Researcher Biographical Summaries of UMBC


BUSTOS, Mauricio, Ph.D.

CARTER, Gary, Ph.D.

CHANG, Chein-I, Ph.D.

CHEN, J. C., Ph.D.

CHOA, Fow-Sen, Ph.D.

CREIGHTON, Donald J., Ph.D.

FENSELAU, Catherine Clarke, Ph.D.

HAYDEN, L. Michael, Ph.D.

HOSMANE, Ramachandra S., Ph.D.

HUMPHREY, Jay Dowell, Ph.D.

KARPEL, Richard Leslie, Ph.D.

LOVETT, Paul S., Ph.D.

MENYUK, Curtis, Ph.D.

MURRAY, George M., Ph.D.

PAYNE, Gregory Francis, Ph.D.

SHIH, Yanhua, Ph.D.

SIDHU, Deepinder, Ph.D.

SIERKS, Michael, Ph.D.

TAKACS, Lazlo, Ph.D.

TASCH, Uri, Ph.D.

TOPOLESKI, L.D. Timmie, Ph.D.

WILNER, Benjamin, Ph.D.

YAN, Li, Ph.D.


MAURICIO M. BUSTOS

Assistant Professor

Biology

Qualifications

Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, 1986

Postdoctoral, Texas A&M University

Research Interests

The embryos of higher plants must make a number of critical decisions that affect the way in which they develop. Normally, after morphogenesis is complete the embryo enters a period of maturation . However, mutations or laboratory conditions exist that interfere with the normal transition to a maturation program and, instead, cause premature germination. For several years I have studied the regulation of maturation-specific genes in a large-seeded legume (P. vulgaris). These studies have revealed that the information necessary to express genes during maturation resides within short DNA sequences acting as enhancer elements. Presently, my laboratory is investigating how embryonic cells decide which way to proceed (e.g. through the action hormones) and which signals control the function of maturation-specific transcription factors.


GARY M. CARTER

Professor

Dean, College of Engineering

Qualifications

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Activities


CHANG, Chein-I, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Education

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 1987

M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1982

M.S., Theoretical Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1980

M.A., Mathematics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, 1977

M. S., Mathematics, Institute of Mathematics, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, ROC, 1975

B.S., Mathematics, Soochow University, Taiwan, ROC., 1973

Research Interests

Medical Imaging:


CHEN, J. C., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering

Qualifications

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, 1989

M.S., Material Science, Syracuse University, 1985

B.S., Electrophysics National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan, 1981

Current Research Topics and Fields of Interest


FOW-SEN CHOA

Assistant Professor

Qualifications

Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo

Research Activities


CREIGHTON, Donald J., Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Qualifications

B.S., Chemistry, California State University at Fresno, 1968

Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 1972

Research Interests

Research expertise is in the following areas:

Current Research Interests Over the past several years this laboratory has been investigating the catalytic mechanism and stereochemical features of several enzymes that use glutathione as a cofactor. Of particular interest is the glutathione dependent glyoxalase pathway.

This elementary metabolic pathway functions to chemically remove cytotoxic methylglyoxal that arises as an unavoidable by-product of normal cell metabolism. The pathway is of particular interest because one of the two enzymes in the pathway is deficient in cancer cells. From a basic science perspective, experiments are directed at examining both the kinetic and stereochemical properties of the glyoxalase enzymes that allow the pathway to operate at such a high level of efficiency in normal cells From a practical perspective, special glutathione derivatives have been synthesized as powerful inhibitors of the glyoxalase enzymes These compounds are the basis of a novel chemotherapeutic strategy that we are testing A second research interest is the synthesis and testing of special "mechanism based" inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase which are designed to elucidate the stereochemical features of the active site. This work may provide a basis for the development of a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs.


FENSELAU, Catherine Clarke, Ph.D.

