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Led by the University of Maryland, TRAILS was launched in May 2023 with a $20 million award from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The institute is focused on developing, building and modeling participatory research that—over time—will increase trust in AI. Illustration courtesy of TRAILS. Image via Maryland Today.
Maryland Today: $750K in Seed Grants Awarded by UMD-Led Coalition on Trustworthy AI
Six INFO faculty are among researchers awarded $750K+ in TRAILS funding to advance trustworthy, human-centered AI innovation

Working in the Small Artifacts (SMART) Lab, Assistant Professor of computer science Huaishu Peng (left) and doctoral students Zining Zhang (center) and Jiasheng Li discuss technology that can assist sight-impaired people. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography. Photo via Maryland Today.
Maryland Today: Blind People Struggle With Nonverbal Cues, A UMD-Cornell AI Project Could Help
INFO's Ge Gao is helping develop AI to assist blind professionals interpret nonverbal workplace cues

Photo licensed by Adobe Stock via InfiniteFlow
INFO Students Partner with Nonprofit to Overhaul Accessibility and Make a Bigger Impact
HCIM students gain real-world UX design experience working with the American Occupational Therapy Foundation on a website redesign

Sparsh Paliwal, HCIM '23
Alumni Profile: How One Alum Went From Doodling to Design Systems
A profile of HCIM alum Sparsh Paliwal
Reimagining Information Access: How INFO Is Centering Immigrant Voices in Tech, Policy & Archives
The Immigration and International Information Research Alliance (i3r) flips traditional scholarship on its head, treating immigrants as …

Some of the HCIL members who attended CHI pose for a group photo.
CHI 2025 roundup: HCIL Researchers Showcase Research & Win Awards at CHI 2025
UMD's HCIL continues to lead at CHI 2025 with 45 contributors and four award-winning papers

Nupur Wagle, a master's student in human-computer interaction, demonstrates a 3D printer at a local retirement community while seniors and other students look on. Photo by: Will Campbell
When the Makerspace Met the Retirement Home: A Blueprint for Intergenerational Innovation
At a local retirement community, a makerspace flips the script on aging and technology
