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Maryland Today

Fall 2023

football team runs through "Go Terps" banner

Parting Shot

September 14, 2023
Popular Football Uniform Returns Full-Time This Fall
food in test tubes

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Food Scientist Melds Chemistry, Culinary Passion at McCormick
two gymnasts pose on horse

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Can You Make Sense of This Horseplay?
Lynde Washington poses in front of his artwork

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Former Cornerback Tackles Subjects’ Essences on Canvas
Amie Ward portrait

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Alum Serves Up Resources to Improve Health, Equity of Hospitality Industry
members of the Sugar Hill Sisterhood

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
From College Park to the Caribbean, Sugar Hill Sisterhood Celebrates 50th Gathering
fans watch as Mighty Sound of Maryland marches by

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Meet the New Members; 3 Reasons to Return for UMD Homecoming
A white truck was driving down a country road

Features

September 14, 2023
In rural Maryland, a new “been-there-done- that” approach to the opioid crisis offers hope on four wheels.
Yellow taxi on the road

Features

September 14, 2023
Alum named NYC taxi commissioner navigates ridesharing’s rise, drivers’ economic woes—and plenty of midtown traffic.
two students sit on WMUC couch. Inset photos: students install radio tower; students review tally sheets

Features

September 14, 2023
How do you track 75 years of college radio at Maryland? Decades of deejays replay history, hijinks and the music that made WMUC.
fire burns down houses

Explorations

September 14, 2023
UMD Leads National Study on Long-Term Effects of Wildfires
Hal Daumé III behind projection of code

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Researcher Heading New $20M NSF-Backed Institute Says Systems Should Support Societal Good
Toucha11y rendering

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Palm-sized Robot Navigates Touchscreens for Visually Impaired Users
Jennifer Smallwood-Holmes talks to kids in classroom

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life
holding hands

Explorations

September 14, 2023
We’ll Give Up a Lot to Share Experiences With Loved Ones, Study Shows
bus shelter with plant growing on top

Explorations

September 14, 2023
UMD-Grown, Plant-Packed Bus Shelters Debut Near Campus

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

Thomas Edge Jacobs M.S. ’82

Thomas Edge Jacobs M.S. ’82 of West Lebanon, N.H., died on May 20, 2023, a day and time of his choice after living with metastatic colon cancer for five years. He was 76. Jacobs grew up in the Baltimore neighborhood of Govans and graduated at the top of…

00s

Vernon Davis ’08

Former NFL star Vernon Davis ’08 released his debut rap album, “Showtime,” under the stage name “Vern.” The D.C. native filmed the music video for his single, “Bounce Like Dis,” at FedEx Field, one of the many stadiums where he played as a tight end.…

90s

Laura Woods Ellsworth ’93

Laura Woods Ellsworth ’93 was promoted to assistant vice president for curriculum, programs, and regulation at Prince George's Community College. Ellsworth previously served as associate dean for its Professional Studies and Community Education Division,…

Passings

Charles F. Smyser Jr. ’50

Charles F. Smyser Jr. ’50 of Amherst, Mass., died on July 20, 2023, at age 98. Smyser attended high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, followed by the University of Maryland and graduate school at the University of Connecticut. After graduation,…

00s

Keiva Rodriques ’04

Keiva Rodriques ’04 was named chief operating officer for the Maryland Aviation Administration, which owns and operates BWI Marshall Airport and Martin State Airport. She previously served as the Deputy Chief Engineer for the agency.

20s

Leya Prezelski '23

Leya Prezelski '23 joined the Minnesota Vikings as football operations associate.

80s

Todd D. Brown ’84

Todd D. Brown ’84, an attorney with Shulman Rogers in Potomac, Md., was named to Best Lawyers 2024, a recognition based on peer review that he has earned every year since 2019. He practices in the area of land use and zoning law.
Karen Johnston performs on stage

00s

Karen Johnston ’00

Gunnery Sgt. Karen Johnston ’00, concertmaster of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, recently soloed with the United States Marine Band at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She performed the theme from…