he phrase “the new normal” has been thrown around since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as America struggles to define—and design—what that is exactly, colleges are paving the way for what it might look like.

After the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, colleges and universities throughout the Baltimore region began to find their groove as they moved into the 2021-2022 school year. Coronavirus safety committees had been erected, new mandates put in place, safety protocols implemented—everything from vaccine requirements to temperature checks to quarantine procedures and wastewater testing that can pinpoint a COVID infection before anyone is symptomatic.

By some counts, colleges may very well be the safest places to live and work.

“Just following simple rules of wearing face masks and social distancing, using wastewater management and testing when we need to, we have, in many ways, been able to return to normal life,” says Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “Full athletics, student clubs, dining in the dining hall, use of the library—everything that you’d normally have, we’ve been able to return to.”

Despite the challenges and anxieties faced by students, staff, and faculty alike, some unexpected silver linings have emerged.

“It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

The widespread adoption of technology across college campuses has proven to provide more flexibility, efficiency, and innovation—and even accessibility, in some cases. Counseling sessions, for example, began to be conducted remotely during the pandemic and many students found that they preferred it to in-person sessions. Students who cannot, for whatever reason, make it to an in-person class can now study from anywhere.

Challenging times, combined with advances in technology and the general acceptance of it, have also brought more cooperation and collaboration among schools. It’s becoming more common, for example, for schools that offer complementary programs to partner with one another to offer students an educational pathway to continue studies in their chosen areas. That may mean a discounted tuition rate, a transfer of class credits, or an internship through a partner school.

Maybe most importantly though, schools, at their best, foster an environment where students are supported, expand who they are, and connect with like-minded people. At a time when gathering together is not always safe, being in a community has become even more precious, and students have found new ways to connect.

OCA Mocha, a coffeehouse in Arbutus founded by University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) students, is one example of how effective a gathering place can be at a time when people are craving human connection. What started as a class assignment—to design a community center of some sort—has become a gathering place not just for UMBC students and alumni, but the Arbutus community at large.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who are extremely grateful to have this space,” says Michael Berardi, UMBC class of 2019 and co-founder and general manager of OCA Mocha, which stands for Opportunities for Community Alliances. The coffee shop includes a stage, a community room, and an art gallery, employs UMBC students and alumni, and provides internship opportunities for current UMBC students.

“We have local groups and organizations that meet regularly in our community space and are grateful to not have to meet in someone’s living room or church basement,” says Berardi. “We see a lot of connections being made. It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

We checked in with colleges and universities throughout the region to find out what’s new and what campus life and classes look like, two years into the pandemic.

COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY
A historically Black institution founded in 1900, Coppin State University is situated in the heart of Baltimore City in the Mondawmin neighborhood. Part of the University System of Maryland in Baltimore, the school offers 32 undergraduate and 11 graduate degrees, along with nine certificate programs and one doctorate degree. It’s been rated No. 4 Best HBCU in the Nation (College Consensus), the Top 5 Best Value Online Program (Online School Center), and No. 17 Best Value in the Nation (College Consensus).

In the summer of 2021, CSU announced its Student Debt Relief Initiative, which clears roughly $1 million in student balances and provided a $1,200 credit to every student enrolled in the fall 2021 semester. CSU also created the Freddie Gray Student Success Scholarship, which is available to graduates of Carver Vocational-Technical High School, where Gray was a student.

Coppin also takes esports (competitive video gaming) seriously. In the fall of 2021, Coppin became the first HBCU to open a building on campus exclusively devoted to esports. The Premier Esports Lab opened in September with a guest appearance from Grammy-nominated artist Cordae.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,383 undergraduates, 341 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $6,809 in-state, $13,334 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 40%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Business, Biology, Education, and Criminal Justice, Rehabilitation Counseling

DICKINSON COLLEGE
Founded in 1783, Dickinson College is a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with a suburban campus that spans 144 acres. The school offers 41 undergraduate degrees within 17 fields of study.

It’s been rated as one of the best schools in the country for its sustainability efforts, which include an 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm. Princeton Review rated it No. 2 in the Top 50 Green Colleges, and it was rated No. 2 in Overall Top Performers among baccalaureate institutions in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s “Sustainable Campus Index” in 2019 and 2020.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,345
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $58,708
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 52%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: International Business, Economics, Political Science & Government, International Relations & National Security, General Psychology

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Gettysburg College, a private, liberal arts school, sits on 225 acres adjacent to the historical Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. Many of the buildings on campus are historically significant, so it’s no wonder that it draws students interested in studying history.

The school offers 65 academic programs, more than 120 campus clubs and organizations, and 800 events on campus each year, plus more than 100 study-abroad opportunities open to students.

Its Majestic Theater serves as a venue for the greater Gettysburg community, hosting national acts as well as performances by the school’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music students.

It’s ranked No. 12 for “students who study the most” by the Princeton Review, which also ranked Gettysburg College’s dining hall No. 9 in the country for best campus food.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,600
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 10:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $59,960
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 56%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Political Science, Economics, Health Sciences, Organization and Management Studies, History, Psychology

GOUCHER COLLEGE
A private, liberal arts college in Towson, Goucher College prides itself on its close-knit community.

Goucher was extremely proactive when it came to COVID-19 precautions, being the first in the state to implement wastewater testing, which is able to isolate COVID infections by dorm.

Also of note: The college recently opened two new residence halls as part of the school’s First-Year Village. One hundred percent of Goucher students study abroad, and the school is committed to sustainability.

Most recently, Goucher has begun exciting partnerships with other schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University, and more to come, to provide a pathway for students to continue their education beyond Goucher. For instance, their 4+1 MBA Program allows students to earn an advanced business degree through Loyola via a “Fast Track” admission process, and at a 15% discount on tuition.

SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,100
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
ANNUAL TUITION: $48,000
ACCEPTANCE RATE: 79%
POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Political Science, Business Administration

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) offers nine academic divisions and hundreds of courses of study, with campuses spread throughout Baltimore, including the Peabody Institute, a music and dance conservatory in Mount Vernon. Its main Homewood campus is located on North Charles Street.

The prestigious, world-renowned university has a strong reputation for its public health and medical studies and has been compared to Ivy League schools.

One of its points of pride is its financial aid program, which covers 100% of calculated need for every admitted student, without loans. This means JHU works with families to calculate what they can afford to contribute toward the total cost of attendance—including meals, books, travel, and other expenses—and JHU covers the rest with grants that don’t need to be repaid.

This school year, JHU added two new minors: Latin American Studies and Writing Seminars.

It also announced new efforts this year to move toward a broader, more flexible undergraduate educational experience that will include a required first-year seminar and the streamlining of major requirements to allow for greater intellectual exploration.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,333 undergraduates, 22,559 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 6:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $56,313 for Peabody Institute, $58,720 for the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 9%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, Economics, Public Health Studies, International Studies

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
This private, Jesuit institution offers undergraduate and graduate programs on a beautiful urban campus in northern Baltimore City. Education at Loyola is based in the Jesuit tradition of scholarship cura personalis, or care for the whole person. Loyola is known for its academic rigor while helping students lead purposeful lives. Seventy percent of students study abroad. It currently ranks fourth in best universities in the North region according to U.S. News & World Report.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 3,787 undergraduates, 1,353 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 12:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $53,430
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 80%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business, Management, Marketing, Journalism, Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, English Language and Literature, Engineering and Education.

McDANIEL COLLEGE
McDaniel College sits in a bucolic setting near Westminster in Carroll County. The private, four-year liberal arts college offers more than 70 undergraduate programs of study and more than 20 graduate programs. McDaniel’s most recent addition to its curriculum is a National Security Fellows Program that provides students with knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intrastate political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

Also new this year, McDaniel appointed an inaugural associate provost for equity and belonging who provides vision and leadership to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and works in collaboration with the provost to co-lead the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion administrative committee, and guides the Bias Education Response Support Team.

The school also launched a new STEM Center to serve as a physical hub to support students studying the sciences. It hosts workshops and other events while also supplying online and hybrid support.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,757 undergraduates, 1,324 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $46,336
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Kinesiology, Business Administration, Psychology, Biology, Political Science, International Studies

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The largest of Maryland’s HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Morgan is a public institution founded in 1867. It is situated in northeast Baltimore. As a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution, Morgan provides instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body and offers more than 140 academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan fulfills its mission to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community level study and pioneering solutions.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,270 undergraduates, 1,364 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 15:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $8,008 for in-state and $18,480 for out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 73%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Civil Engineering, Communications Engineering, Business Administration and Management, Social Work, Biology/Biological Sciences, Architecture, Finance, Psychology, Sociology

NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY
A private, Catholic liberal arts university in northern Baltimore, Notre Dame of Maryland University offers programs from undergraduate through PhD, as well as Maryland’s only women’s college. It recently launched the first master’s of art degree in Art Therapy program in the state.
The beautiful, wooded campus is just steps from the bustling downtown Baltimore culture. With values rooted in Catholicism, the school focuses on service to others and social responsibility.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 783
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 7:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $39,675
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 88%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Education, Biology, Art Therapy, Pharmacy

TOWSON UNIVERSITY
One of the largest public universities in the state, Towson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and continues to draw students from other states, though it remains part of the University System of Maryland.

Its campus continues to expand, with a huge new dining hall, a 23,000-foot recreation and fitness facility with an indoor swimming pool, and its 5,200-seat arena for sporting events and concerts. In 2021, it opened its new Science Complex, the largest academic building on campus at 320,000 square feet.

In September, Towson opened its StarTUp at the Armory, a space for startups and new businesses to engage with the broader community and larger businesses. It serves as a home to Towson’s entrepreneurship programs, as well as student competitions and events.

While Towson remains the largest supplier of medical professionals and educators in the state, the university has also built a strong reputation for its College of Fine Arts and Communication, as well as its Asian Arts & Culture Center, both of which bring students into the wider community and the Baltimore community to Towson for enriching performing arts, music, and visual art programs.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 17,907 undergraduates, 2,949 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 16:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $7,100 in-state, $22,152 out-of-state
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business Administration, Education, Nursing, Exercise Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
University of Maryland, Baltimore is Maryland’s only public health, law, and human services university. Located in downtown Baltimore, it offers 86 degree and certificate programs through its six nationally ranked professional schools—dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work—and an interdisciplinary graduate school.

The school’s 14-acre BioPark is Baltimore’s biggest biotechnology cluster, employing 1,000 people, and remains on the cutting edge of new drugs, treatments, and medical devices.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 7,244
• ANNUAL TUITION: Varies by school
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Social Work

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY
University of Maryland, Baltimore County educates a campus of more than 10,000 students in programs spanning the arts, engineering, information technology, humanities, sciences, preprofessional studies, and social sciences. Located on the edge of Baltimore County, it allows easy access into the city and all the conveniences of suburban life and housing. It also offers plenty of opportunities for study abroad.

In the fall of 2021, UMBC opened the Center for Well-Being, a new two-story complex that houses Retriever Integrated Health, Student Conduct and Community Standards, and i3b’s Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. UMBC’s already significant NASA partnerships have continued to grow. In October, NASA announced a major award of $72 million over three years for the new Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center. UMBC is leading the national consortium and will receive over $38 million. The GESTAR II consortium will support over 120 researchers, creating extensive opportunities for breakthroughs in Earth and atmospheric science research, and providing major opportunities for students to conduct research and be mentored by NASA scientists and engineers.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 13,638
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 17:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $12,280 in-state, $28,470 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Visual and Performing Arts

 

Cited tuition costs exclude room and board and books.

What is the mission and purpose of Hack Baltimore?
Hack Baltimore is a movement, and it’s a new approach to how we solve problems in the city. We bring people together from across Baltimore—it doesn’t matter if they’re technologists, representatives of a community-led organization, or residents—to convene real conversations about how we can use technology and civic hacking to create sustainable solutions. There are many challenges to pick from in Baltimore, but for our organization and our hackathon [event], we stick to those related to housing, education, transportation, public safety, health and wellness, and workforce development.

How did the concept for Hack Baltimore come about?
I’ve judged a number of hackathons, and one of my biggest frustrations is that people pitch these potential solutions for the city that don’t go anywhere. Teams create [projects] all weekend, the judges get together and decide a winner, and then, come Monday, most of those projects die. It frustrated me—why are we bringing people together for a hackathon without moving these solutions forward? What makes Hack Baltimore different from other initiatives is that it’s not just about conversations during the hackathon, but it’s also about sustainability. The hope is that, as we build a culture of solving things, we get out of a space where we’re waiting for someone else to fix these problems for us.

How will the winning solutions from the hackathon be carried out after the event?
A number of things have to happen for projects to move forward. Not only is it important to have conversations about the proposed solution on the front end, but you need to know whether the sponsor organization wants the solution that you’re pitching. (For example, if a team was building a coronavirus solution for the health department, but they said they weren’t interested, then that solution is dead.) We want all of our partners to be a part of the process, including those from city agencies such as the health department and the mayor’s office for children and family success. So if we know what the solution is, the recipient organization likes the idea and wants to help make it happen, and we have enough money to sustain it for at least a year after the hackathon, then those projects carry on.

What’s the importance of bringing many types of thinkers together to create new solutions to familiar problems?
When you bring all different types of folks into the same room, you can really start to understand where other people are coming from and approach each challenge from a place of empathy. It’s like, “Once we’ve talked through this issue and understand each other’s perspectives, now we can figure out a way to all get what we need out of this solution.”

When the Baltimore Node hackerspace formed in 2009, its handful of members worked out of a small room on North Avenue, usually glued to their individual design or construction projects, but always gathered around a long table with a single power strip in the center. Ten years and four locations later, the Node now occupies a 2,600-square-foot loft in the Station North Arts District filled with tools—including a 3-D printer, bandsaws, and laser cutters—along with a community of technological creatives. And yes, the Node still has that old power strip, although the plugs don’t work anymore.

The idea for the Baltimore Node collective originated from a Twitter thread about creating a local hackerspace, a place where tech-minded makers could share resources and ideas. Two of the people who responded, Mark Huson and Adam Bachman, met for a beer at Hampden’s Golden West Café to iron out a plan for the Node, and through a few subsequent meetings, the two attracted their crew of early members.

Now for a $50 monthly rate, members get 24-hour access to the Node’s collection of high-tech tools and its shared workplace where technology, artistic design, and entrepreneurship come together. Todd Blatt joined the group a few months after its founding because he needed a bandsaw to complete his movie-prop replicas of the chess pieces from the film Inception. He attended one of the Node’s weekly OpenHacks, where anyone in the community can freely use the loft’s assets. “I quickly learned that the biggest resource at the Node was the community—not the machines,” Blatt says. “I could learn from all these other people who know tons of stuff.”

Phil Edwards, vice president of the group, says that hackerspaces offer an alternative to a culture that encourages consumers to throw products away after one use. The Node appeals to people who want to make things from scratch or fix things when they break. “We’ve stayed true to our roots,” Edwards says. “It’s geared towards getting messy and making something cool.”

Even as other local hackerspaces have formed in the past decade, the Node leadership team has stayed true to the group’s founding collectivist principles, meaning that members take responsibility for their own safety, especially when using dangerous machinery, and everyone is expected to keep the space clean and organized. For Edwards, that collectivist flavor makes the Node unique to area hackerspaces. “We’re the hackerspace with the least red tape, and we pride ourselves on that,” Edwards says. “There was an old saying around here—‘don’t make us make a rule is the only rule.’”

Want to explore a new city but have no idea where to start? Ask a local, or in this case, Elan Kotz and Jeffrey Dobin. Their new app, Blikkee, strives to connect locals with travelers (or even other locals) to find the hidden gems in any city, starting with Baltimore and New York.

Meaning “tin can” in Afrikaans, Blikkee is inspired by the direct, person-to-person connection of a tin can telephone. Unlike services like Yelp and TripAdvisor, which rely on crowd-sourced reviews, it cuts through the noise and sends you straight to the local source. “While there is no shortage of recommendation sites, people waste tons of time on them,” says Dobin. “On average, people are spending hours choosing restaurants or planning trips.”

As with other popular swipe-style apps, users create a personal profile including a short bio, their areas of advice expertise, and a free tip, like where to get the best bánh mì. (“Café Cito in Hampden is the way to go, especially with a fried egg,” says Kotz.) Users can also match based on demographics, common friends, and shared interests, and then message each other to give and receive personalized recommendations on everything from food and drinks to music and art. Tapping into the sharing economy, users can even opt to make extra cash by charging for advice.

Kotz, who is a Baltimore resident and previously co-founded The Food Market, and Dobin, a Towson University alum, both agree that with its up-and-coming status, Baltimore is the perfect home for an app like Blikkee, which is out next month in beta. “Baltimoreans are super passionate about our city and the things we do,” says Kotz. “We want to add to the local tech community while supporting the people and places that make this city great.”

How much do you value an hour of your time? Two hours? Electric scooter companies like Lime and Bird offer an expedited way to get from Point A to B, where a walk that might take 20 minutes gets cut in half. Taking an Uber or Lyft can improve commute times. These apps offer steps for eliminating the minutiae of everyday life. Out of sight, out of mind isn’t just an expression—it’s the goal.

Maryland natives Freddie Ephraim and Mike Laroque have taken this idea and applied it to what usually occupies the top line of a weekend chores list: the car wash. With SpotWash, by simply downloading an app, you can schedule a car wash while you’re sleeping or while you’re at work. “We designed it where you basically have to do nothing,” Ephraim says. “That’s the whole goal.”

Ephraim and Laroque are quick to credit Accelerate Baltimore and the Emerging Technology Centers, which, according to its website, is committed to providing a “nurturing, innovative, and transformative experience for technology-focused entrepreneurs who are passionate about their businesses, motivated to succeed and committed to making a difference.” Accelerate is an incubator within ETC that allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas in exchange for consulting and counseling, and the chance to win $100,000 in funding. SpotWash received that funding, and its founders say that the program and its people are “everything you need them to be.”

Two friends who’ve known each other since they were 14, the duo got the idea for SpotWash when Ephraim returned from a trip in Dubai and noticed a similar concept. Neither has a background in the car wash business, but both have business experience of one kind or another. “It was nothing more than spending a lot of time together and formulating a process,” says Ephraim, who helped start Charm City Helicopters with his wife, who owns the business. The two recognized the annoyances of braving the lines and the assembly-line backdrop of a brick and mortar car wash and sought to eradicate it.

SpotWash is not dissimilar to ride-sharing or electric scooter apps. Ephraim and Laroque don’t shy away from the gig economy label either. Each of their employees are like an Uber driver, showing up to wash your car at a designated chosen time. With an apartment building, users simply leave their keys in a bin and let the process happen. The two prioritize background checks and don’t hire anyone with a criminal record, acknowledging the inherent value a car holds and the need to ensure safety.

The company has partnered with dozens of buildings in the Baltimore area and have received more than 1,000 downloads in 10 months. They have a proof of concept, but the issue, as it always is with services of this nature, is gaining an entry point and marketing the idea. “We’re selling you time,” Ephraim says. “We’re not just selling you a wash.” It’s a succinct summary that gets to the heart of why the two feel their service is worth the $39 dollars it will cost you for a full interior and exterior wash—$45 if you own an SUV.

