Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation ( GEDI , pronounced / ˈ dʒ ɛ d aɪ / ) is a NASA mission to measure how deforestation has contributed to atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. A full-waveform LIDAR was attached to the International Space Station to provide the first global, high-resolution observations of forest vertical structure. This will allow scientists to map habitats and biomass , particularly in the tropics, providing detail on the Earth's carbon cycle .
65-484: The Principal Investigator is Ralph Dubayah, at the University of Maryland . The Deputy Principal Investigator & Instrument Scientist is J. Bryan Blair at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center . GEDI was competitively selected as a NASA Earth Ventures Instrument (EVI) mission in 2014. Cost-capped at $ 94 M, GEDI is led by the University of Maryland in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center . Climate change
130-421: A 25 m spot (a footprint) on the surface over which 3D structure is measured. Each footprint is separated by 60 m along track, with an across-track distance of about 600 m between each of the eight tracks. GEDI is expected to produce about 10 billion cloud-free observations during its nominal 24-month mission length. Using an 80 cm telescope attached to the bottom of the instrument, GEDI will be able to receive
195-628: A chancellor, who serves as the CEO of the university system and leads the USM Office. A 17-member volunteer Board of Regents, including one full-time student, governs the University System of Maryland. Appointed by the governor, the regents oversee the system's academic, administrative, and financial operations; formulate policy; and appoint the USM chancellor and the presidents of the system's 12 institutions. With
260-615: A dining hall. Most residence halls have AC, but some do not. These non-AC halls are Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Chestertown, Ellicott, Hagerstown, Wicomico, and Worcester. South Campus includes the North Hill Community, made up of nine Georgian-style halls and Prince Frederick Hall (which opened in 2014) immediately west of McKeldin Mall ; South Hill Community, made up of fourteen small residence halls for upper-level students; Leonardtown Community, which offers apartment-style housing; and
325-459: A prize in physics for his contributions to laser cooling . In 2005, Thomas Schelling was awarded the prize in economics for his contributions to game theory . In 2006, John C. Mather was awarded the prize in physics alongside George Smoot for their work in the discovery of blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation . In addition, two University of Maryland alumni are Nobel Prize laureates; Herbert Hauptman won
390-564: A stronger baseline for DEMs and remove more system errors compared to ICESat . It launched on 5 December 2018 on board a Falcon 9 and it is part of the SpaceX CRS-16 mission. It was mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module - Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) Kibo module for a two-year mission. After three month, GEDI started collecting data for scientific use on March 25, 2019. The mission is being led by Professor Ralph Dubayah of
455-468: Is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In FY 2020, the university spent about 1.103 billion dollars in total R&D expenditures, ranking it 16th in the nation. On October 14, 2004, the university added 150 acres (61 ha) in an attempt to create the largest research park inside the Washington, D.C. Capital Beltway , formerly known as "M Square" and now known as
520-434: Is 44th (tie) in "National Universities" and 17th in "Top Public Schools". The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Maryland as 43rd in the world in 2015. The 2017–2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Maryland 69th worldwide. The 2016/17 QS World University Rankings ranked Maryland 131st worldwide. The university was ranked among Peace Corps ' 25 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges for
585-601: Is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland , United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland . UMD is the largest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area . Its 12 schools and colleges offer over 200 degree-granting programs, including 113 undergraduate majors, 107 master's programs, and 83 doctoral programs . UMD
650-425: Is a public university system in the U.S. state of Maryland . The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park , Baltimore County , Baltimore , Princess Anne , Towson , Salisbury , Bowie , Frostburg , Hagerstown , Rockville , Cambridge , and Adelphi , along with four regional higher education centers located throughout the state. In 1974, Maryland , along with seven other states, mainly in
715-582: Is a member of the Association of American Universities and competes in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Big Ten Conference . The University of Maryland's proximity to Washington, D.C. has resulted in many research partnerships with the federal government ; faculty receive research funding and institutional support from many agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health , NASA ,
SECTION 10
#1732851420955780-533: Is adjacent to a stop on the MARC Camden line, a commuter rail line which runs from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The stop is also serviced by busses from Shuttle–UM, MTA , WMATA , and TheBus . In 2011, the university signed on to the state's Purple Line program. The Purple Line route will have five stops on and around the university's campus: M Square, the College Park Metro station, the main entrance to
