Wednesday, October 8, 12 – 1pm (11:45 AM lunch), PAHB 216, please RSVP
Entrepreneurship is often defined as the process of identifying, developing, and bringing a new venture to life, often involving innovation, risk-taking, and the creation of economic value. Another way to think about entrepreneurship is through a measurable impact: solving a problem. Entrepreneurship is at the heart of much research in the arts and humanities, however this work is often oriented towards social impact rather than monetary gain. This panel will highlight the entrepreneurial work of UMBC arts and humanities faculty in both their research and teaching.
Panelists:
Melissa Blair is an Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Public History in the Department of History. Her research and teaching relate to the cultural and architectural history of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century America and to the field of public history. Her current research project, “Industrious Landscapes: Architecture, Households, and Work in Maryland’s Piedmont, 1760-1930,” focuses on the Mid-Atlantic region’s rural buildings and landscapes, the farming patterns that shaped them, and their preservation.
Ann Sofie Clemmensen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dance, teaching courses in contemporary movement practice, improvisation, composition, and interdisciplinary creative research. She will tell us about her recent collaborative work with Ramana Vinjamuri, Associate Professor in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and Andrea Kleinsmith, Associate Professor in Information Systems, exploring how dancing robots might offer humans new tools to improve their mental health.
Amy Froide is Director of the Dresher Center for Humanities and is a Professor in the Department of History where she teaches courses in British history and European Women’s History, focusing on the years 1500-1800. She is the author of Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690-1750 (Oxford University Press, 2016). Professor Froide is currently UMBC’s Presidential Teaching Professor for 2024-27 and is the founding Director of UMBC’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor.
Kevin Fulmer is Director of the Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In addition to providing guidance and connections to a wide range of students to expose them to what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset, the Alex Brown Center offers two grants for UMBC faculty: the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Curriculum Grant and the CENTRE Funding Initiative for research that leads to a measurable impact.
Steven McAlpine is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Individualized Study program at UMBC. His research focuses on arts integrated STEM education, and he leads a grant funded project based learning course entitled “The Kinetic Sculpture Project.” The UMBC team’s recent work Image Man won the Art Award in the 2025 Kinetic Sculpture Race in Baltimore. Steven has also taught an educational game development course since 2015 where students redesign and manage a campus wide role playing game.
This event is co-sponsored with the Dresher Center for Humanities. This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University’s nondiscrimination policy.