On Thursday, April 29, the Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office hosted an online event celebrating the many achievements and successes of M.S. and Ph.D. students in mechanical and reliability engineering.
2021 GRADUATE AWARD RECIPIENTS
Ruben Acevedo Outstanding Student Paper Award, IEEE Conference on Micro-electronics Mechanical Systems
Etha Ankit Outstanding Graduate Assistant (GA) & Clark School Future Faculty Award Advisor: Siddhartha Das
Abhishek Deshpande Ph.D. fellowship from IEEE’s Electronics Packaging Society (EPS) Advisor: Abhijit Dasgupta
Weiping Diao Outstanding Graduate Assistant (GA) & the Anne Wyle Dissertation Fellowship Advisor: Michael Pecht
Sara Honavar Inaugural Amazon Lab126 Ph.D. Robotics Fellowship Recipient Best Teaching Assistant (TA) for a Class Under 100 | ENME444 Advisor: Yancy-Diaz Mercado
Chien-Ming Huang Best Teaching Assistant (TA) for a Class Under 100, Runner Up | ENME 462 Advisor: Eleanora Tubaldi
MD Turash Haque Pial Clark School Future Faculty Award
Keshav Rajasekaranv Best TA – Runner Up – ENME 361 Advisor: Miao Yu
Keshav Rajasekaran Best Teaching Assistant (TA) for a Class Over 100 | ENME 361
Suraj Ravimanalan IPC Student Member Scholarship & UMD ISSS Roberta Ma Scholarship
Rishi Roy Best Teaching Assistant (TA) Runner-Up | ENME 331
Harnoor Singh Sachar Finalist for the Padden Award Symposium of the Division of Polymer Physics of the American Physical Society Advisor: Siddhartha Das
Gyeong Sung Kim Link Foundation Fellowship, Solar-thermal Desalination PrizeSuraj Ruval Best Teaching Assistant (TA) for a Class over 100 – ENME350 Advisor: Amr Baz
Ali Tivay Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Advisor: Jin-Oh Hahn
Chu Xu Best Student Paper, ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conferecne Advisor: Hosam Fathy,
Rui Xu Anne Wylie Dissertation Fellowship Advisor: Arnaud Trouve
As you may know, the university has implemented several new guidelines designed to ensure the safety and wellness of the UMD community. One of those guidelines are new entry/exit points from university facilities. Previously, you could enter/exit the buildings from any door, and travel throughout the buildings in any direction you please. To ensure proper social distancing, all university facilities have designated entrances and exits for the community to use. The facilities also have directional arrow posters to guide you throughout the building.
We have created a video to show you the quickest and safest way to get to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering’s student services’ office. The video will also explain how to exit the building from the ME hallway using both the 1st and ground floor exits. Finally, you will see how to contact ME staff if they’re out of the office.
In order to keep you all posted on announcements and to answer any questions, meGRAD will be hosting a Town Hall on Friday May 8th from 1-2PM. We will be making general announcements, policy updates, deadlines, etc. There will also be a Q&A session for students to ask any important questions. The Q&A session will be monitored by staff.
We ask that participants mute their devices when not speaking. Any questions or concerns you have during the meeting should be posted in the chat box. We will attempt to answer all questions within the time limit, but this is not guaranteed. If your question is missed during the town hall, we will follow up with you directly. If you would like to submit any questions in advance, please send them directly to Darius Craig (dcraig12@umd.edu).
Immediately following the Town Hall, we will be posting meGRAD’s Spring 2020 Virtual Award Ceremony. During this ceremony, we will honor the achievements and accomplishments of meGRAD’s amazing students. Although we cannot meet in person, meGRAD is working tirelessly to ensure that you all are recognized for your hard work and dedication. If you would like to be recognized for an award or achievement, contact Darius at dcraig12@umd.edu by Noon, May 7th.
Doctoral students and postdocs at all stages of their training should participate in free in-person and online workshops to learn more about important career and professional development topics. The 2019-2020 workshops are posted in the events calendars of both The Graduate School and The University Career Center & The President’s Promise. Students and postdocs must pre-register for online workshops.
