.

“Inioluwa is a living example of how access to research opportunities can be a transformative experience for growing young minds,” Vonhoff says. “From the beginning, it was obvious that Ini was driven by her intellectual curiosity and passion to make meaningful contributions to our society.”

A cool connection

The Roth award made these developments possible, but her connection to Roth extends beyond receiving support for her studies. In her spring 2023 cell biology class, around the time she was applying for the Roth award, Oluseyi was learning about coated pits—structures on a cell’s surface that help it take in large molecules. She also learned who discovered these pits: Thomas Roth. 

Roth made the discovery as a graduate student under Keith R. Porter at Harvard University. Later in his career, Porter became a professor at UMBC, and UMBC’s Keith R. Porter Imaging Facility bears his name.

“When I found out about that, I told everybody—‘What we’re learning about is by this person!’” Oluseyi says. “It was so cool.”

Pursuing her dreams

Oluseyi’s research has not progressed as quickly as she hoped, mostly due to unexpected flooding in UMBC’s biology building last winter, but even the challenges became a learning experience. “My biggest takeaway from this summer is that research doesn’t always go as you want it to go,” she says. “But even if it changed, I liked what I did. I got to explore other things and learn more about flies in general.”

And the experience has paved the way for future work—which will certainly be full of both challenges and successes. “The Roth family’s generosity has made it possible for me to pursue my dreams,” Oluseyi says. “I’m looking forward to starting the URA project this semester.”

Mold on your bread or bathroom tiles can be a nuisance. Mold in a scientific lab can be a marvel.

Up close, the growth of mold becomes living artwork—white, feathery shoots morphing into undulating waves of color. And molds can be amazingly useful.

“They are used to ferment food, make laundry detergent enzymes, and help produce pharmaceuticals,” explains Garrett Hill ’24, biochemistry and molecular biology, who has been working with molds in the research lab of UMBC chemical engineering professor Mark Marten for more than four years. “It’s surprising how ubiquitous they are in industry.”

Mold under the microscope. (Image by Kathie Hodge via Flickr. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.)

Molds (along with mushrooms) belong to a group of organisms more technically known as filamentous fungi. One of the oldest and largest living organisms in the world is a filamentous fungus, nicknamed the “Humongous Fungus,” that has likely been spreading across the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon for more than 2,000 years, and has come to occupy an area of more than 2,000 acres.

The Humongous Fungus grew (and grew) through an enormous network of interconnected thread-like structures called hyphae that gather and share vital nutrients.

Networks—of a different sort—are also vitally important to the students studying fungi in Marten’s lab. Lab members, from high schoolers to Ph.D. students, work together on projects. Marten offers advice not only on research questions, but also on skills such as communication. Support flows in from the university, in the form of research awards, scholar programs, and more. It’s tied together with a simple philosophy that helps everyone flourish: “Mentorship is the magic ingredient,” Marten says.

High school research leads to UMBC

Hill found his way to Marten’s lab through a program in nearby Howard County Public Schools called the Biotechnology Career Academy. As part of the program, he earned credit for conducting research in the lab. After high school graduation, he enrolled at UMBC and has continued his work in Marten’s lab every year since.

“UMBC has a culture that emphasizes supporting students,” says Hill. “This was something that initially attracted me to the school, and something that I’ve absolutely experienced during my time here.”

In Marten’s lab, Hill has been working on research that investigates how a fungus called Aspergillus nidulans repairs damaged cell walls. Armed with a better understanding of the complicated cascade of biochemical reactions triggered when the fungal cell wall is damaged, scientists could possibly manipulate the process to use molds more effectively (or in the case of harmful molds, eradicate them more effectively.)

Mark Marten (left) and Garrett Hill examine mold cultures. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

To untangle the hidden and complicated inner workings of the fungus, the researchers deploy an arsenal of analytical tools and methods.

“When I started in the lab, I spent a lot of time learning the background and standard lab techniques,” Hill says. “But now that I’ve had a few years to acclimate, I have the foundation to support my own project.”

As part of that project, Hill has been investigating how to use the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing tool called CRISPR to create fungal cells with inner elements that light up. The light provides a beacon for researchers to track how those elements move as the cell experiences stress or initiates repairs.

“The sense of project ownership has been one of the most rewarding parts of my research experience,” Hill says. “When my graduate mentor and I first discussed the possibility of leading my own project, I had a brief moment of doubt. But I chose to not listen to that voice.”

