WINTER 2012 / Connecting the University of Maryland Community
PINK or BLUE RESEARCHER UNCOVERS GENDER CODING IN KIDS' CLOTHES pg. 20
$10M CLASSROOM BUILDING GIFT 2 / LINGUISTS' BRAIN TRAINING 24 / REFUGEE TO PH.D. 28
F2012_TERP front cover FINAL2.indd 1
1/24/12 5:03 PM
34
letter from the editor P U B L I S H E d by Division of Universit y Rel ations A DV I S e R S
B
Brodie Remington Vice President, Universit y Rel ations
Brian Ullmann
Assistant Vice President, Marke ting and Communications
Margaret Hall
E xecutive Direc tor, Cre ative Str ategies
Brian Shook
interim e xecutive direc tor, Alumni Progr ams
Beth Morgen
Chief Administr ative Officer, Maryl and Alumni Association m ag a z i n e s ta f f
Lauren Brown Universit y Editor
John T. Consoli ’86 Creative Direc tor
Jeanette J. Nelson Art Direc tor
Monette A. Bailey ’89 Kelly Blake ’94 Mandie Boardman ’02 Monique Everette Karen Shih ’09 Tom Ventsias writers
Mira Azarm ’01 Joshua Harless Patti Look ’08 Catherine Nichols ’99 Brian G. Payne designers
Gail Rupert M.L.S. ’10 photography assistant
Kathy B. Lambird ’94 Produc tion Manager
Terp magazine is published by the Division of University Relations. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Send correspondence to Managing Editor, Terp magazine, 2101 Turner Building, College Park, MD 20742-1521. Or, send an email to terpmag@umd.edu. The University of Maryland, College Park is an equal opportunity institution with respect to both education and employment. University policies, programs and activities are in conformance with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
on the cover: Sarah Miriam Femat, 1, photographed by John T. Consoli
33
ack in 1989, the coolest students arrived at college with MacIntosh SE/30 desktop computers. I was not one of those students. I hauled into my freshman dorm a not-cool, not-sleek Panasonic word processor. I grudgingly relied on it—and a pile of spiral notebooks—to carry me through graduate school. Today, students have laptops that I swear are the thickness of a credit card, and they whip them out in Maryland’s wireless classrooms, posting questions in real time to professors’ Twitter accounts, to be streamed onto projectors. I got to thinking about this while researching what technology will be in the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center. (See story, page 2.) The answer was: Nobody knows yet. A panel of faculty and staff (like facilities and tech experts) is preparing recommendations for these “classrooms of tomorrow,” but it has an interesting dilemma. How do you plan for technology and trends that don’t exist yet? The building is scheduled to open in 2016, and it needs to meet bandwidth and hardware demands for the next four decades. But think about how fast technology has advanced in recent years—Google Docs, Wimba and classroom clickers have been reshaping the learning experience. Committee member and Center for Teaching Excellence Director Spencer Benson imagines lecture halls where an instructor writes on his iPad, and the notes instantly appear on students’ screens. Swivel armchairs would encourage smallgroup discussions in a way that my generation’s lecture halls with nailed-down seats didn’t. Flexible spaces would allow lecterns, tables and projectors to be shifted as needed. We often talk about innovation at Maryland in terms of research, but it’s also a priority in the university’s effort to transform undergraduate education. After my years of squinting at blackboards and scribbling notes on flip-up desks, I’m a little jealous.
5 Departments 2 In Brief 5 Ask Anne 6 Class Act
14 Innovation 18 Centerpiece 32 Giving
10 Campus Life
36 Interpretations
3
6
6
817
12
Lauren Brown University Editor
14
02 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 2
1/24/12 4:20 PM
winter 2012 vol. 9, no. 2
20
Features
20 DRESS CODE
An American studies professor’s new book examines why we dress our children in pink or blue. By Monette Austin Bailey ’89
24 BRAIN TRAINING
24
Maryland researchers are improving “working memory” skills that can help government language experts perform better. By Tom Ventsias
28 FROM REFUGEE TO PH.D.
A Somali native finds opportunity and hope as one of seven recipients of a new doctoral fellowship for top students from difficult backgrounds. By karen shih ’09
i c o n i n d i c at e s a d d i t i o n a l o n l i n e c o n t e n t
terpmag@umd.edu
online video news
28
terp.umd.edu
terpvision.umd.edu newsdesk.umd.edu
fac e b o o k .c o m /UnivofMaryland f l i c k r .c o m /photos/wwwumdedu t w i t t e r .c o m /UofMaryland v i m e o.c o m /umd yo u t u b e .c o m /UMD2101
Photography by John T. Consoli / Illustrations by Catherine Nichols, Brian G. Payne, Joshua Harless and Jeanette J. Nelson
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 1
winter 2012 terp
1/24/12 4:20 PM
in Brief
Alumnus Pledges $10M for Classroom Building with an education that would transform his life, a Baltimore developer and philanthropist is helping to transform education at Maryland. Edward St. John ’61 has pledged $10 million to support the construction of a high-tech classroom building that university leaders say will attract 10,000 students a day. Located on McKeldin Mall, the $63 million Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center will be the first new building on campus in 50 years dedicated solely to classroom space. “As a proud alum, I am keenly aware of how my education has continued to pay dividends throughout my career, and provided me with a solid foundation for success,” says St. John. “It has also afforded me the ability to give back to my state and my alma mater.” The proposed 47,900-square-foot building will be on the site of Holzapfel Hall, keeping its façade along Fifty years after leaving Maryland
An artist’s rendering (top of page) shows an interior atrium in the learning and teaching center named for alumnus Edward St. John (above).
2 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 2
the Mall. The classrooms and lecture halls there will replace those carved out from the rifle range in the old Armory, and will likely feature technology such as screen capture and live streaming of lectures. “This is one of our most-needed facilities,” says President Wallace Loh. “It will give students every educational advantage you’d expect from a worldclass university. Without Mr. St. John’s vision and generosity, this educational center might well have languished for many more years.” St. John, who earned an engineering degree at Maryland, founded the commercial real estate firm St. John Properties, which has developed more than 15 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space. Through the foundation that bears his name, he supports education throughout the BaltimoreWashington region. The state has committed to fund $48 million of the center’s costs; the university has been charged with raising the rest privately.–LB
Rendering courtesy of Interface Multimedia Inc. / St. John portrait by Corridor Inc. / Brain image by John T. Consoli
1/17/12 4:19 PM
8 WE’RE STILL A STEAL
Maryland ranks No. 8 on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s 2012 list of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges.
Center Probes Brain Function Over Lifetime The Maryland Neuroimaging Center, launched in September, allows researchers to examine the human brain in real time using noninvasive techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Faculty researchers, graduate students and others are using the facility to examine human development and cognitive function throughout the lifespan. Their work includes: 1 S tudying infants as young as three months to explore their unfolding memory systems. Elizabeth Redcay, psychology
2 Examining the brain mechanisms of children ages 8 to 15 to understand their social acceptance/ rejection behaviors. Nathan Fox, human development
3 combining the millimeter-level location information from fMRI with the millisecond-level timing information from MEG on college-age student volunteers to study how the brain processes language.
4 Seeing how the effects of exercise may stem cognitive decline in older adults. Carson Smith, kinesiology
Ellen Lau, Colin Phillips, linguistics
Maryland Floors Gary Williams Former men’s head basketball coach Gary Williams ’68 built a powerhouse squad from the ground up. In a dedication ceremony on Jan. 25, that ground—the Comcast Center floor—was named in his honor. It’s the latest tribute to Maryland’s winningest coach, the force behind 14 NCAA tournament appearances and the 2002 national championship title.–MLB winter 2012 terp 3
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 3
1/24/12 2:39 PM
Victory Is in the House students’ watershed showcases bright future
App Makes Safety a Snap Got an emergency?
The 2011 Solar Decathlon
liquid dessicant waterfall
O ne key element of WaterShed was the “liquid desiccant waterfall,” which uses a saline solution to pull moisture from the air and control humidity in the home. Designed for and first used in LEAFHouse, WaterShed’s version modi-
turned into a WaterShed event, with the university’s entry taking first place in the U.S. Department of Energy competition. The highly energy-efficient house beat out 19 others built by students around the world, including China and New Zealand in the contest held in Washington, D.C., last fall. WaterShed improved upon Maryland’s second-place finish in 2007 with LEAFHouse. “The whole experience has been a once-in-a-lifetime adventure,” says Allison Wilson, M. Arch ’11, one of the student leaders. “I think our whole team had dreamed about what winning would be like, but the reality is so much better.” More than 200 students from a variety of disciplines, including architecture, environmental science and engineering, worked to design and build the house. It features a split-butterfly roof that captures and uses rain and sunlight; a wetland that stores rainwater and filters household water; and a patent-pending dehumidification system. The team is in the process of selling the house and hopes it can be maintained to promote sustainable living in the Chesapeake region.–KS
There’s an app for that. M-Urgency, a new smartphone tool developed by computer science Professor Ashok Agrawala and his team in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, was scheduled to launch in January. With M-Urgency, anyone with a university ID can download the app and transmit streaming audio and video to the Public Safety dispatcher, who will be able to locate the caller through the phone’s built-in locator tool, whether GPS or cell tower triangulation. The application can not only serve the nearly 50,000 students, employees and visitors on campus every day, but also be adapted for any major city across the nation. “The technology, the way it is developed, can be deployed by anybody anywhere,” Agrawala says. The application is available only to Android users, but Agrawala plans to expand it to other platforms.–KS
where the liquid solution and humid air interact, increasing its efficacy.
4 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 4
A.
Q. A.
fies the salt solution and increases the surface area
Q.
(Left and above) Maryland students and faculty celebrate winning the Solar Decathlon, defeating 19 collegiate competitors from around the world.
Photography courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
1/24/12 3:02 PM
ASK ANNE
Questions for Anne Turkos, the University Archivist
Q.
A.
Q.
I’ve heard different accounts of pranks against Maryland, including one regarding Florida State University stealing Testudo. What’s the story behind it all? —Bryan Shuy ’05
You are correct that Testudo was captured on several occasions. The most famous occurrences involve the University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University. Florida State didn’t join the ACC until long after Testudo had been filled with steel rods and cement and bolted to his pedestal in front of McKeldin Library, so it’s unlikely that he traveled to visit the Seminoles.