Being eco-friendly is also a priority for the company: each wash uses about a pint of water per car. SpotWash instead uses an American-made product they buy that gets the job done. Ephraim and Laroque insist that this doesn’t affect the quality of the wash and estimate that they are saving over 100 gallons of water with each wash.

As for the future, there are plans to extend into Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.—word of mouth among developers and real estate companies travels fast. If all goes well, SpotWash hopes it can become the next great timesaver.

“[Baltimore] is a relatively smaller city, and not many people think to come to Baltimore to start a startup or a company in general,” Laroque says. “In the past, Baltimore has kind of gotten a bad rap. But I think it’s a great place to start and grind your teeth and figure out what you’re doing wrong and adjust. We’re new to the scene. I know [the community] is a pretty tight knit group of people that are always together and they help one another.”

Christopher Wink is uncomfortable. Shifting in his chair, the 31-year-old online media entrepreneur is fielding questions about Baltimore Innovation Week (BIW), but he keeps ducking and dodging, unwilling to take credit for the annual celebration of all things tech he cofounded in 2012. Partly, this is for practical reasons. As a cofounder of Technical.ly, a network of online news sites covering tech in the Mid-Atlantic, he says he is wary of blurring the lines between advocacy and journalism. In other words, he doesn’t want to appear too cozy with the community his organization covers. Furthermore, as a resident of Philadelphia, he recognizes that claiming a Baltimore event as his own opens him up to charges of carpetbagging.

But mostly, he’s reluctant to take credit because doing so would undermine what’s great about BIW—namely, its inclusivity. The point, he says, is that the event—running this year from September 29 through October 7—relies on participants from across the region to produce a week of lectures and roundtables, networking events, mentoring sessions, and demonstrations of the latest products. It includes game and app developers, educators, web designers, startup entrepreneurs, and academic, medical, and government organizations. 

The approximately 50 events planned for this BIW (hashtag #BIW17, obviously) run the gamut from a session on securing startup financing to a lecture by a veteran game developer titled “Grumpy Cat’s Guide to Game Design: The Beauty of No.” Maybe best of all, the events are sprinkled throughout the city, taking place in neighborhoods as disparate as West Baltimore and Federal Hill, Fells Point and Hampden, and Mt. Vernon and Highlandtown. There’s even one presentation—about a cultural exchange program between the tech communities of Maryland and the Netherlands—that requires driving all the way out to (gasp!) University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in Catonsville.

“There are many parts of the puzzle,” Wink says, as he surveys the industrial- chic interior of Emerging Technologies Centers (ETC), a sleek coworking and tech incubation space in Highlandtown that has signed on to act as BIW’s home base this year. “[Then] if one group fades, it’s not crippling. I don’t want there to be the story that this person or organization goes away and the community goes away.”

That seems in no danger of happening. This year, more than 50 organizations are participating, up from 10 or so in 2012.

“I want us to be working toward Baltimore Innovation Week as the most accessible access point for people to get into this conversation, into the community,” Wink emphasizes.

So, okay, duly noted: Christopher Wink and the Technical.ly gang are not solely responsible for the creation or continuation of Baltimore Innovation Week. It is a big tent. The more the merrier. Et cetera. But every story needs a starting point, and, arbitrary though it may be, Wink’s is as good as any.

In 2012, three years after starting Technical.ly in Philadelphia, Wink was lured to Baltimore by a cadre of local tech figures who felt Baltimore’s scene warranted more consistent and deeper coverage than it was receiving from traditional media outlets. They were sure that Wink and the Technical.ly team could provide it, and that it would yield great results.

Wink soon agreed. “I got obsessed with why don’t Baltimore and Philly see each other as peer cities?” he recalls. “There are so many times when I’m in a conversation, and I’m like, ‘This is the exact same conversation as in Philly or Baltimore,’ depending on which one I’m in.”

He quickly realized that there was a case to be made for viewing the Mid-Atlantic as a contiguous tech region, much the same way Silicon Valley has become the catch-all term for the hive of activity in and around the San Francisco Bay area. To that end, Technical.ly gradually expanded and now has outposts in Brooklyn, NY; Wilmington, Delaware; and Washington, D.C.; as well as Philly and Baltimore. Viewing the markets as one giant cluster allows them to compete on a national—and even international—level in a way they couldn’t on their own. This is why you’ll sometimes see Baltimore and/or Maryland pop up on lists of “hot tech scenes” in publications such as Business Insider and Fast Company.

“We think that people understand the idea that New York, Philly, Baltimore, and D.C.—we are stronger together,” Wink states.

But even as he stumped for greater regional coordination, Wink realized greater local collaboration was necessary, too. In 2011, he’d helped launch a tech week in Philly, and he and his Maryland cohorts believed a similar event would work in Baltimore, as well. From defense and cyber security firms to 21st-century education technology startups, there were so many pockets of thriving tech in Baltimore—all that was necessary was the connective thread.   

“Many of them knew each other but they hadn’t necessarily coordinated events on one calendar,” Wink recalls. “It was, ‘Can we do this together to convey that we are a single community and that we’re connected?’ That was, essentially, the idea.”

That first year, ETC signed on almost immediately, as did other tech stalwarts including TEDCO—which was created by the state legislature in 1998 to midwife academic and government innovations to the marketplace—and the University of Maryland BioPark.

There were so many pockets of thriving tech in Baltimore—all that was necessary was the connective thread. 

Wink remembers surveying the crowd at a kickoff event for the first BIW and feeling reassured by the mix of people in attendance. Deb Tillett, the president and executive director of ETC, was there, as was Rob Rosenbaum, who was then CEO at TEDCO. Also in the room were several startup entrepreneurs, Jane Shaab, the executive director of the University of Maryland BioPark, and Keimmie Booth, then the captain of the RoboDoves, Western High School’s robotics team. “It was all these people that in our first year of reporting were trying to shape this community, and that was resonant,” Wink says. “We felt like, ‘Yep, these are the kinds of people we’re supposed to bring together.’”

Others noticed the difference straightaway.

“When I first started my career as a programmer in Baltimore, it was relatively difficult to find out what was happening around town,” recalls Mike Subelsky, a computer programmer and entrepreneur at the center of Baltimore’s tech scene who also attended that first BIW kickoff event.  

“Innovation Week and Technical.ly have been instrumental in building community and identity; the main thing they bring is energy,” he adds.

Indeed, since that first year, BIW’s growth has mirrored the growth of Baltimore’s tech community. As the scene has expanded, so too has BIW’s calendar.

“If you look through the timeline, it is like a time capsule of what was active,” notes Wink. For instance, the first Innovation Week didn’t include tech/startup incubators and makerspaces such as City Garage, Impact Hub, Open Works, and Spark, simply because it couldn’t. They didn’t yet exist. Nor could that first BIW have included Innovation Village, the city’s first tech/innovation district, anchored in West Baltimore by Maryland Institute College of Art and Coppin State University. It, too, was years away.

Other now-major companies existed, but were in their infancies, and BIW—directly or indirectly—was able to help foster their growth. Todd Marks, the president and CEO of Mindgrub, a software development and digital marketing firm based in Locust Point, says the buzz Tecnhical.ly was creating in the city through Baltimore Innovation Week and other events influenced his decision to move his fledgling company from Catonsville to Locust Point in 2014. At the time of the relocation, Mindgrub had about 15 employees; it now has 96.  

“The spotlight they gave on city tech made me want to be closer to the epicenter of where it was all happening,” he says.

Best of all, BIW participants seem willing to pay it forward and help the next generation of pioneers blaze their own trails.

“In 2015 they did a ‘Fail Fest.’ I got to be the moderator, which is really fun,” recalls Deb Tillet, a petite powder keg of a woman, who has been running ETC since 2012 and working in various sectors of the tech industry since the 1980s. “There were maybe six entrepreneurs who told their ‘how I crashed and burned’ stories about how important it was to fail but get back up on your feet. [It] was compelling to hear . . . some of these people who are very, very successful now.

“Mike Subelsky, he was talking about how he wanted nothing more in the whole entire world than to be a Navy Seal and the training that he had to go through. And he made it and made it and made it—and then he didn’t make it. It just was really interesting. You’re looking at these successful people now and they’re telling their stories and you’re like, ‘Oh wow!’ And everybody’s got one. And I’ve got one, too.”

Tillett’s anecdote highlights a central irony about BIW—and maybe the tech scene in general: For all the excitement about technological innovation and the latest gadget or “disruptive” idea, it is the human connection that underpins it all. Because despite the “solitary genius” myth, creativity and innovation are often born through collaborations and intellectual conflict, where disparate ideas are allowed to spark and spin off each other, eventually morphing into something novel.

“There’s a difference between what we make and how we make it,” says Wink. “Yes, so many people involved in things like Baltimore Innovation Week and the Baltimore tech community are out to create disruptive technologies that . . . reduce the need for human interaction. But to get that work done, you almost always need trust, be it through teammates, investors, teachers, or mentors. And we build trust the same way we always have, which is through time together.”

Admittedly, some of the first things that come to mind when we hear ‘Girl Scouts’ are Thin Mints, Tagalongs, and Shortbreads. But Girl Scouts of the USA is aiming to change that with the addition of 23 new badges focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). 

 “Girls are able to learn about STEM in a safe place,” said STEM specialist for Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (GSCM) Stephanie Alphee. “We’re helping to break those stereotypes for girls who want to learn more about careers they can get into.”

STEM programming is nothing new to Girl Scouts, but it became a major initiative for GSCM when Northrop Grumman sponsored and funded the addition of a STEM lab at the Central Maryland location. Since then, all girls from the tiniest Daises to teen Ambassadors have been working on projects that concentrate on developing skills in science and technology like designing robotic arms, learning the chemical properties of slime, and creating solar ovens that can cook s’mores.

“We are trying to appeal to girls in the way that they learn the various fields by integrating art,” Alphee explained. “Girls like to be creative, so teaching STEM in a way that appeals to them is really important.” 

Many of the STEM badges were requested by scouts based on their interests and future goals. With badges like ‘roller coaster design’ and ‘think like a programmer,’ the girls are introduced to a world of robotics and engineering that help with everyday problem solving skills. Seven-year-old Brownie Cayla Hicks, who plans to be a scientist, says the addition of the STEM badges gives her an extra push.

“I’m trying to get the ‘designing robots’ badge,” Hicks said. “I like building things and discovering new things.”

Learning about STEM programming is just one layer of the new venture—the Girl Scouts have partnered with professionals in the field as another added benefit of the platform. 

“One of our big initiatives is to place STEM role models right in front of the girls, Alphee said. “We bring in women who are engineers or astronauts that bring that extra inspiration to them and really try to develop that interest at a young age. Having mentors and supporters to keep you on that pipeline is important.”

In conjunction with the new badges, GSCM also participates in an annual festival that combines STEM with art to open up even more career opportunities, like graphic design and architecture. During this festival, parents meet with professionals in the field and learn ways that the girls can nurture their interests at home.

The addition of the STEM badges is just the first step in Girl Scouts’ mission to more fully enrich young girls’ minds. Next year, the group will launch a new initiative that will allow the girls to earn “cyber security” badges expand opportunities for the girls to break into fields that are currently male-dominated.

“We are an interest building organization, we’re a skill development organization, and we’re an inspirational organization for girls,” Alphee said. “We really do focus on those pillars of building girls with courage, confidence, and character.”

We can all relate to the scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Clark Griswold gazes out his home’s frosted window, daydreaming about his family splashing and playing in the backyard pool that he plans to build with his generous end-of-year cash bonus—of course, he instead gets a one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club. But, in reality, our similar watery daydreams are too often interrupted with cost worries, fear of maintenance headaches, and imagined safety concerns that come along with a new pool.

But fear not. The standard backyard pool is undergoing a rebirth. Thanks in part to smart technology, energy-efficient products, and innovative design trends, pools are easier to maintain than ever, and the functionality of an outdoor entertainment area can stretch far beyond the warm summer months.

“We use a ton of technology that makes our pools easy to take care of,” says Michael Shaffery, president of Baltimore-based Elite Pools. For example, a built-in cleaning system “that looks a lot like the irrigation system for a yard” systematically pushes dirt to the main drain. Plus, remote pool-management technology allows Shaffery to diagnose and fix any problems from afar—and allows you to switch on your hot tub from an app on your phone so it’s hot and bubbling when you arrive home.

Spending a bit more upfront can pay off in energy savings later, says Matthew Thompson of Phoenix-based Lothorian Pools. Energy-efficient equipment is increasingly popular with his clients, Thompson says, like incorporating “LED underwater lights, variable-speed pumps, and high-efficiency heaters or heat pumps.” A variable-speed pump can help reduce the energy costs of running a pool by up to 90 percent.

Combine these product advancements with fun new trends, like sun shelves (shallow areas for relaxing on the patio or playing with the children), built-in lounge chairs, and spillover or integrated spas (where an underwater dam separates the hot tub from the rest of the pool for a seamless look, with some slight mixing of the water), and it’s a better time than ever to create the backyard oasis you’ve been dreaming of while gazing out that frosted window.

The “Wow” Factor

The pool at Christopher and Deborah Englert’s newly constructed home in Lutherville-Timonium is more than a place to swim. Chris says the pool and patio space is mainly used for entertaining and offers a great place for guests in search of “a relaxing area with plenty of room to sit and sip a cool drink.” Completed in July 2016, the 10-week project features lush landscaping, a trickling water feature, and mood lighting to create the perfect environment for chilling out.

On cool fall nights, the Englerts and their guests gather around the sleek, stainless-steel gas fire pit (which doubles as a table when not in use) or soak in the 36-square-foot spa. Custom lighting around the pool and landscaping give the area an extra “wow” factor after dusk. The built-in bench seat running the length of the 750-square-foot pool offers relief to cocktail-sippers on a humid summer evening, while covered patio areas with ceiling fans shield the midday sun.

“We wanted the pool to be a progression of the house, another room to use,” says Matthew Thompson, CEO of Lothorian Pools, which designed and built the pool.

A dramatic, 20-foot grade drop across the backyard created an extra challenge during the design process, as rainwater rushed through the proposed pool location. “We solved the problem by incorporating the stone retaining wall,” Thompson explains. “This afforded us two big-ticket items: water collection and a powerful visual element that helped to create an intimate ‘courtyard.’”

The pool was raised 16 inches above the patio floor to further reconcile the grading issue, allowing storm water to be directed around the back of the pool. And to create the transitional feel of an additional living space, building materials were chosen that best complement the Englert home’s design. Ocean Blue Pebble Sheen, a plaster coating manufactured by Pebble Tec that incorporates tiny, vibrant blue and earth-toned stones, creates a natural, deep-blue water color in the pool and spa. Premium bluestone coping tiles cap the pool shell wall, while the spillway from the hot tub to the main pool is made from a custom designed and fabricated piece of bluestone. Technology is at work, too: At the press of a button, the Englerts can control—and even change the color—of their pool’s energy-efficient underwater LED lights.

A Pool With a View

The McReady family residence offers 180-degree views of Duvall Creek, a bay off the South River in Annapolis, from its connected kitchen, dining, and living room. “For that reason, it was a very intentional decision to put the pool off to the side, so as not to block the water view,” says Cathy Purple Cherry, principal of Purple Cherry Architects, who designed the home and its outdoor entertainment area with an assist from Campion Hruby Landscape Architects.

For Suzanne McReady, her husband, and three school-age children, the goal was to extend their living space into the outdoors in a 2,000-square-foot waterside entertainment area that includes a pool, covered cooking and dining pavilion, and patio.

The McReadys opted to build the covered pavilion behind the pool, with recessed lights, a ceiling fan, and two brick islands topped with bluestone slabs—one for eating and another with a built-in gas grill and refrigerator for cooking and serving food. “In the summer months, we can enjoy family dinners without having to leave the pool area,” says McReady.

A concern regarding offside pools that aren’t in view of the main living space is the safety of young children. In the McReadys’ case, windows off the side of the kitchen provide a direct line of sight.

Unlike some Annapolis residents who pack up for warmer weather in the winter, the McReadys reside here year-round, and wanted a patio space that didn’t lose its beauty or functionality in colder weather. “We designed our outdoor space with this in mind, and we are able to enjoy the space for many months of the year,” McReady says.

Feeling Blue

When Elite Pools works with a potential new client, they ask a variety of questions to get to know the client’s needs: Have you had a pool in the past? Where do you like to vacation? Are you attracted to warm earth tones, or do you want your backyard to transport you to the Caribbean?

“The color of the water is going to invoke some kind of emotional response,” Michael Shaffery, Elite Pools president, says. “If you’re the type of person who hikes the Colorado Rockies and likes the land upon a mountain lake, that’s a completely different color than Hawaii water or Caribbean water.” Once Shaffery’s team gets a feel for the customer’s aesthetic, they choose the appropriate color coating from pool finisher Pebble Tec.

The rest comes naturally, Shaffery says: “The color of the water dictates the color of the tile and the color of the patio.”

Over the summer of 2016, Elite Pools worked on an extra special project—Shaffery’s family pool. For the project, which Shaffery values at around $500,000, Elite pulled out all the stops. A natural feel pervades the space, from the water’s cool blue tone reminiscent of a clear lake, to the rugged boulders and landscaping that are incorporated into the pool’s surroundings.

The spillover spa, set above the pool, cascades down a rocky waterfall element before landing in the main body of water. Across from the spa, a curving infinity-edge element creates the illusion from the perspective of a swimmer that the water vanishes into the property’s rolling hills, while built-in ledges and a sun shelf provide plenty of options for rest and relaxation. And a 32-foot-long slide dumps adventuresome swimmers into the pool’s deepest end.

“I built it as a showroom,” Shaffery says, “making sure that my clients can see what the possibilities are.”

Outside Ed Mullin’s historic farmhouse in northwestern Baltimore County, the last flakes of a snowstorm fall. Out front, oblivious to the icy wind, Angus the robot is shoveling snow. (Angus is a name Mullin hoped to give one of his five children—vetoed by his wife.)

This is Mullin’s dream, but not yet his reality. “This is what I need on a freezing day when my driveway is covered in snow,” he muses. “I would definitely like that robot.” The technology is already here, though, so he thinks a real Angus may not be that far off.

Mullin should know. He’s the founder of the Baltimore Robotics Center, a nonprofit based in Southwest Baltimore that helps young people in the city get involved in robotics and prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The 51-year-old father of five was inspired to launch the center after he saw his children join a robotics league and start to win design competitions, revealing what he calls the huge, untapped resource of “geek talent” in Baltimore. (Their inventions included an anti-deer robot that will drive around your property yelling and squirting water so Bambi won’t eat your foliage.)

Mullin’s personal wish list: a gutter-cleaning robot, a robot to help with household chores, and a dog-walking robot. “Why are they making robotic lawn mowers, but not ones to clear the ice?” he asks. “Grass is not critical. They’re making the robots that are easy to make.” But he’s out to change that.

