All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Happy Monday: Maryland’s Innovation Future ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

Last Thursday, I had the honor of representing higher education on the opening plenary panel of the Maryland Innovation Summit, convened by Governor Wes Moore. Alongside Dr. Raj Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Sarah Heck, head of public policy at Anthropic, we discussed artificial intelligence, innovation, and Maryland’s future.

As we considered the pace of technological change and how Maryland should respond, we were asked to imagine ourselves five years from now: How will we know if Maryland got it right? For me, it came down to a few key questions:

  1. Did we prepare our students to be continual learners and to lead?

  2. Did our research and innovation address problems that matter to Maryland and improve the lives of people in our communities?

  3. Did we build public trust and responsible governance?

  4. Did we ensure that the benefits of any advances accrued equitably?

I was grateful to bring UMBC’s voice and values to this important conversation, and to help keep questions about people–who participates, who benefits, and whose lives are made better–at the center.

Happy Monday!

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

UMBC launches Bold Moves strategic plan to guide university’s next chapter

Grounded in the voices of thousands of Retrievers, UMBC’s new Bold Moves strategic plan was shaped by listening sessions, surveys, and conversations that kept returning to one central theme—inclusive excellence. The end result, brought to fruition by a dedicated steering committee, will guide the university’s future and shape its ongoing work with students, employees, and communities across Maryland.

Launched last week, Bold Moves: Strategic Ambitions for the Future of UMBC centers on five strategic pillars: growing student opportunity and success, transforming teaching and learning, redefining excellence in research and creative achievement, cultivating organizational innovation and vitality, and strengthening Maryland and its communities. Bold Moves imagines a day when anyone admitted to UMBC can come to UMBC.

Three students sit at an outdoor table with laptops, talking and smiling. Bold Moves strategic plan article.
UMBC students at the Erickson Hall Courtyard. (UMBC)

The plan builds on values reaffirmed by the UMBC community in 2024 through a campuswide core values survey: inclusive excellence, student success, academic excellence, community engagement, and an innovation mindset.

“Bold Moves reflects the work of people across UMBC who shared their experiences, challenged us to think bigger, and helped shape a plan grounded in our values,” says Charissa Cheah, chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and professor of psychology. “Its success will depend on that same spirit of collaboration as we expand opportunities for students, support our faculty and staff, and deepen UMBC’s contributions to communities across Maryland.” 

Among its goals, UMBC aims to expand access to a UMBC education, redefine student success through what it calls the “Retriever Promise,” and extend the impact of signature programs to more learners. The university will also build on its strengths in undergraduate teaching, community engagement, research, and creative achievement.

The plan calls for UMBC to strengthen support for faculty and staff, invest in infrastructure and systems, and expand partnerships with industry and the public sector. It also emphasizes the university’s role in advancing the public good and contributing to Maryland’s vitality and well-being, particularly Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

An elevated view of the UMBC campus featuring brick buildings, green trees, and paved walkways with the distant city skyline in the background.
UMBC campus. (UMBC)

Bold Moves was inspired and guided by the aims articulated in the 2026 – 2030 Maryland State Plan for Higher Education and the University System of Maryland’s Vision 2030. Bolstered by learnings and lessons from a robust set of community listening sessions along with a series of critical surveys that further informed the plan, these strategic ambitions for UMBC stem from the community’s shared values and are enriched by a multitude of voices.

“Bold Moves” represents UMBC’s vision for its next chapter: That future begins now, and the work will be pursued collectively on behalf of its students, Maryland, and the broader world.

Read the Bold Moves: Strategic Ambitions for the Future of UMBC strategic plan.

September 2026 Update from the Federal Orders and Actions Core Team ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

We write to you today to share our first update of the 2026 – 2027 academic year. The Federal Orders and Actions Core Team continues to closely monitor and respond to orders and actions from the U.S. government that impact the UMBC community. Please visit the Federal Orders and Actions website for additional information.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT allows F-1 international students to participate in an internship, practicum, or other alternative work/study program that is an “integral part” of an “established curriculum.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) historically deferred to universities on most curricular matters, including decisions on eligibility for CPT. 

SEVP recently sent a broadcast message to SEVP-certified schools indicating that school officials should “only authorize CPT if its absence would make attainment of a degree an impossibility and if the work associated with CPT is required for all students pursuing that degree.” In light of this new guidance, UMBC’s Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) will only authorize CPT for students enrolled in programs of study in which practical training is required for every student in that curriculum.

Update on Duration of Status Rule

We previously updated the campus regarding a new rule published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security limiting the period of authorized stay for F-1 international students, J-1 exchange visitors, and their legal dependents. The rule was challenged by various higher education professional associations and that challenge was supported by multiple states, including Maryland. Earlier this month, the District Court for Massachusetts issued a nationwide injunction, meaning that the implementation of this rule is paused while the legal challenge moves through the courts.

New Restrictions on Collaborations with Certain International Entities

China, Iran, and Russia – Expansion of 1286 List
The U.S. government maintains various lists, including the National Defense Authorization Act Section 1286 List, of foreign individuals, companies, and institutions for which official and unofficial collaborations are restricted. The 1286 List, which contains restricted academic entities in China, Iran, and Russia, was recently expanded to include several additional universities. Collaboration with an entity on the 1286 List may constitute a compliance risk, potentially violate federal law and negatively impact eligibility for federal funding. Last month, 30 U.S. universities were ordered by the government to audit their international collaborations with proscribed entities. Any researcher considering activities with an entity on the 1286 List or other federal sanctioned entities lists must first contact the Office of Research Protection and Compliance at researchintegrity@umbc.edu. 

Iran – Suspension of General License G
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a rule on August 24, 2026, indefinitely suspending five general licenses that created exemptions for transactions with Iranian entities, including Iran General License G of the Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations. Academic collaborations with Iranian entities that were previously permitted under General License G will now require a specific license. Further, financial transactions, including tuition payments from Iranian financial institutions to U.S. banks, are also no longer exempt. If you have questions about how this development may impact future research collaborations, please contact the Office of Research Protection and Compliance at researchintegrity@umbc.edu. 


Federal Agencies to Consider Additional Factors in H-1B Adjudications

A new executive order, Enhancing Program Integrity and Interagency Coordination in the Administration of the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program, adds direct or indirect employer layoffs and their effect on similarly situated U.S. workers as a consideration across H-1B processing (i.e., applications, petitions, visas, and entry into the U.S.), expands interagency information sharing for H-1B administration, and directs the Department of Labor (DOL) to review previously filed Labor Condition Applications for possible enforcement action. Its full effect will depend on agency implementation. 

Expansion of Social Media Screening to TN and I Applicants

Effective October 1, the Department of State will broaden its online presence review to cover applicants for I (foreign media representatives), TN, and TD (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement professionals and their dependents) visas.

Proposed Regulations Regarding Federal Awards or Funding

This past May, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposal for new “Regulations for Federal Assistance.” These proposed new regulations would lead to fundamental changes to the existing framework, known as Uniform Guidance, with substantial implications for how investigators and institutions apply for, manage, and sustain federally funded research projects. 

These changes include options for political appointees to receive veto power over peer review; a renewed focus on Facilities and Administration (F&A) rates through competitive cost comparisons of proposals; and removal of certain routine research activities from federal grant awards, such as conference attendance, publication costs, and journal subscriptions. The proposed new regulations will impact all recipients, sub-recipients, and contractors who receive federal funds, including state and local government employees who apply for, accept, manage, distribute, or track federal funds. 

The OMB received almost 500,000 written comments – including one from UMBC – during the 45-day public comment period. Currently, the OMB is working through the process of reviewing and addressing the comments and has not yet formally adopted any of the proposed changes. We are in close contact with the national organizations that are tracking these developments and advocating on our behalf. 

Although the original notice projected that the new regulations would go into effect this Thursday, October 1, Congress has issued a delay for any implementation until at least after the midterm elections in November.

Monitoring the Distribution of Federal Awards or Funding

We are tracking publicly available federal award data from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a few other agencies. As of September 26, the NSF has awarded 45 percent fewer awards and 23 percent less dollars in funding than the prior four-year average to date between fiscal years 2021 and 2024. Traditionally, the NSF has been working to distribute all of its allocated budget prior to September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. 

Effective September 25, the NIH has distributed 13 percent fewer awards versus the prior four-year average to date, but has allocated one percent more dollars than the prior average to date. This means that fewer principal investigators (PIs) are receiving awards, although those who have received awards may have seen multi-year funding increments awarded as a one-time distribution.

We are continuing to monitor this situation and are in frequent conversations with colleagues across the University System of Maryland (USM) and in national organizations, such as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Council on Research (COR), and the Council on Government Relations (COGR). 

If you have any questions about this information, please reach out to a member of the Federal Orders and Actions Core Team.

Thank you.

Regards,

The UMBC Federal Orders and Actions Core Team

Valerie Sheares Ashby, President
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Tanyka M. Barber, Vice President, Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
Kacey Hammel, Chief of Staff to the President
Renique T. Kersh, Vice President, Student Affairs
Paul A. Meggett, Vice President and General Counsel
D. Paul Monteiro, Vice President, Government Relations and Community Affairs
Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, Senior Advisor to the President, Strategic Priorities and Initiatives
Karl V. Steiner, Vice President, Research and Creative Achievement
Lisa K. Van Riper, Vice President, University Communications and Marketing
David L. Di Maria, Vice Provost, Global Engagement
Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost, Faculty Affairs

Happy Monday: An Extraordinary Saturday with Our Students ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

This past Saturday was yet another reminder of why I love the work we do here at UMBC.

In the morning, I welcomed nearly 600 students to hackUMBC, a 24-hour hackathon planned and run entirely by our students. Participants from UMBC and other institutions came together to learn from one another and build solutions to real-world challenges. Witnessing their dedication to continuous learning and collective ingenuity was inspiring.

Later, I joined our Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars for their annual retreat. We talked about leadership, the choices that shape our paths, what success might mean for their lives, and how they hope to make an impact. Their questions, curiosity, and thoughtfulness reaffirmed my belief that our future is in exceptional hands.

Thank you to everyone who supported these experiences and to all who continue to empower our students to lead, innovate, and serve with heart and purpose.

Happy Monday!

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

UMBC takes first steps toward offering higher education for incarcerated individuals

UMBC has been awarded a $64,000 University System of Maryland (USM) grant to support the development of a prison education program at the university

Led by Eric Ford, executive director for the Shriver Center, and Allison Jones, assistant vice provost of extended studies, the USM-funded “Toward a Prison Education Program at UMBC” will explore and develop the institutional, academic, and community partnerships needed to establish a sustainable program providing higher education opportunities for incarcerated students.

The proposed program will initially focus on students at the Central Maryland Correctional Facility in Sykesville, Maryland. UMBC plans to develop possible certificate pathways, with potential coursework in areas including data science, artificial intelligence, and project management.

“The Shriver Center is excited about this opportunity to create a program for students who pursue correctional education programs,” says Ford. “It’s just one of the many ways we support UMBC’s vision of redefining higher education through an inclusive culture rooted in social justice.”

headshot of a man, working on a program for incarcerated students in Maryland, with short grey hair, black rimmed glasses, a grey dress shirt and tie, and a black, grey, and white argyle sweater, Shriver Center
A headshot of a woman, leading a program for incarcerated individuals at the Shriver Center, with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black blazer and green blouse with a black and white beaded necklace
Headshots courtesy of Eric Ford (left) and Allison Jones (right).

UMBC’s project is part of a larger, USM-led initiative. In September 2026, USM announced that nine colleges and universities will receive a combined $400,000 to advance programs that provide higher education in prisons in Maryland. The USM grant will support a yearlong planning process for UMBC that includes assessing UMBC’s capacity to operate a prison education program, establishing partnerships, identifying faculty and staffing needs, developing curriculum, researching educational delivery models, and preparing for the required state and federal approval processes.

Building on existing frameworks

The initiative builds on the longstanding work of UMBC’s Shriver Center, the university’s campus-wide hub for public service and community engagement. Founded in 1993 by Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the center has spent more than 30 years building partnerships and creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to address complex social challenges in Baltimore and surrounding communities.

UMBC’s Institute of Extended Learning provides non-credit and professional education programs that connect the UMBC campus to the broader community for noncredit education, workforce development, digital credentials, and degree completion. It also serves learners of all ages and backgrounds, from middle schoolers in summer enrichment programs to working adults seeking professional credentials to individuals training for a new career.

As part of the grant, Ford and Jones will lead listening sessions and focus groups with prospective students, returning citizens, workforce and technology partners, community organizations, faculty, and corrections stakeholders. These conversations will help inform the design of a student-centered program responsive to the educational and career needs of people affected by incarceration.

