Researchers in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation envision a future when the bivalve mollusks again approach numbers they did when explorer John Smith had to carefully navigate around jagged oyster reefs protruding from the water in the bay and tributaries like the Choptank 400 years ago. But that abundance—and many of the water-quality benefits these natural filters bring—has disappeared amid overharvesting, mismanagement, and devastating diseases.

Central to this comeback, the researchers believe, is the adaptation of technologies revolutionizing land-based agriculture. Professor Miao Yu, whose specialty is robotic sensing, leads the research team. Yu says Maryland’s archaic oyster trade needs modern methods to augment its traditions.
UMD hosted a roundtable by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on the impact of the CHIPS and Science Act. Just days prior, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro toured the new Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology (SMART) Building at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland and FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington visited the 5G Secure Test Bed at the College Park campus.
Civil engineering alum Alex D’Alessio ’18, M.S. ’19 created “Real Life Renovation,” a social media video series documenting his adventures in home improvement projects with wife Kylie D’Alessio ’18 around their Baltimore rowhouse. His clips chronicle everything from cabinet construction to electrical endeavors to makeshift plumbing ploys—and plenty of relatable mishaps to engage fans.
An important avenue for collaboration between U.S. and Japanese researchers has opened up again under the leadership of UMD’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The department hosted the annual Workshop on U.S.-Japan Digital Innovation and Advanced Technology from November 1-2, bringing together representatives from several Japanese institutions—including Nagoya, Sophia, Tohoku and Tsukuba Universities—and their counterparts from UMD and other U.S. universities.
Timothy Koeth, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland Department of Materials Science and Engineering and former director of the Maryland Radiation Facilities, is the recipient of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award. The expected award amount is half a million dollars over the course of the next two years, with a possible further half million dollars for a third year.
The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PMA-263) program team put Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) systems through their paces during a two-week technical demonstration. In partnership with the UMD UAS Test Site (now the UMD UAS Research and Operations Center), PMA-263’s Family of Small UAS team evaluated each system against a standard test card to determine its suitability for expeditionary combat support.