Terp Spring 2026

© W I M PY K I D,

Bestselling Kids’ Author Jeff Kinney ’93 Shares the Lessons Learned From His Own Misadventures. pg. 18

I N C . 20 26

S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 / CO N N EC T I N G T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A RY L A N D CO M M U N I T Y

FEARLESSLY FORWARD

C R A C K I N G DA V I N C I ’S GENETIC CODE

15

A T R I V I A N E R D ’S Q U E ST FO R S M A R T E R A I

32

T H E M AT H E M A G I C TO U C H

42

ON THE MALL

POST-GRAD

CAMPUS LIFE

4 5 6 7 8

Keeper of the Codes First-Term Senator, First-Time Professor Digital Revival of a Displaced Community Celebrating a M-ilestone Homegrown Heroes

EXPLORATIONS

10 10 12 13 13 14 15 16

Libraries’ New Chapter: Havens in Times of Crisis A Recipe for Paring Down Plastic Pollution Where the Cloud Hits the Ground The Doctor Will See Your Plant Now Model Musician World Wide Reb Cracking da Vinci’s Genetic Code Made About America

POST-GRAD

38 40 41 42 43 44

Alumni Association Your Guide to D.C.’s Urban Oasis Class Notes The Mathemagic Touch Underexposed Parting Shot

WE THE TERPS

CONTENTS

Terp is joining in the yearlong celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This icon “flags” stories that explore democracy, civic engagement and U.S. history.

FEATURES

ONLINE Spring Break Surprise Instead of digging their toes into the sand, animal science students were knee-deep in hay to welcome a new foal to the Campus Farm. go.umd.edu/spring-break-surprise

—

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha After 44 years on campus, Stamp Director Marsha Guenzler-Stevens retires, leaving a legacy of love. go.umd.edu/marsha

—

A Spoonful of Support Undergraduates in an entrepreneurial design class Do Good by creating an electronic mealtime tool for a boy with limited arm mobility. go.umd.edu/a-spoonful-of-support

18

Diary of a Wimpy Terp Jeff Kinney ’93 was a shaky student and failed newspaper cartoonist with a big dream. Recounting some of his own misadventures, he reveals that despite being one of the world’s top-selling authors, he’s still figuring things out.

BY JEFF KINNEY ’93

32

Can AI and People Play Nice?

Trivia nerd and UMD computer scientist Jordan Boyd-Graber is on a quizbowl quest to shed light on when to trust computers, or ourselves.

BY CHRIS CARROLL

Get the latest on the UMD community by visiting TODAY.UMD.EDU .

SPRING 2026

1

FROM THE PRESIDENT

one of the best things about the University of Maryland is our incredible alumni. The entrepreneurs, journalists, educators, architects, astronauts, physicians, artists, writers, scientists, athletes, innovators and entertainers we are both proud and fortunate to claim as Terps are proof that when it comes to creativity, innovation and fearlessness, Maryland is one of one. We take immense pride in what every one of our graduates represents, and how they continue to live out the mission and values they embraced here—the fearless pursuit of discovery, service and storytelling that inspires, uplifts and impacts the public good.

Jeff Kinney ’93, creator of the “Wimpy Kid” phenomenon, is certainly among them, and we are excited to showcase his new, original artwork and essays in this issue of Terp. Inside these pages, Kinney uses his trademark humor to describe how even the most successful people encounter stumbling blocks, ranging from the banal to the life-changing—and how a few missteps in college (“I was a bit of a mess,” he confesses) aren’t predictive of how things will turn out if you take chances, build your skills and have a bit of good luck. His advice is both heartening and timely, especially as we celebrate Commencement.

In fact, one of the honors of my presidency was welcoming Kinney back to campus twice in 2022, first to dedicate a statue of “Wimpy Kid” Greg Heffley in the Stamp, and then as Commencement speaker. Warm, humble and honest, Kinney delivered an address no one there will forget.

This year, we are honored to have former NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00 as our Commencement speaker. As an International Space Station flight engineer in 2024, Epps spent 235 days in orbit, a record for the longest continuous space mission by an African American woman. She was a featured CNN commentator this spring about Artemis II, the flight around the moon that once again showed how human ingenuity, innovation and endeavor know no bounds.

I hope this time of year provides each of you with an opportunity to also look back fondly on your own time in College Park, think about the lessons you learned, and appreciate how you have continued to grow and pursue the dreams you first had on our campus.

Sincerely,

Darryll J. Pines

President, University of Maryland Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering

DARRYLL J. PINES President

Advisers ANNE BUCKLEY Vice President, Marketing and Communications MARGARET HALL Executive Director, Creative Strategies

Magazine Staff LAUREN BROWN University Editor JOHN T. CONSOLI ’86 Creative Director VALERIE MORGAN Art Director CHRIS CARROLL ANNIE KRAKOWER SALA LEVIN ’10 KAREN SHIH ’09 JOHN TUCKER Writers KOLIN BEHRENS LAUREN BIAGINI CHARLENE PROSSER CASTILLO Designers STEPHANIE S. CORDLE Photographer JANNA SINGER-BAEFSKY Digital Asset Manager/Archivist DYLAN SINGLETON ’13 Photography Assistant JAGU CORNISH Production Manager

EMAIL terpfeedback@umd.edu ONLINE terp.umd.edu NEWS today.umd.edu FACEBOOK.COM/ UnivofMaryland X x.co/UofMaryland THREADS.COM/ univofmaryland INSTAGRAM.COM / univofmaryland YOUTUBE.COM /@UofMaryland LINKEDIN.COM /school/ university-of-maryland The University of Maryland, College Park is an equal opportunity institution with respect to both education and employment. University policies, programs and activities are in conformance with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

COVER Illustration by Jeff Kinney

2

T E R P. U M D . E D U

INTERPLAY Testudo, Meet Tuxedo

What a fun behind-the-scenes on Testudo’s threads, and I love that Terp students led and created the designs.

—DORI K. STIBOLT ’93, LAKE WORTH, FLA. (VIA LINKEDIN)

Sweet No. 16

I enjoyed the privilege of working with President John Toll as a student leader. He shared his ambitious plan to propel UMD into the ranks of the nation’s top public universities, and it’s satisfying to see that vision paying off with this well-deserved No. 16 ranking (from U.S. News & World Report). The dedicated leadership over the decades has truly built on that foundation.

Go Terps!

—STEVEN CARLSON ’82, BRONXVILLE, N.Y. (VIA LINKEDIN)

Always have been proud to be a Terp, especially as we helped lead the way as journalism transitioned from triple carbon sets on WWII-era manual Royal typewriters from the Pentagon to electronic production and eventually multimedia. What a ride!

—MELISSA MERSON ’76, ARLINGTON, VA. (VIA LINKEDIN)

—

WRITE TO US

We love to hear from readers.

Send your feedback, insights, compliments—and, yes, complaints—to terpfeedback@umd.edu or to: Terp magazine Office of Marketing and Communications 7736 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20742 Read more letters at terp.umd.edu.

TERP PRIDE , FROM COVER TO COVER Like what you’re reading? All members of the University of Maryland Alumni Association get a free subscription to Terp magazine.

Stuntman Crashes and Burns—Repeatedly

Maryland has its various gems, and Gymkana is one of them. Go Terps!

RON KEPLINGER ’94, SMITHSBURG, MD. (VIA FACEBOOK)

Other membership perks include: • Exclusive programming • Terp-branded swag • Discounted alum and athletics event tickets Connect with fellow alums in countless ways, while supporting scholarships and Terp traditions.

JOIN TODAY! go.umd.edu/TerpSpring26Membership

SPRING 2026

3

ON THE MALL

CAMPUS LIFE

Keeper of the Codes

Researcher Resurrects Top-Secret 20th Century Machines

read never-decrypted German World War II communiques.

1 // Enigma machine

A scientist who studies materials in extreme radiation envi-

(Germany, 1926-45)

ronments, Koeth became fascinated by the code machines

Developed for both

as a child when they were first declassified in the ’80s; the

military and business use,

Enigma’s notoriety later spread via “The Imitation Game,”

Enigma was solved by

a Benedict Cumberbatch movie chronicling scientist Alan

Polish mathematicians

Turing’s effort to crack the device and win the war.

several years after its

Decades later, when a collector friend revealed he’d

introduction. More

purchased one and asked Koeth to get it working again, it

advanced versions

A UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND researcher and his collab-

sparked a unique hobby. Today Koeth restores—and uses—a

created for the Nazi war

orators huddled last summer over a captured, top-secret

range of cipher machines for the National Cryptologic

machine were cracked at

military device, racing to decode a message that might

Museum at Fort Meade, Md.

Britain’s famed Bletchley

have had the potential to change history. But materials

Technologically, he says, they’re dead simple, with

science and engineering Assistant Professor’s Tim Koeth’s

adjustable rotors setting the code for the day and “an

mother-in-law was getting impatient: “Come on, guys—war’s

electrical current passing through a maze of wires.” But the

2 // SIGABA (United

over.” For 80 years, in fact.

history they represent—and that they enabled—is the height

States, 1941 to mid-’50s)

of human drama and tragedy. “Sometimes I can’t believe

Also called the ECM-Mk

I’m holding one of these,” he says.—CC

II, the American device

With his wife and father-in-law, Koeth was using an original Enigma machine as part of an annual contest to

4

T E R P. U M D . E D U

Park codebreaking facility.

P H O T O B Y J O H N T. C O N S O L I

First-Term Senator, First-Time Professor Angela Alsobrooks Co-teaches Class on Leadership BETWEEN TACKLING THE child care crisis and protecting

the Chesapeake Bay on Capitol Hill, first-term U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) found a new challenge to take on this spring: Teach her first college class at the University of Maryland.

Called “What’s Leadership Got to Do With It?” the upper-level government and politics course examined personality and morality, challenging students to think about decision-making and navigating crises in fields such as politics, health care and sports.

“Leadership is the way we elevate our country,” says Alsobrooks. “I hope the class encourages these students to be interested in leadership in whatever fields they pursue.”

She co-taught in person every week with government and politics Chair Antoine Banks, leading discussions and drawing on her own experiences as a state’s attorney, Prince George’s County executive and now, the third Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

“We’re at the heart of government here” at UMD, says Banks. “It’s a really exciting opportunity for our students.”

Alsobrooks recruited a series of executives to serve as guest speakers, including Baltimore Ravens President featured a tape printout

six-rotor, fully mechanical

and supplied information

rather than more-

device was far less secure,

about the device.

common light-up display.

but deemed adequate for

Sashi Brown, former Children’s National Hospital CEO Dr. Kurt Newman and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, giving Terps the opportunity to explore what effective leadership looks like across industries.

Using 15 rotors compared

battlefield communica-

5 // NEMA (Switzerland,

to the original Enigma’s

tions in World War II and

1945-94)

three, it was the only

the Korean War.

The Swiss government

to a current Maryland General Assembly intern. “They’re

The two dozen students ranged from a former Marine

developed this sleek,

a really great, sharp bunch,” says Alsobrooks. “I’m really

broken during the war.

4 // KL-7 (NATO,

10-rotor machine

inspired by these young people.”—KS

(Koeth made the device

1953-83)

based on the Enigma.

on the left operational

Introduced by the

Starting in the 1990s,

for display at the

National Security

the declassified devices

museum and is currently

Agency and distributed

were sold as surplus. For

cipher machine never

restoring the other.)

throughout NATO

anyone interested in

member nations, it was

getting into the retro-spy

3 // M-209 (United

compromised by a U.S.

game, Koeth says, “Keep

States, 1942-53)

mole in the late ’60s who

an eye out, because they

Tiny compared to the

walked into the Soviet

pop up on eBay all the

90-pound SIGABA, this

embassy in Washington

time.”—CC

P H O T O AT R I G H T BY S T E P H A N I E S . C O R D L E

SPRING 2026

5

ON THE MALL

CAMPUS LIFE

Digital Revival of a Displaced Community

New Exhibit Tells Story of Nearby Lakeland With Help From UMD Students and Faculty t the virtual intersection of Lakeland Road and Rhode Island Avenue, a tableau that laces together past and present unfolds. Next to a solar-powered smart device telling riders when the next bus is coming sits the former Mack’s Market, a mid-century general store with an ice cream counter and a billiard parlor.

