Author Archives: Andrew Sien

QUEST Conference: Cohort 37 Edition

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Everything that we learn throughout our time in QUEST all comes together in the capstone course, BMGT/ENES490H. The finale of this course is the QUEST conference, where teams present all their hard work during the semester through both their poster presentation and on-stage audience presentations. I had the pleasure of speaking with Annushka Aliev (Cohort 37), a member of the team who won the Most Outstanding Capstone Award, and Abby Bond (Cohort 37), whose team won the Best Poster Award.

Cohort 37

Aliev is a civil engineering major who worked with SX Industries this semester for her capstone project. The team aimed to improve SX’s inventory planning and manufacturing scheduling. In the past, SX made production decisions based on customer promises and intuition. Aliev’s team sought out to make that better through an extensive forecasting model that would project future sales, calculate required materials, and determine machine run time. SX can use this model along with a safety stock calculator to know exactly when to replenish their inventory.

Most Outstanding Capstone: SX Industries

Aliev was kind enough to let me in on the keys to success that led her team to be ready for conference. First, she said that her team started working on their final poster weeks in advance, so that when it came time to prepare for the conference, they were already finished. Communication was the next key to a successful team. “Things change VERY quickly in 490H projects, and if a conscious effort is not made to keep people up to date, then the team will struggle,” she said. Her team was always on top of making sure they were always on the same page. 

The team met every single day the week leading up to the conference to make sure they earned the award. Finally, the most insightful piece of advice given by Aliev was to also rely on the people who aren’t on your team. QUEST is a space where we are all competing to make each other better. Before presenting to an audience of friends and family, Aliev said that she presented to other members of her cohort, who asked difficult questions to make sure that when they walked up on stage they would be successful.

Best Poster: Capital i

Winning the Best Poster Award is no easy feat. This semester the team working with the health tech management solutions company, Capital i, made a poster that was visually stunning and interactive with their QR code. Abby Bond, a Bioengineering major and QUEST Social Co-lead, was on the winning team. They went to Houston for a health tech management expo, visited multiple hospitals that work with their client, and spoke with several stakeholders to craft solutions for her client. They came up with an extensive framework for mobile medical equipment utilization monitoring and forecasting models.

Abby and her team “secretly” started working on their poster early in the semester. They created multiple different iterations and their poster evolved as their project evolved. They began with a hospital room, an infusion pump, and a bed included to tie it in Capital i’s tech health industry. From there, they added small details, like a bear in a cowboy hat, to pay homage to their Houston trip, and a QR code to make it a more immersive experience. However, Bond stated the reason why their poster stood out was because the design complimented their solutions. She said “regardless of how cool the poster looked, we knew how important the content was. We made sure that our design evolved with how we decided to present our information.”

Congratulations to Cohort 37 on a very successful QUEST conference! 

 

 

Senior Sendoff: Cohorts 35 & 36

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It’s that time of year again: to say goodbye to our beloved seniors! While we will miss them, we are so excited for them to enter the next chapter of their lives. We spoke with four seniors about their advice for future and current QUESTees.

Ethan Martinez, Cohort 36, is graduating with a degree in Computer Science. Before starting his full time position at Twitch, he will be spending this summer traveling abroad. He encourages students to form bonds within the program, saying to “spend time with other QUEST students and your team members outside of class and project related things!”

Ian Rosenthal, Cohort 36, is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Technology Entrepreneurship. Following graduation, he plans on working as a GPS consultant with Deloitte. He wants QUESTees to “take in every moment” and focus on networking by “maximizing time with everyone and taking time to build relationships!”

Alex Hou, Cohort 36, is graduating with a degree in Finance and a minor in Technology Entrepreneurship. He will be working as a Strategy Consultant following graduation! He also advises students to take advantage of the network that QUEST and UMD provide. He’s happy to connect with future students looking to build their network. Make sure to take advantage and reach out to Alex along with all the other graduates from QUEST.

Nick Bailey, Cohort 35, is graduating with a double degree in Operations Management & Business Analytics and Marketing. He will be a consultant at Deloitte after graduation. He advises students that “once in a life opportunities happen to good people all the time.”

We are so excited for and proud of our seniors! We know they will be successful and wish them all the best during their next journey.

Happy Retirement, Professor Armstrong!

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There are a few things in life that never change. Students rub Testudo’s nose for good luck, Emily Marks has a smile on her face, and Dr. Armstrong always teaches the QUEST introductory course BMGT/ENES190H. But this upcoming fall, that will no longer be a reality. After a nine-year tenure with QUEST, Dr. Armstrong has decided to retire after a successful teaching career.

I had the honor of being a mentor for Dr. Armstrong this semester and it was amazing to see the smallest adjustments she made to make sure that the cohort was successful. One day Dr. Armstrong walked into class and said that the students all seemed stressed out in class about their projects. During the lab that night she made the decision to change what we were doing – instead of working on new materials she gave teams the space to work on their projects. The energy of the students before and after the lab had changed completely. Dr. Armstrong knew exactly what the class needed to be successful. In my mind, this was the sign of a great professor because she put off all the important content to help her students.

Dr. Armstrong with Cohort 39 in Fall 2022.

