Recent News & Accomplishments
2022
A pioneering researcher of bias in machine learning has joined the University of Maryland’s Computational and Linguistics and Information Processing (CLIP) Lab for two years as a visiting scholar. Jieyu Zhao , who graduated with her doctorate in computer science from the University of California at Los Angeles last December, comes to UMD as a Computing Innovation Fellow, a prestigious postdoctoral program supported by the National Science Foundation. She is working with Hal Daumé III, a professor of computer science with joint appointments in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced... read more
Testudo, twists and turns on Paul Capriolo’s (B.S. ’06, computer science) path to tech success
Some people know they’re destined for a future in computer science from the moment they sit down at a keyboard for the first time. Paul Capriolo (B.S. ’06, computer science) is not one of those people. “I wasn’t drawn to computers as a kid, I wasn’t into the culture at an early age,” he said. “I was around 14 when our family got our first computer and I used it for games and stuff, but how it worked, how to build programs to make it do what I wanted, that didn’t even cross my mind as a possibility, it never even entered my brain.” But as Capriolo will tell you, a “lightbulb moment” in his... read more
Delante Desouza’s (B.S. ‘16, computer science) fast break to a starring role in new HBO series about the L.A. Lakers
Delante Desouza (B.S. ’16, computer science) can still hardly believe he made the jump from digital marketing specialist to a starring role in the new HBO series about the Los Angeles Lakers. “It almost doesn’t still feel real to me, and I know that’s crazy to say after two years on this project,” Desouza said. “It just feels like I’m that same kid who was in CMSC 131 walking to class at UMD.” Desouza—who pursued acting as a hobby during his years at Maryland—plays legendary shooting guard Michael Cooper in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The 10-episode series chronicling the... read more
A predictive algorithm developed by University of Maryland machine learning researchers to improve Facebook’s notification system for blood donations prompted 5% more people to roll up their sleeves in a test last year—an increase that could mean 140 million more lifesaving donations worldwide if applied to all of the social media platform’s 2.8 billion users. Their results are detailed in a working paper presented at the Association for Computing Machinery’s Conference on Economics and Computation. “This is a successful step in better aligning the global supply and demand of blood,” said co-... read more
Funding will support the use of synthetic datasets to improve the accuracy machine learning methods.
The article is republished from ECE Distinguished University Professor Dinesh Manocha received a 2022 Verisk AI Faculty Research Award. The award funding will support the generation and use of synthetic datasets to improve the accuracy of machine learning methods. These synthetic datasets can be combined with real-world datasets for training the neural networks. Manocha is the Paul Chrisman Iribe Professor of Computer Science and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and is affiliated with both the Institute for Systems Research and the Maryland Robotics Center and co-leads... read more
Break Through Tech DC at UMD facilitates its first Sprinternship™ program with 15 companies and 58 undergraduates.
When Veda Singireddy began her first year as a computer science major at the University of Maryland in fall 2021, she wasn’t sure what her path forward would be. But after completing Break Through Tech’s Sprinternship™ program in January 2022, she entered the spring semester with a new outlook on her studies—and a summer internship offer. Launched at UMD in March 2021 to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech careers, Break Through Tech facilitated its first Sprinternship program over winter break. First- and second-year computing students spent three weeks... read more
Dave Baggett’s eclectic adventures as a computer scientist and entrepreneur
Back in second grade when other kids were messing around with the usual toys and games, Dave Baggett (B.S. '92, computer science and linguistics) discovered something way better—his mom’s computer. “The tantalizing prospect to me at age seven was this computer was like an infinite box of toys,” Baggett recalled. “Back then, when you got a toy, it was a physical object you had to go buy. I was intrigued by the prospect that I could actually make my own. I was fascinated with every aspect of computers and computing.” Baggett is still finding treasures in that infinite box of toys. In his 20s,... read more
A University of Maryland expert in machine learning has received a prestigious award from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance artificial intelligence agents that can seamlessly interact with humans and perform various tasks with minimal supervision. Assistant Professor of Computer Science Soheil Feizi is one of 32 recipients nationwide to be named a Young Investigator for 2022. The highly competitive program—there were 220 applicants vying for this year’s award—supports tenure-track academic researchers whose scientific pursuits show outstanding promise in fundamental areas. Feizi,... read more
The University of Maryland has joined 83 other academic institutions in a new initiative to increase the nation’s capabilities in cybersecurity education and workforce development. The Academic Engagement Network— announced by the U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) on January 6, 2022—supports and enhances CYBERCOM’s forward-looking efforts involving the U.S. cyber workforce, applied cyber research, applied analytics and other strategic issues. The network consists of 69 universities, 13 community colleges, nine minority serving institutions, four military service academies, and four military war... read more
Jack and Rita G. Minker Professor Mohammad Taghi Hajiaghayi has been selected as the new Editor-in-Chief of Algorithmica , a Springer-Nature journal. Algorithmica is the oldest existing international journal dedicated to algorithms. The journal publishes theoretical papers on algorithms that address problems arising in practical areas, and experimental papers of general appeal for practical importance. In addition to the regular theoretical and experimental papers on Algorithms, the journal features two special sections: Application Experience which focuses on publishing findings obtained... read more