A QUEST to Japan

Over winter break, QUEST students and faculty learned about quality in a slightly different context. A group of about 25, myself included, embarked on a journey to Japan – a land of tradition, culture, history, and well of course, quality. We were able to visit Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Nara. Although no summary could possibly do the experience justice, here is a brief recap of the trip.

We first arrived in Tokyo shortly after New Years, which is an even more so colorfully celebrated holiday in Japan than here. Even a few days after, many people were still walking around in celebratory kimonos, and we learned that based on the Japanese calendar, they are celebrating the year of the wild boar.

Tokyo itself was unlike anything I had ever imagined – the city is like New York City on steroids, yet is still able to maintain perfect organization and order. Subway systems are easier to get around on than our own UMD buses. Everything was clear, even to us foreigners. I was astonished at the fact that we had virtually zero issue getting around. For this reason, we were able to go all over the city to explore. Some of the parts we roamed around were Harajuku, Toyosu, Odaiba, Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ginza, just to name a few. From the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market to Tokyo Disney, students were able to immerse themselves in as much of Tokyo as they wanted to.

More importantly, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn about various Japanese businesses in Tokyo, including Kabuku, a 3D printing startup, JETRO, an organization that promotes and facilitates foreign investment in Japan, and Kawasaki Robostage, a robot/AI company.

After Tokyo and on our way to Kyoto, we stopped in Nagoya to visit a Toyota car manufacturing facility a little outside of Nagoya city, where we got to see lean manufacturing firsthand. We then arrived in Kyoto and experienced a much more traditional side of Japan, as we attended a tea ceremony, visited temples, and learned more about the history and symbolism of Japanese culture. Kyoto, as the former capital of Japan, represents all that Japan used to be and is a visible contrast to cutting-edge Tokyo. In addition to being exposed to the more conservative side of Japanese culture, we also were able to try more traditional food styles, view the varying architectural styles, and closed out with a karaoke night. We visited other Japanese businesses in Kyoto like Flosfia, a semiconductor startup, the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, and ATR robotics, where I actually got to hold a conversation with an autonomous robot.

Lastly, we visited Nara, an old Japanese city that is home to an ancient Buddha and filled with deer roaming around. There were definitely more deer than people, and overall it was a great last-day treat before we had to pack up and head back to Tokyo to the airport.

I must say that this trip was by far one of the most influential and enjoyable experiences of my life. I could talk about it for hours. If you ever have the opportunity to go with QUEST to Japan or just to Japan in general, do it. No regrets!

Israel Discovered, Lots More Uncovered

Thinking critically, communicating effectively, and developing empathy are important skills to have as students in QUEST. Similarly, Israel Discovered values these abilities as well.

Israel Discovered is a trip that takes 25 community leaders from the University of Maryland to Israel and Palestinian territories to explore and better understand the situation. For twelve days, the students learn about Israel’s diversity, take part in intense conversations, and debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Four student leaders in QUEST, Doron Tadmor, Ankit Sheth, Joyce Zhou, and David Rosenstein from Q29, were part of the group over winter break. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a touchy subject for many, and as a result, the band-aid solution seems to be avoidance. After reflecting on her time, Joyce said that “sometimes it is easier to just put up barriers and stay in your comfort zone than get to know someone with a different perspective than yours.” With that, during the trip, students were definitely pushed beyond their comfort zone and as Doron put it, ultimately realized that “the conflict in the region is way more complex than meets the eye.”

The group of students that were on Israel Discovered.

Everyone has a different walk of life, and in turn, develops different perspectives. It is this that Ankit says “shapes narratives.” He added that “the story is not really the story but one story told by one person’s eyes.” Adding to that, David noted that one person’s truth and facts will be perceived as simply an opinion by someone else. This in and of itself was the value in bringing a diverse group of student leaders from across campus with different ideas and stories to tell.

Q29 is very tightly bound and the opportunity to share such a special place with each other definitely resonated with everyone, especially Doron and David, both of whom had visited Israel in the past. For Doron, Shabbat dinners with Israeli family hosts were a fun and memorable way to share his culture with friends. David appreciated the fact that he got to share parts of Jerusalem that are important to him while getting to see friends of different faiths visit these landmarks for the first time. When the students were not discussing heavy topics, they shared a lot of fun times together: soaking in the Dead Sea, chatting with a tech consultant in Palestine, and eating some of the best food in the world.

With more than 15% of the students coming from QUEST, QUEST themes definitely shined throughout the trip. Doron found himself empathizing and using multiple perspectives to best understand the conflict and to propose solutions that would serve many. In considering these perspectives, Ankit noted, “Beyond the data and the statistics, there are stories that need to be heard.” David made use of the 5-Whys learned in 190H to “get to the deep root of why someone feels the way that they do.”

Time and time again, it is proven that QUEST is full of students that are deep thinkers and leaders. Israel Discovered seeks these kinds of leaders, and more broadly, anyone that loves long discussions and exchanging opinions. Put beautifully by Joyce, “Intertwined with the physical traveling were stories of the people living in the region and while the trip was quick, it was a comprehensive dive into Israel, it’s beauty and its struggles.” Now, these students are back at UMD and are ready to have difficult conversations to bring positive change.

QUEST Students Study Design in Silicon Valley Over Spring Break

Spring break means many fun trips for students in college, and for some of our QUEST students, it meant a trip to California’s Silicon Valley. On this trip, our students got to explore some Fortune 500 companies and startups to see how QUEST themes and ideals apply to them. The design thinking process was evident and a sense of innovation was ever-present.

Prior to going on the trip, students prepared informative dossiers on all the companies they would visit. