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

00s

Laurie M. Wasserman '01

Laurie M. Wasserman '01 was named to the Maryland Daily Record’s 2024 Best Women-Owned Business List. She is partner and founder of Wasserman White Family Law, which has grown to 15 employees in six years.

10s

Meg Eden Kuyatt ’12, MFA ’16

“Good Different,” a middle-grade novel in verse by Meg Eden Kuyatt ’12, MFA ’16, received a 2024 ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor. Her forthcoming novel in verse, “The Girl in the Walls,” comes out with Scholastic in 2025.

00s

Nicola “Dr. Nikki” Smith-Kea M.A. ’09

Nicola “Dr. Nikki” Smith-Kea M.A. ’09 is overseeing a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Program in Anne Arundel County, which aims to enhance the…

70s

Howard A. Janet ’76

Howard A. Janet ’76, a founding and managing principal with Janet, Janet & Suggs LLC, was named to The Daily Record’s 2024 Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Law Power List. He has been named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers four times for…

00s

Nate Tibbits MBA ’01

Nate Tibbits MBA ’01, senior vice president, global government affairs and corporate responsibility at Qualcomm, was named one of D.C.’s 2024 Tech Titans by Washingtonian magazine, showcasing 219 of the most innovative and important leaders in…

90s

Tamara Wilds Lawson M.A. ’98, Ph.D. ’09

Tamara Wilds Lawson M.A. ’98, Ph.D. ’09, president and CEO, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, was named Washington Business Journal’s Nonprofit Leader of the Year. She joined the community-supported foundation, which invests in the power of women and…

00s

Laura Joy Novello Fuggitti ’03

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appointed Laura Joy Novello Fuggitti ’03 to the Prince George’s County District Court. She had worked as an associate county attorney in the litigation division of the Prince George’s County Office of Law since 2022. Previously,…

00s

Monica Leigh Pearce '07

Monica Leigh Pearce '07 was named to the Maryland Daily Record 2024 Best Women-Owned Business List. She is the founder of Tenth Ward Distilling Co. in downtown Frederick.