Tavis Smiley Social Innovation Challenge

Gamera Human-Powered Helicopter Team

Solar Decathlon Watershed Team

X-HAB

Wood Stove Design Challenge: Team Mulciber

National Energy Competition Team

IBE Bioethics Competition

Rotorcraft Team

Terps Racing: Baja and Formula SAE Teams

Chem-E Car Team

Cybersecurity Club

UMD Steel Bridge Team

Solar Distillation Team

Hydrogen Team

ACC Clean Energy Challenge: SafeLiCell

Alumni Cup

Engineers Without Borders

Concrete Canoe Team

Robotics

RASC-AL Robo Ops Competition

RASC-AL Design Competition

Windward Code Wars

Altitude Balloon Team

ENES 100 Hovercraft Competition

Business Model Competition

Team Illusion

• «
• 01 Tavis Smiley Social Innovation Challenge
• 02 Gamera Human-Powered Helicopter Team
• 03 Solar Decathlon Watershed Team
• 04 X-HAB
• 05 Wood Stove Design Challenge: Team Mulciber
• 06 National Energy Competition Team
• 07 IBE Bioethics Competition
• 08 Rotorcraft Team
• 09 Terps Racing: Baja and Formula SAE Teams
• 10 Chem-E Car Team
• 11 Cybersecurity Club
• 12 UMD Steel Bridge Team
• 13 Solar Distillation Team
• 14 Hydrogen Team
• 15 ACC Clean Energy Challenge: SafeLiCell
• 16 Alumni Cup
• 17 Engineers Without Borders
• 18 Concrete Canoe Team
• 19 Robotics
• 20 RASC-AL Robo Ops Competition
• 21 RASC-AL Design Competition
• 22 Windward Code Wars
• 23 Altitude Balloon Team
• 24 ENES 100 Hovercraft Competition
• 25 Business Model Competition
• 26 Team Illusion
• »
• Pause

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Click on a team's slideshow image above to go to that section of this page for more information.

Learn more about Student Competitions and Challenges:

• Dean Pines on Why Participation in Competitions and Challenges is an Important Part of the Clark School Culture
• National and International Challenges and Competitions for K-12 Students

Top of page
 

See Photos and Video from Alumni Cup 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Kim Engineering Building Rotunda

What Is It?

An annual engineering design competition started in 2012 by the University of Maryland Alumni Association, Engineering Chapter. Teams of students from each department will compete against one another in a week-long challenge to develop a machine that will perform a specific task within certain parameters. Teams will be judged on the machine’s effectiveness in completing the task within the parameters given, a demonstration within the design of the team’s respective discipline, an oral presentation and rough sketches in correlation to the design, and team spirit.

The task and parameters will be given to each team on the Friday before E-Week (this year on Feb. 15, 2013). Students will have one week and a small stipend with which to design, sketch, and build the best machine within their ability to reflect their department. Teams will demonstrate their designs at the end of E-Week in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building Rotunda (this year on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, between 2-4 pm). The judges’ panel will be comprised of 5 individuals from both the Clark School administration and the Alumni Association. The winning team will be memorialized on the Alumni Cup trophy displayed in the west lobby of the Glenn L. Martin Hall.
 

Our 2013 Alumni Cup Winners!

The Civil and Environmental Team

• Erin Strittmatter (Team Captain)
• Laken Ensor
• Amanda Boehmlein
• Matthew Gladding
• Katie O’Brien
• Robert Marengo
• Jonathan Schneider
• John Groeger

Why Are We Doing This?

The Alumni Cup is intended to generate department (and Clark School) pride, Alumni Association recognition, and a fun and fulfilling E-Week activity.

2013 Competition Schedule

• 11:00 am: Kim Building Rotunda opens for teams to setup
• 12:45 pm: PowerPoint presentation and hard copy of sketches/drawing package due
• 1:00 pm: Judges convene
• 1:10 pm: Private presentations to the judges
• 1:50 pm: Judges caucus
• 2:00 pm: Competition introductions
• 2:10 pm: Round 1: Oral presentations and machine operations
• 2:45 pm: Judges caucus
• 3:00 pm: Round 2: Machine operations
• 3:30 pm: Round 3: Machine operations
• 4:00 pm: Winners are announced
• 4:10 pm: Group photo

Pictures and Video from Previous Competitions

See more photos in Flickr!