845-457: Is also of value for weather forecasting , forest management , glacier and snowpack monitoring. Overall, GEDI will help to better understand how the Earth behaves as a living system. GEDI's LIDAR system provides precise geolocated elevation data that drastically improve global Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Owing to the vast number of data points that GEDI is capable of collecting it will provide
910-402: Is closely tied to that of the carbon cycle. GEDI produces high resolution laser ranging observations of the 3D structure of the forests of Earth, which will provide answers to how deforestation has contributed to atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, how much carbon forests will absorb in the future, and how habitat degradation will affect global biodiversity and the water cycle . This, in turn,
975-456: Is designed to collect data between 51.6° N latitude and 51.6° S latitude. Within this area, GEDI gathers data from approximately four percent of the Earth's surface, including both tropical and temperate forests. The LIDAR system can only operate effectively over relatively cloud free areas. Dense cloud cover blocks the laser pulses and prevents accurate measurements. GEDI uses an active across-track pointing system in order to help show area that
1040-531: Is home to the Memorial Chapel and the Campus Farms. Regents Drive crosses Campus Drive at the campus hallmark, "M" Circle , which is a traffic circle with a large "M" formed by flowers in its center. The northeast quadrant of campus, formed by Campus and Regent Drives, is home to many of natural sciences and applied sciences departments. The Rossborough Inn , which, was built during the years 1798 to 1812,
1105-561: Is made up of Cambridge Community (which consists of five residence halls and houses the College Park Scholars program), Denton Community (which consists of three halls), Oakland Community (which consists of one hall), Ellicott Community (consisting of three halls), and the Courtyards, a garden-style apartment community in north campus consisting of seven buildings. The Heritage community, completed in 2024, features two residence halls and
1170-514: Is not normally covered due to the International Space Station 's orbit pattern. These occur because the ISS is not maintained in a repeating orbit and can get stuck in orbital resonances that essentially repeat orbital tracks and result in large coverage gaps. University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park ( University of Maryland , UMD , or simply Maryland )
1235-571: Is ranked as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students and Scholars for the 2017–2018 academic year by the United States Department of State 's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs . In 2017, the University of Maryland was ranked among the top 50 universities in the 2018 Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report based on its high academic research performance and global reputation. In 2021,
1300-461: Is rated "most selective" by U.S. News & World Report . For the Class of 2026 (enrolled fall 2022), Maryland received 56,766 applications and accepted 19,451 (34.3%). Of those accepted, 4,742 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24.4%. Maryland's freshman retention rate is 95.5%, with 88.3% going on to graduate within six years. Of
1365-674: Is the first building on campus named in honor of Indigenous people. The third dining hall, South Campus Dining Hall, can be found just south of McKeldin Library The university is accessible through the three airports in the greater Washington metropolitan area : Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , Washington Dulles International Airport , and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport . A small public airport in College Park, College Park Airport , lies nearly adjacent to campus, but operations are limited. This airport
SECTION 20
#17328514209551430-474: Is the oldest building on campus (and is older than the university itself). There are five regularly used entrances to campus; the main entrance, off of Baltimore Avenue and onto Campus Drive, is referred to as North Gate and features the Gatehouse, an ornate gateway honoring the university's founders. The 140-acre (57 ha), 18-hole University of Maryland Golf Course sits at the northern edge of campus, as does
1495-457: Is the world's oldest continually operating airport and the site of many significant aviation firsts. A free shuttle service, known as Shuttle–UM , is available for UMD students, faculty, staff, and some residents of College Park and Greenbelt. The university is served by an off-campus stop on the Washington Metro 's Green Line called College Park – University of Maryland . This stop
1560-871: The Anacostia Tributary Trails system, cuts through campus, as does the Paint Branch stream, a tributary of the Northeast Branch Anacostia River . The university's first Leed Gold building, Knight Hall, opened in April 2010 as the new home for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism . In 2021, President Pines pledged that the University of Maryland would achieve carbon neutrality by Earth Day 2025. The University of Maryland offers 127 undergraduate degrees and 112 graduate degrees in thirteen colleges and schools: Admission to Maryland
1625-459: The National Guard . In a massive restructuring of the state's higher education system in 1988, the school was designated as the flagship campus of the newly formed University of Maryland System (later changed to the University System of Maryland in 1997). It was formally named the University of Maryland, College Park. All five campuses in the former network were designated distinct campuses in
