When the impacts of COVID-19 had the world on pause in March 2020, like many others, Ify Jacob ’23, computer engineering, spent time sheltered at home thinking of what he would do once it was safe enough to return to life as he knew it. But he never really returned to the life he was used to. 

One of the first decisions that Jacob made while dealing with the early days of COVID distancing was to become more active on UMBC’s campus when he returned. This choice changed the trajectory of his academic and professional journey. 

In summer 2021, Jacob applied to be a UMBC Welcome Week leader (known as a “Woolie”) and a teaching assistant, both leading and serving fellow students by helping them build community and feel supported. “I wanted to get more involved, beyond getting an education,” says Jacob. “I wanted to give something back to my campus community while also branching out of my comfort zone.” And giving back became part of his education.

Jacob went on to serve as vice president of UMBC’s Residential Student Association, where he helped students connect with each other after dealing with COVID. He assumed several leadership roles as a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and joined groups like Club Soccer, the Tau Beta Pi engineering fraternity, the Filipino American Student Association, and the Vietnamese Student Association. These experiences helped him gain more confidence in his leadership and communication skills. 

“I’m grateful that I branched out because I met some amazing people and believe I left a positive impact on the UMBC community,” he says.

Emerging as an engineer

Jacob comes from a family of computer scientists and engineers. His father is an electrical engineer and his sister Nsikan Jacob ’18, computer engineering, was a UMBC Center for Women In Technology (CWIT) Scholar who is currently working on a master’s in computer engineering and communications at Johns Hopkins University. His other sister, Aniebiet Jacob, attended UMBC as a computer science major and a Meyerhoff Scholar before transitioning into a full-time career in tech. 

“It’s great to see women in STEM. The accomplishments of my sisters inspired me to work hard,” says Jacob, “and their support has been important to me.”

Jacob didn’t always know he wanted to be a computer engineer. He initially had his sights set on pursuing a business degree, and recalls having a disinterest in coding, saying, “it seemed like I was learning another language and I was not a fan—and then the pandemic happened. That got me to focus on my coding skills because all I could do was school work.” 

Jacob spent many hours learning coding languages such as Python and C++. Jeremy Dixon, senior lecturer in computer science and electrical engineering, was instrumental in helping Jacob develop his programming skills, which informed his interest in pursuing software engineering as a career.

“Professor Dixon’s instructional videos were amazing,” says Jacob. “His class got me into coding and made me say I can do this long term.”

Learning as an intern and teacher

With this new career vision in mind, Jacob applied for an internship with Northrop Grumman as a systems engineer in summer 2022, coordinated with the support of UMBC’s Career Center. Upon completing the internship, Jacob was then offered a full-time position with Northrop Grumman as a software engineer, which he will start after graduation. 

Wanting to connect others with STEM opportunities, and support them the way he felt supported, Jacob taught students ages 9-13 the basics of coding via an online course for a year. Then he had a chance to serve as a teaching fellow in introductory engineering courses, which he did for four consecutive semesters. 

Jacob’s teaching experience helped him to strengthen his public speaking skills and made him more confident as a leader. Because of this, Jacob took a seminar course to obtain an associate undergraduate teaching certification through the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning, facilitated by lecturer Jamie Gurganus ‘20, mechanical engineering, director of the Center. 

“Dr. Gurganus gave me the opportunity to be a teaching fellow and has been a professor, mentor, and advisor to me since my freshman year. She’s had a huge impact on my undergraduate experience, and I’m forever grateful for the opportunities she has given me,” shares Jacob. 

Developing community builders

Jacob’s experience of approaching leadership through the lens of service, with a focus on building community, is shared by many at UMBC, including in the Class of 2023. 

Humanities Scholar Clair Volkening ’23, English, has used her voice as a writer, editor, and facilitator to help UMBC community members build connections with one another and to inspire social change. 

McNair Scholar and first-generation college student Joana Hernandez ’23, chemical engineering, learned first-hand the power of research mentorship, and responded by helping fellow students navigate the academic research process. 

Tim Edwards ’23, music education and jazz studies, developed his passion for music education through a two-year internship with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids program, while also performing and leading UMBC’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education. 

Shriver Peaceworker Fellow Grant Clifton’23, M.A., Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), has helped English language learners gain confidence and improve their conversational skills through the community he’s built with them as a language instructor.

As graduates, these students will now move on to serve as community builders around the world, with plans taking them from the Baltimore-Washington corridor to Indonesia. 

Read more Class of 2023 stories.

Performers of the music piece “Corporel,” by the French-Slovenian composer Vinko Globokar, must use their own body as a percussion instrument. They beat, scratch, smack, and tap themselves. They chatter their teeth, snore, and cluck their tongue. The composition’s “patterns of sound and gesture” are arresting, “keeping us transfixed even as we flinch,” the L.A. Philharmonic website says in its description of the piece.

