TERP Winter 2009

o

p

u

CONNECTING

THE UNIVERSITY

OF MARYLAND

COMMUNITY VOL. 4, NO. 2 WINTER 2009TERP

HELPING “MARTHA” SPEAK 15 DARWIN AT 200 20 INSPIRATIONAL INCENTIVE 31

BreakingTraditionStudents’ Travels ReapLife Lessons 24

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Danita D. Nias ’81Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development

PUBLISHERBrodie RemingtonVice President, University Relations

ADVISORY BOARDJ. Paul Carey ’82 M.B.A.CEO, Enumerate

John Girouard ’81President and CEO, Capital AssetManagement Group

Anil Gupta Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Strategy and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business

Danita D. Nias ’81Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development

Vicki Rymer ’61, ’66 M.B.A., ’83 Ph.D.Teaching Professor,Robert H. Smith School of Business

Keith Scroggins ’79Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore CityPublic School System

Lee ThorntonInterim Dean, Philip Merrill College of Journalism

MAGAZINE STAFFBeth A. MorgenExecutive Editor

Kimberly Marselas ’00Managing Editor

John T. Consoli ’86Creative Director

Jeanette J. NelsonArt Director

Joshua HarlessPatricia Look ’08Catherine Nichols ’99Brian PayneContributing Designers

Monette A. Bailey ’89Mandie Boardman ’02Lauren BrownDenise C. JonesCassandra RobinsonRebecca M. RuarkTom VentsiasWriters

Pamela BabcockKelly Blake ’94 Dianne BurchMercy CooganDave OttaliniEllen Ternes ’68Neil TicknerLee TuneContributing Writers

Katherine Davis ’09Anne McDonough ’09Leonard Sparks ’09Magazine Interns

Terp magazine is published by the Division of

University Relations. Letters to the editor are

welcomed. Send correspondence to Kimberly

Marselas, Managing Editor, Terp magazine,

2101 Turner Building, College Park, MD

20742-1521. Or, send an e-mail to

[email protected].

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 confor-

mance with pertinent federal and state laws

and regulations on non-discrimination regard-

ing race, color, religion, age, national origin,

political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation

or disability.

TERP

IT IS “THE YEAR OF EVOLUTION,” acelebration of the 200th anniversary ofCharles Darwin’s birth and the 150th ofthe publication of On the Origin of Species.Turn to page 20 for a recap on the revo-lutionary scientist’s groundbreaking theoryand its impact on science, society andmany fields of study at Maryland.Education for Maryland students is

also an evolutionary process. In pastyears, “giving back” was something thatusually occurred after one graduatedfrom the university. Today, however, wesee our students engaged in year-round,hands-on learning that not only benefitsthem, but many others as well. In “Spring Break with a Conscience”

on page 24, the socially minded trade the traditional spring break scene for volunteer work over spring, summer andwinter vacations. The Alternative Breaksprogram propels students interested indisaster relief, HIV/AIDS and environ-mental sustainability, among other issues,to far flung, real-world classrooms fromNew Orleans and New York City to Peru. Teacher/student relationships are

evolving, too. “Beyond Teaching,” onpage 28, explores how teachers becomementors as they set their students onpaths toward personal—not just intellec-tual—fulfillment.Any student will tell you that easy

access to wireless technology greatlyenhances all aspects of the college expe-rience, including learning both in andoutside the classroom. Turn to page 3 toread about the “Mobile Initiative,” whichpermits 150 lucky Maryland freshmen totake their studies with them whereverthey go, right in the palms of their hands. The university’s ambitious strategic

plan, fueled by Great Expectations, TheCampaign for Maryland, ensures thatthis year’s freshman class, the 2012s, andfuture Terps, continue to find Maryland

a dynamic educational environment. This past fall, the Maryland family

celebrated Great Expectations upon reaching its halfway mark. A recap of theevent, including photos, is on page 32.Based on those attending the celebration,we know that it is not only students whoenjoy the campus’ vibrant atmosphere.The university’s “Make Your Mark onMaryland” initiative encourages each of us to cheer the Terps, join the alumniassociation, share our knowledge, volun-teer our time and reflect upon the successthat our Maryland connections havehelped us achieve. Indeed, these chal-lenging economic times make it clear to all of us that the very concept of philanthropy is evolving. This winter, I encourage you to give

thought to your Maryland experience,and consider how you can make yourmark at our university. Turn to MarylandLive on page 18 for a wide array ofopportunities for you and your familyto tap into the energy of Maryland’s students, teachers and researchers as weevolve into a truly world-class university.

DearAlumniandFriends,

a

E

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TERP WINTER 2009COVER DESIGN BY CATHERINE NICHOLS; AT LEFT, DANITA NIAS PHOTO BY MIKE MORGAN; ABOVE, ICE PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN CUMINGS

2 BIG PICTURE Saving the diamondback terrapin; let them have iPods; and more 6 THE SOURCE A new twist on book clubs 7 ASK ANNE The many faces of

Testudo; when Maryland students were cadets; and more 8 CLASS ACT Kiran Chetry stars on camera and at home; alumnus does well by doing good; a stock car

champion; and more 12 M-FILE Noise-sensitive fish; up close and personal with Journalism’s Lee Thornton; a new appreciation for dirt; and more 16 PLAY-BY-

PLAY Terp wrestlers claim ACC prize 17 SPOTLIGHT Campus a cappella groups flourish 18 MARYLAND LIVE Spreading the Terrapin spirit; David Driskell lecture;

meet campus authors; and more 31 IN THE LOOP Incentive Awards Program brings alumna full circle; celebration marks Great Expectations’ continued success;

library retiree keeps on giving; and more 36 INTERPRETATIONS Fiscal challenges

20 DARWIN’S AMAZING THEORIES—THEN AND NOW

The university recognizes Charles Darwin by celebrating “The Year of Evolution” 200 years after his birth and 150 years since the publication of his seminal work On the Origin of Species. BY ELLEN WALKER TERNES

24 RETHINKING SPRING—AND WINTER AND SUMMER— BREAK

Destination spring break: Fort Lauderdale, Cancun or the Bahamas? How about an American Indian reservation?BY LAUREN BROWN

28 FACULTY MENTORS GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR STUDENTS

Outside-the-classroom direction and encouragement from facultymentors can help students gain confidence and improve their academic performance.BY MONETTE AUSTIN BAILEY

14 WHAT MAKES ICE, ICE?

AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

Maryland scientists study the com-position of ice to understand whathappens to structures and systemsexposed to freezing conditions.

departments

features

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A TEAM OF Gemstone honors students will finish a four-yearproject this year aimed at finding a solution to a troublingproblem for all Terrapin fans. The diamondback terrapin—theinspiration for Testudo—is in trouble. Encroaching humanity,hungry predators and perhaps pollution are all playing a part inmaking the much-beloved reptile an endangered species.The Gemstone team took on this research project as fresh-

men and came up with a novel solution: Protect the diamond-back terrapins by placing battery-powered electric fencesaround their nests. They built the fences and conducted researchin three locations over the past two summers from their base atCremona Farm in St. Mary’s County, headquarters for dia-mondback terrapin researchers from Maryland, Ohio Universityand other institutions.This school year, the Gemstone students are focusing on ana-

lyzing their data, writing a thesis and working to let everyoneknow about their research. “We’re hoping we can contribute topolicies, and maybe the fences can be used on beaches to protectterrapin nests,” says Gemstone senior Marjorie Clemens, a neu-

robiology and psychology major. —DO

The diamondback terra-

pin is endangered, but a

team of students is

working to reverse the

odds against the univer-

sity’s favorite reptile.

bigpicture

Save the Turtle: Good fences make good terrapin protection

AN INNOVATIVE HUMAN-TRACKING system

developed by a university-based startup has

earned top honors and a $500,000 federal

contract in an international competition that

identifies and coordinates research and

development related to national security.

TRX Systems, founded by Gil

Blankenship, professor and associate chair

of electrical and computer engineering, won

the Global Security Challenge with its

Sentinel tracking and monitoring technolo-

gy, beating out competitors from the United

States, Europe and Asia.

One of the greatest dangers for firefight-

ers is becoming injured and trapped inside a

burning structure, unable to contact other

emergency personnel for assistance,

Blankenship explains. The TRX technology is

designed to pinpoint a first responder’s loca-

tion inside a multistory building, greatly

improving rescue efforts for distressed or

downed firefighters.

TRX, a graduate of the university’s startup

incubator program, collaborated with the uni-

versity’s Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute in

testing prototypes of the tracking software.

The company now employs 17 people,

with all but three university faculty, staff or

alumni. —TV

UM-Based Startup WinsGlobal Security Challenge

Above: TRX personnel, front to back, counter-

clockwise: Carole Teolis, Gil Blankenship,

Amrit Bandy, Eric Kohn, Ben Funk, David

Lemus and Karina Drees.

2 TERP WINTER 2009 SAVE THE TURTLE PHOTOS BY DAVE OTTALINI


THE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHED an experi-ment last fall to learn how handhelddevices like the iPhone, when juiced upwith powerful software, can enhance stu-dents’ educational experiences. To beginthis “Mobility Initiative,” 150 freshmen gota free iPhone or iPod Touch loaded withadvanced technology.“Students are increasingly tech-savvy,

mobile technology is advancing rapidly, anda world-class research university should beprepared to exploit the educational possibil-ities,” says Maryland Chief InformationOfficer Jeffrey Huskamp.Students and professors have teamed up

to find ways to apply the technology inand out of the classroom. “We want to givestudents in this project an opportunity togain experience integrating new technologyinto their studies,” says Provost NarimanFarvardin, the initiative’s main sponsor.The devices are equipped with software

to help increase social and intellectual

networking. But the participants are alsoexploring ways tomake the devices anactive classroom tool—for example, allowing stu-dents to give professorsinstant feedback duringa lecture. Also,the devices’ portability mayhelp students squeeze inextra study time. KentNorman, a psychology pro-fessor involved in the proj-ect, calls it the “anytime,anywhere” concept.While other schools are

giving freshmen similar devices thisyear, few have focused so intently onmaximizing educational benefits. AsUndergraduate Admissions DirectorBarbara Gill puts it, “The technology has agreat many possibilities, and we’re muchmore likely to discover them if we goabout this in a systematic way.”—NT

IN 1947, I was appointed chairman of an SGA-sponsored “Rally Committee”

whose charge was to foster student support for Maryland athletics. I was

one of the returning veterans on campus, and we did not have

much time or desire for school spirit.

We were mainly responsible for promoting Terp football:

pep rallies, football news, playing music. We helped design

a card section for the new Byrd Stadium. … One of the

committee goals was to create a mascot costume. I went

to Jones Costumes, then located on Howard Street in

Baltimore. They designed the first Testudo costume. I was

the first to wear it at a Maryland home game.

The costume has changed over the past 50 years, but

those memories are still bright. I am a dedicated supporter of

Maryland in academics and sports, and a member of the M Club

and Terrapin Club.

TERP WINTER 2009 3PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; SGA AND SIEGEL PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

YOURwords

Kiplinger’s PersonalFinance magazineranked Maryland in theTop 10 of public univer-sities for providing stu-dents with a great edu-cation at an affordableprice. The universityplaced ninth on the listof the “100 Best Valuesin Public Colleges,”a survey of 500 four-year colleges and universities.

TopQuality andGreat Value—Such a Deal!

Learning Anytime, Anywhere

the fall 2008 issue included a story about the history of the university mascot (Testudo:

More than a Mascot, page 16). Here, Herbert Siegel ’50 offers his recollection:


Understanding Healthy EcosystemsThe new Department of Environmental Science and

Technology in the College of Agriculture and Natural

Resources teaches the basics of environmental science

and methods that address the impacts populations

have on ecosystems and human health. Fifteen stu-

dents currently span the undergraduate program’s four

areas of concentration: ecological technology design,

environmental health, soil and watershed science and

natural resources management. Faculty members are

advising 46 graduate students, who specialize in eco-

logical technology design, soil and watershed science

or wetland science. —KD

Sustainable Energy MeetsEngineeringAdding to the university’s commitment to

environmental sustainability, the A. James

Clark School of Engineering announced the first

master of engineering in sustainable energy engi-

neering degree in the United States. The program,

available both on campus and online through the

Office of Advanced Engineering Education, will address

a growing demand in the field. The first students will

be admitted in fall 2009 and will study core topics

such as renewable energy applications, advanced fuel

cells and batteries, and solar energy, then choose a

focus in nuclear engineering, energy systems or relia-

bility engineering.

Engaging with CulturesArabic studies and Persian studies debuted under-

graduate majors and minors last fall, and Latina/o

studies began offering students a new minor. All three

programs responded to students’ interest in learning

about other cultures—not just their languages. A

major in Arabic or Persian allows students to

explore historical developments in culture and

literature and prepares them for careers in

government, business, education, commu-

nication and more. The minor in Latina/o

studies is interdisciplinary and allows

students to critically study the broad

range of social and community experiences of

American Latino/as.

ARABIC STUDIES PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS PHOTO BY EDWIN REMSBERG

Maryland’s new and expanding academic programs are giving more exciting options to graduate andundergraduate students.

GROWTHspurt

bigpicture

4 TERP WINTER 2009


TERP WINTER 2009 5

WHEN YOU HAVE more than 28,000 applicants vying

for 4,000 spots in your freshman class, you can be

selective—very selective. Take the Class of 2012, an

outstanding group of first-year students who bring

diversity, intelligence and talent to the university. The

academic prowess of the Twenty Twelves is irrefutable:

n Approximately two-thirds ranked in the top 10

percent of their class.

n Half earned SAT scores of 1240-1390 and composite

ACT scores of 28-31.

n One holds a patent for discovering bacteria that can

be used in the treatment of E. coli in developing

countries.

n Another used his high school psychology class as a

launching pad for conducting research into video

game addiction.

Both demographically and experientially, the Twenty

Twelves reflect the university’s commitment to diversity:

n Students of color represent 33 percent of the class.

n They come from more than 100 countries, including

China, France, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

n They possess a range of skills and experiences. As

a volunteer, one teaches Braille and another excels

in Brazilian jujitsu. One is a competitive break

dancer, another a Future Business Leaders of

America state champion.

In other words, the university’s Twenty Twelves are in a

class all their own. —MC

In a Class All Their Own:

The 2012s

ONE OF THE NATION’S topresearchers in the development ofaerospace technologies is nowdean of the A. James Clark Schoolof Engineering.

Darryll J. Pines, who mostrecently chaired the school’sDepartment of AerospaceEngineering, will lead the engineer-ing school’s efforts in research,education and connectivity with

state, national and internationalpartners.

Pines was also named theNariman Farvardin Professor ofEngineering and took on both newroles in January. The endowed pro-fessorship is named for the formerdean of the Clark School, who isnow the university’s senior vicepresident for academic affairs andprovost.

“Building on the great work ofmy predecessors, I will continue to move the Clark School towardengineering excellence—solidlygrounded in the foundations of discovery, invention and innova-tion,” says Pines. He earned hisdoctorate in mechanical engineer-ing from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and joinedthe Maryland faculty in 1996. —TV

AEROSPACE EXPERT DARRYLL PINES NAMED DEAN OF CLARK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Bradley Weiner, Future BusinessLeader of America champion; LamiaAbseslem, volunteer and Braille read-er; Maria Navarro, jujitsu champion.

STUDENT PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; PINES PHOTO BY MIKE MORGAN


6 TERP WINTER 2009

theSource

Children Punch InAssistant Director Anne Daniel

picks a dozen books each semester

that will appeal to 3- to 5-year-olds

in the Center for Young Children’s

Families Read Program. She gives

each child a personalized punch

card displaying book titles. As

books are read, Daniel punches

cards and gives young “critical”

readers the chance to share their

feelings about each book. Last

spring, more than 100 families read

at least four books and 65 families

read all 12. One parent started a

similar program at a homeless

shelter. Daniel’s classic pick:

Blueberries for Sal by Robert

McCloskey has been entertaining

children for 60 years with parallel

stories of Little Sal and Little Bear

(and mothers)

and their

mixed-up

adven-

tures.

Incidentally, the Center for Young

Children celebrates its 60th

anniversary this Maryland Day.

Readers Listen InThe Maryland Institute for

Technology in the Humanities, or

MITH, is celebrating its 10-year

anniversary. Its weekly seminar,

“Digital Dialogues,” brings

speakers to Maryland whose

wide-ranging topics draw upon

“the intersection of arts and the

humanities and new digital tech-

nology,” says Matthew

Kirschenbaum, associate profes-

sor of English. One recent talk:

A computer scientist explained

how three-dimensional imaging

enables him to digitally unroll

a fragile scroll to reveal its con-

tents, safely. Another discussion

featured Maryland faculty work-

ing on expanding the university’s

International Children’s Digital

Library. You can hear what other

speakers had to say through

downloadable podcasts.

FROM NEW TWISTS ON TRADITIONAL BOOK CLUBS TO TRIED-AND-TRUE AVENUES FOR MEETING AUTHORS TO UP-TO-THE-

MINUTE WAYS TO EXPLORE THE HUMANITIES, MARYLAND CONNECTS WITH YOU.

HOT LIN

E

FAMILIES READ PROGRAM

Contact Anne Daniel, Center for

Young Children, 301.405.3170

or, visit www.terp.umd.edu.

WRITERS HERE & NOW SERIES

Contact Johnna Schmidt, director,

Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House,

301.405.0671 or visit

www.writershouse.umd.edu.

MITH DIGITAL DIALOGUES

Subscribe to MITH podcasts via

www.mith.umd.edu

Contact Matthew Kirschenbaum,

301.405.8505.

UM BLOGS

Go to:

www.umd.edu/blogs_twikis_

wikis.cfm.

Writers Speak UpThe longstanding

“Writers Here &

Now Series,”

jointly sponsored by the

Creative Writing Program and

the Jimenez-Porter Writers’

House, had its start 40 years

ago when Rod Jellema began an

informal gathering of fellow

poets and writers. The yearlong

series culminates with the two

student winners of the

Katherine Anne Porter Fiction

Prize and Academy of American

Poets Prize reading from their

works at 7 p.m., May 6 in the

Special Events Room of

McKeldin Library. On three previ-

ous evenings this winter, accom-

plished poets and writers read

from their works: Arthur Sze and

Joan Silber; Juliana Spahr and

Selah Saterstrom; and A.Van

Jordan and Charles D’Ambrosio.

The free series attracts a devot-

ed following of

200 to 300

word lovers for

each event.

Get OnlineLooking for some new voices

online? A partial list of university

blogs is available at www.umd.edu/

blogs_twikis_wikis.cfm. Link to

student blogs recounting dance

ensembles and recent journalism

projects or search the home page

for more random topics; entomol-

ogy professor Mike Raupp blogs

on the bug of the week. While

most blogs are primarily textual,

some focus on art (artlog), photo-

graphs (photoblog), videos (vlog),

music (MP3 blog) and audio (pod-

casting) and are part of a wider

network of social media. The possi-

bilities are limitless. “There’s no

way to know the total number of

blogs being generated by people

on campus because many of them

are on commercial blog sites,” says

Executive Director of Internet

Communications Linda Martin,

who, when not working, blogs as

the Cupcake Queen. “They proba-

bly number in the hundreds.”


2008 AERIAL PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; IMAGES COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

askAnneQuestions for Anne Turkos,

university archivist for

University Libraries, may be

sent to [email protected].

TERP WINTER 2009 7

Q. I have seen some vestiges of the last mascotbefore Testudo. He's a cute cartoon turtle and I'mnot sure if he has a name. Is it possible to finditems that feature this mascot? —Hallie Heaney

A.The graphic depiction of Testudo has changedgreatly since the diamondback terrapin wasadopted as our mascot in 1933, but theterrapin’s name has never changed. Wehave a file here in University Archivesthat contains examples of the differentways Testudo has been representedthrough the years that you canreview. The smiling version of theterrapin was phased out in the later1990s in favor of the current logo.

A.We have sent you one (above) taken by John Consoli, our university photographer.

I also recommend checking out a great online resource that the archives maintains—

University AlbUM, www.lib.umd.edu/digital/album.jsp. Q. My husband’s grandfather, Mario GarciaMenocal, fought in Cuba’s War of Independenceand became the country’s third president. We are in the process of compiling informationto write a biography. We came across photo-graphs of him as a young man in a school military uniform. The captions referenceMaryland Agricultural College. Was this a military school? Do you know the dates heattended or if any of his brothers also attendedthe school?—Maggie Menocal

A. Our early student records list four membersof the Menocal family who attended theMaryland Agricultural College. Gabriel M.,Gustavo and Mario G. all attended from1882-83.And we have another record with the initials A.N. from 1876-77. Sadly, very littledocumentation has survived from that periodof time, likely due to the campus fire of 1912. When the Menocals studied here, the

Maryland Agricultural College was indeed a military school. The students were calledcadets, and they had to wear uniforms whereverthey went.

Q. The farther removed from

College Park, the more I miss it.

I'm in Toledo, Ohio, and I’m look-

ing for an aerial picture ofMaryland as it stands today.

Could you help me locate this?

—Bill Hormann ’85


8 TERP WINTER 2009PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHETRY/CNN

“LIFE DOESN’T MOVE fast enough for you,” Kiran

Chetry’s mother used to tell her. Chetry is put-

ting that to the test, as she balances roles as

wife, mother and anchor of CNN’s “American

Morning.”

Chetry ’96 was bitten early by the

broadcasting bug. After attending a magnet

program and participating in a communica-

tions arts pilot, where she learned to work a

camera and conduct and edit interviews, she

earned early acceptance to the Philip Merrill

College of Journalism. At Maryland, Chetry learned

from the late journalism pioneer Ben Holman. She interned at WRC-TV

in Washington, D.C., and at News 21 in Rockville, Md., where she cov-

ered community news. The day she graduated, she started at News 21

as a full-time freelance reporter.

After previously hosting “Fox & Friends First” and “Fox Friends

Weekend” for FOX News, Chetry joined co-anchor John Roberts on

CNN’s flagship morning program. Both bring “curiosity and a competi-

tive spirit to delivering the news,” says Chetry.

“American Morning” wraps at 9 a.m., but the day is only beginning.

“It’s a grind,” says Chetry, who admits to being “married” to her

Blackberry. But her grueling schedule has produced positive results in

ratings and a Daytime Emmy nomination for coverage of the foiled

London bombing plot.

As the presidential race heated up in the fall, the journalist chal-

lenged the candidates she interviewed. “Hold the candidates’ feet to

the fire on both sides,” Chetry says. “We’re helping

viewers burst onto the scene of their day well-

informed, with useful information.”

Chetry strives to balance truth seek-

ing and empathy. Covering the Virginia

Tech massacre was “a tough one for us,” she says.

“I remember being a college student.” A photo taken of Chetry

speaking with a young man on the campus still hangs in the CNN news-

room. “Being there, and being able to talk to those involved, it was

very powerful.