The future robot that fellow geek Noah Cowan has in mind is “folding the family’s laundry, while I’m shooting hoops.” Cowan, who is deputy director of the Robotics Center at The Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering, says that while you won’t yet see any androids wandering the halls of the engineering school, you will see limbs maneuvering in the laboratory, a sign of things to come very soon.

Cowan, 44, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, predicts that there are some jobs, for instance, that we will be more than happy to lose to nonhuman devices—especially the dirty and dangerous jobs—but other tasks will be with us for a long time. “It’s really hard for a robotic system to collect garbage,” he says. “It needs a human’s natural intelligence to do specific tasks—it’s not an assembly line.”

Meanwhile, in a laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park, Baxter the robot is learning how to cook by watching a Julia Child YouTube video. But don’t give up those microwave-ready meals just yet, as this robot is still in a developmental stage, says Sarah Bergbreiter, an associate professor of mechanical engineering.

In her downtime, Bergbreiter, 39, acting director at the Maryland Robotics Center, is just like the rest of us and has household chores to attend to, but some robotics are already at work in her home. “We do have a Roomba vacuum, which is great, because I have a 1- and 4-year-old, so watching it is also entertaining for them,” she says. “We also have robot toys that they like to play with.” And, like Mullin and Cowan, she sees robotics advancing very quickly beyond their current military and police role, such as dealing with bombs and mines. At the Robotics Center, she specializes in developing microrobots, and her bug-size inventions may help in future surgical procedures, disaster relief, or even with humble tasks like locating mice in the attic.

“We’re on the verge of a revolution in robotics,” says Mullin. “And some city will be Robot City. It would be really great if that place was Baltimore.” So, okay, the snow shoveling ’bot may not be here yet, but there are some you can buy.

The Companion Robot

Unless you’re in Japan or Taiwan, the closest you’ll come stateside to a companion robot is ASUS’ Zenbo. Imagine if R2-D2 and C-3PO had a baby—Zenbo offers a cute introduction to the world of companion robots. Called the ‘smart-home assistant’ by its manufacturer, Zenbo is a conversationalist, providing company for those in need and entertainment for the kids with a song and dance. Zenbo is set to hit Baltimore stores this year and will be priced from $599.

Get Your Mind in the Gutter

Gutter-cleaning robots, above, don’t come with a climbing function, but they will make their way along the path of your gutter to keep it clear of debris. One of them is the iRobot model, about $300 at big-box stores and online.

The Battle of the Robot Vacs

Since its 2002 release, the Roomba vacuum has been challenged by competitors including the Dyson Eye 360, which maps out the best route in your home, but says no to stairs.

Available at most big-box stores, robotic vacuum cleaners range from the budget Chuwi iLife V7 to Samsung’s powerful VR9000 POWERbot Robotic Vacuum. Priced from $142 to $929.

The Lawn-Mowing Robot

It’s hot enough to fry an egg outside, but you can operate the robot lawn mower without stepping outside or getting off your porch.

Robot lawn mowers come with a navigational system to help manage various types of terrain. Though some models can operate in the rain, sensors on other models shut them down during a shower and start up when the area is dry. At a hardware store near you, models include the Robomow and Landroid. Priced from $1,000 to $2,500.

Rock-a-Baby Robot

Rock-a-bye baby takes on a new tune in the 21st century, with automatons helping to care for the little one. “I remember walking in and being stunned by watching that,” says Bergbreiter. Seats and cradles include the mamaRoo and the Snoo Robo-Cradle, which will rock your infant to sleep. The manufacturer makes the tempting pitch to sleep-deprived parents that it’s “like your own personal night nurse—for under $7 a night.” Prices range from $219 to $1,200.

The Butler Robot

MobileRobots Inc. makes one model, the Agent 007, that moves around with a security camera looking for intruders and challenging them with voice commands. But more fun are two other models, the Jeeves and BrewskiBot, which use similar technology to shuttle drinks to party guests. They’re a bit pricey, though, at $31,000 and up.

The Dog Robot

True, this thing might suck all of the warm and fuzzy socialization out of pet ownership. But what about a dog that ditches all the dirty habits—scratching fleas, “accidents,” and chewing up your shoes, for instance—but keeps the fun characteristics and walks itself? CHiP the robot dog comes with an adoption certificate and a SmartBand so he, she, or it can recognize you, making CHiP, according to its breeder—er, manufacturer—“an intelligent and affectionate pup . . . always aware and ready to play.” Like real-life dogs, how you respond shapes the behavior, so, supposedly, no two CHiPs are ever alike. CHiP retails from $142.96.

Nanda Clocky

This is an alarm clock on wheels—and with an attitude: You get just one chance to snooze before it rolls out of your bedroom and around the house, forcing you to get up, track it down, and make it shut up. Typically $30 to $40.

From the moment Stuart Forchheimer gets out of bed, often before 6:30 a.m., it’s all about technology.

Without lifting a finger, the kitchen lights come on and from the upstairs hallway an illuminated path downstairs is created. With a quick click on his cellphone, an entertainment system managed by Control4 streams music into the kitchen as he prepares breakfast. But the smart-home features don’t end there: “The automated shades are a big convenience, especially in areas that are difficult to reach,” he says. “You can easily press a button or put them on a schedule to open and close at certain times of the day through the Control4 system.”

Forchheimer should know: He’s president of HS Technology Group, a Baltimore-based technology integrator. But home automation isn’t only a matter of convenience in Forchheimer’s Timonium home—it’s also a tool for safety and security.

He has sensors that he can monitor from his phone that are connected to doors, drawers, and cabinets, so he can always know what’s going on at home.

Jay Steinmetz, CEO and founder of another Baltimore tech firm, Barcoding Inc., has a similar affinity for all things digital: His 1910 Mount Washington home is also fitted with the latest digital wonders.

Steinmetz’s front door automatically recognizes him and unlocks using the August Smart Lock. And with the Sonos music system, “a music alarm goes off to wake the kids in each of their rooms at 6:30 a.m. and turns off 30 minutes later to alert them it’s time to go downstairs for breakfast,” he says. His home is also connected with WeMo motion sensors that are attached to special light bulbs. “I can move anywhere in the house and the lights will come on when I enter the room,” he says.

We downloaded the brains of techies like these two to find out what’s hot on the market. Here’s our shortlist:

Phillips Hue

The Philips Hue White and Color starter kit allows you to sync your lights with your music and movies, or create the perfect ambiance for a romantic evening. Want it to appear you’re home during vacation? No problem: Up to 50 Philips lights and accessories can be added and controlled from your smartphone or tablet using the Philips Hue app. Starter kit $199.95.

Nest Learning Thermostat

This gizmo is a quick learner: It takes note of your habits and adjusts to your lifestyle. It notices when you turn the temperature down for bed and when you crank it up in the morning. After a few days, it will automatically set the temperature for you. It’s also energy efficient, saving on your BGE bill. $249.

Elite Series garage-door openers

With the Elite Series, connected by Wi-Fi, you can control garage doors from your smartphone. “There have been many times when I have left the door open, but I can easily close it from the app on my phone,” says Forchheimer. The MyQ technology allows connectivity from any smartphone, tablet, or computer. Along with the app, you will receive alerts about your garage-door status. Visit website to locate a dealer for pricing.

August Smart Lock

Forever misplacing your house keys? With the August Smart Lock, you can use your smartphone instead to lock and unlock your home. Installation is “unbelievably easy,” according to Steinmetz. “There’s no need to replace your lock.” It even allows you to create virtual keys for guests and can keep track of who’s coming and going in your home. So no one needs to leave a key under the mat when Nana comes to visit. Starting at $199.

Sonos

This gadget and its accompanying app go a little beyond the typical sound system. “The Sonos music system can simultaneously play any song from any artists in any room in the house,” says Steinmetz. Using a third-party Sonos Voice app, you can also speak directly into your smartphone and it will act as an intercom throughout the speakers in your home. Products starting at $199.

WeMo Switch

This Belkin Wi-Fi-enabled switch uses your home’s existing Wi-Fi to control any electronic devices connected to the WeMo Switch. It also allows you to program triggers so your appliances will work without you having to even press a button. “I have a 106-year-old house and I attached my air conditioning unit to the WeMo plug,” Steinmetz says. “When the temp gets over 82 degrees, the WeMo plug turns it on,” says Steinmetz. You already have everything you need—just use this plug, download the WeMo app, and you’re all set. Starting at $39.99.

When Ari Fertel’s oldest son, Zachariah, was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 5, she did what any other concerned parent would do: She tried to help. She read to her son daily, sent him to tutoring, and ordered the latest and greatest in reading software programs. But each had drawbacks: Tutoring was expensive and inconvenient, the software didn’t provide the right kind of instruction, and parent-child reading time would often just create more tension and stress, especially since Fertel was raising 2-year-old triplets, as well.

So, about nine years ago, Fertel, decided to design her own therapy. The end result is the just-released Reading Buddy software program. Using the same voice-recognition technology found in Apple’s Siri, Reading Buddy listens while children read aloud, then provides feedback, correcting them when words are skipped or mispronounced, and doling out kudos for jobs well done. A built-in, customizable reward program—where parents can offer treats for achieving benchmarks—incentivizes use.

“I wanted it to have everything,” says Fertel, 47, who lives in Pikesville with her husband, Mort Fertel, an author and famed marriage expert, and their five kids. “If I could take this perfect parent that I want to be and stick it in this software, what would it look like? I’d be encouraging, I’d be supportive, I’d be non-judgmental, I’d be consistent, I would always be there, available. The software takes on that role, hence the name, Reading Buddy.”

The software is compatible with both PCs and Macs and is available through ReadingBuddySoftware.com. And Fertel already has at least one satisfied customer.

Two years ago, Baltimore City resident Irina Diamond procured a beta version of Reading Buddy for her then-9-year-old daughter, Miri, who “would cry with frustration when made to read.” After just a short time, Miri’s fluency increased, as did her confidence. Now, Miri even reads for fun.

“I found this program better than tutoring because it was on our timetable [and] she was reading to a computer without any judgment,” Diamond says. “I am grateful to Reading Buddy for giving my daughter the confidence she needed to grow as a reader.”

In front of a sprightly crowd of juniors and seniors, multi-millionaire Alexis Ohanian takes the stage at his alma mater, Howard High School in Ellicott City. The stage is dark, but you can still make him out. Wearing a gray zip-up sweatshirt—opened just enough to reveal a black T-shirt that appropriately reads “Living The Dream”—bright red sneakers, and dark jeans, it’s possible he didn’t do anything to his messy bedhead that morning. His neatly trimmed beard adds some wisdom, enough to hide a baby face that hasn’t much changed from his boyhood years as a Howard Lion.

A couple minutes into his speech, a spotlight finally appears and falls onto him without warning. The shift from obscurity to limelight certainly seems fitting, because that’s really how the last 10 years have been for Ohanian, the co-founder of the news aggregator and online discussion forum Reddit.

Long before his appearance as a guest on the The Colbert Report, before countless millennials clamored to snap selfies with him, and well before his interviews with David Gregory and Charlie Rose, Ohanian was just a tall, portly, video-game geek.

“Apparently, people in high school tell their parents, ‘Hey I’m going over to my friend’s house for the weekend,’ but they’re actually lying. When I told my parents I was going to Jon’s house for the weekend, I was actually there the entire weekend playing video games,” he says.

This was life in Columbia for Ohanian in the late ’90s. The computer may as well have been an appendage. He’d tote his PC to friends’ houses, where the group would connect to each other’s machines through a LAN (local area network) and play video games for hours.

“It’s interesting, because at that time, his mother and I wondered about, ‘How many hours are you in front of that PC? Are you ever going to go outdoors?’” says his dad, Chris. “For Alexis, it turned out it was a positive from that experience.”

Little did Chris know how positive. His son’s computer-savvy ways would lead to one of the most widely used social networking news websites in the world—with a valuation as high as $500 million.

Despite his nerdy stature, back in Columbia, Ohanian was no introvert. “He was a talker, a schmoozer, and that trait prevailed—in a sincere way,” his dad says.

In fact, he was chosen to speak in front of his own graduating class during their commencement at Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2001. He cringes when discussing the cliché-laden speech and admits he doesn’t watch it often, but he has posted it on YouTube for the rest of the world to enjoy.

In the three-minute plea, he urges his peers: “Do something, something that inspires you, something that enriches you, something that leaves your mark on society.”

By his senior year at the University of Virginia, Ohanian was taking his own advice. He and his roommate, Steve Huffman, plotted out a startup, a food-ordering app, called My Mobile Menu.

They traveled to Cambridge, MA, in 2005 to hear a lecture by Huffman’s idol, startup guru Paul Graham. Ohanian approached Graham afterwards and asked to discuss their plan over a cup of coffee. Ultimately, Graham rejected it, but he suggested the pair build something else: “the front page of the web.”

Reddit has the Midas touch, turning something simple into viral gold.

The idea was to create a social networking site that functioned as an online bulletin board. Users could post text or direct links and other users could vote them up or down, so content would be positioned based on user interest. Weeks later, Reddit was born, and it only took the pair 16 months to cash in, selling it to Condé Nast for a figure rumored to be as high as $20 million.

“Probably the biggest thing Condé Nast liked about us, we’re a small team, we’re willing to experiment,” Huffman told the Associated Press at the time.

The media behemoth also recognized that, thanks to the Internet, the democratization of news was the wave of the future. Unlike the traditional news model, readers can use Reddit to “have a say in what’s worth looking at,” explained Kourosh Karimkhany, general manager of Wired Digital, the digital arm of Condé Nast’s Wired magazine, which purchased the site.

Despite all the success, it was a stressful period for Ohanian. Around the same time Reddit got off the ground, he received the devastating news that his mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her death in 2008 has always been a difficult topic for him to speak about publicly.

“I’ve gotten better about it,” he says. “It’s something I never wanted to exploit.”

Instead, her plight kept him grounded during a dizzying time in his life.

“It made me understand what bad days really look like, and it kept me from wallowing in the stress of startups,” he says. “You get off the phone with your parents, who’ve been dealing with chemo bullshit all day, and they’re not fazed. You realize things aren’t so bad. I feel like that gave me some kind of super power.”

Perhaps it’s why Ohanian has seemingly never stopped working.

In 2007, he co-founded Breadpig, a crowd-funding aid, while maintaining a full-time role with Reddit. After his Reddit contract expired in 2009, he spent the next few years volunteering with micro-financing site Kiva.org, launching the travel-planning website Hipmunk, and writing Without Their Permission, an autobiographical guide for young entrepreneurs.

In 2011, Reddit would once again become an independent company, and three years later, after its CEO stepped down, the door opened for Ohanian’s full-time return as executive chair.

“I never would have imagined having the company be independent again. It’s a privilege and not many people get a second chance,” he says. “Obviously, the first time it turned out well. It’s pretty big, but we have so much more room to grow.”

It’s hard to believe Reddit could grow any more than it has since celebrating its 10th birthday. According to Alexa.com rankings, Reddit is a top 35 website in the world and top 10 U.S. site, with more than 172 million unique visitors a month.

“It’s pretty much the underbelly of all the major media that we see,” says Andrew Schuster, co-founder of NewsUp.me, a local website that combines current events with social-media quizzes. “It’s unique in that it’s a true democracy, very focused on information, not images, not glitz, not popularity, but focused on the value of the content.”

Reddit has become a digital fountain of interesting content relevant to just about every topic or niche and posted anonymously by anyone with Internet access. On a typical day, it covers anything from hobbies to sports, cities to religious denominations, branches of science to musical genres. All it takes is the click of an “up” arrow by a string of people before that content has found its way to the coveted “front page” and eventually onto your Facebook page, Twitter feed, and, often, your prime-time newscast.

The site seemingly has the Midas touch, turning something as simple as a photo of a frowning cat into viral gold. Yes, you have Reddit to thank for Grumpy Cat, who launched a thousand memes and now has her own movie.

“When the Internet is at its best, it shows that most people are decent.”

Bostonians also have Reddit to thank for pizza. Boxes and boxes of hot, cheesy pies were delivered to Boston hospitals, police departments, and the homes of good Samaritans after the marathon bombings through an initiative called “Random Acts of Pizza.” It operates under a simple premise: Reddit users can post requests to send someone a pizza as a simple way of saying, “Hey, you’re pretty awesome.” In all, Redditors from across the world had more than 1,500 pies delivered to Beantown beneficiaries. It’s moments like this that make Ohanian glow.

“Here’s the thing,” he explains. “None of this is Reddit. What you are seeing there is people. When the Internet is at its best, it really shows that most people are decent.”

Searching “thanks to Reddit” yields fascinating results. There’s the South Carolina woman in need of a kidney donor, who found one through Reddit just five hours after her initial post. Or the 7-year-old girl with a rare disease who, just a year before passing away, and after being taunted by her neighbors, received $16,000 for a vacation fund.

Reddit has also driven the coverage of serious news stories, and was instrumental in the success of Serial, the NPR podcast about Adnan Syed, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in Baltimore 15 years ago. A person claiming to be Lee’s brother posted to Reddit, users started a fund in Lee’s name at Woodlawn High School, and tips from listeners even led The Innocence Project to a possible new suspect.

But beyond the tangible content, it’s the off-the-wall “subreddits” that demonstrate the fascinating reach of the website and its users. There’s the “AMA” [“Ask Me Anything”] subreddit where celebrities and public figures often come to allow Redditors to ask them, well, anything.

“Whether it’s the Orioles or My Little Pony, those Reddit communities exist,” says Ohanian. “The reason so many people have been attracted to it is because there’s something that just feels good about the process being so democratic.”

Pete Dorman stumbled upon the Baltimore subreddit, of which he is now a moderator, about two years ago when he noticed an uptick in traffic to his local events blog, BmoreInterested.com. He used Reddit to respond to out-of-towners looking for recommendations or to answer questions for new transplants.

“This is sort of their first taste of the city,” Dorman says. “And it’s cool to be a part of that, to help people find the best neighborhood for them. Otherwise they could read an article that mentions Federal Hill or Canton, but Station North or Remington might be a better fit.”

He’s hoping one day that Ohanian will join the community for a local “AMA.” “Right now, maybe a lot of people don’t realize he’s from the area,” Dorman says, “or that he has had such a global impact.”

Though the Reddit executive is surely one of the biggest success stories to come out of Howard High School, his recent speech didn’t exactly go over smoothly.

In a classic case of “parents just don’t understand,” the principal called Ohanian’s language during his pep talk “salty” and ushered him out of the school immediately after, telling him he couldn’t return.

“So it goes,” Ohanian says. “But I got such great feedback from the students and parents, so it was nice to see positive stuff come from it.”

The next day, Ohanian was back on a flight to the left coast. Airplanes may be one of the few places he can press pause, relax, and reflect on one hell of a decade.

“When I’m sitting on the subway looking around, I feel better,” he says. “I see many people who could have just made me laugh or could have just done some Random Act of Pizza. I’ve gained a lot of faith in people in the last 10 years.”

And for the decade ahead?

