Winter 2024

Winter 2024 Testudo turtle mascot with open arms. Vintage mascot photos in background

From Turtlenappings to TikTok Shenanigans, How an Unassuming Reptile Evolved to Represent Terp Spirit

rainbow turtle, turtle with pink and light blue pattern, "Support #TransTerps" pin. "Debilitating Queerness", "they" pin

Twenty-five years ago, the LGBTQ+ Equity Center opened to support queer Terps who felt invisible, isolated and harassed. Some of the founders recount its humble start and hard-won victories.

Campus Life

Taulia Tagovailoa looks to pass football

Sports Briefs

Tagovailoa Named Big Ten’s All-Time Passing Leader; Expanded Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex Opens

Explorations

AI Offers Hope on Dangerous Ground

Researchers Pinpoint Unexploded Shells, Rockets in Ukraine’s Agricultural Regions

Explorations

man and woman sit at table with dishes flying around them; boxers shake hands

Talking Politics—Without Getting the Silent Treatment

Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life

Explorations

robot under nose identifies cheese, fire, fish, etc.

What the Bio-Nose Knows

Futuristic Smeller Uses Talents of Living Cells

Explorations

The FEWture of Food Forests

Persimmons, Pawpaws and Beach Plums Thrive in Edible Ecosystems

Explorations

Arlington House perched atop Arlington National Cemetery

In the Shadow of History

At Robert E. Lee’s Former Residence, Researcher Opens Door to Overlooked Legacies

Explorations

A Soaring Success

Bald Eagle Expert Joins Legendary Explorers Club Honorees

Explorations

Towering Ambitions for Forecasts

Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate

Explorations

three people sit on stage at PROGRESS launch

PROGRESS on Gun Violence

Initiative to Offer Research, Solutions to National Crisis

Post-Grad

Capital-area Chronicler Turns the Page

Departing Washington Post Columnist Shares 20 Years of Family Tales, Reader Favorites

Post-Grad

Bonnie Bernstein portrait and "She Got Game: Inspiring Women, Inspired by Sports" illustration

Ahead of the Game

Sports Journalist’s Podcast Links Women’s Success in Careers to Experiences on the Field and Court

Post-Grad

Alum’s Photo to Live ‘Forever’ on Stamp

Image Chosen by Postal Service Opened New Avenues to Treat Brain Diseases

Post-Grad

Cheese board with M in middle; Kara McGrath inset portrait

Cheese the Day

5 Tips for Making a Board Bursting With Flavor and Color

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

10s

Ikenna C. Ejimonyeugwo ’17

Ikenna C. Ejimonyeugwo ’17 joined the intellectual property law firm Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel as an associate, focusing on patent law. His practice focuses primarily on life sciences, pharmaceuticals, software, biotechnology and engineering.…

00s

KerryAnn O'Meara Ph.D. ’00

KerryAnn O'Meara Ph.D. ’00 was named a trustee at Loyola University Maryland, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature. She serves as vice president for academic affairs and provost of Teachers College, Columbia University and…

Passings

John Stanton Boteler ’59, M.A. ’73

John Stanton Boteler ’59, M.A. ’73 died on Sept. 6, 2023, at his home in Olney, Md. at age 87. He grew up in Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and graduated from Gonzaga High School. At UMD, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He…

Passings

Joan Kathleen Hursen Szabo ’88

Joan Kathleen Hursen Szabo ’88 died on Aug. 18, 2023, at age 70. She lived in Bethesda, Md., after her hometown Pittsburgh and a time in Bloomington, Ind. Szabo earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign language education and taught at Eleanor Roosevelt and…

80s

Matt Hicks ’83

Longtime Texas Rangers radio play-by-play announcer Matt Hicks ’83 fulfilled a career dream by covering the World Series. Hicks started his career at WMUC.

90s

Juliet Gilliam M.A. ’92

Juliet Gilliam M.A. ’92 was named to the new position of vice president of media and entertainment relationships at the National Park Foundation. Most recently, Gilliam served as head of impact entertainment and talent integration at Special Olympics…

Passings

Robert Kremer Howell ’59, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’65

Robert Kremer Howell ’59, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’65, of Beltsville, Md., died on Dec. 17, 2023. He was 92. Howell was born in Stuarts Draft, Va., and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict, He earned a doctorate in plant pathology at UMD and worked…

Passings

Daniel A. Williams ’64

Daniel A. Williams ’64 of Westminster, Md., died on Dec. 27, 2023, at Carroll Hospital Center after a brief illness. He was 81. Willams grew up in Baltimore and majored in Spanish at UMD. He earned master's and doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins…