UMD Science

Sharvari Tirodkar wearing a blazer and standing in front of the windows in the Iribe Center lobby

Computer science and operations management & business analytics dual-degree senior Sharvari Tirodkar is taking over our Instagram story tomorrow (8/5)!

Tune in to see a day in her life interning at Appian—including attending a @nationals.com game with her fellow interns: instagram.com/umdscience

When Math and Computation Collide | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland AMSC Ph.D. student Shashank Sule (M.S.

Mathematics Ph.D. student Shashank Sule blends #MachineLearning and mathematical techniques to help improve brain disease diagnostics and molecular simulations.

Read about his Ph.D. journey at #UMD as a mathematician and as a researcher working on real-world problems ⤵️

From Functions to Firmware | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland Senior mathematics and computer science double major Alex Yelovich’s passion for numbers helped him thrive in UM

As president of #UMD's Math Club, mathematics and computer science senior Alex Yelovich helps the next generation of math majors get involved.

"[Our club is] a safe place where people can share their theories, ideas and projects with the rest of the department and have meaningful discussions."

@umdgeology.bsky.social's Nick Schmerr analyzed samples from the #Apollo17 landing site to identify seismic activity.

Learn how their findings could impact future missions and long-term lunar infrastructure: go.umd.edu/moonquake

Collage of three faculty headshots. Left to right: Michael Brown, Abba Gumel and Christopher Reynolds.

Geology's Michael Brown, Mathematics' Abba Gumel and Astronomy's Christopher Reynolds have been named 2025 Distinguished University Professors—the highest academic honor bestowed by #UMD!

Read about their respective work: go.umd.edu/DUP25

Two orientation advisors taking a selfie

Orientation advisor standing with a group of incoming freshmen in front of McKeldin Library

Orientation advisor taking a selfie with a group of incoming freshmen in front of McKeldin Library

Group of incoming freshmen taking a selfie in front of McKeldin Library

#ScienceTerp orientation advisors are taking over our Instagram story today (7/29) and tomorrow (7/30)!

Tune in to see the orientation experience behind the scenes: instagram.com/umdscience

Angel Obiorah is standing in front of a poster presenting her research in David Fitzgerald’s lab through the National Institutes of Health Postbac Program. Image courtesy of Angel Obiorah.

Angel Obiorah (B.S. '24, biochemistry; B.S. '24, biological sciences) started her #MDPhD program at WashU this summer!

Check out our #QandA with Angel to see how she made the most of our Health Professions Advising Office resources: go.umd.edu/qa-obiorah

Leslie Pick, the previous president, has been recognized by the significant contribution to the society! #PASEDB2025 #pastpresident #oursociety

Spotted lanternfly population has increased across DMV, expert says It’s not your imagination—an expert tells FOX 5 that the DMV really does have more spotted lantern flies this year than usual.

#SpottedLanternflies are more prevalent in the #DMVArea this year. @umdentomology.bsky.social's Mike Raupp spoke with
@fox5dc.bsky.social about why.

A close-up of the Marchantia thallus (primary structure). Image courtesy of Priyanka Bharadwaj.

Biological sciences Ph.D. candidate Priyanka Bharadwaj uses Marchantia (aka common liverwort) as a model to study how plants can survive extreme conditions.

Read about Priyanka's #PlantAdaptation research: go.umd.edu/bharadwaj

Coal Dust Clouds a Baltimore Neighborhood’s Fight for Clean Air | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers link air pollution in Bal

A study co-authored by Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Professor Russ Dickerson links #AirPollution in Baltimore's Curtis Bay neighborhood to a nearby coal terminal.

Exposure to coal dust has been linked to adverse outcomes for both human health and the environment. Read more about their findings ⤵️

📺The St. Leger lab is engineering innovative ways to control mosquito populations and reduce the spread of diseases they carry👇

Manuel Franco Sevilla holding a laptop promoting his Reddit AMA on July 22, 2025

"Flavor" physicist Manuel Franco Sevilla (@umdphysics.bsky.social) studies fundamental particles in high-energy proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at @cern.bsky.social.

Learn about the LHCb and #ParticlePhysics in tomorrow's (7/22) #RedditAMA — submit questions now: redd.it/1m5sul6

YouTube video by UMD Science Fighting Mosquitoes with Fungi

Over a million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. Because mosquitoes have adapted to resist conventional control measures, @umdentomology.bsky.social's Raymond St. Leger decided to innovate.

Watch this video to learn about his lab's work using fungi to fight mosquitoes ⬇️

Flippers, Fins and Terrapins | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland How Claire Bolster’s (B.S.

#ScienceTerp Claire Bolster (B.S. '20, biological sciences) is committed to the care and rehabilitation of #MarineLife.

Her experience at #UMD provided a strong foundation for every challenge she takes on as a senior aquarist at @mysticaquarium.bsky.social ⤵️

Julia Famiglietti standing in front of her research poster

Tomorrow (7/16), @umdgeology.bsky.social graduate student Julia Famiglietti is taking over our Instagram story from the Jug Bay Wetlands!

