Two technology research divisions of the University of Maryland Baltimore County have renewed their lease at the school's Catonsville campus.
The
Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center (GEST) and the
Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) signed a five-year lease with Merritt Properties for a 5,000-square-foot space at UMBC's research and technology park.
The two centers employ 20 people who work at
bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park and 200 overall, says Raymond Hoff, director of both centers.
The centers run satellite missions in conjunction with NASA that observe everything from hurricanes to the melting of the ice cap in Antarctica to the amount of air pollution in space.
Center officials like the modern building at 5523 Research Park Dr., with its free parking and easy access to Interstate 95, Hoff says. It also contains plenty of meeting space, which is tough to find at the main campus during the school year as students and faculty members jockey for space.
Located at the edge of campus, the research park is still close enough to the school's faculty and students, says Hoff, who is also a UMBC physics professor.
The 71-acre bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology serves as an incubator for startup firms and a research center. Tenants include the Erickson School of Aging Studies, RWD Technologies, and
Encore Path.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Raymond Hoff, GEST and JCET