The University of Delaware is committed to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and service. From its roots as a private academy in 1743, the institution today is a research-intensive, technologically advanced university with global impact.

YouTube

Instragram

University of Delaware

Open Sans

UD's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment uses robotics currently operated by the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) to study the depths of the ocean. 

These expeditions ranged from the East Pacific Rise to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The vehicles include the Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin, the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Jason  and the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Sentry.

Robotics help solve Deep Sea Mysteries

One hundred years ago today, University of Delaware Professor Raymond Kirkbride led eight students to France for an academic year to promote cross-cultural understanding and peace. It was the first for-credit study-abroad program in the United States and became a model for global education around the world. A century later, UD continues to be a national leader and innovator in global education, with unique programs like World Scholars and a growing community of international students on campus.
Watch this video to learn more about how UD is celebrating and expanding Professor Kirkbride’s bold vision.

July 7, 1923: The Day UD Changed the World

Coastal cities of the future need creative climate change adaptation tools today. University of Delaware disaster researcher A.R. Siders believes managed retreat— the purposeful movement of people, buildings and other assets from areas vulnerable to hazards—can be a powerful tool for expanding the range of possible solutions to cope with rising sea levels, flooding and other climate change effects when used proactively or in combination with other measures. 

Read more: 
https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2021/june/managed-retreat-ar-siders-coastal-cities-future-climate-change

Managed retreat—a powerful tool for future climate change adaptation

The mission of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research is to support and advance research, education, and clinical training in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. We are interested in supporting researchers in conducting clinical and translational research to improve the timeliness and accuracy of the diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, person-centered clinical care, and quality of life for patients across the continuum from typical aging to dementia and families. We combine clinical, academic, and research experience in medicine, neuropsychology, physiology, and engineering from the University of Delaware and ChristianaCare Health System.

Learn more about DECCAR: https://sites.udel.edu/memory-research/

The Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research

University of Delaware students created a listening device for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to become composers of their favorite childhood songs. The students reached out to Autism Delaware and visited the Sensory Room at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center to pilot the listening device, developed by UD researchers Daniel Stevens, a professor of music theory in the School of Music within the College of Arts and Sciences, Matthew Mauriello, assistant professor of computer and information sciences in the College of Engineering.

They applied for and were awarded $50,000 from the Maggie E. Neumann Health Sciences Research Fund to advance their research. The fund specifically targets interdisciplinary research and innovation that aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

For more information on the project, email asdmusic.ud@gmail.com

Children with autism become composers using listening device

What you plant in your backyard or community can have a significant impact on the ecosystem. In this video, University of Delaware researcher Doug Tallamy shares one simple action we can all take to better support birds and other wildlife. Tallamy, an expert on the science of plant-insect interactions, is the T.A. Baker Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UD. He is also a New York Times’ bestselling author of such works as Bringing Nature Home, Nature’s Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks.

Plan for the Planet: Doug Tallamy

Vita Nova is UD's student-operated fine-dining restaurant, offering an award-winning lunch buffet Monday through Friday and an elegant five-course meal. Vita Nova serves as a learning laboratory for students in the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business & Economics Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management.

Each student gets a diverse educational experience by rotating through 17 different positions both in the dining room and in the kitchen. Students gain invaluable culinary, service and management experience in this learning lab.
https://lerner.udel.edu/centers/vita-nova-restaurant/

Uniquely UD: Vita Nova Restaurant

survey-says-senior-leaders-are-using-ai-but-they-could-use-more-direction

Survey says: Senior leaders are using AI, but they could use more direction

Associate Professor, Management

Organizational Behavior

Team Charters

Leadership

Muliteaming

Team Resilience

 Over the years, study upon study has shown that senior leaders are slower to adapt to new technology – email, the Internet and social media – than younger employees. That’s not necessarily so with AI, according to the University of Delaware’s Saleem Mistry. Mistry, associate professor of management at UD's Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics, recently conducted a survey of more than 200 university alumni, 75% of which had more than 16 years of professional experience. He found that senior leaders are actively adopting AI to solve their biggest challenges. However, they are doing so largely without structured support or guidance. 

Here are four findings from Mistry's survey that shows how AI is actually being used at the top.

