Recent News & Accomplishments
2021
Moses Namara (B.S. ’16, computer science) makes MIT Technology Review’s ‘35 Innovators Under 35’ for his work cofounding Black in AI Academic Program.
Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Moses Namara (B.S. ’16, computer science ) came to Maryland to explore the field of computer science. Computers fascinated him since childhood and taking foundational computer science classes in high school further cemented his interest. Through his education and research experiences, Namara says he has been a “huge” recipient of other people’s help—including professors, co-workers and friends. “We live to help each other, to better each other in different ways. If different people hadn’t stood up to help me on my journey, I don’t think I would be here now... read more
Computer science alumna Monica Zhu paired up with rising junior Mohammed Kabir last year and provided him with valuable guidance on coursework and internships.
Mentorship goes both ways—that’s what Yue “Monica” Zhu (B.S. ’15, computer science ) learned from her experiences mentoring a student at her alma mater through the University of Maryland’s Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computer Science (I4C). “Talking with students gives us mentors a fresh perspective,” Zhu said. “Students ignite our minds on, ‘Wow, that was why I fell in love and chose this career path in the first place.’ The students I’ve worked with through the I4C mentoring program are driven, curious and eager to get their careers in tech started.” Since graduating in... read more
Eight new full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty members—three who began their appointments this year and five more who will start in 2022—have joined the Department of Computer Science with joint appointments in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). “The department is delighted to welcome our new faculty members. Their tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise in critical research areas will provide a huge boost to the educational and research capacity of our department. We are excited to support them in their work,” said Department Chair Matthias... read more
Jamshed Khan , a third-year computer science doctoral student, recently received the Ian Lawson Van Toch Memorial Award for Outstanding Student Paper at the 2021 Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) and European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB) . ISMB is the flagship meeting of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB). The event is co-located with ECCB and has grown to become the world’s largest bioinformatics and computational biology conference. The conference was held virtually July 25–30 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The award... read more
Two accomplished postdoctoral researchers will bring their expertise in designing secure software systems and usable security and privacy.
Ethan Cecchetti (left in photo) and Nathan Malkin (right)—both of whom recently received doctorates in computer science from Cornell University and UC Berkeley, respectively—will start at the Maryland Cybersecurity Center ( MC2) in September. Cecchetti will be working primarily with Michael Hicks , a professor of computer science with joint appointments in MC2 and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). Cecchetti’s research focuses on designing secure software systems and building tools to ease their development. He is the second recipient of the MC2... read more
Faculty, postdocs and students in the department of computer science who are also the core researchers in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) will present 10 papers next month at co-located symposiums focused on the security and privacy of computer systems and networks, as well as human-computer interaction, security and privacy. Things kick off on August 8 with 17 th Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS), followed on August 11 by the 30 th USENIX Security Symposium . Both events are being held in a virtual format this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. UMD researchers... read more
Their innovative design explores the interaction of soundwaves with acoustic structures for spatial sensing.
Researchers at the University of Maryland were recently recognized for their prototype of a miniature spatial acoustic sensing system that can be used for insect-sized robots and on-body sensing devices. The UMD team (pictured left to right)— Nakul Garg , a second-year computer science doctoral student, Nirupam Roy , an assistant professor of computer science, and Yang Bai , a first-year doctoral student—received “Best Demo” award at the 19 th ACM International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services (MobiSys2021). The annual conference, hosted by the Association for... read more
Rising junior computer science major earned prestigious award to explore his interests in oceanic and atmospheric science.
Eric Robinson, a junior computer science and geographical sciences dual-degree student at the University of Maryland, received a 2021 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship . Robinson plans to apply his coding skills in Earth studies to preserve wildlife and the natural environment. Hollings Scholars receive up to $19,000 over two years, as well as professional development opportunities including a 10-week paid summer internship at a NOAA facility the summer after their junior year. The Hollings Scholarship program is designed to prepare... read more
CS alumni Evren Sirin and Mike Grove are on a mission with their knowledge graph platform company Stardog
In 2002, in two different laboratories in the same building at 8400 Baltimore Avenue, adjacent to the University of Maryland campus, two computer scientists were working on making workplace technology smarter—they just didn’t know each other yet. On the second floor, recent graduate Mike Grove (B.S. ’02, computer science) was exploring dynamic office environments as a research assistant for Fujitsu, an information and communication technology company. Below him on the first floor, Evren Sirin (M.S. ’04, Ph.D. ’06, computer science) was taking his thesis research in exactly the same direction... read more
The award was established in 2015 to recognize the contributions of professional-track faculty members in the areas of teaching, research or service.
You’ve likely heard the saying “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This statement rings true for Fawzi Emad , a senior lecturer in the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science. “I'm lucky enough to be teaching material that I truly enjoy,” he said. “I actually look forward to giving lectures, and I can honestly say that I never get out of bed dreading the work day ahead.” Last month, Emad’s passion for teaching was recognized by his peers when he received a 2020-2021 Provost's Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty in recognition of his... read more