“It’s a subjective business, and it’s very unpredictable,” Chetry says

of her career. Her husband, New York City’s WPIX weekend meteorolo-

gist Chris Knowles, gets it. There are no tricks to juggling broadcasting,

marriage and children, Maya, 3, and Christopher, 10 months. “You sacri-

fice sleep; that’s what you do.” From grocery shopping to covering a

hot news story, Chetry approaches her tasks with gusto: “We have a

mission and know how to get it done.” —RR

alum

niprofile

classact

Left: Chetry on assignment. Inset: Chetry ’96covering California wildfires.

Kiran Chetry Achieves Balance On and Off Camera


MOST ENTREPRENEURS FIND success by thinking

outside the box. Marty Metro ’92 found it by

thinking about the box. Or boxes, actually, as in

the $40 billion worth of cardboard containers

produced annually in the United States and typi-

cally thrown away after a single use.

Metro’s idea was as simple: Don’t toss it, use

it again. Saving money while saving the planet is

the idealistic, yet practical concept behind

Metro’s company, Los Angeles-based Used

Cardboard Boxes, UCB.

“I’m very driven to make a difference while I’m

on earth,” Metro says. “I found an opportunity to

challenge cutting down a tree to make a box and

then throwing the box away when you’re done.”

Metro hatched the idea in 2002 while driving

a packed-to-the-gills Audi on a cross-country

move and noticing all the moving vans on the

Texas interstate. Moving is a hassle, he thought,

and it’s a drag trying to find boxes.

UCB buys quality used boxes from companies

that typically recycle them as scrap. Boxes are

inspected and packed into kits with tape, box

cutters and markers that can be shipped to any

U.S. residential address. Metro says his business

pays suppliers more than a recycler, and sells to

customers for less than retail.

Each year, an estimated 42 million people

move in the United States, Metro says. More than

90 percent of all products in the United States

are shipped in corrugated cardboard boxes. That’s

too many dead trees, he says, especially when

one tree can filter up to 60 pounds of air pollu-

tants annually.

Metro launched UCB in 2006. The startup

seemed the perfect way to blend his passions for

technology, earning money and making a posi-

tive impact on the world.

“There are a lot of entrepreneurs that say

they have green startups, and nine out of 10 of

them will fail because they forget about business

fundamentals,” Metro notes. “I didn’t wake up

and say I want to devote my life to being green. I

said I want to build a business that I can be

proud of.”

Metro rides a Razor E300 from his home in

L.A.’s historic Hancock Park to his Wilshire

Boulevard office. Top speed is 10 mph, and Metro

charges the scooter at the office.

“I’m often at stoplights next to 9-year-olds

with similar scooters,” Metro notes. “It sends a

positive message, I think.” —PB

TERP WINTER 2009 9TRAVEL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION; PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO

alumniprofile

travel 2009

Alumnus Boxes Green Business

Village Life in England’s Cotswolds

July 19–27

Immerse yourself in the heart of

the English countryside and dis-

cover this region’s enchanting nat-

ural beauty, historic treasures and

village traditions.

Alaska Discovery

Sept. 9–16

Explore Alaska, where the moun-

tains rival the Alps, the fjords sur-

pass Norway’s in their grandeur, the

glaciers are outnumbered only by

Greenland’s and Antarctica’s and

the marine life is boundless.

The Romance of the Blue Danube

Sept. 28–Oct. 12

Discover the Danube, steeped in

beauty, legend and lore. Explore

Roman ruins. Sail to Bratislava and

tour cultural Vienna.

For more details on these and other

tours featured in the Travel 2009 pro-

gram, visit www.alumni.umd.edu or

call 301.405.0685/ 800.336.8627.

Marty Metro ’92leans against stacksof recycled card-board boxes, theproduct of his greenbusiness.


alumniprofile

10 TERP WINTER 2009

classa

ct

Terp Holds Patent on SpeedALTHOUGH DRAG RACER Jim Yates ’75 may speed 200 mph down a straight quar-

ter-mile path in his Pontiac GXP, the path he followed to get to this point in

his career took a few turns.

As a 10-year-old watching his father work on hot rods in the

garage, Yates learned to love cars and racing. After he graduated

from the university with a degree in mechanical engineering, he

went on to work for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an

examiner for clutches and transmissions. During that time, he

bought his first auto parts store, which eventually grew into a

successful chain of 23 Yates Auto Parts stores.

But even with all his business success, racing was always

in the back of his mind. In his first National Hot Rod

Association, or NHRA, Pro Stock event in 1989, he almost beat

the reigning champion. This fueled his desire to challenge him-

self, as an engineer and a competitive stock car driver. He began

racing full time.

“My brain helps me to figure out how to make the car go faster,

but my competitive nature helps me to kick somebody’s butt on

Sundays,” Yates says. In 2000 he made the tough decision to sell his busi-

ness and devote himself to NHRA racing.

In his 18 years of professional racing, Yates has won two PowerAde Pro Stock

Championships, finished in the Top 2 five times, the Top 5 eight times and the

Top 10 14 times. And on Nov. 2, Yates surpassed a career milestone—his 400th

consecutive race, having not missed one since 1990.

And while driving in a pro stock car is a one-man job, his career has become a

family affair. His wife, Toni, and his three children, Jamie, Melissa and Jon, all play

a role in the racing business their dad has built. They root for him on the track, but

collegiate athletics is trickier. The family loyalty is divided

between the ACC’s Maryland and Clemson, but Yates is a

proud Terp. “If you ever were a Maryland Terrapin, you will

always be a Maryland Terrapin—you just bleed red; it’s a

’til-death-do-you-part scenario.” —MLB

Engineer and entrepre-neur Jim Yates ’75added racecar driver tohis résumé 20 yearsago and has been fullspeed ahead ever since.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF YATES/NASCAR


BYalumni

TERP WINTER 2009 11

Flora: I Was But a

Child, by Flora

Singer ’75, M.A.

’78, is a gripping

memoir that has

touched the lives

of people around

the world. In this

triumph of good

over evil in Hitler’s

Germany, readers

experience the fortitude of the

human spirit in the face of

tragedy.

Keith Rosen ’89 has created a

playbook to help today’s man-

agers realize the full

potential of their

sales teams.

Coaching

Salespeople Into

Sales Champions

shows readers how

to develop their

executive sales

coaching skills to

hire and retain top

sales talent, train

staff to perform at their peak

level and boost sales efficiency.

Start by taking a simple four-

minute quiz to discover your

color-coded exercise personality.

The 8 Colors of Fitness by

Suzanne Brue ’66 helps

readers of all fit-

ness levels achieve

greater results from

their conditioning

program by intro-

ducing personality-

specific exercise

plans and motiva-

tional activities.

ALUMNI BOOK PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

Devotion to alma mater is a lifetime commitment for Eric Francis ’71and his wife, Frann , who named the

“Lifetime Member Wall” in the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center to recognize others who become life members.

Make your mark on Maryland

www.makeyourmark.umd.edu

cheer join share volunteer give


m-fileLess Noise, Happier Fish?THE NATION’S FIRST approved off-

shore wind farm could begin power-

ing clean energy for Delaware

and Maryland as soon as 2012.

But what would be the impact of

the underwater construction noise

on unsuspecting fish?

Biology professor and aquatic bioacoustics

expert Arthur N. Popper and his colleague,

assistant research scientist Michele

Halvorsen, received a three-year, $880,000

grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s

Minerals Management Service to find out.

“This study will provide the first data that

directly measures the impact of high-intensity,

human-generated sounds on a variety of fish

species,” Popper says.

Construction of wind farms, as well as bridges

and piers, requires the use of pile-driving equip-

ment to insert support poles deep in the sea floor,

which creates high-intensity noise.

Using a newly designed acoustic wave tube,

Popper and Halvorsen will simulate pile-driving

signals that have acoustic parameters similar to

those that a fish is likely to be exposed to in the

field. The test chamber in Popper’s Aquatic

Bioacoustics Laboratory designed for this study is

the only one of its kind in the world. —NT

AUTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN G. PAYNE; FISH ILLUSTRATION BY JEANETTE J. NELSON12 TERP WINTER 2009

NEWSdeskUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FACULTY ARE THE SOURCE NEWS MEDIATURN TO FOR EXPERTISE—FROM POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY TOSOCIETY AND CULTURE TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

“Chinese Americans occupy two endsof the spectrum. They are a verydiverse population that is very, verycomplex to understand, and any sim-ple model of them doesn’t express thedepth of who they are.”LARRY SHINAGAWA, ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND

PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER OF STUDY CHALLENGING

COMMON PORTRAITS OF CHINESE AMERICANS AS

“MODEL” MINORITIES, LOS ANGELES TIMES, NOV. 14

“It could be that watching televisionmakes you unhappy, but there is alsothe question of whether people who areunhappy turn to television as a wayto ward off their unhappiness.”JOHN P. ROBINSON, SOCIOLOGY, ON HIS STUDY

THAT FOUND THAT UNHAPPY PEOPLE WATCH MORE TV,

WASHINGTON POST, NOV. 23

“Congress has declared the Mallcomplete. Yet the Mall will probablyalways be a work in progress, suscep-tible to periodic improvisation andpolicy shifts. It has been shaped moreby pragmatic considerations than byan overarching, coherent plan that isvisionary and enduring.”ROGER K. LEWIS, ARCHITECTURE, IN A COLUMN ABOUT

SHORTCOMINGS IN THE NATIONAL MALL'S

DEVELOPMENT, WASHINGTON POST, DEC. 6

“Well, it means belly up to the bar in Washington and they’ll give you some cash too after you’ve made foolish decisions.” PETER MORICI, BUSINESS, ON

THE PROPOSED AUTOMAKER

BAILOUT, ABC WORLD NEWS

WITH CHARLES GIBSON, NOV. 10


TERP WINTER 2009 13

Dean Lee Thornton: Navigating the New World of Journalism

TERP: You became a dean rather suddenly—

what’s it like?

THORNTON: Sudden, it was! But it was an honor to

be asked to lead the college. It’s endlessly interest-

ing, often very exciting. I never dreamed deans ful-

filled quite so many roles.

TERP: You were a longtime correspondent and

producer. Journalism—newspapers in particu-

lar—has been taking a financial beating, with big

chains buying out and laying off employees in

the face of shrinking ad revenues and competi-

tion from the Internet. What went wrong?

THORNTON: The way people consume news is

totally different. People don’t depend on news-

papers the way they once did. Until the mid-

1980s, people made it a point to watch the

nightly TV news. There was no 500-channel uni-

verse, and 24-hour news delivery on cable was

still quite new. Not only has all of that come to

pass, the Internet turned everything on its ear.

The business model changed as the industry

was forced to take new technologies into

account and to recognize those changing

patterns of use.

TERP: How is the Merrill College prepar-

ing its students for this changing market?

THORNTON: We give them a grounded

view of where the industry is today—

but we continue to teach the

bedrock of the profession.

Good reporting, good writing. We’re incorporating

new media. And of course we continue to give our

students real-world experience through our

Capital News Service bureaus.

TERP: How will the $30 million Knight Hall,

which next fall will replace the 1957 Journalism

building, further the college’s mission?

THORNTON: The learning labs will be superior. The

24-hour “news bubble” will be accessible to our

students to work on podcasts, file stories, com-

plete projects in groups. There’ll be a teaching

theater. The new building will help in many ways.

TERP: What do you tell new graduates asking

how to get jobs in the rapidly evolving industry?

THORNTON: We do pretty well on that score. We

have about 80 percent of our graduates getting

jobs straight out of our college. And we do tell

them to be willing to start small.

TERP: What’s your favorite memory in your jour-

nalism experience?

