The #ScienceTerps Pop-Up Shop is back! Order from a new selection of T-shirts, joggers, polos and more! Open until March 15: go.umd.edu/cmns-shop In addition to CMNS apparel, some of our departments (Computer Science, @umdgeology.bsky.social, Mathematics, @umdphysics.bsky.social) have merch too!

What do math, music and skydiving have in common? Just ask Mathematics Assistant Professor Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli. In his pursuits inside and outside his research, he pursues beauty—in mathematical ideas, musical motifs and the splendor of nature ➡️ go.umd.edu/skelayavalli #Quantum

#ScienceTerp Willie E. May (Ph.D. '77, chemistry) went from never having met a practicing chemist in his life to becoming a leader in science. Read more about the biggest leadership lessons Willie has learned in his @cenmag.bsky.social piece ⤵️

Tomorrow (2/26), junior chemistry and neuroscience double-degree student Meredith Heubeck is taking over our Instagram story ➡️ instagram.com/umdscience Meredith will share her day, starting with peer mentoring, followed by biochemistry courses and a professional chemistry fraternity event.

As chief business officer at Vaxxas, Tom Lake (B.S. '88, biological sciences) is advancing next-generation biotechnology to take the needle out of vaccinations 💉 go.umd.edu/lake "The real potential here is to allow self-administration of vaccines." #PharmSky

UMD computer scientist Heng Huang and his colleagues received a $12.5M NIH award to continue crucial #Alzheimers research. See how the multi-institution team is using #AI to improve Alzheimer's prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment ➡️ go.umd.edu/AI4AD 🧪

Tomorrow's #RedditAMA features #UMD astronomer Alberto Bolatto! He'll be answering questions about galaxy and star formation, as well as the PRobe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) mission. Alberto will be live on Reddit from 12 to 2 p.m. ET—submit a question: redd.it/1r99m2b 🔭

A #UMD startup is putting #RNA in the therapeutics spotlight, and helping human health is only the beginning ➡️ go.umd.edu/emergente Emergente's patented RNAnneal platform takes the unpredictability out of the shape-shifting molecule, opening doors to therapeutic development applications. #PharmSky

Introducing our new department name! @umdgeology.bsky.social

Watching someone experience #PainRelief can meaningfully reduce the hurt we feel ourselves, according to new #UMD research. "[This study] underscores the vast potential of immersive digital therapeutics to transform #HealthCare," said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney, who contributed to the research ⤵️

The biggest enemy of fresh water? According to @umdgeology.bsky.social's Sujay Kaushal, it's salt. Sujay spoke with @wtopnews.bsky.social about the danger that the melting snow poses to our local waterways ⤵️

Russell Schwartz (B.S. ’22, mathematics, B.S. ’22, computer science) is taking space exploration into the future as a senior perception software engineer for Astrobotic. He developed robotics and navigation systems for the upcoming Griffin-1 mission to the moon ⤵️ 🧪 🔭

📣 Announcing @umdgeology.bsky.social's new name: the Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences! This name more accurately reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the department's faculty expertise and academic programming.

📅Save the Date for an ento double header! Feb 19th at 7PM, The Bug Guy, Prof Emeritus Mike Raupp and MD State Entomologist Max Ferlauto present “Caterpillars in Winter in Two Acts.” www.marylandnature.org/get-involved...

🎉 Congratulations to our almost 4,200 Fall 2025 CMNS Dean's List awardees! Each of these high-achieving students has excelled in the classroom and shares a commitment to academic excellence. Check out our Dean's List #ScienceTerps ⤵️

College sweethearts Marc (B.S. ’70, zoology) and Carel (B.S. ’70, microbiology) Slatkoff fell for each other while pursuing science degrees at the University of Maryland. Read about their love story this #ValentinesDay: go.umd.edu/slatkoff 💞

Biological sciences Ph.D. student Gabriela Arp discovered how #GutMicrobes tell our hormones what to do ➡️ go.umd.edu/arp

Job opportunities... Newly launched Quantitative Biology Initiative in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park seeks applications for three collaborative postdoctoral fellowships. Best consideration date 3/14. Full Details: umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...

At CMNS, pioneers, scholars and innovators learn, collaborate and innovate to build a better future. Get to know our college and see how we deliver on our mission of discovering and sharing scientific knowledge and educating and supporting students ⤵️

A team led by #UMD computational biologist Brantley Hall developed #WearableTech called "Smart Underwear." Their research reveals that healthy adults pass gas 32 times/day on average—double what medical literature reports. Learn how Brantley's team is mapping flatulence patterns across the U.S. ⤵️

A UMD-built #AI model could revolutionize how streaming services recommend music to listeners. Music Flamingo, developed by UMD computer scientists and NVIDIA researchers, is at the center of a new partnership between NVIDIA and Universal Music Group.

