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

00s

Vanessa Smith MBA ’04

Vanessa Smith MBA ’04 was appointed chair of Teach for America-Greater Philadelphia after serving on its advisory board for the past three years. She is president of ServiceNow.org and in 2021 was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by…

Passings

Janet Marie (Rehkemper) Ritter ’73

Janet Marie (Rehkemper) Ritter ’73 died due to a long-term illness on Dec. 18, 2023, in Prince Frederick, Md. She was 75. Ritter graduated from La Reine High School in Suitland, Md., and majored in education at UMD, where she met her future husband, Bob…

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…

20s

Anusuya Sivaram Ph.D. ’23

Anusuya Sivaram Ph.D. ’23 joined the nonprofit Institute for Defense Analyses as a research staff member in its Strategy, Forces and Resources Division. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University.

90s

Tucker Barnes M.A. ’96

Tucker Barnes M.A. ’96 was named chief meteorologist at FOX 5. He joined the D.C. TV station in 2003 and is married to fellow FOX 5 meteorologist Caitlin Roth.

Passings

Carl E. Coppock Ph.D. ’64

Carl E. Coppock Ph.D. ’64 died Sept. 23, 2023 at age 90. He and six siblings were raised on the family farm in Dayton, Ohio. Coppock spent two years in Laos as an agricultural consultant with the International Voluntary Service. He earned a bachelor’s…

Passings

David Stern Kimmel M.Ed. ’65

David Stern Kimmel M.Ed. ’65 died Nov. 14, 2023, at his Bowie, Md., home at age 87. He was born in Gray, Pa., and served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1957. Kimmel earned a bachelor's degree in education from the California University of Pennsylvania and…

90s

Brian Doheny ’92

Brian Doheny ’92 was named chief operating officer at Lucet, a provider of behavioral health solutions and services to commercial health plans, government agencies and other sponsors of care. He was most recently vice president of Medicare trend and…