To Brandon Gouin ’23, music performance, learning the work was a highlight of his time at UMBC. “This work is a discovery of self and musical potential that resonates deeply within me,” he says. He performed the piece at his senior recital this year, when members of the music community at UMBC were celebrating the opportunity to once again gather in practice spaces and concert halls after the isolation of COVID-19.

Gouin credits his teachers and mentors, especially Tom Goldstein, associate professor of music,and Patrick Crossland, affiliate artist, with helping him reach that moment on stage—as well as with helping him find his path as an artist.

Gouin’s experience is reflective of the experience of many members of the class of 2023. Although each individual has unique talents, passions, and goals, they are brought together by a feeling of gratitude to the UMBC community for helping them find their way. Faculty, staff and fellow students helped them open their minds to new possibilities, and mentored them on their journey to discovering a career path that fits.

Challenging preconceptions

When Gouin arrived at UMBC, he thought performance jobs for percussionists were mostly limited to professional orchestras—a highly competitive and difficult career path for any musician to pursue. However, as he dove into the local music scene, his eyes were opened to other possibilities.

“I began to see opportunities as a contemporary performer by attending the Livewire festival of New Music that UMBC holds every year and watching many performances of music I had never heard of before,” he says. He also attended local experimental music shows at the Red Room in Baltimore and the Rhizome in D.C.

“Audiences at these shows are very engaged, and that is exciting to me as a performer,” he says.

Mentors illuminate new possibilities

Gouin’s professors introduced him to new styles of music and showed him the vibrancy of the contemporary music world. Tom Goldstein directs the UMBC Percussion Ensemble of which Gouin was a member. Goldstein says he often programs works by lesser-known composers, and sometimes pieces by UMBC faculty and student composers.

“I think if the students perform a piece composed by someone they know, they may start to think ‘Hey, I could do something like that, too,’” he says.

Gouin appreciated the exposure to a variety of music and says he has adopted the inclusive mindset of his music professors as he pursues career opportunities after graduation. “My teachers aren’t only in love with one or the other kind of music but commit themselves fully to working with all kinds of music,” he reflects. “I think that kind of mindset is healthier and has more longevity for an artist’s life.”

Other Class of 2023 graduates say they encountered similar opportunities for growth and expression at UMBC. Shaniah Reece ’23, information systems, discovered a love of research and a way to connect her technical skills to her passion for social justice. Hala Algrain, M.P.S. ’23, health information technology, reconnected with a love of teaching, and switched her career plans from industry to academia. Elijah Mugabe ’23, chemistry, threw himself into lab work and a quest to investigate unanswered scientific questions. And Connor McPherson’23, history, found a way to connect his interest in the humanities with a career in the Navy.

Community builds confidence

In addition to finding their path at UMBC, these students also found communities that encouraged them to excel on their academic and personal journeys. They found student groups, faculty mentors, peer advisors, and scholars’ programs that pushed them to succeed and provided the support they needed.

“Undoubtedly, the most enriching part of my time at UMBC has been the remarkable sense of community I have experienced here,” Reece says “It has provided me with opportunities for personal growth, enabling me to evolve holistically. As I reflect upon my experiences, I feel confident and prepared to take on any obstacles that may lie ahead.”

Algrain agrees that the culture of UMBC and the level of support were the best parts of her experience at UMBC.

For Gouin, the chance to connect with mentors who were dedicated performers, as well as enthusiastic teachers, was life changing. He even joined a percussion quartet with fellow and former students that they named “Hi Tom,” in honor of Tom Goldstein.

Goldstein shares that for him the honor goes in the opposite direction.

“I love working with the students—it’s a fantastic part of my life,” he says. “It’s an honor and a privilege to get to know them.”

Read more Class of 2023 stories.

A year after becoming the first team to win three consecutive crowns since UAlbany in 2006 – 2008, UMBC softball has permanently inked their place in the record books with their fourth-straight America East Championship win. The Retrievers are only the second softball team to win four consecutive America East titles, the last one being Hofstra in 1998 – 2001. 

Despite rainy conditions, the Retrievers defeated UAlbany for the second year in a row. Starting with a commanding lead in the first inning, the Retrievers never faltered and came out victorious with a 9-3 final score. 

“Winning never gets old,” says head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer. “Being able to watch this amazing group of high achieving women accomplish a four-peat—which is something that is very rare not just in our sport but across sports in general—was one of the most special things.”

During the annual NCAA Selection Show, it was announced that the Retrievers would be taking on No. 6 Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK on Friday, May 19 at 4 p.m. EST. 

More than a softball title

In addition to the team’s success as a whole, several players took home additional honors. Madison Wilson ’23, media and communication studies, was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player. She was also named to the All-Championship Team with Shanel Stott ’23, information systems; Macy Granzow ’24, mechanical engineering; and Kya Matter ’25, public health. 

