All posts by: Megan Hanks Mastrola


UMBC Albin O'Kuhn Library in springtime.

Can you catch a deepfake? UMBC researchers receive NSF award to help people identify audio deepfakes

Vandana Janeja and Christine Mallinson have received a two-year, $300,000 grant from NSF to study deepfakes, focusing on audio clips. Deepfakes are images, videos, and sounds that are developed using artificial intelligence, but that are designed to appear as real-life recordings. They can be highly deceiving for audiences, impacting public opinion and behavior. Continue Reading Can you catch a deepfake? UMBC researchers receive NSF award to help people identify audio deepfakes

A student stands looking at a phone screen with a man while a camera operator looks on.

The College Tour series on Amazon spotlights the UMBC student experience

The College Tour, an Emmy-nominated and award-winning TV series now streaming on Amazon, offers prospective college students and their families an opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse of colleges and universities across the country, with students as the tour guides. Through interviews with students, prospective students from around the world explore academic, social, cultural, and campus life at these institutions. The latest season highlights UMBC in a full, hour-long episode. Continue Reading The College Tour series on Amazon spotlights the UMBC student experience

UMBC’s Cynthia Matuszek receives NSF CAREER Award to study how robots understand spoken language

Robots are becoming increasingly capable of complex tasks and are moving into roles that previously could only be done by people, in sectors like healthcare, education, and elder care. UMBC’s Cynthia Matuszek has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study how robots learn about the physical world from spoken language to improve how they work with people. Continue Reading UMBC’s Cynthia Matuszek receives NSF CAREER Award to study how robots understand spoken language

Four UMBC students receive Goldwater Scholarship for STEM research, tying prior record

Four UMBC students have been named 2022-23 Goldwater Scholars, tying the university’s past record, set just last year. This year’s recipients are Christopher Slaughter ‘23, computer engineering; Rachel Myers ‘23, chemical engineering; Tobi Majekodunmi ‘23, mechanical engineering; and D’Juan Moreland ‘23, biological sciences and music. UMBC had more winners this year than any other institution in the state of Maryland.  Continue Reading Four UMBC students receive Goldwater Scholarship for STEM research, tying prior record

U.S. News names UMBC graduate programs among the nation’s best 

U.S. News announced its 2023 Best Graduate School rankings today, including outstanding UMBC graduate programs across all three colleges. Top fields where UMBC excels range from computer science and several types of engineering to psychology and statistics. Among UMBC’s 14 Best Graduate School rankings for 2023 are seven top-100 programs. Continue Reading U.S. News names UMBC graduate programs among the nation’s best 

UMBC’s Riadul Islam receives NSF funding to secure cars against communication system attacks

As vehicles become more advanced, opportunities increase for hackers to remotely attack their embedded systems, creating significant safety concerns for drivers and passengers. UMBC’s Riadul Islam, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how to better detect and protect against these cyber attacks. Continue Reading UMBC’s Riadul Islam receives NSF funding to secure cars against communication system attacks

UMBC’s Deepa Madan develops bendable zinc-based batteries

Rechargeable alkaline batteries are readily available at many stores and pharmacies, but they are rigid and cannot be used in slim or small devices that require batteries. Deepa Madan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and her research team are working to develop zinc-chitosan gel-based batteries that are enclosed in flexible plastic. This would revolutionize how consumers power devices they use every day. Continue Reading UMBC’s Deepa Madan develops bendable zinc-based batteries

Pres. Hrabowski elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced the election of UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III as a member. This prestigious honor recognizes Pres. Hrabowski’s leadership in higher education—serving as president of UMBC for three decades and working to increase diversity in STEM fields, including engineering, at a national level. Continue Reading Pres. Hrabowski elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering

Meet the UMBC alumni who built the Smithsonian’s Searchable Museum, expanding online access to African American history and culture

Baltimore-based tech company Fearless and a team of UMBC alumni led the development of the the Searchable Museum to complement the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition. The Fearless and NMAAHC teams worked together to reimagine this exhibit specifically for online audiences. Continue Reading Meet the UMBC alumni who built the Smithsonian’s Searchable Museum, expanding online access to African American history and culture

UMBC’s Mohamed Younis earns IEEE Fellow distinction as a leader in wireless network research

Mohamed Younis has long been known as an innovator in wireless communications and networks, addressing complex protocol and security challenges. Now, he is one of the newest fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE is a professional organization dedicated to advancing technology. It is the world’s leading and largest technical society, with over 400,000 members in more than 160 countries.The organization awards the IEEE Fellow distinction to members who have contributed to their fields in particularly significant ways. Continue Reading UMBC’s Mohamed Younis earns IEEE Fellow distinction as a leader in wireless network research

UMBC’s online master’s in information systems is one of the nation’s best, U.S. News reports

U.S. News today announced that UMBC’s online master’s degree in information systems is one of the nation’s best online programs in this growing field. This year, joining UMBC in the top 50 ranked programs are universities like Virginia Tech, Johns Hopkins, and George Mason. UMBC’s program is also included on the Best for Veterans list for the second year in a row, among the top 25 programs nationwide. Continue Reading UMBC’s online master’s in information systems is one of the nation’s best, U.S. News reports

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