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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

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…
Dorothy Bealle Brown headshot

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…
Richard “Richie” Reiter plays saxophone

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,…
Pavan Davuluri headshot

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.
Raj Ratnakar headshot

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.
Phillip Vacchio headshot

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…