1690-781: The National Institute of Standards and Technology , the Food and Drug Administration , the National Security Agency , and the Department of Homeland Security . It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and has been labeled a " Public Ivy ". According to the National Science Foundation , the university spent a combined $ 1.14 billion on research and development in 2021, ranking it 17th among American universities. On March 6, 1856,
1755-685: The South , submitted plans to desegregate its state universities ; Maryland's plans were approved by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare . The University System of Maryland was created in 1988 from the merger of University of Maryland (UM) and Board of Trustees of State Universities and Colleges (BTSUC). With more than 172,000 students at all levels, USM institutions award 78% of bachelor's degrees in Maryland. Nearly 50 percent of undergraduates graduate without debt. USM institutions attract more than $ 1.4 billion in research and development funding to
1820-584: The Wolf Prize in 1980 (together with Kenneth G. Wilson and Leo Kadanoff ) and the IUPAP Boltzmann Medal in 1983. James A. Yorke , a distinguished university professor of mathematics and physics and chair of the mathematics department, won the 2003 Japan Prize for his work in chaotic systems . In 2013, professor of physics Sylvester James Gates was awarded the National Medal of Science . UMD
1885-427: The "Discovery District." Many of the faculty members have funding from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation , the National Institutes of Health , NASA , the Department of Homeland Security , the National Institute of Standards and Technology , and the National Security Agency . The Space Systems Laboratory researches human-robotic interaction for astronautics applications and includes
1950-465: The 1985 prize in chemistry, and Raymond Davis Jr. won the 2002 prize in physics. The university has many notable academics. Professor of mathematics, Sergei Novikov won the Fields Medal in 1970, followed by alumnus Charles Fefferman in 1978. Alumnus George Dantzig won the 1975 National Medal of Science for his work in the field of linear programming. Professor of physics Michael Fisher won
2015-463: The 2020–2021 academic year, 69 freshman students were National Merit Scholars . In 2020, the university announced it was joining the Common App . Beginning with the 2017-18 admissions cycle, the University of Maryland uses the application provided by The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings of universities, the University of Maryland
Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-488: The 34% of the incoming freshman class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1340–1490. Of the 9% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 30 and 34. The University of Maryland, College Park is a college sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 58 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In
2145-581: The 34th president of the university in 2020. Pines was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the university before becoming president. In 2021, the university announced it had raised $ 1.5 billion in donations since 2018. In April of 2024, UMD students joined other campuses across the United States in protests against the Israel–Hamas war . Students called attention to the genocide in Palestine and for
2210-510: The Language House, where students learning a shared target language live together. Several LLPs exist under the university's Honors College, with focuses in topics including cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and life sciences. College Park Scholars is another LLP umbrella that includes programs in the arts, public health, and legal thought, among others. There are two main residential areas on campus, North Campus and South Campus. North Campus
2275-617: The Morrill Quad, which was the original center of campus. South of the Morrill Quad are the South Hill and South Campus Commons Communities, and the Southwest Mall and the Robert H. Smith School of Business to the southwest. Running parallel to McKeldin Mall to the north is Campus Drive, the main thoroughfare through campus. Another thoroughfare, Regents Drive, runs perpendicular to the Mall and
2340-633: The Observatory . The campus contains 7,500 documented trees and garden plantings, leading the American Public Gardens Association to designate the campus the University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden in 2008. There are also nearly 400 acres (1.6 km ) of urban forest on campus and the Arbor Day Foundation has named the university to its 'Tree Campus USA' list. The recreational Paint Branch Trail, part of
2405-703: The South Campus Commons Community, which consists of seven apartment-style buildings (the seventh and most recent building being opened in January 2010). There are three dining halls on campus. In addition, a food court in the Stamp Student Union provides many fast food dining options for the university community. The 251 North dining hall lies in the Denton Community on the northern part of campus. The second northern dining hall, Yahentamitsi,
2470-482: The United States. START is focused on the scientific study of the causes and consequences of terrorism in the United States and worldwide. The university hosts "living-learning" programs (LLPs) that allow students with similar academic interests to live in the same residential community take specialized courses and perform research in those areas of expertise. These include CIVICUS, focused on politics and community service; Hinman CEOs, an entrepreneurship program; and
2535-527: The University of Maryland, after lobbying by President William Kirwan and congressional leaders to foster academic collaboration between the institutions. In 2004, the university began constructing the 150-acre (61 ha) "M Square Research Park", which includes facilities affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense , Food and Drug Administration , and the new National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, affiliated with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In May 2010, ground
