march 2012 | vol. 6, no.1 Research≤aryland@ connecting the university of maryland research community

Gelfand Receives $3.6M Grant Supports START Research Humboldt International Research Prize

A multidisciplinary center headquartered at the University A Maryland faculty researcher was of Maryland recently received a major federal grant to ex- recently recognized with a major pand its research on the human causes and consequences international award for her work in of terrorism. cross-cultural psychology. The science and technology directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has Michelle Gelfand, awarded $3.6 million to the Center for the Study associate professor of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism of psychology, has (START). The funding supports new research been named one of on social, behavioral and cultural factors that the first recipients influence terrorist behavior, violent extrem- of the Anneliese ism and counterterrorism efforts in the United Maier Research States and abroad. Award. She is one of only seven Since its 2005 launch, START has received international winners selected for almost $58 million in DHS funding. the prize from the Alexander von “They’ve been a proactive and productive center Humboldt Foundation. It includes of excellence that has served the Department of a monetary award of approxi- Homeland Security well,” says Matthew Clark, direc- mately $335,000, to be used for tor of the agency’s office of university programs. conducting cross-institutional With its mission to shape research and education research with colleagues and through the lens of public service, the science and scholar- specialists in Germany. ship at START parallels the university’s role as a modern land-grant institution, says Gary LaFree, START’s new projects include examining the emergence “I’m honored to receive this professor of criminology and the director and operations of domestic terrorists, as well as collecting award, which will stimulate deeper of START. and coding terrorist data for behavioral models that can be research connections between the “START provides an integrated system, used in the homeland security decision-making process. University of Maryland and Jacobs whereby research findings are directly “We are quite proud of the work being done at START, University Bremen, among other incorporated into policy recommenda- the largest center anywhere dedicated to the social and academic institutions in Germany,” tions,” LaFree says. “In turn, the public behavioral study of terrorism,” says Patrick O’Shea, the says Gelfand. and policy needs drive research explora- university’s for research and chief research Gary LaFree, director tions and career training for students officer. “START’s work is making a real difference in how we Gelfand’s research examines the of START and practitioners.” understand, and react to, this worldwide threat.” conflicts and misunderstanding that frequently arise between peo- ple from more restrictive cultures RECENTLY FUNDED PROJECTS and those from less restricted ones. Her work was published last May New federal funding for START supports research studying the emergence, operations and interactions of in the journal Science, and included such as: domestic terrorists by identifying conditions and attacks collaborations with co-investigators associated with homegrown terrorism. assessing the impact of Internet communications on in Europe. Gelfand will continue her a terrorist group’s ability to convey ideology and recruit collecting, coding and using data and improving work with these same researchers members. statistical modeling to better predict violence. through the Maier research award.

ILLUSTRATION BY SHUTTERSTOCK

UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL RELATIONS Reminder: UMD Expertise Database Supports Federal Research Funding Remains Steady, But for How Long? Research and Scholarship Federal spending on research and devel- In a recent Science magazine article, opment in fiscal 2012 falls to $143 billion, reporter and editor Jeffrey Mervis argues University researchers are reminded to visit Expertise@Maryland, down 1.3 percent from last year, according that the relative stability of federal an online database that encourages and supports cross-campus to an analysis of the $1 trillion omnibus research funding over the past few years collaboration. spending bill signed into law in December. reflects an understanding that investing in science and technology is vital for our Launched last year by the The majority of this decline is in defense- nation’s global competitiveness. Division of Research, the related research and development, while database, at http://ex- non-defense scientific funding has inched This thought is important to remember, up 0.5 percent, according to the find- particularly for those in Washington for pertise.umd.edu, was de- ings by the American Association for the whom the federal deficit is a persistent signed to help faculty find Advancement of Science. Against the concern. With calls for $1 trillion in spend- the right expert, or group backdrop of a tough fiscal climate, many ing cuts beginning in fiscal 2013, there is of experts, to complement i STOCK MARYLB, BY ILLUSTRATION argue that—overall—research and devel- apprehension that funding for scientific their own research and

THE FEDERAL CORNER opment funding fared much better than research and development might soon see one might have hoped for. substantial cuts across the board. scholarship. After logging on to the secure website with a valid UMD direc- tory ID, researchers can identify potential collaborators by viewing profiles drawn from a variety of public sources, as Look to the Federal Corner for information on higher education and the federal government. well as material indexed from each other’s If you have a specific topic you’d like to see discussed, contact Rae Grad, director of federal faculty activity report that is updated annually. relations, at [email protected].