THORNTON: My students. They’re just everywhere,

and it’s a pleasure to watch their progress. I’ve been

fortunate that my reporting career took me, literally,

around the world—so that was an education in

itself. And a show I produced at CNN, “Both Sides

with Jesse Jackson,” was parodied on “Saturday

Night Live.” I am surely the only professor (let alone

dean) in America with that distinction!—LB

LEE THORNTON, TELLY AWARD RECIPIENT (SHOWN LEFT) AND FORMER CBS NEWS COR-

RESPONDENT, CNN PRODUCER AND NPR PROGRAM HOST, HOLDS THE PHILIP MERRILL

COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM’S RICHARD EATON CHAIR IN BROADCAST JOURNALISM,

AND SINCE JUNE HAS SERVED AS THE COLLEGE’S INTERIM DEAN.

SHE CREATED, PRODUCED AND ANCHORED THREE AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMS

FOR UMTV AND THE RESEARCH CHANNEL. AS A LONGTIME OBSERVER OF THE

MEDIA, THORNTON HAS TAKEN A KEEN INTEREST IN THE INDUSTRY’S RECENT

UPHEAVAL. SHE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND MORE WITH TERP’S LAUREN BROWN.

PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI


m-f

ile

ICE PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN CUMINGS

Visitors to our nation’s capital can get the latest dirt on

the complexity and importance of soil in our daily lives,

courtesy of Maryland faculty who helped design an

interactive soil display at the Smithsonian Museum of

Natural History.

The 5,000-square-foot exhibit, called “Dig It!,” is

designed to advance the public’s understanding of the

physical and biological characteristics of soil, the

processes that transform rock to soil, the uses and

benefits of soil, the global links of soil to air, water

and climate and the influence of soil on culture.

“Most people think about soil as the plowed zone

where crops or ornamental plants are planted, with little

grasp of what a real soil profile is or how it functions,”

says Martin Rabenhorst, one of five faculty members in

the Department of Environmental Science and

Technology who provided input to Smithsonian curators.

“Dig It!” runs through January 2010 and has

seven major features, each demonstrating a

different aspect of soil. The Get Soil Savvy! dis-

play, for example, has dramatic images and

video to explore the importance of soil in land

management and conservation. A Chef’s

Challenge kitchen features two flamboyant

“soil chefs” who create two very different soils

from the same ingredients. Visitors can also

activate two soil “breathalyzers” (infrared gas

analyzers) and detect the amount of carbon

dioxide produced by soil organisms in two dis-

similar environments.

“This exhibit will help people realize that at

the living convergence of geological materials,

that is of plants, animals, water and air, is the

amazing soil,” says Rabenhorst. —TV

14 TERP WINTER 2009

Ice may be common, especially this time of

year, but its molecular structure is anything

but ordinary. In fact, the structure of ice is a

long-standing scientific puzzle that seems

to violate one of the laws of physics.

A team of engineers and physicists at

Maryland has developed a new type of

pseudo-ice that allows them to study the

crystal lattice structure of ice and perhaps

determine why hydrogen atoms in water

ice (H200) don’t line up in an orderly fash-

ion as the third law of thermodynamics

predicts they should.

“Developing an accurate model of ice

would help architects, civil engineers and

environmental engineers understand what

happens to structures and systems

exposed to freezing conditions,” says team

leader John Cumings, assistant professor of

materials science and engineering at the A.

James Clark School of Engineering. “It

could also help us understand and better

predict the movement of glaciers.”

The ultimate impact of the research

may go even beyond civil engineering and

the environment, leading to computer hard

drives with much higher capacities.

“Although we’re mimicking the behavior

of ice, our meta-material is very similar to

patterned hard-disk media,” Cumings

explains. “Magnetic ‘bits’ used in hard drives

are usually placed at random, but memory

density could be increased if they were in a

tight, regular pattern instead.”—LT

Now That’s Cool

The Exciting World of Dirt. Who Knew?The Exciting World of Dirt. Who Knew?


TERP WINTER 2009 15AFRICAN X-RAY COURTESY OF MATT COCHRAN; “MARTHA SPEAKS” IMAGES COURTESY OF PBS

BEFORE “MARTHA” SPEAKS, Rebecca Silverman decides.

The Maryland assistant professor is literally putting

words into the mouth of the talking canine star of

“Martha Speaks,” an animated PBS show whose goal is

to build the vocabulary of children aged 4 to 7.

As content director for the show, produced by Boston’s

WGBH and the Vancouver-based Studio B Productions,

Silverman collaborates with its writers on choosing words

to teach and blending the words into each script.

“It was exciting to see all of our efforts come to life,”

says Silverman, who teaches special education and spe-

cializes in vocabulary development.

Catherine Snow, Silverman’s graduate school advisor

at Harvard University and a consultant for WGBH’s edu-

cation programs, approached her about joining

the show in 2006, just before Silverman

began teaching at Maryland.

“Rebecca knows the research on

early vocabulary development as well

as anyone I know, and had designed

effective vocabulary interventions for

young children,” Snow says.

Airing on Maryland Public Television

at 7 a.m. weekdays, the show is based

on a series of books by Susan

Meddaugh and follows the adventures

of the feisty mutt, who begins speaking

after eating a bowl of alphabet soup.

Each episode is divided into two 11-

minute segments, both designed to teach

five “sophisticated” words and five “basic”

words. Each word is repeated at least four times.

Working with the show’s writers is fun, Silverman

says. “They make sure that the ideas are fun and creative,

and I make sure that the definitions are explicit and that

the kids will, hopefully, learn something from it,” she says.

In September, Silverman and her husband watched

the show’s debut with their 8-month-old son.

“His eyes were peeled. He loved it,” she says. “It will

be more exciting later on when he’s a little bit older and,

hopefully, will see the show and start using some of the

words that we’ve taught.”—LS

This Dog Has SomeVocabulary

To the untrained eye, it didn’t look

like much: just a sharpened stone

surrounded by sand and clay.

But standing in a pit dug near

the Maryland State House, graduate

student Matt Cochran suspected

he’d discovered something amazing.

“It looks African!” Cochran

excitedly told Maryland archaeolo-

gist Mark Leone, director of the

Archaeology in Annapolis program.

A crucial X-ray, consultations and

months of research confirmed that

hunch.

Leone now believes his team

has uncovered the oldest North

American example of African spirit

practice. He dates it to about

1700—a period when English beliefs

in witchcraft might have mingled

more openly with the African.

“This is remarkably early,”

Leone says. “It’s African, not

African-American. It was made here,

but the spiritual traditions came

directly from Africa.”

The football-size “bundle” origi-

nally sat in public view by the door

of a house. It was meant to ward off

spirits. The X-ray above shows hun-

dreds of small metal pieces inside.

“We’re particularly intrigued by

the placement of this bundle in so

visible a spot, because it suggests a

level of public acceptance,” Leone

says. “All the previous African-

American spirit caches were from a

later period, hidden away and used

in secret. But in this generation both

European and African magic may

have been more accepted.”

After consulting with Yale

African art expert Frederick Lampe,

Leone says the bundle may have

cultural origins in Liberia, Sierra

Leone or Guinea among Yoruba or

Mande speakers and was construct-

ed in the image of a god.

“We hope to open a scholarly

debate to pinpoint its specific cul-

tural identity,” Leone says. “We’re

lucky to find it. But 30 years of disci-

plined, focused research in a single

historic city helps.” —NT

Discovery Suggests European andAfrican Magic Mingled in Early Annapolis

An X-ray showing hundredsof small metal fragmentsinside a “bundle” mayoffer clues on African spiritual traditions duringthe early-Colonial era.


play-by-playSCOREcardUnder Armour chairman and

CEO Kevin Plank ’97 is keep-

ing it all in the Maryland

family.

The Department of Athletics

announced that Under

Armour is the exclusive offi-

cial outfitter of Maryland

Athletics. The five-year,

$17.5 million agreement

gives Under Armour the right

to provide uniforms, apparel

and footwear to each of the

Terps’ 27 varsity sports,

including football, men’s and

women’s basketball,

lacrosse and soccer. Under

Armour has previously

signed apparel partnerships

with Maryland’s football,

men’s soccer and men’s

lacrosse teams.

Plank founded Under Armour

after serving as a special

teams captain of the

Maryland football team. He

earned his bachelor of sci-

ence degree in business

administration from

Maryland and is a member

of the board of trustees of

the University of

Maryland College Park

Foundation.

16 TERP WINTER 2009

ACC Champs on the MatA HIT SONG from the1980s said it best: Ittakes two to make athing go right. TheMaryland Terrapinsdefeated Navy by twotouchdowns in ByrdStadium’s dedicationfootball game in 1950. Ittook two overtimes forthe women’s lacrosseteam to win its seventhstraight national cham-pionship in 2001. Kristi Toliver made two freethrows in overtime to give women’s basketballthe decisive lead in its 2006 national champi-onship. And for the Maryland wrestling team, itcame down to two points—the team claimed the2008 ACC Championship for the first time since1973 by edging out Virginia.The Terps had five individual champions

that day: Steven Bell, Jon Kohler, Brian Letters,Mike Letts and Hudson Taylor. Their winshelped propel the team to Maryland’s 21stoverall ACC wrestling title, the best record inthe conference. After becoming the first team outside North

Carolina to win a tournament championship since1977, Maryland is looking ahead to a new seasonunder a new head coach. Kerry McCoy hopes tolead the team to a Top 10 finish in the NCAAchampionship. In his three seasons as head coach

of Stanford, McCoy transformed the team with alosing record into a national contender.McCoy comes to Maryland with experience

not only as a coach, but also as a wrestler—onewith an impressive résumé. He is a two-timeOlympian, a nine-time U.S. National Teammember and a three-time All-American at PennState. He also brings with him a motto: Takeconfidence in your preparation. “I use this oftenand I make sure we put the work in during thetime before competition,” he says. On his questto take the Terps to the NCAA champi-onship, he says, “It’s going to betough, but I will ensure we areready for the postseason.”Another win in the

Maryland recordswould be toosweet. —MLB

SophomoreHudson Taylorsealed the team's2008 ACCChampionshiptriumph with his10-5 decision overUNC TarheelDennis Drury.

WRESTLING PHOTOS BY GREG FIUME; PLANK PHOTO COURTESY OF UNDER ARMOUR

Left: 2008 ACC Championshipteam. Above: New headcoach Kerry McCoy.


A CAPPELLA, LATIN for “from the chapel,” can bring to

mind Gregorian chants or Baroque music or, in the last

century, barbershop or Bobby McFerrin. Today’s extracur-

ricular a cappella groups at Maryland honor the music’s

history and push the boundaries of all-vocal arrange-

ments while giving members an outlet to hone and share

their talents.

Maryland has seven registered a cappella groups, up

from two started in the 1980s and mirroring the national

trend. Collegiate a cappella is enjoying a resurgence nation-

wide, growing from 200 groups in the early 1990s to more

than 1,200 today, according to abcnews.com. The universi-

ty’s troupes include the all-male Generics, Maryland’s first a

cappella group, which recently celebrated its 20th anniver-

sary, along with six other registered groups,

including a comedic ensemble. Startups

include a troupe that sings East Indian

and Western music in several languages.

The ensembles of 12 to 16 mem-

bers perform on and off campus. One

of Maryland’s popular Jewish groups,

Kol Sasson, has sung at Maryland’s

Homecoming and at the White House

Hanukkah celebration.

Song selections for the student-run

acts range from hip-hop to country, reggae

to rock, Hebrew hymns to Israeli pop.

Group members—most are not music

majors—hail from all colleges and schools

and they discover talents, like a knack for

vocal percussion or “beatbox,” that they didn’t know they

had.

When Russel Valle, a science student by day and bass

singer by night, tells his friends he’s a member of

PandemoniUM, a co-ed a cappella group, “they’re

shocked,” he says. “It’s as if I’m living a double life. To

them, I’m a hard-studying biochemistry major.”

