Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland

12/16/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Stella Alumonah, an undergraduate researcher in the Research, Equity, and Access in Communication and Hearing (REACH) program, on being selected for the prestigious ARO Scholars Program!

Stella is one of only four undergraduates nationwide to receive this honor for 2025, awarded by the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. Her recognition highlights the exceptional talent and impact of ISR’s student researchers.

Learn more about Stella's achievement: https://isr.umd.edu/news/story/reach-student-wins-prestigious-aro-scholars-award

11/25/2025

🚀 Inside MATRIX: Autonomy in Action

Step into the MATRIX Lab, where ISR researchers and students are advancing the future of uncrewed systems. This new video highlights cutting-edge work in autonomy, robotics, and real-world innovation taking place in state-of-the-art lab spaces.

MATRIX is quickly becoming a regional hub for research, education, and collaboration in uncrewed and autonomous systems. Located in Southern Maryland, it connects ISR’s systems expertise with national priorities and emerging technologies.

🎥 Watch the full video to see how MATRIX Lab is shaping the future of autonomy.

Step inside the University of Maryland’s MATRIX Lab—where innovation in autonomous technologies and uncrewed systems comes to life.This new video showcases t...

10/23/2025

The Maryland Robotics Center kicked off its Fall 2025 Robotics Seminar Series on Friday, October 10, with a seminar by Dr. Nicole Xu, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Her talk, Biohybrid robotic jellyfish and bioinspired vehicle designs for ocean exploration, introduced attendees to innovative approaches for navigating and exploring marine environments using biologically inspired technologies.

Learn more about the talk, here: https://lnkd.in/eHMVdVKW

10/07/2025

09/23/2025

The A. James Clark School of Engineering ranks #12 among the country’s public colleges and universities in undergraduate engineering, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025–26 rankings!

Overall, Maryland Engineering ranked #21, marking the 23rd consecutive year the school is among the nation’s top 25 undergraduate programs.

Read more at go.umd.edu/USNWRundergrad25 🐢

09/11/2025

Ready to take the next step in your STEM journey? 🌟

Join us at the STEM Graduate School Fair and explore your future with Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering and more!

📅 October 8, 2025
🕙 10 AM – 2 PM
📍 Atrium Room 1107, Stamp Student Union

✨ Discover programs
✨ Meet faculty and advisors
✨ Learn how grad school can work for you

✅ Check out the participating programs at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OTEtW4ngPmCDee2FuL59ofT7YQWownfSIl54vC3NEPY

Register now at go.umd.edu/gradfair2025 🎓

08/26/2025

🎉 Congratulations to ISR joint appointee and ECE UMD Professor Pamela Abshire on being named Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Stony Brook University!

A long-time leader in CMOS biosensors, adaptive circuits, and bioengineering, Abshire has made lasting contributions to University of Maryland through her interdisciplinary work with the Institute for Systems Research, the Maryland Robotics Center, the Brain & Behavior Institute, and the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices.

She will continue to support her UMD graduate students as an Adjunct/Visiting Professor.

Read more about her achievements and new role: https://go.umd.edu/21g6

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08/14/2025

Professor Emeritus Dana Nau Publishes New AI Book

ISR is proud to share that Professor Emeritus Dana Nau has released Acting, Planning, and Learning with Cambridge University Press. The book examines how AI systems can emulate core cognitive functions and offers insights for researchers, educators, and practitioners in AI, robotics, and cognitive systems.

The book is available at a 30% discount with free shipping through mid-September via IJCAI International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence Organization. Learn more: https://go.umd.edu/213w

07/29/2025

Stella Alumonah, a sophomore in Electrical Engineering, is accelerating brain-language research with automated tools that align speech to neural activity. Her method reduces analysis time from hours to minutes.

With mentorship from Professor Jonathan Z Simon, her project in ISR’s Computational Auditory Neural Systems Lab shows how undergraduate research can drive innovation in neuroscience.

Read the full story: https://go.umd.edu/20r3

07/25/2025

🎉 ISR alumnus Himanshu Tyagi is making international headlines!

Now an associate professor in the Department of ECE, IISc, Tyagi was recently quoted in both CNN and The Wall Street Journal for his expert analysis of AI chatbot behavior in the wake of xAI’s Grok controversy.

We’re proud to see ISR alumni leading global conversations around AI safety, system design, and responsible innovation.

Hear his thoughts on what went wrong with Grok and what it means for the future of AI: https://go.umd.edu/20om

07/10/2025

New research from University of Maryland’s GAMMA Lab, led by former ISR research scientist and University of Central Florida Professor Amrit Singh Bedi and Distinguished University Professor Dinesh Manocha, reveals that pushing Generative AI to “think more” can hurt performance, not help it.

Their proposed fix? Parallel Thinking—a method that mirrors human problem-solving and boosts accuracy by up to 20%.

Discover why more isn’t always better in AI:
https://go.umd.edu/20dc

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07/09/2025

Congratulations to Associate Professor Ryan Sochol, who has been named Interim Director of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) at the University of Maryland!

Sochol brings a dynamic vision to MRC, backed by his groundbreaking work in microrobotics, 3D nanoprinting for minimally invasive surgery, and award-winning innovations in bioinspired design and STEM education.

Read more about Sochol’s path to leadership and the innovative research he brings to MRC: https://isr.umd.edu/news/story/sochol-named-interim-director-of-the-maryland-robotics-center