Shared Pain, Shared Relief
A new UMD-led study reveals that observing others in pain, even digital avatars, can affect how we feel pain ourselves.
Director's Message to UMIACS February 2026
Welcome to our Spring 2026 semester, even though the weather for the past several weeks has been anything but spring-like. There is a lot of newsworthy activity in UMIACS, as always, but I first wanted to take a moment to acknowledge several faculty who have joined our institute within the past few months.
What Is Participatory Design in AI?
Katie Shilton is leading research on participatory design to build trustworthy AI systems.
Rethinking Cloud Telemetry for Performance and Scale
Zeying Zhu is developing efficient, high-performance cloud telemetry systems that help engineers monitor large-scale services at lower cost.
Improving AI-Human Interaction
Jordan Boyd-Graber envisions artificial intelligence systems enhancing, not replacing, humans.
UMD Alum Returns as UMIACS Postdoc to Tackle Microbiome Complexity
Marcus Fedarko develops software to assemble and visualize metagenomic data, helping researchers untangle microbial genomes and reveal hidden patterns.
UMD Scientists Create ‘Smart Underwear’ to Measure Human Flatulence
A new nationwide study is recruiting volunteers to map the full spectrum of human flatulence.
Music-Savvy AI Built at UMD Could Help You Discover Your Next Favorite Artist
UMD researchers, with NVIDIA and Universal Music Group, developed Music Flamingo, an AI that understands music like a trained musician.
Machine Learning Theorist Tackles Limits of AI Algorithms at UMIACS
Han Shao studies the theoretical foundations of machine learning algorithms, including challenges like hallucination and model collapse in large language…
Uncovering the Role of Microbes in Soil
UMD researchers are exploring how the diverse microbial communities in soil can affect agricultural output, the environment, and human and animal health.