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UMD Study Finds Facebook Applications Create More Than 182,000 New U.S. Jobs Worth $12.19B+

By Guest PostSeptember 26, 20113 commentsTechnologyapp economy, applications for the facebook platform, Economy, Facebook, farmville, il horn hann, mobile technology applications, popular games, siva viswanathan, software, university of maryland, us jobs picture

College Park, Md. – While the U.S. jobs picture may be bleak, the proliferation of Facebook and mobile technology applications has spawned an entirely new industry dubbed the “App Economy” – that has added at least 182,000 new jobs and contributed more than $12.19 billion in wages and benefits to the U.S. economy this year, according to new research from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Using more aggressive estimates, the Facebook App Economy created a total of 235,644 jobs, adding a value of $15.71 billion to the economy. (more…)

What’s so Unique About the Tropics?

By Guest PostSeptember 23, 2011Environment, Sciencebeta diversity, brad boyle, calgary, canada, costa rica, distribution of biodiversity across the globe, ecological mechanisms, ecologists, elevations in mountain regions, extinctions, geographical scales, latitudinal diversity gradient, nathan j b kraft, new zealand, northern europe, panama, south america, speciation, temperate forests of canada, tropical rainforests of southeast asia, tropics, university of arizona ecologist, university of british columbia, university of maryland

“Less than we thought,” researchers say in a new study providing insights into the distribution of biodiversity across the globe.

The temperate forests of Canada or Northern Europe may have much more in common with the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia or South America than previously believed, according to a research group including a University of Arizona ecologist.

The assertion, published as the cover article in the journal Science, is focused on the concept of “beta-diversity” – a measure of the change in species composition between two sites, such as neighboring patches of forest. High beta-diversity means that two given sites have few species in common. (more…)

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

By Guest PostJune 18, 2011Nature, Scienceabraham miller rushing, animal pollinated plants, bees, bumblebees, climate change, colorado mountain meadows, david inouye, davis, elk mountains of colorado, flower species, george aldridge, high mountain wildflower season, hummingbirds, jessica forrest, national science foundation, nectar, petals, pollen, pollinators, rocky mountain biological laboratory, rocky mountains, sub alpine meadows, summer wildflower, tucson, university of california, university of maryland, usa national phenology network, wildflowers, william barr

*High-mountain wildflower season reduced, affecting pollinators like bees, hummingbirds*

It’s summer wildflower season in the Rocky Mountains, a time when high-peaks meadows are dotted with riotous color.

But for how long?

Once, wildflower season in montane meadow ecosystems extended throughout the summer months. But now scientists have found a fall-off in wildflowers at mid-season. (more…)

UMD Dig at Historic Annapolis Black Home Producing Surprisingly Rich Haul

By Guest PostJune 16, 2011Culture, Science99 east street, african americans, annapolis, annapolis african american households, archaeological team, archaeologist, ceramics, creamware, emancipation, excavation, filipino community, historic african american home, holliday house, household materials, james holliday, james holliday house, justin uehlein, kate deeley, mark leone, maynard burgess house, pearlware, post civil war annapolis, university of maryland, us naval academy, victorian etiquette, whiteware

*Archaeologists Focusing on Naval Academy Connection, Filipino Past*

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – An archaeological team from the University of Maryland is uncovering an unexpectedly rich haul of household materials from an historic African American home in Annapolis. The team has one more week to go in their excavation.

The archaeologists resumed work at the James Holliday House – a middle class home purchased in 1850 by one of the first African Americans to work for the U.S. Naval Academy. (more…)

Probes Suggest Magnetic Bubbles at Solar System Edge

By Guest PostJune 13, 2011Scienceboston university, boundary region, computer model, earth, energetic particles, galactic cosmic rays, Galaxy, heliophysics system observatory, jim drake, magnetic field, merav opher, milky way galaxy, NASA, north pole, solar system, south pole, Space, turbulent sea of magnetic bubbles, university of maryland, voyager data, voyager spacecraft

PASADENA, Calif. –– Observations from NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, humanity’s farthest deep space sentinels, suggest the edge of our solar system may not be smooth, but filled with a turbulent sea of magnetic bubbles.

While using a new computer model to analyze Voyager data, scientists found the sun’s distant magnetic field is made up of bubbles approximately 100 million miles (160 million kilometers) wide. The bubbles are created when magnetic field lines reorganize. The new model suggests the field lines are broken up into self-contained structures disconnected from the solar magnetic field. The findings are described in the June 9 edition of the Astrophysical Journal. (more…)

Bin Laden’s Attacks Among the Most Lethal: UMD Study

By Guest PostMay 2, 20111 commentGeneral, Politicsal qaida, gary lafree, gtd, karl rethemeyer, lethal terrorist organization, osama bin laden, qaida global terrorism database, start, terrorist attacks, terrorist organization, university of maryland, us department of homeland security, victor asal

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Under Osama bin Laden’s leadership, al Qa’ida has been one of the most lethal terrorist organization in the world, responsible for more than 10,000 deaths and injuries in a dozen years – finds a new analysis by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland (START).

“Al-Qa’ida, the terrorist organization Osama bin Laden founded, was responsible for fomenting more mass casualty attacks than any other group in recent history,” says START Director Gary LaFree, a University of Maryland professor responsible for assembling the world’s most comprehensive unclassified terrorism database. (more…)

Americans Remain Sympathetic to Arab Uprising: New UMD Survey

By Guest PostApril 15, 2011Politicsairstrikes, american public opinion, arab uprisings, democratic, libya, middle east, professor, shibley telhami, steven kull, university of maryland, us policies

*Declining Majority Supports U.S. Airstrikes*

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A new University of Maryland in-depth survey of American public opinion gives a detailed picture of how the country is reacting to the major, unfolding drama in the Middle East.

Conducted in early April, the polling finds Americans overwhelmingly sympathetic to the Arab uprisings for democracy, largely see it as a positive trend and consider developments there a high U.S. priority. A majority – though a declining one – still supports airstrikes on Libya. (more…)

NSF/NASA Scientific Balloon Launches From Antarctica

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2010Scienceantarctic summer, balloon array, dartmouth college, NASA, new mexico state university, sandwich wrap, scientific balloon, university of maryland, university of pennsylvania

This season’s annual scientific balloon campaign, which is held by NSF and NASA, will conduct varied experiments using ultra-sophisticated instrumentation.

NASA and the National Science Foundation launched a scientific balloon on Monday, December 20, Eastern Standard time, to study the effects of cosmic rays on Earth. It was the first of five scientific balloons scheduled to launch from Antarctica in December.

The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM VI) experiment was designed and built at the University of Maryland. CREAM is investigating high-energy cosmic-ray particles that originated from distant supernovae explosions in the Milky Way and reached Earth. Currently, CREAM VI is floating 126,000 ft above Antarctica with nominal science operations. (more…)

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