CONNECTING THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY VOL. 4, NO. 2 WINTER 2009 TER P HELPING “MARTHA” SPEAK 15 DARWIN AT 200 20 INSPIRATIONAL INCENTIVE 31 Breaking Tradition Students’Travels Reap Life Lessons 24
Mar 24, 2016
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
88726_cvr_out:Terp Cover Summer -FINAL 3/25/09 1:17 PM Page covI
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
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
88726_cvr_out:Terp Cover Summer -FINAL 3/25/09 1:18 PM Page covII
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:38 PM Page 1
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:38 PM Page 2
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:
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:38 PM Page 3
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 4
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 5
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.”
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 6
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 7
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 8
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.
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 9
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 10
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 11
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 12
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 13
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?
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 14
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.
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 15
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.
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 16
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
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 17
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
s-sc
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
gat
heri
ngs
to o
ur
cam
pus
open
hou
se, t
here
will
be
plen
ty o
f way
s to
wel
com
e th
e ne
w s
easo
n.
18-1
9_Liv
e_out:p16-1
7 3/2
5/0
9 12:4
3 P
M P
age 1
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
s-sc
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
gat
heri
ngs
to o
ur
cam
pus
open
hou
se, t
here
will
be
plen
ty o
f way
s to
wel
com
e th
e ne
w s
easo
n.
18-1
9_Liv
e_out:p16-1
7 3/2
5/0
9 12
:43 P
M P
age 1
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,
anthropology, music, art, sociology,
government and biology.
anthropology, music, art, sociology,
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.”
1-17,36_Depts_out:p1-15;29-32 3/25/09 12:39 PM Page 36
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
www.marylandday.umd.edu
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
88726_cvr_out:Terp Cover Summer -FINAL 3/25/09 1:17 PM Page covIV