Chemistry graduate student Courtney Coppersmith ’22, biochemistry and molecular biology, earned Pitcher of the Year honors for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first student-athlete in America East softball history to do so. Overall, she became just the third America East student-athlete (in any sport) to win a regular season major award four consecutive years.

UMBC’s coaching staff, led by Kuhlmeyer, again holds the honor of Coaching Staff of the Year—a third consecutive award for leadership.

“Winning the America East Conference Championship in general is an incredible feeling, but going four-peat is indescribable,” said graduate student Karly Keating ’22, media and communication studies, currently pursuing her entrepreneurship certificate. “This team has worked so hard to get where we are at and we’re still only going up. The best part is being able to celebrate with such amazing people, not only my team but with my family as well.”

#RetrieverNation fans can catch the action on Friday by following @UMBCsoftball on Twitter. 

Story by Kait McCaffrey and UMBC Athletics.

Avi Newman, who is graduating from UMBC this spring, knows all too well about learning to navigate unexpected detours beyond his control. Managing the compounding effects of COVID-19, meant letting go of his original college plan and embracing much-needed time for self-care and reflection. It also meant asking for and accepting help from a network of faculty who were ready to listen, offer guidance and encouragement, and help him pursue his interests in new ways. 

Newman originally envisioned himself walking a straight line from College Signing Day to Commencement. Instead, he found that a zig-zagging seven-year path took him where he needed to go, and that his success was a collaborative process. One of his greatest sources of support was Songon An, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. 

“Avi came to my lab with great potential to become a biochemist. However, the COVID pandemic changed everything about his course of life,” says An. “I remember telling him that it’s OK to pause his undergraduate life and take advantage of such time to try out many different things, beyond academics, that he may find himself enjoying and feel rewarding.”

Newman began taking courses in a broader range of fields and is graduating with majors in biochemistry and molecular biology, biological sciences, and philosophy, plus minors. He has worked as a tutor, volunteered with a public health organization, and practices meditation to keep himself grounded. Accessing support gave Newman the confidence to rethink his assumptions about who he is now and who he wants to be.

“I think initially it was hard to come to terms with not graduating ‘on time,’ but after a while I realized that there’s no rush to life and that it was better for me to take my time and learn as much as I could,” says Newman. “I wanted to enjoy my time and take care of my mental, emotional, and physical health, which ultimately is much more important than rushing through things being excessively stressed.” 

Maneuvering daily challenges

Like Newman, Jennifer Boateng will soon cross the stage to accept her degree seven years after she enrolled at UMBC. Throughout her journey, she has kept a clear goal in mind: finding the best way to use her creative talent to support people who, like her, live with sickle cell disease, and similar challenges. 

Boateng found a perfect match in global studies, with a focus on creating multimedia content for humanitarian groups with a global audience. Pursuing this dream has meant adeptly maneuvering the complexity of living with sickle cell disease. Boateng completed research, taught herself her Final Cut Pro, wrote papers and lab reports, and attended classes both in person and at the hospital, virtually, as she received necessary care.

Boateng credits her positive and successful college experience to the long-term support of her friends and family as well as kindness and flexibility from UMBC faculty, staff, and peers. Her mentor Brigid Starkey, principal lecturer of political science and director of global studies, notes that the program worked closely with Boateng, especially over the last year, to strategize on how to finish her degree. 

“We worked on course selection and navigating academic appeals processes, and her disability rights,” says Starkey. 

With the moment she will turn her tassel in sight, Boateng and her mentors are looking toward what’s ahead. “Lately, my mentorship has involved talking to her about the future and where she may want to focus her efforts in the job market,” says Starkey. Boateng’s mentor is leveraging the department’s alumni network to connect her with career possibilities that will help her fulfill her vision.

Community support leads to success

Finding success through community support is familiar to many UMBC graduates. UMBC was the second university Victoria Joya Euceda attended, searching for a mentor who understood her story as a first-generation college student whose parents immigrated from Central America. At UMBC, she connected with  Yolanda Valencia, assistant professor of geography and environmental studies, and other supporters. Now, Joya Euceda ’23, geography and environmental systems, is heading to a Ph.D. in geography at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Beatriz Soriano Luna ’23, social work, transferred from Montgomery College to UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove, where she became an integral member of a close-knit community. Valuing the mentorship of M. Nicole Belfiore, clinical instructor of social work, Soriano Luna herself mentored more than two dozen students as a peer advisor. She’ll next pursue a master’s degree through the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

This May, on College Signing Day (which celebrates students’ college decisions), Joel DeWyer, director of campus life operations, welcomed UMBC’s next incoming class in a video on Twitter, reminding them of the excitement that lies ahead and the support they can access along the way.