UMBC is exploring a partnership with Carroll Community College to create an associate-degree completion pathway for students participating in the program.

The project is scheduled to take place from fall 2026 through summer 2027, laying the groundwork for a potential UMBC Prison Education Program and expanded pathways to higher education and workforce opportunities for students entering or reentering higher education.

Learn more about UMBC’s Shriver Center.

Happy Monday: Honoring UMBC’s 60th Anniversary and Looking Forward With Purpose ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

Sixty years ago, on September 19, 1966, UMBC opened its doors with three buildings, 750 students, and a bold vision to rethink higher education. From the beginning, our university was founded on the vision that academic excellence and broad, inclusive access are inextricably linked.

Today, as an R1 university and a national leader in community engagement and student success, we stand as proof of what happens when a community commits to inclusive excellence. Over six decades, generations of Retrievers have built a vibrant, innovative, leading university that continues to shape Maryland and the world.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of our opening day, we honor our remarkable history and look forward with shared purpose. This week, we will launch UMBC’s new strategic plan—our guiding roadmap for the next chapter of our story. I am deeply honored to build our future alongside you.

Thank you for everything you bring to UMBC. Together, we mark 60 incredible years—and together, we step boldly into our bright future.

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

A club for every student

At a vibrant iFest, Retrievers explored hundreds of student-led organizations that sharpen the mind, strengthen the body, and nourish the soul

On an early September afternoon, more than a thousand students filled the walkways between The Commons and the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. The occasion was UMBC’s biannual Involvement Fest, or iFest for short, an event for students to mingle and learn about the more than 250 student-led organizations at UMBC. 

“We have academically driven groups, religious organizations, cultural organizations, groups organized around hobbies, sports and recreational groups, political and governing groups, intellectual sports, service and social action groups, and more,” says Abdoulie Sarr, the coordinator for student organizations in the Division of Student Affairs. “And the number of organizations has increased 14 percent since last year.”

A group of college students at UMBC's iFest gather around a table that has a a cardboard display about a women's ruby team club
Two college students work on a drone that looks like a small plane
Two college students hug each other as they stand next to a presentation display board with information about Turkic Student Association
Two college students face the camera. One is wearing a red super hero costume and the other is wearing a teal super hero costume
Retrievers make connections during iFest 2026. (Jaime Loza/UMBC)

Each semester, Student Affairs organizes iFest to showcase the diversity of clubs and the vibrant community they create—a community that offers opportunities for UMBC students to nurture their whole persons: mind, body, and soul.

Sharpening the mind

UMBC’s academic courses offer students myriad opportunities to grow their minds. And for students who like their extracurriculars just as intellectually challenging, there are a host of student orgs to choose from.

Want to explore what makes a meaningful life, whether God exists, or how important it is to seek the objective truth? Philosophers Anonymous has, for more than two decades, offered students a weekly venue to present and discuss ideas of their own choosing. Maybe you first want to hone your communication and debate skills on a national stage. UMBC’s relatively new Speech and Debate Team regularly competes in online and in-person venues, leading up to nationwide competitions in the summer. If breaking out tools and building something is more your style, the UMBC chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) offers the chance to construct flying machines of all sorts, including autonomous airplanes and drones. 

Two college students stand on both sides of a presentation board that shows information about a philosophy club
Student stands next to a small black plane that flies, navigates, and makes independent in-flight decisions without needing real-time control or intervention from a human pilot
Dana Ragsdale (left), vice president of Philosophers Anonymous, and Rebecca Lee (right), president, pose with their club’s poster at iFest. Shrikant Bhatnagar, a junior computer engineering major and vice president of the UMBC chapter of AIAA, with the autonomous plane the team has built to compete in the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems Competitions. (Images courtesy of Ragsdale, Lee, and Bhatnagar)

Participation in Philosophers Anonymous has been a “coming of age experience, for sure,” says Dana Ragsdale, a junior philosophy and psychology major who is vice president of the club. “I’ve realized just how shallow my own understanding is.” Summer Haddad, a junior anthropology major on the speech and debate team, says her participation in extemporaneous and impromptu speech competitions has significantly improved her ability to think on her feet. And Helena Steele, a junior mechanical engineering student, learned she was “pretty good at soldering,” after joining AIAA for a day of drone-making last year. “We welcome everyone, no experience necessary, and we’ll teach you how to make something that flies,” she says. 

