2022-23

Do Good Showcase

Gemstone Honors Program partnered again with the Do Good Institute for the 6th annual Do Good Showcase, which took place on November 6, 2023. Our fourteen junior Gemstone teams presented an update on their research with a special focus on what urgent societal issue their projects are addressing and how their research contributions will Do Good.

A panel of five judges selected three teams to receive $500 each to support their research efforts. The panel included two Gemstone alumni, Lara Fu '17 (Director Of Development and Communications at DC Prep) and Christina Hnatov '19 (Lecturer with the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UMD), as well as Allison Lansverk (Associate Director, Gemstone Honors Program), Brianna Lucas (Program Manager for Student Engagement, Gemstone Honors Program), and Katlin Gray (senior program manager, Do Good Institute).

The winning teams for the 2023 Do Good Showcase were team BELI, team FUNGI, and team Supa’Hot. Each team will receive $500 to support their research endeavors. In addition, team SCOOT was selected as the Audience Choice Award recipient, a Gemstone awarded honor, and will also receive funds to continue their research. Gemstone is proud of the hard work, dedication and passion of all the junior teams. 

Gemstone Student wins scholarship from The Society of American Military Engineers

Tasnim Ullah, a second year Gemstone student studying Bioengineering and Information Science, has been selected as a recipient of a prestigious scholarship from The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). SAME’s mission is to "lead collaborative efforts to identify and resolve national security infrastructure-related challenges,” and one of the ways The Mid-Maryland Post of SAME supports that mission is by providing scholarships to deserving students in engineering, architecture, or related fields.

Tasnim is a member Team BELI, who are investigating the changes in the gut throughout the menstrual cycle. She is also the co-head of the Sisters’ Committee in the Muslim Student Association and member of the Society of Women Engineers. She hopes to pursue a career path in biotech. 

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.

Originally from Montgomery County, PA, Hannah is a member of Gemstone’s team VERDANT (Vegetated Walls to Enable Reuse, Detoxification, And Natural Treatment of Greywater), who are investigating ways to design green walls that can filter greywater for reuse. As one of the team clerks on team VERDANT she has helped coordinate project goals, develop timelines, and conduct systematic literature reviews. She is also a member of the University of Maryland chapter of the American Meteorological Society and is involved with climate data analysis and visualization research on campus. In her free time, she enjoys birdwatching, playing the flute, baking, and reading.

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!

Gemstone Student Spotlight: 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.
 

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