On Tuesday, September 17th, First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE) Semester 1 students learned about each of the 16 FIRE streams, connected with FIRE Semester 3 Students and Peer Research Mentors (PRMs), and met FIRE faculty during the 2024 FIRE Fall Welcome. With each stream’s research showcased on poster boards in the STAMP Grand Ballroom, students could learn more about each FIRE Stream at their own pace and better understand what research in each stream might look like.
Experienced FIRE students were happy to share their research, answer questions, and talk about their experiences in their research streams.
PRMs from Project Greenhouse (PG) talked with FIRE Semester 1 students about the hands-on research happening in their stream. In PG, students identify sources of greenhouse gas emissions on UMD’s campus. One PG PRM shared her experience building a device to capture and measure methane emissions. She shared that her team was able to build a device that they used on the UMD Golf Course wetlands to measure how much methane was being released.
Meanwhile, students interested in the environment and data analysis were chatting with Sustainability Analytics (SA) PRMs, who presented their findings regarding the environmental impacts of the new metro line under construction on campus. Climate Computing (CC) PRMs presented a poster on their use of a super-computer to study Hurricane Sandy and learn how the hurricane would have been different if it had occurred in 2022 with warmer temperatures.
The event also facilitated direct interactions between students and faculty. Computing & Society (CS)’s Faculty Leader, Dr. Kristina Kramarczuk, explained that her students also study the intersection of ethics and new technology such as AI. Through her work, she leads discussions on accountability, transparency, and the social implications of different technological advancements, encouraging students to consider the moral responsibilities that come with growth. One group of CS students discussed how their team was surveying medical students to gather their opinions on racial bias in sensor-based medical equipment.
Similarly, Dr. Massey and Music & Social Identity (MSI) PRMs shared how they connect social issues to genres of music using primary sources from the University Archives and Special Collections in Performing Arts. MSI featured a poster on the development of their exhibit “Voices of the Counterculture,” currently on display at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, to demonstrate what research looks like in their stream.
Dr. Shannon Hilton, the faculty leader of the Rapid Diagnostics (RD) stream, emphasized the significance of her stream’s research, despite its recent launch in 2023. Dr. Hilton explained that RD helps address the increasing demand for quicker diagnosis in medical care, using at-home COVID-19 tests as a recent example. RD students shared how they work in a wet lab setting while also learning technical skills like 3D printing in a fabrication lab setting.
Overall, the Fall Welcome event fostered a collaborative atmosphere, leaving first-year students with the knowledge they will need to pick their own stream this fall. Students interested in learning more about each stream should review FIRE stream webpages, tune in for the stream’s Instagram Takeover (@UMD_FIRE), and drop by for Open Houses in October!