Gemstone Honors Program
Celebrating 25 years of Impact and Inquiry
Gemstone is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors.
News & Events
Gemstone alum wins prestigious scholarship
Gemstone student Neelesh Mupparapu ’22 has been named a 2023 Mitchell Scholar, earning a year of graduate study in Ireland. Neel, a Banneker/Key scholarship recipient, graduated from UMD with a degree in biomedical engineering last spring. He is interested in pursuing medicine with an emphasis on equity and social advocacy
Gemstone Team Wins 2nd Place in Bioscience Day Poster Competition
Seniors Nora Fadul and Macaela Wolcott of Gemstone team BCIPRO represented their team at UMD's Bioscience Day, receiving second place in the poster competition under the Bioengineering category. Congratulations to BCIPRO!
Gemstone Student Selected for Gingrich Firebaugh Scholarship
Hannah Bao, a third-year Gemstone student studying Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Sarah E. Gingrich Firebaugh Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was established in honor of Sarah Gingrich Firebaugh, B.S. '00, chemistry, who was among the first students to participate in the Gemstone program, and it supports well-rounded students in Gemstone majoring in engineering or science, with a preference given to Pennsylvania residents. Read More.
Gemstone Students Featured in the Diamondback!
Katie Brown '23 and Roman Kassaraba '24 were among a few students featured in a Diamondback article about their team research projects and their contribution to the tech and health fields. Kudos to Katie, Roman, and their research teams, Team MINIGUT and Team UNITED!
Citation Ceremony
Save the Date for Citation Ceremony May 17, 2023 at Riggs Alumni Center
Student Spotlight Gemstone: Esohe Owie
Esohe is a first-gen Honors Terp and a sophomore in the Gemstone Honors program majoring in public health science and minoring in French studies.
Read more.
25th Anniversary
Gemstone is excited to celebrate 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.
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.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiatives"I chose Gemstone because I had done some research in high school and wanted to continue in college. I was really intrigued by the flexibility and student-driven approach that Gemstone offered. I really liked the living-learning aspect of the program because I got to know fellow classmates and the staff. I also got involved in Gemstone Student Council freshman year and got to meet more great upperclassmen. My GEMS100 Section Leaders (Lara and Akhil!) were also great at helping to ease the transition."
100%
of students participate in service-learning opportunities
61%
of students obtain immediate employment upon graduation
39%
of students attend graduate or professional school
