Published on October 8, 2026 | Story by Wynne Parry | Photography by Tony Richards
Maryland engineers work ahead of the curve.
From ultrafast travel to next-gen computing, across fire safety and quantum technology, and from electric vehicles to autonomous driving, UMD innovators are tackling urgent challenges—with fearless ideas, advanced tools, and tenacious curiosity—to make what comes “next” better for everyone.
The future is engineered by Terps.
Solving the Physics of Hypersonic Air Travel
Can a human travel 5x faster than the speed of sound? Christoph Brehm is working to overcome the challenges of designing ultrafast vehicles.
Redesigning Batteries for Ultrafast Charging EVs
Imagine charging your electric vehicle in the time it takes to finish your coffee. Chunsheng Wang is engineering a battery chemistry to speed charging times.
Schooling the AI ‘Drivers’ of Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving cars and trucks promise quicker trips. Xianfeng “Terry” Yang is working to make those faster rides safer by training autonomous ‘drivers’ to navigate dangerous circumstances.
Building Safer with Performance-Based Design
At UMD, Rosalie Hrybyk ’13, M.S. ’15 teaches advanced computer modeling to keep pace with fire risks, and to keep people—and the buildings they occupy—safer.
Accelerating Computing with Light
Avik Dutt is using quantum ingenuity to sidestep the limits of conventional computer chips—all while using commercially accessible components.
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