It’s one of the interactive digital streetscapes featured in a new exhibition at the College Park Aviation Museum that create a portrait of Lakeland, a vibrant Black neighborhood near Lake Artemesia that

A

From left, Maxine Gross, chair of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, shares maps and old photos with Michelle Smith Collaboratory Director Quint Gregory and interns Carolina Benavides ’26 and Emma Newkirk ’26.

6

T E R P. U M D . E D U

existed for 75 years before being mostly bulldozed.

“This is going to allow Lakelanders … to see something they haven’t seen for many years, and show their children and grandchildren,” says Quint Gregory, director of UMD’s Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture, who assisted in developing “Reclaiming Our Space: The Story of Lakeland,” an effort led by residents and students.

Lakeland originated in the 1890s as a resort-style suburban community, designed to offer wealthy families more space and privacy out of the city. Within a decade, one of economic disruption, African American residents began to move in, as white people moved out.

Lakeland became a place where people picked apples from the trees in one another’s yards and had neighbors who felt like “cousins but you’re not quite sure how they’re your cousins,” says Maxine Gross ’81, chair of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project (LCHP).

Flooding had plagued part of Lakeland from its beginnings, and in the 1960s, community members asked for flood mitigation help from the local government. The result was the 1970 Lakeland Urban Renewal Plan, which had consequences they had fought against: the displacement of 104 out of 150 families to make way for Lake Artemesia Park, townhomes and apartment buildings.

“For that whole period of time, the community was in some degree of upheaval, uncertainty, living on the edge,” says Gross. “I’ve been living a lot with the voices of people who really fought hard and were truly disillusioned.” (The College Park Community Center stands on the site of Gross’ family’s former home.)

Using LCHP’s digital archive, graduate students in Gregory’s class on collaborative curation worked with Lakelanders to identify themes around which to shape the exhibition: business and entrepreneurship, connection to nature, religion, education and family.

Research for the exhibition was partly funded by a grant from the Maryland 250 Commission, recognizing Marylanders’ contributions to U.S. history during its milestone anniversary.

American studies Ph.D. candidate Scherly Virgill, along with graduate students Dramane Batiano, Hannah Brancato, John Hunter and Jamie Myre, helped develop the exhibition in Gregory’s class, and currently works at the College Park Aviation Museum. “We want to make sure that those who still live in Lakeland and future generations can see Lakeland as an enduring place of hope and joy,” she says.— sl

P H OTO BY ST E P H A N I E S. CO R D L E

Celebrating a M-ilestone

Fun Facts About Floral Landmark as It Turns 50

M FOR THE USA

The M Circle debuted with red and white petunias raised by the horticulture department (now Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture) on an elevated portion of the traffic circle. The physical plant department (now

IT CHANGES COLOR twice a year and even

Facilities Management)

scooted across the street, but the famous floral

formed a 33-foot-wide,

M has bloomed at the University of Maryland as

34-foot-tall Gothic M out of

a campus constant for a half-century.

railroad ties.

Formerly known as the M Circle, it took root

landscape services. A team

BUILDING BLOCKS

at the intersection of Campus and Regents

LIGHTING THE WAY

fills the M with 900 bronze

A. James Clark School of

drives in 1976 to mark the nation’s bicentennial.

Terps graduating in 1986 and

leaf red begonias in late

Engineering faculty salvaged

In 2020, the M settled into its new home in front

-87 let the M shine at night

spring, then yellow panolas,

and dried wood from the

of the Mitchell Building to make way for the

by contributing lights as their

a viola-pansy hybrid, in late

willow oak trees around

state’s light-rail Purple Line. Over the decades,

class gift, and new uplighting

summer.

the first M Circle, which is

it’s become one of the university’s most beloved

has been installed since the

landmarks and has served as the backdrop for

M’s move.

A UNIQUE M&M

projects. A UV printer will

UMD never wanted to be

enable direct printing on the

PLANTING PRIDE

without this landmark, so

wood, says Assistant Dean

While other campus flower

when it relocated, two Ms

of Strategic Operations and

beds switch up their blooms,

were temporarily visible at

IT Jim Zahniser, and Terps

the M stays “tried and true”

once; the original bloomed

can execute ideas at Terrapin

with its flower types, says R.

in the background as work

Works’ Keystone Woodshop.

Scott Rupert ’85, associate

continued to make the new

director of the arboretum and

one blossom.

countless Terp commencement photos.

Com-M-emorate its 50th anniversary with five flower-filled facts.—AK

See a gallery spanning the birth of the M Circle to its magnificent new identity as the M at terp.umd.edu.

now available for special

TO P P H OTO BY DY L A N S I N G L E TO N ; I N S E T P H OTO CO U RT ESY O F U N I V E R S I T Y A RC H I V ES

SPRING 2026

7

ON THE MALL

SPORTS

Homegrown Heroes

How Maryland Athletics Recruited 3 Top Local Athletes THE TRIO OF INCOMING TERPS weren’t wearing

capes when they first assembled on the Xfinity Center court during a men’s basketball game last December. But as they were introduced to the crowd, Maryland’s own “DMV Avengers” gave fans powerful new reasons to marvel.

Zion Elee, Baba Oladotun and Quincy Wilson, all from nearby high schools, were

ZION ELEE

among the top football, basketball, and track and

SPORT

field recruits, respectively—not just in Maryland,

HIGH SCHOOL

but in the nation. And all three, known by the

CLAIM TO FAME

superhero nickname along with sophomore

UMD’s highest-rated recruit of all time

Football St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) No. 1-ranked player in Maryland and No. 2 in the nation;

quarterback and Glen Burnie, Md., native Malik

CHOSE UMD OVER

Washington, had just committed to staying home

Oregon and Penn State

South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State,

to don the red, white, black and gold.

“That’s what we really want to focus on: building Maryland as the destination for these

key throughout the process, including through a strong St. Frances-to-UMD

elite athletes that play in our area,” says Barry P.

seemed like a longshot for one of the

pipeline. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, Maryland’s

Gossett Director of Athletics Jim Smith.

country’s top edges. But through eye-opening

co-defensive coordinator who gave Elee

chats with head coach Mike Locksley, whose

his first college offer as a sophomore, had

with name, image and likeness deals, revenue

staff had been following Elee since he was an

mentored his St. Frances coach, making

sharing, and the transfer portal all in play, what

eighth-grader, Elee saw the potential in the

Maryland “feel right.”

does it take for these superstars who could go

program right around the corner.

In a quickly evolving college sports landscape,

anywhere to pick College Park? We roll back the game film on the recruiting wins.—AK

We foster TE RRA P I N P R I D E by supporting student-athletes in the game and in the classroom. Join the Fearless and make a gift to the Forward campaign.

8

WITH THE TERPS coming off a

disappointing season, Maryland might’ve

T E R P. U M D . E D U

“He explained how no matter what team I played for in the Big Ten, we’d still be

The connection extended to Elee’s family: His mom, who’s from Nigeria, isn’t as familiar with the X’s and O’s of college

playing each other. We play ranked teams,

football. Locksley’s staff shared the

big games, just like every other team,” Elee

gameplan—on and off the field.

says. “So no matter where I went, I would’ve

“Even more important (to her) was the life

developed. It’s just about where I felt

after football and the wraparound services

comfortable.”

that benefit a top player in the country,”

Communication and connection proved

Locksley says.

P H O T O S C O U R T E SY O F M A R Y L A N D AT H L E T I C S

BABA OLADOTUN SPORT

Basketball

HIGH SCHOOL

James Hubert Blake High

School (Silver Spring) CLAIM TO FAME

No. 1-ranked player in

Maryland and No. 10 in the nation; UMD’s second highest-rated recruit of all time CHOSE UMD OVER

Arkansas,

Georgetown and Kentucky BORN AND RAISED just a few

miles away in Silver Spring, Md., Oladotun has long cheered for the Terps, from Melo Trimble to Jalen Smith to Derik Queen.

Even when head coach Buzz Williams took the helm last year and Maryland’s roster flipped over, the star wing still found a familiar face in the program: assistant

QUINCY WILSON

coach and director of player

SPORT

personnel Aki Collins. Before

HIGH SCHOOL

Oladotun worked to graduate

CLAIM TO FAME

early and become part of the 2026

and field male Olympian in U.S. history; under-18 400-meter

college recruiting class, Collins had

world record holder

tried—unsuccessfully—to bring him

CHOSE UMD OVER

Track and Field Bullis School (Potomac) 2024 Olympic gold medalist; youngest track

South Carolina, USC, Texas A&M and UCLA

to Overtime Elite, a league for 16- to RECRUITING AN OLYMPIAN

more than two hours, the only football coach

“‘Even though you turned me down

required a team effort at UMD.

to take the time to meet. Women’s basketball

twice … it’s not gonna happen a third

That started with head coach

20-year-olds in Atlanta.

head coach Brenda Frese, whose son also

time!’” Collins recalls joking with

Andrew Valmon, a fellow gold

runs track, talked up Maryland to Wilson’s

Oladotun during a visit. “The two of

medalist who competed in the

parents at a meet.

us had known each other so long, and

1988 and 1992 Games and owns

he told me, ‘I knew you weren’t gonna

the 4x400 world record. Having

lie to me.’”

Oladotun and his dad also bonded with Williams through regular

Even President Darryll J. Pines got special NCAA permission to visit Wilson’s home in

that level of accomplishment to look up to

Bowie, the first time he’d ever done so for

was a game-changer for Wilson, who won the

recruiting, to emphasize UMD’s academic

4x400 relay in Paris in 2024.

talks, not just about the coach’s basketball

“It’s relationship-based,” Valmon says of

benefits. And the “cherry on top,” Wilson says, was Gov. Wes Moore’s support, including a congrats call after his commitment.

philosophy, but also about their shared faith.

developing Olympians, a process his staff

That, along with the Christian campus ministry,

also has experience with. “We used that

where Oladotun’s two older Terp sisters are

approach: We all have understanding about

Wilson’s mom’s fried chicken and mac ‘n’

active, “drew me and my family closer,” he says.

what his path is going to look like.”

cheese.

Another bonus? Campus is close to

But the track and field crew weren’t the

“Why start somewhere else when you’ve

my last name on the back, that’s a once-in-a-

only Maryland coaches on “Team Wilson,” as

already built something from the ground?”

lifetime feeling,” Oladotun says.

Valmon calls it. Locksley chatted with him for

he says. “You can just keep on adding to it.”

“Being able to rep my state on my jersey with

SPRING 2026

ON THE MALL

E X P L O R AT I O N S

Libraries’ New Chapter: Havens in Times of Crisis Professor Develops Field Guide for Providing Services to Help Communities Facing Challenges AFTER OPERATING OUT of a double-wide trailer for 40 years, the

Kreutz Creek Library in York County, Pa., opened a sleek new building in 2022. But this happy ending had a twist: Now that the library was located a mile outside a small rural town, teens and others without cars couldn’t easily reach it.

Thanks to guidance from a new resource developed by a University of Maryland researcher, Manager Jennifer Johnson joined a countywide coalition seeking transportation solutions—starting as simple as offering rides on social media or using public school vans.

College of Information Professor Mega Subramaniam led the creation of “Centering Community: Library Staff Responding to Crisis” to help libraries better serve their communities amid challenges ranging from natural disasters to social inequities. Developed during COVID-19, an updated version was released in December with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

“Libraries offer far more than books: They provide physical space where people gather, technology for people to use, expertise, information professionals and human connection,” especially critical during crises, Subramaniam says.

Formed through sessions with library teams across the country, the field guide presents strategies for preparing for and responding to emergencies, like building relationships and involving community members in decision-making.

So far, it’s resulted in a variety of successes, from a library in Iowa providing a place to email insurance claim documents after storms to one in New York offering a locker with free hygiene products for youth in need.

