It’s the end of the semester, meaning University of Maryland students line the halls of Van Munching to study. They fill the tables in the A. James Clark Leidos Lab finishing those final projects. Or, they’re simply locking themselves in McKeldin with an energy drink and their computer for an all nighter. However, QUEST students have something else in store this time of the semester. In the midst of the chaos that is finals season, Cohort 42 students concluded their QUEST journeys at the Fall 2025 QUEST Conference. On December 11th, 2025, I had the honor of interviewing some of Cohort 42 as well as a couple long-term QUEST partners.

Mechanical Engineering senior Dahlia Shafiq of H&T Consulting talked about her team’s project with Thales Defense & Security Inc. (TDSI). The company was having problems with the organization and tracking of parts used for prototyping. The team worked to help design a centralized stockroom in which all materials could be easily located and stored to help streamline the engineering design process at the company. When asked for advice to give future cohorts, Shafiq recommended that QUEST students take time to recognize how their skills and the things they enjoy can apply to their projects. She mentioned, “I like design, and that’s what allowed me to have the drive to work on the CAD for 28 hours. It made me want to contribute and give back because I liked the project.” Students should find what they are good at and what they enjoy because it will help make their final project that much better and that much more of an enjoyable learning experience. 

I also had the pleasure of interviewing Cohort 1 alumnus Steve Kutchi who is the Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer of TDSI. The H&T Consulting project mentioned previously is actually the 13th project he has helped facilitate between QUEST and TDSI. Kutchi mentioned that having undergraduate students come in on projects like this really gives Thales a “fresh perspective” on possible ideas and solutions. With bright, young minds from QUEST joining the likes of professional companies like TDSI, there is no stopping the endless innovation. There’s also sure to be many more incredible projects as the long-standing partnership between TDSI and QUEST continues.  

Emily Craig of the Ship Happens team worked with Tronox, a producer of titanium dioxide and inorganic materials. They helped create a Power BI dashboard to help with inventory tracking with an alert system. Esha Mishra from QUEST BAEs helped to create a streamlined and unified asset management framework for BAE Systems through HAM Pro. Both Craig and Mishra agree that really sitting down to analyze and determine the problems at hand is essential to designing a solution. Craig commented, “You might know the problem at the surface level, but in reality, that might just be an output of what the actual problem is.” They both agree that finding the root cause is a great starting place for future cohorts taking on their capstone.

After walking around the project poster display and finishing up some delicious hors d’oeuvres, students and alumni were invited to watch presentations from each of the teams. Each presentation was professional and elegant, showing the hard work and dedication every student had for their project. And of course, after the first 8 amazing capstone presentations came the Most Outstanding Capstone award winning presentation. RANS Consulting was the selected winner this year from a pool of nothing short of amazing groups. Their work with ST Engineering MRAS helped streamline workflow on the warehouse floor, creating a more efficient workplace for both forklift drivers and production control managers. 

With the end of the final presentation, it marked the end of the night. And as Cohort 42 student speaker Anna Fulton put it in her closing speech, it was “a night that’s been in the making for four years.” There’s no doubt that this year’s QUEST conference was a success. All the incredible projects, outstanding skill building and hard work done by Cohort 42 had come to a climax tonight. On behalf of all of QUEST, we wish you the best of luck Cohort 42 as you venture into the unknown that is life after undergrad. Congratulations Cohort 42, we are all excited to see where your journeys lead!