Gemstone Program

If you are the parent of a middle schooler, please consider supporting Team FLOW’s Gemstone Research!

Please sign up at this link: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_4ZxbfdTppkOOEeh

If you are a parent of a middle schooler, consider supporting Team FLOW on their Gemstone research project.

To sign up, please use the following link:

https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_4ZxbfdTppkOOEeh

Gemstone mourns the loss of one of its own. Dr. Vickie Claflin, the former Associate Director of Gemstone. We offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. You can view her obituary at https://obits.theadvocate.com/us/obituaries/theadvocate/name/vickie-claflin-obituary?pid=200045706

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Gemstone Alumni Board member Jeremy Rachlin '02, a partner at a law firm in Bethesda, MD. His practice focuses predominantly on estate and trust law -- he was also elected Treasurer of the Montgomery County Bar Association! While in Gemstone, Jeremy was a Psychology major on Team ACTS, who performed a statistical meta-analysis of correctional models for non-violent drug offenders, developing a best practices model aimed at reducing recidivism. Swipe ➡️ to hear about some of Jeremy's favorite Gemstone memories, as well as a proposed team research proposal to which we can probably all relate!

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Gemstone Alumni Board member Annelise Buck '16 (), who consults for organizations including FEMA, New York City Emergency Management, and FirstNet. While in Gemstone, Annelise was an Environmental Science & Policy major on Team BRAIN BLAST. Swipe ➡️ to hear about why Annelise loves being involved as a Gemstone alum!

We’re continuing our Gemstone Alumni Board feature this week with board member Ryan Hoffmaster '06 (), who works in program management for sounding rockets and missile defense targets. While in Gemstone, Ryan was an Aerospace Engineering major on Team EAMS (Expanding Awareness of Mute Swans). Swipe ➡️ to hear about Ryan's fondest memories of his time in Gemstone!

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Gemstone Alumni Board member Natalie Anzures '14 (), a board-certified neurological physical therapist in San Francisco. Natalie works in an inpatient acute rehabilitation setting, helping people learn the necessary mobility skills to achieve independence prior to being discharged. While in Gemstone, Natalie was a Biology major on Team ELECTRODE. Swipe ➡️ to learn what topics Natalie would love to see Gemstone teams tackle in the future!

Today we are kicking off our weeks-long feature of the wonderful members of our Gemstone Alumni Board (GAB)! Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is GAB member Nikhil Joshi '07 (), a veterinarian in Maryland. While in Gemstone, Nikhil was a Biology major on Team TRIGGER, testing the reliability of the identification of guns through educational research. Swipe ➡️ to hear more about Nikhil’s proudest accomplishment while serving on the Alumni Board!

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Melanie Zheng '17, who is pursuing a joint MD/MHS at Yale University--she is currently in a funded research year, applying genomic analysis to undiagnosed liver disease. While in Gemstone, Melanie was a Biochemistry major on Team INJECT. Swipe ➡️ to hear more about Melanie's Gemstone experience, including a major issue she would love Gemstone teams to tackle!

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Julia Downing '17 (), a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University studying scalable manufacturing of nanomaterials for printed electronics, energy storage technologies, and sensing devices (her dream is bringing the cool chemistry and physics of nanotechnology to consumer-level implementation). While in Gemstone, Julia was a Material Sciences & Engineering major on Team NATURE. Swipe ➡️ to hear more about Julia’s Gemstone experience, including how well it prepared her for grad school!

Our ALUMNI OF THE WEEK today is Teddy Tien '08, who leads global HR for three of Sanofi Genzyme's franchises (Rare Diseases, Rare Blood Disorders, and Neurology & Immunology), partnering with his business leaders to deliver a robust people strategy that sets up their teams for commercial success. He will also be a panelist for CAREER ZIG-ZAGS on Wednesday! While in Gemstone, Teddy was on Team MERIT as a Finance and Marketing double major. Swipe ➡️ to hear more about Teddy’s Gemstone experience, including his time serving on Gemstone Student Council (now known as Gemstone Leadership Council)!

We are excited to reveal our panelists for CAREER ZIG-ZAGS: Exploring Unique & Non-Linear Career Paths with Gemstone Alumni on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 at 7:00pm! First up is Teddy Tien (‘08):

Teddy is the Global Head of HR for Sanofi Genzyme's Rare Diseases, Rare Blood Disorders, and Neurology/Immunology franchises. In his role, he leads their people strategy, organizational development and culture transformation, and talent efforts to drive the organization forward. Teddy has over a decade of experience most recently as the Global Head of Leadership Development at Mastercard. Prior to Mastercard, Teddy spent a number of years at PwC in consulting and HR roles including long-term international assignments in Beijing and Hong Kong.

Teddy graduated from the University of Maryland in 2008 with degrees in Finance and Marketing and was a proud member of Team MERIT.

All members of the Gemstone community (students and alumni) are invited to attend this panel event! RSVP today at go.umd.edu/AMPPcareerzigzags (link in bio)