UMBC is once again featured in the Princeton Review guide, The Best 385 Colleges, for 2020. This is widely considered one of the leading guides for prospective undergraduate students in North America.

The University profile specifically recognizes the dedication of UMBC’s professors. Students commented that the University’s faculty “have a knack for inspiring the students” and “UMBC is a place where professors aren’t just talking heads.”

This reflects UMBC’s culture of fostering mentoring relationships between faculty and students. “Being a mentor is the most impactful thing we can do with our time,” says Greg Szeto, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. “We help provide a safe environment where students can explore their interests…and determine what the right path is for their future.”

“The inclusion of UMBC in the most recent Princeton Review best colleges guide affirms our faculty and staff’s dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality of education for our students,” says Katharine Cole, vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs. “We are extremely proud to receive recognition for the outstanding holistic educational experience we provide.”

Students also commend UMBC on a continued commitment to an inclusive and supportive campus community. Retrievers note that the emphasis on diversity “enriches our school and everyone gets to know everyone despite culture or ethnicity.”

UMBC has also just been named to the Best College Values list for 2019 by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, ranking among the nation’s top 100 public universities for best value.

A team of three UMBC graduate students earned first place in an innovation competition for their pioneering work in the rapid detection of bacteria in blood. The students joined teams from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, which earned second and third place, respectively, at the BMEidea competition hosted by VentureWell, a national alliance of collegiate inventors and innovators.

UMBC’s team competed in the biomedical and bioengineering innovation student category of the competition, and presented a device called ASTEK, which allows physicians to more effectively treat bacterial infections. The interdisciplinary team included Mustafa Al-Adhami M.S. ‘15, mechanical engineering, Ph.D. ‘19, mechanical engineering; David Burgenson ‘17, chemical engineering, PhD ‘21, chemical engineering, and Benjamin Punshon-Smith M.S. ‘17, electrical engineering, and Ph.D. ‘22, electrical engineering.

“It can be difficult to translate science into relatable terms and a feasible business plan,” says Al-Adhami. “Participating in the BMEidea competition proved not only that they are interested in our research, but there is the potential to create a business around it. The BMEidea competition gave us the opportunity to get validation that we are onto something.”

Al-Adhami, Burgenson, and Punshon-Smith share office and lab space in UMBC’s Center for Advanced Sensor Technology, which is directed by Govind Rao, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. The group is also advised by Yordan Kostov, research professor in chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering at UMBC, and Alan Cross, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

The team will use their $10,000 prize from VentureWell to continue to develop the technology and advance the ASTEK. 

In 2016, Al-Adhami earned third place in UMBC’s Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition, and he explains that the feedback from the judges was valuable and helped him refine the design of the device. “I have used feedback and networking connections gained from these competitions to develop my business plan and expand my outreach on a national scale,” he says. 

The technology was initially developed to detect bacteria in water, but after Al-Adhami learned about sepsis and the serious complications that it can cause, he changed focus to meet a known need in healthcare. The ASTEK displays results of the blood test in a user-friendly interface, he says. 

“The project is at the intersection of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and biology,” Al-Adhami explains. “The best thing about working on a multidisciplinary team is there are always four solutions to every problem we face.” 

Banner image: Mustafa Al-Adhami gives his three-minute thesis talk at the 2018 Graduate Research Conference. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC is once again featured in the Princeton Review guide, The Best 385 Colleges, for 2020. This is widely considered one of the leading guides for prospective undergraduate students in North America.

The University profile specifically recognizes the dedication of UMBC’s professors. Students commented that the University’s faculty “have a knack for inspiring the students” and “UMBC is a place where professors aren’t just talking heads.”

This reflects UMBC’s culture of fostering mentoring relationships between faculty and students. “Being a mentor is the most impactful thing we can do with our time,” says Greg Szeto, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. “We help provide a safe environment where students can explore their interests…and determine what the right path is for their future.”

“The inclusion of UMBC in the most recent Princeton Review best colleges guide affirms our faculty and staff’s dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality of education for our students,” says Katharine Cole, vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs. “We are extremely proud to receive recognition for the outstanding holistic educational experience we provide.”

Students also commend UMBC on a continued commitment to an inclusive and supportive campus community. Retrievers note that the emphasis on diversity “enriches our school and everyone gets to know everyone despite culture or ethnicity.”

UMBC has also just been named to the Best College Values list for 2019 by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, ranking among the nation’s top 100 public universities for best value.