Past Topics

• 2013 - Inserting a nail into a material for a 20-lb weight to be hung
• 2012 - Blowing up a balloon and popping it

Past Winners

2012 Aerospace Engineering

For Spring 2013

NOTE: In order to comply with the law about sharing personal information, those students who have signed to have
their information “withheld” will not be listed below.

Top of page

The annual Engineering Honors & Awards Ceremony that honors undergraduate students for excellence in academics, leadership and service will be held on:

Tuesday, April 9, 2013
at
6:00 p.m.
in the
Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union

Nominations are being sought for the college-wide awards. The awards are described below.

The Dinah Berman Memorial Award (cash award)

Nominees are evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. grade point average
2. scholastic endeavors, and
3. demonstrated leadership and/or service to the Clark School of Engineering as evidence by participation in
   activities that impact students in all engineering majors.

Nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Junior (third year student) in Engineering
• Completion of or currently completing the freshman and sophomore level requirements for his/her major

The Clark School of Engineering Leadership Award (cash award)

Nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate engineering student
• Good academic standing
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership in the Clark School of Engineering as evidenced by participation in
  activities that impact students in all engineering majors

The Kim Borsavage and Pamela J. Stone Student Award for Outstanding Service (cash award)

Nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate engineering student
• Good academic standing
• Demonstrated outstanding dedication and service to the Clark School of Engineering

The Clark School of Engineering International Student Award (cash award)

Nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate engineering student
• Good academic standing
• Demonstrated significant involvement in international engineering activities through leadership or service

The Clark School of Engineering Dean's Award (cash award)

(Students nominated for the Dean's Award can be considered for the leadership and service awards)

Nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate engineering student who is graduating in May, August or December 2011
• Demonstrated scholastic excellence
• Demonstrated outstanding service to the Clark School of Engineering as evidenced by participation in
  activities that impact students in all engineering majors

Nominees have been contacted with instructions on providing supporting materials (resume, transcript and letters of recommendation).

The A. James Clark School of Engineering is proud to offer its outstanding students the opportunity to participate in the Engineering Honors Program (EHP).

Introduction

The EHP was developed to provide an atmosphere conducive to creating passion in learning through student involvement and faculty interaction. Experience has shown that it is this close interaction between faculty and student that helps the student develop leadership skills, a creative attitude, and self-confidence; these are the characteristics of the leaders in the field of engineering and management.

The EHP was established in 1982 to broaden the academic program for the most outstanding students in the School of Engineering. The student's own involvement in the learning process is its single most important component. A corollary of this process and one that produces the greatest satisfaction for faculty is the development of significant, intellectual contact between themselves and the students.

Because of the demands of the existing engineering curricula and the limited resources available, the EHP was formulated to achieve an environment of excellence and excitement, while not placing an excessive burden on the students who elect to participate. The program that has evolved is modest in terms of the effort required of the participating students, but one designed to have a significant impact on both the student's knowledge of the engineering profession and his or her potential for success.

Admission

Engineering students meeting all of the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• Upper fourth of engineering juniors and seniors
• Junior standing or 60 applicable credits
• Completion of at least one semester at UMCP

Graduation Requirements

The requirements for completing the program are as follows:

• An Honors Research Project, which often can be used as a technical elective, a written report, and an oral presentation to a faculty panel of the EHP
• Successful completion of both Engineering Honors Seminars (ENES 480 and ENES 481, 1 credit hour each)
• Maintenance of a G.P.A. to remain in the upper-fourth of the class.

A one-hour seminar is offered each semester: ENES 480 in the Fall semester and ENES 481 in the Spring semester. Topics of recent seminars include: Creativity in Engineering; Leadership in Engineering; and Engineering Ethics. A brief written report and an oral presentation are required in each seminar. At least one seminar should be taken in the junior year, if possible, to avoid scheduling conflicts in the senior year.

Research Requirement

The research requirement is one of the most important elements of the EHP. It gives you the opportunity to work with a faculty member, who can then serve as a reference when you apply to graduate school or for employment. Graduate schools give significant weight to the completion of research. Thus, completing research can be to your advantage when you are being considered for graduate research assistantships.

Research is a scholarly, original investigation of an engineering problem. The research requirement is an important part of the EHP. It serves to introduce the student to the process of research, which provides preparation for research as part of graduate study or in an industrial environment.