“You feel like you’re wearing a toolbelt,” Johnson says. “It’s not just this intellectual exercise. It has very practical applications.”—AK

10

T E R P. U M D . E D U

A Recipe for Paring Down Plastic Pollution

Armed With AI, Researchers Cook Up Greener Alternatives for Everyday Products

ike a sprinkle of domestic magic, those pre-measured pods of detergent, fabric softener and brightener that hit the market more than a decade ago have made life a bit easier.

But it’s unclear whether laundry pods, made of a plastic called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), fully dissolve in standard wastewater treatment, potentially leading to less-charmed outcomes for ecosystems and even human health.

That cleaning conundrum, along with impacts from thousands of other kinds of plastic in daily life, prompted University of Maryland engineering researchers to search for biodegradable alternatives— natural substances that mimic plastic without the potentially toxic remains.

“It’s a massive pollution problem with no single solution,” says chemical and biomolecular engineering Assistant Professor Po-Yen Chen. He’s leading the project, which is supported by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation and stems from a UMD Grand Challenges Grant.

Studies suggest that exposure to plastic additives like BPA and phthalates can disrupt hormones and may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage, while some plastics may increase cancer risk.

A recent study even suggests climate effects, finding the presence of these microplastics could be reducing oceans’ ability to absorb atmospheric carbon.

The United Nations estimates that worldwide, people produce more than 430 million metric tons of

L

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y VA L E R I E M O R G A N

New Phase of Grants Program Launches UMD is doubling down on its progress in accelerating solutions to humanity’s most pressing issues in our communities and around the globe through its Grand Challenges Grants Program.

Three years ago, the university awarded $30 million to research teams and individual investigators—50 projects in all, tackling vital questions in areas ranging from global health to safe and

Po-Yen Chen examines a sheet of biodegradable plasstic film created using an AI system he developed.

efficient energy production to the promotion of economic growth and equality.

That investment has paid off in

plastic yearly, with some types persisting in the environment for centuries.

Until recently, the biggest obstacle to Chen’s search for greener products was time; finding formulations that meet a product’s requirements for characteristics like strength, opacity and moisture management is a huge task. “Even with our current library of 23 natural components like cellulose, gelatin, carrageenan, gluten and additives like sorbitol and glycerol, to test all possible combinations would take 1.8 million years,” he says.

Here comes artificial intelligence (AI) to the rescue. With AI, plus robots and computer modeling, “we can do those same tests in just a few months,” Chen says. He likens the process to making soup, adding ingredients in varying proportions “until you get the very tastiest soup you can make”—but in this case robots are adjusting the recipe at lightning speed, learning and applying findings about each ingredient as they go.

Chen’s team focuses on single-use plastics

P H OTO BY ST E P H A N I E S. CO R D L E

like food packaging. With AI mixing and matching to meet the product’s physical requirements, some clear successes have emerged: For example, in a project with the Food and Drug Administration, the team developed a food film derived from shellfish shells that’s transparent, compostable, moisture-regulating and even antimicrobial. In a comparison study, the team’s alternative wrap significantly outperformed standard plastic wrap at preserving cucumbers, fending off mold and shriveling for 15 days, and gave avocados a longer shelf life, too.

“We don’t expect to get rid of all the plastic already out there,” he says, “but we hope to vastly reduce future production, and pollution, by creating replacements we know to be safe.”

—jennifer s. holland m.s. ’98

a surge of $55 million in additional funding for the projects unlocked from external sources.

Now UMD has introduced the Grand Challenges Grants Program 2.0, and will announce funding late this spring for up to 10 creative new institutional and team projects.

“We have been tremendously impressed and inspired by the bold ideas and solutions that resulted from the first round of Grand Challenges Grants and can’t wait to see how the proposals generated for version 2.0 continue to move our campus, state, nation and world fearlessly forward,”

UMD researchers are taking on humanity’s G RAND CHAL L ENG ES in global health,

energy, data security and online privacy, sustainability and more. You can help move Maryland Forward for bold and brave solutions by making a gift to the campaign.

Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Patrick O’Shea wrote when announcing the expansion.

SPRING 2026

11

ON THE MALL

E X P L O R AT I O N S

Where the Cloud Hits the Ground

Can Engineering Researchers Make Data Centers Better Neighbors? oomscrolling, influencing, backing up to the cloud, having AI write that report for corporate—it’s all well and good until a data center springs up next door.

From Prince George’s County nooks to L.A.’s exurbs, America is having a reckoning with its Extremely Online status. Local residents and environmentalists are fighting to stop construction of these sprawling buildings that hold internet and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, fearful of noise, pollution and resource consumption: Large facilities can swallow millions of gallons of water daily and jack up regional electric rates.

D

Unless we all decide to swear off modern technology, data centers are likely to keep growing. With skill and innovation, though, their worst qualities can be tempered, says a group of researchers in UMD’s A. James Clark School of Engineering.

“We need data centers, but they’re not always good to live nearby,” says civil and environmental engineering (CEE) Professor Birthe Kjellerup. “One thing UMD can do is to be the place people can come to discuss these issues, and to solve them.” Here are four solutions that she and colleagues are developing:

DE-GUNKIFY HEAT TRANSFER

WASTE NOT, HEAT NOT Inside

Data center heat transfer

the data center, heat from all

systems use water for cooling,

those humming servers and AI

but water tends to grow microor-

processors hurts operations.

ganisms no matter what you do.

Move it outside and it can be

The result is biofilm buildup, an

repurposed as green energy.

insulator that forces the systems

Both Kjellerup and Agonafer are

to work harder and more

developing methods to harvest

wastefully than when they’re

data centers’ wasted energy

clean. Kjellerup’s research aims

for heating other buildings and

to reduce microbial growth and

industrial processes.

redirect biofilms to noncritical areas of the system.

12

T E R P. U M D . E D U

MAKE THE GRADE Leading an SWEAT THE PROCESSOR

effort for the American Society

COOLING Taking inspiration

of Civil Engineers, CEE Chair

from nature—how we sweat, to

Nii O. Attoh-Okine is looking to

be precise—and then cranking

create a data center “report

that cooling potential to the

card” to objectively measure

limit, mechanical engineering

performance “just like we do

Associate Professor and Clark

with tunnels, bridges and any

Faculty Fellow Damena Agonafer

other big infrastructure project,”

has developed a two-phase

he says. With standards for

evaporative cooling technology

noise, water use, generator

fit to chill high-powered AI

smoke and many other opera-

processors. As a result, they’ll

tional factors in place, he says,

operate more efficiently and

data centers might lose some of

consume less electricity.

their bad reputation.—CC

I L L U S T R AT I O N S V I A A D O B E S T O C K

ASK THE EXPERT A DV I C E FO R R E A L L I F E

The Doctor Will See Your Plant Now

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PLANTS

Don’t just dig a

hole, plop some daisies in it, then love them not. Ask the nursery for advice on watering and fertilizing, and consider first getting a soil test to understand pH and nutrient levels.

ANA CRISTINA FULLADOLSA’S latest patient

isn’t showing a positive on the virus test strip.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT GREENERY

A culture is inconclusive. And talking about

really want a particular plant in our garden, but it’s

symptoms? Forget about it.

not adapted for this environment,” Fulladolsa says.

That’s because it’s a sickly strawberry, sent to Fulladolsa to examine as director of UMD’s

“Sometimes we

Native species are best, but no matter what, consider rainfall, sun exposure and space before you plant.

Plant Diagnostic Lab. For nurseries, farmers and landscapers across Maryland, she’s their

DON’T IGNORE ISSUES

own “Dr. House,” investigating languishing

losing its leaves prematurely, or your vibrant azaleas

If your favorite maple starts

leaves, rotting roots and deformed daffodils.

are looking yellow and patchy, “the problem’s not

“Every day, you’re solving a puzzle,” says

going to go away,” she says. Waiting to take action

the assistant research professor. She works

can make it harder or more expensive to manage, or

closely with state and national agencies as

might even doom the plant.

well as the University of Maryland Extension to monitor new diseases and pests, prevent

CONSULT EXTENSION

outbreaks and educate the public. She offers

Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center

these tips on how to grow healthy plants:

online for help; equivalent offices are a great

Marylanders can contact

resource in other states. If Extension experts don’t have the answer, they’ll bring in Fulladolsa to do more digging.—KS

Model Musician UMD-built AI System Amplifies a UniversalNVIDIA Partnership

Universal Music Group that could revolu-

who preferred it to existing AI models. “When

tionize music discovery and creation.

Music Flamingo came out and started beating

Streaming services’ current recommenda-

everything else, the whole music industry got

tion algorithms rely on user behavior rather

really interested,” says Ramani Duraiswami, a

than musical analysis; cue up Taylor Swift

professor in UMD’s Department of Computer

and it will recommend Sabrina Carpenter

Science and a system co-creator along with

next because listeners who like the first tend

doctoral student Sreyan Gosh.

A NEW AI LANGUAGE MODEL that under-

to like the second. But Music Flamingo goes

stands music like a trained musician is one

deeper, analyzing stylistic, compositional,

help create, promote and safeguard it for

beat closer to reaching your devices.

even emotional content to fulfill user

artists, Ghosh says, leveraging AI speed and

preferences.

power without quashing human inspiration:

Music Flamingo, developed by UMD and NVIDIA researchers, anchors a recently announced partnership between NVIDIA and

Beyond finding music, the system could

The system was trained on more than 4

“Anything that we build should be loved by

million songs and tested on real musicians,

the music creator family.”–JASON DINH

I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y C H A R L E N E P R O S S E R C A S T I L L O ( T O P ) A N D VA L E R I E M O R G A N ( B O T T O M ) .

SPRING 2026

13

ON THE MALL

E X P L O R AT I O N S

FA C U LT Y Q & A RICHARD BELL

World Wide Reb

In New Book, Historian Depicts American Revolution as Global War

Caribbean and India, where George Washington could not. By the war’s final stages, 70% of Britain’s 100,000 troops were bogged down outside North America.

What were the war’s ripple effects up to the present?

The 18th century was a world of empires, and some drew lessons from Britain’s loss, prompting them to increase oversight over

THE REVOLUTION WAS NEVER just between

their subjects. We see a giant crackdown on

Redcoats and rebels; it was a world war in

colonial insurgency in the Spanish Empire,

all but name, UMD history Professor Richard

British Empire, Ireland, India and Sierra

Bell argues in his newest book, “The Ameri-

Leone. At the same time, the American

can Revolution and the Fate of the World.”

rebellion is an inspiration to colonial rights-

Bell, who grew up in London where

seekers, so you see uprisings in those same

discussion of the war was taboo, presents a

countries along with Haiti, France and South

panorama of nations and individuals navi-

America during what soon becomes known

gating the cataclysm: a Native American

as the Age of Revolutions.

woman holding together an American alliance in Niagara; a Philadelphia debutante who becomes a loyalist in London; a Boston schoolteacher who joins a privateering mission and ends up in a British-run detention site across the Atlantic.

In a conversation with Terp, he recounts a conflict that disrupted trade, restructured penal systems, stirred famine, toppled empires and shaped the world as we know it.–JT

What’s the book’s main takeaway?

The only way the Continental Army could win was by diverting British forces into military campaigns across the world. They

Can you describe one of your characters?

John Moseley was a Black man enslaved in Virginia when the war breaks out in 1775. He throws in his lot with the king’s cause, hoping Britain will guarantee his liberty when its mighty army wins. Well, it loses, and he becomes a refugee in London, where he’s caught committing a crime of poverty. Before the revolution, Britain banished felons to hard labor in Maryland and Virginia, but that ceased after the war.

So Moseley boarded the very first prison transport ship to Botany Bay, Australia—the first American to set foot on that continent.

sent their best man, Benjamin Franklin, to Europe in 1776 to meet a team of Britain’s foes—France, Spain, the Dutch Republic and others—who formed a grand alliance to take on British forces in places like the

14

T E R P. U M D . E D U

Have you talked to Lin-Manuel Miranda about a “Hamilton” spinoff?

He called me, but I told him I couldn’t talk right now, I gotta talk to Terp instead.