“College can be a nerve-wracking and anxious experience, right? So when you have a question, or when you are feeling uncertain, when you are feeling overwhelmed, do me one favor,” said DeWyer. “Find someone around you in your community and ask for help.”

He shared a message that Newman, Boateng, Joya Euceda, and Soriano Luna have worked to pass along to others: that support can be found everywhere at UMBC. “There’s people all around you who care about your success and we are here to help you,” said DeWyer. “So never, ever, be afraid to ask for help.”

Read more Class of 2023 stories.

This year’s UMBC commencement speakers represent the best of what higher education strives to be, applying insights to meet the needs of humanity.

Commencement speakers

Keith T. Elder, Ph.D. ’02, health policy and policy sciences, will address graduates at the ceremony for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; School of Social Work; and Erickson School of Aging Studies on May 25 at 10 a.m.

Paula Therese Hammond, this year’s honorary degree recipient, will speak at the 3 p.m. ceremony, addressing graduates from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, College of Engineering and Information Technology, and Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Keith T. Elder’s commitment to improving healthcare

Keith T. Elder (Image courtesy of Keith T. Elder)

Elder is the provost and executive vice president of Mississippi College. His research focuses on finding ways to improve the quality of healthcare for our most vulnerable populations. 

Elder is the founding editor-in-chief of the journal AIMS Public Health and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Alzheimer’s Association, among others. Elder is a 2022 UMBC Alumni Award winner for Outstanding Alumnus in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and has also received a distinguished service award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“I got the chance to learn more about Dr. Elder’s research and work in public health and academia when he received a prestigious award from our alumni association this past fall,” says Stanyell Odom, director of alumni engagement. “Our graduates will gain inspiration from his UMBC story and life’s work as this year’s commencement speaker.”

Paula T. Hammond, nanomedicine innovator

Hammond is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, head of the department of chemical engineering, and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Her research focuses on nanomedicine and novel responsive polymer architectures for targeted nanoparticle drug and gene delivery. She is a member of all three National Academies: Science, Engineering and Medicine.

In 2019, Hammond received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Margaret H. Rousseau Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement by a Woman Chemical Engineer.

“Dr. Hammond is an extraordinary scientist and educator,” says Greg Simmons, M.P.P., ’04, vice president for Institutional Advancement. “We are very excited to have her participate in our commencement exercises and look forward to hearing her remarks.”

UMBC valedictorians

Also speaking during the commencement ceremonies will be UMBC’s two valedictorians: Christopher Slaughter ’23, M31, computer engineering, and Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles ’23, financial economics and mathematics. 

Partipilo Cornielles’s passion for public service is fueled by his experience fleeing Venezuela at age 16 with his family to seek asylum in the U.S. He is a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar who has researched the impact of financial literacy on student loan decisions among undergraduates across the United States. He also served as a teaching assistant and tutor for fellow students, taught English to local immigrants through the Esperanza Center, and was a member of the national championship-winning UMBC Mock Trial team. He is part of the Sloan Predoctoral Program through the UMBC economics department and will pursue a Ph.D. in economics.

Christopher Slaughter is a Meyerhoff Scholar who won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Cambridge this coming fall. He has worked with Govind Rao, professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, in the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST), helping develop technology that can sense glucose levels through the skin. He hopes to focus his career on developing novel biomedical technologies that meet the healthcare needs of under-resourced communities.

Partipilo Cornielles will address graduates at the 10 a.m. ceremony, and Slaughter will speak at the 3 p.m. ceremony. UMBC’s graduate commencement ceremony will be May 24 at 10 a.m. Live videos of all three ceremonies will be available at commencement.umbc.edu.

It’s 4 a.m. in Puerto Rico, and Ellie Bare’s alarm is going off. Within an hour, she and her research colleagues are driving to their forested field site on the north side of the island to record Puerto Rican Oriole songs. After a midday break to avoid the worst of the heat, the team scouts new sites late in the afternoon. Some days they make another excursion before bed to check the birds’ roosting sites. Then the research team hits the pillow before doing it all over again.

This is the life of an ecological field researcher, one Ellie Bare ’23, biological sciences, has embraced wholeheartedly with the encouragement of mentors like Kevin Omland, professor of biological sciences, and Michelle Moyer, a Ph.D. candidate in Omland’s research group. 

Building research skills—and life skills

Perhaps the most important trait of a strong researcher is the ability to ask good questions and then figure out how to pursue their answers. For example, Bare and her teammates in Puerto Rico noticed a bird roosting in a years-old nest overnight near their lodging. “We’d never heard of a bird doing that before,” Bare says, and as it turned out, neither had local experts. So began a new observational study managed by Bare.

Bare presented the results at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Achievement Day (URCAD) in April, finding that over 50 percent of old nests she tracked were in use as overnight roosts. The findings created new knowledge about this endangered species and a chance for Bare to flex her scientific inquiry skills, which will serve her well in any research area.

