Recent News & Accomplishments
2023
Koutilya Ponukupati concentrates on the fusion of generative AI and vision-language models to enhance computer vision systems.
As a graduate student working in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), Koutilya Ponukupati Naga Venkata Rama would often spend 50 or more hours each week conducting important research. Much of Ponukupati’s work focused on computer vision—particularly on topics that lay at the intersection of generative AI and vision-language models for improving existing computer vision systems. But when the lab work became overwhelming, or he needed a break to refresh or rethink ideas, Ponukupati would leave his academic home in College Park to visit some of the nation’... read more
The Center for Machine Learning hosts the annual program aimed at supporting researchers from underrepresented groups who are active in computer science and machine learning.
In a conscious effort to improve inclusion and diversity, the University of Maryland Center for Machine Learning hosts an annual program aimed at supporting graduate students, postdocs, and junior industry researchers from underrepresented groups who are active in computer science and machine learning. Now in its fifth year, the Rising Stars in Machine Learning program provides a $500 honorarium and all-expenses-paid trip to College Park, where selected scholars present their research and engage with UMD’s machine learning community. “This initiative is designed to position these emerging... read more
Hal Daumé discusses AI's future and its eventual use in real-world circumstances.
As generative AI continues to make significant strides, industry experts predict 2024 to be the year it will further enrich the technological landscape. According to leading figures, this year will not just see the general-purpose AI models, but also the introduction of more specialized AI tools designed to address needs in specific domains. TECHnalysis president Bob O’Donnell, among others, suggests that this year will witness the integration of AI in everyday devices, shaping how people use technology in their daily lives. From PCs and smartphones to audio and video platforms, AI’s... read more
Maryland Cybersecurity Center researchers honored for study on China's real-time encryption blocking system.
Researchers in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center have been recognized for their groundbreaking study on China’s latest censorship system that blocks fully-encrypted traffic in real time. “Our work not only provides a detailed, data-driven understanding of how China has been censoring fully-encrypted traffic, it also uses these new findings to present a slew of ways to circumvent censorship,” says Dave Levin , an associate professor of computer science and core member in MC2. The Great Firewall of China (GFW) is the nickname given to the combination of tools, services and rules that the... read more
He received the esteemed award for his pioneering research and scholarship in spatial databases and related fields.
Hanan Samet , a Distinguished University Professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies is the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Impact Award from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Spatial Information (ACM SIGSPATIAL). He was honored for his pioneering research and scholarship in spital databases and related fields and dedicated service to ACM SIGSPATIAL. The award recognized his five decades of advancing technical achievements and educational tools focused on databases, data... read more
Leeman sought out University Career Center support for internship applications and interviews and landed a Major League Baseball internship.
Why did you decide to study computer science at UMD and what do you hope to do with your degree? I’ve always been drawn to technology and how it can be utilized to impact our daily lives. My passion for computer science grew with two computer science electives in high school, where I learned basics in HTML, CSS, Javascript and Java. As I prepare to graduate, I am proud of all the skills I’ve developed in computer programming and data analysis, and I hope to apply them to building software that can benefit the lives of others. How have you taken advantage of opportunities on campus to pursue... read more
From Maryland to ‘Wunderland,’ computer science alums Kristin and Andy Looney have been on a game-changing journey.
In a big, purple Victorian house not far from the University of Maryland campus, Kristin (B.S. ’88, computer science) and Andy Looney (B.S. ’86, computer science) have spent nearly three decades making a unique kind of magic. Together, through their company Looney Labs, the husband and wife have created a smorgasbord of signature games with names like Icehouse , Fluxx and Volcano , giving gamers of all ages a new way to play. “Our mission is to create fun—to create attractive, innovative and, above all, really fun parlor games,” Kristin explained. Though their business is all about games, it’... read more
The team received the award for their work on the performance portability of different programming models for graphics processing units.
A team from the Parallel Software and Systems Group (PSSG) at the University of Maryland received the Best Research Poster Award for their work on the performance portability of parallel programming models on graphics processing units (GPUs) at the International Conference for High-Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC23) , held in Denver, Colorado, from November 12 to 17, 2023. Their poster, " Evaluating Performance Portability of GPU Programming Models ,” made a notable contribution by examining various programming models and observing their overall efficiency. UMD... read more
He received the award for his exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems and technology.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced that Professor Alexander Barg (ECE/ISR) is the 2024 recipient of its Richard W. Hamming Medal . Barg, who also serves as an affiliate faculty member at the Department of Computer Science, was honored “for contributions to the theory of error-correcting codes and their applications in distributed storage, non-volatile memory, and digital fingerprinting.” The Richard W. Hamming Medal, established in 1986, is the highest IEEE-wide award for exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems and technology. It... read more
The award provides significant run-time on supercomputers managed by the U.S. government.
University of Maryland researchers have won a competitive award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will provide them access to some of the world’s most powerful computational platforms. The award—from the DOE’s Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment ( INCITE ) program—will enable UMD experts in high-performance computing and machine learning to scale distributed AI training and develop new AI vision and language models used in popular applications like DALL-E and ChatGPT. The researchers will use federal facilities to develop and test their novel methods... read more