Here’s a recap of what’s in the news in and around the UMBC campus, originally brought to you by UMBC News.

This news recap is brought to you by UMBC’s Division of Professional Studies, offering a broad array of professionally-focused master’s degree and certificate programs that address industry needs while anticipating future opportunities.

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Indie rock band, The Happy Fits invites listeners to share their joy and get in tune with their inner happiness. Band members Ross Monteith (guitar), Calvin Langman (cello) and Luke Davis (drums) focus on creating vibrant vibes and changing sound to strike specific emotions that linger with the audience.

Monteith, Langman and Davis share their love for music and its ability to touch each of its listeners. Davis explains, “Music is escape for people.” The trio creates music that provides listeners with a sense of comfort all the while pushing forth their own individuality.

When asked what separates them from other artists, The Happy Fits came to a general consensus that Langman’s addition of the cello greatly contributes to the band’s distinctiveness. The cello adds an unexpected yet exceptional sound the band is remembered for. It allows The Happy Fits to diverge from traditional expectations of alternative rock and create their own presence in the music industry.

The Happy Fits’ first album, “Concentrate,” was released in 2018. It explores an extensive set of topics including love, growth and the pursuit of a creative career. Each song elaborates on the expression of specific emotions and perspectives in an unforgettable way.

“Concentrate” portrays a beautiful eclecticism that welcomes the praise and admiration of listeners of a variety of music genres. This eclecticism, however, does not disrupt the album’s overall cohesiveness. If anything, the variation of their styles and sounds has become a laudable, notable characteristic of The Happy Fits. The uniqueness of each song in relation to the others magnificently presents the band’s wide range of musical abilities and talents.

“So Alright, Cool, Whatever” speaks of the lingering regret and sorrow following heartbreak. Lyrics such as “I wanna be dancing, dreaming, bawling and weeping over you all of my life,” explain how delirious any slight presence of a loved one becomes after the unwanted ending of a relationship. The upbeat intensity of the song contrasts with the vulnerability of the lyrics, paralleling the intensity of one’s feelings in the midst of emotional turmoil.

“Best Tears” pokes fun at seniors unhelpful aid during youth’s difficulties, mocking their supposed words of encouragement, “So, all the girls and bad boys made you cry?/ Well, you know, those were the best tears of your life, of your life.” The song plays with the lack of empathy and overall discredit towards an adolescent’s daily struggles. It’s a beautifully composed work of satire.

Their songs, reminiscent of the band’s musical inspirations, sound hauntingly familiar all the while sustaining an admirable sense of originality. Langman explains, “My main goal is to get a good chorus…some melodies tug on your soul. That’s what I want to get —that ‘yeaaahhhh’ feeling.” The Happy Fits achieve the extremely difficult task of taking the music they’ve been inspired by and making it their own, of making art out of art.

The way The Happy Fits’ music connects to its audience is extraordinary. The emotions and feelings within their songs create an indestructible relationship between the musicians and the audience. The band’s stage presence is absolutely electric, feeding off of the reciprocating radiance of the audience. An aura of cheerfulness, sparked by the beats and melodies of their music, permeates throughout the venue. The energetic passion of Langman, Monteith and Davis flows through their performance.

The Happy Fits effortlessly create music that is tastefully catchy, uplifting and appealing to audience preference all the while preserving their own artistic integrity through the complexity of their lyrics. The band members’ talents effortlessly collaborate with one another. They are great people who make great music that leaves you beaming and singing along.

In a world where pessimism has become dependable, it is important to shine a light on those who make an effort to bring brilliance and vitality to society. The Happy Fits present an inimitable brightness and ingeniousness. Their music leaves its listeners with a happiness everyone is looking for.

The Happy Fits band members (left to right) Luke Davis, Calvin Langman and Ross Monteith. Photo taken by Madasyn Andrews.

In 1989, Baltimore philanthropist Robert E. Meyerhoff sat down with then-UMBC vice provost Freeman Hrabowski with a bold vision for the University—to create a program that would offer high-achieving African American men a doorway into STEM scholarship at the highest levels. Thirty years later, the Meyerhoff Scholars Program is a national leader on the forefront of efforts to increase diversity among future leaders—both women and men—in science, engineering, and related fields. Because of that, UMBC is also the leading producer nationally of African American undergraduates who go on to earn M.D./Ph.D. degrees.

This spring, as the program celebrates its 30th anniversary with its more than 1,100 alumni worldwide, Meyerhoff and Hrabowski sat down again to discuss the impact of what they started. This is an edited excerpt of that conversation.

Hrabowski:  Bob, you may recall that at that time UMBC was having a challenge in that young African Americans were coming in wanting to major in science or pre-med, and they were not doing well. They were not doing well….

Bob Embry of the Abell Foundation called me and he said, “Bob Meyerhoff has an interest in talking to you.” And when I got to you, it was like a marriage made in heaven, because all you did, the whole time, was ask me questions. You were trying to understand the problems, and the issues, and you did tell me, I will never forget it, that you truly believed that if children were given the same opportunities as your children, with the same support, they would do just as well. They would do quite well. And that’s how we got started.

Meyerhoff: And, there’s no question about it, that I was impressed right from the beginning with the first class. the students you had … were really impressive….And almost every year, they are more impressive.