Professor/Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President for Research Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Qualifications A.B., Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College, 1961

Ph.D., Chemistry, Stanford University, 1965

Research Interests

Specializes in applications of mass spectrometry in biochemistry and biotechnology, including:


HAYDEN, L. Michael, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Physics

Qualifications

B.S. S., Physics, United States Naval Academy, 1978

M. A., 1984, Physics University of California Davis

Ph. D. 1987, Physics, University of California Davis

Research Interests

Areas of expertise are in nonlinear and photorefractive optics, electro-optic devices, and polymer physics, specifically:

Current Research Interests

I am Interested in the nonlinear optical interactions of light and matter and the basic physical properties of organic materials and polymers used in the field of optical signal processing (optical interconnected pattern recognition, computing).

I am also interested in the mechanisms of photoconduction, photorefractivity, and optical storage in new class of materials - photorefractive polymers.

In addition to measuring the nonlinear optical coefficients of organic and polymeric materials photonic devices based on these materials are modeled, fabricated, and tested in my lab. Nonlinear optical (NLO) materials respond to external applied electric and optical fields by mixing them to create new fields and new frequencies (colors). Because of their low cost, high nonlinearity and flexible processing requirements NLO polymers are promising new materials for use in photonic systems. High speed optical modulators waveguide harmonic generators, reconfigurable optical interconnection media, and integrated optical switches have been demonstrated using these materials. Devices such as these will be required in future photonic based communication (fiber-to-the-home), computing (high-speed hybrid optical computers), and sensor systems ("smart"materials).


HOSMANE, Ramachandra S., Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Qualifications: B.Sc., Kamataka University (India), 1966

M.Sc., Kamataka University (India), 1968

M.S., University of South Florida, 1976

Ph.D., University of South Florida, 1978

Areas of Expertise

Areas of expertise are in synthetic organic chemistry, specifically:

Current Research Interests:


HUMPHREY, Jay Dowell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Qualifications

B.S., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981

M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1982

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1985

Research Interests

My current research interests are in:


KARPEL, Richard Leslie, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Qualifications

B.A. Chemistry, Queens College of the City University of New York, 1965

Ph.D. Chemistry, Brandeis University, 1970

Research Interests

Interested in structure function studies on single strand specific nucleic acid binding proteins and on various nucleic acid polymerases.

The systems under current investigation in my laboratory include the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) Al. Several of the hnRNP proteins have recently been cloned and expressed, and we are elucidating their ribonucleic acid (RNA) binding properties and effects on RNA conformation, with the goal of better understanding their role in the processing of RNA. We are using a combination of methodologies: biophysical techniques (fluorescence and spectrophotometric) and chemical modification approaches. We have developed a number of unique methods, such as the labeling of helix destabilizing proteins (HDP) with a photoactive polynucleotide analog, which we hope will be of major value in the delineation of the nucleic acid binding site on the protein. In addition, we are studying various properties of the RNA binding proteins of retroviruses, with a view toward understanding the mechanism and specificity of viral assembly.

With the availability of recombinant wild type and mutant eukaryotic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerases, we have begun to explore the nucleic acid and nucleotide interactive properties of these enzymes by techniques and approaches similar to those we are using with the binding proteins. Our objective is to correlate binding with catalytic properties, and to understand our observations within the contexts of the physiological roles and 3-dimensional structures of these enzymes.


LOVETT, Paul S., Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Qualifications

B.S.. Biology, Delaware Valley College, 1964

Ph.D., Microbiology, Temple University School of Medicine, 1968

Research Interests

My research interests are as follows:


CURTIS MENYUK

Professor

Qualifications

Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Research Activities

Our group does theoretical and computational work in collaboration with a large number of different experimental groups at UMBC and elsewhere. Our collaborators have included groups at the Naval Research Laboratory, the Army Research Laboratory, the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and AT&T Bell Laboratories. In particular, we have a collaborative arrangement with AT&T Bell Laboratories which allows our best students to work on experiments there for extended periods of time.