CO L L AG E BY L AU R E N B I AG I N I ; ART VIA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Cracking da Vinci’s Genetic Code

Researcher Helps Establish Possible DNA Link to “Mona Lisa” Artist

or centuries, authenticating a purported Vermeer or Pollock has largely relied on circumstantial evidence. Curators debated the fluidity and weight of brushstrokes, analyzed paint ingredients and carbon-dated canvasses, but could never fully erase doubts.

Now, a UMD researcher could change all that— starting with the original Renaissance man’s DNA. Cell biology and molecular genetics Assistant Professor Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe and collaborators in the global Leonardo da Vinci Project (LDVP) posted a study earlier this year linking human genetic material they’d recovered from a disputed work by the 15th-century scientist and artist to letters penned by a relative.

Despite Leonardo’s fame and influence, fewer than 25 works are attributed to him, so any newly verified pieces would be momentous. Beyond that, such DNA research has the potential to transform the art world.

“There are so many questions in history that have not been answered,” says Gonzalez-Juarbe. With these “next-gen techniques to study art and cultural artifacts, we can understand history in a biological sense.”

Gonzalez-Juarbe is a microbiome expert, skilled at studying systems with low DNA abundance like the lungs. He was invited to join the LDVP to improve conservation efforts, finding and addressing microorganisms that could damage aging artwork. But when his team recovered human DNA, they realized they had a unique opportunity.

Gonzalez-Juarbe and colleagues gained access to the privately owned “Holy Child,” a palm-sized red chalk sketch of a young boy, believed to be drawn by da Vinci, then prepped for six months so they could extract the most DNA without damaging the art. On

F

T O P P H O T O B Y M A R G U E R I T E M A N G I N ; “ H O LY C H I L D ” P H O T O B Y N O R B E R T O G O N Z A L E Z-J U A R B E / J . C R A I G V E N T E R I N S T I T U T E

Above: To determine if famed scientist and artist Leonardo da Vinci drew the “Holy Child” (shown at left), UMD Assistant Professor Norberto GonzalezJuarbe (left), and forensic biologist Rhonda Roby (center), collected microbial collect swabs from the palm-sized red chalk sketch.

the day, Gonzalez-Juarbe was the only man allowed to take a sample to limit contamination of the Y chromosome they planned to sequence.

“It’s incredible to be a part of art history,” he says. “If you go to the Louvre, you stand in front of the ‘Mona Lisa,’ but you can’t touch it or do anything with it. Here I am, looking at this drawing raw, with no glass.”

For comparison, the team needed Leonardo’s DNA. But without access to his tomb, it turned to a set of letters penned by his father’s cousin in Tuscany. Those missives had enough genetic material in both the wax sealing’s thumbprint and the string tying them together.

The result: DNA from the sketch and the letters shared a Y chromosome profile, strongly suggesting a link.

To further establish provenance, the team hopes to test additional da Vinci notebooks and lesser-known pieces, as well as compare DNA from them to descendants tested at the University of Florence.

Requests are flooding in for the team to verify works by other historical giants. “Now that we have this framework, we can use it for anyone,” says Gonzalez-Juarbe.—ks

SPRING 2026

15

University of Maryland is creating,

marked the milestone this spring.

Here are some ways Arts for All

at the table to have their voice be heard.”

the Declaration of Independence, the

250th anniversary of the signing of

initiative. “They are a way in which we ensure that we’re giving everyone a seat

of the 1980s.

This year, as the nation marks the

says Craig Kier, School of Music professor and executive director of the Arts for All

commentary on race relations in

Crossing the Delaware” or the social

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s gritty paintings

tions, and also help us find a way forward for imagining the future of our country,”

face in Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington

“The arts allow us to look back at a history that has highs as well as complica-

the determination of the first president’s

the state of our United States. Think of

saluting and showcasing art about the American experience.

CENTURIES OF ARTWORKS have illumi-

nated, romanticized and even criticized

O N N ATI O N ’S 250TH A N N I V E R SA RY, U MD C E LE BRATES A N D RE FLECTS TH RO U GH TH E A RTS

MADEABOUT

the U.S. flag.

reinforcing how individual

right and duty to help shape the future

the title of citizen. It is every citizen’s

1 . P H O T O B Y J O H N T. C O N S O L I ; 2 . C O U R T E S Y O F T H E D A V I D C . D R I S K E L L C E N T E R ; 3 . P H O T O B Y J O H N T. C O N S O L I ; 4 . P H O T O B Y L I S A H E L F E R T ; C O U R T E S Y O F U N I V E R S I T Y A R C H I V E S

work, “Between Us.”

place in the visual art category for her

interpret the power of

and responded to the quotes,

more powerful than that of president is

major Sofia Apgar ’26 earned second

objects and images that

contributed to the paintings

democracy, the only title higher and

to shape a broader civic and

experiment through

Douglass. Participants

former President Jimmy Carter: “In our

cultural story.

of the American

of Marylander Frederick

film on the theme of this quote from

legacy of our nation.” Biological sciences

failures and triumphs

and influential quotes

in music, visual art, poetry and short

expressions come together

ities, opportunities,

murals featuring portraits

Justice invited students to submit pieces

the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and

David C. Driskell Center explored the complex-

maker Imar Hutchins led a

closed May 9 at the

house, collagist and print-

community project to create

The annual competition co-hosted by

The exhibition that

At UMD’s springtime open

SADAT ARTS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE COMPETITION

“AMERICA WILL BE!”

MARYLAND DAY MURAL

“We Shall Overcome.”

“America the Beautiful” and

“Lift Every Voice and Sing,”

Star-Spangled Banner,”

the program included “The

students and alum artists,

Performed by UMD faculty,

ties throughout the U.S.

anthems for communi-

poems that have become

Day presented songs and

This concert on Maryland

AMERICAN ANTHEMS: REFLECTING ON THE NATION’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

African American experience.

with enslaved people and the

UMD’s historical intersections

findings of the 1856 Project on

will showcase the research

by the University Libraries

poem, this exhibition hosted

A nod to Langston Hughes’

(September-October)

“I, TOO, SING AMERICA” EXHIBITION

JEFF KINNEY ’93 was a shaky student and failed newspaper cartoonist with a big dream.

Recounting some of his own misadventures, he reveals that despite being one of the world’s top-selling authors, he’s still figuring things out.

18

T E R P. U M D . E D U

© W I M PY K I D, I N C . 2026

by t r a d an Essays Kinney ’93 Jeff SPRING 2026

19

In my defense,

my family always used cuticle scissors when

I positioned a toenail between the curved ends

I tell such an embarrassing “I was today years

of the nail clipper, squeezed the ends together,

old”-flavored story? Is it to ensure that I’ll never

and … nothing. Not even a dent.

be able to run for higher office?

I was growing up. For the uninitiated, they’re

But then I thought, what if I’m doing this

the miniature scissors with a gentle curve in

wrong? And so, deeply aware of the ridiculous-

the blade, perfect for cutting fingernails or, yes,

ness of the situation, I typed the following in

I’ve had some success in my professional life, but

toenails. Cuticle scissors were in every medicine

my phone’s search box, “How do you use nail

my everyday one is filled with failures, dotted

cabinet of every bathroom of our family home.

clippers?”

with the occasional small triumph. In many

Nail clippers, on the other hand, baffled me— clearly overengineered for a task that could be

The search results came back instantly.

I clicked “play” on the YouTube video, and to

My aim in starting out this way is to illustrate the fact that I haven’t got it all figured out. Yes,

ways, I’m just beginning my journey into a more grown-up world.

performed handily by my reliable cuticle scissors.

my incredulous surprise, I discovered that nail

Some of you might have started reading this

And besides, every time I had occasion to use

clippers have a lever that rotates outward and,

piece hoping for sage words of wisdom. You’ve

nail clippers, I just couldn’t get them to work.

when depressed, creates considerable force—

come to the wrong place for that. This essay is

Last year, I found myself in Australia, and

enough to cut through, say, the nail on a big toe.

I knew I couldn’t make it through a 10-day

At that moment, I leveled up as a human.

written by a children’s author who succeeded despite himself.

trip without trimming my toenails. The hotel

I made short work of my toenails, marveling at

But if there’s something you can learn from

gift shop’s only option was those infernal nail

the feat of engineering I held in my hand. I was

my failings and shortcomings, that would really

clippers.

54 years old.

Back in my hotel room, I opened the packaging and steeled myself for the challenge.

20

T E R P. U M D . E D U

Why, given the chance to write a cover story for my alma mater’s alumni magazine, would

be something. And while you’re reading, I’ll be trimming my nails. They’ve gotten a little out of control.

A SLOW STUDY I KNOW HOW THESE THINGS are

supposed to go. When I open my freshly delivered copy of Terp magazine in my kitchen, I’m greeted with articles about extraordinary people whose stories of success are inspiring and motivating.

A central thread of most of these stories is how an individual’s time spent at the University of Maryland helped chart their path forward. And while my time at Maryland did indeed play an instrumental role in putting me on the road I’m on now, it would be a stretch to connect those dots too meaningfully.

science major, and quickly discovered that my

academic shortcomings. I was too undisciplined—

And so, when I was approached with a

more studious, more motivated classmates had

too entitled?—to see the incredible opportunities

request to share life lessons I’ve learned, I had

put themselves on a steady path to academic

afforded to me at a school of this caliber. It

to be candid with the magazine’s editors before

success. Whereas I spent one entire evening

would take me years—decades!—to fully absorb

agreeing to take the assignment. The truth is, as

hiding under a dormmate’s bed, just for the jump

what I’d missed out on.

an undergraduate at Maryland, I was a bit of a

scare payoff.

mess. In fact, I was the absolute worst.

This confession seemed to be music to one

After two years of struggle, I was kindly asked to leave the computer science program by an

Fast forward 32 years. My son recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a politics, philosophy, and economics major. He

editor’s ears. “Write about that! People will

administrator. So I tried on a new identity, as a

had his fun at Maryland—piles of it—but also had

want to hear it.” And so, buoyed by this perhaps

criminal justice major. Somehow, I graduated just

the maturity to lock in when it was time to do so.

terrible advice, I’ll embark on my story, warts

one semester behind my peers.

and all.

I started off in Bel Air Hall, then an all-guys

He got the best out of Maryland, and Maryland

Still, I finished with a 2.something GPA. The

got the best out of him. And by living vicariously

only thing that’s preventing me from looking into

through his four-year ride, I got to experience

honors residence on North Campus, living

what the “point something” actually was is the

Maryland a second time around.

among quirky, bright 18- and 19-year olds. Rumor

fear that my mother is reading this right now

has it that one of the guys living on the floor

and will be disappointed in me.

above me went on to co-found Google. It was that kind of place.

My dormmates had an academic discipline that was completely alien to me. As a rule of

I can’t stress this enough: Nothing about my

For every alum who made the most of their time at Maryland, you have my admiration and respect. For all those who scraped by like me,

academic record at Maryland predicted any kind

maybe you’ll have a kid who goes there, too. But

of future success.

don’t get your hopes up. I’ve heard it’s impossi-

In no way do I blame the university for my

ble to get in these days.

thumb, if anyone in my orbit was still awake, I couldn’t—wouldn’t—start working on my schoolwork. And when the last person turned in for the night at, say, 1 in the morning, I decided it might be a good idea for me to get some rest, too.

It turns out this way of thinking wasn’t fantastic for my grades. I started off as a computer

“I can’t stress this enough: Nothing about my academic record at Maryland predicted any kind of future success.”

SPRING 2026

21

PAPER CHASE WHEN MY SON ACCEPTED his offer to become a

entirely. It had a daily circulation of 30,000, with

my academic career was effectively on hold, if

Terp, I said this: Maryland is too big. You have to

just three coveted cartooning spots. I tried to

not finished.

make it small for yourself, or you’ll get lost.

break in a few times, but didn’t have any luck.

I knew of what I spoke. When I got to

Then, a miracle. I’ll never forget the day when,

Every night, I made a calculation. Should I work on this homework assignment, which will be

Maryland as a second-year transfer student, I

while living in a six-person suite in Leonardtown,

struggled to find my moorings, to find my people.