2600-448: The University of Maryland. Once reaching the end of its two-year mission, GEDI will be removed from the JEM-EF and loaded into another Dragon Capsule trunk for disposal. The GEDI instrument is a geodetic -class, light detection and ranging ( Lidar ) laser system consisting of three lasers that produce eight parallel tracks of observations. Each laser fires 242 times per second and illuminates
2665-498: The administrators to sell off 200 acres (81 ha) of land, and the continuing decline in enrollment sent the Maryland Agricultural College into bankruptcy. The campus was used as a boys' preparatory school for the next two years. The Maryland legislature assumed half ownership of the school in 1866. The college thus became, in part, a state institution. By October 1867, the school reopened with 11 students. In 1868,
Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-414: The attribution, no charges were filed. As a result of the data breaches, the university offered free credit protection for five years to the students and faculty affected. In 2017, the university received a record-breaking donation of $ 219.5 million from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation , ranking among the country's largest philanthropic gifts to a public university. Darryll J. Pines became
2795-461: The campus on Route 1, near Stamp Student Union on Campus Drive, and on the other edge of campus on Adelphi Road, along with a parallel bike path. The Diamondback is an independent student newspaper . It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin , which became the school mascot in 1933. The newspaper is published daily during
2860-520: The college regulatory powers in several areas—including controlling farm disease, inspecting feed, establishing a state weather bureau and geological survey, and housing the forestry board. Morrill Hall (the oldest instructional building still in use on campus) was built the following year. On November 29, 1912, a fire destroyed student housing, school records, and most of the academic buildings, leaving only Morrill Hall untouched. There were no injuries or fatalities, and all but two students returned to
2925-656: The east and west by McKeldin Library and the Thomas V. Miller, Jr. Administration Building, respectively. Academic buildings surround McKeldin Mall on the north and south ends. They are the homes to many departments in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences , College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. West of McKeldin Mall is the North Hill Community, and south of McKeldin Mall lies Morrill Hall and
2990-508: The exception of the student member, each regent is appointed for a term of five years, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The student regent is appointed for a one-year term, and may be reappointed. Regents serve on the board without compensation. The USM Office, led by the system chancellor, is the staff to the Board of Regents. Staff members advocate on behalf of the 12 USM institutions, facilitate collaboration and efficiencies among
3055-542: The forerunner of today's University of Maryland was chartered as the Maryland Agricultural College . Two years later, Charles Benedict Calvert (1808–1864), a future U.S. Representative (Congressman) and descendant of the first Lord Baltimore , purchased 420 acres (1.7 km ) of the Riversdale Mansion estate nearby today's College Park, Maryland . Later that year, Calvert founded the school and
3120-470: The former Confederate admiral Franklin Buchanan was appointed president of the school. Enrollment grew to 80 at the time of his resignation, and the school soon paid off its debt. In 1873, Samuel Jones , a former Confederate Major General, became president of the college. Twenty years later, the federally-funded Agricultural Experiment Station was established there. During this same period, state laws granted
3185-485: The historical game now referred to as "The Queen's Game". Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at The University of Maryland in 1964. In 1969, the university was elected to the Association of American Universities . The school continued to grow, and by the fall of 1985 reached an enrollment of 38,679. Like many colleges during the Vietnam War , the university was the site of student protests and had curfews enforced by
3250-580: The institutions, and provide information about the system to the public. With leadership from the USM Board of Regents and the chancellor, the system office coordinates academic programs, assists with long-range planning and resource management, facilitates private fund raising, and provides financial stewardship. The system office is headquartered in Baltimore , and has locations in College Park ( Adelphi postal address), Annapolis , and Columbia . Formerly
3315-543: The new system. However, in 1997 the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing the University of Maryland, College Park, to be known simply as the University of Maryland, recognizing the campus' role as the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. In 1994, the National Archives at College Park completed construction and opened on a parcel of land adjoining the campus donated by
SECTION 50
#17328514209553380-613: The only neutral buoyancy facility at a university. The Joint Global Change Research Institute , which studies human and earth systems, was formed in 2001 by the University of Maryland and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) launched in 2005 as one of the Centers of Excellence supported by the Department of Homeland Security in