Julia will be collecting air and water samples for her research measuring methane concentrations and isotopes. Follow along: instagram.com/umdscience #GeologySky

Growing Organically | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland How science and a family tradition of farming helped Andrew Smith (M.S.

Andrew Smith's (M.S. '02, @umdentomology.bsky.social) research at #UMD inspired him to explore a more natural, science-based approach to growing crops and raising animals.

Learn how he is taking #OrganicFarming into the future at the Rodale Institute and on his own farm 🚜🌾

Gretchen Campbell headshot in front of a Physical Sciences Complex window

#QuantumScience researcher Gretchen Campbell has been appointed as associate vice president for quantum research and education! Read the announcement: go.umd.edu/campbell-avp #QuantumUMD

This was so much fun to do! I hope everyone enjoys it!!

Zwicky Transient Facility Nabs an Interstellar Visitor | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland Observations from the survey camera helped pinpoint the object's path through the solar system.A co

Astronomy's Quanzhi Ye helped discover the third known interstellar object to date while logging Zwicky Transient Facility comet and asteroid observations.

Read how the team charted the path of Comet 3I/ATLAS, which is hurtling into our #SolarSystem from interstellar space at about 152K mph ⤵️

Film poster for "Hunt for the Oldest DNA." Image courtesy of Tangled Bank and Handful of Films.

Biology's Sean Carroll's latest documentary won an Emmy for outstanding science documentary filmmaking!

The documentary follows an evolutionary biologist's quest to find DNA in 2-million-year-old soil from Greenland. Sean shared the challenges and triumphs of this project ➡️ go.umd.edu/hunt-DNA

If you're attending StatPhys, you can catch Jae Dong's talk on Tues., 10:30–11:0, in session 15A, parallel 4, topic 3, in Modulo 2.1. statphys29.org/program-time... @umdscience.bsky.social

Scientists Measured a Brain-Bending Version of Time That Shouldn’t Exist Once seen as a mathematical quirk, a new study shows that the phenomenon can be physically measured.

Two @umdphysics.bsky.social researchers discovered how to measure imaginary time.

Their study in @physrevlett.bsky.social reveals how microwave radiation interacts with imaginary time delay—insights that could improve sensing and storage devices that rely on light.

Spotted Lanternflies Are Emerging in Huge Numbers. Don’t Panic, Says… 8 Things to Know About an Invasive Species That’s More Nuisance Than Threat

What should you do if you see a spotted lanternfly?! “Don’t panic. They’re not going to hurt you or hurt your plants. Hang tight, because it’s all going to pass,” says #UMD entomology Professor and Extension Specialist Paula Shrewsbury.
today.umd.edu/spotted-lant...

Claire Quinn wearing a green Animal Kingdom shirt standing in front of an elephant enclosure

#ScienceTerp Claire Quinn (B.S. '15, biological sciences) teaches guests about animals and the environment at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Read about how her academic experience at #UMD inspired this career path: go.umd.edu/quinn

Massive Boulders Ejected During DART Mission Complicate Future Asteroid Deflection Efforts | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland University of Maryland astronomers discovered that an unexpected blast of space rocks ejected during DART missio

When NASA's #DARTMission spacecraft slammed into the asteroid moon Dimorphos in 2022, it didn't just change the asteroid's orbit.

A team of #UMD astronomers discovered that the impact unleashed a barrage of boulders, leading to new insights for future #PlanetaryDefense missions ⤵️

Dean's List: Spring 2025 | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland Congratulations to the over 3,800 Spring 2025 semester Dean's List awardees from the University of Maryland's Co

🎉 Congratulations to our 3,800+ Spring 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 ⤵️

Study Advances Understanding of Immune System’s Crucial Role in Phage Therapy | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland A new study co-authored by University of Maryland biologist Joshua Weitz assessed the potential for phage therap

The use of #PhageTherapy is growing, but much remains unknown about how these viruses interact with bacteria and the #ImmuneSystem.

A new study co-led by Biology's Joshua Weitz (@joshuasweitz.bsky.social) sheds light on this complex interplay ⤵️

Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand How Life Makes Clouds, and Their Discoveries May Drastically Improve Climate Science Plants, plankton and sea spray all release elements that help the atmospheric blankets form

Ice clouds block less solar radiation from reaching Earth's surface than liquid clouds do, making ice-nucleating particles extra influential for our climate.

ESSIC's Kathryn Moore shared some of her cloud microphysics expertise with @smithsonianmag.bsky.social ☁️

Andrew Childs standing in front of a whiteboard marked with equations

Andrew Childs will serve as interim director of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies ➡️ go.umd.edu/childs-umiacs

A professor in UMD's Computer Science Department, Andrew has helped develop both theoretical foundations and practical applications for #QuantumComputers.