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Alumni of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland hold degrees in mechanical, reliability, or nuclear engineering. They form a unique community that stays connected and also gives back through a combination of time, talent, and treasure. Join us through one of the many opportunities below, and visit our industry page to explore more ways to get involved.


 

Featured Alumni Spotlights

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, B.S. ‘94

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw is the Deputy Director for Planning and Business Management for the Engineering and Technology Directorate at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. In part, she oversees operations, training/development, facilities, and budget of one of NASA’s largest engineering organizations. She has served in multiple senior leadership positions at NASA-Goddard, including project manager of multi-million-dollar projects, principal investigator and manager of technology developments achieving breakthrough innovations, systems engineer of large multi-disciplinary teams, and technical line manager for senior engineers and instrument managers. Donya has experience across the entire project lifecycle from concept development to decommissioning and on in-house and out-of-house projects. Recently, she was the Project Manager for Lucy, a space probe mission to the Jupiter asteroids. Currently, she is Deputy SRB Chair for the CLARREO-Pathfinder, which will gather data on sunlight to help us better understand Earth’s changing climate. Donya and her husband have five children and are both proud Terp alumni.

Cici Onyekwere Lyons, B.S. ‘16

While completing her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at UMD, Chioma (CiCi) Onyekwere- Lyons also made her mark in Terrapins track and field, breaking a 14-year school record in weight throw and a 34-year record in discus, and medaling in a succession of NCAA and Big Ten championships. She soon went on to make her mark in the international arena, taking home the gold medal in discus at the African Championships in 2018—a title she would successfully defend four years later, while also racking up first place at the African Games in 2019. Now CiCi has taken her athletic career to even greater heights. This summer, she won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, U.K. with a throw of 61.70m—a personal best. She is the first Nigerian to win gold in the discus throw at the Games. 

Ways to Get Involved

The department is grateful to its donors for helping to maintain the rigor of our academic and research programs. You can find opportunities to support our students, faculty, initiatives, and ideas by visiting this page. We also welcome industry partnerships in a variety of formats.

Every day, the fields of mechanical, reliability, and nuclear engineering are expanding exponentially. Today's students are prepared to tackle any technical challenge, but the number of choices can be overwhelming. In addition to professors and friends, alumni can often provide inspiration, mentorship, and words of wisdom. Speaking to a student group such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Pi Tau Sigma, or Society of Women in Mechanical Engineering is a fulfilling way to encourage the next generation. Fill out this form to indicate your interest, and we'll be in touch.

In this video series of self-interviews, alumni answer rapid-fire questions about their time at UMD, careers, and life journeys. This is one way to inspire current students, reconnect with other alumni, and talk about the value of your degree — whether you followed a "traditional path" or not. An Alumni Hotseat video archive is coming soon! Read more and learn how to submit your own video.

Join us for our next event, whether it's a networking social, Coffee Chat with Faculty, or alumni reception at a major conference. Check out a list of upcoming events below, and subscribe to our e-newsletter to hear about new events when first announced.

Do you have 10 or more mechanical, reliability, or nuclear engineering alumni of UMD at your company? Perhaps you'd like to host a faculty member for a virtual "Brown Bag Lunch" to talk about the latest happenings in the department, technical challenges on your minds, and new research that could be of either personal or professional interest to the group. Fill out this form to let us know you're interested in this, and we'll be in touch.

Department faculty members are experts in a broad array of pressing research areas and frequently collaborate with industry, government, and academic partners to bring new scholarship to the field. If your organization is interested in taking a "deep dive" into a specific technical area or solving a novel challenge, let's explore how we can help. Fill out this form to indicate your interest and primary research area, and we'll be in touch.

Many of us have personal heroes, advisers, or acquaintances who inspired us and helped define who we are today. On occasion, our students express an interest in having an alumni mentor to guide them along their academic journey.

While we do not have a formal program in the department to match mentors with students at this time, these relationships can sometimes form naturally after giving a general talk to a student group or other event (fill out this form to express your interest). In addition, you can check out the university-wide Alumni Association's free platform Terrapin Connect, in which alumni and students can establish mentoring relationships on their own. This is very similar to LinkedIn, with search filters by region, major, and more.

Students trained in our top-ranked Department of Mechanical Engineering are strong hiring candidates for employers all over the country. Over 80% of all our undergraduate students are employed or planning to attend graduate school at the time of graduation. Learn more about how you can recruit our students for jobs, internships, or other opportunities.

Alex Taliaferro

Alex Taliaferro

Director of External Relations
2102B Glenn L. Martin Hall
301-405-1364
alextali@umd.edu

 


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