Recent News & Accomplishments
2021
The new concentration prepares CS undergraduates to work on the frontiers of technology
In December 2020, Mateo Elezi and Maya Fuchs became the first University of Maryland students to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a specialization in machine learning . A new offering from the Department of Computer Science, the specialization prepares students to work and study at the frontiers of technology where machine learning leads the way. In machine learning, computers use algorithms and statistical models to identify patterns in data that enable them to make decisions and perform tasks such as guiding self-driving cars, predicting our media preferences, diagnosing... read more
Just two years after graduating, Brett Boyer is making his mark as co-founder of the software startup Datakwip.
Years before Brett Boyer got his B.S. in computer science at the University of Maryland in 2018, he made a discovery that would change his life: he realized he had a knack for inventing things that could solve problems—and he loved doing it. It started when he was a teenager, dealing with the challenges of his first car. “My first car was a ’93 Honda Accord that barely ran. The locks on it didn’t even work,” he recalled. Frustrating? Absolutely. But to Boyer, it was a problem just waiting for a solution. “When I thought about it, I realized I could solve this,” Boyer said. “I took some RFID (... read more
Professor Ashok K. Agrawala recently received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of computer science, by Dayalbagh Educational Institute (deemed university), Dayalbagh, Agra, India, on the occasion of its 39 th convocation held on 22 nd January 2021. An undergraduate in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India and a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, Agrawala joined the department of computer science, University of Maryland, College Park, in 1971. For the past fifty... read more
An expert in human-centered security and privacy has been named to help lead the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) for the next five months, after which she will assume a new role as the center’s director. Michelle Mazurek , an associate professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), was just appointed as co-director of MC2 through June 30, 2021. She will help lead the multidisciplinary center with Charalampos ‘Babis’ Papamanthou , the current director. Papamanthou will be leaving the University of Maryland... read more
The team was led by Kevin Bock (in photo), a fourth-year doctoral student in computer science, and his adviser, assistant professor of computer science Dave Levin.
A team of University of Maryland computer and network security researchers recently won an Applied Networking Research Prize for a paper they published in 2020 that addresses internet censorship. The prize— given by the Internet Society in coordination with the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)—recognizes outstanding results in applied networking, interesting new research ideas of potential relevance to the internet standards community, and upcoming people that are likely to have an impact on internet standards and technologies. The UMD team was led by Kevin Bock (in photo), a fourth-year... read more
Darnell-Kanal Professor Daniel Abadi and Professor Emerita Bonnie Dorr join 93 other researchers worldwide who were named ACM Fellows for 2020 , an elite recognition of outstanding science and scholarship that is bestowed upon less than one percent of the organization’s 100,000 members. In announcing this year’s cohort, ACM President Gabriele Kotsis noted that “the 2020 Fellows have demonstrated excellence across many disciplines of computing. These men and women have made pivotal contributions to technologies that are transforming whole industries, as well as our personal lives.” Abadi was... read more
Dickerson’s research is focused on solving practical economic problems using techniques from computer science, stochastic optimization and machine learning.
A University of Maryland expert in machine learning has been named as one of “AI’s 10 to Watch” by IEEE Intelligent Systems , a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the IEEE Computer Society . John Dickerson , an assistant professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies , joins nine other early-career scientists recognized for their outstanding achievements involving artificial intelligence. The finalists were chosen by a committee of IEEE Intelligent Systems editorial and advisory board members based on... read more
Their paper presents the first fully verified optimizer for quantum circuits—called VOQC—implemented within a formal proof management system.
A team of researchers from the University of Maryland will be recognized with a Distinguished Paper Award at an upcoming international forum on programming languages and programming systems. Their paper, “ A Verified Optimizer for Quantum Circuits ,” presents the first fully verified optimizer for quantum circuits—called VOQC—implemented within a formal proof management system. It will be presented at the 48 th ACM SIGPLAN Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL 2021), scheduled from January 17–22 in an online-only format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is... read more
2020
Two University of Maryland undergraduates have been recognized with honorable mentions from the 2021 Computing Research Association (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award program . The prestigious program—sponsored this year by Microsoft Research—recognizes undergraduate students in North American colleges and universities who show outstanding potential in an area of computing research. Neehar Peri (left in photo), a senior majoring in computer engineering, and Ian J. Costello (right), a junior who is double majoring in computer science and mathematics, are among the 105 students... read more
Two Ph.D. graduates from the Department of Computer Science were recently honored for the excellence of their research and scholarship at the University of Maryland. Fatemeh Almodaresi (left in photo) and Yuan Su (right), who graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science in the summer and spring of 2020 respectively, are this year’s recipients of the Larry S. Davis Doctoral Dissertation Award. The annual award recognizes outstanding doctoral dissertations in the department that convey excellence in their technical depth, significance, potential impact and presentation quality. The award is named... read more