Engineering for Impact: Advancing Autonomy, AI, and Innovation for a Better Future

dean's messages

The Clark School is proud to be part of a land grant institution. We feel privileged to provide pathways for students from every part of our state to study engineering, and to solve some of society’s challenges with the innovations we create. The complex set of challenges we face provides an opportunity for us to demonstrate why engineering is critical to the productivity and prosperity of our nation. I am truly excited to see what the Clark School is creating and where we go next!

One example is our drone delivery program on Smith Island in southern Maryland. How can we provide better access to medical supplies for Marylanders who live in remote areas where transportation logistics cause challenges, especially for elderly populations? Working with our federal and state partners, we are leveraging our world class drone technologies to ensure that residents have access to medicine and medical supplies when weather or other barriers prevent them from reaching the mainland.

Our program on Smith Island is an example of the Clark School’s leadership in autonomy. Society is increasingly turning to robots, uncrewed vehicles, and drones to deliver goods, optimize industrial processes, and perform dangerous tasks. As it does, it is turning to solutions from Maryland Engineering’s students, faculty, and staff. We are eager to tackle these challenges as we ask ourselves, “How does this benefit people and make their lives better?”

In this month’s research deep dive, we will showcase some of those solutions, ones that combine robotics, automation, and AI for humanity’s betterment. RoboScout, for example, is an autonomous system to assess injuries during disasters, helping first responders to triage and treat victims, and save lives. Other examples include drones to assess and fight wildfires, precision aquaculture to support food production, and improvements in industrial AI.

Our MATRIX Lab, located in southern Maryland, is also making industry-leading moves in autonomy, most recently bringing together industry leaders from across the public and private sectors to guide research and education related to autonomy and AI.

We hope you will partner with us in advancing the best engineering solutions for autonomy and encourage you to explore our new Engineering AI graduate program.

Published March 4, 2025