“Dr. Omland encourages that in his undergrads, which is really special,” Bare says. “He’s really supportive of undergrads getting the full research experience.” 

Back on campus, Bare also took on developing a protocol for the Omland lab to determine the sex of birds based on DNA samples. That’s especially valuable in the study of tropical birds, where males and females frequently sport identical plumage. “It was really interesting and fun to spearhead that project on my own,” Bare says. The molecular skills she learned will help her in her next role, a postbac fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Omland also emphasizes communication skills with his students, requiring lab members to take turns presenting journal articles and providing updates on their own projects at lab meetings. In addition to URCAD, Bare also attended the international American Ornithological Society and BirdsCaribbean conference in Puerto Rico.

“Having those opportunities to improve my science communications abilities was invaluablereally great,” Bare says, “and it even helped me with my postbac interviews.”

Across the disciplines, student research shines

Bare will soon explore another area of biological research through her upcoming work at NIH—cancer research. While this area is a shift from her prior work with Omland and Moyer, she shares that the skills she learned in the Omland Lab were essential to her journey as a researcher and her mentors have continued to provide unflagging support.

Other graduating students, too, have had positive experiences with research that have prepared them for what’s next. Sarah Turner ’23, psychology, completed research with Susan Sonnenschein, professor of psychology, as well as summer research experiences at the Harvard Business School and Michigan State University. Max Bobbin ’23, chemical engineering, took on a leadership role early on in Tyler Josephson’s research group, learning and then teaching others a new programming language, and applying it to the team’s chemical theory work.

And valedictorian for the humanities and social sciences, Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles ’23, financial economics and mathematics, conducted research with Tim Gindling, professor of economics, and Salem Abo-Zaid, associate professor of economics. His project with Gindling focused on the impact of financial literacy on student loan decisions among undergraduates across the United States. In the future, he hopes to conduct research on labor economics with a focus on Latin America.

Across UMBC, research experiences are a cornerstone of the current and future success of students and the projects and labs to which they contribute. Encouragement from mentors to ask new questions, try new techniques, and fully participate in the intellectual life of the research group helps students build skills that will serve them in their careers and in life.

Read more Class of 2023 stories.

This week, UMBC and Maryland Matters hosted state officials in Governor Wes Moore’s administration for a community forum on Maryland’s plan to address concerns related to climate change and the administration’s proposed green energy initiatives.

Candace Dodson-Reed ’96, English, UMBC’s vice president of government relations and community affairs, and Josh Kurtz, founding editor and reporter at Maryland Matters, moderated the panel discussion on the state’s climate policies. The forum was part of the Maryland Matters Climate Calling project, an initiative that began in 2021 that examines the threats of climate change in the state and the administration’s response. 

“It will take all of us as we partner with government, universities, the private sector, philanthropy, media, and beyond to address this crisis,” said Dodson-Reed. “We know that universities play a huge role in this space.” 

President Valerie Sheares Ashby agrees, sharing with attendees that UMBC “wants to be a true partner. We are not just a partner in research and scholarship, but also workforce development. It is critical to us that we are producing the next brilliant minds who will actually remain in the state of Maryland to do this work.”

Sheares Ashby referenced the work that UMBC students, faculty, and staff are already doing in response to climate change concerns, from long-term research, to a master’s program focused on work with communities around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, to initiatives of the university’s Office of Sustainability. 

“Environmental science and climate science are some of the least diverse of the sciences, yet it affects the broadest range of diverse human beings and communities,” said Sheares Ashby. “We have not fully brought all of the best and most diverse minds to the table, but here at UMBC, this is our focus.”

Maryland’s “bold” climate policies

Panelists included Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, who outlined the administration’s goals for addressing the climate crisis, pointing to the state’s “bold” solutions in Maryland’s Climate Solutions Act. The legislation is aiming to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2031 and 100 percent by 2045,” says Lt. Gov. Miller. 

“We see this as an opportunity to get into the green economy…it’s going to create jobs and create emerging technologies,” she shared with the audience. “We have goals that are bold and aggressive, but we need to be like that in order to be able to reach those goals.”

Lt. Gov. Miller was joined by Secretary of Commerce Kevin Anderson, Secretary of Planning Rebecca Flora, Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain, Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld, and Paul Pinsky, director of the Maryland Energy Administration.

Secretary Mcllwain made note of the “cross-disciplinary approach” of the Moore administration’s plan to implement their climate policies, saying, “We have to do this in a very comprehensive way or we will lose. We have to look at solutions that have multiplier benefits.”

Paul Pinsky explained the state’s goals of producing more offshore wind energy with the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act (POWER). “To meet our goals…we’re going to need new technologies. It’s going to be a challenge, but Maryland is in a position to be a leader,” said Pinksy.  

