Welcome
The Gemstone Honors Program at the University of Maryland is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. The Gemstone Honors Program continues to challenge and support students in the development of their research, teamwork, communication and leadership skills. Learn more about Gemstone.
Celebrating Gemstone’s 25th Anniversary
Gemstone is excited to celebrate Gemstone’s 25th Anniversary: Twenty-Five Years of Impact and Inquiry. Our hope is to not only connect with our Gemstone community, but to also highlight the amazing work that Gemstone has accomplished over the past 25 years. Click here learn more about ways to engage and celebrate with us.
News and Announcements
Gemstone's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiatives
October 19th, 2020
In accordance with our commitment to racial justice and equity, Gemstone will host a town hall for our community each semester as an opportunity to listen to our community and be held accountable to these commitments and goals. The first such town hall will take place on Wednesday, December 2 at 7pm ET. Register in advance for this conversation . Learn more about the Gemstone Leadership Council's efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion and the new GEMS208R: Equity-Centered Dialogue Facilitation course.
Congratulations!
October 7th, 2020
Congratulations to Jay Swayambunathan, Class of 2018, Team MATRIX on his recent publication and recognition featured in the New York Times! Click here to view the article.
Gemstone Library Award
October 6th, 2020
Congratulations to team REACH on receiving the Donald and Katherine Buxton first place award with $2000 in team funds and teams BRAIN and GECKO who will each receive $1000 in team research funds.
To View the Presentations
Celebrating Gemstone's 25th Anniversary
October 5th, 2020
Although we are collectively experiencing a global pandemic, we are excited to come together as a community to celebrate a significant milestone, Gemstone's 25th Anniversary: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of Impact and Inquiry. As we begin to reflect and celebrate 25 years of Gemstone, we want to hear from YOU regarding your own Gemstone experiences! Our hope is to not only connect with our Gemstone community, but also to highlight the amazing work that Gemstone has accomplished over the past 25 years.
If you would like to share your memories and stories with us, please visit go.umd.edu/gemsfromgems.
Distinguished Forum featuring Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
October 5th, 2020
The University of Maryland welcomes Dr. Mona Hann-Attisha for a virtual conversation. She is the author of What the Eyes Don't See. The book is an amazing story about Dr. Hanna-Attisha's role as a pediatrician, professor, and public health advocate whose research exposes the Flint water crisis, with themes of environmental racism, sustainability, humanity, ethics, medicine, innovation and so much more. Click here to view her inspiring personal story.
Gemstone Junior & Senior Welcome Back Event 9/21
September 24th, 2020
Facilitators: Kayla Foster and Rachel Harvey
Special Panel Guests: Chris Grant, Jaishri Shankar, and Jodi Coalter
Kudos to Kayla and Rachel for doing an outstanding job with facilitating the session!
If you were unable to attend the session, you can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9fdtw9zsNA
Incoming Class Act
September 11th, 2020
Meet two of Gemstone's incoming freshmen: Alana Ginsburg and Kalonji Harrington! Click HERE to read the article.
Gemstone First-Year Welcome Packet
August 10th, 2020
Welcome to Gemstone, Class of 2024! Check out our Gemstone Class of 2024 Welcome Packet, which contains lots of valuable information and resources to help guide you through your first-year and beyond as a Gemstone Terp. Be sure to keep this packet in a safe place, as it contains materials you will need for your Gems100 class as well as interactions with your CONNECT mentor! This packet will also be mailed to all of our first-year students' permanent home mailing addresses this week.
GEMSTONE Registration Assistance
June 24, 2020
If you are experiencing any challenges registering for Gemstone courses, we can help! If you have met with your academic advisor and are still experiencing issues due to a course restriction, please click here to fill out the permission form or visit http://ter.ps/gemsbpo. If you are having trouble registering due to a credit limit from your college or due to a scheduling conflict, please email gems@umd.edu and we can assist!
Congratulations to team ASTRO (formerly Habitat)!
June 23, 2020
University of Maryland team took "First Place in Theme" at the 2020 NASA RASC-AL design competition. Gemstone Team HABITAT's entry, "Robotic Habitat Technologies for Minimizing Crew Maintenance Requirements", took first place in the theme "Autonomous Utilization and Maintenance for Gateway and/or Mars-class Transportation". Team Habitat is made up of Rachel Cueva, Rachel Harvey, Peter Mnev (who did the video presentation in the virtual competition format), Rachel Broemmelsiek, Micah Calderwood, Jaime Callejon Hierro, Scott Holmes, Imran Khawaja, William Keyman, Wilson Orlando, Jessica Queen, Micah Shenk-Evans, and Thomas Skinner. The team is mentored by Dr. Mary Bowden and David Akin.
Congratulations to CONTACT's mentor!
June 23, 2020
Team NOSALT's mentor, Dr. Birthe Kjellerup, leads a research effort to track COVID-19 via wastewater testing
May 26, 2020
Click HERE to read more.
