Fall enrollment open for data science and machine learning professional master’s and graduate certificate programs

The University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) has launched the Science Academy to provide graduate education programs for working professionals who want to advance their knowledge and skills in key areas like data science and machine learning.

“Working professionals in nearly every field need data-related skills to stay current and advance in their careers,” said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney. “Science Academy programs cater to a workforce that recognizes the need for the knowledge and expertise that are required to compete in the 21st-century global economy.”

Read more: Science Academy Launches with Professional STEM Programs

 From current students to world-renowned alumni, mathematicians from five continents filled the house for a three-day 80th birthday celebration and conference.

In the world of mathematics, Professor John Benedetto is by all accounts a family man. The depth of his devotion and the impact of his parenting was on full display this past September, as 175 mathematicians gathered to celebrate Benedetto’s 80th birthday. In the tradition of academics who trace their lineage through their Ph.D. advisors, many of the participants proudly self-identified as Benedetto’s children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. In his 54-year tenure at UMD, Benedetto has advised 58 Ph.D. students who, according to the Mathematics Genealogy Project, have gone on to mentor another 92 Ph.D.-carrying mathematicians. 

Read more: Jubilee Honors Professor John Benedetto

Walk into the office of University of Maryland Mathematics Professor Jacob Bedrossian on any given day, and the heavy tome laying open on his desk is as likely to be about advanced physics as differential equations. That’s because applying differential equations the way he wants to requires a hefty dose of physics. It also requires engineering, stochastics, dynamical systems and more.

Bedrossian studies stability and mixing in fluids and plasmas. Much of his recent research focuses on turbulence, an important but poorly understood physical phenomenon that plays a crucial role in everything from ocean currents and weather patterns to bridge construction and vehicle fuel efficiency.

 “We can make predictions about turbulence,” he said, “but there are no real rigorous mathematics to describe what it is and why it happens.”

Read more: Jacob Bedrossian: Taking on Physics with Rigorous Mathematics