Secretary Rebecca Flora proposed more efficient ways to plan for the effects of climate change, such as implementing “more scenario planning so we can actually show what will happen in different scenarios.” 

To do that, Flora suggests using more visualization tools. She made note of the UMBC research on display at the forum, saying, “we need that kind of talent out there to help communities understand what we’re saying.”

Connecting students with state leaders

UMBC students joined in the discussion by asking questions about the current state of climate change and the environment in Maryland, plans to protect vulnerable populations, and how these issues will impact future generations. 

Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar Devanshi Mistry ’26, chemical engineering, asked the panelists about the state’s approach to agricultural and environmental policies. Mistry previously worked with local government in her hometown as a student representative for the Carroll County Board of Education, and shared her passion for vocalizing the needs and concerns of teens and young adults. 

“Local government is a really big passion of mine and I’m hopeful that more students will continue to be engaged in what’s happening in our society. It was really impactful to hear directly from state representatives on important issues like climate change,” Mistry shared, following the forum. 

UMBC’s Student Government Association (SGA) leaders also participated in the Q&A discussion and assisted with moderating the event. These leaders include incoming SGA President Musa Jafri ’24, political science, and SGA Director of Government Affairs Zach Starr ’23, public health.

For more on this topic, see coverage of the forum on Maryland Matters and a commentary by Dodson-Reed and Maggie Holland, associate professor of geography and environmental systems, on the role of universities in addressing climate change in Maryland, published prior to the event.

Tyler Josephson’s lab sits off a main corridor in the department of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering at UMBC. Open the door, though, and you’ll see nary a beaker, chemical closet, or lab coat. Inside, a few computers sit on tables. You might see equations scrawled on the white board or a few students poring over lines of code.

Using this modest setup, Josephson has launched an ambitious project to equip computers to make scientific discoveries—starting in the realm of chemistry. This March he won a prestigious NSF CAREER award to advance the project.

The goal of the work is ultimately to speed up the process of science, which should in turn give humanity new knowledge and tools to face down big challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation.

As Josephson and his students dive into the work, they are bringing together techniques from across mathematics, computer science, and chemical engineering. Their first step is to translate chemical theories into a rigorous mathematical language that a computer can understand.

Math as the language of science

In 1623, the Italian natural philosopher Galileo Galilei wrote an essay in which he described nature as a book written in “the language of mathematics.” Many scientists since have puzzled over the mysterious power of math to describe physical phenomena.

Josephson and his students are tapping into this power. They are using a tool developed by researchers at Microsoft called the Lean theorem prover. Lean is both a computer language and a program for checking each step of a rigorous mathematical proof.

“Formal proofs, which are verified by a computer, differ from the informal, handwritten versions often used by scientists,” says Josephson. Informal proofs are easier to write, but they usually skip logical steps, assuming a human reader will have the knowledge and skill to follow along. This means that errors can creep in undetected.

On the other hand, if a proof has been written and checked in Lean, it is guaranteed to be correct as long as the stated assumptions are true.

A community of Lean programmers

Lean has a dedicated community of volunteer developers who have built a large library of mathematical proofs, each of which can then serve as a building block for more complicated proofs. They aim to digitize mathematics, starting with the entirety of the undergraduate math curriculum, which will lay the foundation for formal proofs in advanced modern mathematics.

Josephson plans to build a similar library with formally correct derivations in science and engineering, starting with chemical concepts such as the thermodynamic behavior of gases and of molecules sticking and unsticking from surfaces.

He and his students describe their approach in a first paper on the subject, and are in the process of submitting it to journals.

The power of the work will multiply as more of the foundations of science are translated into Lean, so a large part of the team’s work will also be to recruit, inspire, and train fellow proof creators. They will hold workshops to showcase Lean for scientists and engineers, and they plan to create fun and educational games that will teach Lean-programming skills to newcomers.

“I’m really excited to share this tool with students and the scientific community,” Josephson says.

Building better scientific computing tools

Josephson’s goal to formally verify scientific theories isn’t just an intellectual exercise—it’s a means of building better tools for better science. One such tool he plans to create with NSF CAREER award support is Lean-based computer software that can simulate the behavior of molecules under a range of conditions. 

Scientists often use such software to test theories as an alternative to physical experiments. It can be easier to run simulations of reactions on a computer, for example, than to mix real chemicals again and again, and some molecular phenomena may happen so fast, or under such extreme conditions, that current experimental tools cannot capture them.

However, bugs can mar the performance of the software. For example, starting in 2011, a hidden coding error fueled a seven-year “war over supercooled water,” in which two scientific groups disagreed about what happens to ultrapure water when it is cooled significantly below the freezing point of normal water, and then suddenly crystallizes.

Code written in Lean is unique from that written in the programming languages commonly used in scientific computing, since it can be provably free of such math errors, Josephson says. 

