What if the community you’re looking for is already there, but you haven’t found your way into it yet?WISE Connect founders Marie Brodsky and Kat Close join Dr. Lynda to explore how we can make friendship, purpose, and belonging easier to find at…

Recycled clothing may sound sustainable, but much of it still reaches the end of the road after just one transformation.Dr. Nicholas Ledra explains the important difference between open-loop and closed-loop recycling. While open-loop recycling can…

What really happens after you donate a bag of old clothes? Many garments cannot be reused or recycled because today’s fabrics combine cotton, polyester, dyes, coatings, and other materials that are extremely difficult to separate.In this episode of…

We all know the big pillars of health: eating well, moving our bodies, and getting enough sleep. More recently, many of us have started to recognize the importance of social connection, too.But what if there’s another essential pillar we’ve been…

Most of us know the big health pillars: eat well, move your body, and get enough sleep. More recently, we’ve started to understand the importance of social connection. But according to Teresa Davis, there’s another essential part of being fully alive…

What is the true purpose of education?In this episode, Dr. Lynda sits down with Marjorie Malpiede, founder of LearningWell Magazine, to explore how colleges and universities are rethinking what it means to educate the whole person.Together they…

Character education may sound old-fashioned, but colleges and universities across the country are rediscovering something important.In this conversation, Marjorie Malpiede explains why students are hungry for qualities like curiosity, courage,…

Why do people behave differently in different environments?Michael Wood-Lewis, co-founder of Front Porch Forum, explains how culture, community norms, and intentional design shape human behavior. From online platforms to neighborhoods, the…

What if one of the biggest solutions to loneliness isn't technology, but simply knowing your neighbors?In this episode of the Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast, Michael Wood-Lewis, co-founder of Front Porch Forum, explores why community matters more…

At first, it felt like a problem. Trees down. Yard destroyed. More work than we ever expected.But what started as frustration turned into something completely different.This moment is a powerful reminder that the stories we tell ourselves shape how…

What if the biggest force shaping your life isn’t reality but the stories you tell yourself?In this episode of the Conspiracy of Goodness podcast, Dr. Lynda Ulrich sits down with storytelling expert Tom Schlesinger to explore how our inner dialogue…

Competition Awards $40K to Terps Making a Social Impact

Pedal It Forward began by bringing joy and freedom to children through bikes, but soon realized adults also greatly benefit from access to bicycles. The organization expanded its mission, believing everyone deserves a bike for both practical and…

Dogs don’t experience dread — and that changes everything.When humans fixate on one person, one comment, or one imagined outcome, the body tenses. Dogs do the opposite. They take in the whole room, all at once, with all their senses.That shift from…

Projects by Faculty, Staff and Students at UMD and in Community to Create Positive Social Change

What happens when you turn off the lights in the deep ocean?During her first open-ocean dive, oceanographer Dr. Edith Widder discovered a hidden world of bioluminescent life — a living fireworks display that changed the course of her career and how…

Dr. Macarena Garcia Marin explores how looking deeper into the universe brings humility, wonder, and perspective long before we get into the technical science.Watch the full conversation for a deeper dive into curiosity, discovery, and what space…

What if something sitting in your garage could unlock freedom, dignity, and opportunity for someone else?In this mini-course, Kenny Williams, Executive Director of Pedal It Forward, shares how one simple idea — “Everyone deserves a bike” — has…

to Be Awarded to Students to Ramp Up Initiatives

Most of us have more abundance than we realize, and we are storing (often stuffing) all that we’ve collected without really putting it to good use anymore. This episode invites us to rethink generosity—not as charity, but as stewardship. Kenny…