 The fall 2012 semester at the Clark
School marked several milestones for the engineering community.
Here are some examples:
 Clark School Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former President of the University of Maryland, C.D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., has been nominated for a six-year term as president of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) beginning in July 2013. He is the sole nominee for the NAE presidency. Voting will take place in March.
 The Clark School broke several records for the enrollment
of women. This fall, the Clark School had the largest number and highest percentage of female enrollment in
history with the current first-year class. The class of 2016 includes 159 women (23.1 percent). Fall 2012 also
saw the largest number of women undergraduates enrolled in Clark School history with 775 female undergraduates.
In addition, Paige Smith, director of the Clark School’s Women in Engineering Program, became the new president
of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network.
 The Clark School’s Gamera human-powered helicopter team have officially had their August 28, 2012 flight certified as a world record of 65.1 seconds by The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), also known as The World Air Sports Federation. Pilot Colin Gore, a materials science and engineering graduate student at the Clark School, was in the cockpit for the flight. With their flight in August, the Gamera team had also unofficially satisfied two of the three American Helicopter Society Sikorsky Prize competition requirements with their 65.1-second flight, staying within a 10 square meter area and hovering at two feet of altitude. The team continues to refine the vehicle and plans to fly again soon in pursuit of the Sikorsky Prize.
 The University System of Maryland committed nearly $450,000 in base funding
support of a partnership
between the Clark School, the College of Southern Maryland, the Southern
Maryland Higher Education Center and the Naval Air
Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in support of a program that allows students in Southern Maryland to receive an
accredited University of Maryland mechanical engineering degree. The investment will ensure that students have the STEM
education needed for many of the available jobs within the local defense community, and help meet the hiring needs of
NAWCAD and local businesses.
 The Clark School of Engineering dedicated the new Arnold E. Seigel Learning Center, a new suite of
studio classrooms located in the J.M. Patterson Building designed to use cutting edge technology and the best practices in online
learning to deliver high quality, blended education both face-to-face and at a distance. The six classrooms, ranging in
capacity from 17 to 122 seats, are equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, acoustics, high definition cameras, and
sophisticated lecture capture software that both stream live and record a classroom in session.
 Stanley Zupnik (BS ’59, civil engineering), founder of Majestic Builders of Chevy Chase, recently made a $500,000 pledge to the A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean’s Fund. In recognition of this generous gift, the Clark School will name the large lecture hall in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building Stanley Zupnik Hall. Zupnik, a real estate developer, also produced several films including the critically acclaimed "Glengarry Glen Ross." With Zupnik’s gift to the Clark School on 12/12/12, the University of Maryland’s Great Expectations Campaign exceeded its $1 billion goal.
 The Clark School was a key factor in the successful conclusion of the University of Maryland’s $1 billion Great Expectations Campaign, raising almost a quarter of the total amount -- over $240 million -- well over its initial fundraising goal of $185 million.
The funds raised by the Clark School came from 14,945 donors, supporting critical areas, including:
• $47 million for scholarships and financial support of undergraduate
and graduate students;
• $48 million to help recruit and retain faculty;
• $27 million in support of innovation;
• $89 million for building and classroom upgrades.
The Clark School would like to thank all of our alumni donors and friends who helped to make this possible.
The last six months of 2012 were a phenomenal period at the
Clark School, but we are ready to accomplish more. Learn how you can get involved by exploring this newsletter and our
web site to find initiatives of interest to you. Thank you, as always, for your support.
Darryll Pines
Dean and Farvardin Professor
|