Do you know where Adele Stamp is buried?
—Ashley Venneman
A.
Adele Stamp, an alumna and first dean of women (1922-60), died on Oct. 17, 1974, and her memorial service was at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in College Park. Her obituary did not list her place of burial, but after much research, we found that the remains of Adele Stamp were delivered to Johns Hopkins Medical School for research.
A.
Questions may be sent to terpmag@umd.edu or @UMDarchives on Twitter. online
lib.umd.edu/univarchives
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 5
blog
lib.umd.edu/blogs/univarch_exhibits/
fac e b o o k
Q.
Who came up with the idea to have the “M” planted in flowers and when did this first take place? —gary kilton
Frank Brewer, who retired in December as associate vice president of administrative affairs after 42 years at Facilities Management, knew the story. He credits Charley Jantho, former director of physical plant (the precursor of Facilities Management), and Bob Hafer, former assistant director for operations there, with coming up with the idea in the 1975-76 academic year. The occasion? Celebrating the nation’s bicentennial. A grounds employee, James Adams, oversaw construction of the “M”. The 1977 yearbook featured photos of the construction, and the full floral “M” first appeared in the 1979 yearbook.
University of Maryland University Archives
winter 2012 terp 5
1/25/12 9:57 AM
class act
alumni profile / Julie Keough ’87 and Mike keough ’87
E-cyclers Support Second Chances Julie (Klein) Keough ’87 started out at Maryland focused on academics.
Mike Keough ’87 was more interested in socializing. But, since meeting at the Vous, they’ve combined their yin and yang to form a lasting marriage and a successful e-cycling company. She’s an electrical engineer, and he spent years in waste management. Both noticed too few options for government agencies and businesses seeking secure and environmentally responsible disposal of electronics. In 2003, the Keoughs founded E-Structors Inc., an Elkridge, Md.-based electronics recycling and data destruction business. In 2010, it recycled approximately 22 million pounds of discarded computers, televisions and cell phones. Their mission extends beyond environmentalism. Worried about the lack of job prospects for their oldest son, who has multiple disabilities, they began working with local community programs to employ others with disadvantages or from other marginalized groups. Today, 20 percent of the company’s work force has disabilities. The entire staff also undergoes disability awareness training to strengthen employees’ understanding of each other. “Most companies talk about adding social components, but very few actually put that into practice,” Mike Keough says. “We’re changing the mindset of the work force. They see someone with a disability struggling on the street, they are now not afraid to engage and help.”–MB
“
” The Evolution of Terp Traditions Testudo, it turns out, is one adaptable mascot. He’s gone from a 1930s hep Terp to a jolly 1970 jogger to a muscular menace, a fascinating evolution featured in the new book “University of Maryland Traditions.” The fun and breezy book, by alums and longtime Office of Marketing and Communications directors Margaret Hall and Linda Martin, also documents the campus hangouts, tailgating customs and romantic traditions carried on over the past 150 years. To find out more, visit www.traditionsu.com/UMD.–LB 6 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 6
—Mike Keough
1920
1935
1936 Photography by John T. Consoli
1/24/12 2:39 PM
h
Alumni Travel 2012
alumni profile / maurette brown clark ’89
The Gospel of Maurette Gospel music always gave Maurette Brown Clark ’89 the spiritual and emotional support she needed—but she never imagined it was how she’d make a living. Now she’s promoting her fourth album, touring the country and working with other stars of the genre. “Music is part of who I am,” says the wife and mom, whose two young girls have sung on her albums. “My purpose has always been to touch people’s hearts, make them believe that better days are ahead.” Growing up on Long Island, N.Y., Clark performed with her three siblings and the church choir but never thought her voice was special. She came to Maryland as a business major, placing second in the Miss Black Unity Pageant and joining Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the gospel choir. “She has a tremendous voice and presence—a big voice coming out of
this tiny little body,” says friend Kecia Hansard ’89. “That’s how a lot of people started to know her on campus.” Clark worked briefly in the business world after graduating but felt something was missing. “I just prayed and asked God, ‘What am I supposed to be doing?’” she says. “He said, ‘Bless people through your
SPAIN For more information, visit alumni.umd.edu or contact Angela Dimopoulos ’07 at 301.405.7938 / 800.336.8627 or adimop@umd.edu.
music.’” First collaborating with well-known gospel singers like Richard Smallwood and Daniel Winans, then setting out on her own, Clark has found success. Her first three albums earned her multiple Stellar Awards, the most prestigious award in gospel, and her new album, “The Sound of Victory,” was released in November. In February, she’s performing in London.–KS
1989
1955 1942
1970
1945 Photograph courtesy of Nettie’s Child Music and Management LLC
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 7
Oct. 18–28
1979 winter 2012 terp 7
1/19/12 12:04 PM
| Bookshelf |
by Alumni
ACC Basketball: The Story of the Rivalries, Traditions, and Scandals of the First Two Decades of the Atlantic Coast Conference by Samuel Walker M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’74 recreates the action of nail-biting games and recruiting battles without losing sight of the central off-court questions the league faced.
Helen S. Garson Ph.D. ’67 documents the many aspects of Oprah’s life, incorporating the details of her public, private and philanthropic personas in Oprah Winfrey: A Biography, Second Edition. The seven added chapters contain new information about Oprah’s career, personal life and efforts to reach out to poor and poorly educated girls in America and Africa.
Five Times the Scholarships
students reap alumni rewards
Thanks to its members, the Maryland Alumni Association
has multiplied its scholarship offerings and expanded them beyond incoming students. The alumni association will provide 15 scholarships this fall; 10 undergraduates will be awarded $2,000 apiece, and five graduate students will each receive $3,000. Previously, the alumni association awarded up to three full-year scholarships for incoming freshmen only. In addition to a minimum 3.0 GPA for undergraduates and 3.8 GPA for graduate students, ideal applicants will volunteer in their communities or on campus, participate in extracurricular activities and write a compelling essay on building Terrapin spirit among the student body. Representatives of the alumni association’s scholarship committee will give special consideration to relatives of alumni association members. Wanda Alexander ’81, president and CEO of Horizon Consulting, chairs the scholarship committee. “It is a win-win for students, and for the alumni association,” she says. “We are offering five times the number of scholarships while raising the importance of alumni association membership among future alumni.” For more information on the Maryland Alumni Association Scholarship program, including the Col. J. Logan Schutz Legacy Scholarship, visit alumni.umd.edu. –BM
In Performance-Driven IT Management: Five Practical Steps to Business Success, Ira S. Sachs ’80 introduces a novel five-step process called performancedriven management and explains in detail how risk can be reduced on large IT programs and projects.
8 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 8
1/24/12 2:39 PM
class notes alumni profile / Joanne Pérodin ’06, M.P.H. ’09
Health and Hope in Haiti
To submit notes, send an email to terpmag@umd.edu.
’10s
Joanne Pérodin ‘06, M.P.H. ‘09 demonstrates how to splint a broken arm during first-aid training for custodial staff of a Port-au-Prince school. Jessica (Bauer) Smith ’10 and Brian Smith ’08 were mar-
ried on Sept. 17 in Mount Airy, Md. Samuel King ’09 served as best man, Benjamin King ’07 was a groomsman, and many Terps were among the guests.
’90s When the 2010 earthquake hit her native Haiti, Joanne Pérodin ’06, M.P.H. ’09 quickly mobilized friends, family and colleagues from the School of Public Health to help prepare survival kits. She gathered water treatment tablets, antibiotics, protein bars, water, surgical gloves, helmets, flashlights, hammers and ropes, then drove them 1,000 miles to Florida to be taken by a medical team to Port-au-Prince. She did all this not knowing the fate of her parents in that city, whom she learned three days later had survived. Pérodin continues to promote public health in Haiti as an independent volunteer, even as she works full-time as a program coordinator at the Children’s Environmental Health Network in Washington, D.C. “There are so many simple things that need to be done in Haiti,” she says. “We need to help kids understand the importance of public health from a young age—everything from the need for water treatment and hand washing to the need to prevent deforestation.” Pérodin has helped develop educational materials aimed at preventing
cholera transmission and has trained students on first aid, disaster preparedness and environmental sustainability. “I did a first-aid training with Haitian college students in July 2011, and people got very emotional just talking about how to stop bleeding,” Pérodin says, describing the lingering trauma from the quake. “They said, ‘If only I knew those simple things, I would have been able to save some relatives.’” Pérodin wants to ensure the information she shares will extend beyond her periodic visits, saying that because many nonprofits don’t stay in Haiti, neither do their messages. At her last training, Pérodin encouraged people to create ID cards with emergency contact information and to decide with their families and communities several gathering sites in the event of a disaster. “I have no idea if any change will take place,” she says, “but Haitians are always hopeful.” –KB –KB
Jennifer Steinberg Holland ’98, a senior writer at
National Geographic magazine, was interviewed on network TV morning shows, including CNN and CBS, this summer to promote her bestselling book “Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom.” The New York Times called it “irresistible.”
D.J. Patil M.A. ‘99, Ph.D. ‘01
appears on the cover of the February issue of Fast Company. Patil, of Greylock Partners in Silicon Valley, is ranked with Jeff Hammerbacher as No. 2 among the “World’s 7 Most Powerful Data Scientists.” The magazine lauds them for building “the first formal science data teams” at Facebook and LinkedIn. Want to see more Class Notes? Visit w w w.t e r p.u m d. e d u/c l a s s n o t e s .