“I want Reddit to be the world’s platform for how communities share things,” he says.

He pauses and adds: “And hopefully, like in the Boy Scouts, to leave the campground a little nicer than when we found it.”

When the Orioles need to fly a last-minute call-up from, say, Norfolk to Minneapolis, Kevin Buck, the team’s director of travel since 2009, employs his favorite travel apps to ensure the player is in the dugout by game time. The team charters flights well in advance for road games during the regular season, but player injuries and roster shifts often necessitate hastily summoned substitutes.

Fortunately, Buck has help at his fingertips. He uses Kayak’s app to book the 100 or so urgent flights he coordinates each season.

“It’s a really easy way to find flights quickly,” he says. And to get players from airport to ballpark, Buck likes Uber for reserving a private car. “It’s been a huge help,” he adds.

Apps make traveling easier. Think of them as a palm-sized travel agent, concierge, and savvy local available 24/7. Apps can find the cheapest flight, help you pack, hail a ride, and even reserve a parking spot. One in four travelers books trips via mobile device, according to industry studies, and mobile travel reservations are expected to at least triple in the next two years. Many travel apps are hard to use or a waste of space on your smartphone screen.

We’re here to help you sort through it all with this list of essential apps for a bon voyage. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are free for the operating systems listed.)

Book ‘Em

HotelTonight: The gold standard for same-day hotel apps, HotelTonight’s user-friendly interface summons a vetted selection of deeply discounted rooms. Time-pressed travelers need just 10 seconds (three taps, one swipe) to make same-day reservations at fill-these-rooms markdowns. The app rates hotels (“hip,” “luxe,” “basic,” “charming”) and offers room descriptions. Favorite feature: express check-in. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Kayak: Beloved by one-stop trip shoppers, Kayak has become the Swiss Army knife of search-and-reserve apps. Find good deals on flights, lodging, and car rentals, and use it to track flights, manage itineraries, and receive price alerts. Flight searches can be filtered to suit your tastes, for instance, in flight times (no red-eyes, please). Favorite feature: explore budget-based vacation options. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon, Kindle Fire)

Hipmunk: The cool kids’ flight-and-hotel aggregator, Hipmunk is famous for its Agony and Ecstasy indexes. The former ranks flights by painfulness, flagging “ugh” factors like multiple layovers and sky-high prices; the latter rates accommodations by desirability, highlighting value and amenities. Travelers can then book through the app. Favorite feature: searches integrate with iPhone, Google and Microsoft calendars. (Android, iOS)

Booking.com: Extensively critiqued lodgings, discount rates, and a pay-later feature make this app a hit. Not all of Booking.com’s hotels, B&Bs, villas, and other properties let you lock in a rate sans credit card. But filters help users find the right room at the right price. Favorite feature: 24/7 customer helpline. (Android, iOS)

SeatGuru: Fed up with bruised knees and no laptop outlet? SeatGuru lets fliers consult 700-plus airline cabin maps to determine where they do (and don’t) want to sit. Designed to suit the pickiest passengers, this app offers seat-by-seat descriptions (width, legroom, reclinability, window alignment, and power availability), plus reviews by fellow fliers. Favorite feature: Guru-rated flight searches. (Android, iOS)

Get Ready

TripIt: The efficient traveler’s go-to app, TripIt organizes flight, hotel, rental car, and other confirmation numbers and reservation information into a unified itinerary available instantly on your mobile devices. Forward travel e-mails to your free TripIt account or have the app automatically cull items from your inbox. (Auto-importing is not available for all e-mail domains.) Favorite feature: supplies maps and weather forecasts. (Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone)

PackPoint: Part valet, part mom, this packing-list generator uses your travel information to customize your checklist. Tell PackPoint your gender, where you’re going and when, and what you’re going to do (fancy dinners, hiking). The app does the rest, suggesting clothing, gear and gadgets you can’t leave without. Favorite feature: syncs with TripIt to obtain personal travel info. (Android, iOS)

The Weather Channel: This popular app puts television’s favorite weather broadcast into your pocket or purse. Easy to navigate, TWC app supplies travelers not only with current conditions at their location, but hourly and 10-day forecasts, local airport, beach, and boating conditions, radar, UV indexes, and weather news. Also searchable for weather forecasts/conditions at your destination. Favorite feature: customizable weather alerts. (Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon, Kindle Fire)

Yapta: Nothing sours a trip like discovering—too late—that you’ve overpaid for your flight. This price-tracking app alerts frugal fliers to airfare reductions so they can book with peace of mind or claim a refund/travel credit for booked flights. Yapta also tracks hotel prices, allowing users to reserve when the rate is right. Favorite feature: easy-to-use interface means you don’t need to log in for updates. (Android, iOS)

Have Tools, Will Travel

FlightAware: This omniscient flight tracking/airport status app keeps tabs on just about everything aviation. Track commercial and private flights worldwide by airline, flight number, or route. Consult airport arrival/departure boards. Monitor gate/terminal changes and weather. Get airport delay information and receive automatic alerts. Favorite feature: airport delay “misery map.” (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Google Maps: No other map app comes even close to competing with Google Maps. This ubiquitous tool offers voice-guided GPS navigation for drivers, pedestrians, transit riders, and cyclists, supplemented by conventional, street-view, terrain, satellite, and 3D images. Search nearby dining, shopping, and attractions to see reviews and hours, make calls for reservations, and let Google guide you there. Favorite feature: faster-route traffic alerts. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

OpenTable: Employ this mobile concierge to make dinner reservations anywhere. Search for restaurants by location or name, browse top and trendy dining spots, and then let OpenTable search for available dates and times. When you’ve chosen one, book it with one tap. The app instantly confirms the reservation and sends you a reminder in advance. Favorite feature: invite your dining companions. (Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon, Kindle Fire)

Entrain: Smartphones readily adjust to new time zones; not so your body. Developed by University of Michigan researchers, this app develops a personalized lighting exposure agenda to help your circadian clock quickly adjust as you travel. Input travel plans, wake-up and bed times, and Entrain formulates optimal hourly light exposures. Favorite feature: metrics page graphs your body’s progress. (Android, iOS)

Instagram: Postcards for the 21st century, Instagram lets you take travel photos (and videos) with your smartphone, enhance and caption them, then share them instantly on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and other social-media sites. The app’s filters make even ho-hum vacation pics look professional. Favorite feature: display photos on personal map. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Get the Scoop

TripAdvisor: When TripAdvisor predicts Wildwood, NJ, will be the hottest under-the-radar destination in the country this year, believe it. (We swear, this is not a joke about Jersey.) The app provides access to more than 200 million reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions by travelers like you. Download its City Guides for top picks and maps of your intended destinations. Favorite feature: Guides can be accessed for offline use. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Nokia)

Yelp: Looking for a wine bar near your hotel? Yelp can find the closest, display customer reviews, and offer directions. This popular business-locating app integrates each establishment’s basic info with maps, photographs, ratings, reviews, menus, and more. Search by category, price, proximity, and rating. Favorite feature: messaging lets you query locals directly. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon, Kindle Fire)

AroundMe: Do you really need two local-search apps? Maybe not, but devotees of AroundMe prefer this thoughtfully designed, graphic-oriented app to Yelp. Choose a category icon (e.g. banks, coffee shops, movie theaters), tap, and AroundMe swiftly lists options and pinpoints them on a map. Selecting one provides detailed information and reviews. Favorite feature: uses GPS to give you directions. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

GateGuru: This handy travel-day companion stores your flight info and provides live updates on delays, cancellations, and gate changes. But GateGuru’s genius is its local intelligence about airport amenities and maps, particularly those in your vicinity. Use it to find restaurant options and see how fellow fliers rate them. Favorite feature: in-app discount car rentals. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Keep Rolling

Uber: The mobile way to hail a ride, Uber uses your phone’s GPS to locate the driver nearest you and dispatch your preferred conveyance: taxi, sedan, luxury vechile, or SUV. The app estimates pickup time (and fare), texts you when your ride arrives, and automatically charges your on-file credit card once you’ve reached your destination. Favorite feature: GPS monitoring of driver’s progress. (Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone)

Waze: This app provides real-time, driver-sourced traffic and navigation advice. Waze’s legion of local eyes on the road will alert you to traffic jams, road closures, and speed traps before you’re ensnarled. Also provides step-by-step navigation. Favorite feature: closest and/or cheapest gas station locator. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

iExit: Traveling I-95 with two kids clamoring to eat at Olive Garden? This app’s for you. Pinpointing your location/direction via GPS, it tells you what lies ahead exit by exit (up to 100 of them) so you can plan gas stops, bathroom breaks, meals, lodging, and other road-tripping necessities. Use for pre-planning or en route. Favorite feature: favorites list for quicker searches. (Android, iOS)

Specialty Travel

Airbnb: This private-lodgings app lets you research and reserve distinctive digs in dreamy locations. Users can communicate with their hosts, browse destinations, and imagine themselves slumbering in cottages, castles, windmills, and houseboats. Favorite feature: shareable Wish List. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

BringFido: Accommodating furry family members on your travels can be a hassle. BringFido is a dog-lover’s best pal for finding pooch-friendly hotels and attractions like dog parks, doggie beaches, and restaurants where Rover is welcome, too. Research airline and hotel pet policies, and see which hotels and attractions earn BringFido’s coveted 5-dog-bone rating. Favorite feature: pet travel helpline. (iOS)

Cruise Finder: This vacation-planning app searches more than 20 cruise lines, 220 ships, and some 12,000 itineraries worldwide. Filter by cruise line, destination, departure port or date and the app lists your options. Peruse stateroom descriptions and prices, deck plans, and amentiies. Favorite feature: track favorite cruises for price alerts. (Android, iOS)

Green Globe: An app for the carbon-conscious traveler, Green Globe features hotels, resorts, attractions, and cruise lines that meet its sustainable tourism standards for energy and water consumption, recycling, and all-around earth-friendliness. Such rigorous vetting limits your choices, but once you’ve found a certified green hotel room you’ll sleep with a lighter conscience. Favorite feature: app-enabled hotel booking. (Android, iOS)

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App Chat

Marian Marbury, founder, Adventures in Good Company, women’s guided travel. Recent Travel: Galapagos Islands, Mongolia. Next Destination: Morocco. Techie Tip: “I love Hipmunk’s Agony index. It will rate flights, in part, by how awful the connection is. It has a really nice graphical [flight] layover index.” Also Likes: Trivago (hotel meta-searches), SugarSync (cloud file-sharing).

Kevin Buck, director of travel, Baltimore Orioles. Recent Travel: Dominican Republic, Sarasota, FL. 2015 Dream Trip: the World Series. Techie Tip: “We try to get Uber on all our players’ phones so they can get a ride easily without having to pay cash.” Also Likes: FlightTrack 5 (flight tracking), WeatherBug (real-time weather).

Jan C. Miles, captain, tall ship Pride of Baltimore II. Recent Travel: Chesapeake Bay. 2015 Destination: East Coast, Maine to Carolinas. Techie Tip: “When you go from city to city with Pride, you’re looking for local knowledge. You get off the ship and you [want to know] how to get from here to there from a walking point of view.” Also Likes: Citymapper (urban transport), PassageWeather (marine forecasts).

Local Apps

Favorite apps to help you explore Charm City.

Parking Panda: reserved parking for the plan-ahead driver. (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Charm City Circulator: route map, service updates, mobile alerts, plus real-time bus tracking to forecast arrival times for the free shuttle service. (Android, iOS)

Explore Baltimore Heritage: GPS-guided city history featuring over 50 landmarks (with stories and photos) and 12 themed, self-guided tours. (Android, iOS)

NPS Chesapeake Explorer: National Park Service guide to parks, outdoor activities, trails (historic, scenic, water), and tours in the Land of Pleasant Living. (Android, iOS)

Something about the empty driveway next to his off-campus house in
Georgetown always bugged Nick Miller. But he couldn’t quite put his
finger on it. Not until a trip to a Baltimore Ravens’ game took him
through Federal Hill. There, driving with friends, desperate for
parking, Miller saw residents holding up cardboard signs advertising
spaces for rent. And it hit him. Sure, parking demand reaches naturally
epic proportions on game days around M&T Bank Stadium; Miller, who
grew up in Harford County, knew that. But finding convenient downtown
parking in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., was always like searching for
a needle in a haystack. Could digital technology, he wondered, fill
those empty driveways, lots, and parking pads with actual cars in real
time?

Brainstorming with computer programmer Adam
Zilberbaum at the first Baltimore StartUp weekend, Miller’s epiphany led
to a prototype for a user-friendly, peer-to-peer parking website and
app. That was three years ago. Today, Parking Panda,
which receives a cut of all transactions, makes locating and reserving a
parking spot as easy as purchasing a seat online at Center Stage or
Camden Yards. To date, Miller—just 25, low-key, and usually unshaven—and
Zilberbaum, 31, have raised nearly $5 million in financing. They’ve
added 18 employees, expanded to 40 cities, and bolstered their operation
to include commercial parking garages.

But if their concept was
merely a one-off success, albeit a welcome help to alleviating downtown
traffic woes, it would just be a nice entrepreneurial story and end
there. It doesn’t. It barely scratches the surface.

When
Miller——who today bikes from his Fells Point apartment to his Federal
Hill office—travels out of town, he does what a rapidly multiplying
number of young adults do: He seeks out similar peer-to-peer services.
Rather than dropping a couple hundred dollars on an impersonal hotel for
a few of nights, he finds an inexpensive room he likes—and maybe
interesting hosts—online via Airbnb,
which enables almost anyone to turn their home or apartment into a
B&B by renting a spare bedroom. Instead of wasting money on a rental
car that will mostly sit idle, he’ll go to his smartphone to hook up
with a Zipcar, hop a ride with a Lyft driver, or tap Uber’s taxi-on-demand app. In D.C., he might use the city’s massive bike-sharing program.

All of which, like Airbnb, and a laundry list of related platforms, are taking hold in Baltimore, too.

In
fact, when Miller and Zilberbaum first began developing Parking Panda,
they were harbingers of a profound cultural shift. Enabled by mobile
technology, pushed by changing millennial values emphasizing
sustainability and creativity, and fanned by the economic slowdown—it’s a
transformation described as “the sharing economy.” Simply put, the
people born between 1980 and 1994—the largest and most educated
generation in U.S. history—are choosing to live differently and
reshaping how cities, including Baltimore, function at basic levels.

“There
are many different factors at work, and it can be difficult to separate
cause and effect,” says Susan Shaheen, co-director of the University
of California, Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center.
“There’s been the wholesale introduction of wireless smartphones and
applications, but there’s also been a dramatic change in the younger
population—a reduction in the number of people getting driver’s
licenses—and a deliberate move away from suburban lifestyles. This
generation wants to live in urban areas with the culture and community
that affords and not have the burden of vehicle ownership.”

Raised
on “sharing” models from Napster to Spotify to Netflix—millennials have
also been referred to as “the cheapest generation.” Partly, this was
born out of necessity, things like exploding college debt and a horrific
job market. But millennnials always seemed fundamentally opposed to
paying for things previous generations took for granted—like music,
newspapers, and cable TV. Now, they’re not buying cars and houses at the
rates of previous generations. And, they are the first generation,
according to a recent study, to value their smartphones over their cars.

For them, it’s not much of a leap to use digital technology to share bicycles, handsaws (NeighborGoods), used clothes (thredUP), automobiles (RelayRides), pet-sitting duties (DogVacay)—or
even an apartment for a few nights. Especially if it’s more convenient,
less expensive, and maybe offers a more rewarding personal
transaction—another millennial value. (It’s called social media for a
reason.)

Got the money, but not the time? Find someone on Taskrabbit to run that errand. Need funding for your nonprofit? Indigogo
can help. Cash to make a movie? Baltimore filmmaker Lotfy Nathan raised
more than $30,000 for his documentary, 12 O’Clock Boys. Even though
millennials aren’t going to stores to buy music or movies, they will
support something they care about—if they can feel like a part of the
project.

“I think what Parking Panda, Zipcar, or Uber, Airbnb, and
these models do really well is more efficiently utilize existing
resources,” Miller says. “I think this generation is hardwired to think
that way. There’s a move toward ‘experience’ and away from ownership.”
If it’s more adventurous, like jumping in the front seat of a hot
pink-mustachioed Lyft car, charging your phone, and chatting with the
driver—probably about the same age—or getting the insider tip on the
best neighborhood dive bar from an Airbnb host, all the better.

To
listen to Miller, it was the desire for efficient logistics and
creative opportunities that led him to move into the city. “I love it,
but I didn’t necessarily anticipate that growing up [in a rural
county],” he says. “I can walk to Canton Square. There’s a culture, an
art scene, museums. I like to do a lot of things, and all that’s
possible because of the neighborhood I live in.”

Of course, the
new peer-to-peer models don’t just afford the chance to save
hard-to-come-by wages, but generate income on the other side of the
equation. Shaina and Trevor Holman, both in their late 20s and from
suburban North Carolina, decided to buy a house in Hollins Market when
she got accepted into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.
“Our parents were like, ‘Buy a house in the city?,’” Holman laughs. “But
we found this neighborhood that is a really a good fit.” They get by
with one car—a “car-lite” household—because she can walk to school. And,
for the past year, they’ve made between $900 and $1,600 a month renting
a bedroom on Airbnb.

Holman learned about Airbnb from a neighbor,
who earned enough to quit her full-time job and launch a start-up
company. Three other neighbors are also renting rooms now, and her
husband, once his contract job expired, launched his photography
business while the extra income was streaming in. Holman admits that,
initially, there was a bit of an “ick factor” about inviting strangers
into their home, but she got past it. “It’s amazing how quickly you
become friends with some of the guests,” Holman says. She recommends
nearby Zella’s Pizzeria and CUPS Coffeehouse to visitors and helps them
navigate the city. “We still keep in touch with people who were here
just for two nights.”

A large factor in the confidence in
peer-to-peer models like Airbnb, Holman notes, is that people on both
ends are required to register online, get verified through social media
like Facebook, and then provide user reviews. “Like Yelp,” she chuckles.
“I was nervous about that, too, but it makes everyone want to leave a
good impression.”

In terms of how the new business models are
playing out in urban areas, physically it’s most apparent in
transportation. Some cities have wrestled with regulating the
peer-to-peer models, but Baltimore, so far, has taken a hands-off
approach.

Billy Hwang, of the Baltimore City Department of
Transportation, and a Gen-Xer, can’t help but laugh when he hears
Shaheen’s phrase, “the burden of vehicle ownership” repeated. He sounds
stunned by how fast changing millennial priorities and emerging
technology have affected urban planning.

“In my generation, the
first thing you did when you turned 16 was take your driver’s test,”
Hwang says. “Now, you look at something like bike-sharing. Five years
ago, that was a farfetched idea.

“The iPhone sparked a revolution
that’s been spilling over into transportation for the last two to three
years,” Hwang continues. “We’ve never seen anything like this—where
non-transportation technology is driving changes in transportation.”
Wireless radio-frequency identification, for example, is what enables
Zipcar members to open a car door with a swipe of an ID card or a
bike-share member to unlock a bicycle from a station. Also new: the
ability to track Charm City Circulator arrival times on a smartphone.

