Tanyka M. Barber (she/her)

Fabio Anza, an assistant professor in UMBC’s Department of Physics, Quantum Science Institute and Cybersecurity Institute, has won an Amazon Research Award to develop Physics Co-Pilot—a scientific AI assistant that combines large language model (LLM) orchestration with reliable computational algorithms to address critical bottlenecks in modern physics research.

The problem isn’t just coding. Theoretical physics, like many other areas of scientific research, is currently facing two major challenges: knowledge fragmentation and hyperspecialized computational tools. The open-access, online scientific paper repository ArXiv alone publishes over 25,000 new papers monthly across computer science, math, and physics. Meanwhile, using sophisticated computational methods requires mastering ultra-niche software ecosystems—work that diverts researchers from scientific discovery.

“Researchers spend increasingly large amounts of time wrestling with software issues rather than exploring scientific questions,” Anza explains. “Valuable human capital gets diverted from discovery to dealing with technical problems that could be avoided with better infrastructure.”

A hybrid approach to scientific computing

Physics Co-Pilot takes a fundamentally different approach from pure AI code generation systems. Rather than having language models write code—which, at scale, produces unreliable results—the system uses LLMs only for natural language understanding, while delegating all computational work to pre-written, validated algorithms.

Researchers spend increasingly large amounts of time wrestling with software issues rather than exploring scientific questions. Valuable human capital gets diverted from discovery to dealing with technical problems that could be avoided with better infrastructure. — Fabio Anza, assistant physics professor

“The LLM acts as an orchestrator, not a programmer,” Anza says. “It translates natural language into structured commands that call expertly implemented computational routines. This maintains computational rigor while making advanced techniques accessible through conversation.”

The tool features specialized software routines for literature analysis and physics simulations. For the initial release, the system will focus on modeling a a narrow set of physical systems, serving as proof-of-concept for future community-driven expansions.

From concept to open-source release

Anza has recruited computer science senior Samuel Truong to help develop the system over the next year, with plans to expand the team as the project progresses. 

The project follows a short timeline: an initial prototype with literature analysis capabilities will be released in the first six months, enabling researchers to conduct natural language-driven searches and synthesis of ArXiv papers. The complete system, including simulation and visualization capabilities for dynamical systems, will be released (under the MIT open-source license) by the end of 2026.

“Physics Co-Pilot represents a new paradigm in scientific assistants,” Anza notes. “By combining conversational accessibility with computational reliability, we aim to give researchers access to advanced computational techniques without the need to know any programming languages.”

The system aims to enable physicists to discover and synthesize knowledge across disciplines, eliminate programming barriers to sophisticated analysis methods, and accelerate research cycles through rapid hypothesis testing—all without researchers writing a single line of code themselves.

Hello, UMBC Grad Students!

We know the feeling: the initial new car smell of grad school has faded, and you're staring at a mountain of literature or a complex research project. Whether you are a PhD student building a new castle in the sandbox of knowledge or a Master's student building a professional portfolio, as we transition from the figuring it out phase to the getting it done phase, the stakes change.  

The Office of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Development (GSPD) is here to help you move from student to expert.  We are thrilled to announce the Spring lineup for our Decoding Graduate School series. These workshops are designed to make the implicit expectations of graduate school explicit.

Sessions 6 & 7 will be on Tuesdays, Sessions 8 - 10 will be on Thursdays.  All sessions are from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM. RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

Session 6 - Tuesday 2/17/26 (UC 115) - Decoding the Literature: From Information Overload to Critical Synthesis

Session 7 - Tuesday 2/24/26 (UC 115) - Decoding the Argument: Writing for Graduate-Level Seminars

Session 8 - Thursday 3/26/26 (UC 115) - Decoding the Room: Presenting Your Ideas with Confidence

Session 9 - Thursday 4/23/26 (UC 115) - Decoding Your Summer: A Strategic Plannig Workshop

Session 10 - Thursday 4/30/26 (UC 115) - Decoding Your Potential Venture: Innovation, IP, and Entrepreneurship

Why Join us this Spring?

• Tame the Information Firehose: Learn advanced search strategies and how to use reference management software like Zotero to organize your life.
• Write Like a Scholar: Shift from "reporting information" to constructing original, persuasive arguments for your seminars and thesis.
• Protect Your Ideas: Understand who owns what you create at UMBC (Pro-tip: You are often entitled to a share of revenue from your inventions!).
• Avoid the Burnout: Our "Summer Plan on a Page" workshop helps you balance high-octane productivity with necessary downtime.

GSPD Pro-Tip: Graduate school is a journey to generate new knowledge. Don't just survive it—decode it.

How to Register

Click on the links for the individual sessions to register on myUMBC. Every session includes a Resource Guide to help you implement these skills immediately.

Spring semester can be a lot — classes, research, work, life. Retriever Integrated Health (RIH) is offering support groups and skill-building workshops this semester to help you feel grounded, focused, and connected.

Whether you're looking to manage anxiety, strengthen relationships, improve executive functioning, or connect with other grad students, there's a space for you.

This Spring, RIH is offering:
• Anxiety Toolbox workshops to help you understand and manage anxious thoughts
• Executive functioning skill-building workshops focused on time management and organization
• Graduate student support groups to connect in a confidential, supportive space
• Interpersonal and relationship-focused groups
• Healing-centered groups for navigating family challenges

Most groups require a brief initial consultation, while workshops are open to all UMBC students with no intake required.

Spring 2026 | In-person & virtual options available
Learn more, view dates, and register through the RIH myUMBC page or your RetrieverCare portal.

Taking care of your mental health is part of your success — you don't have to do it alone.

UMBC Community,

Please see the dining hours below for Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30.

True Grit's Dining Hall

• Breakfast: 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM

• Continental Breakfast: 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

• Lunch: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

• Dinner: 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM

• Late Night: 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM

True Grit's Market

• Open from 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM

Retail Locations

• Chick-fil-A: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• Starbucks: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• Einstein Bros. Bagels: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

For the most up-to-date dining hours and any additional changes, please visit Dine On Campus.

Thank you!

Region II is pleased to be hosting a virtual Brown Bag Presentation on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 12:00pm (EST):

Navigating Internal Submission Deadlines:

Institutional Policies and Perspectives

This session will compare how institutions handle internal deadlines in the grant submission process. Our presenter will discuss the impact of internal review deadlines on research administrators' jobs and relationships with faculty, as well as experiences with "last-minute" submission and other stressors related to submission deadlines.

Presenter:

Anusha Naganathan

Assistant Director of Research

Department of Surgery

University of Rochester Medical Center

Cost: FREE!

Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88182291222 

Meeting ID: 881 8229 1222

Meeting Passcode: 083379

Questions: Contact Cynthia Kane at cjk418@lehigh.eduor Brandon Begarly at Brandon.Begarly@lehman.cuny.edu