I got The Call. It was the editor of The Diamond-

be seen by upwards of 30,000 students? More

But I had a breakthrough in my third semester

back. One of the cartoonists had dropped out.

often than not, I shot for the bigger audience.

on campus.

The slot was mine, if I wanted it.

In the college where I’d started off, I had a

From that day forward, everything for me got

seen by one professor, or this comic, which will

My report card suffered, but my skills as a humorist grew. Every day I’d try to wake up in

cartoon in the paper. It was a weekly, and I’m not

better, and also worse. I suddenly had the

time to get to the dining hall before lunch ended,

sure there was any barrier to entry. If you wrote

attention of every kid who picked up their free

to watch kids reading the comic I’d turned in

it, they’d print it.

copy of The Diamondback—yes, print copies were

the night before. Sometimes they’d chuckle.

a thing back then, and phones weren’t yet—but

Sometimes they’d turn the page, a blank look on

The Diamondback was a different beast

their faces. I registered it all.

A nontrivial side benefit of having a comic in The Diamondback was making daily visits to the newsroom and getting to know the staffers.

They were all there to do the same thing as me: to cut their teeth, to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and to develop their skills in front of a sizable audience. This special group of people had managed to pull off quite a trick—to shrink a campus of 1,300 acres down to the size of a newsroom.

Some of those journalists went on to do something even more remarkable—to make the world smaller, more knowable to an audience of news readers. I feel grateful for getting to share that pizza box-littered office in South Campus with them. The work they’re doing now is more important than ever.

22

T E R P. U M D . E D U

AN IGNOMINIOUS CLOSE I MAY NOT HAVE left behind a stellar academic

record during my time at the university, but I

them and retired for the night.

After dragging myself out of bed sometime

physically, as I did in the hours that followed.

I managed to get most of the green stains out,

definitely left my mark. Just not in the way I

around 1 p.m., I went back to campus to see

but traces remained, maybe even to this day. By

expected to.

how many of my flyers had survived the

the time I was finished, the sleeves of my Starter

During my last semester, I self-published a

inevitable purge.

jacket were as full of holes as Swiss cheese. To this day, I can’t look at Starter jackets without

compilation of my comics in The Diamondback,

It was raining, and I pulled the hood of

“The Igdoof Bathroom Companion.” I even had a

my Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket over my

well-attended book signing at the Stamp Student

head (it was a different time). But when I set

Union, which constituted a high-water mark in

foot on McKeldin Mall, I was met with an

at the University of Maryland. It seemed like a

unexpected sight. My flyers did not

fitting ending.

my life up to that point.

But the brief moment of glory was marred by

appear to have been removed. At

a colossal blunder that still makes me cringe. I’m

a distance, I could see neon green

wearing a grimace as I write this.

rectangles on every pillar I’d

I decided to do a little advertising after the book came out, and printed a few dozen flyers

But when I got closer to one, I realized the horrifying truth.

Kinko’s had to offer.

These weren’t my flyers—they were the stains the flyers had

marketing effort. The plan? To tape my flyers to

left on the pillars after being

every white column of every building on campus.

soaked with rain. The damage

Of course, I knew the rule against posting

to campus property seemed

advertisements. But I also knew what happened to them. Upon discovery by campus workers, advertisements were swiftly cleared away and

incalculable.

I got on my scooter and drove to a store, where I

disposed of. The evidence of that—four pieces

purchased gallons of bleach

of Scotch tape forming the frame of removed

and several rolls of paper

flyers—was everywhere on campus.

towels, then raced back to

I figured that the few hours my flyers remained up might help me get the word out about my book. So I blanketed campus with

That moment marked the end of my time

placed them on.

on the most garish neon green paper that After midnight, I set out on a guerrilla

cringing, either.

the nearest pillar and started scrubbing.

I’ve never worked as hard,

SPRING 2026

23

DRIVE-BY ADVICE TWO YEARS AFTER I graduated from Maryland,

At the time, newspapers were starting to

Not long after, I came up with the idea for

I found myself in unfamiliar territory. I’d moved

contract. Most big cities still had two dailies,

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” a book about a flawed

to Boston and had gotten a job as a newspaper

but many were now down to one. I knew

middle schooler with an aversion to cheese. But

designer on the North Shore, an hour’s drive

that my prospects for becoming a newspaper

thanks to Benjamin Franklin, I told no one. I

from my tiny apartment.

cartoonist—my rock-star dream—might be out of

toiled in secret on my manuscript for nine years.

reach.

Because a dream is a fragile thing, and it needs

This wasn’t where I’d expected to be. I’d set my sights on becoming an agent for the Bureau

One day when I was driving north on the high-

of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms—a not-

way, I noticed a billboard with a black backing

unrealistic goal, since I’d worked as a computer

and white letters. It read: “Well done is better

programmer at headquarters for two years. But

than well said.”

then Waco happened, and the agency stopped hiring, so I was sent spinning in a different direction.

Every night when I came home from my job at

The quote was attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and it hit me hard.

I’d been telling everyone I was going to

cartoon syndicates, which are the gatekeepers

until I had something that was worth sharing.

ballpoint scrawl. Fair enough. My strip was called “Igdoof.”

24

T E R P. U M D . E D U

featuring, say, Joe Camel?

Whoever it was, and whatever your motivawas a crazy thing to do.

so was starting to suffocate me. After seeing that quote, I decided to keep my ambitions to myself

feedback I ever got was when the head of one

idea to put something like that on a billboard?

Couldn’t they have made more money with an ad

tions, this cartoonist thanks you. But it really

the newspaper, I worked on my comics submis-

syndicate wrote, “Change the name” in a

All these years later, I still think about that quote. Who on earth thought it was a good

become a newspaper cartoonist. My failure to do

sions, trying to get noticed by one of the big for newspapers. Rejections followed. The only

to be protected.

FUN AND GAMES EVERY GOOD VIDEO GAME has a few side

Poptropica, a kids’ site that would entertain and

designers who brought Poptropica to life for

quests. On my path to becoming a children’s

educate a generation of kids.

hundreds of millions of kids.

author, I had a serious diversion.

I wish I could take credit for the coding. But

I found out years later that Jordan hadn’t

by then, I’d maxed out on my programming skills,

meant to post that one line instead of his

became a programmer for a medical software

which the university had rightly determined

full resume. He’d just written that text as a

company (take that, computer science depart-

were subpar.

placeholder, which he’d planned to replace with

After a one-year stint at the newspaper, I

ment administrator!) and then an internet

If I wanted to get this ambitious product off

video game designer. One day, when I was

the ground, I was going to need to bring in a few

mowing my tiny lawn, I had an idea.

hired guns.

his actual resume.

If he had, I fear I might have overlooked him.

Because confidence that’s backed up by talent is appealing to me.

This was right around the time when iPods

So I posted a job listing on a website for a

and similar devices were proliferating. Suddenly,

lead developer. I got one bite, from a guy named

you could take all your digital stuff with you—

Jordan Leary, who lived in Utah. His resume

your music, your photos, even your books.

consisted of a single line: “My work speaks for

sometimes, you have to stand on the shoulders

This was during the heyday of kids’ games like

itself.”

of geniuses. I’m grateful for the shoulders I was

Animal Crossing and Club Penguin, where the

This line grabbed me. What kind of person

goal was to collect a lot of stuff and deck out

could be that audacious? Curious, I went through

your avatar and virtual home.

But what if your characters could take all their stuff with them?

This seed of a thought later became

And to butcher a Sir Isaac Newton quote, if you want to go further than you can on your own,

allowed to stand on.

his entire digital portfolio. His work really did speak for itself. It was creative, visionary, maybe even genius. I hired him, and he became the head of a sprawling team of developers and

SPRING 2026

25

WRITE TURN “I WROTE A FEW children’s books ... not

on purpose.” —Stephen Wright The only downside of listening to Benjamin Franklin and keeping your ambitions to yourself is that you stay in a silo, your grand plans untested by people who matter.

In the nine years I worked on “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” not for one second did I think I was writing for children. I know this sounds a bit mad, but it’s true.

Growing up, my favorite section of the bookstore was the Humor section. It was a catch-all for anything that was funny: Jerry Seinfeld’s memoir, collections of dirty jokes and the latest Far Side Gallery.

Having left Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary behind years ago, I had no idea what was going on in the Middle Grades category, or even that there was such a thing. With “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” I had my sights set on the shelves of the Humor section, where the funny stuff went.

My book would be for people who wanted to look BACK on middle school. Sort of like “The

“In the nine years I worked on ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ not for one second did I think I was writing for children.”

Wonder Years” or “A Christmas Story”—childhood revisited through an adult lens.

Plus, my book would be LONG. I had put

discovered that this was a consumer-facing show—not really the kind of venue where they’re

together a 1,300-page first draft. I wanted to

looking for manuscripts. But I found the right

have some shelf presence with this thing.

guy, an editor named Charlie Kochman, who

Once finished, I traveled to New York City with a freshly printed, Kinko’s-bound sampler of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Comic Con was in town that week.

I walked my sample packet around and

26

T E R P. U M D . E D U

liked what he saw.

Charlie took my sample back to his publishing

series—for a middle-grade audience.

I’ve never experienced so much dissonance as I did in that moment. Me, a kids’ writer?

I’d hate to give myself over to the gimmick of starting AND ending an essay with a quote. But these days, as I look out over lines of 11-year-olds

house, where he and his team determined

clutching my latest book, I can’t help but think,

that I hadn’t written a nostalgic look back on

“Man plans, and God laughs.” Thankfully for me,

childhood. I’d written a children’s book—no, a

so do fifth-graders.

SCREEN TIME It turns out, I wasn’t. I wrote a well-received

IN EVERY STORY, the protagonist hits a few

film, a Hollywood big-timer, told me how the

bumps in the road. I’ve had my share along

screenwriting process would work. They’d hire

first draft, then followed it up with a not-so-

the way.

writers to “sing in the same tune” as my books.

well-received second draft. Working on the

When my second book came out, I got a call from a movie studio that was interested in buying the rights to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” My

I wouldn’t be the screenwriter, but I’d be a part

third, while also writing and illustrating the

of the process.

10th “Wimpy Kid” book, put me at my desk for

I wanted to be the screenwriter myself, but

upwards of 16 hours a day. And then a plane

truthfully, I wasn’t even remotely qualified.

crashed into the house next to mine—no lie—and

bidding wars, so I had 24 hours to consider the

Sometimes novelists think that if they can write

I got shingles from the cumulative stress.

offer before they took it off the table.

a full-length book, then surely they could bang

lawyer told me that studios don’t like to get into

At that time, I was fully enmeshed in a book tour, and fully exhausted. I was getting four or

out a double-spaced 90-page manuscript.

While there are some success stories, more

five hours of sleep a night and making two or

often than not, novelists-turned-first-time-

three stops a day. So when the clock ran out, I

screenwriters get fired and replaced. I didn’t

begged my lawyer for one hour of sleep before

want that to be me.

I made my decision.

My lawyer warned that the offer would be off

Three “Wimpy Kid” films later, I’d learned a thing or two about movie-making. My time spent

Like my first Poptropica hire, my work spoke for itself, but poorly. I hadn’t put in the time to learn the craft. I wasn’t ready for my opportunity.

I raised my hand too soon. And I got fired.

Not my finest moment, and one that still stings. But I took my lessons along with my lumps, and over time, learned how to write a proper screenplay.

the table by the time I woke up. I thought about

in creative meetings and on location taught

Since then, I’ve written five scripts for

it. I decided the nap was worth the risk. When

me how the sausage got made. And so when

Disney+, all of which have been made into

I woke up, the offer was still there. I’m not sure

the subject came up of hiring a screenwriter

animated films, with more on the way. But my

if this is really a transferable life lesson, but

to tackle the fourth movie, I raised my hand.

first-effort failure was enough to remind me that

sometimes you just need that nap.

I thought I was ready.

The producer the studio hired to make the

I’m capable of falling flat on my face, which is a strong motivation to watch where I’m going.