“When
we look back, we might put the turning point at 2010, when peer-to-peer
car sharing started in San Francisco and bike-sharing came to
Washington,” says Shaheen, who has studied transportation for 17 years.
“The phenomenon of ‘shared’ mobility is occurring and gaining
momentum.” (Hwang might add it was the same year the iPhone 4, still the
most popular iPhone, was released.)

Case in point: There are
currently bike-sharing programs in 46 U.S. cities, and Charm City
Bikeshare, Hwang confirms, will break ground this spring with 25-30 bike
stations. If doubts remain about the popularity of such bike and
ridesharing systems, consider that D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare accounted
for nearly 2.5 million trips last year. And that New York City’s
bike-share program posted 5 million trips in its first five months last
year. Or that Lyft, now in 18 cities, surpassed 1 million trips in
August, in its first year in business.

Zipcar, too, which arrived
with a handful of cars on Baltimore college campuses, has also expanded
dramatically. With 200 cars in the city, it’s now working closely with
the Parking Authority to reduce downtown parking demands, as well as
their Parking Authority fleet of vehicles. Parking Authority spokeswoman
Tiffany James, a married Hampden mom with twins, says Zipcar allowed
her family to sell one of their cars. “We have people who have asked us,
‘When can we get Zipcar in our neighborhood?’” James says. “Patterson
Park’s neighborhood association cheered when we introduced Zipcar.”

Jeremy
Pomp, who works for Zipcar, is from Harford County, just like Parking
Panda’s Miller. In many ways, his story parallels changing millennial
values. At 33, he’s old enough to have suffered through the worst of his
generation’s financial woes, having bought a house before the 2008
crash and then watching it lose 30 percent of its value almost
overnight. Today, he and his wife rent an apartment and live with their
two children near Ridgley’s Delight, also getting by, happily, with one
car—a 12-year-old VW Golf. Pomp bikes his 4-year-old daughter to school
before riding to work in Mt. Vernon. He takes advantage of previously
unavailable digital and GPS technology to live more efficiently—i.e.
less time in the car. “If we are out of peanut butter, I add it to the
list and order with Relay Foods [an online grocer now in 10 cites], and
they’ll deliver it.

“Zipcar, bike-share, Uber—these things
complement each other,” he continues. “And they are really about
removing barriers to living in the city that have been built up over
time.” His mother, he notes, grew up in Patterson Park when most
families got by with one car or no car, borrowing a neighbor’s for
weekend grocery shopping, if necessary. In that way, he says, new
technology is actually enabling people to live in downtown neighborhoods
more like they way people used to.

Shaheen agrees that the idea
of “sharing” resources isn’t new. It’s what people did in previous
generations before a 50-year splintering to the suburbs. At the same
time, she cautions about overstating the trend toward urban living among
millennials, who have also been delaying marriage and children.
“There’s still time for them to move to the suburbs,” she says. In other
words, there’s still no app for improving city public schools, or
lowering poverty and crime rates.

However, Holman, who is
pregnant, says she and her husband do not plan to leave the city. She
admits, though, that once the baby arrives, they plan to put a hold on
Airbnb.

“I don’t feel comfortable about having strangers in the
house with a baby,” she says. “But what’s funny, is that our parents—who
thought we were crazy to buy a house in the city and then crazier to do
Airbnb—are now like, ‘That’s a lot of money you’ll be losing. Are you
sure?’”

Ron Cassie is a senior editor at Baltimore.

What if spilling Diet Coke on your cell phone didn’t matter anymore?
Solving that problem, and many others, is the goal of new product
NeverWet, developed in Lancaster, PA, in part by Baltimore native and
Stevenson University grad Mat Sterner. 

“Scientists have been studying
this conundrum for decades,” says Sterner, pictured, a research
and development chemist. “When you put water on various materials, it
either makes flat puddles or beads on the surface, like Teflon.” 

But
Sterner says that scientists have been trying to figure out how to give
surfaces a texture, or small towers, that water droplets can sit on top
of. The problem with such a delicate texture is how easily it can get
damaged with a simple touch. But NeverWet’s technology has two layers to
protect that texture. The result is a seemingly futuristic spray that
makes virtually anything—electronics, clothing, tires, house
siding—waterproof. 

NeverWet is available at Home Depot, Walmart, and
Lowe’s, and is retailing for $19.99. “Generally, the reactions have been
describing it as magic, sorcery, a miracle,” Sterner says. “People
aren’t used to seeing liquid just slide right off.”

Edited by Max Weiss. Written by Jess Blumberg, Ken Iglehart, Suzanne Loudermilk, John Lewis, Amy Mulvihill, Evan Serpick, and Max Weiss

Delegate Keiffer Mitchell Jr. is at a cafe, being interviewed for this story, when his cell phone rings. “Hang on a sec, I’ve got to take this,” he says. He leans away and answers the phone. He’s discussing the Baltimore Grand Prix —the upcoming Indy car race that Mitchell was a key player in bringing to Baltimore. All of downtown will be affected by the race, and whomever Mitchell is talking to is clearly concerned about logistics.

The delegate’s omelet arrives and sits untouched as Mitchell continues to talk in a cheerful and reassuring manner. More than 10 minutes later, he’s off the phone. He looks up sheepishly. “Sorry, that was Brian Rogers,” he says, referring to the chairman of T. Rowe Price, who is on our list (under Finance Power). “Speaking of power. . . .”

Mitchell digs into his (now cold) omelet and resumes the interview.

The moment was not staged for the benefit of this story, but it very well could’ve been. Rogers has access (he was calling Mitchell’s cell) and influence (Mitchell was bending over backwards to accommodate him) and probably could’ve interrupted the breakfast (or lunch or family dinner) of just about any politician in town.

This story is our attempt to explore Baltimore power and the various ways it manifests itself in the region. Political power and financial power are perhaps the most obvious kinds, but there are other, less conspicuous types of power at play in such arenas as culture, health care, sports, and technology. What follows is our examination of power in all of its incarnations—from the boardrooms to the chatrooms and beyond.

Politics

The position comes with power. But it’s how you wield it that really counts.

Governor Martin O’Malley
He spends a lot of time in Annapolis, but Governor O’Malley is still a Baltimore guy, and he wields an enormous amount of power here. For one thing, the former Baltimore mayor was a mentor to Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and the two frequently acknowledge their close working relationship. Further, the road-tested, iron-tough Democratic political machine that O’Malley built (or rebuilt) endures. And every time he has an important moment, whether launching a reelection campaign or declaring victory, O’Malley is in Baltimore, flanked by the city’s political elite, including Rawlings-Blake and Rep. Elijah Cummings. O’Malley is still captain of Baltimore’s Democratic ship.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
When fiery Sheila Dixon resigned last year, Rawlings-Blake’s low-key technocratic style was a welcome change. Now, the quiet machinations of her power are bearing fruit. After capably managing the biggest back-to-back blizzards in local history, she balanced an out-of-control budget, overhauling the police and fire department pension systems, making huge spending cuts, and passing a bottle tax—all without raising public ire too broadly. She announced ambitious new projects, like the 2011 Grand Prix race, and moved to renovate vast swaths of vacant housing. With all due to respect to Dixon, Rawlings-Blake demonstrates that one doesn’t have to wave a shoe to demonstrate power.

Rep. Elijah Cummings
Like all of Maryland’s U.S. Senators and Representatives, Cummings spends a lot of time in D.C. But more than any of the others, Cummings is a fixture in Baltimore. He fights for local interests, defending the fishing industry (maritimeprofessional.com calls him “the domestic maritime industry’s biggest advocate in Congress”) and proposing $2.25 billion in federal funds to clean up the bay. He sits on the board of trustees for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and the National Aquarium, and generally weighs in thoughtfully and impactfully on every issue of consequence, from slots to education funding.

And don’t count out:

• New Baltimore State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein upset incumbent Pat Jessamy with support from police commissioner Frederick Bealefeld and a tough-on-crime approach that resonated with voters and could elevate him to higher office.
• Otis Rolley, Frank Conaway Sr., Councilman Carl Stokes, and Council President Jack Young have all been mentioned as potential 2011 mayoral candidates, but for our money, former Congressman and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume seems ripe for a return to prominence.
• As deputy mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development, Kaliope Parthemos oversees the Baltimore Development Corporation, Board of Estimates, and Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals. More importantly, she’s the Mayor’s most trusted consigliere.

Religion

For the faithful of all stripes, these men of the cloth carry the most clout.

Frank M. Reid III
Rev. Frank Reid, 59, is senior pastor and CEO of northwest Baltimore’s Bethel AME Church, the largest congregation in the city at over 10,000 worshippers and the choice for a number of politicians and other movers and shakers in the African-American community like Sheila Dixon.

Archbishop Edwin Frederick O’Brien
As if being the spiritual leader of half a million Catholics in central Maryland wasn’t enough, the O’Brien-led Archdiocese of Baltimore oversees five hospitals, 70 schools, two seminaries, a food kitchen that serves 250,000 meals a year, plus countless other social service programs. O’Brien’s military background—he was an army chaplain with the rank of captain who served in Vietnam—has undoubtedly served him well in dealing with the challenges of leading his flock in what have been difficult times for the Catholic Church.

Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg
For 32 years, Rabbi Wohlberg has been the guiding light of 1,400-member Beth Tfiloh, the largest modern orthodox synagogue in the United States, serving both as rabbi of the congregation and as dean of Beth Tfiloh’s 1,000-student, K-12 school. Dubbed “the master of the sermon” by the Baltimore Jewish Times, he is an author and regular panelist on WMAR-TV’s Square Off.

And don’t count out:

• Bishop Walter S. Thomas Sr., 60, is longtime pastor of the 7,000-strong New Psalmist Baptist Church in northwest Baltimore. Like Bethel AME, New Psalmist claims its own VIP members (like Rep. Elijah Cummings), and Rev. Thomas’s live Internet broadcasts and regular radio services are followed by thousands.
• Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg, 34, the charismatic new rabbi at Beth Am synagogue, is packing the pews.
  “He is already the talk of the town,” says one member of the congregation.

Development

They’ve built this town, and, very often, they call the shots (and slots).

John Paterakis Sr.
Paterakis, 81, made his money as president of the family-owned H&S Bakery, the largest privately owned bakery in the U.S. H&S and its sister companies supply McDonald’s, as well as house brands for Giant Foods, SuperFresh, and others. But he’s as well known now for his H&S Properties, which has developed the $600 million waterfront Harbor East district, which includes high-end condos, office towers, restaurants, hotels, and retail space. Financing, schminancing: In the early years, his Harbor East vision was largely kept alive by Paterakis’s own checkbook, which also has bankrolled numerous political campaigns. And now he’s developing Harbor Point, a former industrial site just to the east that will be an $800 million complex of homes, offices, hotels and shops.

David S. Cordish
The 70-year-old president of The Cordish Companies is from a family that’s been doing urban redevelopment for more than a century (his sons are now VPs). He’s been behind Harborplace-esque urban renewal projects all over the U.S. that include entertainment venues, retailing, restaurants, gaming, residences, and hotels. His big new roll of the dice? The gaming casino at Arundel Mills shopping mall that voters signed off on in a November referendum. Cordish went door to door to make his case. Was there ever any doubt that he’d hit the jackpot?

Edward Miller
What’s the top guy at arguably the best hospital in the world doing under “developers”? Because Johns Hopkins Medicine Dean and CEO Edward Miller is the man behind the curtain for entire medical mini-cities, including the massive renovation projects that have transformed East Baltimore. The two new state-of-the-art hospitals for adult and pediatric patients represent one of the largest hospital construction projects in the nation. In his 13-year tenure as dean, he’s been the driving force for dozens of other Hopkins projects, too, and was a key mover in the Baltimore City-initiated biotech park north of the campus on a once-blighted 80-acre tract. We’re guessing Miller isn’t anywhere near done with his ceremonial hardhat and gold shovel.

And don’t count out:

• Michael S. Beatty, president of H&S Properties Development, is the guy who’s made John Paterakis’s ambitious and complex projects look like a cake walk.
• Edward St. John‘s company, St. John Properties, has built more than 13 million square feet of apartments, offices, retail, and warehouses worth over $1 billion. But St. John, 72, is also known for his generosity—he’s given more than $43 million to various causes through personal, corporate, and foundation donations.

Finance

Money is power and these financiers manage it, spend it, and control it.

Mark R. Fetting
Fetting, 56, the president and CEO of Legg Mason, was the board’s choice three years ago to fill the shoes of retiring founder Raymond A. “Chip” Mason, who in 40 years grew the global firm to nearly $700 billion in assets under management. Fetting was an executive senior VP at Legg for seven years prior to his appointment. He serves on several community boards, including Mercy Hospital and Gilman School.

James A. C. Kennedy and Brian Rogers
T. Rowe Price Group CEO/president Kennedy and chairman Rogers oversee a global investment firm that manages $440 billion in assets. Besides employing 5,000 people, the most noticeable impact that the duo has on the region is the culture they promote of community involvement by T. Rowe staffers, who contribute heavily to local education, arts, and social causes.

Charles Newhall
Got a great business idea? Wouldn’t you love to bend the ear of venture-capital giant Charles “Chuck” Newhall, cofounder (with Dick Kramlich and the storied Frank Bonsal Jr.) of New Enterprise Associates (NEA)? In the past 30 years, NEA has committed more than $11 billion to bankroll some 650 new information-technology, health care, and energy-technology companies here and abroad, of which more than 165 have gone public and more than 265 have been acquired.

And don’t count out:

• Since relocating to Baltimore from New York in 2002 to oversee the takeover of the former Allfirst Financial, Atwood “Woody” Collins III, the M&T Bank Mid-Atlantic Region president, has gotten involved in everything from mayoral task forces and the Greater Baltimore Committee to the city’s economic development board and the Babe Ruth Museum.

Media

Traditional media may not be as omnipotent as it once was, but it still has plenty of juice in this town.

Mary Corey
Corey has been at The Baltimore Sun for more than 23 years, starting as an intern. Over that time, she’s risen up the paper’s masthead, earning allies and kudos. In May, she took over as director of content, the first woman in the paper’s 173-year history to lead the newsroom, replacing Monty Cook, an out-of-towner brought in by the paper’s owners at The Tribune Company who oversaw massive layoffs and downsizing. Under Corey’s leadership, the paper has stepped up coverage of breaking news—evident in its coverage of the September shooting at The Johns Hopkins Hospital—and added new sections, including The Sun Magazine.

Jayne Miller
There is one journalist in Baltimore that virtually every public figure is afraid of: WBAL-TV reporter Jayne Miller. Her investigative reports have exposed corruption in public officials and failures of the criminal justice system. Her 2003 coverage of irregularities at mortgage servicing company Fairbanks Capital was picked up nationally, as one of the first stories to expose problems in the subprime lending industry. These days, whenever there is an important story in Baltimore—from Sheila Dixon’s trial in January to the November elections—everyone looks to Miller for the most decisive analysis, which impacts how everyone else reports the story.

Bob Philips
Philips, the market manager for all CBS radio stations in Baltimore, including The Fan, WLIF, and WWMX, plays a subtle but powerful role in determining the stories, events, and topics that become major in the area. By directing the news departments that Marylanders listen to in drive time, even on a non-news station like WLIF (which is often the number-one rated station), Philips helps to set the agenda for other outlets in town and directs the conversations at water coolers throughout the region.

Mark Miller
Miller has long led the WBAL-AM’s comprehensive news operation, and when longtime program director Jeff Beauchamp left the station last year, the unassuming Miller took on that role, too, playing a quiet but powerful role in the way Baltimore gets news. Over the last year, Miller has made WBAL more news-oriented—launching anchored news programs during morning and afternoon drive times—while still leaving it opinionated, installing right-leaning talk-show host Shari Elliker as anchor for the afternoon program and keeping former First Lady of Maryland Kendall Ehrlich on the air through the elections. It’s the kind of formula that has worked on national outlets like Fox News, and time will tell if it works locally and affects the way other stations in town operate.

And don’t count out:

• Larry Young’s talk show on WOLB (1010-AM) is a powerful voice on national and local affairs, particularly in the African-American community.
• Local NPR affiliate WYPR, led by president and general manager Tony Brandon, has probably the second biggest radio news operation in town, after WBAL (with more in-depth features), and an audience of affluent movers and shakers.
• Dogged Sun reporter Justin Fenton has been behind some of the biggest stories in town, scrambling to get to the bottom of the Hopkins shooting and breaking the news that Ehrlich operative Julius Henson was behind election-day robocalls.

Culture

The ever-strengthening arts community has some of its most high-profile leadership ever.

Fred Lazarus
Lazarus, the president of Maryland Institute College of Art, could vie for the top spot in the education category—MICA is, after all, one of the best art schools in the country—but that designation is too narrow for such a visionary leader. Lazarus has fostered strong ties with the business and nonprofit communities and gracefully shepherded an expansion of the school’s footprint that’s utterly transformed the Station North Arts District and enhanced the city’s cultural riches.

Marin Alsop
Alsop, the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, has set the bar high for leaders of the city’s major arts organizations. Not content with being a programming genius and a captivating presence on the podium, Alsop isn’t shy about flexing some marketing muscle—putting the BSO in front of new audiences, whenever possible—partnering with non-classical artists, and reaching out to the community at large.

David Simon
Simon’s work (The Corner, Homicide, The Wire, and Treme) has resonated far beyond Baltimore to shape an ongoing dialogue about urban America. Its been the subject of college courses and even won him a MacArthur grant last year. As if that weren’t enough, he’s also married to author Laura Lippman, no minor powerhouse herself.  

John Waters
Baltimore’s bonafide cultural icon continues to evolve beyond film, with art exhibits at A-list venues like the Gagosian Gallery in L.A., a witty memoir (Role Models), and speaking gigs around the world. Whether trading quips with Letterman or hobnobbing at an Oscars party, Waters is our most enduring and effective ambassador.

Doreen Bolger
Under Bolger’s leadership, The Baltimore Museum of Art has shed its old image as an insular organization and forged stronger relationships with other arts institutions and community groups. While spearheading ambitious capitol campaigns and renovation projects, The BMA director is just as liable to turn up at a warehouse gallery opening as she is a corporate boardroom.

And don’t count out:

• Bill Gilmore, executive director of Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, oversees a $6.4 million budget and local events such as Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, and the Preakness Parade.
• Carla Hayden, executive director, Enoch Pratt Free Library, has reinvigorated the Pratt as a vital cultural center and been named by President Obama to the National Museum and Library Services Board and the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities.
• Jed Dietz, director of the Maryland Film Festival, also serves on the board of Centerstage, where he’s heading the search for Irene Lewis’s replacement.

Education

They’re the toughest——and most important——jobs in Baltimore. These leaders are making a difference.

