This year, we celebrated 125 years of engineering at Maryland and an enduring tradition of research, learning, and innovation. We captured the daring vision and lasting impact of the students, faculty, alumni, administrators, staff, and friends who have helped write (and continue to write) the Clark School’s story of tenacity, excitement, and discovery.
Important Launches
We celebrated the launch of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices . The institute brings together engineers, clinicians, scientists, and students working to design and build biomedical devices that address many of today’s most pressing human health challenges.
We announced the launch of the Quantum Technology Center , which will capitalize on the university’s strong research programs and partnerships in quantum science and systems engineering to take promising quantum advances from the lab to the marketplace.
We launched a new Master of Professional Studies in Machine Learning . The program will offer students the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge technical course work in machine learning and develop their problem-solving skills in the art and science of processing and extracting information from data.
Our researchers are part of Northrop Grumman Corporation’s newly launched research consortium known as Research in Applications for Learning Machines (REALM) . The consortium has given $1.2 million in research funding to three multi-university team partners.
Faculty Honors & Awards
Our Dean, Darryll Pines, was elected to the 2019 Class of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) , among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Pines was cited for “inspirational leadership and contributions to engineering education excellence in the United States.”
Deb Niemeier joined our faculty as our inaugural Clark Distinguished Chair , an endowed chair established as part of Building Together: An Investment for Maryland , the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation’s nearly $220 million commitment to transform UMD and the Clark School.
Associate Professor Christopher Jewell was named a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) , the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers.
In a first-ever advancement in human medicine and aviation technology, we delivered a donor kidney to surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for successful transplantation into a patient with kidney failure.
Research News
Our researchers developed a microscopy technique that could one day be used to improve LASIK and eliminate the “surgery” aspect of the procedure by allowing doctors to perform LASIK using precise measurements of how the eye focuses light, instead of approximations.
We outlined a targeted therapeutic strategy to treat triple-negative breast cancer , a potential first for the particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. The proposed strategy centers on nanotechnology-based precision targeting of a gene known as POLR2A.
Our engineers created a new multi-material 3D nanoprinting technique capable of printing tiny multi-material structures a fraction of the size of a human hair, which offers a faster, cheaper, and more accurate means to 3D print these highly complex structures.
Our researchers worked to devise smart control systems for reducing accident risks related to the so-called “dilemma zone” of traffic intersections by configuring signals to respond dynamically to traffic with minimal hardware investment.
Our researchers created the first silicon chip that can reliably constrain light to its four corners . The effect, which arises from interfering optical pathways, isn't altered by small defects during fabrication and could eventually enable the creation of robust sources of quantum light.
We captured the most direct evidence to-date of a quantum quirk that allows particles to tunnel through a barrier like it’s not even there . The result may enable engineers to design more uniform components for future quantum computers, quantum sensors, and other devices.
We demonstrated a successful prototype of one critical component for affordable small-scale desalination: an inexpensive solar evaporator, made of wood . The evaporator generates steam with high efficiency and minimal need for maintenance.
Our faculty chaired a study on steps the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can take to strengthen the nation’s stormwater permitting program for industrial facilities . The report was commissioned by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Assistant Professor Axel Krieger says that estimates suggest one-third of trauma fatalities likely would have survived if they had access to hospital-level of care sooner. He aims to help make that level of care standard on the way to the hospital by equipping ambulances with a medical robot enhanced by machine learning .
Other Headlines
We welcomed 10 exceptional young engineers from across the state of Maryland as our newest class of A. James Clark Scholars . The students selected for this highly distinguished program represent some of the most promising scholars of the Clark School’s freshman class of 2019-20.
We made important curriculum progress on Engineering for US All (E4USA) , a pilot program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by the University of Maryland that endeavors to develop the first national standardized high school course in engineering.
We dove into the epic world of Tim Sweeney , the former Clark School student who founded Potomac Computer Systems in 1991 out of his parents’ garage in Potomac, Md. The company would become the multi-million-dollar Epic Games, the creator of wildly popular Fortnite.
We received a three-year, $3 million gift from Lockheed Martin that will fund aerospace research while increasing opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics (WIAA) celebrated five years at the University of Maryland . WIAA fosters a professional and supportive community by empowering women with opportunities for leadership, professional development, networking, outreach, and advocacy on behalf of female students.
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