From chapters of professional organizations to intellectual sports teams and more, the student-org scene at UMBC offers plenty of chances to find friends, eat free pizza, and flex new thinking skills. 

Strengthening the body

Plenty of UMBC clubs help students balance the intellectual work of college with opportunities to get the body moving and build social connections.

Running Club meets on weekdays for runs around campus, in nearby neighborhoods, and on the trails of Patapsco Valley State Park. They compete in a handful of races each semester, but the bigger draw is the combination of fitness and friendship. Shelby Smith, a junior psychology major, notes that, “as a commuter, running has helped me get familiar with the area.” Luke Seidlich, a sophomore information systems major, sums up: “The best thing about running club is that you can get a workout and socialize at the same time.”

“
When I joined the Tae Kwon Do Club, I had no experience. Through the club I’ve developed a better sense of discipline, met new people, and gained leadership opportunities.”

Alexis Goetz

Vice president, senior biological sciences and emergency, disaster, and health systems major.

In Tae Kwon Do Club, roughly 30 regulars train with instructors from the club’s parent dojo. Club president Nathan Le, a senior business technology administration major, started with zero experience and now competes at an advanced level. “Everyone who shows up is working toward self-improvement,” he says. “Sparring is a great way to experience an adrenaline rush—you have to be so focused and in the moment.” Vice president Alexis Goetz, a senior biological sciences and emergency, disaster, and health systems major, shares, “When I joined, I had no experience, but through the club I’ve developed a better sense of discipline, met new people, and gained leadership opportunities.”

UMBC’s men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee squads lean into the social side of the sport. “Ultimate frisbee has a very laid-back culture overall, but we do like to win,” says Avery Klein, a senior psychology major. Teammate Antonion Lazzaro, a senior computer science major, adds, “You can always find some of us throwing a frisbee around on campus—it’s like a family. Everyone’s welcome.”

Sae Egoshi, a senior animation major on the women’s ultimate team, finds the group dynamic especially helpful: “It’s more motivating for me to get physical activity with a group. I love the community aspect of the team—it’s nice to have a smaller group of people on campus who I connect with regularly.”

Nourishing the soul

Retrievers find their place to belong where their souls find rest and acceptance, knowing that the people around them are there to support and encourage their pursuits.

“Join for the fun, stay for the community” is the collective attitude of Milan Valderrama, Jessica Graziano, and Abu Kamara, the presidents of UMBC’s Bonsai Club, the Garden Club, and the Dog-Collar Comedy Troupe, respectively. When project due dates pile up, work schedules are demanding, and the world at large seems chaotic, these Retrievers ease their members’ burdens by helping them focus on something other than themselves—clipping tiny branches to shape a tree, pulling up weeds encroaching on this season’s vegetables, and laughing at the ridiculous. 

A college student uses small clippers to prune a bonsai tree
A student practices pruning a bonsai tree. (Image courtesy of Valderrama)

Seniors Valderrama, computer science and financial economics, and Graziano, geography and environmental systems, enjoy the calm and quiet that tending to plant life can bring as much as the chatter of conversation during events like the bonsai LEGO nights and houseplant sales. Kamara, a junior animation major, relishes the cacophony of learning and practicing jokes with enthusiasts of all things improvised and unexpected. Don’t be fooled. They take their craft seriously. This is an audition-only troupe, with three shows a year and a newsletter, that works with the Washington Improv Theatre. 

Nine people stand together in a classroom holding bonsai trees, in the background there is a projection screen with a slide with the words American Bonsai
College students hover over garden plots weeding and planting
A college student wearing a baseball hat and gardening gloves poses for a picture kneeling in front of her garden plot
Students from the UMBC Bonsai and Garden Clubs show their progress. (Images courtesy of Valderrama and Graziano)

“I have a lot of stage fright, but I’ve been told I’m a very funny person as well,” says Kamara. This “come as you are” mentality is what makes these clubs, which are free and open to all students, so inviting, making it easy for students from different backgrounds to connect and build a trusting community. “A lot of the troupe is just a bunch of people first trying to make each other laugh and then, maybe three times a semester, trying to make a bunch of other people laugh at once. I feel like it’s really nice to have a space where you can do that.”