Studying physics at #UMD led Nathan Frohna (B.S. '22, @umdphysics.bsky.social; MQF '25, quantitative finance) to an unexpected opportunity in finance at Morgan Stanley. Read how Nathan's physics degree opened doors he "didn't expect" ➡️ go.umd.edu/frohna

Tomorrow (2/3), senior astronomy major Sofia Merchant-Dest is taking over our Instagram story! Sofia will share moments from her upper-level astronomy and @umdgeology.bsky.social classes, as well as her research on moon craters. Follow along ➡️ instagram.com/umdscience

Applied mathematics Ph.D. candidate Mengting Chao has been recognized by 60+ students for her patience and step-by-step approach to teaching mathematics. Her secret? Remembering what it's like to struggle with the subject—and having a teacher who believed in her ⤵️

People often ask me what open problems in quantum thermodynamics need addressing. Now, the "Roadmap on quantum thermodynamics" addresses this question---and has just been published. @ioppublishing.bsky.social @umdscience.bsky.social iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

We hope you've made some core memories during this streak of snow days, #ScienceTerps 🤍

With a major #WinterStorm coming this weekend, you may be wondering what goes into snow science and modeling. #UMD hydrologist Justin Pflug will answer your questions about snow in today's #RedditAMA, live today from 2–4 p.m. ET ❄️ redd.it/1qim3ah

Science in action... a research cruise to explore marine viruses & their microbial hosts made possible by NSF support and held together by the talents of @negilbert.bsky.social (now at Syracuse U) and Daniel Muratore (now at SFI), @camelia-s-gochev.bsky.social (of Technion) & many more...

Marine viruses play a key role in storing carbon in the deep oceans, according to a new Nature Communications study. Read about the findings in this @us.theconversation.com piece co-authored by Biology's Joshua Weitz (@joshuasweitz.bsky.social) ⤵️

✨Dr. Sara Via is wrapping up her 28-year career with University of Maryland. As Sara heads into retirement, we hope you will join us in celebrating her contributions to research, teaching, and climate education and wish her all the best in her next chapter! go.umd.edu/267l

From journalists covering #SevereWeather events to investment bankers assessing climate risk, it's essential to have a climate-literate workforce that extends beyond scientific disciplines. That's the goal of the #ClimateChange fluency minor in our Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science ⤵️

A #UMD computer science course sponsored by @microsoft.com helped students expand their understanding of the fundamentals of #CloudComputing ⤵️

The humanlike way that #AI chatbots answer questions may be "entertaining," Computer Science Professor Emeritus Ben Shneiderman told @nytimes.com,"but it's a deceit."

Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Lyle Isaacs (@lyleisaacs.bsky.social) is working to accelerate patient recovery and improve hospital efficiency. His group developed "molecular containers" that can trap anesthetic drugs and flush them from the body ⤵️ #ChemSky

After 37 years in #UMD's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Janice Reutt-Robey reflects on decades of department growth, research innovation and mentorship ➡️ go.umd.edu/reutt-robey

✨🪰Pick Lab’s recent paper gets spotlight in Development. Learn about the inspiration behind their research, the challenges and breakthroughs they had in the lab along the way, and the key findings they eventually published. 🪰✨

New research co-authored by Dr. Evan Economo helps ant-swer fascinating questions about evolution in complex societies.👇

#UMD astronomers discovered that a blast of space rocks ejected during the #DARTMission carried 3X more momentum than the spacecraft itself. Coming in at #2 on our top stories list, this discovery led to insights for future planetary defense missions ➡️ go.umd.edu/topstories2025 🔭

New research co-authored by @umdentomology.bsky.social's Evan Economo finds that some ant species cut corners to build workers more cheaply. The team found that ants from species with the largest social groups grew in numbers by investing fewer nutritional resources in each worker's armor. #EvoDevo

Mathematical biologist Abba Gumel is investigating ways to prevent the spread of human diseases. See how Abba's research group applies mathematical models to understand the spread of diseases such as COVID-19 and malaria ⤵️ #UMDimpact

📢 Announcing our top 10 stories of 2025: go.umd.edu/topstories2025 Starting at #1, Associate Professor Sougata Roy received a perfect score on an NIH grant application to support his work using advanced microscopy to reveal the secrets of cell-to-cell communication.

Hakeem Henry's (Ph.D. '21, chemistry) graduate experience at #UMD laid the groundwork for his successful career as a research scientist at Colgate-Palmolive. Read about his work formulating personal care products that millions use every day ⤵️

Happy holidays, #ScienceTerps! May your holiday season be filled with warmth, relaxation and inspiration for the new year ahead.

One of my first encounters with closed timelike curves (CTCs) took place when I read The Eyre Affair as a teen. I didn't expect to become a physicist who co-writes papers about simulating CTCs to improve quantum metrology. quantumfrontiers.com/2025/12/14/m... @jasperfforde.bsky.social

There is so much to celebrate for our August and December graduating #ScienceTerps 🎓🐢 We are so proud of your accomplishments and can’t wait to celebrate with you all again at commencement in May. #UMDgrad

🐝 Where do University of Maryland bees go in the winter? UMD's Apiary Manager Eric Malcolm and Beekeeping Club President Lila Wilson share how they protect pollinators year-round: go.umd.edu/bees-winter

Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that vaccines can prevent. #UMD mathematicians identified vaccination strategies that could eliminate HPV-related cancers for good. "The study provides a clear way of showing how science is influencing policy," said study senior author Abba Gumel.

Computer Science and Immersive Media Design Assistant Professor Jun Nishida creates wearable devices, from interactive exoskeletons to #VR systems. His research explores how computer technology can improve our overall well-being. #UMDimpact

🎉 Computer science and international relations dual-degree senior Dhruvak Mirani has been named a 2026 #MarshallScholar ➡️ go.umd.edu/marshall26 Dhruvak plans to use this prestigious scholarship to pursue master's degrees in security at the University of Glasgow and King's College London.

Look at this cool feature of one of our #EspindoLab grad students and her research! Go, Jenan!!💪🏼👩🏼‍🔬👩🏼‍💻 #NSFGRFP #FundScience