UMBC alumnus James P. Clements '85, computer science and '91 M.S. and '93 Ph.D., operations analysis, ascends to the summit of West Virginia University. Posted April 2009.

The grace of a ballerina. The poise of an equestrian rider. The flexibility of a gymnast. Those are the qualities baton twirlers like Stasi Kowalewski 10 need to have, according to Stasi's mother, Mardel Kowalewski '81. And Stasi, who is the world and national two-baton champion, possesses not only those traits, but also a desire to learn. Posted February 2009.

Confused about how American democracy works? You are not alone. A new web site, www.USDemocrazy.net, designed by Economist magazine cartoonist Kevin "Kal" Kallaugher, aims to demystify and explore America's crazy 50-state democracy in a fun and engaging way. Behind the scenes, alumnus Jamie Nola '08, visual arts, spent the last year turning Kal's drawings into a colorful, interactive web experience. Posted October 2008.

For many students, it takes more than brilliant professors, hours of study, and supportive classmates to succeed in college. Often, a gesture as simple as a book scholarship, or a conversation with someone who's walked in your shoes, so to speak, can mean the difference between earning straight As and struggling to stay afloat. For Latino students needing that extra boost, there's plenty of "esperanza," or hope, for the future, thanks in part to Dr. Shivonne L. Laird '99, biological sciences. Posted September 2008.

"But mom, when am I going to use all this math stuff anyway?" For parents, it's a frequent refrain from kids of all ages, and sometimes in the age of spreadsheets and computer desktop calculators, it's a question that's as tough to answer as sample problems from the math section of the SAT. But don't say that to Kimball Martin '99, who has turned his inquisitive nature and love of challenges into a robust career as an assistant professor of mathematics specializing in number theory. Posted July 2008.

In many ways, Kelly Kwedar '98, VPA (photography), leads a double life. A clinical practice supervisor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan by day, she manages astaff of forty doctors and twenty other hospital workers who take patients through the cancer treatment process. By night, she is known to her friends in the Gotham Girls Roller Derby as "Lil Red Terror," goddess fo jamming, blocking, and dishing out pain in the rink. Posted May 2008.