As more scientists and engineers learn to write code and proofs in Lean, others will be able to write bug-free software for applications as diverse as weather forecasting, drug discovery, and predicting material performance.

“AI scientists” who reason on their own

Ultimately, Josephson hopes to use a Lean-based library of scientific knowledge to train computers as fellow scientists. For example, large language models, such as the recently popularized ChatGPT, might be trained on a library of scientific proofs and gain the ability to “autocomplete” proofs on their own, translate informal proofs from the literature into formal ones, and even discover entirely new scientific theories, which could then be checked for correctness by Lean.

A tool like this might revolutionize science. In Galileo’s time, a single person could master large portions of human scientific knowledge, but now scientists usually go to school for decades to become experts in a tiny subfield, Josephson says.

AI scientists capable of digesting a database of thousands of scientific proofs in multiple disciplines might draw connections across them to reveal new discoveries. “Such a tool could lead to an AI-powered Renaissance in interdisciplinary scientific discovery,” says Josephson.

While such lofty goals remain in the future, Josephson and his students are energized by the possibilities. As they embark on an exciting scientific journey, they are thrilled to bring as many people as possible along on the ride.

Written by Richard Forno, principal lecturer in computer science and electrical engineering, UMBC

Editor’s note: This article contains plot spoilers.

Society’s understanding of technology and cybersecurity often is based on simple stereotypes and sensational portrayals in the entertainment media. I’ve written about how certain scenarios are entertaining but misleading. Think of black-clad teenage hackers prowling megacities challenging corporate villains. Or think of counterintelligence specialists repositioning a satellite from the back of a surveillance van via a phone call.

But sometimes Hollywood gets it right by depicting reality in ways that both entertain and educate. And that’s important, because whether it’s a large company, government or your personal information, we all share many of the same cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. As a former cybersecurity industry practitioner and current cybersecurity researcher, I believe the final season of “Star Trek: Picard” is the latest example of entertainment media providing useful lessons about cybersecurity and the nature of the modern world.

So how does “Star Trek: Picard” relate to cybersecurity?

The nature of the threat

The show’s protagonist is Jean-Luc Picard, a retired Starfleet admiral who commanded the starship Enterprise-D in a previous series. Starfleet is the military wing of the United Federation of Planets, of which Earth is a member. In Season 3, the final season, Picard’s ultimate enemy, the Borg, returns to try conquering humanity again. The Borg is a cybernetic collective of half-human, half-machine “drones” led by a cyborg queen.

The Borg has partnered with other villains and worked for over a decade to deploy hidden agents able to compromise the DNA data contained in the software underpinning the transporter – a teleportation device used regularly by Starfleet personnel. Over many years, a certain subgroup of Starfleet personnel had their DNA altered by using the transporter.

Thus, in launching their final attack, the Borg is able to instantly activate thousands of “drones” to do its bidding in the form of altered, compromised Starfleet personnel. As Geordi La Forge, the Enterprise-D’s engineer, notes, “They’ve been assimilating the entire fleet this whole time, without anyone ever knowing it.”

The Borg’s prolonged, stealthy infiltration of the federation is indicative of how today’s most effective cyberattackers work. While it’s relatively easy to detect when hackers attempt to breach a system from the outside, experts worry about the effects of an enemy infiltrating critical systems from within. Attackers can put malicious code in software during manufacturing or in software updates, both of which are avenues of attack that do not arouse suspicion until the compromised systems are activated or targeted.

This underscores the importance of ensuring the security and integrity of digital supply chains from product development at the vendor through product deployment at client sites to ensure no silent “drones,” such as malware, are waiting to be activated by an adversary.

Equally important, “Star Trek: Picard” presents the very real and insidious nature of the insider threat faced by today’s organizations. While not infected with a cybernetic virus, recently arrested Massachusetts Air National Guard airman Jack Teixeira shows the damage that can occur when a trusted employee has malicious intent or becomes co-opted and inflicts significant damage on an employer.

In some cases, these compromised or malicious individuals can remain undiscovered for years. And some global adversaries of the U.S., such as China and Russia, are known for taking a long-term perspective when it comes to planning and conducting espionage activities – or cyberattacks.

Humans remain the weakest link

“Synchronistic technology that allows every ship in Starfleet to operate as one. An impenetrable armada. Unity and defense. The ultimate safeguard.”

With these words, humanity’s military defenders activated a feature that linked every Starfleet vessel together under one unified automated command system. While intended to serve as an emergency capability, this system – called Fleet Formation – was quickly hijacked by the Borg as part of its attack on Earth. In essence, Starfleet created a Borg-like defense system that the Borg itself used to attack the federation.

