By Andrew Mollenauer
UMD Women Professors’ Transformative Research:
University of Maryland professors Jenna Mueller, Andrea Chronis-Tuscano and Jennifer D. Roberts are making their presences felt in their respective fields despite enduring male-dominated culture in the professional world.
Mueller’s resolve in the bioengineering industry has paid off for her: She was recently recognized with the 2025 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Society Awards.
“I’m very honored to receive this award,” Mueller said. “This idea of optics meeting global health, and the fact that it’s recognized by them as an international society, a valid enterprise, is huge for the future of global health.”
Mueller said something that facilitated her success in a male-dominated field was making connections with women who have been there longer.
“I found some really amazing women along the way who have been a step, or in some cases, many steps, ahead of me in my career, and really tried to learn as much as I can from them and seek out their mentorship,” Mueller said.
For Chronis-Tuscano, balancing work and family as she conducts her research is/was a major stressor.
“Sort of looking back, I was still really, really productive,” Chronis-Tuscano said. “I really just needed to give myself grace and not set such unrealistic expectations for myself.”
Chronis-Tuscano earned the William E. Pelham Visionary Award for ADHD Research and Practice and was recognized with the distinction of Joel and Kim Feller Endowed Professor in the Department of Psychology.
Roberts’ article, “The ‘Natural’ Accord of DuBois and Washington: An Environmentally Racialized Consciousness,” was named on the Best of 2024 List of Health Promotion Researchers for the American Journal of Health Promotion. It was very rewarding to earn that recognition, she said.
“It was nice to have this paper be published in the journal, for one, because it’s just similar to many of the other ones, but then also to be recognized,” Roberts said. “I found it to be just quite affirming.”
Merrill Hall of Fame:
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism hosted its 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony Thursday evening in recognition of five inductees: four alumni and a current faculty member.
About 100 nominations were considered, but ultimately those chosen were Ira Allen, class of 1970; Jeanne Cummings, 1979; John McNamara, 1983; Kimberly Thomas, 1994; and faculty member Maurine Beasley.
Beasley has been with the college for more than 50 years and holds the distinction as Merrill’s first tenured female faculty member.
“I always found this college to be the most interesting, exciting place,” Beasley said. “At the time, we were building an institution within a university that was rising up in the ranks and a time of great social change, technological change and unbelievable changes in the communication field.”
Allen, formerly a managing editor for The Diamondback, played several roles at Merrill both as a student and adjunct professor. He said teaching motivated him as a journalist.
“It was as rewarding an experience as I’ve ever had,” said Allen. “I taught at night and the experience of telling journalism students what shortcuts not to take made me not take any during the daytime.”
McNamara, a victim in the Capital Gazette shooting in 2018, also worked for the Diamondback during his time at Maryland.
For Thomas, her Merrill education was powerful and set her up for success in the industry.
“Stories are so important to connect us to people who are not like ourselves,” said Thomas. “Stories help us make sense of big ideas and hard problems when we need them the most. So I thank my faculty here for that gift.”
Cummings, too, said her Merrill degree prepared her for her career.
“That’s the power of journalism… I have always been grateful for the education I received here,” Cummings said.