MURRAY, George M., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Qualifications

B.A., Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1982

Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1988

Post Doctoral Research, Oak Ridge National Lab, 1990

Staff Scientist, Ames Laboratory, U.S.D.O.E., 1992

Areas of Expertise

Areas of expertise are in analytical and polymer chemistry, including:

Current Research Interests


PAYNE, Gregory Francis, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor/Assistant Staff Scientist

Department of Chemical Engineering/center for Agricultural

Biotechnology

Qualifications

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, 1979

M.S., Chemical Engineering. Cornell University, 1981

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering. University of Michigan, 1984

Research Interests

Current research interests are as follows:

Applications for this work include the development of improved adsorbents for separations.


SHIH, Yanhua, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Physics

Qualifications

B.S., Department of Physics, Northwestern University, China, 1981

M.S., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland at College Park, 1984

Ph.D., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland at College Park, 1987

Areas of Expertise

Areas of expertise include quantum optics, nonlinear optics, laser physics, and other modern optical physics, specifically:

Current Research Interests

DEEPINDER SIDHU

Professor

Qualifications

Ph.D. SUNY at Stony Brook.

Areas of Expertise

Computer networks, distributed systems, distributed and heterogeneous databases, parallel and distributed algorithms, computer and communication security, distributed artificial intelligence, high performance computing.

Dr. Sidhu's current research projects are:


MICHAEL R. SIERKS

Assistant Professor

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Qualifications

B.S. (Chemical Engineering), Stanford University, 1978

M.S. (Chemical Engineering), Colorado State University, 1982

Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering), Iowa State University, 1988

Research Interests


LAZLO TAKACS

Assistant Professor

Physics

Qualifications

BS Physics Lorand Eotvos University

Ph.D. Eötvös Loránd University, 1978

Post-doctoral fellowship at Northeastern University (Boston, MA)

Research Interests

New materials and new methods to prepare them are essential to virtually all aspects of technological development. More powerful computers require high quality semiconductor and magnetic storage media; new high temperature alloys and ceramics are the key to increase the efficiency of car and airplane engines. Many desirable properties are achieved by the application of metastable materials like metallic glasses and nanocrystalline materials.

Our current research interest is the application of high energy ball milling, a process called mechanical alloying or mechanochemical synthesis, to the preparation of novel materials. The unique feature of this process is that grain refinement, alloying, and chemical reactions take place at room temperature under far-from-equilibrium conditions. Investigations are under way to prepare nanocomposites for structural and magnetic applications. Typical systems consist of 10 nm iron particles in alumina or TaC particles in a TaNi alloy matrix.

We are also developing models to describe the mechanism of the ball milling process. This is a challenging task due to the complex combination of mechanical, chemical, thermal, and transport processes. We are especially interested in highly exothermic reactions where ball milling can initiate a self propagating thermal reaction. Mechanochemical reactions between a metal oxide and a more reactive metal and combination reactions to form carbides, borides, and sulfides are investigated. Our main experimental methods are X-ray diffraction, thermal measurements, and magnetic characterization.


TASCH, Uri, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Qualifications

B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Technion Haifa Israel, 1976

M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1978

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983

Areas of Expertise

Areas of expertise are in dynamic systems, control, robotics, and grasping mechanics, specifically

Current Research Interests

TOPOLESKI, L.D. Timmie, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Qualifications

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1981

M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1984

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 1986

Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1990

Research Interests

Research in biomaterials and biomechanics, with emphasis on the experimental and numerical study of the mechanics of materials. Areas of special interest include:


WILNER, Benjamin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Qualifications

B.S., Mechanical Engineering and Transportation, Tel-Aviv University, Israel, 1979

M.S., Engineering Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1981

Ph.D., Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1986

Current Research Interests

Stress analysis, Micromechanics, Plasticity and nonlinear constitutive relations, Numerical methods with applications to solid mechanics, Brittle fracture, Composite materials, Fracture mechanics, Finite Element techniques, Biomechanics, Corneal topography and refractive surgery.


LI YAN

Assistant Professor

Qualifications

Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park

Research Activities


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