Here, the most well-intentioned plans for security were thwarted by enemies who used humanity’s own technologies against them. In the real world, capabilities such as on-demand real-time software updates, ChatGPT and centrally administered systems sound enticing and offer conveniences, cost savings or new capabilities. However, the lesson here is that organizations should not put them into widespread use without carefully considering as many of the potential risks or vulnerabilities as practical.

But even then, technology alone can’t protect humans from ourselves – after all, it’s people who develop, design, select, administer and use technology, which means human flaws are present in these systems, too. Such failings frequently lead to a stream of high-profile cybersecurity incidents.

Resiliency is not futile

To counter the Borg’s final assault on Earth, Picard’s crew borrows its old starship, Enterprise-D, from a fleet museum. The rationale is that its ship is the only major combat vessel not connected to the Borg collective via Starfleet’s compromised Fleet Formation protocol and therefore is able to operate independently during the crisis. As La Forge notes, “Something older, analog. Offline from the others.”

From a cybersecurity perspective, ensuring the availability of information resources is one of the industry’s guiding principles. Here, the Enterprise-D represents defenders in response to a cyber incident using assets that are outside of an adversary’s reach. Perhaps more important, the vessel symbolizes the need to think carefully before embracing a completely networked computing environment or relying on any single company or provider of services and connectivity for daily operations.

From natural disasters to cyberattack, what’s your plan if your IT environment becomes corrupted or inaccessible? Can your organization stay operational and still provide necessary services? For critical public messaging, do governments and corporations have their own uncorruptible Enterprise-D capabilities to fall back on, such as the fediverse, the decentralized microblogging platform that is immune to the impulsive manipulations of Twitter’s ownership?

Prepare for the unknown

The “Star Trek” universe explores the unknown in both the universe and contemporary society. How the crews deal with these experiences relies on their training, the appreciation of broad perspectives and ability to devise innovative solutions to the crisis of the week. Often, such solutions are derived from characters’ interests in music, painting, archaeology, history, sports and other nontechnical areas of study, recreation or expertise.

Similarly, as modern digital defenders, to successfully confront our own cyber unknowns we need a broad appreciation of things beyond just cybersecurity and technology. It’s one thing to understand at a technical level how a cyberattack occurs and how to respond. But it’s another thing to understand the broader, perhaps more systemic, nuanced, organizational or international factors that may be causes or solutions, too.

Lessons from literature, history, psychology, philosophy, law, management and other nontechnical disciplines can inform how organizations plan for and respond to cybersecurity challenges of all types. Balancing solid technical knowledge with foundations in the liberal arts and humanities allows people to adapt comfortably to constantly evolving technologies and shifting threats.

Dystopic metaphors in fiction often reflect current social concerns, and the “Star Trek” universe is no different. Although rooted in a science fiction fantasy, “Star Trek: Picard” provides some accurate, practical and understandable cybersecurity reminders for today.

Season 3, in particular, offers viewers both entertainment and education – indeed, the best of both worlds.

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.

Grant Clifton 

Degree: M.A., Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Post-grad plans: English language educator in Indonesia

For Grant Clifton, teaching English effectively requires a combination of intensive technical training in English language instruction and a passion for building community. Prior to enrolling at UMBC, Clifton taught English at a school in Indonesia for several years. He has a long-standing commitment to service and community engagement, which included being a Peace Corps volunteer in Indonesia from 2017 to 2019, where he taught English to high school students.

After returning to the U.S., Clifton continued his combined focus on learning and community impact through UMBC’s Shriver Peaceworker Fellows program. Additionally, he worked as a writing tutor at the English Language Institute (ELI) and facilitated in-person and virtual conversation clubs with ELI’s English Conversation Partner program. Clifton shares that leading the conversation clubs was important to him because he was “able to see English learners gain more confidence and improve their conversational skills through the community I’ve built with them.”

As a TESOL research assistant, Clifton worked with Jiyoon Lee, associate professor of education, exploring issues of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers’ and learners’ language assessment literacy. He recently presented this research at the 2023 American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting. After graduation, Clifton will return to Indonesia to teach English at an international school. 

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“My supervisor at the English Language Institute, Ryan Sheldon, has been a mentor to me during my entire time at UMBC. He has provided me with a lot of opportunities for professional growth and supported me through some really tough times. Few can say that their boss has made their life easier!”

Is there a particular academic achievement you’re most proud of?

“Being accepted to the Shriver Peaceworker Program at UMBC is the achievement I am most proud of. We were able to act as a support group for one another and exchange ideas in weekly practicum seminars on topics related to social engagement and ethical reflection. I learned so much and grew significantly as a person, thanks to the program. I don’t think I would have been as successful or would have made as much personal growth if I had not been part of the Shriver Peaceworker Program. 

Additionally, I am proud of completing and successfully defending my thesis after a long series of delays and mishaps, which left me feeling discouraged at times, all while being a full-time student and working 30-40 hours a week.”