People
Faculty Members:
Galina Madjaroff Reitz
Senior Lecturer and Faculty Director, BS in Information Science at Shady Grove
gmreitz@umd.edu
240-665-6523
9631 Gudelsky Drive, Building IV, Office 4111
Bachelor of Science in Information Science Program
University of Maryland at The Universities at Shady Grove
BIO
Dr. Galina Reitz is the Faculty Program Director for the BSIS at the Universities at Shady Grove. Dr. Reitz joined the iSchool after 12 years as a faculty member and administrator at UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County). Dr. Reitz also serves as the Associate Director of higher education for the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA) and is a Faculty Affiliate for the TRACE center. Dr. Reitz has presented her research at venues around the country and internationally, as well as consulted with technology companies on the design of new devices for older persons. Dr. Reitz has published on various topics including Voice Technology in Supporting Older persons with cognitive impairments, Person-Centered Technology and Quality of Life, Narratives of Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Supporting Caregivers and Care Recipients after the Onset of Cognitive Impairment with Home Based Technology. Dr. Reitz is heavily involved in research using VOICE technology to improve the quality of life of Individuals with physical and cognitive impairments and older adults with Dementia and related cognitive disorders. She is also focused on developing online safety tools to support those with Dementia and their care partners in alleviating cybersecurity risks. Dr. Reitz was awarded a three-year NSF Grant to explore Negotiating Cyber Systems Access for Older Adults with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder. In addition to research, Dr. Reitz is focused on the development and continuous enhancement of all aspects of academic programming and continuing to establish community partnerships that support career pathways for students.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Information Systems, Human Centered Computing, UMBC
M.A., Management of Aging Services, UMBC
B.A., Psychology, Biology, Creative writing, UMBC
ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CENTERS
Amanda Lazar
Assistant Professor
lazar@umd.edu
301-405-8550
2117D Hornbake Building, South Wing
BIO
Dr. Lazar investigates the ways that technologies—which are designed for health and wellbeing—position and support individuals as they age. She is an Assistant Professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. Dr. Lazar is a member of HCIL and the TRACE center and affiliated with the Department of Computer Science. Her work is supported by the NSF and NIDILRR.
EDUCATION
- PhD, Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Washington, 2015
- BS, Electrical Engineering, University of California San Diego, 2011
ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CENTERS
RESEARCH & FOCUS AREAS
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Student Members:
Scott Mobarry
Graduate Assistant
smobarry@umd.edu
+1 301 405 2038
Masters of Information Management Program
College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland
BIO
Alum of the University of Maryland’s iSchool with a B.S. in Information Science. Currently a Graduate Student in the Masters in Information Management Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Additionally, he is pursuing the strategic management focus area track of the Masters in Information Management Program with the intention of working in industry as a project manager in the future. Serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. Scott has over a year of experience assisting with teaching students and has worked as a student ambassador for the College of Information Studies. He assisted the Information Technology for the Aging Person (iTAP) program led by Dr. Galina Reitz and graduate course instructor Dr. Amanda Lazar with their collaborative work in INST728X: Designing Technology with Older People; Special Topics in Information Studies. In INST728X: Designing Technology with Older People he helped to facilitate four in-person co-design sessions between students and older people from the Montgomery County Commission on Aging, culminating in a final presentation of the design proposals. Scott served as a graduate student mentor for a project team of undergraduate students researching accessibility technology at Technica 2022. Technica is the world’s largest Hackathon for underrepresented genders. He has experience with teaching University of Maryland students how to develop VOICE technology skills for Alexa that can integrate generative AI for supporting older adults and other members of the accessibility community. Also, he is passionate about improving the user experience of Electronic Health Records services and home care technologies for older adults and their caregivers.
EDUCATION
B.S., Information Science, UMD
