Conducting the Future of Vermont’s Workforce

Thanks to a $2.3million award from the Department of Education (DoE), CEMS is better preparing students for an incredibly important field. Jeff Frolik, Matt Gallagher, Tian Xia (EE), Randy Headrick, and Matt White (Physics), have designed the new Undergraduate Certificate in Semiconductor Engineering and Physics (UCSEP)—as part of an enhanced semiconductor curriculum. With this initiative, UVM is poised to transform the state’s economy.

Country Roads

The University of Vermont (UVM), one of the original members of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) consortium, will play a key role in research focused on sustainable and equitable solutions to rural travel, as part of $20 million in awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Greg Rowangould, Director of UVM’s Transportation Research Center (TRC) and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will work with his TRC to expand their research into solutions for communities in rural states like Vermont where transportation challenges are often even more complex than in the large urban areas. 

Physical Computing

“The body, in a very simple way, is the foundation for intelligent and cautious action,” said CEMS’ Joshua Bongard in a New York Times article about AI’s evolution. “As far as I can see, this is the only path to safe A.I.” See why Bongard and other prominent A.I. researchers say that the technology won’t reach true intelligence, or true understanding of the world, until it is paired with a body that can perceive, react to and feel around its environment. 

And don’t miss Josh’s captivating conversation about technology, artificial intelligence, and cognition with UVM philosopher Randall Harp and Tina Escaja, University Distinguished Professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance Languages and Cultures, and director of UVM’s program in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. 

Where Art and Science Meet

UVM faculty Donna Rizzo and Jenn Karson talk with artist and curator Chris Thompson about AI's impact on Vermonters and the artistic process. The Creative AI Summit at Burlington’s Hula space was a day filled with a fertile and fascinating look at technology’s growth and what it means for creativity.

Panic Attack Triggers Could Be Predicted

Ryan McGinnis’ work on the Panic Mechanic, a tool that could help combat the unpredictability of panic attacks by tracking mood and, incorporating Chris Danforth’s work on the Hedonometer, monitoring Twitter. The Panic Mechanic app is now available to download and a new preprint is out.

CBI Update

So much is happening in the Center for Biomedical Innovation! Students from across disciplines are using the space every day to create a better world. Staff from UVM Health Network and the Larner College of Medicine visited recently to view the updated U-Health Truck, a mobile unit designed to dramatically improve access for rural healthcare and reduce the burden of care on existing systems. More to come on this and other projects soon, but in the meantime, enjoy the revamped CBI website! 

Vicki Hildebrand to speak at CEMS’s Graduation Celebration

Vicki Hildebrand, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, will deliver the University of Vermont’s (UVM) College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences’ (CEMS) graduation celebration speech on May 21, 2023.

Wayne Peterkin on Amazon

In the streaming series "The College Tour," Junior Electrical Engineering major Wayne Peterkin talks about UVM’s excellence in research and how strong academic support from his professors has helped him land an internship with an innovative local startup, as well as about his participation in student organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers.

Meet Yiota Stamatopoulou: Food Systems Researcher of the Month

Ph.D. candidate Panagiota (Yiota) Stamatopoulou is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at the Microbiome Engineering Research Group at UVM. Panagiota’s research focuses on the biological production of valuable medium chain-carboxylic acids from the residuals of food systems.

Mathias Tefre is Fast!

CEMS senior Mathias Tefre becomes the second skier in NCAA history to win back-to-back-to-back slalom national titles, leading a huge push for Vermont on the final day of alpine competition.  

CAREER Award Winners!

CEMS assistant professors Nick Cheney and Joe Near from the Department of Computer Science have received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards. The honorees join over 30 other CAREER grant winners at the University of Vermont (UVM) from the last 20 years.

Safwan Wshah Wins a Fulbright Award

“My primary mission is to advance the field by improving the adaptability and generalization of existing methods,” Wshah says, “with the ultimate goal of enabling high-quality, effective solutions to a wide range of real-world problems.” Christian Skalka, Chair of the Computer Science department at UVM, is thrilled about the work that Wshah is doing. “Dr. Wshah will be an ambassador for the expertise and values of CEMS and UVM," he says, "working to improve society at a global scale.” Read on for Wshah’s thoughts on this honor and what’s ahead.

VT Science Olympiad

CEMS staff and faculty helped high school students from across the state have a blast at the 2023 Vermont Science Olympiad on Saturday April 1. The tournament included 65 students competing in 16 different events across a variety of academic disciplines over a full day in the beautiful labs and classroom spaces of Discovery Hall and Innovation Hall.

Discover Engineering on Across the Fence!

A recent episode of Across the Fence gives an engaging overview of the CEMS and 4-H annual event that inspires students to follow their passion for STEM. Take a look!

Jessica Card’s Twitter Furby

CS Student Jessica Card hooked up a Furby to ChatGPT with a little coding acumen and the Twittersphere lit up! Her post has been viewed over 5M times.