Recent News & Accomplishments
2025
UMD researchers develop a handwriting-based interface for smart devices, offering a silent and accessible alternative to voice commands for users with speech impairments.
Cuing up your ’80s playlist, scheduling a smart washer to start a cycle or controlling home lighting while you’re away can be as simple as giving instructions to a digital voice assistant though an Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod device. But for people with disabilities—especially those with speech impairments such as vocal cord damage, mutism or severe stuttering—interacting with Alexa or Siri can be difficult and frustrating. Computer science researchers at the University of Maryland are working on a voice-free alternative—a system that would allow users to simply write words in the air using... read more
Saha, the CEO of DataRobot, will deliver the keynote on May 21 at the University of Maryland's Reckord Armory.
Alum Debanjan Saha (M.S. '93, Ph.D. '95, computer science), CEO of DataRobot, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Maryland's College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences 2025 Graduate Commencement Ceremony on May 21, 2025. The ceremony will honor the college's August 2024, December 2024 and May 2025 graduates receiving doctoral and master's degrees and graduate certificates. Debanjan Saha Debanjan Saha (M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’95, computer science) is a proud Terp, a lifelong innovator and CEO of DataRobot—a pioneer on a mission to make artificial intelligence (AI) accessible... read more
Alum Adam Wenchel (B.S. '99, computer science), co-founder and CEO of Arthur, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences 2025 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 22, 2025. The ceremony will honor the college's August 2024, December 2024 and May 2025 graduates receiving bachelor's degrees. Adam Wenchel Adam Wenchel (B.S. ’99, computer science) is the co-founder and CEO of Arthur, an artificial intelligence (AI) performance company that empowers organizations to monitor, measure, and improve machine learning and... read more
AI tools, biotech automation and content platforms among projects presented by 2024–25 Hatchery teams.
University of Maryland students developing startups through the Mokhtarzada Hatchery program presented their work on April 30, 2025, during the initiative’s fourth annual Demo Day. The event marked the culmination of a year of mentorship and product development for four student-led companies focused on sectors including software engineering, education technology, media and biotech. Established in 2021 by UMD alumni Haroon (B.A. ’01, economics), Idris (B.S. ’10, computer science) and Zeki (B.S. ’01, computer science) Mokhtarzada, the Hatchery supports early-stage student ventures with funding... read more
The Department of Computer Science staff members will receive grants to support job-related skill development.
The University of Maryland recently named Department of Computer Science staff members Yizhan "Joseph" Ao and Migo Gui among the 10 recipients of this year’s RISE Grant , an initiative of the Division of Academic Affairs that supports staff pursuing professional development. The grant provides up to $2,500 to selected staff members to attend conferences, workshops, classes or webinars that enhance job-related knowledge and skills. To be considered, staff must demonstrate contributions to their unit and a commitment to continued growth in their career. The RISE Grant aims to support staff... read more
Yan earns recognition for research on the sustainable reuse of printed circuit boards.
University of Maryland computer science Ph.D. student Zeyu Yan earned a Best Paper Honorable Mention at the 2025 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025) for his work on the sustainable reuse of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The conference was held in Yokohama, Japan, from April 26 to May 1, 2025. Yan’s paper, “ PCB Renewal: Iterative Reuse of PCB Substrates for Sustainable Electronic Making ,” presents a technique for erasing and reprogramming PCB substrates that are typically discarded. The research introduces a fabrication pipeline and accompanying software designed... read more
Awardees receive up to $19,000 and a paid 10-week internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Growing up in Oregon, University of Maryland sophomore computer science major Bhavika Buddi witnessed firsthand how extreme weather events transformed her home state. Year after year, she watched wildfires grow more intense and heat waves more severe, threatening the forests and coastlines where she spent her childhood hiking, biking and exploring. Since then, Buddi turned her connection with nature into research that could help communities adapt to climate change impacts. Her work at the intersection of computer science and environmental science earned her one of the nation’s highest honors... read more
Inspired by a childhood fascination with programming, Cupps developed a course planning tool now used by thousands of University of Maryland students.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools and confined many indoors, University of Maryland computer science major Andrew Cupps found an opportunity to deepen a childhood interest: programming. Years later, that interest culminated in the launch of Jupiterp , a course planning tool tailored specifically for UMD students. Since its debut in March 2024, the platform has attracted over 9,000 users and established Cupps as a recognizable name among his peers. Even as a teenager, Cupps said the drive to create useful tools was already taking shape. "Even though what I wanted to do back in high... read more
A federal scientist working in the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) is being recognized by the Washington Academy of Sciences for his groundbreaking research and scholarship involving quantum information science. Yi-Kai Liu , a computer scientist in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will receive the Excellence in Research Award in Computer Science on May 8 at the academy’s annual meeting, held this year at the Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, Md. Liu works on the University of... read more
Ghosh shares insights on his latest research and the potential of multimodal reasoning.
When Sreyan Ghosh began his journey in computer science, he found himself drawn to a topic with limited academic visibility in the United States—speech processing. After completing his undergraduate studies in India and working with several research labs there, Ghosh sought a program that would provide him with the flexibility to pursue emerging areas in artificial intelligence. That search led him to the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science, where he now conducts research under Distinguished University Professor Dinesh Manocha . Ghosh’s latest project, Audio Flamingo 2 ,... read more