Skip site navigation
Terp
Issues Departments Contact
Search
Issues Departments Contact

Winter 2024

Explorations Web otm fewtures 960x500

The FEWture of Food Forests

Persimmons, Pawpaws and Beach Plums Thrive in Edible Ecosystems

 Explorations robot under nose identifies cheese, fire, fish, etc.

What the Bio-Nose Knows

Futuristic Smeller Uses Talents of Living Cells

 Explorations man and woman sit at table with dishes flying around them; boxers shake hands

Talking Politics—Without Getting the Silent Treatment

Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life

 Explorations Minesweeper on farm

AI Offers Hope on Dangerous Ground

Researchers Pinpoint Unexploded Shells, Rockets in Ukraine’s Agricultural Regions

 Campus Life Taulia Tagovailoa looks to pass football

Sports Briefs

Tagovailoa Named Big Ten’s All-Time Passing Leader; Expanded Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex Opens

 3 Terp magazines with Standing the TEstudo of Time and illustrated Testudo

A Trio of Testudos

Print Your Own Terp Covers Showcasing Historic Mascot Images

 Campus Life Matt Swope bumps fists with player rounding bases

Back in Full Swing

Former UMD All-Star Steps Up to the Plate as Head Coach

 Campus Life person plays violin surrounded by musical notes and computer code

Harmony Between AI and Violin Instruction?

Researchers Develop Online Platform to Improve, Expand Instrumental Education

 Campus Life student tests pressure suit

An Out-of-This-World Mentor

Adviser for Decades of Space, Robot Competitions Isn’t Powering Down

 Campus Life group of students in woods with written doodles: Team Survival Challenge; me, realizing I'll live another day; balloon to signal for help; other teams look on skeptically; container fitted with mask to filter water; scorecard

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Dying

In Wilderness Survival Class, Students Rely on Wits, Not a Whiteboard

 News Washington Commanders flag

Commanders’ Offices to ‘Touchdown’ in Discovery District

Relocation Expected to Expand Partnerships With UMD

 News IDEA Factory at dusk

An Xceptional Challenge

Initiative to Award Up to $2M for Student Solutions to Grand Challenges

 News gears

With $20.6M Investment, UMD Becomes HQ for Clark Scholars Program

A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation Investment Gives Program Permanent Home

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

90s

Hena Khan ’95

Hena Khan ’95 wrote the new picture book “Zain’s Super Friday,” a celebration of Muslim traditions, imagination, and the joy of community. Many of her children's books focus on contemporary Muslim life, including “Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns,” “Under…
Steve Elliott headshot

00s

Steve Elliott MFA ’03

Steve Elliott MFA ’03 was named president of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. He was previously vice president of academic affairs at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. He held various positions there, including faculty member, department…
Raylena Church Fields headshot

Passings

Raylena Church Fields ’75

Raylena Church Fields ’75 died on Dec. 10, 2023, at home in Salisbury, Md. She was 70. She was born in Allen, Md., and after earning a journalism degree at UMD, she built a 30-year career in newsrooms in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. Her coverage…
Raul Fernandez

90s

Raul Fernandez ’90

Raul Fernandez ’90 was promoted to interim president and CEO of DXC Technology, an IT services provider based in Ashburn, Va. He had been CEO of DXC since 2019 and chairman since 2022, overseeing a restructuring at the IT services provider, which employed…
Deborah Lynn Dahl-Young headshot

Passings

Deborah Lynn Dahl-Young ’90

Deborah Lynn Dahl-Young ’90 of Bel Air, Md., died on Oct. 20, 2023, at Johns Hopkins Medical Center after a battle with kidney cancer. She was 56. Born in South Bend, Ind., she was a graduate of Joppatowne High School, majored in business at UMD and…
Jonson Marin headshot

Passings

Jonson Marin ’00

Jonson Marin ’00 of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died on Dec. 15, 2023, due to complications from Lyme disease. He was 46. Born in San Miguel, El Salvador, Marin was a software engineer. He was an avid downhill mountain biker, snorkeler and paddle boarder.…

00s

Bryant “Mack” McGee ’07,

Bryant “Mack” McGee ’07, chief marketing officer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, was named to the Baltimore Business Journal's “40 Under 40” for 2023.

90s

Michael “Nathan” Shashoua ’92

Michael “Nathan” Shashoua ’92 wrote “Snapshot of a Warped Man,” a memoir of personal dysfunction addressing awkwardness, social alienation and twisted sexual fantasizing. Shashoua has worked as a journalist covering a variety of topics, including finance,…