College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool

0217 Hornbake Library
301-405-2038
infosci@umd.edu
http://infosci.umd.edu/

Dean: Keith Marzullo
Associate Deans: Brian Butler, Doug Oard, Susan Winter

The University of Maryland College of Information Studies, also known as the UMD iSchool, is driven by the pursuit of big ideas and new discoveries that empower people and inspire communities. From labs to libraries, we are combining principles of information science with cutting edge technology to foster access to information, improve information interfaces, and expand how information is used in government, education, business, social media, and more.

Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the iSchool provides unmatched research, internship, and career opportunities with government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses that shape information science and policy. 

Directors: V. Diker (Undergraduate Program Director), R. Padron (Assistant Director - College Park), T. Bezbabna (Assistant Director - Shady Grove) 

Professors: J. Bertot (Prof, Prof & Assoc Prov), B. Butler (Prof And Dean, Prof), A. Druin (Affiliate Prof), P. Jaeger (Prof), R. Marciano (Prof), K. Marzullo (Dean, Prof), D. Oard (Prof, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs), J. Preece (Prof, Emeritus)

Associate Professors: J. Boyd-Graber (Assoc Prof), N. Elmqvist (Assoc Prof, Affil Assoc Prof), J. Golbeck (Assoc Prof, Affil Assoc Prof), K. Kraus (Assoc Prof), K. Shilton (Asst Prof), M. Subramaniam (Assoc Prof), P. Wang (Assoc Prof)

Assistant Professors: J. Chan (Asst Prof), E.K. Choe (Asst Prof), T. Clegg (Asst Prof), V. Frias-Martinez (Asst Prof), H. Kacorri (Asst Prof), A. Lazar (Asst Prof), R. Punzalan (Asst Prof), B. St Jean (Asst Prof), Y. Tausczik (Asst Prof), J. Vitak (Asst Prof, Lecturer), D. Weintrop (Asst Prof)

Senior Lecturers: V. Diker (Senior Lecturer), R. Hill (Senior Lecturer), P. Piety (Senior Lecturer)

Lecturers: C. Antoun (Lecturer), U. Gorham-Oscilowski (Lecturer), K. Heger (Lecturer), A. Kriesberg (Lecturer), K. Lawley (Lecturer), K. Weaver (Lecturer), S. Winter (Lecturer, Assoc Dean for Research)

Affiliate Professors: B. Bederson (Prof, Prof & Assoc Prov), B. Shneiderman (Affiliate Prof, Dist Univ Prof)

Affiliate Associate Professors: M. Kirschenbaum (Assoc Dir, Assoc Prof, Affil Assoc Prof), K. Norman (Assoc Prof)

Professors Emeriti: J. Liesener (Prof Emeritus), C. Lowry (Prof Emeritus), M. Neuman (Assoc Prof Emerita), A. Prentice (Prof Emerita), D. Soergel (Prof Emeritus), M. White (Assoc Prof Emerita)

Visiting Faculty: B. Kules (Visit Assoc. Prof), M. Kurtz (Adjunct Prof), T. Srikantaiah (Visit Prof)

Major

Advisors will help you make informed decisions and feel confident about your plans, which will assist you in meeting your program goals. An academic advising relationship is a partnership between you and your advisor. Your advisor will assist in helping you understand your degree requirements and your options, but you make the decisions, you are in charge of your education!

Advising is mandatory for all Information Science (InfoSci) students. Each semester prior to registration, current InfoSci students are required to meet with the advisor to review courses taken and identify courses students plan to take. This review will ensure students are progressing through the major in a satisfactory manner. Be sure to schedule regular advising meetings and make sure you are on track to meet your academic and professional goals.

Students in the program may submit a request that courses from an outside college or department be counted towards their major electives. Students interested in doing so should contact their advisor for more information.  

Please view additional advising resources and information here: https://ischool.umd.edu/infosci-advising-collegepark.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

Opportunities for undergraduate research experience in the iSchool's research centers become available from time to time. Participation in an on- or off-campus internship, co-op, or other experiential learning opportunity is strongly encouraged. See the Information Science program staff for information on performing research in an iSchool center or lab and contact the Campus Career Services office for assistance in obtaining off-campus positions or experiences. The program also distributes internship opportunities on Twitter @InfoSciUMD.

INTERNSHIPS

Students are strongly encouraged to complete at least one internship during their course of study. The iSchool hosts an internship and networking fair in Fall and Spring semesters year to help students find internship sites. Students should also consult the Career Center for additional internship opportunities. For information, visit: www.careercenter.umd.edu. 

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) administers all types of federal, state and institutional financial assistance programs and, in cooperation with other university offices, participates in the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. For information, visit: www.financialaid.umd.edu.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

The iSchool offers the following awards: Beyond these Walls Student Travel Awards provides financial support to allow students from any program at the College of Information Studies to attend local and national conferences, present research, and gain experience and exposure to professionals in our field; the iSchool Alumni Chapter Scholarship is awarded annually to an iSchool student with demonstrated need pursuing any degree program at the College; the Mary Edsall Choquette Study Abroad Award provides financial support to enable a student who is currently enrolled in any program at the College of Information Studies to participate in one of the iSchool's study abroad opportunities; the Dean’s Award for an Outstanding iSchool Project is presented to an iSchool student for an outstanding design or development project completed for an iSchool course; the Laurence B. Heilprin Award is presented to an iSchool student or a group of students (which includes at least one iSchool student) for an outstanding paper on a topic in library and information science which has been written for an iSchool course.