While the EHP seminars do not replace other graduation requirements, the research project can be taken as a departmental graduation requirement. The EHP student should enroll in the appropriate departmental course:

• ENAE 499 Research
• ENCE 489 Special Problems in Civil Engineering
• ENCH 468 Research
• ENEE 499 Projects in Electrical Engineering
• ENFP 489 Honors Research Project
• ENMA 499 Senior Laboratory Project
• ENME 488 Special Problems
• ENME 489 Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering

It is usually best to start the research well before your final semester and enroll in the course during the last semester. The student is responsible for selecting the research advisor. The student may approach any faculty member in their department. Information about the research interests of all faculty members may be obtained from lists of faculty research interests or the departmental annual reports, both of which should be available in departmental offices. The Electrical and Mechanical Engineering departments require the completion of a form when enrolling in the courses listed above (i.e., ENEE 418 or ENME 488, 489); copies of the forms can be obtained from the departmental undergraduate advisor. In some cases, students may elect to fulfill their EHP research requirement with an advisor from outside the department; in such cases, approval must be obtained from both the department advisor and the EHP director prior to enrolling in the course.

A double-spaced written report that summarizes the research is completed and submitted to the research advisor for approval. After approval of the student's advisor, four copies should be submitted to Dr. McCuen, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Room 1170. This must be submitted to Dr. McCuen at least one week prior to the end of classes during the semester in which the student intends to graduate.

In addition to the written report, EHP students are required to present a summary of their research at the EHP Research Seminar, which is held at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters on the day before final examinations begin (i.e., the study day). Those graduating in the summer must complete and defend their research in the Spring semester.

It is university policy that dual credit cannot be given for one research activity. Therefore, research completed as part of another academic activity cannot be used as the EHP research requirement.  Additionally, the project must be an individual project that is not part of a group/team activity.

Return to Current Students Home

Information for the A James Clark School of Engineering Commencement Ceremony is provided. No tickets are required for the Clark School ceremony.

Please check the University Commencement web site for complete details regarding the Main Commencement Ceremony.

All Graduates: When to Report and Where

Graduates should report to the lower level of the Reckord Armory at 2:45 pm to assemle for the processional. Signs and staff will be available to direct you.

Directions:  It is important that you be on time. You must pick up your name card, which will be given to the Reader of Names during the ceremony.

If you are an Undergraduate student, look for the name of your department to pick up your card. PhD, Masters, or Master of Engineering graduates look for corresponding signs. Make sure to complete the survey on the back of card. The Student Affairs staff will assist you in preparing for the Processional.

Please keep in mind that participating in the Commencement ceremony does not in any way imply that degree requirements have been satisfied for graduation.

Ph.D. Student Procedure

Please make arrangements with your advisor to be hooded during the Engineering Graduation Ceremony. If your advisor is not available, you can ask another member of your committee or a favorite faculty member to hood you, or your department chair can hood you. Inquiries regarding commencement ceremony participation should be directed to your department graduate advisor and not to Student Affairs or the Dean's Office. Deadline to RSVP to attend the Engineering Graduation Ceremony is December 1, 2013.

RSVP to participate in the December 2013 ceremony.

Masters Student Procedure

Information regarding graduation procedures can be found on The Graduate School page. Inquiries regarding commencement ceremony participation should be directed to your departmental graduate advisor and not to Student Affairs or the Dean's Office. Deadline to RSVP to attend the Engineering Graduation Ceremony is December 1, 2013.

Apply to participate in the May 2013 ceremony.

B.S. Graduate Candidates

If your degree requirements will not be complete at the end of the semester, but you would like to participate at the Engineering Commencement ceremony, complete a Request to Participate in Engineering Commencement Ceremony form in the month before commencement. Deadline to RSVP to attend the Engineering Graduation Ceremony is December 1, 2013.
Apply to participate in the May 2013 ceremony.

A complete timeline regarding the undergraduate graduation process and required paperwork is available on the Undergraduate Advising and Academic Support Graduation page.

Diplomas

• PhD:  After Commencement, diplomas can be picked up in the Diploma Office, located on the first floor of the Mitchell Building.  The Diploma Office will not be open the day of Commencement, but will open for regular office hours the following business day.
• Masters:  Diplomas will be mailed out to those that have completed all requirements approximately six weeks after graduation.
• B.S:  Diplomas will be mailed out to those that have completed all requirements approximately six weeks after graduation.