Members of the Generics jokingly refer to themselves

as “a singing frat without the dues.”

A cappella’s popularity on campus is rooted in choral

performances. The 1958 yearbook shows a barber-

shop quartet number performed by the Men’s

Glee Club, and traditional four-part har-

mony isn’t lost today. —RR

spotlightS Everything Old is New Again:

A cappella voices raise spirits—and the roof—at Maryland

TERP WINTER 2009 17

Kol Sasson’s 2005 album, Shake Well Before Opening, won a track on a Best of Jewish a cappella compilation. (top left)

Crisis Control, an album by Faux Paz (topright), Maryland’s first co-ed a cappellaensemble, was nominated for aContemporary A Cappella Recording Award.

The Generics’ album, Still Hungry, StillSinging, includes the tune “Sir Duke,”sung barbershop style. (bottom left)

PandemoniUM (bottom right) is one ofseven all-student a cappella groupsregistered at Maryland.

Not pictured, but also active student a cappella groups:Mockapella, Anokha and Rak Shalom.

Men’s Glee Club, 1951

GLEE CLUB PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES; PHOTOS PROVIDED BY EACH A CAPPELLA GROUP


LITH

OGRAPH

BY EMMA AMOS, “GIZA, E

MMA AND LARRY

,” 1992, FROM “SU

CCESSIONS: PRINTS BY AFRICAN AMER

ICAN ART

ISTS FROM THE JEAN AND ROBER

T STEELE COLLEC

TION,”

A TRAVELING EXHIBITION PRESEN

TED BY THE DAVID DRISKELL CEN

TER; D

AVID GONZA

LES AND KATH

Y M

ATTEA

PHOTO

S COURT

ESY OF TH

E CLA

RICE SM

ITH PER

FORMING ART

S CEN

TER

Eigh

th Ann

ual D

avid C. D

risk

ell

Lecture in the

Visua

l Arts

Feat

urin

g A

rtis

t Em

ma

Am

os

APRIL 16 | 4:30–6:30 P.M.

David C. D

riskell Center, Cole

Student Activities Building

Professor D

avid Driskell dis-

cusses the works of Emma Am

os

with the artist. A painter, printer and weaver, Am

os

blurs the distinction between “high” and “low” art

through different m

edia—etching, monoprints, silk

collagraphs, photography, painting, fiber, sewing—

resulting in seamless works of art.

“Living in Our Lan

dscape

”A

Ser

ies

of P

efor

man

ces

Cele

brat

ing

the

Nat

ural

Wor

ldClarice Smith Performing Arts Center

BEG

INNING APRIL 4

“Living in Our Landscape” will draw on the

annual renewal of spring in asking us to

consider our responsibility as citizens of the

earth. Program

s include:

APRIL 4 | 3 P.M. AND 8 P.M. | $25

David Gon

zalez (ins

et abo

ve), story-

teller, m

usician, poe

t an

d pe

rformer

Wou

nded

Spl

endo

r

APRIL 19 | 7:30 P.M. | $35

Ensemble Galilei, fea

turing

mus

ic,

imag

es and

narrative

Firs

t Pe

rson

: Sto

ries

from

the

Edg

e of

the

Wor

ldwith Neal Conan, narrator

HOT LINE

SAV

E TH

E DAT

E:

Taking

the

Terrapin Spirit

on the

Roa

d

Hosted by the Maryland

Alum

ni Association

Enjoy refreshm

ents, connect

with fellow alumni and meet

special guests at alumni

gatherings on the East or

West coasts. Visit the alum

ni

association Web site for

updates and more details.

•BALTIM

ORE

APRIL 29, 6 P.M.

M&T BANK STADIUM

•LO

S ANGELES

MAY 14, 6 P.M.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

ART MUSEU

M

•NEW

YORK CITY

JUNE 18, 6 P.M.

MIDTOWN LOFT

Marylan

d Day

200

9Campusw

ide

APRIL 25 | 10 A.M.–4 P.M. | FREE

The 11th annual M

aryland Day celebrates every-

thing that makes Maryland great! Explore booths

show

casing advances in science, technology,

business and agriculture. Also returning: the

Big Top, live performances, Terp athletics,

great food and much more.

Bab

y, it’s cold ou

tside—

unless you

’re watching Terp la

crosse!

•MARCH

21, 29

Colleg

e Park

Maryland wom

en face off against Boston

College and Stanford University, respectively.

http

://u

mte

rps.

cstv

.com

/spo

rts/

w-l

acro

s/sc

hed/

md-

w-l

acro

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hed.

htm

l

•APRIL 11

M&T Ban

k Stadium

, Baltimore

Men’s lacrosse team com

petes

in the Lacrosse Day of R

ivals

ww

w.d

ayof

riva

ls.c

om

ALU

MNI A

SSOCIATION

301.405.4678 or 800.336.8627,

www.alumni.umd.edu

ATHLETICS

301.314.7070 (Ticket Office),

umterps.cstv.com

CLARICE SMITH PER

FORMING

ARTS CEN

TER

301.405.ARTS (Ticket Office),

www.claricesm

ithcenter.umd.edu

DAV

ID C. D

RISKELL CENTER

301.314.2615

www.driskellcenter.umd.edu

MARYLAND DAY 2009

www.marylandday.umd.edu

UNIVER

SITY LIBRARIES

301.405.0800

www.lib.um

d.edu

APRIL 22 | FREE

Earth Day

200

9: Living

in Our Lan

dscape

Earth Day 2009: Living in Our Landscape

Join visiting artist Kathy Mattea (above),

and experts from

the fields of natural

resources managem

ent, public policy,

local environm

ental groups and students

for this special com

mem

oration.

APRIL 23 | 8 P.M. | $40

Kathy

Mattea, cou

ntry m

usic star

Coal

: Mov

ing

Mou

ntai

ns

Spe

aking of Boo

ks …

Co

nversation

s with Ca

mpu

s Autho

rsMcKeldin Library

APRIL 22 | 4:30 P.M. FREE

Part of the University of Maryland Libraries Speakers

Series, the School of Public Policy’s Mark Sagoff speaks

on T

he E

cono

my

of t

he E

arth

: Phi

loso

phy,

Law

and

the

Envi

ronm

ent.Following the lecture, books will be avail-

able for purchase and for signing by the author.

Win

ter’s

chi

ll m

ay b

e ke

epin

g yo

u in

door

s, bu

t the

se M

aryl

and

even

ts sh

ould

war

m y

our

imag

inat

ion

until

spr

ing

arri

ves.

From

ath

letic

eve

nts

to th

e pe

rform

ing

arts,

and

from

alu

mni

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MMA AND LARRY

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CCESSIONS: PRINTS BY AFRICAN AMER

ICAN ART

ISTS FROM THE JEAN AND ROBER

T STEELE COLLEC

TION,”

A TRAVELING EXHIBITION PRESEN

TED BY THE DAVID DRISKELL CEN

TER; D

AVID GONZA

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PHOTO

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APRIL 16 | 4:30–6:30 P.M.

David C. D

riskell Center, Cole

Student Activities Building

Professor D

avid Driskell dis-

cusses the works of Emma Am

os

with the artist. A painter, printer and weaver, Am

os

blurs the distinction between “high” and “low” art

through different m

edia—etching, monoprints, silk

collagraphs, photography, painting, fiber, sewing—

resulting in seamless works of art.

“Living in Our Lan

dscape

”A

Ser

ies

of P

efor

man

ces

Cele

brat

ing

the

Nat

ural

Wor

ldClarice Smith Performing Arts Center

BEG

INNING APRIL 4

“Living in Our Landscape” will draw on the

annual renewal of spring in asking us to

consider our responsibility as citizens of the

earth. Program

s include:

APRIL 4 | 3 P.M. AND 8 P.M. | $25

David Gon

zalez (ins

et abo

ve), story-

teller, m

usician, poe

t an

d pe

rformer

Wou

nded

Spl

endo

r

APRIL 19 | 7:30 P.M. | $35

Ensemble Galilei, fea

turing

mus

ic,

imag

es and

narrative

Firs

t Pe

rson

: Sto

ries

from

the

Edg

e of

the

Wor

ldwith Neal Conan, narrator

HOT LINE

SAV

E TH

E DAT

E:

Taking

the

Terrapin Spirit

on the

Roa

d

Hosted by the Maryland

Alum

ni Association

Enjoy refreshm

ents, connect

with fellow alumni and meet

special guests at alumni

gatherings on the East or

West coasts. Visit the alum

ni

association Web site for

updates and more details.

•BALTIM

ORE

APRIL 29, 6 P.M.

M&T BANK STADIUM

•LO

S ANGELES

MAY 14, 6 P.M.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

ART MUSEU

M

•NEW

YORK CITY

JUNE 18, 6 P.M.

MIDTOWN LOFT

Marylan

d Day

200

9Campusw

ide

APRIL 25 | 10 A.M.–4 P.M. | FREE

The 11th annual M

aryland Day celebrates every-

thing that makes Maryland great! Explore booths

show

casing advances in science, technology,

business and agriculture. Also returning: the

Big Top, live performances, Terp athletics,

great food and much more.

Bab

y, it’s cold ou

tside—

unless you

’re watching Terp la

crosse!

•MARCH

21, 29

Colleg

e Park

Maryland wom

en face off against Boston

College and Stanford University, respectively.

http

://u

mte

rps.

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.com

/spo

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w-l

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•APRIL 11

M&T Ban

k Stadium

, Baltimore

Men’s lacrosse team com

petes

in the Lacrosse Day of R

ivals

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w.d

ayof

riva

ls.c

om

ALU

MNI A

SSOCIATION

301.405.4678 or 800.336.8627,

www.alumni.umd.edu

ATHLETICS

301.314.7070 (Ticket Office),

umterps.cstv.com

CLARICE SMITH PER

FORMING

ARTS CEN

TER

301.405.ARTS (Ticket Office),

www.claricesm

ithcenter.umd.edu

DAV

ID C. D

RISKELL CENTER

301.314.2615

www.driskellcenter.umd.edu

MARYLAND DAY 2009


UNIVER

SITY LIBRARIES

301.405.0800

www.lib.um

d.edu

APRIL 22 | FREE

Earth Day

200

9: Living

in Our Lan

dscape

Earth Day 2009: Living in Our Landscape

Join visiting artist Kathy Mattea (above),

and experts from

the fields of natural

resources managem

ent, public policy,

local environm

ental groups and students

for this special com

mem

oration.

APRIL 23 | 8 P.M. | $40

Kathy

Mattea, cou

ntry m

usic star

Coal

: Mov

ing

Mou

ntai

ns

Spe

aking of Boo

ks …

Co

nversation

s with Ca

mpu

s Autho

rsMcKeldin Library

APRIL 22 | 4:30 P.M. FREE

Part of the University of Maryland Libraries Speakers

Series, the School of Public Policy’s Mark Sagoff speaks

on T

he E

cono

my

of t

he E

arth

: Phi

loso

phy,

Law

and

the

Envi

ronm

ent.Following the lecture, books will be avail-

able for purchase and for signing by the author.

Win

ter’s

chi

ll m

ay b

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epin

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u in

door

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se M

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and

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20 TERP winter 2009

“As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the great Tree of Lifebeen with the great Tree of Lifebeen with the great , which Tree of Life, which Tree of Lifefi lls with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifi cations.”

—Charles Darwin, 1856

TERP winter 2009 21

It was a lucky stroke for science, says Maryland’s Thomas Holtz, that Charles Darwin was prone

to seasickness.Darwin was sailing as a scientist aboard

the HMS Beagle in 1836 for a mapping expedition of South America, observing and accumulating specimens to help him explore how and why species change.