SPRING 2026

27

THINK PIECE I’VE DOCUMENTED SOME of my failings in the

pages of this magazine, but to balance things

I’ll give you a quick primer. Take an object, like a pair of glasses. List the components:

out, it seems like the right time to mention a

lenses, frames. Now, apply a few tools to each

win. Because if my mom has read this far, she

component. Subtraction, division, multiplication

deserves something positive.

and a few more that are a little too involved for

If I were to flip through the pages of my early books, I could draw a direct connection between almost every vignette in Greg’s journal and

this piece.

Let’s subtract the lenses from the glasses.

Do we have a product anyone could use? Yes.

something that happened in my life growing up

Sports stars who don’t have problems with their

in Fort Washington, Md. Yes, the cheese was a

vision but want to look fashionable might use

real thing, but I’ll never tell who ate it.

lensless glasses.

After those first five books, I’d pretty much exhausted the childhood memories that

What if you subtract the frames? Could anybody use that? Well, sure, if you shrunk the

formed my source material. I needed to invent

lenses and made them thinner. Now you’ve got

authentic-seeming childhood memories.

contact lenses.

And so, I entered into a challenging time.

This method unlocked a whole new world for

Every year, I wrote a new book, and every year,

me as a comedy writer. These days, I start every

I tried some new tactic for developing material.

book with a theme, and I list components that

I lay on the couch with a blanket over my head.

go with that theme. My last book was about a

I rode my bike in circles for hours. I took long

birthday party, so my components were cake,

walks—sometimes 10 miles or more—waiting for

frosting, candles, gifts and about 290 more.

providence to deliver me an original idea. More often than not, the idea never came.

Then one day, at the company where I worked, management hired some creativity

Then, I apply the tools I mentioned above to each component. At the end, I’ve got more than a thousand jokes. I use the best 250.

Now, I feel like I can write books forever. You

experts from Tel Aviv to come train us. They

might not be a children’s writer, but I promise

had developed a proven system to generate

that you can use these tools to overcome

creative solutions, which they called Systematic

hurdles in your life and work. It sure beats

Inventive Thinking.

riding your bike around in circles.

28

T E R P. U M D . E D U

BOOK SMART THE FIRST TIME I was invited to write for Terp

were long gone, and when I moved to town, the

Creating a bookstore in my adopted hometown

14 years ago, I was given a topic for a brief essay:

building had been empty for 17 years.

felt like a way to right that wrong.

But by embarking on that kind of an endeavor,

“Tell us about a time when you were fearless.”

So when the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books

I knew the kind of thing I was expected to

started to break out, I had an idea. What if my

I was way out over my skis. I had to learn about

write. I was supposed to say I was fearless in

wife and I bought the building, and put some-

zoning, the board of health, town politics and

doing such-and-such in my career, which led to

thing different in its place? Why not a bookstore?

everything else that comes with building in

success in my profession. But I didn’t have any-

Growing up in Maryland, we had a chain book-

Massachusetts.

thing like that in my punchbowl of experiences.

store in a strip mall not too far from my home.

Recently, our bookstore celebrated its 10th

The truth is, I’ve always been cautious. I don’t

It’s where I bought a book on the professional

anniversary. Just about anyone who’s written a

let go of the vine behind me until I’ve got a firm

craft of cartooning. It’s where I found a manual

book in the past decade has had an event with us,

grip on the next one. To wit: Eleven years after

that taught me how to program my Apple IIe

from Stacey Abrams to Henry Winkler to Hillary

my first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book came out,

personal computer. In short, it put me squarely

Clinton to Matthew McConaughey to Heather Cox

and 12 books into the series, I was still holding

on my eventual career path.

Richardson.

onto my day job at Poptropica, just in case. A profile in courage I was not.

And then, an unexpected spark—of something—took hold. These days, I live in a

And then one day the bookstore was just …

It took a decade to break even, but this year,

gone. It didn’t seem right. How could something

we did it. It turns out that people still like to read,

so obviously good be abandoned so callously?

and they love the magic that can only be found in a physical bookstore.

small town called Plainville, Mass., population

Most of the time, we live in the world that’s

9,000. At its center was a dilapidated building,

been built for us. But every so often, we get to

constructed before Abraham Lincoln was

contribute to the world that the next generation

president, that served as a general store for

will occupy. Think about what you want that

generations of residents. But those days

world to look like, and see how you might be able to contribute in ways big and small.

“Most of the time, we live in the world that’s been built for us. But every so often, we get to contribute to the world that the next generation will occupy.”

SPRING 2026

29

WORK IN PROGRESS ANYONE WHO’S CRACKED OPEN one of my

validates your behaviors, even the bad ones.

with meditation, yoga, stretching and exercise.

books can’t help but notice that Greg Heffley

Because everything you’ve done has led you up

I plan my days and even my years. Never could I

is a flawed character. In fact, his imperfections

to this point.

have imagined I’d embark on this kind of change.

are what make him both loved—and loathed—by readers and their parents.

Something I’ve learned in the past five years

I’m hoping I can stick around for a while

is how wrongheaded that thinking is. Like Greg,

because there are more books to write, movies

At times, Greg’s flaws are amplified and exag-

I’m a collection of bad habits. Diet, exercise,

to make, buildings to build. Grandkids to look

gerated versions of my own. At other times, my

discipline—I’m a mess in every category across

after, God willing.

imperfections are amplifications of his. It all gets

the board.

tangled up, and sometimes I have trouble keeping track of where reality ends and the fiction begins.

Here’s the thing about having a successful

Truthfully, it all caught up with me in my 50s.

I realized I haven’t had success because of my flaws but despite them.

book series, or a successful anything: When

For most of my life, I hadn’t done a good job

you’ve stumbled onto a winning formula, it

of taking care of myself. But my days now start

30

T E R P. U M D . E D U

It’s time to level up as a human being, to figure this all out, to grow. Just like Greg, I’ve got lots to learn.

And by the way, did you know that there’s a hidden nail file tucked away in those nail clippers? Mind blown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FOR SOMEONE WHO’S SOLD over

300 million books, Jeff Kinney is a

Kinney squeezed us in between writing two Disney+ screenplays

Kinney and his wife own An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe in Plainville,

remarkably unassuming guy. Sure, his

based on his “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Mass., and have two sons, one of

studio includes a statue of Scrooge

series. He’s written 20 of the books

whom is a 2025 UMD graduate. Kinney returned to his alma mater in 2022

McDuck (rumored to have been

since 2007, with the latest, “Fight or

previously owned by Michael Jackson)

Flight,” scheduled for publication in

to dedicate a new statue (that looks

and a 6-foot-tall screen display modeled

October. They’ve been turned into

surprisingly similar in size to Scrooge

after Greg Heffley’s dreaded cheese

three live-action movie adaptations

McDuck’s) of Greg in the Stamp

touch (above). But he was kind, earnest

and four 3D-animated movies. He’s also

Student Union and to deliver the

and dedicated to making this package

co-written three books in the “Awesome

Commencement address. It was

come together. This, despite a pile of

Friendly Kid” series, written from

the only time in Maryland history

commitments that would make most

the perspective of Greg’s best friend,

that the words “Zoo-Wee Mama”

of us chuck our laptops into a lake.

Rowley.

were used in such a speech.—LB

P H O T O B Y J O H N T. C O N S O L I

his Startingort a new fall, lookofllection of special c erchandise UMD m ing the featur Kid! Wimpy SPRING 2026

31

32

T E R P. U M D . E D U

AI People Play Nice?

Can

and

A Trivia Nerd’s Quizbowl Quest Sheds Light on When to Trust Computers, or Ourselves

BY C H R I S CA R R O L L

P H O T O I L L U S T R AT I O N S BY VA L E R I E M O R G A N

T

he May 2019 showdown between people and artificial intelligence (AI) at the University of Maryland wasn’t exactly a “Terminator”-style last stand for humanity—just a quiz game. Yet it represented, in a sense, the final days of an era when flesh-and-blood competitors could beat silicon-based ones built to relentlessly pursue trivia wins.

That day, humankind was represented by four visiting “Jeopardy!” champions. As the game unfolded, the computer buzzed in at least as quickly and accurately as the humans with answers about straightforward facts, like the birthdate of a pop star or the melting point of an element. But other questions required creative logic to link, say, cryptic clues about gender norms to others about religion.

“What I call squishy questions, the kind that require lateral thinking, tripped up the system sometimes,” says Roger Craig, a “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions winner who held the record for one-day winnings ($77,000) for nearly a decade. Thanks to that limitation, he and past winners Aaron Lichtig, Kristin Sausville and Monica Thieu prevailed 190-160. “It wasn’t a nail-biter, but not a blowout either. If we’d played multiple times, I think we would have won maybe 60% of the time.”

But the balance of power in the game they were playing—quizbowl—has shifted.

AI technology has evolved by leaps

ART VIA ISTOCK, UNSPLASH AND WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

and bounds since that match; the advent of powerful and uncanny large language models behind popular chatbots and image generators is the prime example. People, though, have pretty much stayed the same.

“When it comes to raw accuracy, the computer is now better at answering questions than humans, and I mean humans who are good at this,” says Jordan Boyd-Graber, a UMD computer science professor who hosted the 2019 contest and has been developing the system used in the match, QANTA (Question Answering is Not a Trivial Activity), for nearly 15 years.

As one rough measure of the current state of AI, the system answered a recent set of quizbowl questions he and his research team used in a study with 70% accuracy, while humans managed about 55%. Even on “adversarial” questions crafted by AI experts to exploit its weaknesses and give the advantage to humans, computers are catching up.

Although he built a system that can reliably beat the smartest people on earth, Boyd-Graber’s goal isn’t AI dominance, or to fuel predictions of AI-induced utopias or apocalyptic visions of humanity rendered obsolete.

Now, instead of a face-off, Boyd-Graber is having the

SPRING 2026

33

“People have to

two sides team up in a new phase of research. be able to trust He’s trying to understand what people are these systems good at, what AI is good at, and how this are providing meeting of the minds can bring about benefits something that for all of society while avoiding, he jokes, our is useful and “enslavement by robots.”

“I want people to be able to live happily and accurate.” productively alongside AI,” he says, “and to —YOO YEON SUNG PH.D. ’25, APPLIED SCIENTIST, HIPPOCRATIC AI do that we need ways to measure and understand human-computer collaboration.”

What he and his students have found so far is that despite its capability, AI is far too confident in its authoritative pronouncements, while people are unsure when to trust AI suggestions. Should they stand aside for superior intelligences, or tell it to shut up and play quizbowl the old-fashioned way? It’s a question with broader implications for how we live our lives and do our work in the future. Now he’s looking for ways to help AI earn badly needed trust—but also to ensure that humans can always run the show when the time comes to deliver the final answer. quizbowl has been central to Boyd-Graber’s life for 20 years, and he has the wife to prove it.

He competed in high school at a science-focused boarding school in Arkansas, during his undergraduate years at Caltech (where he met the fellow quizbowler he

would marry) and grad school at Princeton. Like most who play the game, he’d amassed broad knowledge along with specialties in history and science—he was also the guy to call on for German literature and light opera questions—helping each of his collegiate teams place fourth at national championships.

He’d just become an assistant professor at UMD (where he’s long served as the quizbowl club’s faculty adviser) when AI struck its first major blow in the trivia war. IBM’s Watson, which could respond with encyclopedic knowledge to queries posed in natural, human language rather than in formal query language, beat “Jeopardy!” GOAT and current show host Ken Jennings in a heavily hyped 2011 match.

There’s nothing unusual about computerized tech besting humans at cognitive tasks. Few would try to race a calculator in basic number crunching, while in the world of games, IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer beat chess world champ Gary Kasparov in 1997. This inaugurated the era of “centaur” chess, in which the best teams were human-AI hybrids (similar to Boyd-Graber’s collaborative quizbowl teams), a situation that persisted until the 2010s, when AI alone could finally beat the best hybrid teams. But math calculations and coldly strategic games like chess bear little resemblance to quizbowl’s complex language play, which seems closer to the ambiguities of real life.