Photography by John T. Consoli / Photos courtesy of Joanne Pérodin and Jessica Smith
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 9
winter 2012 terp 9
1/19/12 11:38 AM
campus life
Maryland Day 2011 By the Numbers:
7,691
Dairy ice cream scoops served
1,000+
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books signed by Jeff Kinney ‘93
Double Life for Elite Triathlete Going into her fourth Ironman World Championship in October, Lindsay Wohlers M.S. ’09 knew exactly what she’d be up against: a “boxing match” in the Pacific Ocean of swimmers punching, kicking and hitting; hours of cycling that would send shooting pains through her hip and back; and a run through Hawaiian lava fields where the temperature hits a punishing 110 degrees. She’s competed around the world in seven of the grueling Ironman triathlons, earning a ranking among the elite. And Wohlers has risen to the top while earning her master’s degree in kinesiology and, this spring, completing a doctorate. “It definitely becomes an addiction,” Wohlers says. “I have to decide what I’m doing next because it’s hard to balance a career, triathlons and eventually starting a family.” Wohlers works in the lab of Assistant Professor Espen Spangenburg, studying the link between the hormonal changes associated with menopause, hysterectomy and some breast cancer treatments and women’s risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. She trains about 22 hours each week, often sneaking in a run, ride or swim while lab experiments are running. Her finishing time in 2011 put her 10th in her age group (25-29), not her best showing, as stomach problems set her back 20 minutes. “I’m still happy to have the honor of competing in Kona,” she says. “To finish in the top 10 in the world, even on an off day, is not something I can complain about.”–KB
97,200 guests
Maryland Day comes roaring back on April 28, celebrating the 150th anniversary of land-grant universities. Back by popular demand: Hornbake Plaza’s free health and fitness festival, including a cooking stage featuring “Today” show nutritionist Joy Bauer ‘86; the Big Top stage, live performances, children’s workshops, interactive events and much more. marylandday.umd.edu
10 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012 final-1.indd 10
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
1/18/12 5:19 PM
Creativity Lives at Writers’ House When students in the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House announced in the fall that they wanted to create a community newsletter, Director Johnna Schmidt expected a “little zine” that would get distributed in bathroom stalls in Dorchester Hall. Within two weeks, however, the staff numbered 11 and had built a website and a Facebook page, both featuring a variety of lively, timely stories about House events. That’s the kind of creativity regularly pumped out by the Writers’ House, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. It offers the Writers Here and Now visiting author series, Terpoets open mic nights, the literary journal Stylus, a study abroad program in Chile and outreach activities. “The Writers’ House creates this dynamic, hot molten core of student activity,” says Schmidt. “It’s like a group of literary activists who are continually redefining what it means to be a student of creative writing.”
The house, one of the university’s living and learning programs, is named for two writers with Maryland ties: Juan Ramón Jiménez, a Nobel Prize-winning former professor, and Katherine Anne Porter, who left a portion of her papers to the university. Students across campus participate in its activities; Terpoets this year has attracted an Orthodox Jewish beat boxer, a dreadlock-wearing spoken word poet and a ukelele player. Jihan Asher, a senior majoring in history, expects to volunteer again for Postcards from My Country, a Writers’ House program at nearby Northwestern High School. Maryland poetry students mentor newly emigrated teens who are learning English as a second language and want to write about their home countries. “It was a little awkward and intimidating,” Asher says of her initial experience last year. “But the kids warmed up to us really quickly. Now they’re seasoned pros.”–LB
Masterpiece
Arts Buff? Then Be a “Storyteller” Are you an intrepid explorer? A serious kidder? A soul stirrer? If so, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center wants to hear your story. For its 10th anniversary season, the center is celebrating “10 years in the company of extraordinary minds” with its Storytellers initiative. Through videos and Web posts, alumni, students, faculty, donors,
patrons and artists are sharing firsthand accounts about the power of the performing arts in their lives. Storytellers have included a retired guitar teacher, a dance graduate who performs professionally and Clarice Smith (above). Sarah Levitt ’07, a resident artist at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, described
how she loved the artistic process. “An important part of the artistic process is the ‘not knowing’—being really comfortable being scared and surprised by what you’re doing every day.” The center also has a video booth at selected performances all season where patrons are invited to share their thoughts. “We believe our community is extraordinary, and we want to hear from them about who
Wohler photographs courtesy of FinisherPix and by John T. Consoli / Pencil house created by Patti Look / Storytellers photography by Zachary Z. Handler
terp_win2012 campus life-1.indd 11
they are and what they care about,” says Susie Farr, the center’s director. “These are the people who make the center what it is.”–LB
Soul stirrers, provocateurs, art nuts and more are featured at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/ 2010/c/engage09/storytellers.
winter 2012 terp 11
1/19/12 12:09 PM
play by play
Golfer “Putts” Talent to Work for Charity Emily Gimpel swung her first golf club at age 3. She played constantly with her dad at the golf course next to their home. By age 10, she was competing in local tournaments, and by high school, at the national level. Today, she’s a sophomore golfer majoring in kinesiology and using her skills to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Gimpel is a first-year transfer from the College of William and Mary, where she was named second team All-CAA. Seven years earlier, her cousin Kiersten Riley was diagnosed with leukemia, from which she later recovered. At age 13, she and friends from Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in her native Lafayette Hill, Pa., started Junior Golf Clubs Cancer. They initially collected donated golf clubs and sold them on eBay and to retail stores to raise revenue. Since 2007, they’ve also held an annual golf tournament. The group has raised more than $100,000 for pediatric cancer research and to support families dealing with these diseases. In July, its annual adult-golf Tournament raised $11,000 to benefit St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children. “It’s amazing to see how big it’s gotten. We were just kids in a room with notebooks trying to help our community,” says Gimpel.–MB
No. 1 Then & Now
Maryland racked up its 13th national championship in a decade this fall, with the women’s field hockey team (below) topping North Carolina, 3–2, in overtime. It was the team’s eighth national title and fifth in seven years. On April 1, 2002, MVP Juan Dixon (above) celebrates the Terps’ 64–52 victory over Indiana to claim the NCAA title. Members of that team, including Steve Blake, Chris Wilcox, Byron Mouton and Mike Grinnon, took the court at the Comcast Center for the alumni game at October’s Maryland Madness.
12 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012 campus life-1.indd 12
1/24/12 2:44 PM
Sharing Her Gift of Life Odunola “Ola” Ojewumi spends her spare time collecting teddy bears and books for a children’s hospital and raising awareness of organ donor registration, so it’s easy to say she has a big heart. It’s just not the one she was born with. Ojewumi, a junior majoring in government and politics, had a heart and kidney transplant at age 12. She’d been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that makes the heart work harder. Subsequent treatments weakened her kidneys. “When I woke up four days after the surgery, I was angry. … I was in deep denial about it all,” she says. “Starting the foundation was my way of saying this is real.” Though she still suffers from an immune disease and relies on a wheelchair, the 20-year-old created Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation in 2009. Using $5,000 she was awarded last year by mtvU, she expanded its scope to support a local girls’ mentoring program. Eventually, she hopes to provide grants to help families with transplant costs. Last summer, the aspiring lawyer interned in President Obama’s Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. She also won a United Nations Award in 2010 that allowed her to travel to Guatemala and learn about efforts to help women escape from poverty and violence. “My reaction was, ‘Oh my God, what am I complaining about?’ I am beyond grateful for everything.”–MAB
“Starting the foundation was my way of saying this is real.” —ola ojewumi
Amount raised for Children’s National Medical Center by Terp Thon in 2011. The student-run organization will hold its third annual 12-hour dance marathon at Cole Student Activities Building on March 10.
To support the effort, visit www. helpmakemiracles. org/participant/ generaldonation.
Gimpel and Ojewumi photographs by John T. Consoli / Basketball photo courtesy of Rich Clarkson, NCAA / Field hockey photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics / Illustration by Margaret Hall
terp_win2012 campus life-1.indd 13
winter 2012 terp 13
1/19/12 12:09 PM
innovation
22
Improving Food Safety UMD Leads $9M Effort to refine standards for salad veggies
pounds of tomatoes are consumed each year by the average American.
75 percent of the spinach eaten in the U.S. comes fresh, not frozen.
90 percent of the shrimp eaten by Americans originates from overseas.
14 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012 innovation-1.indd 14
A salad made from fresh greens and tomatoes
has to be healthy, right? The answer is “yes”—unless the lettuce is irrigated with bacteria-laden water, or the tomatoes are grown next to large-scale livestock or poultry pens emanating airborne pathogens. The University of Maryland is leading a national effort to develop the scientific knowledge needed to implement a series of food safety metrics—involving water, environment, handling and supply chain variables—for leafy greens and tomatoes. The Specialty Crop Research Initiative announced in October joins Maryland researchers with scientists at six other universities and two federal agencies to help prevent food-borne illnesses like the 2006 E. coli outbreak
in spinach that killed three people and sickened hundreds of others in 26 states. Funded by an almost $5.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture along with similar funding from the produce industry, the three-year project will address risk factors and control systems involving every level of the food industry, from local farmers to international corporations. “The USDA is looking for science-based benchmarks that are stringent, yet can be adapted for different regions and climates across the country,” says Robert Buchanan, director of the university’s Center for Food Systems Security and Safety and lead investigator of the project.–TV
Testing, Testing... The university, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Waters Corp., a manufacturer of food safety testing equipment, launched the International Food Safety Training Laboratory in September in College Park. The lab is training foreign food service professionals in how to inspect food shipments bound for the United States.
2 1
Bacteria illustrations by Patti Look
1/24/12 2:46 PM
NewsDesk
University of Maryland faculty are the source news media turn to for expertise.
Genovation for a New Generation
“Government employees want to bring their iPhones to work. There is increasing demand by individual employees to use Apple products with government work because they like them and want them.”—Don Kettl,
The university’s wind tunnel helped put the Ford Taurus on the road to success. Now, a Maryland alumnus hopes it will do the same for his sporty new electric car. With a grant from Mtech, the entrepreneurship arm of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, Andrew Saul M.B.A. ’93 and his company, Genovation, are developing a two-door, high-end vehicle called the G2. “We’re trying to make the car as green as possible without compromising safety and reliability,” Saul says. “There’s nothing like it on the market.” The G2 features tires made from natural rubber, floor mats made from recycled plastic bottles, and body panels of soybean-based fiberglass. The aluminum frame makes it light and aerodynamic, increasing efficiency. The $135,000 grant to support the wind tunnel testing comes from Mtech’s Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program, which funds collaborations between faculty and startups based in the state. Two versions of the G2 will be produced: one all-electric vehicle that can run for about 100 miles, and another with a range extender (a small gasoline engine) that can power the batteries in case a charging station can’t be found. The starting price will be $60,000, and it should be available to order by 2013.–KS
dean, School of Public Policy, on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ plans to buy 1,000 iPhones and iPhones, in Bloomberg. com Businessweek, Oct. 10, 2011.
TH
IN
K
D
IF
FE
RE
NT
“Taking off a sweater, or otherwise revealing flesh, can significantly change the way someone’s intelligence is perceived.”—Kurt Gray, psychology, co-author of a study that found men who show more skin are viewed as less competent and more sensitive. The (U.K.) Daily Mail, Nov. 11, 2011.
“You may see a picture—it may be a mountain or a person. What I see is the computational trace.” —Ray Liu, electrical and computer engineering, on scientists’ work to detect whether digital photos have been altered, in The Boston Globe, Dec. 5, 2011.
6 5 Sustainability highlights
1. body Soybean-based fiberglass panels 2. Battery Non-toxic 3. Tires Natural rubber-infused
3
4
4. carpeting Recycled bottles 5. Frame Aluminum and aerodynamic 6. Seats Soy-based foam
Newsdesk illustration by Brian G. Payne / Genovation rendering courtesy of Andrew Saul
terp_win2012 final.indd 15
winter 2012 terp 15
1/18/12 11:05 AM
faculty Q & A
A Force for Justice The App Economy
In 2011, at least
Sacoby Wilson turned a tough childhood into a flourishing career focused on environmental justice and health disparities due to the environment, poverty, race and other factors. Just recruited from the University of South Carolina, the energetic assistant professor in the School of Public Health talked to Terp about what motivates him.
182,000 + $12.19 billion new jobs
more than
in wages and benefits were created by Facebook and mobile technology applications.
Source: New research by Il-Horn Hann and Siva Viswanathan at the Robert H. Smith School of Business
16 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012 innovation-1.indd 16
1/24/12 4:35 PM
You grew up outside Vicksburg, Miss., near the nuclear plant where your dad worked, an oil refinery, a wastewater treatment facility and more, and just two miles from the Mississippi River. What was that like? I’d go fishing with my
father and uncles, walking through the woods, catching crayfish. I loved nature. But the big thing was that I was diagnosed with alopecia at age 7. It was really bad. I wanted to know why I lost all my hair, what environmental stressors may have caused it—though back then I didn’t use those words. Between your family’s poverty and taunts about your baldness and color, how did you end up being the first in your family to go to college? I was like Job. I got picked
on all the time. I got suspended from school nine times—and that was just for the fights I got caught in, though I don’t think I started any of them! Science and books were my escape. I got into the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a supermagnet high school, and it was very accelerated. College was easy compared to that. So how did you end up studying environmental justice?
I wanted to be a doctor, but in my sophomore year, I met NAACP President Benjamin Chavis, who coined the term “environmental racism,” and my mentor, Robert Bullard, the father of the environmental justice movement. They made me want to focus my efforts on environmental justice and health issues. How would you describe it? It’s a social movement, and a social justice framework, and an environmental justice and public health justice movement. It’s about freedom, and the melding of the environmental and civil rights movements. Where does your research fit in? I really like working
with community leaders and grassroots organizers fighting to clean up their communities and get social justice. Now I plan to develop partnerships in Maryland.
How did your move to Maryland go? We showed up
at our place, and there were cat pee stains on the carpet, paint chips, mold and mildew, and our baby was crawling everywhere! I wrote a letter to the property owner listing all of the environmental health hazards and other problems in the house. I used terms like “neurotoxicity,” “teratogenic” and “carcinogenic.” He was messing with the wrong guy. We ended up moving to another place, and the property management company reimbursed us for everything.
Wilson illustration by Brian G. Payne / Photography by John T. Consoli / HPV prevention illustration by Jeanette J. Nelson
terp_win2012 innovation-1.indd 17
Study Takes Shot at HPV Prevention Too few African-American girls are getting a vaccine that could prevent cancer, and a new study led by communication Assistant Professor Xiaoli Nan is leading a study of ways to change that. The director of the university’s Center for Communication, Health and Risk, she’s heading an interdisciplinary team that received $150,000 from the National Institutes of Health to study parents’ and other caregivers’ attitudes toward the HPV vaccine. HPV is a common, sexually transmitted virus that usually causes no symptoms, but can cause cervical cancer and other forms of disease. The Centers for Disease Control recommends females ages 9-26 get the HPV vaccine. African Americans have higher cervical cancer incidence and fatality rates and lower HPV vaccination completion rates than non-Hispanic whites. “Studies have shown that African Americans have negative ideas about vaccines. They have trust issues with the government and with health care,” says Nan, who is working with cancer prevention researchers from the School of Public Health. “And they have misinformation about the vaccine.” Nan and her research team are interviewing caregivers of AfricanAmerican girls ages 9-17 in an effort to develop messages that may influence them to support HPV vaccination.–ME
winter 2012 terp 17
1/19/12 10:56 AM
centerpiece
Planning Ahead » The university’s 2011–2030 Facilities Master Plan, now under final review, reaffirms Maryland’s commitment to an “inspiring” and green campus. Recommendations focus on sustainable practices and environmental stewardship; landscape design and land use; and vehicular and pedestrian traffic on routes like Campus Drive, shown here in a photo taken from the top of Hornbake Library. Read the full document at www.facstage.umd.edu/MasterPlan/index.cfm.
18 terp WINter winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 18
Photograph by John T. Consoli
1/26/12 10:48 AM
Photograph by John T. Consoli
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 19
winter 2012 terp 19 WINTER
1/24/12 4:20 PM
dress c Profes sor’s new
20 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012.indd 20
book deciphers the
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
1/17/12 3:53 PM
e s cod
te onet M by
ey Bail n i t Aus
ing hers the language of kids’ cloth
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
terp_win2012.indd 21
winter 2012 terp 21
1/17/12 3:54 PM
D
ressed comfortably in her brother’s plain, handme-down T-shirts and blue jeans, a young Jo Paoletti sewed clothes for her Ginny doll and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, before she’d pursue her career as a cowboy. Paoletti, now an associate professor of American studies at Maryland, understands that her freedom to explore traditionally male and female apparel and interests—without people questioning her gender identity—has a complicated history. Researching her new book, “Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America,” Paoletti discovered the distinction involves much more than colors. The book, published in February by Indiana University Press, is the result of Paoletti’s 30-year quest to answer this simple question: When did we start dressing girls in pink and boys in blue? “There’s no one point in history when this was decided. I was hoping there was; it would’ve made my research simpler,” she says. “It depended on where you lived; what rules you were following, if any; your ethnicity … I was surprised at how complicated this was.” Even before its release, the book has generated buzz from WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi and foreign journalists. An expert on gender and clothing, she also frequently provides insight into national conversations on this topic. She
22 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012 pink and blue.indd 22
was interviewed for a New York Times Magazine article on princess culture and was the focus of a Smithsonian magazine piece. FoxNews.com solicited her comments on the debate about a J. Crew ad featuring a mom painting her little boy’s toenails pink. Discovery.com sought her expertise on raising a genderless child, and she appeared on BBC Radio to comment on the U.K.-based Pink Stinks movement. Susan B. Kaiser, a professor and master adviser in the Division of Textiles and Clothing at the University of California, Davis, calls “Pink and Blue” an “interdisciplinary tour de force.” With children’s clothing sales estimated to top $43 billion in 2011, what parents put on their offspring is big business. Children’s clothing choices, driven in large part by the industry’s marketing machine, are also attached to adults’ psyches. “We care about our kids, their identities, and … it matters because we’re not sure. There’s a lot of anxiety parents have about children’s sexuality. Little boys don’t know that their wanting to wear pink causes their parents to head for the phone to call a psychiatrist,” Paoletti says. That explains the dustups caused in the past year by parents who’ve taken less traditional stances. In Toronto, a family is raising eyebrows by choosing not to identify its youngest child’s gender. A little boy from Seattle unwittingly became a national topic last year when his mom wrote a book about her “princess boy.”
White gowns denoted infancy, more so than gender, until boys reached toddler ages. (1899-1900)
By the time of this family’s 1953 photo, most boys’ and girls’ clothing clearly defined their genders.
Cut paper art by Catherine Nichols / Image of boy in dress courtesy of University of Maryland Costume and Textile Collection
1/24/12 2:41 PM
Nineteenth-century boys wore dresses or skirts just as easily as their female peers. (ca. 1870)
This insecurity about gender identification doesn’t extend to girls. “At the turn of the last century, it was thought that it was good for a girl to go through the tomboy phase,” says Paoletti. It was their sexuality that came, and still comes, into question with clothing choices. “For girls, part of the problem is that the way we define femininity is by sexual attractiveness. If you really look at feminine clothes, they’re about ‘How sexually available do I want to look?’” In her book, Paoletti focuses on the clothing of children up to about the age of 7, about the time they learn genderappropriate dress and apply it to their identities. After combing through old catalogs, patterns, baby books, paper doll collections, children’s literature and related sources, Paoletti found that infant boys and girls were dressed as “asexual cherubs” through the early 1900s—wearing white gowns and generic rompers. Clothing distinctions occurred more between groups: infants, toddlers (gowns swapped for pants to ease walking) and older children (more prints used). Pink, along with other pastel hues, was just a baby color. Several factors contributed to what Paoletti calls the current “reign of pink” as a girl color: Feminists rejecting pink in the 1970s as a feminine marker actually gave it more weight. Parents in the mid-’80s, who were raised in the unisex
overalls and turtlenecks of the ’60s and ’70s, wanted more distinction for their children. And just as parents in the late 1800s weren’t comfortable creating small versions of distinctly male or female clothing, says Paoletti, neither are today’s parents comfortable with gender ambiguity. Girls can now wear shades of blue and still be girls, though boys aren’t afforded the same consideration when wearing pink. Since social norms and gender expression are constantly shifting, she acknowledges that her book is not a definitive work and hopes that it sparks continuing research by others. “Jo’s work allows us to step back and see the importance of what children are wearing—not simply the aesthetics, but the meaning of clothing, the social … manipulation,” says Kathleen Rowold, professor and interim chair of Indiana University’s apparel merchandising and interior design department. Paoletti, whose daughter and son are in their 20s, just wants to help people understand that what children wear is as much a function of their environment as their preferences. And it doesn’t have any solid bearing on what they’ll be when they grow up. “Ask any parent how easy it is to get a child to be what you want them to be,” she says. “If it were that easy, we’d all be dressing our kids like Einstein.”