PhD Career Development Workshops will be offered as webinars via Zoom and WebEx. All Maryland students, faculty and staff have access to Zoom and WebEx using CAS authentication. Please log into the webinars 15 minutes before the start time.
PhD Career Navigator Meet Ups are a dedicated time and space for PhD students across campus to gather and support each other in their career and professional development. Drop in to get your career and job search questions answered by fellow doctoral students. No question is too small, too big, or off-limits. We meet weekly on Fridays 1:00-2:00pm via Zoom. Sign up below!
Register Now for Upcoming PhD Career Online Webinars
Friday
4/24/20
1-2pm
PhD Career Navigator Meet Up (Zoom)It’s the end of the academic year! Come create or update your CVs and resumes with all your accomplishments. Have an application due soon? Come receive feedback on your cover letter and materials from your peers.
PhD Career Navigator Meet Up (Zoom)That’s a wrap! Come share, discuss, and reflect on the academic year with fellow PhDs and celebrate all your accomplishments!
Greetings meGRAD! Thank you to everyone who was able to login to our virtual student check-in via Zoom on Friday (4/17/20). There were many questions, feedback, and updates shared with grad students regarding navigating through the current crisis. We’ve created an FAQ list containing the information shared during the meeting. If you have any questions about the information listed, or for any other inquiries, please feel free to contact our program administrative specialist, Darius I. Craig, at dcraig12@umd.edu
Q = Question A = Answer I = Information F = Feedback
I: University resources during COVID-19.
As we navigate through the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important that you have access to university resources that contain updates and information regarding the crisis and the university response. The University is actively monitoring COVID-19 cases within the State of Maryland and the University community. Please reference the meGRAD website for the list of resources.
I: Graduate School Resources during COVID-19
The Graduate School has provided a wide variety of information and updates for students during the crisis. Please be sure to visit the Graduate School’s website and take advantage of the information provided.
I: Information regarding UMD mental health services
We understand that the current environment can be mentally challenging, especially coupled with the stress of completing graduate studies. The university counseling center is providing virtual sessions for those in need. Please visit the counseling center’s website for more information.
The University has moved towards a Pass/Fail (P/F) grading system for the Spring 2020 semester. Students will be able to earn a P/F grade for undergraduate courses, and a Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) for graduate courses. Students will earn graduate credit with an S but not with an F. An S will not affect a student’s GPA, but an F will. There are no limits on S/F credits for graduate students. S/F is an appropriate grading scale for F1/J1 students to maintain status, so long as they also maintain appropriate enrollment status. Students do have the option to opt out of the P/F method and earn a traditional letter grade. To opt out of the P/F system, please visit: app.testudo.umd.edu/main/gradeoptions?termId=202001. The deadline to opt out is May 12, 2020. To understand the impact of your selection, please review pertinent details about Spring 2020 grading:
Questions or problems with the website should be directed to Keeplearning@umd.edu.
F: Feedback regarding potential impact of S/F grades – Dr. DeVoe
Do not use the P/F as an opportunity to slack. There’s a possibility that institutions may be able to extract the numerical/letter grade from the system at some point. It’s still unknown how these grades will appear on transcripts (and how/if the justifications will appear on the transcript as well). Continue putting in your best effort in your courses!
I: Where will departmental packages be delivered? How will I get paid?
The ME Business office has provided the following link for information regarding academic, finance, IT, personnel, purchasing, and travel during the COVID-19 crisis.
Q: When is the deadline for proposal presentations?
A: There is no set deadline to present your proposal, however be sure to meet all departmental milestones!
Q: How will proposals/defenses be defended in the current environment?
A: Proposals and defenses will continue to be held fully online in the virtual Zoom environment until further notice.
Q: Are there any updates on research?
A:As we are currently under severe research restrictions, you must have explicit permission from the Office of the Vice President of Research to be on campus. No undergraduate students will be given exemptions to return to campus. Any request for a grad student to return to campus must be submitted by their advisor. For more information on this process, advisors can reach out to the meGRAD office at megrad@umd.edu
Q: Will campus closures (full or partial) affect availability or assignment of Teaching Assistantships in the Summer and Fall?
