 Our students, led by exemplary
faculty and staff members and assisted by generous donors, are performing at a remarkable level that will
fill you with pride. Let's take a look at a few key examples.
 On the afternoon of Thursday, July 21, Gamera II, the human-powered helicopter designed and built by Clark School students and flown by mechanical engineering doctoral student Kyle Gluesenkamp, flew for 50 seconds! If officially verified by the National Aeronautic Association, the time will set the new world record for human-powered helicopter flight duration—bettering the team’s existing record by some 400 percent. Publications all over the country and the world covered the flight, which was viewed on YouTube and live stream by hundreds of thousands of people. The team was guided by Professor Inderjit Chopra, director of the school’s Gessow Rotorcraft Center, and Research Professor V.T. Nagaraj.
 The Gamera team, as well as every other student team and indeed our departments, can look forward to an influx of great undergrads to carry on their successes. The Clark School’s fall 2012 admitted freshman class was the highest performing in the school’s history: 1395 average SAT (1330 25th percentile, 1460 75th percentile) and 4.23 average weighted GPA, with 28 percent females and 15 percent minorities. A new video, “The Clark School: Building a Better Engineer,” shows how the school creates unique programs to retain its exceptional students through hands-on engineering programs.
 Attracting and retaining larger numbers of underrepresented minority students continues to be a major issue for all engineering schools. Recently the National Society of Black Engineers and ExxonMobil honored the Clark School with a 2012 Impact Award for its retention efforts. The award is a testament to the quality of our students and the dedication of our Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering, directed by Rosemary Parker.
 One way to increase the chances that more minority and lower income students will enter the Clark School is the Hillman Entrepreneurship Program, established by a $1.7 million gift from David and Suzanne Hillman and directed by Carolyn Karlson of Mtech. To date the program has provided scholarships to promising, entrepreneurial Prince George’s Community College students who, upon completion of their associate degrees, transfer to the University of Maryland for bachelor’s degrees. The Hillmans recently donated an additional $2.5 million to expand the program to students at Montgomery College.
 Not only do our students receive support that helps them succeed at the Clark School, they also donate support to others. With a gift of $5,000, Clark School alumnus Olatunji Godo (B.S. '11, materials science and engineering) established a scholarship for undergraduate students conducting biomedical research in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. A recent scholarship winner knew just what to do with the money: Give it away. Fred Hampton Scholarship recipient Reginald Avery donated $1,000 to Greenbelt Elementary, where he has served as a mentor.
In technical expertise, competitive spirit and
regard for those less fortunate, Clark School students are indeed an inspiration. You can learn more about
them, and all our areas of accomplishment, using the links at the top of this page.
Darryll Pines
Dean and Farvardin Professor
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