Senior Leaders Are Overwhelmingly Self-Taught Mistry said his most glaring finding is the gap between high AI adoption among senior leaders and the near-total absence of formal corporate support. Although a majority use these tools, they are almost entirely self-taught, which highlights visible opportunity that organizations aren’t really steering the AI conversation for leaders:

• High usage. 62% of all senior leaders surveyed use AI tools "regularly" or "occasionally" in their work.

• Training gap. Of those users, an overwhelming 80% report their organization provides "Never" or only "Sometimes" (mostly never) adequate training.

Mistry said this shows that leaders from VP level down are using tools like ChatGPT and Copilot informally to keep up with heavy workloads, without any real organizational guidance. The stakes are high. In the survey, a vice president of legal was using AI for compliance tasks and a manager of three was using it for performance reviews, both with no formal training. “These are senior leaders handling sensitive work while essentially figuring it out on their own,” Mistry said.

There is a clear ladder of AI use Leaders are not using AI randomly. There is a clear progression in how they use it, moving through three levels.

• Tier 1 (The Drafters) This is the most common starting point. Leaders use AI to improve writing and communication. They draft emails, shape documents, and refine tone. As one Director of Product put it, it helps him "polish phrasing" and adjust tone and voice.

• Tier 2 (The Synthesizers) At this stage, leaders use AI to manage information overload. They summarize meetings, condense documents, and pull together research so they can keep up with large volumes of input. As one leader managing a team of 200 said, "Being a leader requires attention in a variety of areas. AI helps me manage the vast amounts of information I need to consume."

• Tier 3 (The Architects) Here, leaders move beyond writing and summarizing. They use AI to automate parts of their work. This includes building agents, creating custom GPTs, or designing tools that track work and performance. One leader managing 300 people said, "It will eliminate half or more of my overhead."

Managers and individual contributors use AI for different reasons People managers and individual contributors (IC) are using AI for very different reasons based on their roles.

• For people managers, their main challenge is scale. They are overloaded with communication and administration, so they use AI to reduce noise and keep up. They lean heavily on summarization and tone adjustment tools.

• For project leads and ICs, their focus is output. They use AI to produce work faster, including drafting content, building decks, writing code, or generating ideas. This difference reflects their jobs. One group is trying to keep up, the other is trying to produce more. It also shows that AI is not a single-use tool. Its value depends on the problem it is being used to solve.

This difference reflects their jobs. One group is trying to keep up, the other is trying to produce more. It also shows that AI is not a single-use tool. Its value depends on the problem it is being used to solve.

Resistance to AI is mostly intentional Among the 38 percent of leaders who do not use AI, resistance is usually not based on lack of awareness. It falls into three groups:

• The Ethical Objectors. Some avoid AI due to concerns about its broader impact.
• The Quality Skeptics. Some do not trust the output and feel it is not reliable enough for important work.
• The Blocked. Some are not allowed to use AI due to company policy.

Mistry concludes that there is a clear overall pattern: Leaders are using AI in practical ways, but mostly without structured support or guidance.

“If it feels like you are figuring this out as you go without much help from your organization, that is consistent with what most leaders are experiencing,” Mistry said.

To connect directly with Mistry and arrange an interview, visit his profile page and click on the "connect" button. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu. 

gritty-like-his-city-how-the-philadelphia-flyers-mascot-went-from-punchline-to-sensation

Gritty like his city: How the Philadelphia Flyers' mascot went from punchline to sensation

Professor, Sport Management

Coaching

Sports as a Diplomatic Tool

International Sports Governance

U.S. Sports Model

Olympics

 How did Gritty, the fluffy, orange, menacing whatchamacallit that backs the Philadelphia Flyers, go from a punchline when he was rolled out in 2018 to one of sports' most well-known and beloved mascots? The University of Delaware's Matt Robinson took a shot, and scored, with some answers.

Robinson, a professor of sport management at UD's Lerner College of Business & Economics, said Gritty embodies the tough attitude that Philadelphia is known for. Also, some of his bizarre features and personality traits go straight to the heart of the demeanor and history of the Flyers, who are currently battling their way through the NHL playoffs. Those are among the ingredients that go into marketing and launching a successful mascot. 

