Recent News & Accomplishments
2024
The computer science and psychology double major interned at Microsoft through Breakthrough Tech DC’s winter 2024 ‘Sprinternship’ program.
Bennett Sellers, a sophomore psychology and computer science double major, spent the 2023-2024 winter break interning with Microsoft through the Breakthrough Tech D.C. Sprinternship program— a program that pairs University of Maryland and George Mason University students with tech companies for paid, three-week micro-internship opportunities. Sellers said he was surprised and excited to find that he’d been accepted into the program, which he heard about through an extracurricular interest: Sellers, the treasurer of the Maryland Club Swim Team, learned about the program through a colleague he... read more
Plane was recognized for her three decades of work advancing diversity and computing education.
Jandelyn "Jan" Plane , a principal lecturer emerita of computer science at the University of Maryland, has been awarded the 2024 Award for Broadening Participation in Computing Education by the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (ACM SIGCSE). This honor recognizes her significant contributions to the computer science education community, especially in enhancing diversity and access in the field. The award will be presented in Portland, Oregon, from March 20-23, 2024. Initiated in 2024, the ACM SIGCSE Award for Broadening Participation in... read more
Manocha was recognized for his significant contributions to the field of virtual reality.
Distinguished University Professor Dinesh Manocha has been inducted into the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy in recognition of his fundamental contributions to virtual reality . His work, spanning research and services, aligns with the academy's goal of acknowledging individuals who have profoundly impacted virtual reality through their professional endeavors. Manocha is among a select group of only five other distinguished inductees this year, and his induction into the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy underscores his profound impact on the field. Established in 2022, the academy serves... read more
He's on a mission to showcase the value of undergraduate research to students that may never have considered it.
Hands-on research for undergraduates enriches the learning experience and often provides valuable insight into future career or graduate-level interests. But for students that have never set foot in a lab or undertaken a large scientific project, it can be an extremely daunting prospect. Dave Levin , an associate professor of computer science, has made it his academic mission to showcase the value of undergraduate research to students that may never have considered it. Much of this philosophy stems from his own experience, Levin says. “I do have this sort of unique perspective, having been an... read more
Prospective Ph.D. students explored opportunities and networked at the Brendan Iribe Center.
The University of Maryland's Department of Computer Science hosted its annual Graduate Visit Day on Friday, March 15, 2024, drawing approximately 60 prospective Ph.D. students to the esteemed Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering. The event provided a pivotal platform for aspiring graduate students to interact with faculty members, network with current students, and foster connections with their peers, providing a comprehensive overview of the academic and research opportunities . The day commenced with welcoming remarks from the Department Chair, Matthias Zwicker , and... read more
A student organization's quest to bridge the tech gap for people of color.
In an industry where innovation and diversity are crucial to progress, the representation of Black minorities in technology remains disproportionately low. Despite the growing recognition of the need for inclusivity, the tech sector continues to grapple with diversity and equitable opportunity challenges. This disparity underscores the importance of initiatives addressing these challenges and fostering an environment where underrepresented groups can thrive. Against this backdrop, at the University of Maryland's Department of Computer Science, a beacon of hope and action emerges in the form... read more
Computer science faculty members are among the 30 teams the Department of Defense selected to receive funding for innovative, multidisciplinary research projects.
The University of Maryland's Department of Computer Science is part of a cross-institutional team selected by the Department of Defense for the 2024 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program. This initiative will support the team's project, "Algorithms, Learning and Game Theory: The Foundations of Multi-Agent Systems," focusing on theory and algorithms for learning and decision-making in multi-agent systems. Selected projects for the MURI program are expected to receive an average of $7.5 million over five years, encouraging collaborative research across various academic... read more
The award recognizes his noteworthy contributions to the field of scalable computing.
Abhinav Bhatele , an associate professor of computer science at the University of Maryland with a joint appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) , has been awarded the IEEE Technical Committee on Scalable Computing (TCSC) Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing for Middle Career Researchers (MCR). The award is given to individuals who have demonstrated significant and influential contributions to the field of scalable computing, particularly those within 5 to 15 years of receiving their Ph.D. The committee recognizes up to three individuals... read more
James Purtilo discusses the role of AI in terms of national security.
Last month, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced that it had selected Scale AI to help test and evaluate generative artificial intelligence (AI) for military applications. Generative AI made headlines last year for its ability to create text, images and other data by utilizing algorithmic models in response to a user’s prompt. This has lead to concerns in what it means for content creators, as well as whether any photos and videos could be trusted as being “real” and not AI-generated. However, generative AI still offers the potential to streamline workflows and review... read more
UMD researchers have constructed a new mathematical shortcut for a wide range of calculations involving quantum systems.
Researchers in the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) have constructed a new mathematical shortcut for a wide range of calculations involving quantum systems. Their results, published in the February 8 issue of the journal Physical Review X , answered an open question about whether such a shortcut even existed. The authors add that their work could lead to more efficient benchmarking for quantum devices, as well as more efficient ways of representing quantum states on classical hardware. The new shortcut, known as a... read more