NEWFACULTY SPOTLIGHT We introduce you to new faculty and research scientists in the Maryland research community. UMD Team Using Remote Sensing Data to Improve Conditions in the Congo Basin Brian Butler is an associate professor in the iSchool and the Robert H. Smith School of Business. He Maryland researchers are using remote sensing technology examines the dynamics of online communities and other technology-supported groups. and other tools in a longstanding effort to improve economic and environmental conditions in Central Africa. Erica Glasper is an assistant professor of psychol- Matthew Hansen, professor of geography, is helping lead a ogy. She investigates structural plasticity in the human brain, how it changes by experiences and multi-institutional team that relies on NASA satellite imagery and hormones. other geospatial data to track deforestation and land-use changes Matthew in the Congo Basin. This 1.1 million-square-mile landscape is the Hansen Andrew Elby is an associate professor of teaching, world’s second-largest tropical forest, and Maryland scientists learning, policy and leadership. He explores how students and instructors view the nature of knowl- and others are collecting and analyzing information used for climate edge and learning in the physical sciences. modeling, land use planning, natural resource and agricultural best practices. Waverly Ding is an assistant professor of organiza- “This is a large and diverse area that can benefit immensely from outside tion and management. She focuses on high-tech entrepreneurship and strategy, particularly in the assistance and partnerships,” says Hansen, whose familiarity with the re- U.S. biotech industry. gion—and the environmental and social challenges for its 60 million inhab- itants—stems from several years spent there as a Peace Corps volunteer. Alireza Khaligh is an assistant professor of electri- cal and computer engineering. His research involves The U.S. Agency for International Development funds the project, known power electronics, renewable energy systems, en- as the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE). ergy harvesting and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Maryland geographers working with Hansen—including department chair Christopher Justice and research associate professor Peter Pota- pov—recently applied for a third round of CARPE funding that will train graduate students in the U.S. and in the Democratic Republic of Congo to analyze the geospatial data and provide other technical support.

FACULTY AWARDS & HONORS Government, University Officials Help Launch SESYNC

Judith Hallett, a professor of classics, was named co-editor of High-ranking officials from government and academia—including Gov.Martin a new online journal that promotes interaction and communication O’Malley (below), university President Wallace Loh, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and between North American and European researchers interested in state Senate President Mike Miller—helped launch a major environmental think tank in Annapolis, Md. gender studies in antiquity. EuGeStA joins specialists from the U.S., France and Germany in different areas of antiquity (Middle East, The National Socio-Environmen- Egypt, Greece and Rome). tal Synthesis Center (SESYNC), dedicated on Jan. 30, will foster collaboration amongst natural Mark Feldstein, the Richard Eaton professor of broadcast and social scientists, economists journalism, received the 2011 Media History Book Award from the and policymakers intent on bal- American Journalism Historians Association. Feldstein was rec- ancing the needs of people and ognized for his book, “Poisoning the Press,” which chronicles the the environment. battle between President Richard Nixon and syndicated columnist “Some challenges are so large Jack Anderson. that we can only tackle them by working together,” O’Malley said at the event. Aerospace engineering faculty members (from left) Norman Wereley and James SESYNC is funded in part by a Hubbard were recently named fellows of $27.5 million grant from the Na- tional Science Foundation. Senior the American Institute of Aeronautics and leadership in the interdisciplinary Astronautics. “Election to AIAA Fellow grade center features several UMD fac- is among the highest honors that can be ulty, including bestowed upon an aerospace professional, Margaret Palmer. chosen by peers in recognition of outstanding career accomplish-

ments,” says Mark Lewis, chair of aerospace engineering.

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