For Retrievers who want to get involved, there’s a club for everyone. And, “If students don’t see an organization they were looking for, we’re always promoting the opportunity for students to create a new one,” Sarr says. 

Check out more campus life events.

Happy Monday: The Special Place UMBC Calls Home ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

Some places have a special way of reminding you what community truly feels like.

Late last month, UMBC sponsored an evening at Frederick Road Fridays in Catonsville—an annual tradition hosted by the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce. Every Friday throughout the summer, families and neighbors gather with their lawn chairs to enjoy music, dancing, and local food, while businesses and community organizations connect with those who visit their tents.

I loved being at Frederick Road Fridays alongside our student-athletes, spending time with families, alumni, and elected officials. It was a pleasure to thank our neighbors for creating such a beautiful community, to share in the excitement as the crowd cheered for UMBC, and to listen to stories about how UMBC has impacted our surrounding community.

There is an extraordinary warmth in these gatherings—the carefree kindness of neighbors, the shared laughter, and the simple joy of making time for one another. For me, the evening brought back memories of growing up in Clayton, North Carolina, a small town where mutual care and genuine connection defined everyday life.

Frederick Road Fridays offered a wonderful reminder that UMBC is not merely located in Catonsville—we are deeply rooted here and honored to contribute to the vitality of our hometown. While our academic reach and impact extend across the globe, our heart remains right here at home.

I am grateful for our Catonsville neighbors and the vibrant community we share.

Happy Monday!

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Happy Monday: Joy and Possibility ↗

Dear UMBC community,

There is something special about the beginning of a new academic year. Walking across campus on the first day of classes, I felt such joy in watching our undergraduate and graduate students begin the year—some confident, some finding their way, and many filled with anticipation and wonder. 

I saw members of our community offer directions, hand out snacks, answer questions, and provide reassurance. I also watched faculty teach their first classes, recalling the excitement I always felt delivering that first lecture of the semester.

Everywhere, I saw joy and possibility.

We are a community that believes in people and what is possible for them. Thank you for all you do to support our students and each other.

What a wonderful start to the new academic year. Happy Monday!

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Fall Opening Meeting Recording ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s Fall Opening Meeting, whether in person or virtually. 

If you were unable to join us, I invite you to watch the recording of the meeting. We covered several key topics, including updates on our incoming graduate and undergraduate classes, the impacts of federal actions and orders, a budget briefing, and an update on the upcoming rollout of UMBC’s strategic plan. We also recognized several new members of our UMBC community. 

It was particularly inspiring to hear remarks from three students who are starting at UMBC this fall: Saad Waqas, a first-year student and Sondheim Scholar; Sabirah Burt, a junior transfer student from Howard Community College; and Sydney Braithwaite, a first-year doctoral student in chemical engineering and one of our NSF Graduate Research Fellows. Learning about their journeys to UMBC is a meaningful reminder of the importance of our work. My thanks to Saad, Sabirah, and Sydney for sharing their stories with us. Please join me in welcoming them and all of our new students to UMBC.

The meeting was an uplifting and energizing start to our academic year. I am so proud to be starting my fifth year at this extraordinary institution. Thank you for all you do for UMBC.  

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Could a smartphone take the place of expensive medical equipment? Dong Li investigates how to make affordable health monitoring accessible

Dong Li head shot
Dong Li (Photo courtesy of Li)

A common saying is “Health is wealth.” Its meaning—that good health gives people the vitality to succeed in life—is found in stories and phrases across cultures and times. Dong Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, has long nurtured an interest in helping people stay in good health, from his early childhood interest in becoming a doctor to his current research focusing on developing cost-effective and widely accessible health monitoring technologies. 

As the founder and director of the Future Sensing and Interaction Lab, Li studies how affordable devices, such as smartphones and watches, can monitor general health indicators, vital signs, and physical activities. Li also explores how to build innovative computer-human interfaces to deliver an intuitive user experience. His goal is to use the advanced sensing technologies on many smart devices to help people improve their well-being. 

“I am a tech believer,” Li says. “Technology has enormous potential to make change, and that’s why I have devoted my efforts and my time to try to develop applications of technology that benefit society.”

Li shares here about his work, its challenges, and his hopes for a world where healthcare is both affordable and accessible. 

Q: What are your main areas of research? 

A: My main area of research is what we usually call mobile health, or mHealth. The goal is to make health intelligence more accessible by using everyday devices that people already have, such as smartphones, earphones, smartwatches, and even smart rings. 

