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Fall 2023

Parting Shot football team runs through "Go Terps" banner

Rewriting the Script

Popular Football Uniform Returns Full-Time This Fall

Post-Grad two gymnasts pose on horse

Underexposed

Can You Make Sense of This Horseplay?

Post-Grad food in test tubes

Lessons in Flavoring

Food Scientist Melds Chemistry, Culinary Passion at McCormick

Post-Grad Lynde Washington poses in front of his artwork

Brush With Greatness

Former Cornerback Tackles Subjects’ Essences on Canvas

Post-Grad Amie Ward portrait

Cheers to Safe Bars

Alum Serves Up Resources to Improve Health, Equity of Hospitality Industry

Post-Grad members of the Sugar Hill Sisterhood

The Sweetest Connection

From College Park to the Caribbean, Sugar Hill Sisterhood Celebrates 50th Gathering

Post-Grad fans watch as Mighty Sound of Maryland marches by

Alumni Association News

Meet the New Members; 3 Reasons to Return for UMD Homecoming

Features A white truck was driving down a country road

Roads to Recovery

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

Features Yellow taxi on the road

All Hail David Do

Alum named NYC taxi commissioner navigates ridesharing’s rise, drivers’ economic woes—and plenty of midtown traffic.

Features two students sit on WMUC couch. Inset photos: students install radio tower; students review tally sheets

‘Get Listening, Kids’

How do you track 75 years of college radio at Maryland? Decades of deejays replay history, hijinks and the music that made WMUC.

Explorations fire burns down houses

Burning Question for Babies’ Health

UMD Leads National Study on Long-Term Effects of Wildfires

Explorations Hal Daumé III behind projection of code

Building AI You Can Trust

Researcher Heading New $20M NSF-Backed Institute Says Systems Should Support Societal Good

Explorations Toucha11y rendering

An Ally for Access

Palm-sized Robot Navigates Touchscreens for Visually Impaired Users

Explorations Jennifer Smallwood-Holmes talks to kids in classroom

Preschool Director Explains How to Turn Tots’ Chatter Into Conversation

Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life

Explorations holding hands

Better Together

We’ll Give Up a Lot to Share Experiences With Loved Ones, Study Shows

Explorations bus shelter with plant growing on top

Gimme (Green) Shelter

UMD-Grown, Plant-Packed Bus Shelters Debut Near Campus

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

80s

Ed Novak ’80

Ed Novak ’80 was appointed managing director, North America of Acclime, Asia-Pacific’s leading tech-enabled professional services provider. He has held significant roles in the technology and professional services sectors, including at IBM, PwC, Amdocs,…

Passings

Alicia Dyanne Dacey ’01, M.S. ’04

Alicia Dyanne Dacey ’01, M.S. ’04 of Frederick, Md., died on May 24, 2023. She was 44. Dacey graduated from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy…

Passings

Robert Joseph Werrlein M.S. ’67. Ph.D. ’74

Robert Joseph Werrlein M.S. ’67. Ph.D. ’74 died at his home in Bel Air, Md., on May 29, 2023, at age 85. Born in Essex, N.J., he graduated from Hobart University, where he was captain of the men’s lacrosse team, and earned graduate degrees in microbiology…

00s

Amit Singh M.S. ’03

Amit Singh M.S. ’03 was appointed chief financial officer of Despegar.com Corp, a Latin American online travel company. Singh most recently was CFO of Nasdaq-listed AgileThought, a global provider of digital transformation services and custom software…

Passings

Glenn Grant ’71

Glenn Grant ’71 of Blackwood, N.J., died on May 18, 2023, at age 74. Grant took pride in being an educator, spending the entirety of his career as a history teacher at Williamstown High School. He enjoyed the beach, basketball and tending to his lawn.…

00s

Matt Clark ’01

Matt Clark ’01 was promoted to chief executive officer at Corcentric, a global provider of procurement and finance solutions. Clark has been at the company for nearly two decades, and was previously president and chief operating officer.

Passings

Paul David Fox ’93

Paul David Fox ’93 of San Diego died on May 9, 2023, from complications of hyperthermia while mountain biking in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 53. Paul was the youngest of six children growing up in Rockville, Md. After graduating from UMD with a degree in…

90s

Nick Tressler ’96

Nick Tressler ’96 was named chief financial officer at Addimmune/American Gene Technologies. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a strategic financial executive, enterprise leader and operational business partner in the life sciences,…