Undergraduate Students with Honors

If you are an undergraduate student graduating with Latin honors (summa, magna and cum laude), engineering department honors and/or Clark School honors, you will receive a gold and/or red tassel from the college to wear on your cap at graduation. Students will be notified via email in early May when the tassels are available. Latin, department and Clark School honors will also be announced when your name is read during the recognition portion of the Engineering ceremony.
Contact Jane Fines (jfines@umd.edu) if you have any questions.

GPA Ranges for Latin Honors: August 2013

Summa:          4:000 – 3.974          
Magna:           3.973 – 3.920        
Cum Laude:     3.919 – 3.843

GPA Ranges for Latin Honors: December 2013

Summa:          4.000-3.973
Magna:           3.972-3.912
Cum Laude:     3.911-3.839

Regalia

You are responsible for obtaining your own graduation regalia through the University Book Center in the Stamp Student Union.  Please see the University Commencement website under Regalia for more information.  Bachelors and Masters regalia will be available up to the day of the commencement ceremony.  Ph.D. regalia must be ordered in advance through the University Book Center.

Parking and Transit

Parking in the marked spaces in the surface lots is on a first come first served basis. The best options are Lot XX1 near Martin Hall, the Paint Branch surface lot near the Kim Engineering Building, Regents Garage, or Lots 9 and 11.
If you require accessible transportation for a disabled guest the day of commencement, please make arrangements by calling dispatch services at (301)314-0318. If you have parking questions, please call (301)314-PARK.

Family and Guest Arrival Times

The processional is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm. Family and friends should arrive no sooner than 2:45 pm., as there will be another ceremony scheduled prior to ours in the Reckord Armory. Family and friends of the graduates should enter the Reckord Armory through the main entrances on the arena level.

Photography

GradImages, the university’s official photographer, will take photographs of each graduate participating in the campus-wide commencement ceremony prior to the procession and photographs at the Engineering graduation ceremony with one as they cross the platform. While there is no obligation to purchase the prints, the graduate will receive color proofs by email approximately two weeks after commencement.  In order to receive the proofs, please make sure that you complete the company’s address card distributed in the line-up area prior to the procession.  For more information, contact GradImages at (800)628-4509 or visit  www.gradimages.com.

Services for Guests with Special Needs

The Comcast Center is equipped with elevators and accessible entrances located to the right of the steps that lead to the main entrance, as well as in the Terrapin Trail Garage.  There are many long hallways in the Comcast Center and walking is required.  The University of Maryland does not have wheelchairs available.  If you have difficulty walking long distances, consider renting a wheelchair from an off-campus vendor.

• Students or Guests with Hearing Disabilities
  Students or guests requiring sign language interpretation please contact Jane Fines by November 30.
• Special Needs Guest Parking
  Parking for guests with disabilities is available near the Reckord Armory in Lot C, in Lot XX1, and Regents Garage to any guest with a disabled permit. View the campus map [pdf] for parking locations.
• Special Needs Guest Entrances
  Wheelchair access to the Reckord Armory is available at the front of Reckord Armory.
• Special Needs Restrooms
  Restrooms are located on the lower level of Reckord Armory. Restrooms that are ADA compliant and accessible to our guests with disabilities will be located in temporary buildings outside of Reckord Armory.
• Special Needs Guest Seating
  Wheelchair and special needs seating is available on the arena level accessible through the main entrance. Ushers will be available to assist with seating.

For More Information

Please contact Jane Fines

Introduction

Nuclear power currently accounts for approximately 20% of electricity generation in the United States. With 104 operating reactors, the US has more installed nuclear capacity than any nation in the world. Since operation of nuclear plants results in zero emissions of greenhouse gases, which are recognized as significant contributors to global climate change, the requirement for additional nuclear power plants is being recognized as a needed component of the US energy future. At present, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission anticipates receiving applications for more than 25 new plants within the next two years.

The need for graduate engineers with education in nuclear engineering will grow significantly in the coming years, both due to the new plants as well as the retirement of current nuclear professionals. The proposal for a minor in nuclear engineering will provide engineers graduating from the Clark School with the capabilities needed to enter the field.

Catalog Description

The minor in Nuclear Engineering provides the engineering student with the understanding of nuclear engineering and its application to many different fields, such as power generation, reactor operation, and industrial uses. Students in the minor will learn the fundamentals of nuclear reactor engineering, radiation interactions and measurement, power plant design concepts, and reactor safety. The minor is open to any student in the Clark School of Engineering.

