Announcement: UMD College of Information (INFO) Celebrates New Name with Invitation to Partner in Transforming Lives Through Information
Join over 3000 faculty, staff, and students and 200+ partners creating exciting new possibilities
UMD President Darryll Pines and INFO's Monique McIntyre celebrate with students and partners at the INFO Fall 2024 Welcome Back Event
College Park, MD – This fall, the College of Information (INFO) at the University of Maryland is kicking off a 2024 celebration of its new name, the “College of Information.” Formerly the College of Information Studies, this new name reflects the growing breadth of the college’s impact in research and education.
We live in the age of information—in which information scientists are transforming every part of our society: health and medicine, democracy and policy, law, science and technology, education, and media and entertainment. The INFO College is on the forefront of this, with transformational research and top ranked, forward looking educational programs.
INFO’s information science research is grounded in ethics. INFO researchers and students look at what information systems and technologies can be developed or transformed to benefit individual lives and communities, break down barriers, and make the digital world more inclusive.
Some of INFO’s current research projects include developing technology for blind and low-vision individuals, creating a system of connecting archives around the world to make artifacts and history more searchable, assessing how public libraries can better respond to crises such as pandemics, developing more effective STEM education for K-12 students, examining how social media can be misleading vs. beneficial, co-designing tomorrow’s technology with youth, and setting the standard for how to create a future where AI is safe and makes a meaningful impact on society.
“Our rebrand as the College of Information represents a significant leap towards defining the future of information science,” says Dean Keith Marzullo. “We are cultivating professionals who are not just at the cutting edge of technology but are also leaders in ethics and multidisciplinary innovation.”
INFO College students, now over 2800 from more than 60 countries around the world, are changemakers. INFO is shaping the future information scientists who will go on to solve grand challenges. INFO students receive a uniquely cross-discipline education, so that they are savvy in technology and systems, but also grounded in psychology, ethics, management, and more.
The INFO College is doing exciting things. This year, INFO is celebrating by creating more opportunities for more people—from academia, industry, advocacy, policy, philanthropy—to get involved. Join the INFO community by becoming an industry partner shaping the future of information science hand-in-hand with INFO faculty and students or support students’ education through giving. Get involved as an adjunct lecturer, attend an event, or support (with naming opportunities) the new expansive and exciting hub that INFO is creating at UMD for information and tech driven students, called the INFO Commons—made up of labs, gathering spaces, and more.
Learn more about how to get involved with the INFO College in connecting people, information, and technology for good—including opportunities for students!
For more information about this announcement or the INFO College, please contact infocomm@umd.edu.