Spring 2024

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.

Explorations

May 21, 2024

Researchers Use Recipes to Test Tool for Analyzing DoD Classification Guidelines

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

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

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024

Alum Astronaut Joins International Space Station

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.

Explorations

May 17, 2024

Is Neighborhood Wildlife Spreading COVID?

Explorations

May 17, 2024

Gabbing About Others Offers Unexpected Benefits in Social Groups, UMD and Stanford Researchers Find

Explorations

May 17, 2024

Researcher Finds That Moderate Movement Can Protect Memory and Cognition

Explorations

May 17, 2024

Professor Tells Stories Behind Her Traditional Tattoos

Explorations

May 17, 2024

New Center Links Humanities, Social Change

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

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…

80s

Maria G. Henry ’87

Maria G. Henry ’87 was appointed to the board of directors at NextEra Energy. She also serves on the board of directors of Nike and General Mills. Henry previously was chief financial officer at Kimberly-Clark Corp. and senior adviser for Kimberly-Clark…

Passings

Dorothy Bealle Brown ’52

Dorothy Bealle Brown ’52, of Seaside Park, N.J., died on May 4, 2024, at age 92. She met her husband, Paul Brown, while pursuing a degree in textiles and clothing at UMD. The family lived in Greenbelt, Md., Chicago, northern New Jersey, then Toms River in…

Passings

Richard “Richie” Reiter ’70

Richard “Richie” Reiter ’70 died on Jan. 22, 2024, in Newark, N.J., at age 76. Reiter was raised in Silver Spring, Md., and earned psychology degrees from UMD and the Catholic University of America. During this time he met his wife, Susan. A saxophonist,…

00s

Pavan Davuluri M.S. ’02

Pavan Davuluri M.S. ’02 was tapped by Microsoft to lead its Windows operating system and Surface devices teams. Davuluri joined Microsoft in 2001 and most recently served as corporate vice president.

90s

Raj Ratnakar M.S. ’93

Raj Ratnakar M.S. ’93 was appointed an independent director on the board of directors of Verra Mobility Corp., a provider of smart mobility technology solutions. He served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer for DuPont from 2019-23.

00s

Phillip Vacchio ’09

Phillip Vacchio ’09 joined the law firm Herzog as a senior associate. Before this, Vacchio was a partner at a Long Island-based law firm. He graduated from Hofstra University School of Law and has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list for the…

"dear elia: Letters from the Asian American Abyss" book cover

00s

Mimi Khúc ’03

Duke University Press recently published “dear elia: Letters from the Asian American Abyss” by Mimi Khúc ’03. It traces the contemporary Asian American mental health crisis from the university into the COVID-19 pandemic, reenvisioning mental health…