Spring 2023

Photo

red shoes peek out of a teal hammock on McKeldin Mall

In the Sling of Things

Students Embrace Warmer Weather on McKeldin Mall

Post-Grad

Underexposed

Can You Help Us Identify These Terps?

Post-Grad

Kylie D’Alessio films Alex measuring wall

Renovation Sensations

Thousands Follow Alums on TikTok, Instagram

Post-Grad

Ryan Bunch poses with "Oz and the Musical" book, on yellow background with white and gray Wizard of Oz illustrations

Following the Yellow Brick Road

Alum to Head International Wizard of Oz Club

Post-Grad

Sahil Rahman ’12 and Rahul Vinod ’11 pose outside Rasa restaurant

Serving Up Time-Honored Flavors Fast

Friends’ Fresh Take on Indian Cuisine Expands Across D.C. Area

Post-Grad

Amber Mayfield with "While Entertaining" magazine cover

Party Queen, Behind the Scenes

Alum Highlights Black Chefs, Artists at NYC-Based Event Agency

Post-Grad

Alumni Association News

Alums Share Advice at Terps Under 30, Women’s Leadership Development Conference

Explorations

woman with briefcase walking through red tape

Why Noncompetes Could Soon Be a Non-Thing

Maryland Economist’s Studies Fueled Federal Drive to Ban Controversial Employee Contracts

Explorations

Antidote to Overdoses: A Universal Treatment

New Compound Fights Both Fentanyl and Meth in Bloodstream

Explorations

A Season of Healing

REI-Funded Center Promotes Nature-Based Research and Reparation

Explorations

Roll Over, Paper Towels

Engineers’ Picker-Upper Is Even Quicker

Explorations

An On-Campus Oscar Nominee

Researcher Executive-Produced Lauded Documentary

Explorations

Wildlife Ecologist Explains How to Get Ticks Off, Not Ticked Off

Ask a Researcher: Advice for Real Life

Explorations

car going from house to brick office building

Maryland, Start Your Engines

Survey Shows Cars Fuel Post-COVID Commute

Explorations

$30M in Grand Challenges Grants Awarded

Unprecedented UMD Research Program Targets Climate, Racial Justice, Energy and More

Campus Life

Maryland women's basketball player shoots ball vs. South Carolina

Sports Briefs

Achievements by Women’s Basketball, Softball and Gymnastics Teams

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

George C. Safford Jr. ’73

George C. Safford Jr. ’73 of Gambrills, Md., died on May 2, 2023. He was 77 years old. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., to George C. and Florence Safford, Safford served in the U.S. Army as a heavy equipment mechanic stationed in Alaska before studying business…

00s

Rich Root ’04

Rich Root ’04 was named principal of Morris & Ritchie Associates. He was a leader of architectural projects at its City Studio in Baltimore and has 24 years of design and management experience. He is a registered architect in Washington D.C. and 15…

Passings

Diane Alexander Shankman ’66

Diane Alexander Shankman ’66 of Silver Spring, Md., died on May 7, 2023, at age 78. She graduated from Wheaton High School and graduated from UMD with a degree in textiles and clothing. Shankman held a variety of positions in the federal government,…

Passings

Karl Freburger M.S. ’79

Karl Freburger M.S. ’79 died in his sleep on May 10, 2023. He was 66 and had been battling a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis for several years. Freburger was born in Oceanside, Calif., and attended high school in Ormond-by-the-Sea, Flal. He graduated…

Passings

Thomas Russell Watt Sr. ’74

Thomas Russell Watt Sr. ’74 of Punta Gorda, and more recently Largo, Fla., died on April 28, 2023, following a long illness. He was 88. Born in Washington, D.C., Watt served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 and graduated from UMD. He worked as an…

Passings

Charles Edward White ’43, M.S. ’55

Charles Edward White ’43, M.S. ’55 of Silver Spring, Md., died on March 27, 2023. He was 100. He was born in Washington, D.C., and after earning a B.S. in aeronautical engineering during World War II, joined the Army Air Corps. He later worked at NASA…

Passings

Robert E. Weisblut ’65

Robert E. Weisblut ’65, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died on May 1, 2023 at age 82. He was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1941. He joined the U.S. Army while still attending Calvin Coolidge High School and served six months training at Fort Knox,…

00s

Cindy Clark ’00

Cindy Clark ’00 was hired as the director of development at Haven Ministries, a coalition of churches working together to support those in need in Queen Anne’s County, Md. She has 23 years of experience in the commercial insurance industry, recently with…