A. James Clark School of Engineering

Engineering, service and family history come together.

As a teenager, mechanical engineering student Catherine Argentina retraced her great-grandfather's World War II journey through France.

Swipe to see her great-grandfather, Pvt. Joseph Houlihan, who served as a tail gunner on a Martin B-26 Marauder that was shot down over France. Houlihan survived and spent the remainder of the war evading capture.

During that visit, Catherine even recovered fragments of his crashed aircraft using a metal detector.

Now, she's writing the next chapter of her family's legacy of service as a 2026 SMART Scholar. The highly competitive scholarship will support her senior year at Maryland while preparing her for a civilian engineering career with the U.S. Navy, where she'll help develop technologies that support the nation's defense.

What does a day in the life of a bioengineer actually look like? 🧬🔬

High school students from across Maryland and Virginia got a behind-the-scenes look inside 's Kuo Lab, where they explored cutting-edge bioengineering research, met graduate and undergraduate researchers, and discovered how science can improve lives.

Through hands-on demonstrations and conversations about research, graduate school, and STEM careers, students saw first-hand that the path to becoming a scientist starts with curiosity, and the confidence to ask questions.

A huge thank you to our partners at STEM for Her () and students in the Kuo Lab who shared not only their research, but also their passion for discovery and mentorship.

Here's to inspiring future engineers and innovators.

Professor Christine Hartzell was named to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 class of 2026.

Hartzell is the The Department of Aerospace Engineering at UMCP Minta Martin Professor and the founding director of ASTRA-UMD, UMD’s center for space exploration technology research. She has participated in several NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and JAXA(宇宙航空研究開発機構) missions to study asteroids and Phobos, one of Mars’ moons. Asteroid 9319 was named “Hartzell” in recognition of her many contributions to the field of asteroid science.

Hartzell completed her B.S. at Georgia Tech in 2008 and then went on to pursue her Ph.D. at the of Colorado Boulder.

(In the third photo, she's posing with astronaut and Maryland Engineering double alum Jeanette Epps M.S. '94, Ph.D. '00.)

Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo has received Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate a new class of optical materials for energy efficient, compact, and novel optoelectronics devices.

“I am excited to use this award to continue forging the field of phase change materials for photonics and optoelectronics,” said the assistant professor in the Maryland Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics.

Specifically, his project will advance the understanding of phase change materials, which are named after their ability to switch between two different stable states, a property that determines how these materials slow and absorb light without using power to maintain either state. This comes as modern technologies rely on controlling light on a chip for sensing, communications, and computing.

Learn more about Ocampo's research and this award:
https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/riacuteos-ocampo-awarded-nsf-career-to-advance-new-class-of-materials-for-optoelectronics

The future of Maryland’s workforce is being built right here.

Thanks to support through Governor Wes Moore’s Maryland Lighthouse Industries Upskilling and Reskilling Program, the Clark School’s MATRIX Lab will provide industry-recognized solder certification training for working professionals and jobseekers—helping open doors to careers in aerospace, defense, and other high-growth fields.

“We’re bridging the gap between workforce development, certifications, and AI to better train professionals for their current job positions or future employment opportunities,” said Joe Copenhaver, MATRIX Research Lab Manager. “The certification we’ll be offering is required for working on federal aerospace projects, so this will open up a lot of opportunities for a lot of people, including our local technicians and future engineers.”

Learn more at: https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/matrix-helping-maryland-build-tomorrows-workforce

Maryland Engineers bond over ice cream! On this National Ice Cream Day, we celebrate how ice cream brings our community together.

DEAN'S WELCOME EVENT: Every fall, Dean Graham welcomes students to the Clark School and the new academic year. Students enjoy free T-shirts and ice cream as they get to know each other and the engineering faculty. (Photos 1,6,7,10)

NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK ICE CREAM SOCIAL: In February, our community celebrates National Engineers Week with a sweet treat! This year, we introduced the newest Maryland Dairy flavor, Clark Dream, developed by three UMD Clark Scholars in honor of engineer, businessman, and philanthropist A. James Clark. (Photos 3,4)

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING ICE CREAM SOCIAL: WIE unites all students with ice cream, typically once per semester, including for its 30th anniversary in October 2025. (Photos 2,5,8,9)

Most of us aren't on campus today for National Ice Cream Day. But if you get a scoop of your favorite frozen dessert, be sure to think of your Maryland Engineering community. It'd be a perfect opportunity to reach out to someone you've lost contact with too!

Mike O'Neill is an accomplished engineering student who will serve as a ClarkLEADER for the third time this fall. Today is the last call to help Mike welcome new engineering students to the Clark School by applying to become a ClarkLEADER:
https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_dmqH8U8nZLHqFy6

Mike is a 5th year Mechanical Engineering B.S./M.S. student with minors in Global Engineering Leadership and General Business. He is an active student leader as a Clark Scholar, member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and a ClarkLEADER.

He serves as an Advanced Keystone Teaching Fellow, a Study Abroad and Clark School Ambassador, and a Technical Supervisor at Terrapin Works. Mike has conducted research in the Space Power and Propulsion Laboratory and MIRAGE Labs and completed internships and co-ops with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Stoke Space, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. He has participated in three study abroad programs.

He enjoys reading, traveling, video games, and spending time outdoors.

Interested in being a ? Apply today (July 13)!
https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_dmqH8U8nZLHqFy6
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland