Higher Education : Innovation + Job News

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has committed $300,000 to support a new active-learning initiative at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) that draws on the latest technology and education research to help students succeed in critical introductory mathematics and science classes.

Creating an environment that engages and supports students as they begin studying these subjects is part of UMBC's College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) Active Science Teaching and Learning Environment (CASTLE) effort to increase the number of students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). More graduates are needed in these areas to help the U.S. maintain economic strength and an innovative edge.

"In this age of increasing global competition, it is essential that we support the students who will move our country forward in science and technology," says Larry Cox, SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager. "This commitment to UMBC is an investment in both the number and quality of future scientists and engineers who will be available to work at companies like SAIC."

This collaboration builds on UMBC and SAIC's existing relationship, including SAIC's participation on UMBC advisory boards and the 2010-11 Visionaries in Information Technology Forum. UMBC students are active participants in SAIC's summer internship program.

The University of Maryland, College Park officially launched the new Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) last week.

MC2 will promote education, research, and technology development in the emerging field of cybersecurity in partnership with government agencies and industry. The new center will adopt a "more than tech," interdisciplinary approach, capitalizing on College Park's close proximity to Washington, D.C. and key government agencies engaged in cybersecurity.

MC2 will bring together experts from engineering and computer science with colleagues from across the College Park campus in fields such as information sciences, business, public policy, social sciences, and economic policy to develop innovative new solutions to cybersecurity.

With the initiative, the university aims to stimulate public-private partnerships and address national vulnerabilities, including those facing industry. The idea is to help "connect the dots" in the region's burgeoning federal and private cyber sector.

"The nation's information systems have outgrown our ability to assure their security, and no one institution or sector can undertake a task of this magnitude alone," says Nariman Farvardin, interim president of the University of Maryland, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "As one of the nation's top research universities, and with our strategic location, we are perfectly positioned to provide the education, expertise and collaboration that will help advance national and regional cybersecurity efforts."

Source: University of Maryland, College Park
Writer: Walaika Haskins

A partnership between the Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Research Park Corporation will create a new incubator tailored to the specific challenge of developing technology to protect the nation from a growing range of cyber threats.

The Northrop Grumman Cync Program will build on bwtech@UMBC's successful business-incubation framework by offering a "scholarship program" for companies with the most promising cyber security ideas. Participants in the program will draw on UMBC's research expertise and Northrop Grumman resources to develop tools that will secure and protect the computer hardware, software, and networks vital to national defense.

The Cync Program will accept applications from high-potential, early-stage companies from across the country looking to commercialize and develop their technologies. The companies will collaborate in the Advantage Incubator at the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park in Baltimore.

"Northrop Grumman is excited to partner with bwtech on this important initiative," said Chris Valentino, Northrop Grumman cybersecurity director and technical fellow. "This technology is even more important as our reliance on cybersecurity increases, and collaborating with both academia and small businesses brings a breadth of technological expertise that goes beyond what any one entity is able to supply."

Ellen Hemmerly, executive director of the UMBC Research Park Corporation, which operates the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, noted that the program is a perfect fit for a region with a strong information technology workforce and a growing array of businesses and governmental agencies working on cybersecurity.

"UMBC and Northrop Grumman share a culture of innovation," she said. "This program will build on UMBC's strength in information technology and its success nurturing new companies. Businesses started through this partnership will come from across the country, expanding the local business base and spurring economic growth in the region."

"This is wonderful news for the Morgan community," says Dr. David Wilson, the university's president. "At 7,888 students this academic year, we have truly reached a new milestone in the University's history and it is a direct reflection of the hard work of our faculty and staff. They have built a reputation of excellence for Morgan that attracts the best and brightest minds from across Maryland, the nation and many parts of the world."

The numbers reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission show that more than 600 additional students enrolled for the 2010-11 academic year compared to 2009-10 enrollment. That represents an increase of 7.5 percent for undergraduates and approximately 19 percent boost in graduate and honors students. The largest increase came from transfer students enrollment that grew 33 percent over the previous.

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie classified doctoral research institution offering more than 60 academic programs leading to bachelor's degrees as well as programs at the master's and doctoral levels.

Source: Morgan State University
Writer: Walaika Haskins

A team of scientists from Coppin State University's nanotechnology research center have created the most efficient solar energy cells in the world. Dr. Jamal Uddin, a Natural Sciences professor, and five undergraduate students have created model cells that are nearly four percent more efficient than solar cells developed by Spectrolab, a Boeing company based in California that had held the title for most efficient simulated cells since 2006.

Dr. Uddin's team made the discovery as it worked to develop a solar energy source for night vision goggles used by the U.S. Army. The goggles are currently powered by Lithium ion batteries, which are very heavy, says Dr. Uddin. The Army is seeking a lighter, longer lasting alternative battery.

The researchers used nanotechnology particles to make the new solar cells. So far, simulations have shown 43.4 percent of solar cells effective for reusable energy. Spectrolab's highest result was 40.7 percent. Dr. Uddin says his team utilized the metaphysics software COMSOL and the online software program PC1D to break the world record.

The team will continue to try and improve, says Dr. Uddin. "We hope to get it up to 50 percent by December. We'll try using different combinations of materials."

The team is currently seeking additional funding to begin fabricating the solar cells, which Dr. Uddin says could be used to power an array of electronic devices. The cells could also be used as the foundation for future technologies.

"I'm excited because this has been an unexpected discovery," he says.

Source: Dr. Jamal Uddin, Coppin State University
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The University of Maryland, in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), has received a $7.9 million federal grant to acquire a superconducting 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) magnet that will help researchers unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

The grant is among the largest of its kind ever awarded by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health. The funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The NMR is scheduled to be installed in November, 2011 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. It will be shared equally among the three campuses and used by researchers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Only one other site in the United States currently has a 950 MHz NMR spectrometer, and the University of Maryland partnership will be the only academic institutions in the country to have this powerful technology.

David Fushman, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Maryland, is a co-director of the grant, and will lead the College Park team that includes several biochemists and cell biologists whose research will be enhanced by the new NMR spectrometer.

David J. Weber, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the NMR core facility there, and AIDS researcher Michael F. Summers, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, are co-directors with Professor Fushman.

The eight-ton magnet produces a supercharged magnetic field that enables scientists to investigate the three-dimensional structure of biological molecules and study their interaction with the highest degree of resolution.

"This 950 Mhz NMR is optimal for studying large molecules," explains Fushman, an expert in protein structure and dynamics who is associated with the university's Center for Biomolecular Structure and Organization (CBSO). "This will allow us to move into studying larger protein complexes that include more than 1000 amino acids. We can begin to decipher interactions between proteins that we could not easily do before."

The 950 MHz NMR spectrometer will enable University of Maryland researchers to delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms of proteins and nucleic acids in the body and to provide the much needed fundamental information from which drug therapies and other medical treatments can be based. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will utilize the technology in many areas of cancer research, including drug development, while UMBC researchers will focus on AIDS research.

Source: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins