College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences - Univ. of Maryland

10/02/2026

Krisztina Zsebo (B.S. ’74, Biochemistry) has spent her 40-year career in pharma and biotech at the forefront of therapeutic discovery, bringing life-changing drugs to patients: go.umd.edu/zsebo

Currently CEO and chairman of California biotech companies VST Bio and VasoRx Inc., Krisztina credits much of her success to her early biochemistry experiences at UMD.

“UMD was absolutely critical,” she said. “You know, if it wasn't for the University of Maryland biochemistry program, I wouldn't have gone into this field at all. It gave me the foundation I needed to jump to the next level.”

10/02/2026

The Pop-Up Shop is back! Order from a new selection of T-shirts, quarter-zips, thermals and more! Open until Sunday, October 11: go.umd.edu/cmns-shop

In addition to CMNS apparel, some of our units (Computer Science, Mathematics, Neuroscience) have merch too!

10/01/2026

Jared Wolinsky (B.S. ’09, Computer Science) is living out his childhood dream working in technology, business and entrepreneurship: go.umd.edu/wolinsky

Jared leads a group of developers at SiriusXM working on playback, browsing, search, personalization and everything else related to a user’s listening experience. He credits his experience at UMD and in the Quest Honors Program for preparing him for success in computer science and organizational leadership.

“Seeing working software take shape after it was just an idea in your mind—there’s nothing like that,” Jared said. “But there's something equally satisfying about seeing your team deliver something amazing that you had almost no part in actually building yourself... That brings a different type of satisfaction.”

09/30/2026

If you use a leading quantum computer today, you probably have Hanhee Paik (M.S. ’05, Ph.D. ’07, physics) to thank ➡️ go.umd.edu/paik

This helped pioneer the transmon—a superconducting qubit that many quantum computing companies use today—and built IBM’s first 16-qubit quantum computer in 2017.

Now, Hanhee leads initiatives to help researchers find impactful ways to use the company’s increasingly powerful quantum computers, yielding breakthroughs that seemed impossible a decade ago.

As Hanhee helps advance IBM’s quantum technology and business, she draws on lessons from the University of Maryland. For her, the most cherished learnings from graduate school weren’t technical skills, but values.

“At UMD, people were so nice and supportive. They provided unwavering support to help young students unleash their full potential.” Hanhee said. “That sense of community is really important to experience at an early age—especially as a student. It sets your view on life. I treasure those values and want to live them out.”

09/29/2026

Senior physics and Astronomy major Paige Nolan shares a day in her life at the University of Maryland!

See this 's day attending courses in statistical thermodynamics, quantum physics and optics, painting pumpkins with her sorority, and conducting research with the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Paige's research with STScI is a continuation of her summer internship. This fall, she is reducing data from the Gemini South Observatory to get it “science-ready.”

09/28/2026

Measles is making a comeback—but how bad can it get? In a state that might lift a key vaccination requirement, it could get epidemically bad, according to UMD mathematicians Abba Gumel and Alice Oveson.

To assess potential outcomes of Florida’s proposed vaccine-mandate retraction, the team built a transmission model based on a 2025 measles outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, and incorporated Florida-specific demographic structure, MMR vaccination coverage data, and realistic mixing patterns across ages and geographies.

Their study predicts that such a policy change could spark the largest measles epidemic in the United States in nearly 50 years.

“It’s like having a very dry forest with a lot of kindling,” Alice said. “Having a large unvaccinated population, including children, is the perfect set-up to spark a very big and potentially deadly outbreak.”

UMD mathematicians predict the dramatic impact of a proposal to repeal Florida’s measles vaccine mandate.

09/27/2026

Ever wonder, 'What kind of animal is Gonzo the Muppet?' According to Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences' Tom Holtz, he could be an early carnivorous dinosaur.

Gonzo’s most distinct feature is also his most baffling: his beak. (Or is it a nose?)

09/24/2026

For much of Eileen Buckholtz's (M.S. ’73, Computer Science) career, the details of her work at the National Security Agency remained private. Some accomplishments could not appear on a resume. go.umd.edu/buckholtz

That secrecy also meant the experiences of Eileen and other women working with computers at the agency were largely absent from the public record.

More than five decades into her career, Eileen is revisiting that history through a project that documents the women who worked in computing at the NSA. "Queens of Code: Inspiring True Stories from NSA’s Computing Women" will be published by The MIT Press in November.

“There were more than 150 of us, but I wrote about 25 in my book,” Eileen said. “We were almost all hired as 21- and 22-year-old women, and we began to program and manage the most sophisticated computers in the world.”

09/23/2026

NASA has selected PRIMA, a space probe co-developed by UMD astronomers, to advance to the next stage of development: go.umd.edu/PRIMA

The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) will measure far-infrared radiation with unprecedented sensitivity, unlocking secrets of planet formation, black hole evolution, cosmic dust and more.

“NASA’s selection of PRIMA is a landmark moment for astrophysics and University of Maryland astronomers,” said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney. “We are proud to support a bold mission that will empower scientists to make discoveries about our universe that we can scarcely imagine today.”

Congratulations to Astronomy's Alberto Bolatto and Sylvain Veilleux on this achievement!

09/23/2026

🎉 Congrats to Physics Associate Professor Zohreh Davoudi, named a 2026 Schmidt Polymath ➡️ go.umd.edu/schmidt-polymath

She's one of 8 researchers worldwide selected for this prestigious award, receiving up to $2.5 million to advance her research in quantum computing, sensing, cosmology and beyond.

Since joining UMD in 2017, Zohreh has worked at the intersection of nuclear physics, particle physics, and computer science. Her research explores how to build the universe from the bottom up.