This is the second in a series of articles on the four focus areas that are part of UMBC’s strategic planning process. The primary goal of the Collective Impact in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Achievement focus area is to elevate UMBC as a nationally recognized and regionally relevant research university. The key drivers in achieving this goal are: creating an inclusive environment for faculty and students, developing excellence in new intellectual frontiers, and fostering multidisciplinary and inter-institutional approaches that build research, scholarship and creative achievement across the campus. Strategy group co-chairs Aryya Gangopadhyay, professor and chair of information systems, and …