More than 200 University of Maryland faculty scholars and researchers were honored on March 28 at the 2023 Maryland Research Excellence Celebration.
The event, held at the Hotel at the University of Maryland and co-hosted by Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball, honors the distinct and notable accomplishments of University of Maryland researchers and offers the opportunity to recognize the high-impact outcomes of the university’s research and scholarship community.
“Our scholarship and research contribute to society in so many ways, from fundamentally changing the way we look at the universe, to generating new insights and innovations that have a very practical impact on our lives,” said Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball.
Honorees were nominated by the deans of each school or college for demonstrably elevating the visibility and reputation of the university’s research enterprise by meeting one or more of the following criteria:
- Developing research findings that are both highly-cited and transformative to their field
- Obtaining research achievements with demonstrable societal impact, such as change in police or major external press coverage
- Achieving recognition by a national or international group
- Publishing in a renowned scholarly journal or publication in their field
- Selection for award via a funding competition with limited submissions
- Selection for a Division of Research New Directions Award
- Receiving significant external research funding from a federal funding agency, foundation, corporation, nonprofit, national laboratory, medical center, or other entity
In addition, one faculty member from each school or college was selected for special recognition as having best exemplified research excellence. The School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation recognized Jennifer Cotting, the Director of the University of Maryland's Environmental Finance Center.
Jennifer Cotting, Director, Environmental Finance Center 
- For more than 20 years, Jennifer Cotting has worked to advance local environmental and sustainability initiatives through the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC), one of a network of centers in the United States. As Director, Cotting has been instrumental in developing the EFC’s programming, partnerships, reach and reputation; an advocate and ally for community needs, she has leveraged university resources, funding opportunities and partnerships to build transformational programming around stormwater management, water and air quality, resiliency and green initiatives, and apply best practices on the ground in communities across the mid-Atlantic. Signature programs like Sustainable Maryland, for which Cotting helped secure $500,000 in yearly funding from the Maryland State Assembly in 2022, deliver tangible, quality-of-life impact for Maryland residents