Andrés Alonso
Since coming to the Baltimore as CEO of public schools in 2007, Alonso has turned the system upside down, decentralizing power from North Avenue, closing failing schools, and opening more than a dozen new ones, with the intention of giving parents more choices. In the process, test scores and graduation rates have gone up, drop-out rates have declined, and many families who had previously fled public schools are taking a second look. With this year’s new contract between the city and the Baltimore Teachers Union, Alonso took on an even more prominent role as a reformer on the national stage.

Nancy Grasmick
As Maryland’s Superintendent of Schools, Grasmick led the charge to win some of the $4.3 billion in federal “Race to the Top” funds. With 19 years in the position, Grasmick was able to quickly mobilize the legislature and education officials across the state to overhaul tenure and evaluation systems, set new curriculum standards, and design a new way to collect student data. As a result, Maryland was one of nine states (along with D.C.) to win funding, earning $250 million that will go toward implementing reforms and creating new schools.

Ron Goldblatt
Tough economic times have meant that many private schools have struggled to maintain enrollment, but the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) and executive director Goldblatt have provided a steely backbone for its 115 members. This year, the organization flexed its muscle to help shoot down new legislation that would have required greater state regulation of independent schools and held a steady stream of workshops to help increase enrollment.

Marietta English
The Baltimore Teachers Union took a bold step this year, approving a new contract that includes pay increases, but also ties salary to student performance, making it one of the most reform-minded contracts in the country. After the membership initially voted down the deal, union president English worked with schools administrators to nail down more specifics and held information sessions in every school in the city, which resulted in an overwhelming 1,902-1,045 vote.

And don’t count out:

• Alonso’s hand-picked Baltimore City Public Schools’ new chief academic officer Sonja Brookins Santelises is already getting attention for talk of increasing standards in city schools and raising elite schools to the level of the top public schools in the country.
• Cheryl Bost, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO), led the fight against a cumbersome new student evaluation tool, the Articulated Instruction Module (AIM), delaying its implementation and putting county superintendent Joe Hairston on the hot seat for granting the program’s copyright to an employee.

Legal

These are the 800-pound gorillas of Baltimore’s law scene, and their firms have the revenue to prove it.

Peter G. Angelos
A honcho among honchos, Angelos, 81, could obviously fit into a number of our categories, including sports (as CEO and chairman of the board of the Orioles) and philanthropy. He’s made his millions representing the victims of faulty products, medical malpractice, and personal injury, but is best known for class-action suits against manufacturers of asbestos and tobacco.

Francis B. Burch Jr.
Frank Burch helped turn the regional law firm Piper & Marbury, with its 250 lawyers, into DLA Piper, an international practice with more than 3,500 lawyers and revenue of $2 billion. And he’s a trustee of The Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University, as well as past board chairman of the Greater Baltimore Committee and the University of Maryland School of Law.

James L. Shea
Shea, 58, is chairman of the board of law firm Venable LLP, with 600 lawyers based mostly in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York. He’s also on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

And don’t count out:

• Senior Venable partner Benjamin Richard Civiletti, probably the best-known name in American law, was U.S. Attorney General during the Carter administration, and recently became the first U.S. lawyer to charge $1,000 an hour.

Underground

Baltimore has become a national center for underground culture. Below, the leaders of the artists, hipsters, and tastemakers who make the scene.

Dan Deacon
In 2004, musician Deacon moved to Baltimore with a mantra: “The future surrounds us. Let us begin.” Setting up camp in the Copycat building on Guilford Ave., he and some friends founded Wham City, an arts collective bursting with creativity. Wham City threw massive dance parties in industrial spaces, drawing artists, musicians, and patrons from local colleges, especially MICA, and beyond. In 2006, they founded Whartscape—a more D.I.Y. answer to Artscape—giving a platform to local bands like Beach House and Ponytail, who would go on to gain national followings. They staged theatrical programs like Shoot Her! Jurassic Park: The Play. The excitement around the scene helped spur an arts renaissance in Station North. After a successful Whartscape in July, he announced that it would be no more. “Part of the fun was making it grow,” he said. “But we’d like to move on and try something new.” At the photo shoot for the cover of this magazine, Deacon huddled with BSO maestra Marin Alsop about a potential collaboration. Later that day, a BSO rep called the office looking for Deacon’s contact number. We can only imagine what he has in store for Baltimore next.

Matt Porterfield
Porterfield has a legit shot at being mentioned in the same breath as Levinson and Waters as one of the city’s finest filmmakers. Porterfield’s latest movie, Putty Hill, has been a hit on the festival circuit—screening in Berlin, Lisbon, Copenhagen, and Austin’s SXSW—and elicited raves from The New Yorker’s Richard Brody, who opined that “if there’s an independent cinema, [Putty Hill] is it, and if there’s a new director, here he is.” Porterfield gets extra credit for crafting music videos for local bands such as Double Dagger and teaching film at Hopkins.

Scott Berzofsky, Dane Nester, and Nicholas Wisniewski
These three MICA grads formed the arts collective Baltimore Development Cooperative (BDC), which addresses urban issues with a powerful mix of creative moxie and grassroots organizing. Their recent The Food Network exhibit at the Creative Alliance included installations by community groups such as Hamilton Crop Circle and info-sharing forays into city neighborhoods. The BDC also cosponsors STEW, a dinner (held three or four times a year) that raises money for various social justice projects.

And don’t count out:

• The folks at Red Emma’s present talks and performances at their Mt. Vernon bookstore/coffeehouse and at 2640 in Charles Village, and they operate The Baltimore Free School.
• Program director Megan Hamilton books a wide range of events at the Creative Alliance—a recent run of shows included Ethel Ennis, the Baltimore Men’s Chorus, Mink Stole, Maria Broom, a klezmer band, and a burlesque performance—and is a tireless advocate for the local arts scene.

Business

These impresarios of commerce provide the tax base that is the lifeblood the city.

Jack B. Dunn
The man behind the success of the $1 billion-a-year FTI Consulting has been CEO and president Dunn, a lawyer and former officer at Legg Mason (and current Orioles partner). Besides its corporate consulting services, FTI has some unusual skill areas, especially “forensic accounting,” or the science of finding out where the money went. (Investors hire FTI when a company fails——so that part of the business had been booming.) He’s also a board member at several major corporations.

Fred Festa
Yes, Festa, the chairman, president, and CEO of W.R. Grace, heads a company that went Chapter 11 after facing millions of dollars worth of awards in asbestos suits filed by the likes of Peter Angelos. But the Columbia-based Grace is back, selling close to $3 billion in specialty chemicals, catalysts, sealants, and construction materials worldwide. Better yet, both the company and its thousands of employees donate significantly every year to education, health, and human services causes.

Kevin A. Plank
Under Armour President and CEO Kevin Plank’s big idea (to create a synthetic, moisture-wicking fabric) sells close to $1 billion a year and has gone public. Now Plank is going after the industry giant Nike, with a foray into athletic footwear. (Don’t be too surprised if Nike tries to buy them.) Plank sits on the UM’s board of trustees, as well as serving on the board of directors for the Baltimore City Fire Foundation, the Greater Baltimore Committee, and Living Classrooms Foundation.

And don’t count out:

• Allegis, founded 27 years ago (as Aerotek) by Steve Bisciotti and James Davis, and now controlled by Davis, is a mammoth staffing company with more than $4 billion in revenues in 2005.
• Willard Hackerman, president and CEO of construction giant Whiting-Turner, may be 92 now, but he shows up at the office every day and still wields considerable influence in commerce, philanthropy, and politics.
• Mayo Shattuck, president and CEO of Constellation Energy, took his shareholders for a queasy ride after the market collapse in late 2008, but he’s stayed on the job because he’s making money again and even growing the $16 billion energy giant.

Green

Meet the eco-warriors who are fighting the good fight——and winning.

Malcolm Woolf
Anyone who doesn’t think finding sustainable ways to meet our society’s energy needs is the challenge of the 21st century hasn’t been paying attention. In Maryland, the man with the plan is Malcolm Woolf, head of the Maryland Energy Administration. He’s been instrumental in toughening up the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which requires reducing statewide energy consumption by 15 percent by the year 2015 and generating 20 percent of energy from renewable sources (including two percent from solar) by 2022. “He knows how and when to push and when to ‘play ball’ in crafting legislation,” praises Jim Pierobon, the communications director with the Maryland Clean Energy Center.

Michael D. Smith
Giving a Constellation Energy executive props for green power seems counterintuitive, to put it mildly. But who’s better poised to transform the energy industry than someone on the inside? Enter Michael D. Smith who, two years ago, became the chief sustainability officer for retail energy at Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company/utility that handles development and installation of sustainable product offerings, including its burgeoning solar business. If you want to go green, save money, or both in the future, chances are you’ll be buying what he’s selling.

William C. Baker
William C. Baker is the president of the 200,000-member-strong nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which boasts a $22 million annual operating budget, 160 full-time employees, and offices in three states plus D.C. Because of these resources, the CBF is a player on both the state and federal level. They deal with “the big picture,” acknowledges Jana Davis, associate director of The Chesapeake Bay Trust, which contributes funding to some of CBF’s programs. Baker is “organizing their priorities the right way, and he’s getting a lot of big wins for the bay,” she adds, citing CBF’s role in strengthening storm water runoff regulations and Maryland’s new environmental literacy high school graduation requirement.

Beth Strommen
As manager of the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, Beth Strommen is the city’s green guru, heavily involved in drafting and editing many of our metro’s most important environmental and land use regulations, including the Forest Conservation Program, the Baltimore Bicycle Master Plan, and the Maritime Master Plan. Says Prescott Gaylord, the owner of Baltimore Green Construction, “Beth is highly effective and may be the most well-known face of green in the city.”

And don’t count out:

• David Borinsky, CEO of nonprofit One Green Home at A Time, oversees green rehabs in some of Baltimore’s most blighted neighborhoods.
• Thanks to president and CEO Chickie Grayson’s leadership, Enterprise Homes has already built 1,275 green, affordable homes in the area and is committed to creating or preserving 5,000 more by 2013.
• As chair of the House of Delegates’ Environmental Matters Committee, Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), holds sway over a matrix of issues ranging from agriculture to motor vehicles.

Technology

These tech titans heard the 21st-century bell——and answered it.

Dave Troy
Even those not too involved in tech circles know about Bmore Fiber, last year’s initiative to bring Google’s ultra-high-speed broadband network to Baltimore. Troy was one of the leaders of the movement, not to mention he has 25 years of experience in technology and design. “Dave is hugely influential in the startup scene,” says programmer Mike Subelsky. “He is definitely the man for our times.”

Sid Meier
Sid Meier has been called “the godfather of computer gaming”—and rightfully so. He’s had 26 years of experience and has helped create the popular simulation game genre. As current director of creative development for Firaxis Games, Meier established Hunt Valley as the gaming capital of Maryland when he started in the early 1980s.

Heather Sarkissian
Heather Sarkissian is somewhat of a tech renaissance woman. She was the CEO of mp3car.com, a local company that builds sophisticated mobile computers for corporate and government clients. She helped found Betascape, which is the tech version of Artscape. She also heads BmoreSmart, a group of social entrepreneurs in Baltimore aiming to make the city a better place. “Heather really knows how to get things done,” says programmer Mike Subelsky.

Jay Steinmetz
Steinmetz is CEO of Barcoding, a company that sells and programs inventory-tracking systems and has been included on several of Inc. magazine’s coveted top business lists. As chair of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, which provides funding for local programs, Steinmetz is also helping the next generation of techies.

And don’t count out:

• Mike Subelsky is cofounder of Ignite Baltimore and web startup OtherInbox.com.
• Brian Reynolds was mentored by Sid Meier, and is now chief designer at Zynga East (creator of the infamous Farmville).
• Jennifer Gunner, the interim executive director of the Greater Baltimore Tech Council, is known for bridging “old” and “new” tech circles.

Philanthropy

Where government and the corporate world fall short, these captains of charity fill the gap.

William J. McCarthy Jr.
There are foundations and charitable organizations with more money and equally worthy causes, but few are more visible to average Baltimoreans than Catholic Charities, headed by executive director McCarthy. With 2,000 employees and 15,000 volunteers, Maryland’s largest private provider of human services, with an annual budget of $127 million, answered more than 600,000 requests for food and emergency services last year and served 350,000 meals to the hungry, as well as operating 80 other programs.

Marc B. Terrill
Since 2003, Marc B. Terrill has been the face of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, a 90-year-old foundation whose charitable reach extends far beyond the Jewish community through partnered initiatives in the region with Catholic Charities of Baltimore, the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation, and other groups.
As president, Terrill, who is also on the Baltimore Community Foundation board, oversees 20 agencies that meet educational, religious, humanitarian, health, and social service needs locally, nationally, in Israel, and throughout the world. And The Associated has financial clout: It raised $31 million last year and has a $500 million trust. (Among other Jewish Federations across North America, Baltimore’s boasts the highest per-capita giving.)

Deborah Flateman
Deborah Flateman oversees 80 employees, two warehouses, and $32 million a year at the Maryland Food Bank, all resources that are focused on gathering food donations from manufacturers, growers, retailers, and individuals and getting it to the needy through 600 soup kitchens, shelters, and other providers in central Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Economic times have increased the need for food assistance by more than a third.

Donn Weinberg
With total assets of $2 billion, the Weinberg Foundation is one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, funding nonprofits that provide services to economically disadvantaged people, primarily in the U.S. and Israel. Under the chairmanship of former trial lawyer Donn Weinberg, the foundation’s roughly $100 million annual grantmaking goes to programs to help seniors, the disabled, education, children, and basic human needs and health. And he can sing and dance, too: As a hobby, Weinberg is a volunteer singer-entertainer at older-adult facilities in the Baltimore area and for nonprofit fundraisers.

And don’t count out:

• James Piper Bond is president of the $16 million-a-year, 300-employee Living Classrooms Foundation, which uses boats and the bay to educate inner-city youth, and also provides job training, neighborhood rehab, and management of once-failing charter schools.
• Tim Kelly is director of Fells Point’s Esperanza Center, funded by Catholic Charities of Baltimore, which provides legal and social services to the city’s growing Hispanic population.
• Terry M. Rubenstein is executive vice president of the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, a $100 million group of family funds that doles out roughly $5 million a year to cultural causes here and in Israel, as well as meeting middle-class needs with library and school computers, city parks improvements, and scholarships for families with average incomes.
• He didn’t want to be on this list because he’s fairly new at the job, but we can’t totally ignore Annie E. Casey Foundation president and CEO Patrick McCarthy, whose Baltimore-based foundation, with its roughly $2.6 billion in assets, gives away close to $150 million nationally every year.

Sports

It’s not just our favorite pastime (and obsession), it’s one of the driving forces of the local economy.

Steve Bisciotti
There’s really no disputing it anymore: Baltimore is a football town. Last year, Forbes magazine estimated the Ravens’ worth as $1.1 billion (as compared to the Orioles’ $376 million). And owner Bisciotti has a low-key, hands-off leadership style that appeals to the local fan base. Pressbox’s Stan “The Fan” Charles praises Bisciotti for “being smart enough to know what he doesn’t know.” Says WNST’s Nasty Nestor Aparicio: “The Ravens have become the most important binding element in our local society—across race, color, creed, gender, age. When they do well, the city feels good. That’s a lot of power.”

Ozzie Newsome
Ravens’ GM Newsome’s ability to “gauge talent” is unsurpassed, says Pressbox’s Stan “The Fan” Charles, but he also knows when to give up draft picks and pull the trigger on a great trade. “He’s the prime [force] in making the Ravens great,” says WNST’s Nasty Aparicio. And since much of the Ravens’ enormous value stems from its on-field success, it’s no surprise that Steve Bisciotti told The Baltimore Sun last year: “We want Oz to be here as long as Ozzie wants to be here.” Looks like the owner can evaluate talent almost as well as his GM.

Andy MacPhail/Buck Showalter
Both these men represent a sea change in the Orioles organization: President Andy MacPhail was the first person under Peter Angelos to be given some measure of control. “Though he’ll always answer to Peter, there’s no question that Andy has been given total leeway to do his job as he sees fit,” says WJZ sports director Mark Viviano. As for Showalter? “Buck brought credibility to the position that it hadn’t had in 10 years,” Viviano says. “And it was immediately reflected in how the players responded.”

Cal Ripken Jr.
From introducing baseball in China to building little league stadiums, Cal Ripken Jr. is using his power as an ex-Oriole for good. “One of the greatest reflections of Cal’s power is that the mere mention of his involvement in something uplifts its potential,” WJZ’s Marc Viviano says. “He’s one of those personalities you just trust and believe.”

And don’t count out:

• Linebacker Ray Lewis “ultimately has the most power to change our city over the next 20 years,” says WNST’s Aparicio, “with his brand, star, and transcendence.”
• Jay Davidson, the president of Baltimore Racing Development, leads the team that took the exciting gamble of bringing Grand Prix racing to Baltimore.
• Terrance Hasseltine, the director of the Maryland Office of Sports Marketing, was responsible for bringing the 2009 World Football Challenge to M&T Bank Stadium.
• The Sun’s Mike Preston is the most influential sports columnist in Baltimore. Many believe that Preston’s relentless criticism led to the firing of Ravens coach Brian Billick.

Health

If there is a single dominant field in the Greater Metropolitan area, it’s health care. These are the scions of the industry.

Robert Chrencik
Chrencik served as the financial officer at the University of Maryland Medical System for more than 20 years before being named UMMS president and CEO in 2008. He serves on the board of each of the 12 UMMS hospitals (which have 15,000 employees), and gets out of the office, too: He’s on the board of the Greater Baltimore Committee, The Center Club, and is a past president of the Maryland Chapter of the Health Care Financial Management Association.

Ronald R. Peterson
As president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, Peterson oversees Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital, Suburban Hospital, and Sibley Memorial Hospital, as well as The Johns Hopkins Hospital. How big a job is that? Hopkins hospital, consistently ranked America’s best, includes more than 2,200 beds, employs 22,000 people, treats more than 800,000 patients from all over the world, and brings in $1.3 billion in revenue (plus the value of $161 million in uncompensated care).

Robert Murray
Every spring, hospital administrators, doctors, and insurance companies around the state wait with bated breath to hear what Murray will say. As executive director of the Health Services Cost Review Commission, Murray leads a process that determines how much health care providers can charge for services. The Commission’s decisions directly affect virtually every doctor and patient in the state, and, in a state where health care is the largest industry, that makes Murray our local equivalent of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke.

And don’t count out:

• As president and CEO of Sinai Hospital and, after the 1998 merger with Northwest Hospital, of Lifebridge Health, Warren Green has been a leader in the world of community hospitals for 19 years, providing a perspective to balance the big university institutions downtown.
• Chester “Chet” Burrell is president and CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the top medical insurer in the state. The company’s decisions—such as recent ones to include nurse practitioners in its network as primary care providers or to maintain child-only plans—have a huge impact.

Nightlife

Here are the forces behind everything that goes bump (and grind) in the night.

Heidi Klotzman
Klotzman owns special event firm HeidnSeek Entertainment, which specializes in event coordination, marketing, and runs an online entertainment guide with more than 30,000 subscribers. Beyond promoting parties at Red Maple and Milan, Klotzman advertises charity events and hosts networking functions. “She’s a promoter with a conscience,” says Sam Sessa, The Sun’s entertainment editor.