Robinson can discuss the following: • Why some mascots take off and others flop. After his launch, Gritty was ridiculed as a concept on late night TV and "Saturday Night Live." But he was still garnering billions of views on social media and millions in earned media for the franchise.  The Flyers kept pushing the concept despite its early unpopularity, which led to his eventual success. "Any public relations is good public relations," Robinson said.

• Mascots need to be authentic. Gritty embodies the team he represents and the city that team plays in. Robinson noted Philadelphia's "grit" and love of players who play hard, like the Broad Street Bullies – the nasty group of Flyers' players who led the team to two Stanley Cup wins in the 1970s. 

• The best mascots transcend sports. Robinson pointed to the film and character "Rocky," whose statue sits in the front of the city's Art Museum, as well as the city's reputation as one with a bit of an edge. "We're the ones who threw snowballs at Santa Claus," Robinson said, referring to the infamous 1968 incident when Philadelphia Eagles fans pelted Kris Kringle from the stands.

• Players and coaches come and go, but the mascot stays the same. Mascots can be part of ticket sales and community engagement in the offseason, when players may not be in the city or moving to another via free agency.

  • Mascots offer an attachment point for fans that is not sport related. Kids respond to  mascots and, from there, connection with the team, players and the sport can grow.    

 
To contact Robinson directly for an interview, visit his profile and click on the "contact" button. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu. 

hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-epidemiologist-discusses-causes-and-challenges

Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak: Epidemiologist discusses causes and challenges

Professor and Director, Epidemiology

Epidemiology

epidemic

COVID-19

Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response

Rapid Assessment

Applied Epidemiology

Outbreak Investigations

Disaster Epidemiology

Coronavirus

Pandemic

 A deadly outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship currently stuck off Cape Verde, Africa, has put the virus on the national radar for the first time since 1993. University of Delaware epidemiologist Jennifer Horney can talk about the potential for a larger outbreak and the challenges associated with responding to the emergency.

There have been nearly 1,000 cases of hantavirus in the U.S. since surveillance began in 1993. That year, an outbreak of the severe respiratory disease in the four corners area of the U.S. Southwest was linked to domestic exposure to rodents, Horney said.

Horney can discuss the following points in reference to the Dutch vessel M/V Hondius, which has seen three people die since departing from Argentina on April 1.

• The response to this global public health emergency will be challenging given the cuts to U.S. public health and extensive leadership turnover at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 
• Climate change and global transit likely contributed to the new cases, as rodent populations thrive during certain weather conditions.

 
• When humans inhale rodent feces, urine or saliva, often when dust is aerosolized through cleaning, they can become infected. While symptoms may develop up to two months after exposure, the disease has a mortality rate of up to 50%.

To reach Horney directly and arrange an interview, visit her profile and click on the "contact" button. Interested media can also send an email to MediaRelations@udel.edu. 

how-the-class-of-2026-can-keep-resumes-out-of-the-digital-black-hole

How the Class of 2026 can keep resumes out of the digital black hole

Director, Lerner College Career Services Center

Job Search

Linkedin

Recruitment

Hiring

Resume

Salary Negotiation

Mentoring

 Students set to graduate this May are entering a job market where the rules of engagement are being rewritten in real-time. AI is both friend and foe, and ghosting has become the norm. University of Delaware career expert Jill Panté shares how college students can navigate these challenges in a rapidly shifting economy.

Panté, director of the Lerner Career Services Center at UD, can apply her expertise to the following:

The AI recruitment gap  • How to prevent resumes from falling into the "digital black hole" of automated tracking systems.
• Current recruitment in 2026 is heavily filtered by AI. If resumes don't mirror the language of the job description, a human might never even see it. 
• In 2026, AI is the gatekeeper. Students who aren’t using AI for assistance are working twice as hard for half the results. However, the goal is to use it as a co-pilot, not an autopilot.

Beat the bots (tailor your content) • Use tools like Resume Worded or Generative AI like Microsoft Co-Pilot or Gemini to see how resumes stack up against specific job postings.
• It is better to send five highly tailored, thoughtful applications than 50 generic ones that get auto-rejected by an algorithm.
• Use AI to run a mock interview based on the job description and company.