As a specialist in natural language processing, which focuses on computers’ ability to use human language, Boyd-Graber was captivated—and perhaps a bit aggravated—by Watson’s win. “I was jealous about not being involved,” he says. “The two things I did were now coming together in front of me.”

He set to work on QANTA, publishing his first paper on a trivia answer system, titled “Besting the Quizmaster,” in 2012. By 2015, working with then-UMD student, now Associate Professor Mohit Iyyer Ph.D. ’17 and others, Boyd-Graber had the system running well enough to defeat Jennings in a solo demonstration match at the University of Washington.

During that faceoff, Jennings said that part of Watson’s winning ability was its superhuman speed hitting the buzzer. But QANTA, he said, wasn’t just buzzing in faster, it was thinking through answers at lightning speed: “It’s legit faster than me, as well as knowing more stuff,” Jennings says in a video of the contest. (Boyd-Graber himself appeared on “Jeopardy!” in 2018, where he came in second with $8,200.)

P H OTO BY DY L A N S I N G L E TO N

Watson—a room-size, heavily engineered crown jewel of one of the world’s most powerful corporations— represents the traditional, statistical approach to AI that stretches back to the mid-20th century. QANTA, by comparison, has comparatively modest hardware demands and springs from a newer type of AI: neural representations. It teaches itself from large datasets, such as the complete text of Wikipedia, and uses computational models that emulate the workings of the human brain.

That difference in cost and scalability of the two approaches is why Watson was retired from the trivia world, while QANTA kept getting better at answering hard questions until it rendered humans passé as trivia competitors.

Not that this AI-induced obsolescence matters in real life, where millions continue to tune into “Jeopardy!” each weeknight without a QANTA or a Watson in sight. “People want to watch other people competing,” says former champ Craig, himself a computer scientist. “No one is going to care about computers playing a game.” if humanity is having a moment of self-doubt in the face of AI, the technology itself appears to be overflowing with self-assurance.

By now, we’re all familiar with the crisply stated, often unequivocal answers provided by AI chatbots and even web browsers whether we want them or not. Just one problem: The AI is often wrong. One 2025 study found AI

TO P P H OTO BY M I K E M O RGA N ; “J E O P A R D Y ! ” P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F N B C

Computer science Professor Jordan Boyd-Graber (second from left) and Ph.D. students (from left) Yoo Yeon Sung, Feng Gu and Ishani Mondal work with the QANTA trivia gameplaying system. Below, Boyd-Graber, shown with late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, competed on the show in 2018.

summaries provide misinformation about recent news more often than not. A key difference between premium and free chatbots was the former’s higher level of confidence in its errors.

How AI systems come up with answers—and botch them—has been a central point of Boyd-Graber’s and colleagues’ question-answering research. An early collaboration with computer science Professor Hal Daumé began with a shared interest in AI systems able to reason in real time, exercising “incremental processing,” as Daumé called it.

“This is what humans do; we don’t wait until the end of a sentence to start thinking about what’s in that sentence,” says Daumé, director of the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland, which coordinates AI research and education efforts across the university. It infuses UMD’s widely acknowledged strengths in many areas of AI with a particular dedication to leading its ethical and responsible use in society.

The question-answering studies put Boyd-Graber at the forefront of successive “next big things” in AI and computer science time and again, from neural networks to large language models themselves, Daumé says. “His biggest academic flaw is that he’s not good at bragging about himself … (but) his research has been fundamental in a series of things that really resulted in the AI we have today.”

To test computers’ ability to incrementally process, the collaborators chose two applications: simultaneous language interpretation and quizbowl. Daumé had never played, but the game struck him as an ideal test bed: “If

SPRING 2026

35

you don’t keep up with the question being asked and wait until the end to try and answer, you will definitely lose.”

Unlike “Jeopardy!,” where competitors can’t hit the buzzer until the announcer has read the entire clue, players in quizbowl can buzz in for “toss-up” questions and offer an answer as quickly as they can blurt it out. The questions are also longer and more complex than on the TV game show; for instance, a question with the answer “King Lear” might start with a hard clue mentioning only a minor character, progressing in several steps to the simple, “Name this Shakespeare play about an aging king.” This inability to break up problems and think on its feet is why Watson—which can only consider a question as a complete unit—would never be able to compete at quizbowl. boyd-graber’s area of study has become more mainstream in recent years, but he was a pioneer at the start, says one of his research collaborators. “One unique thing is that he’s not just interested in accuracy, but other aspects too, like time—how quickly the system can answer,” says Sewon Min, a University of California, Berkeley computer science assistant professor who has worked with Boyd-Graber on natural language question answering. “That’s how trivia games work, but that’s also how actual human communication works.”

The opportunity on toss-up questions to buzz as soon as possible with only partial clues makes quizbowl not just a contest of knowledge, but of self-awareness and confidence as well: How much do you trust yourself?

A 2025 study led by Boyd-Graber and presented at the conference of the Association for Computational Linguistics found that the computer competitors trusted their knowledge too much; the AI system provided

36

T E R P. U M D . E D U

QANTA, an AI system that plays trivia games, surges 290 points ahead in a demonstration match against Boyd-Graber’s former students: Jo Shoemaker Ph.D. ’20, Dennis Peskov Ph.D. ’18 and Michelle Yuan Ph.D. ’22.

inflated estimates of its likelihood of being correct on the answers it provided in a game played alongside human teammates (who were better able to gauge whether the answer they’d provided was right).

The computer was still more likely than people to nail the answer, Boyd-Graber says. But when you weight the raw results by the players’ knowledge of whether they were correct—for example, if humans say they are 25% sure and AI says it is 75% sure that the capital of Persia under the ruler who defeated the Median Empire was Persepolis—the humans effectively come out on top, even though both are wrong.

But wait: If AI gets the correct answer more often than humans overall, isn’t AI simply better, no matter how you slice it?

No, because a confidently delivered wrong answer is far worse than no answer, says Yoo Yeon Sung Ph.D. ’25, first author of the paper on the study. This is particularly true given the range of sensitive societal functions AI is being introduced to, from supporting military decision-making to sifting through mortgage applications.

Sung, whose doctorate is in information science, now works as an applied scientist at Hippocratic AI, a company that creates conversational AI agents to help patients with health care decisions; its motto of “Do no harm” acknowledges the damage that bad AI, like bad medicine, can do in the world.

“Health decisions are one of the most crucial things people think about using AI, and some of the decision-making can be extremely delicate,” she says.

“People have to be able to trust these systems are providing something that is useful and accurate.”

All the upsides of AI—from saving time on tedious tasks to crunching complicated data to potentially solving major societal problems—can benefit us only if people

I L L U S T R AT I O N / P H O T O C R E D I T

trust the technology can live up to its own confident claims, Daumé says.

“This is really important with ‘agentic AI,’ where it’s actually acting as your agent out in the world,” he says.

“If an AI is doing my travel booking for me, I need to be able to trust when it tells me it paid a certain amount, it didn’t hallucinate an extra zero onto the payment—otherwise, I’m not “I want people using it.”

ANSWER: HERNANDO DE SOTO

to be able to live happily and productively alongside AI, and to do that we need ways to measure and understand human-computer collaboration.”

in their most recent research, Boyd-Graber and his team turned their attention more toward the people teamed up with AI than the technology. What they found, essentially, was that human competitors weren’t sure how to react to talented but cocky AI teammates.

In these quizbowl games, —JORDAN BOYD-GRABER PROFESSOR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE humans and computers alike can buzz in for toss-up questions (although if an AI teammate is really hurting the score, its human teammates can “mute” it). Per standard quizbowl rules, the team that wins the toss-up then has a chance to add to the score in a bonus round in which teammates confer before they answer.

In Boyd-Graber’s games, the rules specify that human and AI players come up with bonus answers separately, then compare notes, with the human players ultimately determining the answer. In many cases, computers and humans agreed on the right answer; it was when they disagreed that things got interesting.

“We saw in the previous paper that computers aren’t very good at knowing what they know, and in our new research, it shows people don’t always know whether to trust them or trust themselves,” says Gor, first author Support AI of a forthcoming paper in Findings of the Association for RES EARCH and Computational Linguistics. fuel unprecedented One noteworthy type of disagreement occurred when transformation for human players were wrong, the AI player was right, and our students, our state and our world. the people stuck with their wrong answer not because they were simply stubborn, but because the computer failed to provide a logical case for its answer.

The worst-case scenario, says Boyd-Graber, was when the humans had the answer, the computer was mired in error, and people still conceded to their electronic

P H O T O B Y J O H N T. C O N S O L I

teammate. The group’s paper on the phenomenon, “AI, Take the Wheel,” found that people believe in themselves less than they should, while “AI is banking on trust that it hasn’t earned,” he says.

Like a quizbowl player jumping to answer a stillambiguous question, humanity is giving up more and more decision-making to AI systems. Boyd-Graber hopes that what he ironically calls a “silly game” can help build the foundation needed for this partnership to pay off: an understanding of the gaps between voluminous facts and knowledge, and between confidence and competence. terp

Anatomy of a Quizbowl Question Competition questions start with more obscure clues and proceed to ones that provide more obvious (although not necessarily easy) context, as in this practice question from National Academic Quiz Tournaments. (See answer at left.)

A book by this economist describes an

experiment in which it took him nearly a year to

license a small garment workshop. Another book on informal economies by this man argues that

the assets of the poor are “dead capital.” He

proposed formalizing property rights to combat

terrorism in the 1986 book The Other Path, whose title plays on the name of a militant group in

his country. “The Mystery of Capital” is a book by—for 10 points—what Peruvian economist who

shares his name with a conquistador?

In his classes, Boyd-Graber often assigns students to write “adversarial” questions that take advantage of AI’s weaknesses. This can range from current events not yet included in the system’s training data—for example, the title of a new economics book that came out last week—to more complex approaches, like questions that require computers to use common sense to fill in unspoken parts of questions and logic to piece separate parts of a question together correctly.

SPRING 2026

37

POST-GRAD

A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N

Letter From the Senior Executive Director COMMENCEMENT SEASON is one of the

most exciting times of the year at the University of Maryland. Our Testudo statues and iconic M transform into photo backdrops, Campus Drive fills with families carrying bouquets and cameras, and graduates line up in their regalia to cross the stage.

From my office at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, I have a

The Alumni from fighting climate change to creating lifesaving medical technology, our alums are making a lasting impact. The Alumni Excellence Awards honor a select group whose achievements move the university, and the world, forward. Meet the 2026 awardees below and dive deeper into their stories at alumni.umd.edu/excellence.

front-row seat to it all—and the distinct pleasure of welcoming our newest Terps into the alumni family.

It is a powerful network, now 431,000+ strong. On the facing page, you’ll meet just a few of the award-winning alums who make our community extraordinary.

To support Terps everywhere, your Alumni Association hosts a wide range of programs and events, exhibited by a packed spring season. We launched Professional Development Month (featuring our first Alumni Career Fair), showcased esteemed faculty and students moving the future of AI forward and held National Networking Night with more than a dozen events across the country. The EnTERPreneur Conference and Black Alumni Weekend

Forward for

TOMORROW’S TRAILBLAZERS This award honors alums who are expanding access to education, empowering the next generation of leaders and advancing innovation. Their work supports student success—from scholarships and experiential learning to mentorship and entrepreneurship—helping Terps thrive in an evolving world.

also returned, bringing hundreds of Terps together for networking, learning and meaningful connection. Last but not least, we recently wrapped up our annual Grad Bash, a tradition where graduating students celebrate this milestone and learn how to stay engaged as alums.

There are myriad ways to get involved. We offer year-round professional development and lifelong learning programs, including our annual Summer Reading Challenge. More than 40 regional, affinity and academic networks offer opportunities to volunteer and engage with fellow Terps year-round. We even have one-time activities such as writing postcards to admitted students, an effort that engaged nearly 400 alums this year.

However you choose to participate, you’re carrying forward a tradition I hold near and dear: Terps supporting Terps. As the alums featured in this issue demonstrate, when we come together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.