Cullen Stalin
Long before Baltimore’s nightlife scene was on the map, Cullen Stalin was drawing a crowd. He and Simon Phoenix are resident DJs of TaxLo, the city’s biggest dance party for nearly a decade (attracting such famous acts as M.I.A). Last year, he helped start “No Rule”—a hugely popular dance party at the Metro Gallery—that bridges the hipster and hip-hop scenes. Cullen has helped developed TaxLo into “one of the most powerful nightlife brands in the city,” says City Paper’s music editor Michael Byrne.

Bill Muehlhauser
As the owner of the Rams Head Group, Muehlhauser owns five spaces in Stevensville, Annapolis, and Baltimore—including Rams Head Live! and Pier Six. He was smart enough to partner with promoter Seth Hurwitz of I.M.P. to bring big-time national acts to Rams Head Live! (like the Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins), and is currently working with David Cordish to plan a new live music venue in the Arundel Mills slots parlor.

And don’t count out:

• Casey Hard, beer manager at Max’s Taphouse, helps organize beer festivals and built the bar into what it is today.
• Marc McFaul is growing a little bar empire with two Ropewalk Taverns (in Federal Hill and Bel Air), The Stalking Horse, and McFaul’s.
• Frank Remesch, general manager of 1st Mariner Arena, has brought huge names to Baltimore, like Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z.

Dining

These restaurant royals are at the top of the Charm City food chain.

Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf
The formidable restaurant team—Foreman’s a restaurant visionary; Wolf’s a world-class chef—came to the forefront of the city’s dining scene in 1995 and haven’t stopped since. The business partners have since formed the Foreman Wolf group to oversee their four restaurants: Charleston, Cinghiale, Petite Louis, and Pazo (they also have two wine stores). It’s no surprise that this duo is planning another business venture this year. Their empire grows.

Eddie Dopkin
Dopkin is probably best known for transforming a stretch of W. Cold Spring Lane into a mini restaurant row with Miss Shirley’s Cafe, S’ghetti Eddie’s, and Roland Park Bagel Co. (He also owned Loco Hombre and Alonso’s until selling them about a year ago.) His Crazy Man Restaurant Group now has another Miss Shirley’s at the Inner Harbor, and Dopkin is grooming his son David in the business. Dopkin is also exploring locations for one, possibly two, Miss Shirley’s in the next year.

Vasilios Keramidas
Keramidas, who heads up Kali’s Restaurant Group, has carved out a dining stronghold in Fells Point. The elegant Kali’s Court started the buzz, followed by Mezze, Meli American Bistro, and Tapas Adela. Now, he and his partners—Karen Patten, Eric Losin, and Theodore Losin—are gutting and renovating the old Admiral’s Cup Cafe.

Qayum and Pat Karzai
The Karzais, along with son Helmand, didn’t stop with their success at The Helmand, Baltimore’s go-to place for delicious, authentic Afghan food. The couple added Tapas Teatro and b bistro to their restaurant roster and are planning to open a tapas place at the reinvigorated Senator Theatre. They’re also eyeing the long-shuttered and once esteemed Chesapeake Restaurant on North Charles Street as a location for a seafood venue.

Patrick Russell
When Russell opened Kooper¹s Tavern in Fells Point, naming it after his yellow Lab, he had no idea he was embarking on a mini restaurant conglomerate. Now, he and his wife, Katie, operate Sláinte Irish Pub and Restaurant, Woody¹s Rum Bar and Island Grill, and Kooper¹s Chowhound Burger Wagon. Patrick Russell has also joined forces with Bill Irvin, the restaurants¹ director of operations, to form the Fells Point Hospitality Management group. So far, they have acquired Celie¹s Waterfront Inn in Fells Point and plan to open a wine bar in Fells Point and another restaurant in Baltimore County in the future. They also brought in a top-notch chef, Bill Crouse, to deliver the best possible cuisine at the current restaurants.

And don’t count out:

• Although the Food Network has announced that this will be Ace of Cake’s final season, they’re already looking to develop new shows for Duff Goldman, who has brought national attention to our fair city.
• Spike Gjerde‘s three-year-old Woodberry Kitchen has raised the bar for everyone else in the field.
• The Vitales—Aldo and Regina and sons Sergio and Alessandro—exert their influence at Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano in Little Italy by entertaining local bigwigs and hosting political fundraisers. The younger Vitales plan to open an upscale pizzeria in Harbor East.

Society

Two couples rule the gala scene with their philanthropy——and their rolodexes.

Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown
The generous Browns could neatly fit into several of the power categories on this list, but they most conspicuously wield their power in the social arena. They were feted at galas at MICA and The Reginald F. Lewis Museum and have been coveted guests and honorees at nearly every big society event in town, including the Arthritis Foundation and the Living Classrooms Foundation.
“They’re the most influential African American couple in the state of Maryland,” says talk show host Anthony McCarthy. “Everyone is knocking on their door. White, black, and in between.”
And when the Browns chair a party—or, even more often, are honored guests at one—the A-list of Baltimore is at their beck and call.
“They go to the right parties, they chair the right galas, they show up at the right dinner parties,” says McCarthy.
“They are the quintessential power couple,” agrees Del. Keiffer Mitchell Jr.
Says McCarthy: “Their legend continues to grow.”

Art and Pat Modell
The Modells are the 3 Rs: Rich, retired, and revered. In a relatively short period of time (by Baltimore standards at least), they have become significant patrons of both the arts and local charities.
“They have given so many wonderful philanthropic gifts to so many institutions around town,” says Sandy Richmond, the executive director of the newly renamed The Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric. “There’s no way to say thanks.”
And when the Modells chair a party, “people show up,” says one high-ranking society observer.
“Art and Pat Modell do not take their commitments lightly,” says Lori D. Mulligan, director of development and marketing for Gilchrist Hospice Care. (The Modells recently chaired its
Holly Ball.) “Their name alone is associated with good judgment and impeccable taste.”

And don’t count out:

• Look out for David and Michel Modell. After chairing parties for Pam Shriver and MAP, the couple are clearly following in Art and Pat’s (gilded) footsteps.
• Rising stars Jennifer and George Reynolds recently chaired the Walters Gala and are big contributors to St. Joseph Medical Center. She’s also the next National Aquarium board chair. “They cut a wide swath among all sectors,” says one insider.
• Aris Melissaratos, the former DBED secretary (now at Hopkins), has become a serious player on the social scene, chairing galas for Cystic Fibrosis and the American Heart Association.

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The Power Vacuum

How Baltimore’s power has shifted—and why that may not be such a bad thing.

By Max Weiss

Once was, it was easy to identify the powerful people. They were the CEOs of local firms like Alex. Brown, the Maryland Jockey Club, and Mercantile Safe Deposit. They were the political apparatchiks of William Donald Schaefer and later, Kurt Schmoke. They were graduates of the big urban public schools—like City or Poly—or the big private ones, like Gilman, Boys’ Latin, and Calvert School.

But now, as more local headquarters are closing (or being bought out), and as the old guard is retiring (or dead), there’s a bit of confusion in this town.

Who’s running Baltimore?

John Willis, the former Secretary of State of Maryland under Parris Glendening, now the director of the government and public policy program at the University of Baltimore, puts it like this: “No one knows who to call anymore.”

The Irv Kovens of this world—he was famously the kingmaker behind Schaefer—are gone, as are likes of H. Furlong Baldwin (the former Mercantile chief), Joe DeFrancis (from the Maryland Jockey Club), and Buzzy Krongard (of Alex. Brown). And while H&S’s John Paterakis and Orioles owner/superlawyer Peter Angelos are still enormously powerful, they have become less hands-on with time.

“We’ve run out of the kind of people who used to sit on the board of the GBC [Greater Baltimore Committee],” says Aris Melissaratos, the former head of the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and now an adviser to the president of Hopkins.

And while Larry Gibson, the political adviser who helped put Kurt Schmoke in office, still has some measure of power, he wasn’t able to mobilize the vote behind the candidate he most recently supported, Pat Jessamy. (She lost her city State’s Attorney seat to newcomer Gregg Bernstein, largely because voter turnout was historically low.)

“Large groups of people just aren’t being controlled like they used to,” says WEAA talk show host Anthony McCarthy, the former spokesperson for Mayor Sheila Dixon. “It used to be easier to turn out voters.”

And that’s at least partly because of the waning influence of The Baltimore Sun.

“The media market is fractured,” notes Willis. “Makes it that much more difficult to reach large numbers of people.”

Of course, there are people who have power—the mayor, the governor, the county executives—just by virtue of their postions. But elected power isn’t the same as personal power. And everyone agrees that the personal power in this town has become splintered. But here’s the rub: Most feel that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“There’s been a generational shift,” says Del. Keiffer Mitchell Jr., who himself hails from a long-serving political family. “Power these days can be influenced by the number of friends you have on Facebook.”

Adds Kathy Sher, the deputy director for external affairs at the National Aquarium, “It feels like the thirtysomething and fortysomethings have as much cachet as the old guard. And that seems like a very healthy and positive dynamic.”

As for the notion that you had to have been born and raised in this town to rise to power? Not necessarily true, our observers say, but Baltimoreans are still wary of outsiders.

“You can’t just fly in and have a Tea Party member [as CEO] and expect it to work,” chuckles Willis. “There has to be a certain amount of awareness.”

“You have to get involved with your community,” adds Mitchell. He points to Atwood “Woody” Collins, the high-ranking M&T Bank exec, who has become a local leader. “He doesn’t drive around in a limo. He walks to M&T. People like that.”

Worshipping at the right churches is still a factor, as is knowing the right opinion makers, what Mitchell calls the “chattering class.” But Melissaratos points out that even those folks are less easy to identify. “Who’s calling the shots right now?” he muses.

All agree that the best part of this power shortage is that it gives an opportunity for new leadership to emerge in rising populations, like the Latino community, the green community, and both the new technology and health care sectors. And power is also materializing from increasingly diverse pockets (which is why we broke up our larger feature into categories).

“Now it seems like there are different segments of power and they’re all very unique,” says Kathy Sher. “And they reflect the business and social complexities that are going on in Baltimore.”

For now, we have shifted from what Willis calls an “elite” power structure to a “pluralistic” one. But he’s not sure it’s going to last.

“Politics abhors a vacuum,” he says. “The question is, who’s going to emerge?”

Phil Wiser was a senior at Eastern Vo-Tech and something of a science geek in 1984. But Wiser wasn’t your typical nerd, with his long hair and confident swagger. In fact, he was class president and bassist in Child’s Play, a popular metal band that played local clubs. It’s a rare trait, being the nerd and the cool kid, but it’s a combination that’s served Wiser well and distinguished him from his peers.

98 Rock’s Bob Lopez picked up on that one night at the Seagull Inn in Essex. Lopez came out to a Child’s Play show to promote the station and got into a lengthy conversation with Wiser. Unlike some of his peers, the budding metal god didn’t focus exclusively on his favorite Zeppelin songs or the merits of Bud vs. Michelob. “Actually, we spent quite a bit of time discussing technology,” recalls Wiser. “We talked a lot about this crazy thing called the personal computer that Apple was putting out.”

The next morning, Lopez raved to his listeners about the band and its whipsmart bass player. “It was great walking into school after he had talked about me and Child’s Play on the radio,” says Wiser. “Everyone heard it as they were driving to school, so I was king of the hill that day.”

It turns out that Lopez, who passed away in 2005, was somewhat prescient with regards to Wiser. The head-banging, spandex-wearing, sweat-soaked rocker traded hard rock rhythms for algorithms and ascended to far greater heights as a techie than as a musician. Instead of eking out a living in the hardscrabble record biz, he revolutionized the entire music business.

Wiser created what his website calls “the core technologies that now form the basis for all online music” and worked as Chief Technology Officer at Sony, where he brokered landmark deals with the likes of Apple. Now, Wiser—the suit wearing, plane flying, Silicon Valley entrepreneur—has set his sights on the television industry.

And to think it all started with AC/DC.

Wiser grew up in Essex, loving music and honing a serious work ethic. He picked up the trumpet at the age of 9 and enjoyed performing in various school bands and projects. He once played his horn in the pit band for a production of The Wizard of Oz and starred as The Scarecrow. “I guess I’ve always been a multitasker,” he quips.

After school, Wiser delivered newspapers, repaired TVs, and made crab pots out of chicken wire—which he sold to watermen around Middle River. He even worked on a boat, tonging crabs and throwing back the small ones, one summer.

As a teen, he started listening to hard rock on FM radio, and he and his friends traded their horns and saxophones for electric guitars and basses. “Basically, we listened to a lot of AC/DC, which was pervasive at the time,” says Wiser. “It was the staple of the music we listened to, and it was just the sort of hard-driving rock we ended up playing in Child’s Play.”

Formed by friends who grew up in Essex, the group’s first gig was playing Eastern’s Sadie Hawkins dance. “As class president, I was looking for a budget band,” says Wiser, “and I knew of one I could definitely afford—Child’s Play.”

The band played a heavy rotation of Judas Priest, Motley Crue, and, of course, AC/DC, eventually became fixtures at clubs like Network, Hammerjacks, and the Seagull, and started writing its own tunes.

“At that point, I was fully committed to being a rock star,” says Wiser. “I didn’t think about academics beyond getting out of high school. My thought was that I’d put all my energy into the band, and I could circle back to other options if I needed to later. Being a systematic planner, I gave myself one year to see where things went.”

Mostly, Child’s Play went up and down the east coast in an old Dodge van, playing cities and college towns from upstate New York to South Carolina. It was a wild ride—a blur of teased hair, smoky clubs, and band-of-brothers camaraderie, as the band cultivated a loyal fan base. “We were very successful marketing the band,” says Larry Hinshaw, the group’s singer at the time. “At one point, we were playing five nights a week.”

Wiser, with his budding interest in electronics and technology, helped keep the band’s equipment functioning. “Anytime something broke, Phil knew how to fix it,” says Mitch Allan, the band’s former guitar tech, who went on to form the band SR-71. “With some duct tape, chewing gum, and toothpicks, he could fix his bass, or even the PA, and it would sound incredible. His brain was always working, and he was thinking about big picture stuff.”

“It was my first entrepreneurial venture,” notes Wiser. “We had to work effectively as a partnership, set goals, come up with strategies, work on branding, do a lot of promotion, and build a fan base. That’s basically what you do when you create a company.”

When his year was up, Wiser didn’t abruptly quit the band, because “it wouldn’t have been fair to the other guys,” he says, but he did enroll in Essex Community College part time. Allan recalls seeing him surrounded by books, studying, backstage at Child’s Play shows. “Through all that chaos, Phil studied,” says Allan. “It was nothing but distractions, and he still managed to study eight hours a day.”

Science increasingly fascinated Wiser, and he decided to pursue electrical engineering, “although at the time, I didn’t really know what that meant,” he says. But he knew enough to major in it at the University of Maryland College Park, which meant finally quitting the band. “To this day, it was the most painful decision I ever had to make,” he says.

Wiser worked the nightshift loading trucks at UPS and cobbled together a bunch of scholarships to cover tuition—”I got really proficient at begging for money,” he says—and roomed in a basement apartment with Allan, who also enrolled at College Park. “It was a culture shock going to college,” says Wiser, “but having Mitch around gave me some continuity to my past life.”

As Wiser got deeper into science and using math to manipulate audio signals, Allan watched his friend become “a total nerd, and I mean that in a good way,” he says. “I remember introducing Phil to this guy with a bulging ponytail, and he immediately said, ‘Your hair looks just like an sp3 hybridized orbital,'” a reference to molecular theory, “which is what he saw. It was the ultimate über-geek joke.”

The über-geek graduated summa cum laude in 1990 with a 4.0 GPA and earned himself a free ride to grad school at Stanford.

There, he got his first taste of Silicon Valley. A fellow grad student and his brother had a start-up company and asked Wiser to design a digital mixing console, which they, in turn, produced. “I saw my product at a trade show,” recalls Wiser, “and I’ll never forget when a customer came in and bought it, because it was just what he needed for a recording studio. That changed my life—I thought, ‘Wow, I can build something that people will buy, and it can have a positive impact on them. I can create products and solutions.’

“At that point, it was clear I needed to be in the Silicon Valley startup culture, where people are creating amazing things on a regular basis.”

Wiser bounced around various start-ups after getting his master’s degree and, after seeing what those companies did right and what they did wrong, co-founded Liquid Audio in 1995. He and his partners had an idea, which seemed crazy at the time, to distribute and sell music via the Internet. “The first time we pitched the idea we got thrown out of the room,” he says, chuckling. “A venture capitalist told us, ‘Who would ever listen to music on their personal computer? That makes no sense at all.'”

The company eventually secured funding and, in the dot-com frenzy, exploded. After three years, Liquid went public and was, at one point, valued at a billion dollars and later sold to a division of Wal-Mart for an undisclosed sum.

“That’s around the time Sony Music asked me to come in and help them transform the record business into a new digital music business,” says Wiser.

Intrigued by such a massive challenge, he signed on as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), relocated to Manhattan in 2001, and went to work at 550 Madison Avenue. “It was like living in a marble castle,” he says. “Our offices were on the top three floors, which are completely lined with Italian marble. There’s a private sushi bar only for the executives and two private dining rooms. My office was next to the CEO’s.”

At the time, Napster and other file-sharing sites were cutting into record company profits, CD sales were plummeting, and the major labels were looking to stop the hemorrhaging. “What I proposed was a very simple strategy,” says Wiser. “Stop playing defense and play offense. Get in the game and get aggressive about making your music available to the public.”

He negotiated deals with Apple’s Steve Jobs, who previewed iTunes for a group of Sony execs in 2003, and helped developed ringtones into a billion dollar business. Wiser’s old bandmates would be proud to know he was fond of using AC/DC tunes to demo ringtones in the early days.

Though he scored a promotion to CTO of Sony Corporation, the broader company that owns the music, film, and electronics divisions, Wiser ultimately found that “its corporate culture was way too far-flung and complicated for it to change quickly.”

So he left Sony, returned to Silicon Valley in the summer of 2006, and partnered with an old College Park buddy in a TV venture. It wasn’t just any college buddy—Buno Pati revolutionized how computer chips were made, and the technology he developed is now used in computers and phones around the world. Together, they brainstormed a broadcast/broadband hybrid, called Sezmi, which combines broadcast TV with Internet content and cable channels—all for 20 bucks a month. It also comes with a hard-drive that records shows and makes suggestions for related material to customize and personalize the overall viewing experience.

Sezmi, which debuted earlier this year and is available through Amazon and Best Buy, is currently in 36 markets across the U.S. and seems poised for major success in developing countries that can convert old broadcast towers to transmit digital signals. In countries that can’t afford to launch satellites, or run cable to each household, the Sezmi model is intriguing. “The level of interest, internationally, has gone through the roof in the past few months,” says Pati.

