For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering ranks among the country’s top 10 public universities in graduate engineering programs, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023–24 rankings. Overall, Maryland Engineering ranked 19th among more than 200 public and private engineering schools.
Christine Hartzell, associate professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Planetary Surfaces and Spacecraft Lab, has been selected to join the Science Working Team for the Martian Moons eXplorer Mission, which is sending a spacecraft to Phobos—one of two moons that orbit Mars—with a launch planned in 2024. Hartzell is among ten U.S. scientists tapped by NASA for the mission.
From cooking methods and camp densities to fire readiness and climate, several factors put refugee camps at risk for the profound impacts of fire. In the Spring 2023 Engineering at Maryland feature story, you’ll read about a collaboration powered by Maryland fire protection engineers to better understand the causes and magnitude of fires in informal settlements—the dense, ramshackle housing that shelters millions of displaced people.
A solar-powered system that uses all-natural, partly plant-based materials to extract drinkable water from even the most arid of environments has the potential to fight water shortages around the world and took top prize in the university’s annual Invention of the Year competition.

Along with other category winners, the award was announced at Innovate Maryland, a yearly celebration of UMD researchers’ creativity at translating incisive science into innovative, real-world products with the potential to address challenges around the globe.
The University of Maryland will lead a multi-institutional center aimed at improving the mobility of people and goods across the country. UMD and partner institutions will receive $10 million over five years for the Center for Multi-Modal Mobility in Urban, Rural, and Tribal Areas through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program.
Seven Maryland Engineering students were announced as 2023 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarship award recipients. VFF is the philanthropic arm of the Vertical Flight Society, the world's only international technical society for engineers, scientists, and others working to advance vertical flight technology. VFF Scholarships recognize the world’s most talented engineering students pursuing work in vertical flight.
Organizations need a bold vision and a clear understanding of their “why:” it creates a sense of purpose; helps to communicate what they value and the goals that advance it; and galvanizes and builds community. In January 2023, we started a strategic planning process to define the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s Vision for 2030. Our goal is to maximize our ability to shape our future, drawing from faculty, staff, and students for inspiration.