UMBC

Meyerhoff Scholar Rileigh Mansfield '26, mathematics, has excelled in applied math research in fields from from epidemiology to volcanology. Her journey took her from Ecuador to Rwanda, and now she heads to Stanford for a geophysics Ph.D. Her academic excellence is only matched by her spunk and adventurous spirit—she tries out for Survivor ever year.

UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program is celebrating its 500th graduate to earn a Ph.D. For more than 30 years, the program has been transforming STEM through high-achieving scholars who champion diversity.

Daniel Suarez-Forero aims to reveal quantum behaviors that existing tools can’t see, probe states that have so far been hidden, and help build the foundation for future technologies—all by shining quantum light into correlated materials, where electrons interact so intensely that they create physics impossible to replicate in standard conductors or insulators. His work, featured in two recent pap…

UMBC has secured $1.5 million in congressional funding to establish the UMBC Center for Precision Aquaculture, an interdisciplinary effort aimed at revolutionizing land-based fish production through real-time monitoring and smart technology.

Caring for others has always been central to who Maleeha Ahmed is. As the oldest of five children, she naturally stepped into caregiving roles early in life, supporting both family members and older adults in her community. Over time, she began to recognize that the work she had been doing informally for many years reflected the values and responsibilities of professional social work.

Just tackling the rigors of a college course load on its own can be daunting for any student. But when you add in the additional responsibilities and time of working and co-curriculars, it can become impossible…unless you’re Shawn Bearam, Jr., computer science. Throughout his time at UMBC, he saw how much value this level of involvement and responsibility added to his college career and saw it as…

Dear UMBC Community, Last week’s Administrative Professionals Day breakfast was a beautiful occasion to honor the integral contributions of UMBC’s administrative support staff. Across campus, their work brings order to complexity and clarity to what needs to happen next. They notice what others might miss, step in where needed, and ensure that the work of the university moves forward with intenti…

If senior Kayla Nemirovsky’s passport could talk, the first thing it would likely say is, “I’m tired.” Despite having local roots, first attending Mount Hebron High School in nearby Ellicott City and then continuing her academic career 10 miles away at UMBC, Nemirovsky has always felt most at home on a plane. She has visited over 30 (!) countries with no signs of stopping her travel now. Thanks t…

Eight UMBC students and alumni have been awarded the prestigious 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), a highly competitive honor that supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines. This year’s large cohort of Retriever recipients demonstrates the university's commitment to fostering research excellence and preparing students to become leaders in their…

Dear UMBC Community, In just a few short weeks, we will come together to celebrate the achievements of our graduates. Each year, we invite Commencement speakers who reflect the values of our institution and the possibilities before our students. I am excited to introduce the voices who will help mark this important moment. Please watch this video to learn more about our 2026 Commencement speakers…

Dear UMBC Community, It is hard to believe that we are more than halfway through April and a little more than a month away from spring Commencement! I know that everyone has been hard at work inside and outside the classroom, on campus and off, and I see in so many ways the fruits of your labor.  One recent example was the outstanding news that four UMBC students have been named Barry Goldwater S…

Dear UMBC Community, What an absolute delight it was recently to help welcome 200 sixth graders from Corkran Middle School in Glen Burnie for a special performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Many of you know that it is a dream of mine that every middle schooler in Maryland will visit our campus. Seeing the Corkran students arrive (on four school buses!) and fill the Proscenium Theatre was a b…

On April 22, more than 450 student presenters and their friends, mentors, and supporters will fill the Retriever Activities Center (RAC) for the 30th anniversary of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day.

Through a rigorous academic curriculum, service as a tutor, internships, tennis pick-up games, close friendships, and more, Manav Narendra ’26, mathematics and computer science, has made the most of his time at UMBC and built a strong foundation for future success in applied math and related fields. A leukemia survivor, Narendra has adopted a posture of gratitude and resilience, crediting in part…

Dear UMBC Community, I am writing to provide an update on our efforts following UMBC’s 2024 agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen and expand initiatives for preventing and responding to reports of sexual misconduct and sex discrimination under Title IX. The agreement followed a lengthy investigation by the DOJ that found systemic failures in the university’s Title IX c…

Dear UMBC Community, Thank you to those of you who have already shared your thoughts and feedback with the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Today, I write to advise you that the deadline for sharing your ideas about UMBC’s strategic plan and pillars via this survey is Friday, April 17. You can choose which sections of the survey to complete. All responses are anonymous and confidential. We also…

Four UMBC students have been named Barry Goldwater Scholars this year. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation supports talented college sophomores and juniors who aspire to become leading researchers in science, engineering, and mathematics in the U.S. The award is one of the most prestigious for undergraduates in STEM.

At UMBC, restorative practices have grown from a promising idea into a campus-wide movement—one shaped by dedicated staff and reaching far beyond the university itself. For Jeff Cullen, UMBC’s director of Student Conduct and Community Standards, this work has been years in the making. Now in his 18th year at the university, Cullen has helped guide the evolution of student conduct from a traditio…

Dear UMBC Community, One of the privileges of serving as president of UMBC is that the role gives me a view of the entirety of the institution and the chance to hear voices from all across it, through a regular cadence of engagement with shared governance groups on our campus.  My calendar was particularly full of such opportunities last week, as I participated in meetings of the Faculty Senate E…

New research from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) reveals how two different parts of the hippocampus—the brain’s memory center—team up in a key reward region to help mice, and likely humans, combine memories of places and contexts with the drive to pursue rewards. Better knowledge of how these reward-related circuits process and combine information could shed light on conditio…