News

It’s hard to overstate the environmental importance of trees, which among other functions pull climate change-inducing carbon from the atmosphere, clean the air of toxins and help control runoff. While it can likewise be hard to quantify some of these effects, a new study by University of Maryland researchers helps clarify the role of urban trees in mitigating stormwater flows, and finds that even isolated trees lining a street or planted in a park may have a significant effect.

Twenty-seven University of Maryland researchers have been recognized in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2021 list.

You’re feeling nervous as finals week approaches. A friend passing you on McKeldin Mall stops to ask how you’re feeling. “Good,” you reply with wince and a shrug. The friend can plainly see from your facial expression and body language that “good” alone doesn’t capture the truth about your emotional state. Now, a UMD computer scientist has created a virtual “friend”—an artificial intelligence-driven virtual conversational assistant—which also can understand the subtleties about how you convey emotion.