 

Personally, I can also attest to how helpful Dr. Armstrong has been to me over my collegiate career. In addition to teaching BMGT/ENES190H, she also served as a faculty advisor for my capstone project in BMGT/ENES490H. Throughout my time in QUEST, I could always go to Dr. Armstrong for answers – between questions regarding how to help my mentee team work through a difficult situation or how to have a tough conversation with the client, she always knew what to do. She has so much experience in the classroom and in the field and was eager to share it with anyone who came to ask for advice.

Dr. Armstrong started working with QUEST almost a decade ago. She began teaching with Cohort 21 and has worked with almost half of the cohorts that QUEST has ever had by finishing with Cohort 40! In her time in QUEST, she has taught almost a thousand QUEST students how to deal with ambiguity. 

Dr. Armstrong always puts into practice what she preaches too because BMGT/ENES190H has had many iterations including having 3 projects in the course (which is now 2) and having the new BMGT190H final instead of a written final (sorry though, no spoilers about what the final currently is). 

Over time, she has been integral in making the QUEST community what it is by helping foster a community that is high achieving, innovative and curious. Her impact will be felt constantly in the lives of her students. Thank you Dr. Armstrong for everything that you have given to this program for years!

 

Farewell from our Editor-In-Chief!

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Four years ago, as a senior in high school, I was deciding where I wanted to go to college. I was between several different options around the country and made sure to visit each at least once. When I was admitted into the Robert H. Smith School of Business, I attended one of the admitted students days. They brought all the business school students into a room and told us everything that Maryland had to offer us. Then two members of QUEST recruiting came in and gave a pitch about a program that combined the business school, engineering school, and science school into one program. I made eye contact with my parents and we realized at that moment that I was coming to the University of Maryland.

Some QUEST Spring 2023 Graduates

I could not have asked for anything more from my QUEST experience. This community is by far the most driven and committed group of people I have seen at UMD. I am a firm believer that the more QUEST you have in your life, the more you are set up for success in the future. I wanted to meet even more QUEST students which is why I became involved in QUEST Press. Speaking to students, alumni, and members of the Quality Guild through this role has been everything I could have asked for. Not only do I get to meet more people in QUEST, but I also get to share stories with the QUEST community. You all have achieved so much and sharing that with the rest of the QUEST community is truly an honor.

My Cohort 36 BMGT/ENES490H team

I would like to take the time to also thank my fantastic QUEST Press staff. My co-lead, Sona Chudamani (Cohort 37), has been an amazing leader and I cannot imagine how this year would have gone without her. She is a talented writer and an amazing person I hope you all get the pleasure of meeting. 

I would also like to thank Bri Mathieu (Cohort 37) for all her work as webmaster. She is the one who always makes sure that our articles are professional and ready! Next, our staff writer, Annaika Taneja (Cohort 39), is an absolute pleasure to be around with and has a talent for writing (she is also a great choir singer)! 

QUESTPress Members at QUEST Formal!

Finally, I am proud to be passing the torch to Ananya Khanna (Cohort 39). The future of QUEST Press looks bright with you as our other lead. I can’t wait to read all the articles the team will be writing next year!

QUEST Serves: Giving Back

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QUEST Serves is one of the seven student-led organizations that is dedicated to provide QUEST students with opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom. They focus on getting students involved in their community, helping students to plan events internally with QUEST as well as get involved in other charitable events in the community. I was able to sit down and talk with Ryan Goodman (Cohort 36), one of the leads for QUEST Serves, to get caught up on everything that QUEST Serves has already done this year and the events that are still coming up.

Ryan Goodman is a senior studying Finance from just outside of Philadelphia. One of the first few things we were able to talk about when we sat down was about why he joined QUEST Serves in the first place. “Ryan [Gerbes] (Cohort 33) was my inspiration. He always had an amazing passion and an energy.” It was Gerbes who helped Goodman find his community within QUEST (outside of his cohort) by getting Ryan involved in QUEST Serves. Goodman also said, “It is just such a rewarding experience to have a way to give back to the school.”

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QUEST Returns to Overnight Orientation

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Cohort 40 at QUEST Camp

What is QUEST’s unique value proposition? Is it the amazing staff on the Quality Guild who know exactly what they have been doing after years of experience? Maybe it’s the professors who come from all types of backgrounds and are able to teach students on topics ranging from coding to financial analysis to product development? I think what really makes it stand out is the community that we make as QUESTees. It is working collaboratively with classmates who are driven and push you to do more, all while being friends and supporting each other. But how does this happen with every single cohort? It starts at QUEST camp.

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Thank You, Dr. Bailey

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In your life, there are some people who have a profound impact on you as an individual. It could be a grandparent, coach, or director who believes in you and sees your potential even when you don’t see it in yourself. Dr. Joe Bailey is that person for countless people in QUEST. He has been with QUEST since 2009, and I have been amazed by the number of people that he has had a profound impact on during my four years in the QUEST program. It is a testament to not only who he is as a person but also how lucky we have been to have Dr. Bailey in our community. As he moves on to his new role as Interim Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs at the Smith School of Business, I wanted to talk to some QUEST students about the impact he’s made on them.

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