On Monday, November 6, the Do Good Institute partnered with the Gemstone Honors Program to host the 7th annual Gemstone Do Good Showcase at Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center. The Gemstone Honors Program at the University of Maryland is a unique, multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. Teams of students design, direct and conduct significant research under the guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff. Students tackle complex problems, from affordable disaster relief to the quality and accessibility of donated organs.
I think the Gemstone Honors Program is such a unique opportunity on this campus for students to engage in hands-on, in-depth scholarship and research. The Gemstone Do Good Showcase gives students the chance to showcase how both their research process and the results of that research can be a force for good in tackling twenty-first century grand challenges.Katlin Gray Senior Program Manager for the Do Good Institute
Fourteen impressive Gemstone student teams presented their research and participated in a Q&A session with a panel of faculty judges and peers. The panel included Allison Lansverk, PhD (associate director, Gemstone Honors Program), Brianna Lucas (program manager for student engagement, Gemstone Honors Program), Lara Fu (director of development and communications, DC Prep and alumni, Gemstone Honors Program), Christina Hnatov (lecturer with the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UMD and alumni, Gemstone Honors Program) and Katlin Gray (senior program manager, Do Good Institute).
After a competitive showcase, judges deliberated and selected three student teams: BELI, Fungi, and Supa’Hot, as the 2023 award recipients. Each team will receive $500 to support their research endeavors after this semester. In addition, SCOOT received $300 as the Audience Choice Award recipient, a Gemstone awarded honor.
Learn more about the talented teams and their winning research:
- BELI: Utilizing a novel device to investigate gut mobility throughout the menstrual cycle.
- Fungi: Investigate how specific fungal extracts inhibit the growth and/ or development of biofilms to develop a more accessible and less invasive sterilant.
- Supa’Hot: Develop a camera system to measure embers in wildfire settings with unmanned aerial vehicles.
- SCOOT (Audience Choice Award): Design and prototype an ergonomic and modular knee scooter with a novel kick-assist technology to improve rideability for more users.
The Do Good Institute is grateful to all Gemstone students for their hard work, dedication and passion this semester. Learn more about the Gemstone program at gemstone.umd.edu.