For example, in several projects in my lab, we’re exploring ways to measure things like blood pressure and skin stiffness using a smartphone. One way to think about it is this: as human beings, we have eyes, ears, and a nose that help us sense the world around us. So what if we could use our smartphones as an additional sensing tool—not just to understand our environment, but to sense what’s happening inside our own bodies, such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and other physiological signals?

The second part of my research focuses on AI. We’re interested in building AI models that can use data collected from these everyday devices to detect signs of disease at an early stage. Large language models like ChatGPT, for example, are trained on huge amounts of language data. In a similar way, we can train health-related AI models on large amounts of physiological data collected from devices people use in their daily lives. The question is whether the model can learn subtle patterns in that data that may indicate the early stages of disease.

The third part of my research is about security and privacy. If we’re collecting sensitive health information, we need to make sure both the AI model and the overall system are secure, and that people’s private information is protected. 

Rishav Gupta at UMBC COEIT Research Day 2026 in front of his poster, "Enabling Affordable and Accessible Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Only a Commodity Smartphone."
Ph.D. student Rishav Gupta is working with Li. Here he presents the research at UMBC COEIT Research Day 2026. (Photo courtesy of Gupta)

Q: What motivated you to get involved in these areas of research?

To be honest, when I was in primary school, my dream was to become a doctor. But somehow, I ended up choosing computer science as my major.

After I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and joined UMBC as a faculty member, I learned about opportunities for internal research funding and collaboration between UMBC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, which has long-established professional schools in areas such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing.

When I heard about those opportunities, I immediately thought, “Okay, this is my chance to reconnect with that childhood dream.” I realized I could combine my background in computer science with healthcare and work on interdisciplinary research that could have a real impact on people’s health.

So in a way, I didn’t become a doctor, but I found another path that allows me to contribute to medicine through technology. That’s really what motivated me to move into this area of research. 

Q: How do you hope the research will impact ordinary people’s lives down the road?

Phone screen displays the PocketCardio app
Li and Gupta have created an intuitive interface for the blood pressure monitoring PocketCardio app. (Photo by Ramya Bommakanti)

Our long-term vision is to make health monitoring more accessible and affordable for everyone. Right now, if we want to monitor certain aspects of our health, we often have to go to a doctor for regular examinations or use specialized medical equipment, which can be expensive and may not be easily available to everyone.

What we hope to do is bring some of that monitoring capability into the everyday devices people already use, such as smartphones, earphones, smartwatches, or even smart glasses. Instead of relying only on specialized equipment, people could potentially use these familiar devices to better understand and monitor their health in their daily lives.

If our research is successful, we hope it can give people a simple and convenient way to keep track of their health, identify potential problems earlier, and make more informed decisions about when to seek medical care. Ultimately, the goal is to use technology to help people live healthier lives.

Q: What are the biggest challenges that the research will need to overcome to reach these goals?

The most challenging part is not technical. What I realized when I talked to the clinical doctors from UMB School of Medicine is that the challenge is how to make people aware of this development. The challenge is assuring people of data security.  People ask questions like, “What about privacy? How can you make sure you don’t leak our private information?” I think that’s the biggest challenge we will have if we want to make this a product that everybody can benefit from: How can we communicate about the technology so that people can understand it and are willing to use our product in the future?

Q: Do you have any recent results that you are especially excited about?

Yes. We are doing the clinical trials for our blood pressure monitoring project. We have collected data, I believe, from 30 healthy subjects right now, and we are in the process of collecting data from hypertensive patients at the hospital. The data we have right now shows very promising results, and I’m very excited to see if our prototype can work for those hypertensive patients. If it does, I think our next step is that we could do a wider deployment to verify our system. I attended the Maryland NEW VENTURE program [an intensive 12-week accelerator run by bwtech@UMBC that helps early-stage technology founders]. I shared this story with a lot of our investors, and they are super excited about this product. Maybe sometime next year, we will establish a startup company to make it a real product to benefit ordinary people.

Li and his group hold a big check
Li (center), Gupta (left) and other members of the PocketCardio team won first place at the Maryland NEW VENTURE pitch competition. (Photo courtesy of Li)

Written by: Ramya Bommakanti, a senior information systems major and communications intern in the COEIT Dean’s office.

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