SPECIAL ADVANTAGES AND FACILITIES

At the iSchool, faculty and students are exploring how people access and use information. From developing smart city technology to creating new archival methods, we seek to improve the individual experience as well as to foster connected communities. At our research centers and labs, we enable discovery, creativity, problem solving, and fun while tackling real-world challenges and developing impactful solutions.

The College operates six research centers: the Center for Advanced Study of Communities and Information (CASCI), the Computational Linguistics and Information Processing Lab (CLIP), the Digital Curation Innovation Center (DCIC), the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL), the Information Policy and Access Center (iPAC), the Trace Research and Development Center.
 
iSchool faculty and doctoral students also participate in or have affiliations with the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) as well as the Departments of Computer Science, English, and Sociology, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, and the College of Education.

RESEARCH UNITS

The iSchool is home to a number of research centers and labs:

THE CENTER FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF COMMUNITIES AND INFORMATION (CASCI)

Hornbake Bldg, South Wing, College Park, 301-405-2033
https://casci.umd.edu/
Co-Directors: Dr. Jessica Vitak, Dr. Susan Winter

The Center for the Advanced Study of Communities and Information (CASCI) is a multidisciplinary research network, based at University of Maryland. CASCI exists to facilitate research and education that advances our understanding of the technology, information, and organization approaches needed to realize the potential of 21st century communities to support learning, facilitate innovation, transform science and scholarship, promote economic development, and enhance individual and civic well-being.

COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (CLIP)

301-405-6722
https://wiki.umiacs.umd.edu/clip/index.php
Director: Dr. Philip Resnik

The Computational Linguistics and Information Processing Lab (CLIP) at Maryland creates and evaluates systems that allow computers to effectively and efficiently use human language - together with large-scale information networks - to perform tasks such as search, translation, summarization and ontological reasoning. It is a part of the broader language science initiative at Maryland and of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS).

DIGITAL CURATION INNOVATION CENTER (DCIC)

4110 Hornbake Bldg, South Wing, College Park, 301-405-2033
http://dcic.umd.edu/
dcic.ischool@umd.edu
Director: Dr. Richard Marciano
Associate Director: Dr. Michael Kurtz

The Digital Curation Innovation Center (DCIC) was founded to lead research and education in digital curation and foster interdisciplinary partnerships using Big Records and archival analytics through public / industry / government partnerships. DCIC sponsors interdisciplinary projects that explore the integration of archival research data, user-contributed data, and technology to generate new forms of analysis and historical research.

THE HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION LAB (HCIL)   

2117 Hornbake Bldg, South Wing, College Park, 301-405-2769
http://hcil.umd.edu/
hcil-info@cs.umd.edu
Director: Niklas Elmqvist
Associate Director:  Dr. Jessica Vitak

The Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) transforms the experience people have with new technologies. From understanding user needs to developing and evaluating the technologies that support users’ needs, the lab’s faculty, staff, and students have been leading the way in HCI research and teaching for over 30 years. It is critical to understand how the needs and dreams of people can be reflected in future technologies. To this end, the HCIL develops advanced user interfaces and design methodology. The primary activities include collaborative research, publication and the sponsorship of seminars and brown bag talks, workshops and an annual symposium. The HCIL, though referred to as a lab, is actually a research center that is jointly administered by the iSchool and UMIACS, and has multiple labs, faculty, and students associated with it.

THE INFORMATION POLICY AND ACCESS CENTER (IPAC)

4121 Hornbake Bldg, South Wing, College Park, 301-405-9445
ipac.umd.edu
Co-Directors: Dr. John Bertot, Dr. Paul Jaeger, Dr. Mega Subramaniam

The Information Policy & Access Center (iPAC) is a response to the pressing need for research on the processes, practices, policies, and social issues that govern access to information in our increasingly digital information society. We at iPAC are committed to studying what policies and/or technologies lead to equitable and inclusive information access, a digitally-ready population, an informed and engaged public, access to Internet-enabled resources and technologies, or preservation of the cultural record, among key examples.

TRACE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Room 2117 Hornbake Bldg, South Wing, College Park, 301-405-2043
http://trace.umd.edu/
trace-info@umd.edu
Director: Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden

The Trace Center’s purpose is to apply engineering, computer science, disability studies, public policy, and information science to prevent the barriers to, and capitalize on the opportunities presented by, current and emerging information and communication technologies. Our vision is of a world that is accessible and usable by people of all ages and all abilities – each experiencing ICT in a way they can understand and use. Founded in 1971, Trace has been a pioneer known for high-impact research and development, including access features implemented in computer operating systems, leadership in development of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and many other accessibility standards, and techniques used to increase the accessibility of self-service kiosks in post offices, train stations, and airports. Trace is currently a leader in the development and large-scale deployment of a Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure that combines cloud computing, web, and platform services to make online information and services available for people facing accessibility barriers.