Hrabowski: And let me just say, the fact that [the] Howard Hughes [Medical Institute] has put so much money into replicating the program at other places, and that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is just starting this process out in California, replicating the program, says a lot. The most important thing is…you have to have people who really care, and as you said at the beginning, who believe these young people can do it. And then we have to be clear about those expectations…And then we have to evaluate and be honest about what works and what doesn’t work. That makes the difference.

Meyerhoff: I’m so proud. I mean, if I wasn’t proud of them, I wouldn’t like the idea they call themselves Meyerhoffs. It’s complimentary to me that they’re called Meyerhoffs. I mean, they’re all much more educated in science than I am, and they have accomplished much more in science and engineering than I have or ever could. So I’m so very proud of the fact that they are where they are. They’re just so outstanding, and they’re just proving day after day after day how successful the program is.

Hrabowski: That’s right. And you have been a pioneer in being a visionary for this program, and these students are pioneers, because many have become the first African American, for example, or the first woman to complete these degrees. And once the first does it, then other people say, “I want to be like that.”

Meyerhoff: Right.

Hrabowski: “And I want to do that.” And that’s for every race in the program, for every possible group, they have been leading and showing other kids that it can be done…

You know when I think about it, this 30th anniversary, Bob, represents two things. Number one, your belief in the dream. The dream that these young people could excel. And number two, the magical notion that this is a time that we celebrate dreams realized. These are dreams realized, when you look out and you see hundreds of young people who are now serving society as scientists, and engineers, and physicians, we can’t help but think dreams realized. We continue to hold fast to dreams.

For more information about the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the 30th Anniversary Celebration, visit meyerhoff.umbc.edu.

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Header image by Marlayna Demond ’11. 

At a hackathon last year, two UMBC students took a stand against online harassment through tech innovation, forming a partnership that would become MindStand Technologies. Founders Michael Ogunsanya ‘20, M28, mechanical engineering, and Eric Solender ‘20, computer science, believe there is such tremendous potential to make headway on this problem that, as Ogunsanya explains, “We want people to connect with the idea before they connect with the company.”

Together, they’ve developed a tool that can detect troubling online behaviors, like cyberbullying. It provides an interactive dashboard and real-time alerts based on a powerful algorithm that is already gaining attention.

To get to this point, they’ve taken advantage of support from UMBC’s entrepreneurship programs. Last fall, MindStand Technologies earned second place in UMBC’s 2018 Idea Competition, hosted by the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, confirming for the team that their idea could really take off and have a positive impact. Now, they’ve won second place at UMBC’s sixth annual Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition (CBIC).

Connecting student entrepreneurs with mentors

The Shark Tank-style CBIC is an annual opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students who are serious about starting a business, and have already begun realizing their ideas, to present to a panel of judges before an audience of community members, including faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners. Ahead of the event, each team is paired with an industry mentor who provides guidance and professional advice.

The structure of the event and its focus on mentorship are inspired by the vision of entrepreneur Greg Cangialosi ‘96, English. Throughout the process, the teams have access to support from Cangialosi and Vivian Armor ‘73, American studies, director of UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.

Using technology to address challenges across industries

First prize in the competition went to Dan Lee ‘19, computer science, for Dentuit Imaging, which he hopes will help dentists diagnose patients with challenging conditions. The technology will identify and annotate possible problems on patients’ dental images.

Lee is working with collaborators, including Joe Weissman, a Virginia Tech Ph.D. student focusing on machine learning, to develop a prototype that he hopes will be available in the summer. One key part of the work will be training the system to identify potential dental issues. “The more labeled images there are, the better,” Lee explains.

Akshay Peshave, M.S. ‘14, Ph.D. ‘19, computer science, earned third place for Karotene, which works to connect researchers in fields from medicine and physics to computing with information and data needed to do their work. The technology, explains Peshave, allows researchers to more easily address pain points as they are conducting research, including challenges related to collaborating with people across the country and around the world.

Peshave will use the funding that he earned through CBIC to finalize the legal paperwork needed to officially launch the company. He is also working to build Karotene’s advisory board, while refining the product for market release.

Utilizing networking opportunities at UMBC

MindStand Technologies, the second place winner, has already begun moving forward in significant ways. Ogunsanya and Solender have secured office space in bwtech@UMBC’s South campus. There, they spend time each week working to advance their technology and grow their business.

Ogunsanya and Solender are particularly focused on connecting with experts beyond tech fields who can provide insights essential to making their tool effective and ensuring it is used in thoughtful, ethical ways. Project collaborator Pamela Rakhshan Rouhakhtar Ph.D. ‘22, psychology, describes MindStand Technologies as a “true multidisciplinary team.”

Jason Schiffman, professor of psychology, provides valuable mentorship to help the group keep their mission, ethics, and philosophy at top of mind at all times — asking if each decision is both correct and good. Rouhakhtar and Solendar met while working in Schiffman’s psychology lab. They share that he often talks about the importance of working at the intersection of what you love and what you are good at, and that this is what MindStand Technologies is all about.

Taking advantage of the networking and skills-building opportunities at UMBC has been key to his company’s success, Ogunsanya says. He encourages future student-entrepreneurs to not shy away from “using all of UMBC’s channels” to turn their ideas into a reality.

Banner image: The MindStand Technologies team. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.