Bob Ellsworth, a UMD Physics Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus at George Mason University, died on Aug. 6, 2026 at the age of 89. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Rochester 
Bob Ellsworth, Zoa Conner, Betty Alexander, Me-Li Chen, Jordan Goodman.and worked in experimental particle and cosmic-ray physics, including the SuperKamiokande neutrino experiment in Japan, Cygnus and Milagro in New Mexico, and the HAWC collaboration in Mexico. Professor Jordan Goodman met Dr. Ellsworth as a UMD freshman, and recalls, "Bob was a tremendous mentor to me. He taught me about doing careful experimental work. Always start by looking at the signal."
Claude Kacser, a faculty member from 1964 to 1997, died on Aug. 24, 2026 at the age of 92. Kacser received his doctorate at Oxford University and accepted postions at Princeton and Columbia universities before joining UMD. He was the author of the 1967 textbook, Introduction to the Special Theory of Relativity. Kacser was sent to America from Europe as a six-year old in 1940 to escape the Nazi threat. He told his story as part of the "One Thousand Children" project in 2012: Claude Kacser's One Thousand Children Story (American Kindertransport) - YouTube.
Claude Kacser