UMBC Honors and ACHIEVEMENTS

FACULTY Achievements
In head-to-head comparisons with top scholars across the nation, UMBC faculty compete at the top level of research and scholarship.

Michael Summers, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is one of only two Howard Hughes Medical Investigators at Maryland public universities. Summers is conducting groundbreaking AIDS research with both undergraduate and graduate students. He is the recipient of a 2000 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering.

UMBC ranks 76th in the nation for prestigious faculty awards, including a Mellon Research Fellow and Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers to a Guggenheim Fellow in the humanities and a Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellow in the social sciences.

Books by faculty members are published by such prestigious presses as Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, Cornell University Press and Simon & Schuster. Recent faculty books include: A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland by Kate Brown, assistant professor of history; Never Married: Single Women in Early Modern England by Amy Froide, associate professor of history; and Charles Darwin, Geologist by Sandra Herbert, professor of history; and Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South by Thomas Schaller, associate professor of political science.

In 2006, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Rachel M. Brewster was one of just three biologists in the U.S. to receive the nation’s top honor for promising young scientists, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Brewster is researching the causes of birth defects of the brain and central nervous system, the most common of which is spina bifida, the leading cause of childhood paralysis in the U.S.

Professor of History Sandra Herbert was the 2006-07 “Distinguished Visiting Scholar” at Christ’s College, University of Cambridge. The author of Charles Darwin, Geologist, Herbert is the recent winner of several major awards and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received the American Historical Association’s 2007 George L. Mosse Prize, the Council of the Geological Society of America’s 2006 Mary C. Rabbitt Award, the History of Science Society's 2006 Suzanne J. Levinson Prize and the North American Conference on British Studies’ 2006 Albion Book Prize. In addition, she received the 2007 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award for Research/Scholarship/Creative Activity.

Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry Katherine Seley-Radtke was one of only six 2006 Jefferson Science Fellows in the nation. The Jefferson Science Fellows program at the U.S. Department of State is establishing a new model for engaging the American academic science, technology and engineering communities in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy. An expert in anticancer, antiviral, antibiotic and antiparasitic medical agents, Seley-Radtke spent the 2006-07 academic year with the Department of State and abroad, working on biosafety and biosecurity programs in Indonesia and assessing chemical and biological sciences priorities in Russia.

Two members of UMBC’s faculty received 2006-07 Fulbright Awards. Associate Professor of Visual Arts Tim Nohe completed a research project titled, “Sounding Botany Bay,” a surround-sound DVD audio-work, and teach at the School of Art and Design of the University of Wollongong, New South Wales. Associate Professor of Modern Languages & Linguistics John Stolle-McAllister conducted research and taught at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar in Quito, Ecuador.

Julia Ross, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, and Taryn Bayles, professor of the practice of chemical and biochemical engineering, were honored with the 2006 University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence for Collaboration in Public Service. Ross and Bayles received the award, along with Bruce Jarrell at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, for INSPIRES (Increasing Student Participation, Interest and Recruitment in Engineering & Science), a unique collaborative program that seeks to increase awareness of and interest in engineering and science careers among high school students.

Ross was elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, one of the highest scientific recognitions in the biological and biomedical sciences. Ross also received the 2007 American Society of Engineering Education Sharon Keeler Award for Women in Engineering Education. The award honors “influential and pioneering contributions to the biological and biomedical engineering fields and leadership in education and mentoring that has had an impact at the national level.”

Claire Welty, director of the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education and professor of civil and environmental engineering, chairs the Water Science and Technology Board’s study on “Reducing Stormwater Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution.”

Sari Bennett, clinical associate professor of geography and environmental sciences and Maryland Geographic Alliance coordinator, received the National Council for the Social Studies Outstanding Service Award. It honors exceptional service in support of K-16 social studies at the national and local levels.

Associate Professor of History Rebecca Boehling received the David Baumgardt Memorial Fellowship from the Leo Baeck Institute for the Study of History and Culture of German-speaking Jewry. Boehling and her co-author, Uta Larkey were honored for their book project about a German-Jewish family’s struggle to be reunited from 1938-48.

Public policy professor Tim Brennan is the first American selected as the T.D. MacDonald chair in Industrial Economics for the Canadian Competition Bureau. The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition among Canadian companies.

Dan Fabris, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is one of just 14 researchers nationally to receive a NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) High-End Instrumentation grant. The $1.5 million grant funded the purchase of a 12 Tesla Q-FTICR, a powerful, high-resolution instrument for analysis of nucleic acids and protein-nucleic acid complexes. UMBC will be one of a handful of U.S. locations to own this type instrument, which supports our research on drug resistance by HIV-1 and other retroviruses, and could lead to the development of new and more effective inhibitor drugs for AIDS therapy.

Anne Rubin, associate professor of history, received a 2007 American Council of Learned Societies’ Digital Innovation Fellowship. The fellowship is intended to recognize excellence in and help advance digital humanities scholarship. Rubin will use her fellowship to work with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center Director Dan Bailey to create a book and digital Web site on General Sherman’s march to the sea during the Civil War. In 2006, Rubin received the Avery O. Craven Prize from the Organization of American Historians for her book, Shattered Nation: The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy, 1861-1868 (University of North Carolina Press). The award is given annually “for the most original book on the coming of the Civil War, the Civil War years or the Era of Reconstruction.”

