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Spring 2024

collection of Terp license plates

Features

May 17, 2024
UMD-themed vanity plates are the highway four-leaf clovers we love to spot. We share some of the best—and the tales behind the tags.
cooking utensils and lock

Explorations

May 21, 2024
Researchers Use Recipes to Test Tool for Analyzing DoD Classification Guidelines
Melvin Edwards poses with statue

Parting Shot

May 17, 2024
Sculpture Dedicated to Late Groundbreaking Artist
people hold hands along Baltimore Avenue

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History
Lauren Champion rowing

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Terp, Teammate Complete Race Across Atlantic in Record Time
collage of Lee Mendelowitz, Di Zou and Benjamin Eidelberg

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
3 Alums Crunch Numbers as Sports Analytics Experts for Pro Teams in the DMV
Jeanette Epps in astronaut gear

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Alum Astronaut Joins International Space Station
volunteers hold bags

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Terps ‘Do Good’ on Campus and Beyond
A couple sits behind a table with some card games on it

Features

May 17, 2024
A Fluctuating, Ever-Changing, Up-and-Down Journey to Gaming Success
The image is a stylized, futuristic illustration that depicts a hilly landscape with a car winding through it.

Features

May 17, 2024
Ninety-second battery fill-ups. All-day range. Unparalleled safety. UMD researchers are powering up EVs to save the planet.
two baby deer near mailbox

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Is Neighborhood Wildlife Spreading COVID?
one person whispers into another's ear

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Gabbing About Others Offers Unexpected Benefits in Social Groups, UMD and Stanford Researchers Find
three cartoon brains exercising

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Researcher Finds That Moderate Movement Can Protect Memory and Cognition
SHELBI NAHWILET MEISSNER portrait

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Professor Tells Stories Behind Her Traditional Tattoos
Frederick Douglass statue

Explorations

May 17, 2024
New Center Links Humanities, Social Change

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue
Brian A. Balenson headshot

80s

Brian A. Balenson ’85

Brian A. Balenson ’85 was named to the Maryland Daily Record’s Estate and Trust Law Power List, which recognizes the most influential and respected practitioners in the estate & trust law sector in Maryland. Balenson is chair of the Tydings &…
“The Golf Bucket List: 100 Ideas for Enjoying the Great Game of Golf” book cover

80s

Jeff Thoreson '81

Jeff Thoreson '81’s book “The Golf Bucket List: 100 Ideas for Enjoying the Great Game of Golf,” coming out in June, features the 10 U.S. and 10 international destinations to experience, the 10 knee-knocker tee shots to hit, and advice for how to play at…

00s

Kaycie Bowen ’04

Kaycie Bowen ’04 was named upper school principal at the independent Indian Creek School in Crownsville, Md. She previously served as an assistant principal at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn and as a teacher in Anne Arundel County Public…
Megan Weaver headshot

10s

Megan Weaver ’17

Megan Weaver ’17 joined the law firm Niles, Barton and Wilmer as an associate. Weaver practices commercial litigation, insurance liability and coverage matters and business transactions. Weaver earned her juris doctorate from the University of Baltimore…
Jennifer Disharoon headshot

90s

Jennifer Disharoon ’94

Jennifer Disharoon ’94 was included in Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women Leaders of Maryland for 2024. Disharoon is the Chief Marketing Officer at GRF CPAs & Advisors. She is also the secretary of Iona Senior Services, where she has served on the board…

Passings

Ellen Marie Johnson Lawther Kowalyk ’55

Ellen Marie Johnson Lawther Kowalyk ’55 died on April 9, 2024, at age 90. She was a third-generation Washingtonian. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in three and a half years from UMD’s College of Home Economics and was a member of Kappa…
“How Technology, Social Media, and Current Events Profoundly Affect Adolescents” book cover

60s

Dr. Mark A. Goldstein ’68

Dr. Mark A. Goldstein ’68 and Myrna Chandler Goldstein M.A. ’73 wrote the book “How Technology, Social Media, and Current Events Profoundly Affect Adolescents.” It analyzes adolescent issues through a biopsychosocial perspective; examines current social…

90s

Athena Petersen ’90

Athena Petersen ’90 is the new regional manager and senior vice president of Long & Foster’s Baltimore/Eastern Shore/Western Maryland region. Petersen most recently served as managing broker of its Reston and Fairfax Centre locations in Northern…