Fall 2023

Parting Shot

football team runs through "Go Terps" banner

Rewriting the Script

Popular Football Uniform Returns Full-Time This Fall

Post-Grad

Underexposed

Can You Make Sense of This Horseplay?

Post-Grad

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

Cheers to Safe Bars

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

Post-Grad

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

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

Burning Question for Babies’ Health

UMD Leads National Study on Long-Term Effects of Wildfires

Explorations

Building AI You Can Trust

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

Explorations

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

Better Together

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

Explorations

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

Angela Keyser ’86

Angela Keyser ’86 received the American Association of Physicists in Medicine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She has worked for the organization since 1993 and has served as its executive director since 2004, overseeing its growth, relocation to…

00s

Joe Palazzolo M.Jour. ’06

Joe Palazzolo M.Jour. ’06 co-bylined multiple stories as part of The Wall Street Journal team that uncovered financial conflicts of interest among officials at 50 federal agencies, winning this year's Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting.

00s

Nikkee Porcaro ’07

Nikkee Porcaro ’07, founder of the educational consulting firm No Anxiety Prep, wrote the new book "Appliquirktion: How to Make Your College Application Step Up, Stand Out, and Shine." Drawing upon her experience in college admissions counseling, she…

Passings

Jack Lee Holcomb ’62

Jack Lee Holcomb ’62 died on July 18, 2023, at his home in Melbourne, Fla. He was 87. He was born in Monroe County, Tenn., where he was raised until age 13. He then lived with his family on naval bases in California, Hawaii and Maryland. He graduated from…

10s

Foster Russell ’19

Foster Russell ’19 joined the nonprofit Institute for Defense Analyses as programmer and analyst in the Systems Development and Implementation directorate.

Passings

James T. Brannon III ’71

James T. Brannon III ’71 died on May 17, 2023, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at age 74, He was a graduate of LaSalle High School in Cumberland, Md., and earned a football scholarship to UMD, where he earned a degree in journalism.…

20s

Brandon Bennett Young ’22

Brandon Bennett Young ’22 (above) won the National Havoc Robot League’s August tournament and "Golden Dumpster" trophy in Norwalk, Conn., in the 30-pound category with his vertical spinner bot "Vorion.” This win qualified Young for the league’s…

Passings

Peggy S. Ratcheson M.A. ’68

Peggy S. Ratcheson M.A. ’68 died on May 6, 2023, at her Hamilton, Mont., home after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 80. She was born in St. Louis and attended Miami University in Ohio, the University of California Berkeley and Washington…