Networks nourish growth

Hill says he was attracted to the beauty and power of science from a young age, even though no one in his family had a scientific career. UMBC has provided the resources and counsel to help him chart his path.

Within Marten’s lab, Hill says more experienced researchers were always willing to help. When Hill first joined as a high schooler, fellow lab member Ryland Spence ’19, biological sciences, who is now a medical student at Brown University, trained him on techniques.

“Mentorship has been so important for me, so I am always happy to provide mentorship to others whenever I get the chance,” Spence says. “A supportive environment that values diversity is very much a part of UMBC.”

Marten himself also provided enormous guidance and support. “Dr. Marten has been the strongest mentor I’ve had, helping me even before I came to UMBC,” Hill says. “He’s taught me not only about fungus, but also about how to think like a researcher, how to present research, and how to be a good student.”

University-wide programs provided Hill with additional research support. He was awarded multiple Undergraduate Research Awards (URAs), which provide financial assistance for research projects and opportunities to practice skills such as presenting research.

Hill is also part of the nationally renowned Meyerhoff Scholar Program, which seeks to increase diversity among future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by supporting students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D. in STEM and are interested in the advancement of minorities in those fields.

“A lot of my best friends are from the program,” says Hill. “It’s been great to have that community.”

Now that he is applying to graduate schools, Hill says the Meyerhoff program provides detailed guidance through the process. “They have been an invaluable resource, and a rock really. They make sure I know what I need to do now to ensure I have opportunities in the future.”

A closing chapter and a new beginning

As the fall semester of his senior year kicks off, Hill says that he’s feeling confident and excited.

“I find myself frequently looking back on how I felt on my first day in the lab, during my first lab meeting presentation, or during my first day of classes, and realizing how much I’ve grown these past few years,” he says. “What once used to really shake me, I am now able to do with confidence—that tells me a lot about what I’ve gained from my research experience.”

As Hill gears up for grad school, he is passing the baton to other UMBC students like Matthew Quintanilla ’27, chemical engineering, a first-year student whose journey shares many similarities with Hill’s. The first in his family to pursue a scientific career, Quintanilla also started work in Marten’s lab as a high-schooler and decided to enroll at UMBC. In Marten’s lab, Quintanilla is working with Ph.D. student Alex Doan, who attended the same high school and embraced the opportunity to mentor fellow students.

“It’s been great catching up on high school news, but more importantly helping students grow,” says Doan.

Matthew Quintanilla works in the lab. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

Quintanilla is also a URA-recipient and Meyerhoff Scholar, and says he is excited for the new school year.

“I am eager to start my academic career at UMBC, meet many others, and integrate my knowledge from courses into my lab work,” he says.

“Matthew and Garrett are both really talented individuals,” says Marten. “Having them in the lab has been a win-win situation.”

April Householder ’95, the director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships at UMBC, looks at Marten’s lab as a microcosm of the vibrant UMBC research environment. “These two students—Garrett and Matthew—represent two ends of the research spectrum. One is just getting started, and the other is a four-time URA Scholar,” she says.

“The support these students receive from the mentorship in their lab is invaluable, but also as important is the peer-to-peer support they will get from one another. It’s this type of academic community building that gets student researchers excited about being a part of UMBC.”

Richard Forno, assistant director of UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity and a principal lecturer in the department of computer science and electrical engineering, has been appointed an honorary international professor in the School of Science and Engineering at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), one of Mexico’s oldest universities.

Forno joins a select group of academics who have been named honorary international professors at UAEH. The recipients, some of whom have received some of the highest honors in their fields, are chosen for their overall academic and professional contributions.

The investiture ceremony coincided with the university’s two-week-long international book fair, held in late August and organized this year around the theme of cybersecurity. Over two days, Forno delivered five talks, met students and faculty, and spoke with university leaders about areas of possible collaboration between UMBC and UAEH.

Richard Forno delivers a lecture on cybersecurity. (Photo courtesy of UAEH)

Countries around the world share the challenge of maintaining cybersecurity in an interconnected and ever-evolving digital landscape. In his main lecture, Forno emphasized the importance of education and interdisciplinary collaboration to combat cybersecurity threats.

Forno says the formal investiture ceremony, held in one of Hidalgo’s oldest structures, was a particularly meaningful event for him. “It was a humbling personal experience and certainly a professional honor that I will not soon forget,” he says.