Gifts to this fund support the educational and research needs of both undergraduate and graduate students. As students constantly pursue new ideas and innovations, this fund helps to seed projects, present awards, host inspiring industry speakers, send students to conferences, and other opportunities as they arise.
ME GIFT FUNDUndergraduate Scholarship FundGraduate Fellowship Fund
Faculty Gift FundTerps RacingExplore Additional Funds
For more than 125 years, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland has fostered excellence in education while advancing research that pushes the boundaries of multi-disciplinary engineering. Contributions help to make this possible as we work tirelessly to:
- Expand opportunities for hands-on learning
- Encourage participation in student competitions
- Recruit the best and brightest students
- Support breakthrough research through fellowships
- Recognize faculty for their excellence in teaching and research though professorships and faculty fellowships
- Forge new frontiers in emerging research areas such as additive manufacturing, medical robotics, big data and design, and energy sustainability
Your support allows Mechanical Engineering to provide graduate awards to attract the strongest candidates, discretionary funds to support undergraduate and graduate student research, and scholarships to increase college access and affordability.
Join us by supporting a program that you feel passionate about! Your contribution can have an impact on a student today and far-reaching impacts for tomorrow.
Donor Spotlight: Sean and Sarah Durbin
Seizing opportunities during undergraduate education can shape the trajectory of a professional career, as Sean and Sarah Durbin, University of Maryland alumni, well know. As a mechanical engineering student at UMD, Sean took on a co-op at Praxair—known today as Linde—and he has continued to work there ever since. He is currently Executive Vice President and oversees Linde’s gases business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Sean and Sarah have lived and worked around the world, which built their appreciation for diversity and global perspectives. This is the focus of their philanthropic giving. For Sean and Sarah, it was important to give back to UMD in a way that would directly support students. They established an endowed scholarship with the hope of strengthening the talent pipeline of mechanical engineers with technical skills and global perspectives.
Featured Funds
Several areas of greatest need are listed below. Please contact Heidi Sweely, Director of External Relations, to learn more and find the best opportunities to meet your interests.
Department of Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund
Mechanical Engineering Scholarship Fund for Undergraduate Students
As one of the top-ranked undergraduate programs in the nation, the Department of Mechanical Engineering maintains a long history of preparing students for success. Scholarships help to provide more students with access to this quality education, alleviating a significant financial burden and allowing students to focus on their academic goals.
Terps Racing Program
Terps Racing is one ofthe most popular and competitive student teams on campus. This program, part of a global initiative of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), challenges undergraduate students to design, build, and race either a Formula-style race car or Baja-style off-road vehicle.
Through this practical hands-on experience, students apply their academic knowledge and additionally gain team-building, collaboration, and leadership skills. Students also develop expertise in fabrication, design-for-manufacturing practice (DFM), computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and design analysis and testing.
Since its establishment in 1982, Terps Racing has participated in over 60 races. Terps Racers are some of the school’s most sought-after candidates by top employers upon graduation.
Mechanical Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program Fund
Top scholars help to define a university’s reputation and quality of research. This fund provides fellowship support for graduate students to attract the most competitive applicants to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Talented students are crucial to our work in advancing the field, securing notable research grants, and garnering global recognition for our cutting-edge innovations.
Mechanical Engineering Faculty Gift Fund
World-class faculty are essential to providing exceptional educational experiences and continually challenging the boundaries of the field. This fund supports supplies, equipment, travel, and other needs to ensure that our faculty have the proper resources to pursue this important work.
Heidi Sweely
Director of External Relations
2102B Glenn L. Martin Hall
301-405-1364
hsweely@umd.edu
FEARLESS IDEAS
Beyond Mechanical Engineering, Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland—the University of Maryland's most ambitious fundraising campaign to-date—focuses on elevating and expanding our mission of service, enhancing our academic distinction, and bolstering a leading-edge research enterprise that has the power to improve the lives of millions.
Fearless Ideas fuel our continued ascent as a world-class public research university through:
- Investments in our world-renowned faculty
- Support for innovative programs and capital projects
- Scholarships and innovative co-curricular programs for students
- Expanded research that amplifies our impact as our state’s and nation’s economic driver
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