The "hidden” job market • If a "job search" consists solely of clicking "Easy Apply" on LinkedIn for six hours a day, it’s not searching; it’s just doom-scrolling with a resume. Roughly 80% of your time should be spent talking to humans. The other 20% should be spent on applications and research.
• Find the recruiter or a department head on LinkedIn. Send a brief (2-3 sentence) note reiterating your interest.
• Leverage alumni networks through LinkedIn.

Narrative branding • Especially for Gen Z: Hiring managers don't just want to know what you did; they want to know the impact you made.
• Instead of saying "Responsible for social media,” say "Increased engagement by 40% over 3 months by implementing a new video strategy."
• Always lead with results (LinkedIn, resume, Interviews) to showcase the value you bring.

Workforce anxiety  • Managing the mental toll of the modern, high-speed job search and the professional "ghosting" epidemic.
• Establish a personal "Board of Directors" to provide a balance of support, accountability and feedback.
• Maintain momentum by volunteering, attending local networking events and learning new skills on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera.

To reach Jill Panté directly and arrange an interview, visit her profile and click on the “contact” button.



from-covfefe-to-commanding-the-algorithm-how-trump-turned-memes-into-political-power

From “Covfefe” to commanding the algorithm: How Trump turned memes into political power

Professor, Communication

Psychology of Political Beliefs

Public Opinion

Political Media Effects

Media Psychology

Intersection of Entertainment and Information

Psychology of Misinformation

Political Satire

A recent analysis by CNN traces how Donald Trump’s relationship with internet culture has evolved from accidental viral moments into a deliberate, highly effective communications strategy. The article highlights how memes, once unpredictable and grassroots, have become a central tool in shaping political narratives, driving engagement and bypassing traditional media channels.

Some of the great insight and perspective in the article comes from Dannagal Young, whose insights help explain why this strategy resonates so strongly. Young emphasizes that memes act as powerful emotional and cultural signals, allowing political messages to travel quickly while reinforcing identity and belief among audiences.

What began with moments of internet spontaneity has matured into a calculated approach that blends humor, provocation and simplicity to dominate attention in a crowded digital landscape.

“The entire ethos and aesthetic of this administration is spectacle and subversion of norms,” Young said. “You don’t do that through deliberation or argument, but through symbols.”    Her perspective, as presented in the CNN article, underscores a broader shift: political influence is increasingly shaped by content that feels native to the internet, where relatability, repetition and shareability often matter more than traditional policy-driven messaging.

 ABOUT DANNAGAL G. YOUNG   Dannagal G. Young is a Professor of Communication and Political Science at the University of Delaware where she studies the content, audience and effects of nontraditional political information. She has published over sixty academic articles and book chapters on the content, psychology and effects of political information, satire and misinformation. 



new-report-proves-earning-potential-of-evs-equipped-with-vehicletogrid-technology

New report proves earning potential of EVs equipped with vehicle-to-grid technology

Professor, Marine Science and Policy

Vehicle-to-Grid Power

Offshore Wind Policy

 The University of Delaware, Exelon Corporation/Delmarva Power and collaborators have released a new report showing that electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can be profitable for private owners and businesses alike, with data from real electricity markets to back up the claims.

The report is the outcome of a pilot program announced in 2024 by UD, and completed at the offices of Delmarva Power, which is part of Exelon Corporation, to confirm the value of V2G services to the grid. 

Among the key findings: the collaborators report that a V2G-enabled passenger electric vehicle (EV) could earn as much as $3,359 per year, based on 2021-2025 market prices, for storing and supplying energy to the electric grid during times of need, otherwise known as providing grid services. Heavier vehicles, such as fleet vehicles, delivery trucks or school buses, could earn over $9,000 per year, per vehicle. 

That’s a powerful income generator, given that privately owned vehicles are parked 96% of the time, on average, in the United States. Company fleet vehicles — even those operating 40 hours per week — remain stationary 75% of the average work week.

The pilot, which included collaborators Ford Motor Company, the region’s electric grid operator PJM Interconnection, and aggregator Nuvve Corp., was tested using a small fleet of Delmarva Power EVs retrofitted with the bidirectional charging technology and a new advanced communications standard. 