Requirements for Minor

To successfully complete the minor in nuclear engineering, a student must complete a total of 15 credits (5 3-credit courses). All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. A maximum of two of the required five courses can be used to satisfy requirements of the student’s major (with approval of the major department).

All students pursuing the minor will be required to take the following four courses:

• ENME 430- Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Engineering
• ENME 431- Nuclear Reactor Systems and Safety
• ENME 432- Reactor and Radiation Measurements Laboratory
• ENME 472- Capstone Design Project (Nuclear Topic)

The fifth course for the minor will be selected, with the help of the student’s minor advisor, based on student interest. Some possible choices include:

• ENME 488- Special Problems in Mechanical Engineering
• ENME 489X- Special Topics is Mechanical Engineering (Student would select an appropriate course from a number of special topics courses taught each semester in the Mechanical Engineering Department)
• ENRE 446- Applied Reliability Engineering
• ENRE 447- System Safety Engineering
• ENMA 422- Radiation Effects on Materials
• ENEE 474- Power Systems

Contact Information

Dr. Gary Pertmer
2303 Chemical & Nuclear Engr Bldg
301-405-5284
pertmer@umd.edu

While minors are not offered in every field of study, the A. James Clark School of Engineering offers the following six approved minors:

• Engineering Leadership Development
• International Engineering
• Nanoscience and Technology
• Nuclear Engineering
• Project Management
• Technology Entrepreneurship

Minors

Minors afford students the opportunity to pursue a limited but structured concentration in a coherent field of study outside their major.

The minor may be a truncated version of a major or a distinctive intellectual subset of a discipline. The structures of minors vary in detail, but, with rare exceptions, they all require no fewer than 15 and no more than 24 credits with at least 9 credits in upper division courses (300 level or above). No more than six credits (or two courses) may be applied to satisfy both the requirements of a minor and a major program. No course may be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one minor. All courses taken for a minor must be completed with a minimum grade of C- or better.

When a student has completed all requirements for the minor, the unit offering the minor shall notify the student's college, which verifies that the student has met all requirements and officially notifies the Registrar's Office. The completion of a minor is posted on the student's official transcript only when the student completes all requirements for the bachelor's degree.

Adding Minors

To ensure appropriate academic advising, students who wish to pursue a minor should inform both the college responsible for their major and the unit offering the minor as early as possible, but in no case later than one full academic year before the expected date of graduation. Adding a minor late will be the decision of the advisor for the minor. However if the minor is to be added in the semester of pending graduation the student must submit an exception to policy form to the college for approval.

Deleting Minors

If a engineering student no longer wishes to pursue a minor please submit a request to delete the minor to Ms. DaFran Ware.

What is the Order of the Engineer?

The Order is the roster of engineers in the United States who have participated in an Engineers’ Ring Ceremony and who have publicly accepted the “Obligation of an Engineer”.

History of the Order of the Engineer

The first Iron Ring Ceremony was then held in 1925, at the University of Toronto, with the rumor that the rings were created from the remains of the Quebec Bridge. The Quebec Bridge, whose 1,800 foot cantilever structure collapsed in 1907, was a source of embarrassment to the design engineers. So, the rings purpose was to serve as a reminder that engineers are not infallible, and that there are consequences for their failures. Also, that they must always take care in their designs as well as persist in the pursuit of excellence. There are currently 250 Links in the United States. The A. James Clark School of Engineering is Link #137.

What is the “Obligation of an Engineer"?

The Obligation is the formal statement of an engineer’s responsibilities to the public and to the profession; the Obligation is the publicly accepted by an engineer during induction at a Ring Ceremony. The obligation is similar to the National Society of Professional Engineers’ Engineer’s Creed the Engineer’s Council for Professional Development’s Canon, and the Canadian Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer.

Eligibility for Induction

Those eligible for induction include:

• Graduates in engineering from engineering curricula accredited by ABET
• Seniors in ABET-accredited engineering curricula within two academic terms of graduation
• Engineering students graduating in any term in 2012
• Licensed professional engineers
• Special individuals, who by reason of education, eminence, or experience are deemed worthy of the Order

Why Should I Take the Oath?

As an engineer, you will make decisions that directly impact people’s lives. The Oath of Obligation affirms the professional ethical responsibility you commit to uphold, symbolized by the steel band you wear on the small finger of your working hand.

How can I Take the Oath?

The Clark School of Engineering conducts an induction ceremony each year.