Recent News & Accomplishments
2020
A University of Maryland expert in machine learning is presenting two papers on how to quickly train aging AI systems to sift through medical and emergency data at a major upcoming conference on natural language processing. Jordan Boyd-Graber , an associate professor of computer science with appointments in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies , the iSchool, and the Language Science Center, will share the research at the 2020 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP). The event is taking place from November 16–20, and will be entirely... read more
The Department of Computer Science is pleased to welcome its second Victor Basili Fellow for Fall 2020: Liyi Li . Li earned a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a dissertation focused on programming language semantics, memory models for concurrent programs, and formal verification of compiler correctness. He has been particularly interested in imperative programs operating under so-called relaxed memory models, which afford higher performance, but less intuitive, semantics. Mathematically verifying the correctness of these languages’ programs... read more
Judith Dotson (B.S. ’85) cruises the Atlantic on a Navy destroyer and breaks barriers as a woman in the defense field
When Judith (Hogan) Dotson graduated from the University of Maryland in 1985, she never imagined just how far her computer science degree could take her—literally. In the spring of 1986, Dotson found herself cruising in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the USS Hayler, a Navy destroyer, watching massive helicopters take off and land on the deck, eating in the officer’s mess and staying in a cabin so tiny that if she got out of her bunk too quickly she’d hit her head on the “overhead”—the Navy term for ceiling. She’d never experienced anything like it. “It was wild,” she said. “There was that moment... read more
How 2020 Ph.D. graduate Brian Brubach found his niche by making his interests in social good, fairness and diversity a part of his research
As a boy growing up in Carroll County, Maryland, Brian Brubach (Ph.D. ’20, computer science) struggled with academics due to a learning disability, but he loved computers. “We had a family computer at home when I was growing up,” Brubach said. “And I was able to kind of explore it on my own and become part of that generation of people who knew more about computers than their parents.” A lot has changed since then. In May 2020, Brubach was awarded a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maryland and got a job in academia. He’s now in his first year as an assistant professor in the... read more
Senior Yaelle Goldschlag developed a course called “Law and Computer Science” as a part of the university's Student Initiated Courses (STICs) program.
Senior Yaelle Goldschlag realized during her time at Maryland that working with computers can create a unique set of legal issues that often don’t get much attention in CS classes. So she decided to do something about it. She created her own class. “I've always been really interested in the intersection of law and policy and computer science,” said Goldschlag, who is also pursuing a second degree in mathematics. “We have these decisions that we need to make in terms of how we want technology to function in society and what we want the future of technology to look like. To make these decisions... read more
A University of Maryland expert in machine learning has been funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a program that can identify the origin and sophistication level of adversarial attacks on artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Soheil Feizi , assistant professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), is lead principal investigator of the $971K award. He will collaborate with three researchers from the John Hopkins University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering on... read more
A University of Maryland expert in the technical aspects of human-computer interaction has been funded to develop new tools that enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) coders to create visual layout and frontend programs independently. Huaishu Peng , an assistant professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), was awarded $25K from the Division of Research’s New Directions Fund , which aims to enable new lines of research and creative work with high potential for impact. Peng notes that there has been an... read more
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - From 25 Oct, 2020 until 29 Nov, 2020
The virtual 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) brings together robotics experts from across the globe for a month of paper presentations, invited speakers, workshops, and forums. IROS is a premier flagship academic conference in robotics. The theme for this year is “Consumer Robots and Our Future” showcasing the cutting edge research in all areas of robotics. A total of 16 papers will be presented by UMD researchers of which 11 are by Computer science faculty who are also part of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC). The conference is free to access... read more
From exploring technology used in autonomous vehicles to detecting censorship on the internet, undergraduate women and non-binary individuals who are focused on computer science are collaborating this week with leading experts on these topics—and more—at a three-day workshop hosted by students and faculty at the University of Maryland. “ Tech + Research: Welcoming Women to Computing Research ” brings together more than 80 undergraduates from across the country interested in meaningful computing research. The October 23–25 workshop, now in its third year, is being held entirely online due to... read more
Just like the rock walls she scales multiple times a week, Kelsey Fulton knows that any challenge—mentally or physically—takes patience, perseverance, and quick thinking. Fulton, a fourth-year computer science doctoral student in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2), is an avid rock climber who likes to stay physically active, often lifting weights twice a week to maintain her strength and help prevent climbing injuries. She excels in putting that same level of discipline and determination into her research, which explores the human factors of information security with a focus on software... read more