One of the places the Beagle went was the Galapagos Islands.

“Because he got seasick, Darwin took every opportunity to get off the ship,” says Holtz, director of the College Park Scholars Earth, Life and Time program, and leader of fi ve student study-abroad trips to Galapagos.

It was on his walks around the Galapagos Islands that Darwin gathered some of the most important evidence for his theories of evolution. Darwin pub-lished them 23 years later in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Those theories have underpinned all major biological break-throughs since, and they drive much of today’s biology research at the University of Maryland.

This year, the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth, the University of Maryland, along with scientists and universities the world over, is recognizing the signifi cance of Darwin’s work by celebrating “The Year of Evolution.”

“Evolutionary theory had a profound scientifi c and social impact. The two don’t always go hand in hand,” says Chuck Delwiche, an associate professor of cell biology and molecular genetics.

by ellen walker ternesillustrations by brian payne

22 TERP winter 2009

BIG BANGWhile theories of evolution had been bubbling among scientists, and farmers had long observed that animals changed with generations, Darwin’s publication arrived with a bang.

“What excited scientists and upset society,” says Charles Mitter, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology, “is that Darwin said that all present-day species descended from a common ancestor.” It was a notion that, even today, some people have trouble reconciling with religious and cultural beliefs.

Steven Salzberg, director of the university’s Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, works on gene sequencing of viruses and bacteria. “A major misconception is that

Darwin’s theory explains how life came to be,” Salzberg says. “But it doesn’t. It explains how once life appeared, it separated into distinct

forms that led to the wonderful diversity on our planet.”

GENES AND EVOLUTIONA 20th-century scienti� c breakthrough gave new proof of evolution in a way that Darwin couldn’t have imagined. In 1980, the � rst genes were sequenced, or mapped out. It meant scientists could compare the genetic makeup of species and see where even changes in just a few genes could alter a species.

Comparing genetic codes shows that even after a billion years, humans share many of the same genes with life forms as lowly as E. coli. New genetics discoveries led researchers like Delwiche and Mitter to create the Tree of Life, a National Science Foundation-funded project that’s mapping out how all organisms alive today are genetically connected.

With gene sequencing, Delwiche’s research team identi� ed a group of algae that are the closest living relatives to the � rst land plants that emerged 470 million years ago, moving a step closer to understanding how land plants came to dominate the planet.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTESTGene sequencing shows with stunning clar-ity that species do evolve to survive when the going gets tough. Perhaps the poster children for evolution are viruses and bacteria, which rapidly reinvent themselves to fend o� threats like antibi-otics and vaccines.

Salzberg was on a research team that completed the � rst sequencing of more than 200 species of the in� uenza A virus, which causes � u in humans. Scientists hope to use the results to help them pre-pare the right vaccine for each � u season.

Biology professor Thomas Kocher and assis-tant biology professor Karen Carleton use gene sequencing to study the forces of nature that have driven the cichlid � sh to evolve into hundreds of di� erent species within the con� nes of several lakes in Africa. Their research may help scientists predict how modern problems, such as pollution, could a� ect the � sh’s future diversity.

These gene maps also have led scientists down some new evolutionary paths, says biology assis-tant professor Eric Haag, who studies microscopic worms for insights into how di� erent species evolve, sometimes for no apparent reason. “While it would make sense that species change their DNA only to adapt to their surroundings, genome sequencing shows the opposite. It does it even when things don’t need to be � xed,” Haag says.

WHAT’S UP WITH TERMITES?One mystery that ba� ed Darwin—in fact delayed publication of his theory by more than 20 years—is the case of the social insects: termites, bees, wasps and ants. The question continues to intrigue scientists today.

“Social insects were a showstopper for Darwin,” says entomology professor Barbara Thorne, who studies the evolutionary biology of termites.

“Where almost all other species survive because the adults reproduce and pass on their genes, most individuals in a social insect colony are sterile. Only the queen and king reproduce.”

And yet these colonial creatures are over-whelmingly successful survivors, Thorne says.

“If you could weigh the biomass of all the social insects, they would encompass 75 percent of all the insects of the world.”

“A major misconception is that Darwin’s theory explains how life came to be,” Salzberg says. “But it doesn’t. It explains how once life appeared, it separated into distinct forms that led to the wonderful diversity on our planet.”

sequencing to study the forces of nature that have driven the cichlid � sh to evolve into hundreds of di� erent species within the con� nes of several lakes in Africa. Their research may help scientists predict how modern problems, such as pollution, could a� ect the � sh’s future diversity.

These gene maps also have led scientists down some new evolutionary paths, says biology assis-tant professor Eric Haag, who studies microscopic worms for insights into how di� erent species evolve, sometimes for no apparent reason. “While it would make sense that species change their

only to adapt to their surroundings, genome sequencing shows the opposite. It does it even when things don’t need to be � xed,” Haag says.

WHAT’S UP WITH TERMITES?One mystery that ba� ed Darwin—in fact delayed publication of his theory by more than 20 years—is the case of the social insects: termites, bees, wasps and ants. The question continues to intrigue scientists today.

“Social insects were a showstopper for Darwin,” says entomology professor Barbara Thorne, who studies the evolutionary biology of termites.

“Where almost all other species survive because the adults reproduce and pass on their genes, most individuals in a social insect colony are sterile. Only the queen and king reproduce.”

And yet these colonial creatures are over-whelmingly successful survivors, Thorne says.

“If you could weigh the biomass of all the social insects, they would encompass 75 percent of all the insects of the world.”

Thorne’s discoveries about one of the oldest species of termites have proven what Darwin sus-pected—that these social insects evolve as a social unit that survives by protecting the few members who can reproduce.

EVOLUTIONARY RESILIENCEInsects of all sorts may be one of the evolution-ary superheroes that keep on keeping on, in spite of humans’ e� orts to eradicate them. Take mosquitoes, says Mitter. “Our e� orts to get rid of them have failed because of evolution. They have evolved to become resistant to insecticides,” a survival skill that has thwarted virtually every attempt to rid the world of malaria.

Mitter and his students study the evolution-ary biology of plant-eating insects. Working with the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, they recently helped create a new exhibit on but-ter� ies, plants and evolution. “Maryland is doing research that will result in understanding the evo-lution of moths and butter� ies, which include a major portion of the insects that eat agricultural plants,” says Mitter.

THE FUTURE OF EVOLUTIONBiology professor Gerald Wilkinson is a lead-ing researcher of species evolution, but his latest research may be revolutionary evolutionary. Wilkinson is collaborating with linguistics pro-fessor Juan Uriagereka and computer science professor Jim Reggia to uncover clues to how language may have evolved in humans. And they’re doing it in a computer.

“We’re simulating evolution,” says Wilkinson. “We’re coming up with ways to create little computer agents that are allowed to evolve and communicate.”

Computer evolution is a long way from Galapagos, but it may add yet another chapter to the explosion Charles Darwin set o� more than 150 years ago. “The history of evolution is like a catalogue to the museum of life,” says Mitter. “If you want to understand why things are the way they are today, you have to know what the ances-tors were.” TERP

One hundred and fi fty years after

he published On the Origin of Species,

Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory

continues to have a profound scien-

tifi c and social impact. It provides

the organizing principle that guides

modern biology, biomedical research,

genomics and many other disciplines.

Yet a recent Gallup poll found that 44

percent of Americans reject evolution

as a cause for human origins. Teach-

ing about Darwinian theory in schools

nationwide remains under attack.

To engage teachers, the university

and the surrounding community in a

discussion about the importance of

evolutionary theory, the College of

Chemical and Life Sciences organized

several events to coincide with Dar-

win’s 200th birthday year.

TEACHING EVOLUTION Secondary school teachers from all

over the state of Maryland attended

a special session at the university’s

annual Bioscience Day in November

that focused on teaching evolution in

classrooms where faith and science

sometimes clash.

CHALLENGING INTELLIGENT DESIGNFederal court Judge John E. Jones

III, who ruled in the 2005 landmark

Pennsylvania court case (Kitzmiller v.

Dover Area School District) that teach-

ing intelligent design in public

school science classes was

unconstitutional, will give a special lec-

ture on campus March 23 to discuss

the case and the ongoing challenges

to teaching evolution in schools. A key

witness at the Kitzmiller trial, Brown

University biology professor Kenneth

Miller, also gave a special lecture

at Maryland in September. Miller is

Roman Catholic and a strong opponent

of creationism and the teaching of

intelligent design. He is author of the

book Finding Darwin’s God (A Scientist’s

Search for Common Ground between God

and Evolution).

CELEBRATING DARWIN’S LEGACY Faculty from across campus will par-

ticipated in a Darwin Day Teach-In

on Feb. 12 (Darwin’s 200th birthday)

to highlight the continuing impact

of Darwin’s work on disciplines as

diverse as psychology, philosophy,

anthropology, music, art, sociology,

government and biology. —KB

MARYLAND’S YEAR OF EVOLUTION

a survival skill that has thwarted virtually every attempt to rid the world of malaria.

Mitter and his students study the evolution-ary biology of plant-eating insects. Working with the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, they recently helped create a new exhibit on but-ter� ies, plants and evolution. “Maryland is doing research that will result in understanding the evo-lution of moths and butter� ies, which include a major portion of the insects that eat agricultural plants,” says Mitter.

THE FUTURE OF EVOLUTIONBiology professor Gerald Wilkinson is a lead-ing researcher of species evolution, but his latest research may be revolutionary evolutionary. Wilkinson is collaborating with linguistics pro-fessor Juan Uriagereka and computer science professor Jim Reggia to uncover clues to how language may have evolved in humans. And they’re doing it in a computer.

“We’re simulating evolution,” says Wilkinson. “We’re coming up with ways to create little computer agents that are allowed to evolve and communicate.”

Computer evolution is a long way from Galapagos, but it may add yet another chapter to the explosion Charles Darwin set o� more than 150 years ago. “The history of evolution is like a catalogue to the museum of life,” says Mitter. “If you want to understand why things are the way they are today, you have to know what the ances-tors were.” TERP

nationwide remains under attack.

To engage teachers, the university

and the surrounding community in a

discussion about the importance of

evolutionary theory, the College of

Chemical and Life Sciences organized

several events to coincide with Dar-

win’s 200th birthday year.

TEACHING EVOLUTIONSecondary school teachers from all

over the state of Maryland attended

a special session at the university’s

annual Bioscience Day in November

that focused on teaching evolution in

classrooms where faith and science

sometimes clash.

CHALLENGING INTELLIGENT DESIGNFederal court Judge John E. Jones

III, who ruled in the 2005 landmark

Pennsylvania court case (Kitzmiller v.

Dover Area School District) that teach-

ing intelligent design in public

school science classes was

Search for Common Ground between God

and Evolution).

CELEBRATING DARWIN’S LEGACYFaculty from across campus will par-

ticipated in a Darwin Day Teach-In

on Feb. 12 (Darwin’s 200th birthday)

to highlight the continuing impact

of Darwin’s work on disciplines as

diverse as psychology, philosophy,


government and biology.


government and biology. —KB

24 TERP winter 2009

TERP fall 2008 3 COLLAGE BY CATHERINE NICHOLS

arrived last spring in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, ready to gut a home submerged and ruined by Hurricane Katrina. She helped remove the mattress that had fl oated from its bed to block the front door and hauled out rotted, stinking clothes and shoes, furniture and even graded school papers.The groceries left behind in the fridge by the owners who fl ed the 2005 storm had turned toxic, as had the water in the toilet. Mold was everywhere. Then Salmon tripped over a toolbox holding up a bed upstairs, and the fetid water held inside for 30 months spilled out.“Katrina, until then, was a foreign concept,” she says. “I always thought I was aware of world problems. Then my bubble was burst.”Salmon is an avid supporter of and participant in Mary-land’s Alternative Breaks program, which expanded this year from spring breaks to those in the winter and summer. Sponsored by the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Center for Campus Life, the program links students interested in social issues such as disaster relief, HIV/AIDS and environ-mental sustainability with communities across the country, the Caribbean and South America. They spend a week fulfi lling those communities’ needs while getting engaged in learning in a meaningful way.In other words, this is not the traditional spring break spent sprawled on the beach.

