Caroline Stuart

Class of 2023
Major: Bioengineering
Hometown: Ambler, PA
High School: Hatboro-Horsham High School

What Made You Decide to Attend UMD?

If you told me 4 years ago I would be attending the University of Maryland to study bioengineering I would have looked at you funny. Being from out-of-state, Maryland was a school I did not know much about but always had a secret interest in. I blindly applied to UMD without stepping foot on campus. On Admitted Students Day, I finally had the opportunity to visit Maryland and let's just say that day changed my whole college plan. I was blown away at the beauty of Maryland's campus and the Clark School facilities. I instantly fell in love with the idea of being at student at the Clark School as I walked through Clark Hall and learned more about what I could get involved in during my time at Maryland as a Clark School student. 

Best Experience with a Class or Project

My best project and class experience at the Clark School was definitely my ENES100 project. While my team of other freshman engineers across disciplines were tasked with building a vehicle capable of traveling across a sandbox and measuring the side lengths of an unknown object, they day we went to order parts for our vehicle, COVID-19 shut down campus. Despite the unanticipated change, my group was resilient and were able to work together in a new virtual environment to develop a cohesive and fun Rube Goldberg machine with electrical and mechanical elements. Our project video ultimately won both possible awards due to its creativity and advanced components. This project was a great introduction to what working on an engineering team is like! (Project link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHyObKt8kWA)

Favorite Class In Major

BIOE453: Biomaterials

Favorite Class Out of Major

HONR239C: The Creative Process in Dance

Student Organizations/Extracurricular Activities

University Honors LLP 
ClarkLEAD 
Tutor for Student Athletes 
Clark in Madrid 
AEMB Biomedical Engineering Honor Society

Favorite On-Campus Event

My favorite on-campus event was when stand-up comic John Mulaney visited UMD to perform my freshman year. I love stand-up comedy and it was so exciting to see John Mulaney perform live at the Xfinity Center. I also love attending basketball games and getting together with my friends to root for the Terps!

Favorite Research or Study Abroad Experiences

Last spring, I studied abroad through the Clark in Madrid program which allows students to take classes for a semester in Madrid, Spain. I cannot express how life-changing this experience was and how accommodating the program is. I was able to take engineering courses I would have taken at UMD abroad! It was amazing since it kept me on track for graduation but also gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture while exploring Spain and Europe. I met so many other engineers from the Clark School in Madrid that are now some of my closest friends at UMD. It is truly an experience I would not trade for anything.

Cool Engineering Experience

Last summer, I interned at a Pharmaceutical company where I got to lead my own project related to drug-packaging process improvement. While there, I also worked in -20°C freezers to validate brand-new commercial equipment -- this involved wearing a whole snowsuit despite it being 95°F outside! It was really cool to experience different industry projects and know that I made an impact on the patients the company serves as an engineering intern. 

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