Winter 2025

Winter 2025 Kan Cao holds flask as she works in lab

A UMD researcher of a rare disease that fatally ages children has discovered how an obscure blue compound could help us all look younger.

Explorations

strawberry holding umbrella with crabs on it; a pear holding a "RIPE" sign shaking hands with a banana; a sparkling steak

Fresh Takes on Fighting Food Waste

Researchers Devise Spoilage-Stopping Tech That Could Change How We Grow, Buy and Store Produce

Photo

Kermit sits with statue of himself and Jim Henson on UMD campus

Kermit Comes Home

Famed Frog Makes a Rainbow Connection With Terps

Post-Grad

Ag Day A-moo-sment

An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History

Post-Grad

Creating a Cartoon You

Terp Promotes On-Screen Representation by Making Avatars More Customizable

Post-Grad

Pup ‘Reels’ in the Likes

Antics of Alums’ Goldendoodle Bring Joy to Millions on Social Media

Post-Grad

At Home With a Continent’s Cultural Heritage

Alumna’s Book Weaves Together African Design Principles and Contemporary Decor

Post-Grad

Alumni Association News

The Alumni Excellence Awards

Features

collage of photos: cars driving on Route 1 at night; students standing in Rendezvous; students dancing; students standing outside on sidewalk; man wearing hat playing pinball with beer; man in aviator sunglasses

The Lost Haunts of Route 1

No matter the decade, Terps found refuges and ‘Rendezvous’ points on College Park’s Main Street

Features

Joi Howard poses by brick columns and greenery

A Fresh Start for ‘Maryland’s Shame’

Joi Howard ’03 seeks to turn a shuttered, segregated psychiatric hospital into a working farm and wellness site for the Black community.

Explorations

one person says "Bonjour!" and the other says "Tres bien!"

How to Make a Second Language Second Nature

Ask the Expert: Advice for Real Life

Explorations

house with fertilizer, salt shaker, cleaning products, cinder block and ice melt

Salt Life

Take a Home Tour to Learn How We’re Worsening Salinity Around the World

Explorations

AI Confronts Seagoing ‘Rogues’

System Can Predict Approach of Giant Waves

Explorations

Jill Bradbury signs in front of stage next to electronic sign that reads, "Welcome to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center"

Signs of Accessibility in Performing Arts

School’s First Deaf Leader to Expand Options to Guests

Explorations

Commuter Crunch

Management Researcher Eyes Steps to Improve Escalator Efficiency

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

90s

Mindi B. (Pollak) Levin ’98

Mindi B. (Pollak) Levin ’98 received the Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for educational excellence. The award is presented to a member of the faculty annually for…

00s

Bradi Smith ’03

Bradi Smith ’03 was elected to partner at the international law firm Kilpatrick. She is a trademark attorney in New York.

80s

Steve Hocking ’87

Steve Hocking ’87 was named a senior regulatory advisor at Kleinschmidt Associates, an engineering, regulatory and environmental consulting firm. He last served as branch chief in FERC’s Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance.

70s

Lori Keesey ’79

Lori Keesey ’79 released her first novel, “Always Think of Me,” a love story about friendship and do-overs that features a unique perspective on life. A former journalist, Keesey has written for daily newspapers, trade publications and magazines and…

00s

Amy C. (Stouffer) Serafino ’00

Amy C. (Stouffer) Serafino ’00, a principal at Friedlander Misler, PLLC, was selected for Connect CRE’s 2024 Lawyers in Real Estate Awards in the Washington, D.C., and mid-Atlantic region. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School…

10s

Marek Posard Ph.D. ’15

Marek Posard Ph.D. ’15 joined the Strategy, Forces and Resources Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Systems and Analyses Center as a research staff member. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Loyola…

00s

Haroon Mokhtarzada ’01

Haroon Mokhtarzada ’01, CEO, co-founder and chairman of Rocket Money, was named one of D.C.’s 2024 Tech Titans by Washingtonian magazine, showcasing 219 of the most innovative and important leaders in Washington’s tech scene.

90s

Keri Mattox ’99

Keri Mattox ’99 was appointed to the newly created role of chief business officer at Parexel, a clinical research organization. She most recently served as chief communications and administration officer at Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in medical…