“Little boys don’t know that their wanting to wear pink causes their parents to head for the phone to call a psychiatrist.”— Jo Paoletti Image of African American baby courtesy of Daniel Murray Collection, Library of Congress / Family photo courtesy of Linda Martin
terp_win2012 pink and blue.indd 23
winter 2012 terp 23
1/24/12 2:42 PM
24 terp winter 2012
S2012_TERP_caslV4.indd 24
1/17/12 12:08 PM
training UMD research in working memory By Tom Ventsias improves government linguists’ performance Most of us can easily recall the name of our first-grade teacher. But what about a street name and house number jotted down just minutes earlier? The brain activity used for the latter, known as “working memory,” is how humans focus on immediate mental tasks involving multiple bits of information. Discovering the cognitive process behind working memory—and how it applies to language and culture—is of prime interest at the Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL), a partnership between the university and the federal government in what may be the nation’s top language research facility. Maryland faculty are using behavioral testing, sophisticated brain-imaging techniques and mental exercises that can dramatically “beef up” working memory skills, all in an effort to expand and enhance the language capabilities of the U.S. intelligence community and the military.
winter 2012 terp 25
S2012_TERP_caslV4.indd 25
1/17/12 12:08 PM
“The mission and landscape for language analysts has shifted immensely in the last decade,” says Richard Brecht, director of CASL. “Linguists today are tasked with interpreting information that is often ambiguous, spoken or written in colloquial dialects, and transmitted through social media like Twitter or blogs.” To gain an edge in this new environment, Brecht says, analysts need sharper cognitive skills that allow them to perform complex tasks under duress. For instance, a specialist at the National Security Agency might overhear a conversation about an imminent plot in an obscure dialect and in code. Or a military linguist in Afghanistan might have to interpret both the verbal and body language of local elders in a remote village, while under enemy fire. “The working memory research at CASL coincides with our own work in improving fluid intelligence, which is the ability to reason quickly and to think abstractly,” says Harold Hawkins, a cognitive psychologist and program manager with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Department of Defense agency that provides scientific and technical knowledge to the Navy and Marine Corps. “Both are essential to decision makers who have to react on a dime under very uncertain conditions.”
Total Recall
Most government language experts are already proficient in working memory. They have to be. The research at CASL is intended to build upon this expertise, similar to keeping an athlete in shape with a dedicated exercise regimen. “We’re basically looking to strengthen their brains to help keep them on task better,” says Michael Dougherty, an associate professor of psychology who is leading much of the working memory research at Maryland. In his Decision, Attention and
Memory Lab, Dougherty develops brief, cost-efficient behavioral tests that assess working memory skills. They’re an effective option for the federal government to screen candidates for foreign language training. The tests can also evaluate the cognitive process of people from almost any age group—from children having difficulty with math or reading to older adults seeing a memory decline. A series of online exercises that Dougherty created, asking users quickly recall locations and differences in sets of numbers or letters flashed on a computer screen, is particularly useful for pinpointing how and where working memory occurs. “There are very specific networks in the brain that relate to the maintenance and updating of information,” Dougherty explains. “If we can actually see that happening, it gives us a place to look for physical changes related to an improvement or a decline in cognitive skills.” These neural networks play an important role in working memory, says Donald “D.J.” Bolger, an assistant professor of human development who works closely with Dougherty. “Cognitive scientists have known for decades which areas of the brain control specific functions related to language interpretation and language processing,” Bolger says. “But we’re just starting to understand these areas as complex networks that work in concert together for different tasks.” The Maryland Neuroimaging Center (see page 3) offers Bolger and others detailed insight into this research. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, scientists can observe real-time images of the brain as test subjects perform language-related tasks. These fMRI scans play an important role in other work by Bolger and Dougherty. In one ONR-funded project, the two Maryland researchers—in collaboration with other experts at CASL—are
26 terp winter 2012
S2012_TERP_caslV4.indd 26
1/17/12 12:08 PM
testing how stress affects working memory. Once again, subjects are asked to recall the sequence and placement of data on a computer screen, but this time there are audio interruptions and other stimuli that cause anxiety, with the fMRI capturing every minute change of oxygen levels in the brain. Ultimately, Bolger and Dougherty want to ramp up what they call “cognitive control networks” that will allow people, including military personnel, to perform better under stress.
Your Brain on a Treadmill
In a sense, brain components are similar to individual muscles. If you can enhance, or train, one part of your brain to perform better, your overall ability to quickly interpret complex information also improves. Maryland researchers are hoping to do just that with a set of computer-generated “cognitive enhancement” programs they’ve developed. Dougherty says it’s like “asking specific areas of your brain to do jumping jacks, or run on a treadmill.” One regimen requires users to exercise their cognitive skills for about 30 minutes a day over a period of 10 to 12 weeks. Sound tedious? Not so with the online training designed by Dougherty and Bolger. “[The CASL researchers] are developing programs tailored for all levels that are both motivating and palatable to the end users,” says ONR’s Hawkins. And just like a weightlifter standing in front of a mirror at the local gym admiring his training progress, the CASL researchers can visually see the results of their brain-training program using fMRI. “We can actually scan these connecting pathways, and see if they are growing in size and strength, after individuals have completed several rounds of cognitive training,” Bolger says.
Illustrations by Brian G. Payne
terp_win2012_braintrain.indd 27
It’s exactly this type of substantial increase in cognitive performance related to language that the military and the U.S. intelligence community is looking for, says CASL’s Brecht. The military has already rotated numerous linguists out of Iraq and Afghanistan, he notes, and many of these skilled professionals are now being asked to retrain in another language critical to U.S. interests. Whether it’s an obscure Somali dialect or a vernacular yet to be determined, budget constraints and security needs demand that they be learned quickly and fully. “We’re going to see a future where these experts are going to be asked to do more with less,” Brecht says. “That’s why CASL was established—to provide innovative solutions to specific language-related challenges like this.”
Working Memory
A
b
101
For a quick tutorial on working memory, check out the phrase:
“As Anna dressed the baby stood up on the bed.” So did Anna dress, or did Anna dress the baby? The human brain goes into overdrive when asked to decipher this seemingly simple message, says Maryland psychologist Michael Dougherty. First, you must grasp and hold in place information concerning “Anna” and the word “dress.” Then, as you scan the remainder of the sentence—interpreting additional words that either correlate or conflict with the original information on hold—your brain disambiguates, or makes clear, the true meaning of the phrase. People with high levels of working memory are able to make these cognitive decisions quickly and accurately, Dougherty explains. No worries, though, if you feel you’re lacking. People with less working memory are usually more creative thinkers who come up with unexpected answers—another skill often needed for critical jobs in the intelligence community.
winter 2012 terp 27
1/24/12 3:45 PM
From to
New doctoral fellowship provides opportunity for somali native // by Karen Shih
in the dusty, sandy paths of a Kenyan refugee camp, 9-year-old Ilyas Abukar kicked around a makeshift soccer ball, constructed of balled-up paper and tied with string. ¶ His family had fled Somalia as civil war broke out, when Abukar was a toddler, and he knew no other life. He didn’t dream of becoming a doctor or a racecar driver, like little boys in America do. He couldn’t see a future beyond the thatched roofs of his camp.
28 terp winter 2012
McNair Feature_terp_win2012_FINAL.indd 28
Photography by John T. Consoli
1/24/12 2:34 PM
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
McNair Feature_terp_win2012_FINAL.indd 29
winter 2012 terp 29
1/19/12 10:07 AM
thought one day I would grow up and I would just die there, you know?” he says. Today, Abukar is pursuing his doctorate in American studies at Maryland as part of a new fellowship program that seeks to attract and support outstanding doctoral minority or low-income candidates—groups traditionally underrepresented at graduate schools. The McNair Graduate Fellowship Program, named for Ronald McNair, an AfricanAmerican astronaut killed in the 1986 Challenger explosion, provides full financial support to students like Abukar who were federally funded undergraduate McNair Scholars. First-year fellows receive a stipend of $18,000, plus money to cover tuition, fees and health insurance, freeing them to focus on research. After that, the students’ programs must provide comparable funding, through assistantships or other means, for at least three more years. “These are the top students from the underrepresented groups,” says Charles Caramello, dean of the Graduate School. “We’re providing them with the opportunity to enjoy success as graduate students and to have a great impact on society.” Abukar, who chose the university for its diversity and the strength of its American studies program, says he is “so fortunate” to have this fellowship at Maryland. “It was the place my intellectual curiosity and work would be nourished,” he says. “I feel most at home here.”
Trapped in Limbo
Abukar was born in Somalia, but for most of his childhood, he and his family of six lived in the crowded confines of a Kenyan refugee camp. “I remember building our house with twigs and mortar and bricks,” he says. The material was temporary, but their stay? They had no idea. His parents stayed in their hut each day. Once a sailor, his father now had nowhere to go.
Abukar thought about maybe marrying someday— that was one thing that did happen in the camp—but never about a career or a different life. “America is different because you have so many opportunities,” Abukar says. “You can travel wherever you want, you can grow up to become something different than you were, you can accrue wealth.” The refugees established a religious Islamic school and the Red Cross set up a school to teach the basics of English and math. He exceled in English—though as he sat on the ground, barefoot, in his mixed class of children and adults, he didn’t think it mattered. When Abukar turned 9, it suddenly did: His family was going to America.
“Places He Could Never Go”
Through a refugee program, the Abukar family was relocated in Erie, Pa. They came with a large group of fellow Somalis, most of whom quickly left for traditional Somali enclaves across the country. His parents chose to stay; they felt safe in the small-town environment, and they reasoned that the lack of countrymen would push the children to assimilate quickly. As a Muslim, black youth, Abukar faced culture shock in the predominantly white town. But “if I was going to survive in this world, I needed this experience,” he says. His parents struggled even more. Their family—which now numbered eight—lived in subsidized housing. Abukar helped his father write his resumé and accompanied him to job interviews, only to see him rejected. “He inspired me to never end up in the same position,” he says. “He’s a very intelligent man, but he was limited by his educational background. I want to go places he could never go.” Abukar started out in third grade, taking just one year of English as a Second Language. By the time he got to high school, he was able to attend the prestigious Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, which pushed him toward college for the first time. Abukar went on to study comparative literature at Pennsylvania State University, where he became a McNair Scholar. The program provides minorities and first-generation college students with financial support, research opportunities and professorial mentorships, along with workshops on the graduateschool application process. “He was the perfect student for the program,” says Teresa Tassotti, director of the Penn State program. “There is this curiosity there within him. He just wonders about things that most students don’t.”