“I believe that this program is helping students to connect with their passion,” says Craig Slack, the university’s assistant director in the Stamp Student Union for leadership and community service learning. “It’s providing students with life experiences that complement their lessons in the classroom.”

25

4 TERP fall 2008

was launched in spring 2004 with three trips and about three dozen students, he said. This spring, more than 250 students will participate in 17 trips to 16 destinations, including New York City, the Bahamas and San Francisco.

The concept has been gaining traction nationwide as well. Break Away, the largest national organization dedicated to developing alternative break programs, estimates that 48,000 students in the United States participated in alternative spring breaks in 2007.

“From what we know, alternative programs started in the 1980s and have grown steadily ever since,” says Sa-mantha Giacobozzi, programs director at the Atlanta-based nonprofi t.“Universities and colleges have taken more interest in offering these experiences to these students.

“The students we meet are interested in learning in the world around them, and that’s tied to their interest in social justice, active citizenship and being involved in their commu-nity,” she says.

That was the case for junior David Zuckerman, who had no interest in a typical spring break. He went to New Orleans his freshman year, and last year he traveled to Lima, Peru, where his team painted a large community center and day care in an impoverished neighborhood.

He says he initially thought, “It’s going to push me out of my comfort zone and I could learn a lot. And I did. The trip is not necessarily about effecting change, but education—what we would bring back, and how we would broaden our horizons from an international perspective.”

This spring, Zuckerman’s going to be a program leader, help-ing to organize the logistics of a trip. He’s also hoping to fi nagle time off from an internship to participate in a third alternative break in Washington, D.C. He says that out of 18 participants on his 2008 trip, seven are now in leadership positions in the program.

The leadership aspect is key to alternative breaks, says Mei-Yen Hui, graduate assistant coordinator of community service learning. While she organizes the yearlong schedule of recruiting, selecting participants and 16-week training sessions, she says student trip leaders learn to “own the experience” by taking charge—researching the social issue, connecting with community organizations, arranging the itinerary and lining up speakers on the social issue they’re addressing.

26

Besides the participants and trip leaders, a student or faculty advisor joins each team to handle the money, sign paperwork and support the students, even while working alongside them.

Laura Barrantes, program coordinator for Student Entertain-ment Events, served as a staff advisor on last spring’s trip to the Oglala Lakota reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D. During this immersion in American Indian culture, participants crafted several bunk beds for children who were sleeping on floors and worked on the homes of three tribal elders. Amid winds whip-ping across the plains and 30-degree temperatures, they built an access ramp for disabled people and painted and re-sided exteriors. In their free time, they toured a school, a restaurant and trading posts on the reservations and visited the Badlands and Wounded Knee.

Barrantes says she’d return in a heartbeat: “My eyes have been widened. I’m using a much more critical eye when it comes to Native American issues.”

Salmon goes a step further, calling the program “life-changing,” a description used by many participants. One of the founders of the new winter alternative break, she says she keeps in contact with team members from her previous trips and some of the people she met on her trips to New Orleans—a city that she loves and hates. She says she plans to move there some-day and that the program has drawn her to Teach for America, a prospect she never considered before.

“I know I can help other people,” she says. “I know how I can serve.”

Students contribute to the cost of their trip, with the univer-sity covering the bulk of it. That’s part of why organizers limit the number of participants—but it also has its advantages, in that it creates a more intimate and thoughtful learning experi-ence. Organizers also say they would love to meet the demand for alternative breaks from everyone—from students to staff and faculty.

“It will take a community effort to ensure that everyone who wants an alternative break experience can have one,” Stack says.

“Leadership is not the responsibility of one. It’s the responsibility of all.” terp

27

by monette austin bailey illustration by jeanette j.nelson

28 TERP winter 2009

TERP winter 2009 29

ut mentoring at the university, whether arranged formally or generated through shared

interests, isn’t just about leading and following. The emphasis is on the faculty member supporting students, and allowing them to make their own discoveries—and mistakes—to deepen their experience.

The university doesn’t have a pro-gram that joins students with particular faculty members, but many students successfully rely on their own match-making skills.

Cherry Kwunyeun M.B.A. ’08 became interested in Michel Wedel’s work on eye-tracking technology and its use to study consumer attention to visual marketing while taking his marketing analytics course. Wedel, who holds the Pepsico Chair of Consumer Science at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, encouraged Kwunyeun to complete an independent study project analyzing the Web site of her newly launched handbag company, and oth-ers, using the technology.

Using principles she learned under his guidance, she is creating a site that communicates the social impact of her company, Blumpari, as well as her products.

“My team and I found that the best aspect of our study was Dr. Wedel’s mentorship,” she wrote in a letter to marketing associate professor Robert Krapfel. “Dr. Wedel is dedicated to im-parting to students high-level, analyti-cal, problem-solving skills to tackle the competitive landscape of business.”

In another competitive arena, members of Terp Racing won the international Formula SAE West championship last summer, after being given plenty of resources and freedom to make decisions, says the team’s advi-sor, Greg Schultz. An adjunct associate professor in mechanical engineering, he maintains that his role was more of a fundraiser and organizer.

“It’s a balancing act of how much you get involved. Part of it is trying to teach them, getting the student leaders to learn to make decisions and handle

30 TERP winter 2009

people,” he says, adding that students joked with him for not spending enough time with them. “It’s teaching them how to do things, not telling

them what to do,” says Schultz.Rafael Lorente agrees. A lec-

turer in the Philip Merrill Col-lege of Journalism and Annapolis bureau director for Capital News Service, or CNS, he took a team

of graduate and undergraduate students to cover the Democratic National Convention in Denver earlier this year. Student stories, from both conventions, went to

several news publications, a news-radio station, a statewide public televi-sion network and sev-eral online services.

Lorente says he drew from his experience as a

father of two to shape his interaction with the four

students in his charge.“I thought, ‘I have to get them to

tell me how they’ll do it. What are you trying to do? What have you tried?’ Help them come to it on their own,” he says. A challenge for him was to make sure both the media clients and students got what they needed out of the experience.

Robert Waters, associate vice president and special assistant to the president, has enjoyed being a mentor for Incentive Awards Program schol-ars for four years. He appreciates just as much, however, relationships that develop when a faculty member seeks to nurture a student's interest or a student seeks out a teacher for guidance.

For at least four years, Corey Powell ’05, M. Arch. ’07 has called School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation Professor Gary Bowden friend and mentor. An African American, Powell saw few fellow students who looked like him and Bowden on the faculty. He had been assigned a mentor through the school, “which was great, but it was good to establish a second layer of connection,” says Powell, adding that he was also drawn by Bowden’s reputation as a talented architect. Their frank discussions have helped shape Powell’s career

and he’s considering teaching part-time, based partly on Bowden’s example.

Bowden says it’s been a rewarding friendship—he attended Powell’s wedding last summer—and that Powell’s seeking him out “made me more aware of the responsibility I had to him.”

Rhonda Malone, director of faculty mentoring and development, says being connected, especially on such a large campus, is critical. “The No. 1 way to retain students of color, for example, is to retain faculty of color.” She works with Associate Provost Ellin Scholnick and Arthur N. Popper, as-sociate dean in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, to host workshops for faculty. They also created a guide on mentoring junior faculty.

University administrators are additionally trying to foster more faculty-student interaction beyond the classroom, in hopes of replicating meaningful connections such as the relationship shared by Powell and Bowden. Waters says it seems to be a welcome idea, as professors participate in evening events with students, such as readings or talks and last spring’s well-attended faculty-student dinner.

“Most faculty were really excited and knew at least five students who they wanted to invite,” he says.

Adrianne Flynn, CNS Washington, D.C., bureau director, adds that “if you're any kind of teacher at all,” you’ll never pass up an opportunity to offer something extra. Students, however, need also to reach out when they need help, she says.

Some of the emphasis on mentorship flows from renewed attention to supporting stronger faculty-to-faculty relationships. The newest ver-sion of the Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure process calls for all junior faculty to be appointed a mentor. One criterion for tenure is how good a mentor faculty member is to students. The university’s strategic plan calls for departments to “articulate explicit expectations for faculty men-toring. Quality of mentoring will be an important factor in the review of faculty for promotion and merit pay.”

No matter its structure, mentoring can enrich the academic experience for all involved. Lor-ente says he loves his interaction with students. “They’re really smart. You just give them a little direction and then trust them.” TERP

Yavona Pirali ’06 did not have to go far to land her dream job: She teaches biology and health at her alma mater, Baltimore City College High School. The first from the school to receive a Maryland Incentive Awards Program scholarship, she says, “I love my job because I love to see people grow, whether I’m teaching them science or teaching them how to become a responsible adult.”

Gifted in math and science, she was encouraged by family and friends to become a doctor. Yet she felt a tug from another direction. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.” One of her mentors, former mathematics department chair Raymond Johnson, helped her realize something. “Instead of living everyone’s dream for my life, I had to discover my passion,” she says.

After graduating from Maryland, she taught at a Prince George’s County middle school, where she was honored for her service in the community. Pirali went on to Towson University and in one year completed a master’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in biology.

She always knew she would return to her hometown. “At the core of her career

interest was Baltimore. She wanted to build bridges that would improve the city,” says Maryland Incentive Awards Program Director Jacqueline Lee. “Academically driven and mature beyond her years, Yavona is exemplary of the kind of student the program seeks to attract.”

Created nearly a decade ago, the Incentive Awards Program provides full, four-year scholarships to high school seniors from difficult life circumstances in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County. A key component of the program is ensuring that scholarship recipients stay connected to their high schools where they can serve as role models to students.Among the first Maryland Incentive Awards scholars, Pirali is grateful to another mentor, Murray A. Valenstein ’40, one of the program’s first major benefactors and a graduate of the same high school.

Teaching primarily ninth- and 10th-graders, Pirali also tutors students after school and helps juniors and seniors prepare for the PSAT and SAT. Balancing

her roles as a teacher and mother of 1-year-old Ariana, she says, “I feel like I’ve come full circle. It seems that every-thing fell into place, and I’m helping the students just as my teachers and mentors helped me. It’s just very fulfilling.” —DCJ

Live Your Dream, Alumna Says

At $580 million, Great Expectations is well past the halfway mark. 31 photo by john t. consoli

Yavona Pirali ’06

has discovered her

passion for teaching.

32 TErP winter 2009

From ThE crowd gaThErEd

around the outdoor Robotics@Maryland staging area to the march-ing band bursting into song inside the Reckord Armory, the Halfway Celebration of the university’s fund-raising campaign showcased how it is enhancing research, academics, athletics, the performing and visual arts and com-munity partnerships.

Well ahead of schedule, the uni-versity has raised $580 million for Great Expectations, The Campaign for Maryland. The campaign, with its unprecedented $1 billion goal, has already exceeded the total amount received in Maryland’s last major fund-raising effort.

The four key fundraising areas were highlighted at the celebration: students, faculty, environment and innovation.

Students from Maryland’s living and learning programs talked about their experiences in CIVICUS, Hinman CEOs and College Park Scholars. Faculty mem-bers wowed visitors with their research,

such as the three-dimensional virtual helicopter that shows updates on road-work, accidents and traffic patterns every two minutes. Daniel Perez, associate pro-fessor of veterinary medicine, discussed how he is closer than ever to discovering a vaccination for avian influenza.