3445-539: The plan went into effect, 1,550 students (18% of the total student body) faced expulsion. On October 19, 1957, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended her first and only college football game at the University of Maryland after expressing interest in seeing a typically American sport during her first tour of the United States. The Maryland Terrapins beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 21 to 7 in
3510-511: The popular University Squared for The Diamondback . WMUC-FM (90.5 FM) is the university's non-commercial radio station, staffed by UMD students and volunteers. WMUC is a freeform and sports broadcasting station broadcast at 10 watts. Its broadcasts can be heard throughout the Washington metropolitan area . Notable WMUC alumni include Connie Chung , Bonnie Bernstein , Peter Rosenberg and Aaron McGruder. University System of Maryland The University System of Maryland ( USM )
3575-423: The pulses of light that bounce back from the Earth' surface and collect information on the 3D structure of the area in question. Upon the optical bench, the instrument contains three Beam Dither Units (BDU), three beam expanders, three star trackers, and three HOMER lasers. The three HOMER lasers built and installed on GEDI were built by D. Barry Coyle, Furqan L. Chiragh, and Erich A. Frese. The GEDI instrumentation
3640-424: The school. On April 9, 1920, the college became part of the existing University of Maryland , replacing St. John's College, Annapolis as the university's undergraduate campus. In the same year, the graduate school on the College Park campus awarded its first Ph.D. degrees and the university's enrollment reached 500 students. In 1925 the university was accredited by the Association of American Universities . By
3705-687: The spring and fall semesters, with a print circulation of 17,000 and annual advertising revenues of over $ 1 million. Notable journalists who have been with the paper include David Simon of HBO 's The Wire and NBC 's Homicide: Life on the Street , and cartoonists Jeff Kinney , who created the Diary of a Wimpy Kid fiction series and whose Igdoof strip appeared in The Diamondback ; Aaron McGruder , who first published his cartoon The Boondocks in The Diamondback ; and Frank Cho , who began his career with
3770-402: The state annually and have helped foster the creation of more than 700 startup companies since 2011. The system's Aa1 bond rating enables its institutions to borrow at lower costs to students, families and taxpayers. Related effectiveness and efficiency initiatives have saved Marylanders nearly $ 600 million in administrative costs since 2004. The USM is governed by a board of regents and led by
3835-452: The tenth consecutive year in 2020. The University of Maryland is ranked among Teach for America 's Top 20 Colleges and Universities, contributing the greatest number of graduating seniors to its 2017 teaching corps. For the fourth consecutive year in 2015, the university was ranked 1st in the U.S. for the number of Boren Scholarship recipients – with nine students receiving awards for intensive international language study. The university
3900-437: The time the first black students enrolled at the university in 1951, enrollment had grown to nearly 10,000 students—4,000 of whom were women. Before 1951, many black students in Maryland were enrolled at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore . In 1957, President Wilson H. Elkins pushed to increase the university's academic standards. His efforts resulted in creating one of the first Academic Probation Plans. The first year
3965-422: The university and insisted on classes continuing. A new administration building was not built until the 1940s. During Phillips Lee Goldsborough 's tenure as Governor of Maryland , the state purchased Maryland Agricultural College, taking control of the school in 1916 and renaming it Maryland State College . In the same year, the first female students, Elizabeth Gambrill Hook and Charlotte Ann Vaux, enrolled at
SECTION 60
#17328514209554030-513: The university to divest from companies that support the Hamas-Israel war. Activism continued in next academic year with the placement of small flags in the lawn on McKeldin Mall, representing the more than 150,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza. The center of the university's 1,250 acres (5.1 km ) is McKeldin Mall, which is the largest academic mall in the United States. The Mall is bordered on
4095-565: The university was ranked among the top 10 universities in The Princeton Review ' s annual survey of the Top Schools for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; this was the sixth consecutive such ranking. The university's faculty has included four Nobel Prize laureates. The earliest recipient (1956), was Juan Ramón Jiménez , a Spanish language and literature professor. Four decades later, physics professor William Daniel Phillips won
4160-453: Was broken on a new Physical Science Complex, including an advanced quantum science laboratory. The university suffered multiple data breaches in 2014. The first resulted in the compromise of over 300,000 student and faculty records. A second data breach occurred several months later. The second breach was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service and found to be done by David Helkowski. Despite
4225-532: Was the acting president from 1859 to 1860. On October 5, 1859, the first 34 students entered the Maryland Agricultural College. The school became a land grant college in February 1864. During the Civil War , Confederate soldiers under Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson moved past the college on July 12, 1864, as part of Jubal Early's raid on Washington, D.C. By the end of the war, financial problems forced
#954045