30 terp winter 2012
McNair Feature_terp_win2012_FINAL.indd 30
1/17/12 1:18 PM
“
Pushing the Boundaries
Caramello likes to say the doctoral programs at a major research institution help define the institution. “The McNair Graduate Fellows represent the best of the McNair alumni,” he says. “Despite their difficult backgrounds—and in some cases, because of them—these students will contribute significantly to their fields.” The program was intended for just five students, but the quality of the applicants and current students compelled Caramello and his staff to reallocate funding to support seven. “They are truly exceptional individuals and have very bright futures,” he says. Abukar hopes to find a home in academia as a researcher and professor in the fields of critical race theory and ethnic studies, focusing on East African immigrants because of his own experiences. “How are these black immigrants assimilating into American culture?” he asks. “A lot of immigrants are silent. How can they make their voices heard? Is it through political representation, education or other aspects of their everyday lives?” His mentor, Jeffrey McCune, assistant professor of American studies, says Abukar’s research “will push the boundaries, push the discussion of immigration, push the discussion of how it is that we can better serve underrepresented communities, particularly within the U.S./Western context.”
It was the place my intellectual curiosity and work would be nourished. I feel most at home here [at UMD].
”
—Ilyas Abukar
Abukar hopes to make an additional impact— just by virtue of his presence at the highest level of education. “From my own experience, I don’t see a lot of Somali graduate students or professors, African professors or even American professors of color,” he says. “Through my experience, I can inspire others to go on, too.”
The first cohort of McNair Fellows includes scholars from all corners of the world and the country, from the hills of rural West Virginia to a one-bedroom New York City apartment shared by two families. Their research interests are as disparate their backgrounds. Pamela Sanchez
Derek Leininger
Marisa Franco
Melissa Rogers
Jesse Potts
Shelby Cooley
born in Lima, Peru; emigrated to Queens, N.Y., as a teenager
from Raton, N.M.
from New York City
from Long Island, N.Y.
born outside of Chicago; raised in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
from Seattle, Wash.
English
Exclusion, stereotyping and moral development in children.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical systems and sensors, particularly their applications for alternate energy harvesting.
History
Psychology
Women’s studies
Early American cultural history, particularly transatlantic spiritualism, folk culture and rituals.
Researching other biracial individuals’ struggles with identity.
(second year)
Queer autobiographies, particularly ones in nontraditional formats like independent comics and self-published zines.
19th-century American literature, particularly the American renaissance and dark romanticism.
Human development (second year )
winter 2012 terp 31
McNair Feature_terp_win2012_FINAL.indd 31
1/19/12 2:41 PM
giving
Sports Journalism Center Tips Off Povich Family Pledges $1M, Honoring Renowned Post Writer
Shirley Povich (above and right) worked for 75 years at The Washington Post. He filed his last column at the age of 92—the day before he died in 1998.
As sports junkies demand ever-greater news coverage—from their local newspapers to Comcast SportsNet to ESPN.com and its harem of TV stations—the media need trained sports journalists to meet that demand. A $1 million pledge from the family of a legendary Washington Post writer and columnist will help prepare that new generation of sports journalists. The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, launched in November in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, also seeks to be a resource for journalists, academics and the public to explore the growing, changing role of sports in our culture. “Our students will embrace multiplatform journalism—print, broadcast, Internet, social networking and mobile devices—while remaining committed to the skills, values and ethics that characterized the career of Shirley Povich,” says center Director George Solomon, assistant managing editor for sports for The Washington Post from 1975–2003. Povich worked for The Post for a remarkable 75 years, moving up from copy boy to his longtime station as columnist. Whether writing about baseball, football, golf or boxing, he
took on difficult issues of gender, class and race. For 25 of those years, he worked with Solomon, who went on to edit with Povich’s daughter, Lynn, a book of Povich’s columns and to become the first Povich chair at Maryland. “He loved Shirley and what his work was and what he stood for as a journalist. Having George represent the center is something we’re so happy and delighted about,” says Lynn Povich. She and her brothers David and Maury, who is married to journalist Connie Chung ’69, also support an annual sports journalism symposium named for Povich. Through the center, the college will offer courses on topics such as sports broadcasting, including playby-play and TV production, and sports culture. Faculty will also guide students to internships and support their efforts to land jobs. Already the college has a roster of well-known sports journalists, including Kevin Blackistone of ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” Andy Seigel of Comcast SportsNet and Jeremiah Tittle of Sirius XM Radio. The Povich gift challenges the university and friends to raise an additional $1 million to assure the center’s full funding, to help hire additional faculty and create scholarships.–LB
$907,519,514
GREAT Expectations campaign total as of JAN. 13, 2012
32 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_giving_02altJOHN2.indd 32
Povich photos courtesy of George Solomon
1/19/12 12:09 PM
Alum’s Scholarship “Sprouts” from AGNR’s Generosity When Katrina Emery ’11 found out just a month before graduation that a scholarship she relied on couldn’t be applied to her fifth year, her college came to the rescue. Now, the dual degree holder in plant sciences and mechanical engineering will help out fellow Terps in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. “It was a huge relief for me,” says Emery, after the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) replaced the $3,000 she’d received annually as a Maryland Distinguished Scholar. “We decided we should definitely give something back.” She now works for an environmental construction company, enabling her to create the Emery Family Scholarship. It will offer $1,000 starting this fall. “It’s absolutely wonderful,” says Leon Slaughter, the college’s associate dean of academic programs. “As it turned out, we did have some dollars available that we were able to give her. Now, if another student in her situation comes along, we’ll be able to help them too.”–KS
4 Site plan courtesy of Allison Palmer Jenson
terp_win2012_giving_02altJOHN2.indd 33
winter 2012 terp 33
1/19/12 2:02 PM
Building Goodwill Engineering Student Gives Away New Scholarship The inaugural winner of a scholarship named for a slain civil rights activist knew just what to do with the money: Give it away. The Black Male Initiative (BMI) at the Nyumburu Cultural Center awarded the first Fred Hampton Scholarship to Reginald Avery, a senior majoring in bioengineering. The $1,000 award, established by an anonymous 2008 graduate of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and BMI member, honors the former Black Panther, who was killed in a 1969 police raid. The scholarship goes to an undergraduate who shows leadership and vision and can be used for academic expenses, a specific activist project, or both. Avery donated the money to nearby Greenbelt Elementary, where he has served as a mentor since he was a freshman. Each Monday he arrives there, Lego kits in tow, to teach children in the after-school program about designing, building and programming robots. “This wasn’t the type of scholarship that I felt should be spent on something personal,” says Avery. “As an engineering student, it seemed fitting to share what I have learned with younger students interested in similar things.”–TT
Sikorsky Support for Clark School Takes flight The Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., one of the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers, recently made several commitments to the A. James Clark School of Engineering totaling more than $100,000. They include:
Fellowship and scholarship funds to support graduates and undergraduates in aerospace, mechanical and electrical and computer engineering A gift to become a
Clark School Corporate Partner, which offers access to Maryland engineering students, faculty and alumni as well as education and research programs
A colloquium series featuring senior Sikorsky engineers and executives. –TV
The Word’s Out on Linguistics Fellowship’s Success A research fellowship program
in linguistics established by a highly successful alumnus is catching the attention of elite graduate programs from Michigan to Massachusetts. David Baggett ’92, (far right) co-founder of the “Crash Bandicoot” video game, ITA Software and most recently, Arcode, made a generous gift in 2007 to support the Baggett Fellows. The one-year program allows
34 terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_giving_02altJOHN2.indd 34
undergraduates and postbaccalaureate students to study human language capacity in labs and research groups, collaborate with research scientists and meet linguistics scholars. “UMD has arguably the best linguistics program in the world right now,” says Baggett, who also serves on the university’s Board of Trustees. “As such, it’s a good place to develop programs that bring researchers at all stages and
from varied fields together.” The 18 scholars have already made an impression on the field of language research, says department Chair Norbert Hornstein, and have been recruited to the nation’s best graduate schools. “Being a Baggett is a sure sign that you are a quality mind with good training in linguistics and cognition,” he says.–TT
Photography by John T. Consoli
1/24/12 3:05 PM
We Tell Our Students:
Get Out Studying tropical ecosystems in Costa Rica. Researching public health issues in India. Exploring ways to reduce poverty in Thailand. Sometimes our students need a world map to find their classroom.
Mohammad Zia ‘13 / Honors College / Individual Studies, Global Development
Learning Beyond The Classroom / umd.edu
winter 2012 terp 35
FTTmohammad-terpad.indd 35
1/19/12 2:02 PM
class notes
’10s Marianne Ortiz ’11
has been promoted from account manager to senior account manager at Profiles Inc., a public relations, marketing, social media and special events agency. Rebecca Roehmer ’10
recently was named 2011 Volunteer of the Year by the Pennsylvania District 28 and KAU Little League. Rhoemer, who still plays in an adult softball league in Harford County, was honored for her willingness to coach and
mentor the young KAU softball players even though she has no children of her own in the league. She is employed at W.L. Gore & Associates and lives in Elkton.
’00s Randolph Barnes Jr. M. Ed. ’09 was named to the
inaugural Prince George’s Forty Under 40 List by the county’s Social Innovation Fund. The youth orchestra director at Reid Temple A.M.E Church, he was recognized for his service to the county’s faith-based community.
Tzveta Kassabova M.F.A. ’09 was recognized
by Dance Magazine as one of “25 to Watch in 2012.” The article read in part, “The Bulgarian-born gymnastturned-meteorologist-turned dancer/choreographer/ designer is a prolific maker and mover. She spent several years in NYC performing with David Dorfman and others before settling back in DC, where she currently teaches, dances with Pearson Widrig Dance Theater, and creates her own work.” (Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig are on Maryland’s dance faculty.) Dale Trumbore ’09, ’09
released her first album, “Snow White Turns Sixty,” on Sept. 20. A song cycle, it sets 12 texts by nine contemporary female poets.
Anna Manzhukh ’08
and Alex Spencer Hughes were married Oct. 9 on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, at the summer home of the groom’s parents. She is a computer systems analyst for Fannie Mae in Washington and is studying for an M.B.A. at Georgetown.