A: TA’s will continue to be assigned normally. Faculty should continue to submit TA nominations to the meGRAD office.. Please keep an eye on your emails and the meGRad internal website.
Q. What’s the status of summer classes? Will they continue to be virtual, in-person, or blended?
A: Per the Office of the Provost, all Summer Session 1 courses will be delivered through remote or online instruction. There has not been an official decision on Summer Session 2. A decision on the status of Summer Session 2 will be announced on or before June 15. Summer Session 1 in-person camps, and other on-campus activities that follow the summer session I schedule are hereby cancelled. For more information on summer sessions, please visit the Office of Extended Studies’ website.
Q: Is meGRAD restricting new students from joining the department’s payroll?
A:The University is currently in a hiring freeze, so any new appointments need additional permissions before being approved and processed. Please continue following all proper procedures and filling out all appropriate forms.
Q: Has UMD come to an agreement on exam policy?
A:Details regarding the administration of final exams are to be determined by individual instructors. For any questions regarding your final exam, please contact your instructor.
F: Suggestions for passing the time when not in the research lab?
“I am a Writing Fellow at the Graduate School and I saw many students come to me with their Review paper. This is some feedback that I can give. Researchers can think of writing a review. It helps them get a broader perspective too”
“Everyone should write at least 1 review paper before you graduate” – Dr. Devoe
Take some online courses/certifications you’ve been pushing off!
Try LinkedIN Learning’s free online professional development courses.
July 17-19, 2019 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
For the 18th consecutive year, faculty from Bucknell University are proud to offer this hands on workshop for engineering and science faculty and graduate students to enhance their teaching by: Using instructional objectives to both improve teaching and save time Using active, cooperative and problem-based learning Teaching teamwork and problem solving skills Assessing learning outcomes
Previous workshop attendees had these responses: “Wonderful… Marvelous. This workshop was well worth my time. Several very practical examples and helpful practices were given to me in this week. The coaches practiced what they preached and did an excellent job in illustrating the principles.” “I have been to several workshops (5 or 6), this was the best I have been to. It was beyond my expectations.”
Intended Audience Engineering faculty and prospective faculty who want to use research-driven strategies that reduce course preparation time, make classes more engaging and increase student learning. Cost Early Registration is $750 for tuition payments postmarked by April 30.
Regular Registration is $800 for payments postmarked between May 1 and May 30.
Late Registration is $850 for payments postmarked between June 1 and July 10. Tuition includes all meals during the workshop in our Bostwick Cafeteria, refreshments twice a day, and use of campus facilities such as the Bertrand Library and the Kenneth Langone Athletics & Recreation Center. (NOTE: Tuition is non-refundable after May 30.)
Location Bucknell University is located in Lewisburg, PA, and is situated approximately 1 hour north of Harrisburg. Lewisburg is within driving distance of a number of major cities, including New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. For more information please visit www.bucknell.edu/directions and www.lewisburgpa.com. Applications Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Applicants will generally be notified of their status shortly after their application is received. Questions Contact Professor Michael Prince, Department of Chemical Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Telephone: 570-577-1781 Email: prince@bucknell.edu. Learn more at bucknell.edu/Catalyst
Women of Whiting, a graduate student organization supporting women in STEM at Johns Hopkins University, is hosting its second-annual Women in STEM Symposium Saturday, April 6th from 8 AM – 5 PM in Turner Concourse (JHU East Baltimore Campus). Registration is free and open to all!
There will be a poster session with cash prizes! The symposium will feature leaders from academia, industry, and government in two panel sessions and breakout workshops that focus on providing professional development skills.
The panel sessions will be on: Stand Up: How and When to Speak Up Step Out: Unconventional Careers in STEM
Poster abstract submission deadline is Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. Registration deadline is Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 11:59PM EST. Check our Twitter, Facebook, or website for more updates and information.
Dick DeMichele worked very hard to make the International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC) accessible to everyone. He understood the importance of the discussion and sharing of new ideas in a conference setting. He felt it was especially important to get students in the experimental mechanics field involved in IMAC.
The purpose of this award is to honor and memorialize the generous spirit of Dick DeMichele by providing financial assistance to students traveling to present papers at an IMAC.
