NSF ERCs: UMD Hosts Site Visits, Industry Day

Six officials stand before a banner for NSF EARTH

The University of Maryland is a key partner in the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH), designed to develop sustainable, accessible, and equitable refrigerant lifecycles and improve heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) energy efficiency. It is also home to the Center for Quantum Networks (CQN), designed to develop the technical and societal foundations of the quantum internet—an emerging infrastructure designed to connect quantum computers, processors, sensors, transmitters, receivers, cameras, and other quantum-enabled devices across local, metropolitan, and long-distance networks.

During October, UMD showcased the impact both ERCs are making.

EARTH

UMD welcomed nearly 200 researchers, students, industry collaborators, and NSF representatives for a site visit and Industry Day focused on advances in HVAC&R, including how computer hardware will shape infrastructure and cooling requirements in the coming decade.

Attendees toured five labs within the A. James Clark School of Engineering, where researchers are developing next-generation HVAC&R technologies and solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. An impressive 52 research posters were presented by a field of early-career researchers, with awards going to the top three researchers.

The university’s principal contributors included UMD President Darryll J. Pines; Clark School Dean Samuel Graham, a member of EARTH’s Council of Deans; Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor and Clark Faculty Fellow Damena Agonafer; Department of Materials Science and Engineering Department Chair Ichiro Takeuchi; and Mechanical Engineering Research Professor Yunho Hwang. Additional collaborators included UMD faculty members Lingnan Lin, Gianna Valentino, Brent Goldfarb, and Efrain Rodriguez.

CQN

CQN hosted their annual NSF site visit October 21–23. UMD welcomed over 100 researchers, industry collaborators, and NSF representatives to showcase the work that has been done by CQN at UMD and across its institutions.

Attendees toured the labs of Clark Distinguished Chair Saikat Guha, Professor Edo Waks, and Dr. Qudsia Quraishi. UMD labs showcased CQN’s Maryland Testbed. During the lab tour, the UMD testbed team introduced the CQN site visit team to their quantum memory experiments and quantum frequency converters and provided a live demonstration of laser systems for high-throughput spectroscopy of quantum memories.

The site visit talks were kicked off by a welcome from President Pines, Dean Graham, and Associate Vice President for Quantum Research and Education Gretchen Campbell.

Published November 13, 2026