News & Events
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Clara Abdelmalek awarded Goldwater Scholarship
April 2025
Congratulations to Clara Abdelmalek (Class of 2026, Team TOXINS) on receiving the Barry Goldwater Scholarship! This scholarship recognizes students' amazing accomplishments in science, engineering, and mathematics research. Read more about Clara's work, research interests, and post-grad goals here. Great job, Clara!
Tami Mumuney & Esohe Owie 2025 Do Good Semi-Finalists
March 2025
Tami Mumuney (Class of 2026, Team TOXINS) and Esohe Owie (Class of 2025, Team BMM) were chosen as semi-finalists in the 2025 Do Good Challenge!
Tami is a member of the Pre-Health Global Brigades team, which focuses on increasing access to quality healthcare in under-resourced communities. This year, Tami traveled to Guatemala to provide medical aid and hygienic supplies to local communities.
Esohe is on the Terrapin Think Tank team, which is UMD's first student-led policy incubator. Their project this year focused on equitable healthcare in Prince George's County in partnership with UMD's School of Public Health. Check out the article here!
Neha Sripathi received Portz Outstanding Honors Student Award
November 2024
The Portz Outstanding Honors Student Award is given to a student in each Honors program to celebrate their academic achievements, service, and leadership in and outside of the classroom. It was founded in 1978 in honor of Professor John Portz, the first director of the General Honors program.
Neha received the Portz Outstanding Honors Student Award at the Honors College fall citation ceremony on November 15, 2024. She is a third-year student (Class of 2025) and member of Team SUPERBUG. Neha also served as a co-director of CONNECT for the 2024-25 academic year; TA for BSCI222; ambassador for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; and member of a bioinformatics research team in the School of Public Health among many other campus involvement roles. Outside of UMD, Neha volunteers with Marland Mentor Corps to work with elementary school students in Prince George's County and spends her free time hiking, bouldering, painting, reading, and exploring the D.C. area. She was also recently awarded Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars award. Way to go, Neha!
Avery Parker awarded Gingrich Firebaugh Scholarship
November 2024
We are honored to continue the tradition of awarding the Sarah E. Gingrich Firebaugh Memorial Scholarship to a well-rounded Gemstone student studying science, math, or engineering. This year’s recipient is Avery Parker, a senior from Warrington, Pennsylvania majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. Congratulations, Avery!
They are a member of Team QCrypt, whose research goal is to examine how the security of novel post-quantum cryptographic systems compare to current-day encryption methods, as well as how these new cryptographic systems may affect cybersecurity as a whole. Avery also serves as the team financial liaison and manages their expenses and budget. They are also one of the instructors of CMSC398R, a student-run course focusing on exploiting and fixing common vulnerabilities in applications. Outside of academics, Avery enjoys playing tabletop roleplaying games, hiking, and creating maps.
Congratulations to junior teams who presented at Do Good Showcase!
November 2024
Our junior teams presented at the 7th annual Do Good Showcase on Monday, November 4. Congratulations to teams COAST, COLOR, and TOXINS, who received awards from the judges and will each receive funds from the Do Good Institute. Teams TOXINS and VIRAL won the "Audience Choice" awards and will receive funds from the Gemstone Program. The program also thanks the Do Good Institute for their continued partnership with us and donation of $1,500 to support Gemstone research.
Esohe Owie nominated 2024 Spirit of Maryland Finalist
October 2024
Gemstone's very own Esohe Owie was a finalist for the Spirit of Maryland Award for Homecoming 2024! The award is presented each year during half-time at the Homecoming football game to two seniors who demonstrate the "spirit of Maryland" through exceptional leadership, campus involvement, and community service. Congratulations, Esohe!
Team COAST trip to Scotland
August 2024
Team COAST visited Northern Scotland to get up close and personal with tidal turbines. With the help of their mentor, Dr. Niemeier, the team was able to connect with an operations manager at Meygen to tour the facilities and discuss their research.
Team EXO won second place overall at ASTM International Exo Games
August 2024
Congratulations Team EXO! This past August, Team EXO put their exoskeleton prototype to the test at ASTM International's Exo Games in Philadelphia. They won second place overall and first place in design.