This page is intended to be a general overview of the Computer Science Department Honors program. Additionally, it will serve as a general clearing house for information related to the program, including listings of upcoming events, profs looking for students, and vice versa. The Honors program in has essentially two main goals:

Allowing undergrads to get an idea of what research is like: Research is fun, and we expect that many of you are at least considering going to graduate school. Everyone concerned will be better off if you know that you like doing research before you make the plunge.
Enhancing opportunities for graduate study: This point can't be emphasized enough. Graduate schools look seriously at applicants with good grades, but good grades plus a glowing recomendation from your honors project advisor is a golden combination. Graduate schools are looking for people who can do research, and you have already proved that you can. And, in the process, you probably have a much clearer notion of possible research areas and therefore of desirable graduate programs.

More information about enrolling in the honors program and graduating with honors can be found in the FAQ.

Current Directors Email Address Office Note
Bill Gasarch gasarch@cs.umd.edu AVW 3213 Appointments by email.
Don Perlis perlis@cs.umd.edu AVW 3259 Appointments by email.
Michael Hicks mwh@cs.umd.edu AVW 4131 Appointments by email.

Current Directors	Email Address	Office	Note
Bill Gasarch	gasarch@cs.umd.edu	AVW 3213	Appointments by email.
Don Perlis	perlis@cs.umd.edu	AVW 3259	Appointments by email.
Michael Hicks	mwh@cs.umd.edu	AVW 4131	Appointments by email.

Note: AVW = A.V. Williams Bldg.

Announcements:

Sonia (Sonny) Franckel, a 2009 graduate of the Computer Science Department and now a full-time programmer at Google New York, had her honors project accepted for publication in an international journal on mobile technologies:
Franckel, S., Bonsignore, E., and Druin, A. (In Press). Designing for Children's Mobile Storytelling. The International Journal of Mobile Human-Computer Interaction. Special Issue: Mobile Interaction Design and Children.
She did her work with the Human-Computer Interaction Lab over her senior year which focused on designing mobile tools for children's story creation and collaboration. Sonny not only worked with graduate students from the lab, but a team of 7 children ages, 7-11 years old to explore such questions as: What stories do children want to tell, and how do they want to convey them in a mobile context? Findings from this work suggest the need for mobile technologies that support frequent interruptions and focus changes between activities in the physical world and the virtual/mobile world.
Watch this space each semester for the pizza lunch announcement. Here's what happens at this event:
1. Faculty talk about work that they have.
2. Existing and former students talk about the research projects they have done.
3. New students talk about what fields they are interested in.
4. You get free Pizza!
The CS Honors Program maintains an Honors Mailing List. This list is now restricted to those who meet the requirements for enrollment in the CS Honors Program. The first step is your enrollment application; if your application is approved, your name will be added automatically. (You no longer apply directly for subscription to the Mailing List.) To apply for enrollment, follow the instructions here. For those who do not wish to apply but would still like to hear about opportunities for honors students---or for anyone interested in undergraduate research---please watch the honors website for jobs, events, and other such information at the Honors website.
Computer Science Honors Society: Upsilon Pi Epsion
Course for Honors Students: CMSC 297.
Check out the csd.ugrad.honors newsgroup
$500 Student Research Grants (travel, etc.)
New potential projects, jobs.
Complete list of past projects online.