UMBC is a leading public research university known for innovative teaching, relevant research across disciplines, and a supportive community that empowers and inspires inquisitive minds. UMBC serves 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and combines the learning opportunities of a liberal arts college with the creative intensity of a leading research university. At the same time, UMBC is one of the country’s most inclusive education communities. UMBC also contributes to Maryland through strong government and industry partnerships that advance K–16 education, entrepreneurship, workforce training, and technology commercialization.
Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
‘Star Trek: Picard’ is set 400 years in the future, but, like most science fiction, it deals with issues in the here and now. The show’s third and final season provides a lens on cybersecurity.
The stress of experiencing high levels of community violence harms entire families.
skynesher/E+ via Getty Images
Loren Henderson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Ruby Mendenhall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chronic stress from living with systemic racism and gun violence can lead to increased symptoms of PTSD and depression as well as elevated cortisol levels.
Candidiasis is a severe fungal infection that can spread easily in medical facilities.
Atlas of Pulmonary Pathology/Flickr
Multidrug-resistant fungal infections are an emerging global health threat. Figuring out how fungi evade treatments offers new avenues to counter resistance.
‘Emotionally intelligent’ robots could improve their interactions with people.
Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images
Robots are already carrying out tasks in clinics, classrooms and warehouses. Designing robots that are more receptive to human needs could help make them more useful in many contexts.
Your genes determine the look of your navel.
Mike Kemp/Tetra images via Getty Images
Sarah Leupen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
All mammals who get nutrients from their parent via a placenta before birth are left with a belly button. It’s a visual reminder of this original connection.
Math scores plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. What will it take to raise them back up?
Ridofranz / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Manil Suri, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Nearly four decades after President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Math Awareness Week, math readiness and enrollment in college math programs continue to decline.
La rana coquí, Eleutherodactylus coqui, es lo bastante ruidosa como para despertar a la gente por la noche.
Éktor/flickr
Bernard Lohr, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
De los insectos a los pájaros, pasando por los murciélagos y las ranas, estos pequeños parlanchines han encontrado ingeniosas formas de transmitir sus mensajes a gran volumen.
Plastic, yes. But at least the bottles are being reused.
Marwan Naamani/AFP via Getty Images)
Communal meals to break fast can mean lots of single-use plastics. A switch to environmentally friendly principles is in line with Islamic principles through the ages.
The federal government has a lot of cybersecurity resources, but the private sector plays a key role in national cyber defense.
U.S. government
Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The new National Cybersecurity Strategy reiterates the government’s focus on resilient infrastructure and taking the offensive against hackers. But it also brings a fresh approach to the private sector.
One mathematical constant describes the population growth rate of a bunch of rabbits.
Supalerk Laipawat/EyeEm via Getty Images
Cellphones are constantly collecting location data from global satellites, but there is uncertainty about who is using these data, and for what purposes.
Travel restrictions can disrupt the best-laid plans.
damircudic/E+ via Getty Images
Bernard Lohr, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
From insects to birds to bats to frogs, these little loudmouths have found ingenious ways to deliver their messages at high volume.
Le poumon sur puce peut imiter les capacités physiques et mécaniques d'un poumon humain.
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University/Flickr
Chengpeng Chen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Les succès pharmaceutiques obtenus en laboratoire ne se traduisent pas forcément chez l'humain. Des modèles de recherche qui imitent mieux le corps humain pourraient combler cette lacune.
The lung-on-a-chip can mimic both the physical and mechanical qualities of a human lung.
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University/Flickr
Chengpeng Chen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Successes in the lab mostly don’t translate to people. Research models that better mimic the human body could close the gap.
Sam Bankman-Fried, once considered a star in the freewheeling world of cryptocurrency, has been charged with conspiracy, fraud and money laundering.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Amy Froide, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
In the Charitable Corporation Scandal, a group of politically connected directors leveraged the company’s altruistic image to attract investors – before raiding the funds to prop up other ventures.
Poor job prospects at home are prompting many students from India to pursue opportunity abroad.
Mayur Kakade via Getty Images
An expert on international education explains the forces behind the drop in students from China and the jump in students from India studying in the US.
People volunteer at a Native Alaskan voting station on Nov. 2, 2022 in Anchorage.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Voter demographics and policy priorities are two recurrent, big issues on Election Day – but shifts in election administration and voting laws are new challenges influencing the midterms.
A member of the National Guard patrols the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images