Jessica K. Roberts ’02 Senior Executive Director University of Maryland Alumni Association

38

T E R P. U M D . E D U

M. JAYSSON EICHOLTZ ’99 RETIRED COO, FORGE BIOLOGICS

Eicholtz is an operations professional who has developed labs and other physical spaces that help biotech and pharmaceutical companies create life-saving therapeutics.

AMY NEUGEBAUER M.C.P. ’06 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE GIVING SQUARE

As founder and director of the nonprofit Giving Square, Neugebauer helps kids ages 7-14 shape their world through the power of altruism.

LYRIC AMODIA MBA ’25 FOUNDER AND CEO, THE MOVEMENT STREET

Amodia is the founder of The Movement Street, a nonprofit that inspires, equips and mobilizes lifelong volunteers through culture, creativity and community-based service.

The Alumni Association fosters TERRAP IN PRI DE by rallying alums through programs that merge passion and purpose. Make a gift now through the Forward campaign.

Excellence Awards Forward for STRONGER COMMUNITIES

Maryland alums honor the spirit of connection, civic responsibility and creative impact. Through service, innovation, the arts and advocacy, these distinguished Terps are uniting communities, inspiring action and driving meaningful change on campus and around the world. They exemplify what it means to Do Good and do well.

CHRISTOPHER KOPER ’88, M.A. ’92, PH.D. ’95 PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY, LAW AND SOCIETY, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

A pioneer in evidence-based crime policy, Koper created the globally used Koper Curve Principle to help police departments organize patrols in crime hot spots.

The Maryland Awards Each year, we honor the exceptional achievements of seven distinguished alums at A Celebration of

MARIE BRODSKY ’24

Terps: Featuring the Maryland Awards. Presented

COFOUNDER AND CEO, WISE CONNECT

during an intimate ceremony in November, these

Brodsky launched the digital platform WISE Connect to create social opportunities for older Americans. It seeks to cut health risks, including dementia and stroke, associated with isolation.

awards recognize Terps who have excelled in public service, launched innovative companies and made groundbreaking discoveries. Learn more at

Forward for BOLD AND BRAVE SOLUTIONS

alumni.umd.edu/maryland-awards.

These alums are advancing knowledge, driving innovation and creating real-world solutions to society’s most urgent challenges. Whether through breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum science, literacy or global health, these Terps are shaping a better, more equitable future by turning

FIRST LADY DAWN FLYTHE MOORE ’97 Hall of Fame Inductee

bold ideas into lasting impact.

BRENDAN IRIBE President’s Award

RAM SAMUDRALA PH.D. ’97

OMAR TARABISHI ’13 M.A. ‘21 Do Good Award

PROFESSOR AND CHIEF, DIVISION OF BIOINFORMATICS, UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO

Samudrala invented a pioneering technique to predict disease treatments, analyzing how every drug interacts with every protein in the human body.

JENNIFER JENKINS MBA ’16 CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, RUBICON CARBON

A 2007 Nobel Prize recipient with former Vice President Al Gore, Jenkins fights climate change through innovation in the voluntary carbon market.

LUKE T. KUES M.P.H. ’25 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER, TRUE COMMUNITY

Working to galvanize a “wellness revolution,” Kues founded True Community, which provides first aid and CPR certification in 20 American cities and in Africa.

JACKIE CARDELLO ’93

Tyser Gottwals Award MARGO THOMAS PH.D. ’90 Elaine Johnson Coates Award RITA R. COLWELL Spirit of Maryland Award KEVIN TU ’23 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

SPRING 2026

39

POST-GRAD

PROFILES

B R I A N J OY N E R ’ 9 9

Your Guide to D.C.’s Urban Oasis Alum Leads Country’s Biggest Urban National Park BRIAN JOYNER’S 24-YEAR CAREER with the National Park

Service has taken him to the Grand Tetons, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park on the Eastern Shore and the National Mall.

But there was only one park where Joyner ’99 could see himself as superintendent: Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.—and in 2024, his vision became reality. The Prince George’s County native and former history major

1 DEMONSTRATION ORCHARD

treasures the park for the natural experience it

Since 2012, volunteers

offers just blocks from the hubbub of city life.

have cared for two dozen

“You can walk from a neighborhood and

apple and pear trees on a

be knee-deep in a 1,750-acre forest with

small patch of land near the

a running creek and craggy cliffs that

historic Peirce Mill. Some of

resemble something you might see out

the varieties are the same

west,” he says. “We have one of everything,”

ones that Joshua Peirce, who

from a professional-level tennis venue to the

owned the Peirce plantation

historic (though now closed) Carter Barron

and its mill, advertised in an

Amphitheater to 42 miles of trails and paths.

The gems of Rock Creek Park extend beyond those in its nearly 3 square miles of wooded terrain. An additional

1824 catalogue of fruit trees available from his nursery business.

1,300 acres of parks, parkways, forts and more extending like tentacles throughout Northwest Washington also fall under the park’s jurisdiction.

Wearing the forest green blazer and broad, flat-brimmed hat made oh-so-chic by NPS rangers, Joyner gave Terp a tour of a few highlights.—SL 2 DIVINE SCIENCE CHURCH OF THE HEALING CHRIST

Since 1956, this green-andwhite building sitting on park land has been home to a functioning congregation, though services are now mostly held online.

40

T E R P. U M D . E D U

M A P A N D I L L U S T R AT I O N S BY K O L I N B E H R E N S

CLASS NOTES ROSIE GRANT MLS ’22 wrote “To

Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes,” based on her popular 3 FORT STEVENS

TikTok and Instagram posts at

The site of the only Civil

@GhostlyArchive, where she

War battle within D.C.’s

researches and re-creates recipes

borders, it’s where 57 troops

found on gravestones. She appeared

died July 11-12, 1864, in a

on an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson

victory for the Union. Forty

Show” to talk about it.

soldiers are buried in nearby Battleground National

Brothers AYMAN and OSAMA

Cemetery, also part of Rock

ABDELDAYEM ’13 , founders of

Creek Park.

skate- and streetwear brand Carpet Company, opened their first brickand-mortar store in downtown Baltimore in April.

4 TRAFFIC CIRCLES

DR. SARAH CIGNA ’09 was

Six fall under the auspices

featured in the documentary “The

of the park. Some, like Grant

Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs and Who Has

Circle and Sherman Circle,

Control,” about a company’s battle

have their own small parks

to get regulatory approval of Addyi,

within the rotary. “During

often called the female Viagra. It’s

COVID, all those green

streaming on Paramount+. She is

spaces became incredibly

an assistant professor of obstetrics

valuable to communities,”

and gynecology with the GW Medical

says Joyner. “What were

Faculty Associates.

only traffic circles a few years ago—and we started to

JOSH SCHNEIDER ’04 competed

light to make sure cars didn’t

as part of Team USA at the 2026

run through them—became

International Blind Hockey Series in

more active spaces.”

Toronto, the premier competition for the sport. The former teacher is a full-time advocate for the sport.

5 FISH LADDER

LEON SMITH ’01 was announced

A structure playfully known

as the 2026 National Teacher of

as Herring Highway helps

the Year on “CBS Mornings” (by

river herring, shad and

co-host Gayle King ’76). He teaches

alewife bypass a dam built in

Advanced Placement courses in

1904 that blocks their annual

U.S. history and African American

journey to their spawning

studies and coaches the freshman

grounds. The fish can jump

basketball team at Haverford High

up the ladder’s series of

School, northwest of Philadelphia.

small, water-filled steps one at a time.

Submit your class notes and read many more at terp.umd.edu.

C L A S S N O T E S I L L U S T R AT I O N S BY C H A R L E N E P R O S S E R C A S T I L L O

SPRING 2026

41

POST-GRAD

PROFILES

M AT T B A K E R ’ 9 4

The Mathemagic Touch Alum Infuses Tricks With Numeric Principles on Stage and in the Classroom WANT TO MAKE your math homework disappear? Matt Baker ’94

has a better idea: Add the calculations to the tricks, and poof.

The Georgia Institute of Technology professor has garnered international renown as both a mathematician and a magician, one who often intertwines the two passions.

“I work to unearth principles that people don’t know about that are useful in magic, and then make them entertaining,” he says.

First wowed by a magician as a 4-year-old, Baker stocked up on magic books and began performing at birthday parties around age 10. He paused performances while studying math at UMD—the campus didn’t have a magic club then, he says, but joining a student a cappella group improved his stage presence. He later joined the Georgia Magic Club and met influential mentors, like the late magician Simon Aronson.

That helped him hone his “mathemagic” specialty: using classical mathematical theories to astonish without the traditional sleight of hand. It’s launched him to international stages and even to an episode of Penn and Teller’s show “Fool Us.” In the classroom, Baker transforms the boring into the bewildering. To demonstrate number theory, he might instruct a student to multiply random numbers together to get a giant string of digits.

Pick one of those digits, he tells them, and read the rest aloud.

Baker then somehow announces which digit they’re thinking of.

This spring, he joined Doron Levy, professor and chair of mathematics at UMD, and Art Benjamin, a math professor at Harvey Mudd College, to organize the First International Conference on Mathematics and Magic through UMD’s Brin Mathematics Research Center. Around 40 participants converged on campus to exchange ideas, with a public show at The Clarice.

“We can use this as an opportunity to do something even bigger and teach students the philosophy, the psychology, the history of magic, and magic as a performing art,” says Levy. “Maryland could take the lead.”—AK

P H O T O C O U R T E SY O F M AT T B A K E R , I L L U S T R AT I O N S BY C H A R L E N E P R O S S E R C A S T I L L O

UNDEREXPOSED

Run Like Shell A UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND student

coaxes competitors fearlessly forward during a turtle race. While such events on campus dated back to at least the 1940s, no other details were provided with this 1979 Terrapin yearbook photo.

Do you know what inspired the low-speed, high-energy affair? Or do you recognize any Terps cheering on their reptilian counterparts? Let us know at terpfeedback@umd.edu, and check the next issue for the responses and another snapshot of UMD history.—AK

FROM THE LAST ISSUE…

A flurry of readers wrote in to report that the shovelers featured in the Winter 2026 photo were members of the 1983 men’s lacrosse team. Curtis Rountree (left) recognized teammates Jack Francis, Kevin O’Leary, Mark

Wheeler, Bill Lineberg, Mike Cavallaro, Kevin Bilger, Jean “Johno” Steffen and Steve Kirr, with their coach, Dino Mattessich, sporting the ’stache. They were clearing the turf field to practice ahead of a successful

season: The Terps finished No. 3 in the country.

Ken Isman ’86 also let us know that we had incorrectly IDed the building in the background as Cambridge Hall; it’s the Atlantic Building.

P H OTOS CO U RT ESY O F D I A M O N D BAC K P H OTO CO L L ECT I O N , U N I V E R S I T Y A RC H I V ES

SPRING 2026

43

PA R T I N G S H O T

FLYING PURPLE PEOPLE MOVER

A Purple Line light-rail vehicle travels down Campus Drive during overnight testing this spring, the clearest indication yet of how the 16-mile transit system will look in action.

The route will extend from New Carrollton in Prince George’s County to Bethesda in Montgomery County, and five of the 21 stations will be on or around the UMD campus. With direct connections to Metrorail, Amtrak and MARC, the Purple Line will provide more accessible and reliable transportation for Terps.

P H OTO BY DY L A N S I N G L E TO N

Maryland Pride Meets Modern Elegance HOST SOMETHING SPECIAL WITH US!

Just 25 minutes from Baltimore & D.C.

Versatile spaces with character and charm

Accommodates events of all sizes—up to 500 at banquets!

The Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center blends Terp tradition with fresh updates, flexible layouts and polished finishes. Host your wedding, reunion, meeting or other special event right on the campus you love.

Alumni Association members save up to $1,000!

Book your special event today at riggs.umd.edu

GO.UMD.EDU/BRICKS

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

TERP MAGAZINE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742–8724

UNIV. OF MARYLAND

Change service requested

for stronger communities At the University of Maryland, Terps come together, deepening connections, elevating excellence and uniting to Do Good on our campus and around the globe. We call upon the strength of the Terrapin community. Join us in building a better future for all.

forward.umd.edu