Baltimore daily roundup: Data collection for community empowerment; UMD awards its innovations; chatting with Zara the AI bot

A catch-up on community data collection

Amanda Phillips de Lucas, director of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob France Institute (BNIA-JFI), discussed with me the org’s latest initiative—a new data collection platform—and the alliance’s ongoing efforts to engage local communities in research. She highlighted her focus on understanding community data usage and addressing gaps in data collection systems.

➡️ Explore BNIA-JFI’s plans and reflections on US Census data.

UMD awards highlight groundbreaking tech in plasma, AI

The University of Maryland’s annual Invention of the Year Awards recently celebrated innovations coming out of the university system’s departments, with an emphasis on the flagship College Park campus. Among the winners were projects featuring environmentally friendly plasma technology, a photon counter and an AI detection tool.

Presented in collaboration with UM Ventures, the awards highlight inventions with commercial potential and societal benefit. Winners are determined by a panel of judges comprising members of and beyond the university community.

➡️ Learn about the winning inventions in Kaela Roeder’s latest article.

News Incubator: What else to know today

• Mindgrub CTO Jason Michael Perry shared his firsthand encounter with a Kindrod-based AI bot named Zara, detailing its features and interactions, in his latest column. [Thoughts on Tech & Things]

• With a new $3 million, Concentric Educational Solutions ventured into the healthcare sector intending to improve training and education within medical environments. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

• Jason Goldsmith, former CEO of Baltimore County’s Carchex, plans to establish B’More Venture Studio later this year. He’s also raising a $3 million fund. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

• A doctoral student at Morgan State University earned recognition from the National Science Teachers Association for their contributions to science education. [Morgan State University]

• A massive claw came from Texas to help with the Key Bridge cleanup. [Baltimore Banner]

🗓️ On the Calendar