Open Labs, Engaging Research
UMBC partnership with U.S. Army Research Lab creates new opportunities for teaching and research collaboration.
On January 14, UMBC signed an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL), the Army�s premier laboratory for basic and applied research and analysis. The agreement provides a framework for collaborations between UMBC faculty and students and ARL researchers.
Tony Moreira, vice provost for academic affairs, says, �Building on the two institutions� shared research interests and strengths, the EPA expands on the opportunities UMBC already offers for teaching and research in and out of the classroom and lab, and provides important new connections for our faculty and students, as well as for ARL researchers.�
This EPA is the latest example of UMBC�s history of developing successful partnerships with federal agencies, while helping to build a skilled workforce and stimulate STEM education and research in Maryland. Don Engel, assistant vice president for research, says, �The ARL mission is reflected in UMBC�s research and education portfolio. ARL is located in Adelphi, Maryland, and at Aberdeen Proving Ground, with UMBC in the middle. We are natural partners, and this new agreement helps to formalize a long history of collaboration, making our shared future even brighter.�
The impetus for the EPA came out of conversations between Aryya Gangopadhyay, professor and chair of information systems, and Barbara Broome �01 M.S., �05 Ph.D., information systems management, ARL�s division chief of information systems. Gangopadhyay approached Tony Moreira about a formal partnership, and the two worked with campus leadership and ARL to establish the agreement.
ARL Director Thomas Russell�s goal is to facilitate more engagement between ARL and universities, and ARL now has similar agreements with 10 other universities across the U.S. �My vision since arriving at ARL has been to open up our laboratories and to create a more open campus feel,� says Russell. �This partnership will give university students who have a strong interest in science, mathematics, engineering and technology the chance to be mentored by our researchers and give them the opportunity to develop their skills. This is a great opportunity for them and for our researchers.�
Initial meetings will enable UMBC and ARL researchers to meet on each campus to learn about similar interests and begin conversations regarding potential collaborative work. In the next few years, Moreira says, he hopes UMBC researchers will be able to take sabbaticals that allow them to conduct research at ARL.
The collaboration also offers the potential for joint funding and publications, potentially in ARL research focus areas such as information systems, computer science, cybersecurity, networks, sensors, communications, mathematics and statistics, human dimensions, human systems integration, synthetic biology, power, quantum information processing, natural language processing and robotics.
At the same time, UMBC students will participate in internships at ARL and learn from ARL guest lecturers on campus. Future plans include bringing in ARL scientists as graduate mentors and advisors, and creating post-doc appointments at ARL.
An advisory committee comprised of UMBC and ARL staff will meet regularly to monitor and develop EPA initiatives.
For more information on the UMBC-ARL EPA, email Tony Moreira. Read more about the specifics of the EPA agreement at the U.S. Army website.
(02/18/2014)
