Research News

Dr. Carolyn Seaman receives National Science Foundation award for research on teaching software technical debt
June 15, 2025

Carolyn Seaman and colleagues at the University of Alabama and Virginia Commonwealth University have received a new NSF award to build and evaluate a curriculum and pedagogical tool aimed at teaching computing students how to identify, correct, and manage software technical debt. Technical debt refers to shortcomings in software artifacts (such as code, tests, documentation) that do not immediately appear as defects, but that over time erode the ability to maintain the software and keep it useful. Managing technical debt is a crucial skill for software engineers to have in order to manage evolving software systems.

This three-year project will result in a three-stage curriculum model, with teaching materials for use in early programming courses, mid-level software engineering courses, and advanced project management courses. Some of the curriculum will be piloted in courses in the IS department, and the entire curriculum will be available at the end of the project to use in both IS and CS courses.

Srikar Sistla, Information Systems graduate student, presents poster at Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research Early Career Symposium
September 17, 2025

Srikar conducted research with Kylie Carter, UMBC undergraduate bio student, on predicting drug-induced autoimmunity using random forest algorithm.

Sri Kavya Penta extended abstract accepted for poster presentation at Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research Early Career Symposium
September 17, 2025

This research explored parameter tuning for Support Vector Machines when used to predict student addiction potential. UMBC IS students, Sri Kavya Penta and Elaina Owens contributed to the project.

Key aspects of the research found near optimal parameters for Support Vector Machines construction to predict student addiction potential.

Somita Chaudhar, Information Systems graduate student, presents poster at Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research Early Career Symposium
September 17, 2025

Somita submitted an extended abstract to the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research’s Early Career Symposium. Tiffany Brown of UMGC was a co-author. The abstract was presented as a poster on September 17, 2025.

The research proposed how Convolutional Neural Networks can be up to 95% effective in identify pharmaceutical pills from an image.

Dr. Fiona Bell’s B10-PR1NT project on sustainable biomaterials for 3D printing has been featured in two art exhibitions this fall
September 26, 2025

Dr. Fiona Bell’s B10-PR1NT project on sustainable biomaterials for 3D printing has been featured in two art exhibitions this fall. “Living Matter Shaping Futures” at NYC’s BioBAT Art Space and “Biogenic Futures: Women Shaping Material Ecologies” at the University of Colorado Art Museum, both highlight innovative research and design being done at the intersection of biology, technology, and art.

B10-PR1NT is a collection of 3D-printed forms that are bio-inspired, bio-based, and bio-degradable. Each biomaterial is derived from local waste streams (e.g., eggshells, fallen leaves, sawdust, orange peels) to create pastes that can be extruded from 3D printers. Our process diverts local biomaterials away from becoming waste by repurposing them into objects created using code and a clay 3D printer. We generate parametric forms inspired by tree trunks, garlic cloves, and sea shells that function as birdhouses, plant pots, and vessels. At the end of their lives, the forms can be returned to the Earth, where they take around 30-90 days to break down and release their nutrients back into the soil. They highlight the importance of regenerative and temporary art and objects in a world that is constantly generating waste. They challenge us to consider how art and science can participate in circular processes with benefits beyond the immediate present.

Dr. Michael Brown Q&A with Operational Database Management Systems on Teaching MySQL
October 10, 2025

In a recent Q&A, Dr. Brown reflected on MySQL’s growing role in database education. He highlighted how easier installation and integration into the Oracle cloud helped MySQL become a teaching mainstay. Drawing on decades of teaching experience and industry insight, he shared strategies for engaging students through hands-on, real-world projects, empowering them to design their own applications and build market-ready skills. MySQL, he emphasized, continues to offer an accessible pathway for learners worldwide to enter and succeed in the technology field.

Visit the ODBMS website to read the article

Dr. Foad Hamidi contributes book chapter on the accessibility experiences of forced migrants
October 13, 2025

Dr. Foad Hamidi and colleagues have published a new book chapter entitled, “The View from Elsewhere: Investigating Infrastructural Inequities at the Intersection of Disability and AI-Enabled Interactive Technologies.” This chapter is written in collaboration with forced migrant activists with disabilities in Germany.

The chapter draws on lived experiences of disabled forced migrants and how using an intersectional lens can uncover hidden hurdles and barriers facing vulnerable populations.

It provides reflections on the possibilities and limitations of emerging AI-enabled technologies in this space.

Ph.D. Candidate Hasan Mahmud Prottoy has paper published at ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing 2025
October 22, 2025

A full paper by Ph.D. Candidate Hasan Mahmud Prottoy, advised by Dr. Foad Hamidi and collaborated with Dr. Yaxing Yao, was presented at ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing 2025 (CSCW 25), held in Oct 18-22, 2025 Bergen, Norway. It was published as a journal article at Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, in May 2025. The paper examines the informal online practices by users to access subscription-based services in Bangladesh where infrastructural difficulties like international payment barrier create a digital access issue.

Paper abstract: As online access to entertainment, education, news, and information increasingly becomes mitigated through subscription-based services, it is important to study how inequities in access impact users in low and middle-income countries (LMICS), and what infrastructuring strategies they employ to overcome obstacles. In this paper, we present findings from an interview study with 22 participants from Bangladesh who use and share online subscription-based services. Due to the lack of availability and limitations using formal international payment methods, procedural difficulties, and infrastructural challenges in Bangladesh, we found an emergence of a distinct informal ecosystem of accessing, sharing, and using subscription-based services. We report a detailed analysis of the adoption, sharing practices, and dynamics of sharing online subscription-based services in Bangladesh, that builds on and extends previous HCI literature on informality, informal marketplace, intermediaries, and media sharing in the Global South. Our findings show how a vibrant and growing user base of subscription-based online services is using creative and sometimes risky ways to gain access to media and information through informal intermediaries and administrators. Finally, we discuss potential directions for practice and policy innovations that include facilitating international payments for online services and platforms and reconsidering their policies and service delivery mechanisms to better support users in the Global South context.

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. Volume 9, Issue 2