Suzanne Stasiulatis M.Arch. ’08 has obtained
registered professional archaeologist certification from the Register of Professional Archeologists. She is a senior historic and cultural resources specialist at RETTEW, a design firm
providing engineering, transportation, environmental consulting, planning and surveying services. Timothy Weber ’08 and Jessica Ann Uhland were married at Stone Manor Country Club in Middletown, Md., on June 10. The reception was held at Stone Manor Country Club. He is a commercial real estate researcher. The couple lives in Frederick. Vikas Mohindra ’07, a financial adviser at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, was recently selected by Forbes magazine as a Top 30 Under 30 in the finance field. The magazine touted the broker’s success in gathering $38 million in three years.
’10s Gail Marie Cinoski M.L.S. ’10 and James Andrew Rupert were married June 18 at the Church of St. Mary of the Mills in Laurel. A reception followed at the Historic Savage Mill. Guests included Anna Yallouris ’08, M.L.S. ’10; Brad Raybitz ’08; Heather McGair ’07; Brenna Doyle M.P.H.’ 11; Karen Gurman M.H.P. ’10 and Lucinda Philumalle M.H.P. ’10 as well as University Archivist Anne Turkos and Curator of Library Manuscripts Beth Alvarez. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Salisbury University and works at the University of Maryland as an image archivist.
36 terp fall 2011
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 36
Photography courtesy of Gail Cinoski
2/9/12 10:18 AM
Lydia S. Hu ’06 has joined the Baltimore law firm of Tydings & Rosenberg LLP as an associate in its litigation department. She graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
’10s Maria V. Golotyuk ’10 has been named the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Cadet of the Year out of more than 5,600 candidates. The native of the Ukraine grew up training in the Soviet system to be an Olympic acrobat, then after a recovering from serious injury came to the U.S. to coach tennis at a Texas college. She later enrolled at Maryland and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics and is pursuing a graduate degree in accounting/internal audit. A member of the Maryland Army National Guard, she will be commissioned as a military intelligence officer.
was profiled in Real Estate Bisnow and honored at an event at American University on Nov. 21. Powell joined the company, which develops affordable and market communities, in 2007. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
to their communities. After graduating, he became director of MTECH Ventures, an accelerator and seed funding provider for startup companies in the Washington, D.C. region. Magids in 2007 co-founded Motista, which provides marketers with information about the emotional drivers of consumer behavior.
’90s
Mark A. Lawrence M.S. ’02 Jamie Watt Arnold ’05,
senior account manager at Profiles Inc., was recently named one of the 2011 "15 to Watch" by PR News. She was presented with the award at a luncheon on Nov. 30 at the National Press Club and was the only public relations executive from the Baltimore area to receive this distinction.
was named to the inaugural Prince George’s Forty Under 40 List by the county’s Social Innovation Fund. He is a senior manager in the federal technology practice for Deloitte Consulting LLP, and serves on the board of Words Beats and Life Inc., which provides hip-hop-inspired arts activities and tutoring/ mentoring services.
Lila Shapiro-Cyr ’99, a real estate partner in the Baltimore office of Ballard Spahr LLP, has been elected to the board of trustees of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The nonprofit organization provides pro bono services to people who have experienced racial discrimination. Timothy S. Mehok ’98
“Look,” a short film by director Ryan Pickett ’07 of Nashville, won the Gold Award at the 2011 California Film Awards. It also received an Award of Merit in the Accolade Competition and an Award of Merit in the Best Shorts Competition. Pickett was also recently voted Best
Filmmaker and nominated for Best Visual Artist in the Nashville Scene. Shari Gorga ’06 and Ryan Roberts were married June 25 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bernardsville, N.J. She is a product merchandiser for Under Armour, and the couple lives in Ellicott City, Md.
Photography by Tony Richards / Photos provided by alumni.
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 37
Corey Powell ’05, M.Arch ’07 a senior
development manager at Enterprise Homes, has been named one of Bisnow’s “35 Under 35: Rising Stars of Commercial Real Estate.” He
Scott Magids ’02, CEO of Motista, was named a recipient of the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal “40 Under 40 Award.” It honors young leaders in the area and giving back
has joined the New Orleans office of the law firm Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson. His practice focuses on corporate restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy and related litigation and transactional matters. He received a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, in 2001 from Tulane University.
fall 2011 terp 37
2/9/12 10:18 AM
John Wakefield, director of bands emeritus, points out how strong his family commitment is to Maryland: He runs the Maryland Community Band, for which the School of Music provides rehearsal space, music, instruments, and performance opportunities. His son, Mark Wakefield ’02, works full-time for the School of Music as manager of orchestral activities. His wife, Alison Bishop Wakefield ’06, is a graduate assistant in the Department of Urban Planning. John’s daughter, Amy Yeager ’86, is a graduate assistant in library science; her daughter Amanda Yeager is a senior majoring in journalism and French, while her son, Will Yeager, is a freshman trumpet major.
Vivek Kundra ’98 has
Aaron McGruder ’98
been named the executive vice president of emerging markets at Salesforce.com. He was the country’s first chief information officer from March 2009 until August 2011, charged with moving the government’s computer infrastructure spending — $80 billion a year — toward cloud computing. According to The New York Times, he has also been “an outspoken advocate of sharing government data with the public as a means of creating low-cost information and business software applications.”
co-wrote the Tuskegee Airmen action film “Red Tails,” which stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ne-Yo, David Oyelowo and Nate Parker and premiered Jan. 20.
have made exceptional contributions in the arts and humanities, business, education, health and fitness, public service, and science. She is a lawyer in private practice and represents clients in corporate and real estate matters and was first elected to the state legislature in 2006. Christopher T. Jones Ph.D. ’97 will be honored
with a Black Engineer of the Year Award at the 2012 BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference in February. He is vice president and general manager of integrated logisitics and modernization at Northrop Grumman, is being honored in the career achievement category. The award recognizes significant achievements in engineering in industry or government. As a doctoral student at the Clark School, he was honored with a BEYA in student leadership.
and humanities, business, education, health and fitness, public service, and science. She is an associate professor in the English department at Prince George’s Community College and owns LiL SoSo Productions, combining culture with high-quality nightlife aesthetics and working with artists in branding and administrative capacities. She is on the board of directors of Artomatic, a non-juried event that showcases creative work, and hosts her own online radio show, “The LSP Effect.” Jean Phattahanaphuti ’96
is now a registered microbiologist in pharmaceutical and medical device technology in the National Registry of Certified Microbiologists. She works at Genentech in South San Francisco. Kristen Valyi-Hax M.L.S. ’96
is the new director of the Romeo District Library in Michigan. She previously served as director of the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library in Imlay City, Mich. Aaron J. Greenfield ’94,
Risikat I. Okedeyi ’97
Maryland Del. Aisha Braveboy ’97 was named to the inaugural Prince George’s Forty Under 40 List by the county’s Social Innovation Fund. It honors county residents who
was named to the inaugural Prince George’s Forty Under 40 List by the county’s Social Innovation Fund. It honors county residents who have made exceptional contributions in the arts
a special counsel of international law firm Duane Morris LLP in its Corporate Practice Group in Baltimore and a managing director at public affairs firm Duane Morris Government Affairs, received one of The Daily Record’s 2011 “Leadership in Law” awards. Greenfield and the other award recipients were
honored at a Nov. 18 reception and were profiled in a special insert in an edition of The Daily Record. James T. Heaton M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’97 has been
promoted to professor by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions. He joined the MGH Institute in 1998 and is a faculty member in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Jon Laria ’92, managing
partner of Ballard Spahr's Baltimore office, has been selected for the 2011 Leadership in Law award by The Daily Record. The Leadership in Law award recognizes members of the legal community who have devoted time and energy towards bettering the profession and their communities, and have played an important role in mentoring future professional and community leaders. Vadim Sapiro ’92 has been
appointed chief information officer at OpGen Inc., a whole-genome analysis company. He is responsible for leading the development of OpGen’s bioinformatics applications, software, databases and information technology operations. Sapiro joins OpGen from SAIC-Frederick, where he was senior vice president overseeing the Information
38 terp fall 2011
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 38
2/9/12 10:18 AM
passings
Systems Program for the National Cancer Institute at Frederick with responsibility for information technology, scientific computing and bioinformatics. Lauren Sorof ’91 has been named head of events at SecondMarket, a marketplace for alternative investments. She most recently served as managing director and head of U.S. event marketing at NYSE Euronext, and previously worked as vice president of events at Citigroup for over five years.
Video Labs, a Rockville, Md., media services business owned by Mike Weiss ’91, was named one of the state’s top 53 businesses by The Gazette of Politics and Business for the second straight year. Jennifer Sheehan Anderson ’91 has been
selected to serve on the International Trademark Association’s Pro Bono Committee for the 201213 term. Anderson is a partner in the Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, based in Michigan. She earned her J.D. from University of Detroit Mercy and is a partner in the Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP.
Julie Kolanowski ’69, a former music and piano teacher and part of a four-generation Terp family, died Sept. 19. She was 64. Her grandfather, Reuben Brigham, graduated in 1907. Her father, Dave Brigham ’38, was Maryland’s alumni director from 1947 to 1963. She met her husband, Rich Kolanowski, in the School of Music Education. Her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Maria Kolanowski, graduated in 1994. Mrs. Kolanowski taught music education in Prince George’s County Public Schools before teaching private piano for 37 years. She is survived by her husband of 44 years; a son, R. Paul Kolanowski; and daughter, Alison Evans; a sister Patricia Spilman; and three grandchildren. Lenore (Walter) Benderly, M.Ed. ’63, a former teacher and travel agent, died Sept. 18 at her home in Longboat Key, Fla. She was 80 and had lymphoma, according to The Washington Post. She was a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1951 graduate of Brooklyn College. Benderly taught at H.D. Cooke Elementary School in the District in the early 1950s and was a guidance counselor at Poolesville Junior High School in the 1960s. She joined the travel agency in the early 1970s, retired about 1990 and moved to Florida in 1999. Her husband, Asaf A. Benderly, whom she married in 1951, died in 2003. Survivors include two daughters, Jill Benderly of Washington and Eve Berman of Park City, Utah; a brother; and two grandchildren. Eugene L. Girden ’52, a retired law partner, died Oct. 31 at his Westport, Conn., home. He was 81, Girden graduated from the Bronx High School of Science at age 16, the University of Maryland at 19, and the University of Maryland Law School at 21. He then served as a lieutenant JAG officer in the Navy during the Korean War. Girden was a partner for 25 years at Coudert Brothers, a predominantly corporate law firm that represented virtually all of the major media in the U.S. in First Amendment, libel and right-of-privacy litigation. Girden was an avid golfer and bridge and gin player, sports enthusiast, voracious reader, crossword puzzle maven. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Charlene Tobin Girden, son Steven and daughter Lisa, and two granddaughters, as well as his sister, Peggy Weinstein, and three nephews. Dennis Francis Hasson Ph.D. ’70 died Nov. 15 in Severna Park, Md. He was 75. The Baltimore native earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 1955 and his master’s in aerospace engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1958. He started his career with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now NASA) but left to pursue his doctorate in materials science at Maryland. He taught at Maryland, then at the Washington Technical Institute (now the University of the District of Columbia). Hasson joined the faculty of the Naval Academy, where he taught and conducted research on advanced materials for the Office of Naval Research until his 2000 retirement. He was active in many technical societies and earned teaching and Navy awards. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jean; sons Leonard and Dennis and three grandchildren.
