News and Events
Recent News & Accomplishments
2025
He will lead a $1.2M project aimed at sparking early STEM interest through hands-on and mixed reality tools
As the United States works to expand its semiconductor workforce, educators and researchers are seeking ways to interest students in the field well before they enter college. At the University of Maryland, Assistant Professor Huaishu Peng has received a $1.2 million award from the National Science Foundation to design informal learning experiences that make semiconductors more accessible to middle school students. The award is supported by two NSF programs: Advancing Informal STEM Learning , which funds projects that test new approaches to science education outside traditional classrooms, and... read more
There’s a lot of promise and expectations at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, and a lot of work yet to be done to safely incorporate these systems into our everyday lives. Dr. Pratap Tokekar , an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, is studying the science behind what AI-driven systems can and can’t do, to help determine if and when they are reliable. In his Evening@SMART presentation on September 3, Dr. Tokekar explained that a type of AI system called a foundation model, like OpenAI's GPT series, Google's... read more
Survey data from the class of 2024 highlights strong employment outcomes and continued interest in graduate study.
The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science reported a 93% job placement rate for its class of 2024, according to data compiled by the University Career Center . The annual graduation survey, which covers students who completed degrees in August and December 2023 and May 2024, provides insights into initial career outcomes, continuing education trends and student experiences. “We are proud of our continued growth and these results affirm the strength of our academic program and the value that employers see in our graduates,” said Department Chair Matthias Zwicker , who holds... read more
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is one of the few vaccines proven to prevent cancer—so why have only 61% of teens 13–17 and far lower percentages of younger children received the potentially life-saving shots? A new project led by University of Maryland communication Professor Xiaoli Nan aims to change those discouraging statistics by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to help parents make informed choices. Backed by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, Nan and an interdisciplinary team of researchers are developing a... read more
Students, faculty and staff gathered in the Brendan Iribe Center on Tuesday, September 2, for the Department of Computer Science’s annual Welcome Back Social, an event organized to mark the start of the fall semester. The gathering gave returning students a chance to reconnect after the summer and offered new students an opportunity to meet peers, faculty and staff in an informal setting. read more
The promotion took effect in the summer of 2025 and recognizes Roy’s contributions to wireless networking, mobile computing, and sensing.
The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science has announced the promotion of Nirupam Roy to associate professor. His promotion took effect in the summer of 2025 and reflects his record of research, teaching and service in the department. Department Chair Matthias Zwicker said the promotion reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to advancing computer science research. “Professor Roy’s promotion highlights his impactful research in wireless networking, mobile computing, communication and sensing,” said Zwicker, who holds the Elizabeth Iribe Chair for Innovation and the... read more
The Department of Computer Science student organization expands hands-on learning in computing.
On a weeknight in the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, students gather in teams around laptops, reviewing system designs and debugging code. What appears to be a corporate engineering meeting is, in fact, the weekly work of the University of Maryland’s App Dev Club . The student-run group was founded in 2022 to address a common problem faced by undergraduates. While courses provide programming knowledge, they often do not cover the full scope of enterprise-grade development. The founders created the club to help close that gap. “Students learn the core concepts of... read more
Like a news editor planning for the front page stories, Matthew Baney starts each day by scanning his key information resources—email, Jira tickets, or Slack messages—ready at a moment’s notice to respond to any overnight developments or urgent faculty requests. “I like to be prepared to help out or provide guidance,” says Baney, the assistant director of computational systems at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). This proactive mindset has defined Baney’s nearly 12-year journey from a student worker at the UMIACS Help Desk to his current leadership... read more
The $1.86 million project led by UMD will develop advanced artificial intelligence tools for detection and forecasting.
Each year, wildland fires burn across millions of acres in the United States, threatening communities, wildlife and natural resources. Forecasting where and when those fires will spread remains one of the most difficult challenges for scientists and emergency responders. At the University of Maryland, researchers are turning to artificial intelligence to close that gap. Leading that effort is Heng Huang , a professor in the Department of Computer Science, who has received $1.86 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead a project aimed at advancing AI-driven methods... read more
The three-year award supports programming language research on secure computation methods.
University of Maryland Department of Computer Science assistant professors Leonidas Lampropoulos and Ian Miers have received nearly $600,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how programming languages can better support secure computation. The three-year award is a collaboration with Ethan Cecchetti , a former postdoctoral researcher at the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) who is now an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The project focuses on non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs, or NIZKs, a cryptographic method that allows someone to prove that... read more
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