University officials showed off plans for the development of East Campus, which would bring mixed-use residen-tial-commercial buildings, a plethora of businesses and a pedestrian-friendly look to the Route 1 corridor. Sports fans had fun with the interactive football and golf set-ups.

Beautiful paintings from the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora were on display, and visitors chatted with the director of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

At every turn, the university show-cased how, with the help of generous supporters, it is making its mark on the state, the nation and the world. —DCJ

32 TErP winter 2009

Campaign Milestone Celebration Lights Up the Armory

photography by mike morgan and amy jones TErP winter 2009 33

34 TErP winter 2009

Librarian Closes Book With GiftrETirEd collEgE oF inFormaTion

STudiES librarian Bill Wilson dedi-cated 34 years of his life to the university, twice drawn back from retirement by his love of the work and the people here. This deep commitment to the college was reflected again as Wilson made plans for his third retirement with a charitable

gift annuity targeted to support renovations and opera-

tions of the university libraries.

“When I came to the university, I never thought that I would stay 34 years.

It turned out to be a rather rewarding career in

many ways,” says Wilson. “My gift to the college recognizes the need to change with the times while being loyal to an institution, which has been very meaningful in my life.”

The $40,000 gift in memory of his favorite aunt, Bertha K. Wilson, a former medical librarian, will provide needed resources for the libraries in years to come.

Additionally, the gift annuity will pro-vide a guaranteed, fixed stream of income for Wilson during his retirement years.

John McKee, director of gift planning at Maryland, says the charitable gift annu-ity is one of the most popular instruments donors use to achieve their financial and philanthropic goals. In return for a contribution of cash or securities, donors receive a one-time tax deduction and the university agrees to pay the donor and up to one other person for their lifetimes. The remainder goes to support programs the donor designates.

“A gift annuity does two good things at once: Donors make a significant gift to whatever program or fund they wish to support at Maryland, while simultane-ously securing lifetime income and tax benefits for themselves,” says McKee. “Gift annuities allow donors to help themselves and the university at the same time.”

For more information about charitable gift annuities and other gift arrangements, visit the Planned Giving Guide at giftplanning.umd.edu or call toll-free 866.646.4UMD. —CR

specialGIFTSSpotlightonInnovation

Developmentofabiochipthatis,

ineffect,ananoscaledrug-testing

laboratoryisthegoalofacross-

disciplinaryresearcheffortat

Marylandintheemergingfieldof

bionanotechnology.Theproject,

initiallyfundedbya$1million

grantfromtheRobert W. Deutsch

Foundation,willaid

thecreationofanew

generationofdrugsto

combatbacterialinfec-

tionswithoutstimulating

resistance-buildingmuta-

tions.Loadedwiththe

chemicalmachineryof

cells,thebiochipcan

determineadrug’sability

tointerruptthechemi-

calsignalsofbacteria,preventing

themfromachievinglevelsvirulent

enoughtocausedisease.William

Bentley,chairoftheFischell

BioengineeringDepartment,says

theDeutschgrantenabledchemical

andelectricalengineerstocome

togetherwithbiologists,material

scientistsandbioengineersinthis

collaborativeeffortandpositioned

themtowina$2milliongrantfrom

the National Science Foundation.

Theteamincludesresearchers

fromtheA.JamesClarkSchoolof

Engineering,theUniversity

ofMarylandBiotechnology

InstituteandtheUniversity

ofMaryland,Baltimore

SchoolofPharmacy.

william bentley and gary rubloff

photos by john t. consoli

TErP winter 2009 35

Expanding the Alumni Association’s Family

costs of climate change

Calculatingtheimpactofglobal

climatechangegoesbeyondthe

frequentlyprojectedenvironmental

devastation.Researchersinthe

SchoolofPublicPolicyareatthe

forefrontofeffortstoalsoassess

howthebasicsystemsandservices

ofindividualcitiesandstatesmay

beaffected.Inresearchsup-

portedbya$120,000grantfrom

theEnvironmental Defense Fund,

MatthiasRuth(left)and

theCenterforIntegrative

EnvironmentalResearch,

orCIER,foundthat

climatechangewill

likelycostseveralstates

billionsofdollarsin

changedinfrastructureneedsinclud-

ingsewers,aquifiers,highways

andenergysystems,andwillharm

publicandecosystemhealth.CIER

researchersaredevelopingstrate-

giesandtoolstohelpguidestate

andfederalagenciesinmaking

policyandinvestmentdecisions.

making a scene

Beforetheactorsutteraword,the

tableauofthestagesettingbegins

tocarryaudiencemembersfar

beyondtheconfinesofatheater.

StudentsintheDepartmentof

Theatre’smasteroffineartsprogram

areexpandingtheboundariesof

creativityinscenicdesign,thanks

toarecent$6milliongiftfromthe

Smith Family Foundationtosup-

porttheperformingartsacademic

units.Thefundsareenhancingthe

assistantshipsofgraduatestudents

likeDanielPinhaandSeanUrbantke,

whoareusingthelatestincomputer-

assisteddesignandanimation

programming(seeexample,left)to

createcompellingsetsandtosimu-

latescenechangesforacomplete

productionevenbeforeconstruction

begins.—CR

Make your mark on Marylandcheer join share volunteer give

J. KEiTh ScrogginS ’79 became actively involved in the Maryland Alumni Association six years ago because he was impressed with its warmth and family-like atmosphere. “It made me want to be a part of it and to play an integral role in helping the alumni association,” says the chief operating officer of the Baltimore City Public School System.

For the past four years, he’s led the alumni associa-tion’s Advocacy Committee, which spreads news about Maryland’s achievements and the overall importance of higher education in the state. A lifetime member of the alumni association, he’s been making his mark on Maryland by organizing receptions and meetings with

alumni and government leaders from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties to Baltimore and Annapolis.

“My advocacy work is about reconnecting with the university, for me as well as the person that I’m reaching out to,” Scroggins says. “I developed lifetime friendships at the university with people who are like my extended fam-ily. I feel a sense of gratitude for those experiences. Also, Maryland is a great institution and it offers everything you could want in an education and more.”

Promoting the importance of keeping that quality education accessible to all backgrounds is a primary goal of the Advocacy Committee. “The Maryland Incentive Awards Program, for example, touched me more than any other program,” he says. “When I think about the stories these kids tell, I admire them for what they have had to overcome to be successful.”

Among his goals for the university, Scroggins hopes to see Maryland recognized as one of the Top 5 universi-ties, public or private, in the country, even more diversity among the students, faculty and administration —and a

“significant” number of national championships for the football and basketball teams.

Learn how you can make your mark by sharing the good news about Maryland as a member of the alumni Advocacy Committee. Visit alumni.umd.edu/give_back. —DCJ

“I developed lifetime friendships at the university with people who are like my extended family. I feel a sense of gratitude for those experiences.”

photo at top by ned bonzi; at right by sean urbantke; at left, courtesy of engineering

36 TERP WINTER 2009 PHOTO BY JEREMY GREEN

Interpretations

THE DOWNWARD SLIDE ofour national economy hasaffected all of us, and the uni-versity is no exception. Wedepend on state funding,endowments and tuition formore than half of the operat-ing budget. We are navigatingthese turbulent fiscal waters toreduce expenditures whileensuring that students’ pro-grams are not compromisedand tuition remains affordable.A state-mandated furlough wasunwelcome news to ouremployees, especially aroundthe holidays. Reversion of statefunds to Annapolis began inOctober and continues into2009. Our endowment valuedecreased 20 percent in 2008

and undergraduate residential tuition has beenheld constant for three years. In short, our picturelooks much like that found at universities acrossthe country—less money coming in and moremoney going out.In addition to trimming

spending we are also raisingmoney. The Great Expectationscampaign has already raisedmore than $150 million towardits $350 million scholarshipgoal and more than $580 mil-lion overall. External researchfunds, raised by faculty from federal agencies,industry and other government sources, supportstudents across a range of disciplines. Last yearresearch funds raised topped $400 million. Thisyear research funds could exceed support fromthe state and from tuition, too.Entrepreneurship is thriving through a host of

special services supporting transfer of technology tothe marketplace. Last year we served about 400companies started by faculty and students and otherentrepreneurs. Several entrepreneurship programs

attract undergraduate students in droves: theDingman Center, Hillman Entrepreneurs andHinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunitiesprogram, for instance. One quarter of the students inthe Hinman CEOs have formed companies beforegraduating and many are partners after graduation.Our professional education programs also

bring in resources through tailored courses andtraining beyond the campus. Evening classes onprofessional topics and special training programsand tailored degree programs for internationalprofessionals enhance both our resources and ourglobal impact.Finally, we are pressing forward with our 10-

year strategic plan. It focuses us on our long-termgoals: very high-quality education for talentedstudents; research and creative contributions by atop faculty; and creation of a vibrant communityaround the campus. The execution of this planwill transform the university, the region and thestate, too. (To review the plan, go towww.umd.edu/strat_plan.)To alumni, friends, faculty and staff, I thank

you for your faithful support of the university. Ihave been touched by your realizations that our

goal of building a great university for the state isa worthy one. Encouragements have come fromstaff, faculty, parents, alumni and students. Theyhave reminded me that our strength derives fromthe whole of our community, and that toughtimes inspire people to come together on theircommon goals. As we move forward from here,focusing on our goals and on our communityspirit will be our greatest assets.

—Dan Mote, President

Navigating Troubled Waters

“We are navigating these turbulent fiscalwaters to reduce expenditures while ensuringthat students’ programs are not compromisedand tuition remains affordable.”


Leave your legacy one brick at a time

Standard riggS alumni

Center legaCy BriCk

(regularly $500)

$450 alumni association members

8” x 8” Paver

(regularly $1,000)

$900 for current alumni association members and donors

Join the alumni association and receive 10 percent off your brick order!

Through the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center Legacy Brick Campaign

■ Etch your name into the history of alma mater.

■ Give a grad the gift of Terrapin Pride.

■ Mark a special occasion.

■ Commemorate a member of the Maryland

family or your favorite team, club, chapter,

fraternity or sorority.

The Maryland Alumni Association is pleased to

announce the revitalization of the Samuel Riggs IV

Alumni Center Legacy Brick Campaign. With plans

for the first installation over the 2009 academic year,

the bricks and pavers will adorn the center’s plaza

level and Dessie M. & James R. Moxley Jr. Gardens.

Purchase a personalized brick or paver, and you will have a presence at—and an opportunity to give back to—your alumni home on campus. For more information, call 301.405.4678/800.336.8627 or visit www.alumni.umd.edu.

Division of University RelationsCollege Park, MD 20742-8724

Change Service Requested

Nonprofit Org.U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 10College Park, MD

Saturday, April 25, 200910 a.m. to 4 p.m.Rain or Shine Admission and Parking are Free


Bring your family and friends to our

11th annual Maryland Day

on Saturday, April 25 for a day of

learning, exploration and fun.

More than 400 interactive exhibits,

workshops and live performances

provide an exciting journey through

our world-class university.

Plan your day and get the most

up-to-date information at

www.marylandday.umd.edu.

Bring your family an

11th annual Maryl

, April 25 on Saturday

learning, explorati

d friends to our

and Day

5 for a day of

on and fun.

More than 400 intera

workshops and live p

jgniticxenaedivorp

r uo ns usalc-dlrwo

Plan your day and ge

up-to-date informatio

.marylanddaywww

active exhibits,

performances

h guorhtyenruoj

ytisrevin .

et the most

on at

.umd.edu.y

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