The term “bidirectional charging” means that the V2G technology enables electric vehicle batteries to store extra energy from the electric grid when there is a surplus and to discharge that energy back to the grid when it is needed. In this way, V2G-enabled EVs can help the grid stay balanced, strengthening grid resilience and reliability, especially during peak demand and extreme weather events. New PJM rules allow properly certified EVs to provide this balancing and be paid for it — and the pilot proved they can meet these requirements and be paid for the service.

For UD Professor Willett Kempton, who invented the V2G technology with colleagues at the University nearly 30 years ago, it’s a pivotal moment. 

“Whether it could scale cost-effectively was an open question, and we’ve proven that it can — with the right combination of policies, standards and technology,” said Kempton, professor of marine science and policy. 

 For businesses such as Exelon, the report makes clear that V2G technology can help offset the cost of fleet electric vehicles while supporting the electric grid. This is because when the batteries in the parked fleet vehicles are aggregated together, they can function as a virtual power plant. The result is energy storage and supply that is available to the electric grid significantly faster than other conventional power resources, with virtually no wait times needed to power up or down. 

Unlocking a parked vehicle’s earning power Since Kempton and colleagues pioneered the innovative V2G technology, UD researchers have kept the charge going, accelerating progress on everything from V2G technology development to new automotive communication standards (called LIN-CP) for electric cars. They have advanced policy innovations at the state and federal level to overcome barriers in widespread adoption by enabling V2G technology to compete in electric markets, too.

The recent pilot with Exelon/Delmarva Power and others also revealed that the EV batteries used for V2G remained fully functional after a full year of market operation — with no measured reduction in battery health — all while providing pollution-free power.

“Something that might not be obvious to everyone is that these payments are not a subsidy; these EVs are earning money by competing with legacy generators, which is novel in a lot of ways,” said Kempton. “And when you’re participating in the market instead of a fuel-burning generator, you’re also reducing pollution.”

This makes the technology both economically smart and functionally sound in a world where the electric grid is expected to include more renewables in the coming years. 

Kempton explained that most U.S. planned future electricity generation is scheduled to come from wind and solar. This will create greater fluctuation in the electric grid, which means more storage for energy surpluses will be needed. That’s where V2G can help, Kempton said. 

According to Brian Derr, senior analyst, Exelon Technology and R&D, insights from the pilot will inform future deployments and support the company’s broader strategy to enable the clean energy transition while maintaining reliable service for the communities it serves.

“By leveraging existing assets in new ways, Exelon is positioning itself to build a more flexible, resilient and customer-focused energy system,” said Derr.

 Accelerating progress toward a V2G industry Next steps to expand the V2G industry to support the grid will require mass manufacturing to scale up the number of individual cars or fleets that are participating and earning money, Kempton said. 

Until now, changes to V2G-enabled vehicles have been done by retrofitting existing EVs to accommodate the V2G technology. Now with lower-cost standards and realistic market revenue values that can be expected, Kempton is looking at how this becomes adopted in many cars and many charging stations.

“We’ll need at least a few car companies and charging station companies to mass produce this V2G equipment, and to deploy the technology into vehicles in the factory,” Kempton said. “If it is designed in, and mass produced, it’s incredibly cheap, especially when you compare it to the potential yearly revenue.”

At UD, faculty and students continue to play a large role in the work aimed at bringing a fully functioning V2G industry to fruition. Kempton, Rodney McGee and recent graduates John Metz and Catherine Gilman, for example, are focused on policy changes and standards to allow V2G-enabled electric vehicles to provide grid services in more states. Such policies currently exist in Delaware and Maryland. Kempton would like to see this number grow.

Meanwhile, UD postdoctoral researcher Garrett Ejzak and alumnus Go Charan Kilaru are focused on other aspects of the work. Ejzak is developing and testing these new EV technologies, and Kilaru is designing cryptography measures to ensure security protocols for V2G communications. Concurrently, UD students Colden Rother, Jude Borden, Lucia Paye-Layleh and Emmie Rossi are examining ways UD could electrify some of its campus fleets, under the advisement of UD’s Kimberly Oremus, associate professor of marine science and policy, economics, and public policy and administration.

To arrange an interview with Kempton, visit his profile page below and click on the "contact" button. For interviews with officials from Exelon/Delmarva Power, contact ​​Matt Ford, in 
​Delmarva Power Communications, at 302-429-3060.


Filters

Keyword

Featured Experts

Year