Engineering Momentum: A Transformative Start to 2025

dean's messages

Clark School Supporters,

We are back to the business of solving grand challenges in College Park. Our students, faculty, and staff are excited about another semester of moving society forward with engineering.

It has already been a busy few weeks:

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore announced a $10 million gift to launch the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine, allowing us to embed engineers with doctors to improve diagnostic tools, disease treatment, and patient outcomes. Our state partners at MPower are also essential to this endeavor.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, UMD President Darryll J. Pines, and IonQ President and CEO Peter Chapman announced a $1 billion public-private partnership in quantum information science and technology.
Our online graduate engineering program was ranked ninth in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

We also proudly hosted our first Clark Scholars Program Network Program Leaders Meeting and Summit.

As you know, UMD is now home to the Clark Scholars Program Network (CSPN), a continuation of the highly successful A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation’s A. James Clark Scholars Program, which combines engineering, business, leadership, and community service, and is implemented at 11 of the nation’s top engineering institutions.

At the summit, scholars and program leaders from those institutions came together to connect, collaborate, and innovate:

Program leaders discussed ways to better educate our students and improve outcomes in engineering education, including how to help engineering students overcome mental health and wellness challenges.
Scholars had the opportunity to connect with and learn from their peers, forming or growing the personal and professional bonds that will last a lifetime.

The highlight of the event was a design competition where scholars worked in teams and offered solutions to make the Baltimore Harbor swimmable, an exercise in real-world problem solving and engineering creativity. Beyond the competition, participants strengthened bonds through engaging team-building activities and gained industry insights during an exclusive engineering tour of M&T Bank Stadium, a landmark built by Clark Construction.

We are thrilled to continue fostering learning and connections through the CSPN, and deeply grateful to the Clark Foundation for entrusting UMD to do it. The CSPN is another example of the kind of forward-leaning student opportunities we offer to help anyone who wants to become an engineer to realize their dream.

Sincerely,

Samuel Graham

Dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor

Published February 13, 2025