THIS FALL, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND WELCOMED MORE THAN 40,000 STUDENTS TO CAMPUS. WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE NEXT GREAT SOCIETAL ADVANCEMENT OR LIFE-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY THEY WILL DEVELOP DURING THEIR TIME IN COLLEGE PARK. Our undergraduates are hot on the trail of scientific discovery, including sending several years’ worth of experiments to the International Space Station to help make extended space missions healthier. Meanwhile, researchers in computer science are pushing the boundaries of virtual reality in the context of learning and memory. Through the MPowering the State initiative, artists and performers at UMD are collaborating with medical researchers at the University of Baltimore to design immersive experiences that reduce anxiety and the need for medication in hospital patients. Others are tackling the growing threat of Lyme disease, working both to reduce the prevalence of disease-carrying ticks where people live, and to understand the complex biology behind the infection. Please read ahead about donor-supported opportunities to help students discover their passions, such as Brick Day in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. For decades, a regional business owner and Terp has shared supplies, staff and expertise so students can try their hands at masonry—and now he's funding a new endowed scholarship in the school. You’ll also meet the former director of our public health science program, who with her husband endowed a fund supporting outstanding undergraduates’ research in that field. Another generous gift will start a lecture series exploring the role of physics as it intersects with history, arts or the humanities. Your support of our students and faculty gives them the chance to discover new knowledge around every corner. Thank you for giving them a place to turn their fearless ideas into reality.
Jackie Lewis Vice President for University Relations President, University of Maryland College Park Foundation
COVER PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI ’86
Sincerely,