Photography by John T. Consoli
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 39
fall 2011 terp 39
2/9/12 10:18 AM
Lawrence Carin B.S. ’85, M.S. ’86, Ph.D. ’89 is the
Derek Boyd Hankerson ’91 is managing partner/
executive producer of Freedom Road LLC, an African-American digital media and independent film company in St. Augustine, Fla. In conjunction with the National Park Service and National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, he’s been working on the sixth annual National Underground Railroad Conference there. “Escaping to Destinations South: The Underground Railroad, Cultural Identity, and Freedom along the Southern Borderlands” is scheduled for June 20-24. Hankerson also recently become the producer and national political director of the local conservative mews talk-radio station WFOY.
’80s Timothy Whelan Ph.D. ’89, a professor in Georgia
Southern University’s Department of Literature and Philosophy, recently received approval from Oxford University Press to publish the complete diaries of Henry Crabb Robinson (1775-1867). The project will entail approximately 25 volumes over 15 years.
40 terp fall 2011
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 40
new chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. NPR foreign correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson ’85 received Colby
College’s 2011 Lovejoy Award for courageous journalism. She opened NPR's Kabul bureau in Afghanistan five years ago, covered the Arab Spring from Cairo and reported from Libya as rebel forces toppled Muammar Qaddafi. She previously worked for Knight Ridder, The Los Angeles Times and Newsday and speaks four languages. Diane Bunce ’84 will be awarded the American Chemical Society’s 2012 George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education in March, recognizing her outstanding contributions to chemical education. Bunce, a professor of chemistry at Catholic University, has won numerous awards for developing clear and engaging instructional techniques for chemistry educators around the world.
Douglas E. Rowe ’78
from Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP has been named to the 2011 New York Super Lawyers List. This honor recognizes top attorneys in their respective areas of practice. Rowe is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. He earned his juris doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Christopher J. Fritz ’77,
Alex J. Turner ’80 has
been promoted to deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Security Division. He previously was special agent in charge of the Norfolk field office since 2008.y
’70s
David Coggin M.S. ’78
has been named vice president, biometrics at Cetero Research, a leading early-stage contract research organization. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and clinical research industries. He most recently held the role of global head, early clinical services, clinical data management at Covance.
an attorney in the Baltimore office of Ballard Spahr, has been included in the 2012 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.” He was listed among the Best Lawyers in Real Estate Law. David N. Pessin ’77 has been named Best Lawyers’ 2012 Baltimore Entertainment Law- Lawyer of the Year. Pessin, of Hodes of Pessin & Katz, P.A. graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1981. His clients include NBA point guard Sam Cassell, mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz and Orioles broadcaster Fred Manfra.
Former Colorado National Monument superintendent Joan Anzelmo ’75 was given the Stephen T. Mather Award in October for her commitment to preserving the integrity and open access of the park for all visitors. Anzelmo served as the superintendent at Colorado National Monument from
2007 until her retirement from the National Park Service in July. Previously, she served as chief of public affairs for Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and as chief of public affairs for the entire NPS. Bruce J. Ackerman ’74, a partner and head of
the corporate/commercial practice at Pashman Stein, a Hackensack, N.J., law firm, has been selected to be a counselor in the Inn of Transactional Counsel. It educates attorneys engaged in transactional law and promotes expertise and professionalism in the practice of transactional law. He earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Pam Meredith ’72 was named Woman of the Year by the Hagerstown Business & Professional Women’s Club. The retired music teacher has led the Women Build program for Habitat for Humanity of Washington County since 2004. Dan Corridon ’71,
director of licensing administration at GEICO, has been elected president of the Securities Insurance Licensing Association. The
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
2/9/12 10:18 AM
organization brings together companies, vendors and regulators to streamline and improve licensing and registration across the country. Corridon transitioned from president-elect to president at SILA’s annual conference in Austin, Texas in October and will run his term through December 2012.
Bassam Z. Shakhashiri M.S. ’65, Ph.D. ’68, a
chemistry professor at the University of WisconsinMadison, became president of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, on Jan. 1. He has been cited for his
Howard “Skip” Harclecode ’70, M.S. ’71 has been elected
the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s northeast zone vice president. He will serve on the board of directors and as he zone’s administrative officer through 2013. He is also chair of the Maryland State Board of Professional Engineers and president and CEO of KDB Engineering, based in Phoenix, Md.
efforts to communicate science to the general public, especially to children and is a national and international consultant to government agencies, academic institutions, industry and private To submit notes, foundations on policy and send an email to terpmag@umd.edu. practice matters related to science and education.
books
Koritha Mitchell M.A.’00, Ph.D. ’05, has written “Living with Lynching: African American Lynching Plays, Performance, and Citizenship, 1890–1930.” In it, she demonstrates that popular lynching plays were mechanisms through which AfricanAmerican communities coped amid a culture that permitted mob violence. She’s an assistant professor of English at the Ohio State University.
’60s Charles R. Moran ’69, an attorney in the Baltimore office of Ballard Spahr, has been included in the 2012 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.” He was named a Best Lawyer in Corporate Compliance Law.. Mark Ross ’68 has been selected for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America 2012.” He is a litigator representing employers for Fisher & Phillips LLP in San Francisco.
Photography by John T. Consoli / photo credits
terp_win2012_Class notes.indd 41
In “The Mediation Dilemma,” Kyle Beardsley ’01 highlights the long-term limitations in a common technique for ending violent conflicts between nations. He traces the use of mediation throughout modern history, including Theodor Roosevelt’s role during the Russo-Japanese War in 1903 and the 1994 North Korean nuclear crisis. He is an assistant professor of political science at Emory University. fall 2011 terp 41
2/9/12 10:18 AM
interpretations
The 21st Century Globally Networked University
21st century has “ The brought on the globally networked university, and the University of Maryland, as always, is ready to assume a leadership role in this exciting new world of higher education. —wallace d. Loh
terp winter 2012
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 36
”
The mid-19th century gave us the land-grant university, the proud heritage of the University of Maryland. With its focus on science and technology, land-grant institutions helped our nation in its transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy. The mid-20th century produced the research university. The towering expansion after World War II of competitive federal research funding for universities helped Maryland produce experts in physics, the aeronautical sciences, the life sciences and more. This resulted in American supremacy in science and technology and contributed to economic growth in our state and beyond. The 21st century has brought on the globally networked university, and the University of Maryland, as always, is ready to assume a leadership role in this exciting new world of higher education. Today’s challenges—how to feed, fuel, heal, house, secure and sustain this planet’s population of 7 billion—are global challenges. Furthermore, Maryland students are no longer competing for jobs against graduates from Boston and San Francisco, but also against graduates from Bangalore and Shanghai. Leading American universities are now engaged in a global talent race, collaborating with—and competing for—the most capable minds in the world to power today’s knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy. We are in an era of “collabtition”—collaboration and competition on a global scale. The Asia-Pacific region may become the economic epicenter of this century, so I was pleased that Gov. O’Malley invited UMD to
be part of his delegation to India. In October, the presidents of about 20 Indian universities visited the College Park campus. They told me about their country’s goal to create more than 25,000 universities and colleges over the next 20 years in order to produce 500 million new graduates. The scale of this vision dwarfs any educational planning in the U.S. The UMD delegation, accompanied at times by Gov. O’Malley, met with the leaders of eight universities, senior government officials in education and commerce, and officials of the largest industrial house in India. We signed agreements for joint educational and research ventures. For example, UMD recently established the nation’s first international food safety testing laboratory, in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Maryland manufacturer of food testing equipment. We met with the Indian agency responsible for food standards and exports. India wants to partner with us to establish similar training labs there. This represents the international expansion of our land-grant mission. One evening, I met with an Indian entrepreneur who was educated in the U.S. and now runs a startup company in India. He said 20 percent of his job applicants are from the U.S., many of them non-Indian Americans. He runs a global company with customers worldwide and hires graduates with a global outlook. This is why a globally networked UMD matters—for the future of our students, our state and our nation.
—Wallace D. Loh, President
Portrait by John T. Consoli
1/24/12 5:07 PM
Do you have a lifelong love of Maryland? We’ve got a place to display it that’s just as permanent. Become a lifetime member of the Maryland Alumni Association, and have your name carved into the Frann G. & Eric S. Francis Lifetime Member Wall at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. It’s a great way to demonstrate your loyalty and commitment to the Maryland family. To see the newest additions to the wall and to become a lifetime member, visit www.alumni.umd.edu.
terp_win2012_membership_AD_FINAL_1.indd 3
1/18/12 7:49 AM
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Terp magazine Division of university relations College Park, md 20742–8724
PERMIT NO. 10 COLLEGE PARK, MD
Change service requested
Saturday
April 28
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rain or shine / Admission and parking are free
marylandday.umd.edu
terp_win2012_jjn.indd 4
Join us for the 14th annual Maryland Day, where the university will celebrate its rich land-grant heritage through hundreds of interactive, familyfriendly events. Learn about Maryland’s community engagement, entrepreneurship, innovation and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to come back to campus, visit with friends and see how the university has grown.
1/24/12 2:39 PM