Connecting Ideas

"Green Writing"
It seems only natural that Jim McKusick would find a way to bring together his passion for nature with his love of literature. His achievement can be found in two new books exploring the emerging field of "ecological literary criticism." (more...)

Taking Laughter Seriously
He's not exactly a stand-up comedian, but Robert Provine is considered one of the world's leading experts on laughter, and he's been getting his share of applause. (more...)

Early Detection in the Field
It's hard to know if a horse or cow is lame--unlike humans, they don't complain incessantly about the aches in their limbs--but not knowing is and can be very expensive. Now professor of mechanical engineering Uri Tasch has invented a diagnostic device that promises to save animals from pain and their owners from huge vet bills. (more...)

Graduate School Without Walls
In the very best sense, Stacey McIntyre has learned by doing. Taking advantage of a remarkable collaboration between the UMBC Psychology Department and the Kennedy Krieger Institute of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, McIntyre was able to earn her masteršs degree and simultaneously put her classroom knowledge to work with patients. (more...)

Moving at the Speed of Light
The fiber-optics industry is moving at--metaphorically at least--the speed of light, and UMBC has placed itself in the vanguard of research universities advancing this highly specialized field. UMBC's Optical Communications (OC) Laboratory is working with corporate and government laboratories to develop the next generation of high-speed telecommunications technologies, while UMBC's graduate program in photonics is playing an important role in meeting the regional and national demand for trained scientists and engineers. (more...)

Ideas in Focus: Water
Hundreds of UMBC undergraduates are fulfilling their laboratory science requirement by getting their feet wet. They are enrolling in Water: An Interdisciplinary Study, a hands-on lab and lecture course that uses the theme of water to explore the process of science. The course, created by Karin Readel, a lecturer in UMBC's interdisciplinary science program, allows students to work together in small groups to design experiments and analyze results, using the campus as an outdoor ecological laboratory. (more...)