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Spring 2024

collection of Terp license plates

Features

May 17, 2024
UMD-themed vanity plates are the highway four-leaf clovers we love to spot. We share some of the best—and the tales behind the tags.
cooking utensils and lock

Explorations

May 21, 2024
Researchers Use Recipes to Test Tool for Analyzing DoD Classification Guidelines
Melvin Edwards poses with statue

Parting Shot

May 17, 2024
Sculpture Dedicated to Late Groundbreaking Artist
people hold hands along Baltimore Avenue

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History
Lauren Champion rowing

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Terp, Teammate Complete Race Across Atlantic in Record Time
collage of Lee Mendelowitz, Di Zou and Benjamin Eidelberg

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
3 Alums Crunch Numbers as Sports Analytics Experts for Pro Teams in the DMV
Jeanette Epps in astronaut gear

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Alum Astronaut Joins International Space Station
volunteers hold bags

Post-Grad

May 17, 2024
Terps ‘Do Good’ on Campus and Beyond
A couple sits behind a table with some card games on it

Features

May 17, 2024
A Fluctuating, Ever-Changing, Up-and-Down Journey to Gaming Success
The image is a stylized, futuristic illustration that depicts a hilly landscape with a car winding through it.

Features

May 17, 2024
Ninety-second battery fill-ups. All-day range. Unparalleled safety. UMD researchers are powering up EVs to save the planet.
two baby deer near mailbox

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Is Neighborhood Wildlife Spreading COVID?
one person whispers into another's ear

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Gabbing About Others Offers Unexpected Benefits in Social Groups, UMD and Stanford Researchers Find
three cartoon brains exercising

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Researcher Finds That Moderate Movement Can Protect Memory and Cognition
SHELBI NAHWILET MEISSNER portrait

Explorations

May 17, 2024
Professor Tells Stories Behind Her Traditional Tattoos
Frederick Douglass statue

Explorations

May 17, 2024
New Center Links Humanities, Social Change

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue
Justin Di Palo headshot

10s

Justin Di Palo ’11, M.S. ’12

Justin Di Palo ’11, M.S. ’12 rejoined the international engineering firm Syska Hennessy Group to serve as co-lead of its national sustainability practice and as an associate partner. He is based in the Los Angeles office. Di Palo first joined that office…

80s

Creig Northrop ’90

Creig Northrop ’90 was named to The (Maryland) Daily Record’s “Power 100” list for 2023-24, which highlights those who play an important role in culture, lifestyle, civic conversations and economic fortunes of Maryland. Northrop is the founder, CEO and an…
Sandhya Hosagrahara Somashekhar headshot

90s

Sandhya Hosagrahara Somashekhar ’99

Sandhya Hosagrahara Somashekhar ’99 was promoted to deputy business editor at The Washington Post, where she has worked for nearly two decades, on the local desk, national desk, Outlook and business desk. She obtained her master’s degree from the…
Colleen Vacelet headshot

00s

Colleen Vacelet ’02

Colleen Vacelet ’02 was selected as the Baltimore Business Journal’s “2024 Mentor of the Year.” She is the founder of Intreegue Design, an Elkridge-based landscape architecture firm, and last year acquired Order Green Supply, a Baltimore firm that…

10s

Derek Myers ’10

Derek Myers ’10 was promoted to managing director at Alvarez & Marsal Tax. He focuses on tax return preparation, tax considerations and reporting requirements related to M&A transactions. His clients span multiple industries, including private…

00s

M. Dean Lewis ’02

M. Dean Lewis ’02 was appointed president and CEO of Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares, the parent company of Calvin B. Taylor Bank, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Lewis joined the company in 2012. Lewis has a master’s degree in taxation from American University.
Christopher Neely headshot

10s

Christopher Neely ’14

Christopher Neely ’14 was part of the team at Lookout Santa Cruz that won a 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of catastrophic flooding and mudslides that displaced thousands. He is a politics and policy correspondent at the…
Pavan Davuluri headshot

00s

Pavan Davuluri M.S. ’02

Pavan Davuluri M.S. ’02 was tapped by Microsoft to lead its Windows operating system and Surface devices teams. Davuluri joined Microsoft in 2001 and most recently served as corporate vice president.