UMBC: College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

DEPARTMENTS & CENTERS
OFFICE OF THE DEAN
FACULTY
UNDERGRADUATES
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Health Professions Advising
ALUMNI
CORPORATE INTERESTS
WHAT'S NEW

WELCOME
Welcome to the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) at UMBC, which includes the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. Details about the many outstanding programs of study offered in these departments can be obtained via the links to the departments shown above or from links on the UMBC home page. Our faculty continue to attract significant external funding in a very challenging environment and our graduates continued to be admitted to top graduate and professional schools or to find exciting jobs in industry, government or academia.

The College continues to be committed to serving and enhancing the academic and wider educational interests of its undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff especially by seeking new revenue sources to augment those provided by the State and tuition. Immediate goals are to increase the number and value of scholarships for undergraduates and assistantships for graduate students, to fund endowed chairs for many our outstanding faculty, to establish core research facilities with state of the art equipment, and to provide additional help for the support staff.

If you are a prospective student, we encourage you to contact either the Dean’s office or the department that most closely represents your interests. We especially urge you to visit the campus and see the many outstanding facilities that we have to offer. Students who visit the UMBC campus usually want to come here. If you are a current CNMS student, we ask that you take advantage of the support and opportunities available to enhance your education at UMBC. If you are an alumnus of UMBC, we hope that you will continue to keep in touch and visit us in our offices in the University Center whenever you can.

Philip Rous, Interim Dean, giving opening remarks at the CNMS
Summer Undergraduate Research Fest at UMBC on August 5, 2009.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Two stellar CNMS alumni were honored during the 2009 UMBC Homecoming. Mr. Gustavo Matheus ('90 Biological Sciences) was honored with the 2009 Alumni Distinquished Service Award and Dr. Crystal Watkins ('95 Biological Sciences) was honored with the 2009 Outstanding Alumni Award in Natural and Mathematical Sciences at the UMBC Alumni Association Special Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2009 in the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

The 12th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences was held at UMBC on Saturday, October 10, 2009. This all-day event attracted 400 attendees and 192 posters presented by students representing 52 schools and 9 States and the District of Columbia. The event, which is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH, featured undergraduate research in all areas of chemistry, biology, and biochemistry.

The Fall 2009 CNMS Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Training pilot offering is paving the way for a credit-bearing graduate course to standardize and significantly enhance the pedagogical preparation of all GTAs in the four CNMS Departments.

Coming Soon - Space is being renovated in UC 115 for the new CNMS Active Student Teaching and Learning Environment or
CASTLE.

Twelve transfer students were invited to join CCCSTEP at UMBC during the 2009-2010 year with support from a STEM Planning Grant from the University System of Maryland. In addition to ensuring the program continues for a third academic year, this grant will support an external evaluation of the program's effectiveness.

Dr. Ram Hosmane, the Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry who gave brief remarks at UMBC's Fall 2009 Convocation, was recognized as Presidential Teaching Professor, 2009-2012 at the 2009 Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony. Dr. Thomas Cronin, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was recognized as the Presidential Research Professor, 2009-2012 and. Dennis P. Cuddy, the Manager of Administration and Facilities for the Department of Chemistry and Biology, was honored as the 2008-2009 University System of Maryland Board of Regents' Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Institution

The Twelfth Annual CNMS UMBC Summer Undergraduate Research Fest was held Wednesday, August 5, 2009 on the Seventh Floor of the A. O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, Faculty, staff and guests enjoyed the very professional presentations of student summer projects at the event.

The Fourth Annual CNMS Student Recognition Day on May 8, 2009 honored an outstanding instructor and top students from the four CNMS Departments for their accomplishments. Ms. Bonny Tighe was recognized as the first recipient of the Carl Weber Award for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics.

CNMS students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to save the date for the next annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.

Forty Maryland secondary science teachers are participating in the third year of the Teacher Quality in Chemistry (TQC) ProgramTeacher Quality in Chemistry (TQC) Program and the sixth year of the Teacher Quality in Biology (TQB) Program at UMBC. These comprehensive teacher professional development programs, which are supported by UMBC and MHEC, began Spring 2009 and will continue through Spring 2010.

For details and more news, please visit the associated links or What's New