Dennis Coates, Economics, on Minnesota Public Radio

After the Minnesota Vikings and Ramsey County announced a plan to use public funds to build a new football stadium and complex, Minnesota Public Radio’s Michael Caputo asked if public financing of sports stadiums in Minnesota should end. UMBC Professor of Economics Dennis Coates argued “yes,” with a qualification: “Public financing for sports stadiums should end if the justification for the public funding is the unsubstantiated, disproven or misleading claims by sports franchises and their hired-gun consulting firms that stadiums and the franchises they host are significant sources of economic development, income growth, job creation and new tax revenues. In other words, end the misguided use of public financing of stadiums and arenas as a magic bullet of urban renewal and community revitalization.”

Coates cited research indicating that building a stadium does not increase a metro area’s average income and it can result in a redistribution of economic activity across a city, rather than an overall increase. He also noted, “government is tightening its belt all across the country, closing down fire stations, laying off or furloughing police, teachers, and university faculty. Infrastructure, like roads and bridges, is not being maintained as well as it should. In this context, it is hard to imagine that the very best use of public funds is in subsidizing stadiums for professional sports franchises.” The conversation will continue throughout the week.

Erle Ellis, GES, on New York Times “Dot Earth” Blog

Erle Ellis, Geography and Environmental Systems, presented May 11 at the British Geological Society conference, “The Anthropocene: A New Epoch of Geological Time?” Andrew Revkin, writing in his New York Times “Dot Earth” blog, called his presentation a “mesmerizing tour of the planet’s profoundly humanized ecosystems.”

President Hrabowski talks about STEM education on MSNBC

President Freeman Hrabowski appeared May 11 on the MSNBC program “Andrea Mitchell Reports” to talk about STEM education.

Hrabowski pointed out that the United States is behind many other countries in the percentage of people who earn STEM degrees. “We need to double the number of people graduating with majors in science and engineering,” he said. He also talked about teacher training and the need to engage students at all levels in STEM subjects.

Mitchell asked about the preparation of students as they begin their studies at UMBC. “Quite frankly, my students are phenomenal,” he said.

Watch the interview here.

Rick Forno, Graduate Cybersecurity Program, on Federal News Radio

Rick Forno, director of UMBC’s graduate cybersecurity program, spoke on Federal News Radio about the inaugural Maryland Cyber Challenge and Conference (MDC3). UMBC is a co-founder of the event, which will bring teams of young people for a statewide cyber competition.

Alan Sherman and Anupam Joshi, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, in the Baltimore Sun

Alan Sherman and Anupam Joshi, computer science and electrical engineering, were both quoted in a Baltimore Sun article looking at how scammers are using “irresistible” news headlines—such as the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, the British royal wedding and Bin Laden’s death—to spread malware.

Spammers and scammers are “finding the next set of weak points,” said Anupam Joshi, “One of the weak points in the age of instant news is: ‘Hey, did you hear?'”

According to Sherman, “One of the things that’s holding back advances in security work is the inability for anyone to come up with good economic linkage between the cost of defending and the cost of not defending” against cyberintrusions.

The article, “Cyber bandits exploit breaking news to spread scams,” was published May 6.

Stacy Hering ’11, Social Work, in the Maryland Gazette

Maryland’s educational community has celebrated a milestone in honoring the tenth graduating class from the Universities at Shady Grove. The Maryland Gazette highlighted the experience of graduate Stacy Hering, receiving a UMBC degree from the social work program at USG after years of seeking a comfortable, supportive university environment. “They really cared for all the students’ needs,” she said, “It’s been such a blessing.” Hering received a 2011 Student Academic Achievement Award and will begin UMBC’s public policy master’s program in the fall.

Seth Messinger, Anthropology, on the Society for Visual Anthropology Website

Seth Messinger, associate professor of anthropology, has partnered with Ellen Garvens, visual arts professor at University of Washington, in arts-based research exploring the everyday lived experiences of people who wear prosthetics. They seek to challenge cultural assumptions about limb loss, prosthetics and how technologies redefine the physical body. They argue that although prosthetic technologies capture people’s imaginations, the everyday physical and psychological experiences of prosthetics wearers are underexplored. These include the processes of adjusting to limb loss and adapting to a prosthetic limb.

Although they have different research processes, the scholars share similar goals. Messinger reflects, “Meaning formation is a deeply personal process and there are many ways to try to access it. Art offers a provocative way to extend the anthropological encounter with bodies and technology.” Messinger and Garvens hope to expand on initial work at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, finding new ways to visualize prosthetic limbs and connect with both soldiers who have experienced limb loss and prosthetics-makers. Learn more about the research project through coverage from the Society for Visual Anthropology.

Rebecca Adelman, Media and Communication Studies, in the Baltimore Sun

The meaning of Osama Bin Laden’s image has changed for Americans in the days since he was killed, argues Rebecca Adelman, assistant professor of media and communication studies, in an op-ed published in the Baltimore Sun on May 9.

“Bin Laden’s visibility has always been a problem, whether in his knack for making and keeping himself invisible to his pursuers or his tendency to appear unpredictably and unnervingly in videotaped messages,” writes Adelman. “Now that bin Laden is gone forever, the news media cannot get enough of his face because, finally and fully, we get to control the terms of its display.”

Adelman is currently writing her dissertation on the visual imagery of the war on terror. The full piece, “Bin Laden’s image: Looking into the face of evil,” can be read here.

Bjorn Frogner, Clean Energy Technology Incubator (CETI), in the Baltimore Sun

Bjorn Frogner, entrepreneur in residence at UMBC’s Clean Energy Technology Incubator (CETI), was a guest on May 5 for two hours on WYPR’s “Midday with Dan Rodricks.” He talked about nuclear power as part of Rodricks’ week-long series on energy. The first hour of the program focused on prospects for a nuclear renaissance, while the second hour focused on nuclear safety.

Frogner was also quoted in Rodricks’ May 9 column in the Baltimore Sun on the prospects for using thorium to fuel nuclear reactors.

“Keep in mind,” Frogner said, “that building and licensing a new proven standard nuclear power plant takes at least eight years. The thorium plants need to go through extensive demonstration, licensing and analysis before anybody can make a decision to build them commercially.”

Lisa Noon ’12 in the Huffington Post

Lisa Noon ’12 was quoted on the Huffington Post in the article, “Students React To Bin Laden’s Death With Celebration, Reflection,” which appeared May 2.

Lisa Noon, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, was in sixth grade when the two planes first struck the twin towers.

She was home sick the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 and remembers waking up to her father screaming downstairs at the television. The two spent the day glued to the screen, unable to comprehend the horror that would unfold over the next few hours.

“I always thought I had a unique perspective,” said Noon. “All of my friends were in school and didn’t find out until after the fact. I actually saw it happening live.”