Wiser and Pati recently returned from Malaysia, where they met with the Prime Minister and partnered in a deal for Sezmi to be the premium TV service for the entire country. With Sezmi also expanding in South America and Europe, Wiser spends a great deal of time traveling these days, but relishes spending time with his wife, Amy, and his three boys—ages 3, 4, and 7—at their home in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, near Nevada City.

When in the States, he usually commutes from Nevada City to Silicon Valley in a plane—a Piper Arrow turbo charged four-seater—that he flies himself. It helps shave a couple hours off the trip, each way. It’s quite a change from his Child’s Play days, when he went to work in a graffiti-covered van.

Reflecting back over his recent years rubbing elbows with billionaires and meeting with pop icons such as Prince, Wiser says there’s only one time he’s been truly star struck, and it happened during his time at Sony. “Meeting Judas Priest was huge,” he says. “I was thinking, ‘I’m actually talking to Rob Halford of Judas Priest. This is crazy.'”

You can take the man out of Essex . . .

As far as celebrating New Year’s Eve in Iraq goes, the holiday was going well for Jonathan Kuniholm. He had spent the last evening of 2004 with a few dozen fellow Marines and Army soldiers, taking a break from the war to enjoy a talent show at the chow hall. Using a borrowed acoustic guitar, he played and sang “Driver 8” by R.E.M., and a bluegrass version of “Greensleeves.”

The next day, while investigating a grove of palm trees along the Euphrates River, an improvised explosive device blew up in the middle of a clearing and knocked Kuniholm to the ground. The blast broke his rifle in half and nearly severed his lower right arm. A medic applied a tourniquet to the shattered arm, which was later amputated below the elbow.

He doesn’t like to talk about it. “I’m glad I’m not dead,” says Kuniholm, 35. “Anything after that is a gift.”

But get him talking about his life since, and the words flow much more freely. When he’s not working as a Duke University doctoral student in biomedical engineering—he may eventually benefit from his own research into grasp control—he works at an industrial design firm he co-founded almost four years ago in Durham, North Carolina. But every day, he is still making the transition to life as an amputee.

“If I need to test the bathwater to see if it’s too hot for my son, I’m going to do it with my other hand,” he says. “If I’m going to hold my son’s hand, I’ll use my other hand.” His son will still hold the prosthesis without complaint, and so will other children. But he has to look at where his prosthetic hand is to see if anyone is on the other end. “It takes me a little longer to tie my shoes. It takes me a little longer to put on my pants. As long as I know and understand and don’t let it frustrate me, there’s not a whole lot I can’t do.”

When he plays guitar now, his left hand’s fingers press the strings against the frets, changing chords like always. But the guitar pick goes in a prosthetic hand that strums only—no finger picking. “It chews up my guitar a little bit. If I miss with the pick, I gouge it all up,” he says.

Like many amputees, Kuniholm has a different prosthesis for different tasks. There’s his body-powered prosthesis, which operates with cables and rubber bands. When he moves the rest of his arm, the hand end opens and closes based on the distance between the hand and harness strapped to his opposite shoulder.

He also has a myoelectric prosthesis, activated by electrical impulses from his forearm muscles, but he doesn’t wear it because other prosthetics work better. The one he uses for flying airplanes is shorter than a regular arm and doesn’t bend. And he has another with a basic hand prosthetic, complete with a cosmetic covering, which helps minimize the stares of strangers. He uses yet another to control a stylus when he is doing his design work.

“Prosthetics tend to do very few things well,” he says.

Despite the swath of medical marvels and technological strides made in helping patients, prosthetic hands have long been left behind on the evolutionary ladder. Hand and arm prosthetics have evolved very little from simple, crude approximations of the natural limb developed decades ago. Look at the current technology for prosthetic legs, for example: The devices let amputees climb stairs, run a marathon, drive a car, or kick a ball with a child.

“Why can’t we do that for the arm and the hand?” asks Colonel Geoffrey Ling, program manager at the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is overseeing a project to improve prosthetics. “The best hand prosthetic one can get is a hook, right out of Peter Pan.”

Its functions are limited, and it’s inflexible. “It’s heavy, it’s clumsy, [and] cosmetically, it’s just horrid,” says Ling.

Something is, finally, being done. Ling and Kuniholm are both part of a $70 million effort by the federal government to change that frustrating fact. And they’re just two of hundreds of people attempting to build a better arm for the many American soldiers who have undergone amputation following injury while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Spearheading this work is the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, just down the road from Baltimore. The legendary facility—one that is known for its innovative military and aerospace technology—is leading an international 250-person effort to create an artificial arm that works as well as a natural one.

The project’s goals are lofty: APL hopes to design an arm that can sense temperature, touch, and vibration, and that can sense the position of the arm and hand relative to the body. An arm that can tolerate heat, cold, water, humidity, and dust. An arm that will allow an amputee to regain the fine motor control needed to thread a needle, use a computer keyboard, or play a piano or a guitar. And a hand that will not just strum a guitar, but one that will let the wearer use the prosthetic fingers to perform fretwork and change chords.

The arm must also fit comfortably enough to use for 18 hours a day, and have the internal power to work for at least 24 hours.

Right now, “the best hand prosthetic one can get is a hook, right out of Peter Pan,” says Colonel Ling.

And it has to last for 10 years.

The first phase of the project—dubbed Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2007—aims to integrate existing technologies and map out areas of research for a new kind of mechanical arm. Last year, the APL won a $30.4 million grant to develop an entirely new arm that works like a biological limb. APL is serving as the project’s lead institution, working with dozens of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Europe, plus research and industry leaders such as Otto Bock Health Care of Germany and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Hopkins’ schools of medicine, engineering, and public health are working on the project as well.

If DARPA officials like the results, the lab will get another $24.4 million toward the project’s second phase. That project—called Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009—will create an arm that transmits data to and from the brain; it aims to create an arm that is sensitive enough to sense temperature and texture, yet strong enough to lift a suitcase.

Possibly the earliest evidence of amputation and prosthetic surgery came from the Egyptian pyramids at Giza, where archaeologists uncovered a mummy dated to between 1550 and 700 B.C. According to The Lancet, the London-based medical journal, the woman’s big toe had been amputated and replaced with a wooden prosthesis that was painted dark brown. Two wooden plates and seven leather strings held in place a perfectly shaped big toe, even including the nail.

Centuries later, in 484 B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about an imprisoned Persian soldier named Hegesistratus. With one foot bound in wooden and iron stocks, he cut off part of his own foot and escaped. Later, he wore a wooden replacement and became an enemy to Sparta.

In the U.S., prosthesis technology advanced during the Civil War, which produced some 50,000 amputees. Government funding for Civil War veterans and the discovery of anesthetics allowed longer surgeries to attach more functional prosthetics. World War II produced nearly 7,500 major amputations, spurring development of currently used technology. Today, prosthetics consist mostly of body-powered mechanical parts made of straps, bands, metal, wood, and plastic—and no matter how they are assembled, they are a poor substitute for one of the human body’s most dynamic and elegant devices.

“The human limb system is an incredibly complex and very amazing system,” says Stuart D. Harshbarger, program director at the Applied Physics Lab. “Look at how strong a human hand is. For its volume, it’s fast, dexterous. It’s silent when you move it. Its skin covering doesn’t leave big baggy areas when you move it,” he continues. “It’s a very highly integrated biological system that’s remarkably capable.”

The big challenge, explains Harshbarger, is to copy the arm’s mechanical systems and fit them into the space of a human limb. In this case, the goal is to make something no heavier than a woman’s arm (which weighs an average of seven pounds) that can lift up to six times as much as its weight. An arm made of existing mechanical parts would weigh six times that much.

Part of the problem facing developers is that arms and hands are far more complicated than legs and feet. Hands have between 20 and 30 tiny muscles and joints that allow someone to type, button a shirt, pick up a pencil, or carry a grocery bag. Toes and feet help with a much smaller range of balance and mobility tasks.

Researchers started by looking at current leading-edge technologies ranging from state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs to robotics to spacesuits that allow astronauts to manipulate their hands. By the end of last year, they finished Prototype 1, which was designed to have “seven degrees of freedom.” Proto 1, as developers call it, can move at the shoulder and in two ways at the elbow, flex and rotate the wrist, and pinch fingers together or with the thumb at the top—as if holding keys or a dollar bill.

“Look at how strong a human hand is. It’s a very highly integrated biological system that’s remarkably capable.”

On a rainy Friday in January, in a squat, painted-brick office park in Laurel, researchers at APL are packing up Prototype 1 for a trip to Chicago, where a double amputee from an electrical accident is waiting to test it.

On the floor, a worker sifts through a plastic tub of startlingly lifelike prosthetic arm covers, selecting one for the strapping mannequin representing the modern American soldier. Under harsh fluorescent lights, a half-dozen researchers and developers click at computers nestled amid piles of papers, empty soda bottles and a half-eaten package of Oreos.

The mannequin towers at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, wearing black combat boots, sand-colored fatigues, helmet, and sunglasses. Computer cables jut out from the left shoulder, which joins a dark gray upper arm the size and shape of a potato chip can. The mechanical hand looks like something out of a Terminator movie.

Presiding over Proto 1’s final workout before getting its first human test, deputy project manager John Bigelow smiles as he describes the action as a programmer manipulates the device using a computer and mouse. The arm rises up and down, the palm turns upward and down, and the fingers slowly open and close. The arm moves a little too fast in first tests, so developers put speed thresholds in place.

“It’s quite peppy,” Bigelow says.

By August, the APL team must deliver and demonstrate Prototype 2, which must show even greater capability. If DARPA likes it, then the group will spend the next two years getting this new technology—which will become the new standard—ready for commercial manufacturing and for Food and Drug Administration review by the end of 2009. Working with Otto Bock, one of the world’s largest prosthetics makers, parts of the new technology will become commercially available along the way.

“What we’re most excited about is the technology that will be developed,” says Dr. Ross E. Andersen, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “It will have a phenomenal effect on the field of prosthetics.”

Researchers are collecting input from the people who know best what a better artificial arm needs. Andersen has gone to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. three times to meet with amputees, physicians, and therapists to ask them their opinions. Soldiers are talking about the kinds of activities they want to do, like skeet shooting, fishing, and water skiing. They want better looks, fit, and function without weightier limbs, Andersen says. “We’re getting some good feedback that will help the engineers come up with something that won’t sit on the shelf.

“We’re not developing some one-shot bionic limb,” he says. “The last thing we want to develop is a limb that on paper looks good but that a patient won’t use.”

Like the human arm, a prosthetic limb has many parts. The “terminal device,” a term borrowed from robotics, is the piece a wearer uses to interact with the world. A hand or a hook usually attaches to some kind of wrist, then a frame that attaches to the wearer’s remaining arm. Different terminal devices do different jobs, whether holding a guitar pick or a stylus. And while one prosthesis might let the wearer pick up a suitcase, it would crush an egg.

Individual prostheses are as different as the people who wear them and the myriad tasks humans do. Some amputees want a prosthesis to help them pursue their passions—playing piano, quilting, or hiking. Looks are most important for others, who want only to avoid cruel or curious stares.

Experts say the commercial incentive is slim to develop a better prosthetic arm. Research and development is slow (but is being sped up by these DARPA projects), and it takes years for any business to recoup product design costs. Researchers have abandoned numerous innovations over the years because there aren’t a lot of people to buy them.

Because of the small consumer market, prosthetics makers must wait for other industries to develop new technologies that are adaptable to their field, says Gary Berke, president of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, a 2,500-member organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. Batteries to power artificial limbs used to be huge, but cell phones and other electronics slimmed them down. “We basically leech off of those,” Berke says. Current prices start around $7,000 for a basic above-the-elbow prosthesis, reaching as high as $75,000 to $120,000 for what DARPA is developing, he estimates.

“We’re not developing some one-shot bionic limb,” says Hopkins professor Ross Andersen.

While the federal government is pouring millions of dollars into building a better prosthesis, nobody at Hopkins is going to get rich off the project. Prosthetics is a notoriously low-margin industry. “One of our colleagues was joking,” Andersen recalls, “‘if we’re really successful, we’ll make thousands of dollars.'”

Each year, 82 percent of amputations occur because of diabetes and other complications of the vascular system, the body’s network of blood vessels, according to the National Limb Loss Information Center, based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nearly all of those amputations—97 percent—happen to the leg. More than two-thirds of trauma-related amputations, however, happen to the arms.

Among the 1.9 million people living with limb loss in the U.S., most of them don’t need a better arm. But the project became a priority at DARPA—which was founded after the launch and orbit of the Soviet Sputnik spacecraft surprised the Western world—after the U.S. went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Improvements in body armor saved lives, but left survivors with missing limbs. By January 2, Walter Reed had treated 383 amputees from the war in Iraq and 38 from Afghanistan, a hospital spokeswoman says.

“Before the war . . . we didn’t have young people losing their arms,” says Colonel Ling, the DARPA program manager, who served in Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. “In Afghanistan, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t see a kid who lost a hand or a foot from a Russian land mine.”

Part of the new research is looking into how to pick up a stronger signal from the brain when it tells the arm and fingers what to do. In a way, it’s like someone in Takoma Park trying to tune into broadcast television from Baltimore. The signal is clear enough, but not as good as in Fells Point. In prosthetics research, TV Hill is the brain, Fells Point is the shoulder, and Takoma Park is the elbow. The elbow gets the signal, but the shoulder gets it stronger.

In the amputee who will be testing Prototype 1, surgery remapped his remaining nerves at the shoulder to the pectoral muscles (or between the spinal cord), which act like an amplifier of the brain’s signal. Surface electrodes on his chest then pick up nerve impulses—and the brain’s instructions to the arm. In Prototype 2, developers are picking up the brain’s signal in new ways, such as by implanting sensory capsules the size of two grains of rice under the skin. The tiny devices wirelessly transmit sensory data—temperature or touch—back to the nerves.

“The trick is to put the signals back in the brain,” Ling says. “We’ve got to hack into the central nervous system itself.”

Paul Goszkowski changes his prosthesis like he changes his shirt. He wears a different artificial leg depending on whether he’s walking his dog, cutting his grass, or building a pond out of three tons of Pennsylvania bluestone—the project he chose to pull him from a post-amputation funk. “You have to try something so out of the ordinary just to convince yourself that the loss is not going to affect your life,” says Goszkowski, 47, a chiropractor in Federal Hill. “I had to learn how to use a shovel without a leg.”

A diabetic since age 4, Goszkowski developed two small blisters on his toes that wouldn’t heal. Two toes were amputated after bone infection set in; a subsequent surgery led to infection that eventually cost him most of his right leg in 2001. Coming out of the hospital, Gozskowski found little help for a new amputee. He quickly realized he can’t wear his prosthesis in the shower—the mechanical parts will rust—but he didn’t know where to find items for everyday activities, such as a shower chair.

“I was told by the occupational therapist in the hospital, ‘I think Sears carries that.’ I was just appalled. They had taken this leg but couldn’t tell me how to live without it,” Goszkowski says.

After three years of trying to find adaptable wheelchairs and exercise equipment he could use, Goskowski and fellow amputee John Yanke founded the Amputee Center of Maryland, an information network and support group. The center’s website, amputeecenterofmaryland.org, features a handy 120-item glossary of amputee-related terms plus a list of doctors, homebuilders and exercise equipment makers who cater to amputees.

“It’s the frustration level that gets to people. That frustration level is so high,” says Goszkowski, 47. “Imagine your life right now. If you’re driving or talking on the phone, you limit yourself to only half of what you can do.”

Goszkowski and Yanke developed a handbook to answer questions for new amputees, and they wrote pamphlets about how to clean and care for the residual limb. A prosthesis sometimes relies on a sort of sleeve that rolls up over the stump, gripping like a scuba diver’s suit. Halting air circulation around a stump can trigger bruising and infection, and amputees constantly have to care for the residual limb, Goszkowski says.

Many of the amputees who have come to Goszkowski’s group started as healthy people with no major health problems. One man was a sailor sanding his boat. He cut his leg and stayed in the Chesapeake Bay all day; infection claimed the limb. Another was a carpenter who cut his leg on a piece of old timber. One woman in her 30’s slipped and got a splinter when she fell—ironically—down a wheelchair ramp. A few months later, she lost the leg.

Sometimes Goszkowski almost forgets he’s an amputee. Women and children fawn over his 3-year-old dog, a Corgi named George, when the two go for a walk. “If I go in my shorts, and I don’t have a covering on my prosthesis,” Goszkowski says, “it’s like I’ve grown a third eye, and they don’t want to let their kid touch my dog.”

In past decades, the small consumer market forced the abandonment of lots of innovative ideas for prosthetics. The DARPA project ends in 2009, but it will take many years for the advances made at APL and other centers to reach the general public, officials say. When it does, it will cost about as much as a new Mercedes, estimates Ling.

“If I go out in my shorts, and I don’t have a covering on my prosthesis, it’s like I’ve grown a third eye.”

That will be too expensive for people like Sarah Mallon. She was born with her left arm ending five inches below the elbow; therefore, all her mosquito bites end up on her right arm. And neither a prosthesis—nor her left arm—is any good for scratching those itches. Also, since buttons on women’s shirts are on the left side, she says it’s aggravating to button a shirt with the “wrong” hand.

Mallon, 34, got her first prosthetic as a 6-month-old orphan. Her occupational therapist adopted her and raised her in Simsbury, Connecticut; she always wore her prosthesis except when sleeping, bathing, or swimming.

In first grade, as the only kid with a visible handicap who wasn’t in special ed, her teacher had her present her artificial arm for show-and-tell. “Kids asked me how I turned on a light switch,” she says. Using her stump, “I walked over and turned on the light. All you have to do is put it under the switch and push it up.”

“Someone asked me how I tied my shoes,” she says. “I just sat down on the floor and told them to watch when I did it. Ask me how I do something with a prosthesis, and it’s like asking someone how they use two hands.”

Mallon hasn’t bought a prosthesis since age 18 because they are too expensive: Insurance will only pay half the cost of the $8,000 limb. She stopped wearing the device once in the early 1990’s, during a year in Mexico, where a prosthesis would have labeled her as rich and a target for muggings.

A few years later, working at a home for children with mental and physical problems, she accidentally cut a boy with her prosthesis, and stopped wearing it around children. “Since I have my own kids, that means I don’t wear it anymore,” she says.

But last month, Mallon decided to give it another try: her youngest child is now 4, and she feels the risks are now very small—plus her mother offered to pay half of the cost.

Mallon was fitted for her first new prosthesis in 16 years. With straps and a closeable hook powered by back and shoulder movement, “it’s almost exactly like the one I had when I was younger,” she says. One improvement is that it attaches with a sort of silicone “sock” that will prevent it from sliding around so much.

Since she’s not a veteran, she probably won’t see the expensive benefits of the APL’s work for many, many years—and there’s no guarantee that she’ll be able to afford a new prosthetic arm even when one becomes available. But she knows what she wants it to do.

“When I dream, I have two hands,” Mallon says. “My mom says that’s because I see my prosthesis as a hand. It would be so neat to have one with nails that can scratch.”