Shlomo Carmi, professor of mechanical engineering, was elected to serve on the Board of Governors of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Ray Hoff, professor of physics and director of the NASA-UMBC research centers JCET and GEST, was named a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Govind Rao, professor and chair of chemical and biochemical engineering, was elected American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow for innovative research in the field of optical sensors, which has led to a paradigm shift in bioprocessing applications.

Associate Professor of Music Anna Rubin was recognized for her work in contemporary composition with a 2007 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ Plus Award. The award is given to members of the organization who earn less than $25,000 in yearly domestic performance royalties and who have made a significant contribution to contemporary music.

Assistant Professor of Music Airi Yoshioka was honored with the McGraw-Hill Companies’ 2007 Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach. The $10,000 award recognizes outstanding musicianship and included a program of her live performances on prominent New York City classical music station WQXR.

Bruce Walz, professor and chair of emergency health services, was elected president of Advocates for EMS in 2008.

Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, received the University System of Maryland’s endowed Wilson H. Elkins Professorship for his work fostering math education.

Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Eric Dyer '95, visual arts, was a finalist for the 2007 Sondheim Award, designed to assist Baltimore and D.C. artists by allowing them to pursue work that may not otherwise be possible. Seven finalists were chosen from a field of 320 applicants. Dyer received international recognition for his film "Copenhagen Cycles": the 2007 Director's Choice Award at the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film and Video Festival in New Jersey and the 2007 Best of Show award at the Rosebud Film Festival. The film was also screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and festivals in Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, England and Germany.

“Substrata,” a film by Carol Hess, chair, dance, was nominated for Best of Show at the 2007 Rosebud Film Festival.

Marie des Jardins, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, received a 2006 NSF Career Award, which recognizes a young researcher's dual commitment to scholarship and education.

Carlo DiClemente, Lipitz professor of the arts, humanities and social sciences and professor of psychology, received the 2006 John P. McGovern Award. The award recognizes and honors an individual who has made highly meritorious contributions to public policy, treatment, research or prevention which has increased understanding of the relationship of addiction and society.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Brian Grodsky's paper "Civil Society and Democratization: Warnings from Uzbekistan" won the 2006 Title VIII Prize for Eurasian Studies. The award is sponsored by the Department of State and awarded annually by the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS).

Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of History John Jeffries was named a distinguished lecturer (2004-07) by the Organization of American Historians.

Christopher Corbett, professor of the practice, English, received a first place award for editorial writing in 2006 from the Maryland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The award was given for Corbett’s monthly column, “The Back Page,” in Baltimore’s Style magazine.

Mark Marten, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, received the 2006-2007 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Collaboration. Marten, along with collaborator David Schaefer at Towson University, has received national and international recognition for interdisciplinary research in biotechnology and bioprocessing.

Patrice McDermott, associate professor and chair, American studies, received the 2007-2008 President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award for working to promote understanding among different groups, cultures and backgrounds and for her innovations in teaching in American studies, gender and women’s studies and languages, literacy and culture at UMBC.

Jodi Kelber-Kaye, lecturer, gender and women’s studies, and the director of Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL), received the 2006-2007 President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award. Kelber-Kaye developed and continues to teach Queer Representations in Film and Television and Understanding AIDS. As director of WILL, she helps engage a diverse group of undergraduate women in a learning community that promotes academic excellence, leadership development and civic engagement.

Robert Reno, associate professor of physics, was named Presidential Teaching Professor, 2007-2010, for his commitment to promoting and recognizing outstanding teaching. Reno introduced a variant of Eric Mazur’s “Peer Instruction,” which encourages active learning by replacing traditional lectures with pre-class readings and in-class discussions. His work in the teaching and testing of conceptual understanding represents one of the first implementations of group learning at UMBC and the first in the Department of Physics.

Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Theresa Good received the Graduate Student Association’s 2007 Creighton Mentoring Award.

Phillip Sokolove, professor of biological sciences, was named Presidential Teaching Professor, 2006-09, for contributing significantly to improving the quality of teaching and learning at UMBC. Sokolove is the first faculty member to introduce the use of wireless microphones in large classrooms and one of the first two to use an electronic “clicker” system that allows students to respond anonymously to questions asked during lectures to assess their understanding of key concepts.

Joel Liebman, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was named Presidential Research Professor, 2006-09, for excellence in organic, inorganic and physical chemistry research. A faculty member since 1972, Liebman has co-authored or co-edited over 380 publications, and also co-authored several chapters of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Chemistry WebBook, the primary ongoing electronic database of chemical information.

Professor of Psychology Kenneth Maton received the 2006 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Theory and Research in Community Psychology from the Society for Community Research and Action.

In 2006, Professor of Biological Sciences Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg was one of 15 Marylanders appointed to serve on the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission. 

Professor of Psychology Robert Provine’s essay “Yawning” was selected for inclusion in the Best American Science Writing of 2006 (Ecco/Harper International). The essay was originally published in the November/December 2005 issue of American Scientist. 

*Last updated 3/14/2008