Director's Message to UMIACS

I am tremendously proud of the breadth and impact of our work in 2022—one only needs to review past issues of our newsletter for context. But instead of listing our myriad accomplishments, I'd rather pivot and highlight the path ahead.

As I write this message, UMIACS is the final stages of an extensive external review. I would like to thank our faculty, staff and students who have contributed to this process.

By identifying our core strengths—there are many—as well as areas where we can improve, we can thoughtfully develop a strategic roadmap to help guide our activities in 2023 and beyond.

Some of those activities will be dictated by advances in technology. Powerful computational tools, new visualization techniques, and bold theory that translates into reality (think quantum) will help shape our research agenda.

Other new activities will come from partnerships, both existing and those yet-to-happen. I want to continue expanding our collaborations with physicians and clinicians at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

That relationship has received a significant boost with the announcement of a new Institute for Health Computing to be built in Montgomery County, Maryland. Details are still being worked out, but we anticipate substantial activity by UMIACS faculty and staff in areas like immersive visualization tools for medical applications, machine learning algorithms for precision medicine, and building and maintaining a robust computing infrastructure. I plan on meeting with UMIACS faculty, staff and students in the coming months to determine how we can best leverage these new opportunities.

The road ahead looks very promising, and I’m eager to work with all of you to strengthen our stature as one of the nation’s preeminent computing institutes. Enjoy the holiday break!

–Mihai Pop, UMIACS Director