Smith Business Magazine: Special Silver Jubilee Edition - Magazine - Page 13
INTELLECTUAL POWERHOUSE
TECH IMPACT
Smith researchers are deciphering
how new app technologies and arti昀椀cial
intelligence are impacting people and
industries.
Associate professor Jui Ramaprasad
studied an online dating app feature
that lets users see the identities of
people who “like” them and how that
impacts behavior on the platform. If
a user thinks their digital admirer is
attractive, the “like” boosts their con昀椀dence
and can make them more active on the
app. For women, the researchers saw an
increase in the number of messages they
sent and the matches they received.
Assistant professor Lauren Rhue
examined how AI facial recognition emotiontracking technology disproportionately
negatively affects Black users. Using
photo sets of NBA players, she
conducted an emotional
analysis comparison of two
prominent facial recognition
services. Both services interpreted Black
players as having more negative emotions
than white players—a reminder that
disparities in AI often mirror disparities in
the of昀氀ine world, Rhue says.
POLICY IMPACT
Smith faculty are navigating the impacts of
labor laws, the pandemic, international trade
relations and climate change.
rhsmith-editor@umd.edu
SOCIAL IMPACT
Assistant professor Evan Starr’s
extensive research on noncompete
agreements and just how pervasive
and detrimental they are—
especially for low-wage workers—was
cited more than 60 times in the U.S. Federal
Trade Commission proposal to ban them in
labor contracts.
Michael Faulkender, Dean’s Professor of
Finance and former Assistant U.S. Treasury
Secretary, led the implementation of
the Paycheck Protection Program,
which helped millions of businesses
keep their workers during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell Wermers, Paul J. Cinquegrana ’63
Endowed Chair in Finance and director of
the Center for Financial Policy, serves on the
Securities and Exchange Commission’s Asset
Management Advisory Committee
to advise on how regulations and
industry trends impact investors.
Lemma Senbet, William E.
Mayer Chair Professor of Finance, a
founder of the Center for Financial Policy,
and former head of the African Economic
Research Consortium, provided
expertise for a 2022 summit of
African leaders and consulted
with congressional staff
members on legislation to
strengthen U.S.-Africa trade relations.
Professor of the Practice Clifford Rossi
and 11 master’s students developed an
interactive dashboard to pinpoint U.S.
regions with the highest risk for property
damage from weather extremes and natural
disasters—critical information for mortgage
providers, insurance companies
and policymakers trying
to 昀椀gure out where to use
government resources.
Faculty are taking on food insecurity,
nutrition and 昀椀nancial fraud against
vulnerable populations.
Clinical professor Oliver Schlake is
working on the Mid-Atlantic Food
Resiliency Network, a National
Science Foundation grant-funded
program to help the 9 million
children who face food insecurity in
the United States. He is studying factors that
in昀氀uence a food emergency—such as urban
food deserts—and working on solutions.
Rebecca Ratner, Dean’s Professor of
Marketing, helped the U.S. Department of
Agriculture overhaul the food pyramid
in 2011 to create a new visualization
tool, MyPlate. The graphic taught
Americans to 昀椀ll half of their plate
with fruits and vegetables—a
simple directive with sticking power
that was launched under then-First Lady
Michelle Obama.
Accounting lecturer Samuel Handwerger
and student volunteers in Smith’s Justice
for Fraud Victims Program are working with
the Prince George’s County Financial Crimes
Unit and State Attorney’s Of昀椀ce to
investigate 昀椀nancial fraud against
members of vulnerable populations.
fall 2023
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