Of Note: Social Science Faculty, Students, and Alumns

Amy Bhatt, Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies, sheds light on what can be done to close the gender pay gap in the U.S.2019’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality (WalletHub)

Jason Chang '19, Geography and Environmental Systems, is beginning his first year of teaching and will teach second grade at a charter school in Woodlawn. ‘The first day is about promise’: Maryland students return to school excited for new challenges (The Baltimore Sun) 

Erle Ellis, Geography and Environmental Systems, and Lucas Stephens, former postdoctoral fellow and current senior research analyst at the Environmental Law & Policy Center, share results of a survey of over 200 archaeologists from around the world about how early humans began to have an impact on the earth. Humans Dominated Earth Earlier Than Previously Thought (The New York Times)

Jeff Halverson, geography and environmental systems, looks back at the devastating storm that rocked Nelson County 50 years ago. Why the disaster of the century hit Nelson County (WVTF) 

President Freeman Hrabowski and Joshua Michael '10, Political Science, Assistant Director of UMBC's Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, explain UMBC's partnerships with city schools to boost math skills. What’s going on with Maryland’s math PARCC scores? (Baltimore Sun) 

Kimberly Moffitt, American studies, discusses how adults can help engage children in discussions about race, identity, and cultural competency. It Takes A Village ⁠— And A Diversity Course ⁠— To Drive Out Hate In Anne Arundel County (WAMU) 

Kindel Nash, education, discusses how including families in the process of learning to read can increase children's reading skills. Noted are education doctoral students Joshua Michael and Kris'tina Ackerman for their contributions to the research for this article.
Parents can help kids catch up in reading with a 10-minute daily routine (The Conversation) (My Plainview)

Donald Norris, Public Policy, and Laura Mateczun, Ph.D '20, Public Policy, discuss their cybersecurity research, and what local governments can do to prioritize cybersecurity and protect their data. UMBC: prioritizing cybersecurity critical for local governments (The Baltimore Sun) 

Baltimore County executive John “Johnny O.” Olszewski, Ph.D. ’17, public policy, is making changes in Baltimore County government. A change agent in a place where change comes slowly (Maryland Matters) 

Tiffany Robinson ’97, Political Science, was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan as Maryland’s new Secretary of Labor. 

Sean Woolums ’20, financial economics, is entering his second year as a member of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council, which provides perspective to lawmakers. Three area teens appointed to Youth Advisory Council (TheBayNet.com)

Briana Yancy ' 19, Geography and Environmental Systems, is a new member of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps. She will spend the year working at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve the environment and local communities. A new class of Conservation Corps members welcomed at Camp Letts (The Baltimore Sun) 

Noorzehra Zaidi, HIstory, recently published a piece in the Conversation about the Shiite holiday Ashura.