Alex Taliaferro, Director of External Relations

One of the most striking things about our department is the way so many people come together to achieve a common good. We unite -- across an entire community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, industry partners, and philanthropic donors -- around shared ideals of personal and societal growth and development in service of a better future. We give of our time, our resources, our energy, and our humanity to achieve long-lasting impact. 

It is through the cultivation of relationships that we learn how to be most useful and effective in our educational and research missions. Our relationships with alumni inform improvements that we make to classroom instruction, pedagogy, and course material. Alumni who participate in our career paths program, who offer mentorship to current students, or who engage with senior design teams as project sponsors or Design Day judges, are amazing role models for new generations of ME Terps.

Our industry partnerships provide for exchange of people, knowledge, and technology that drives foundational scholarship, translational research, and workforce development. Industry consortia organized under our centers of excellence facilitate sharing of cutting-edge research and bring real-world relevance to both undergraduate and graduate curricula. Practical training and internships offered through our partners prepare students for careers at the forefront of high-tech industries in automation, artificial intelligence, energy generation, and transportation. Short courses that we offer to our partners give their engineers specialized up-to-date knowledge in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

More than anything, when we give, we invest without an expectation for personal return, but with a hope of making a difference. A difference in one person's life or in the lives of many. A difference in the publicly available domain of knowledge. A difference in the ability of individuals or communities to access such knowledge.

It is to this that we aspire, making a difference.

Alex Taliaferro
Director of External Relations
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland

Department faculty 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!

Partner With Us

Corporate partners are essential to the vibrant culture of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and specifically the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Companies invest in our top-ranked programs to elevate their brand, build their talent pipeline, solve unique challenges in the industry, and demonstrate a commitment to the University of Maryland community.

Through sponsored lectures, industry-related conferences, and career fairs, the department forges links between business and government organizations and our students, faculty, and alumni. Featured events like Design Day, held twice a year, offer alumni and corporate partners a unique opportunity to engage directly with our students as they showcase and discuss their capstone design projects. Sponsors receive brand recognition, an opportunity to speak to the class, and invitations to serve as Design Day judges.

Engineering Career Services assists employers in filling co-op, internship, summer or part-time positions with talented engineering students. Together with the University Career Center, they also assist employers in finding candidates for full-time, permanent employment. 

Through the generosity of alumni, industry partners, and friends, the Department of Mechanical Engineering offers scholarships to highly accomplished students. Scholarships are competitive and awarded based on merit, need, and other considerations.


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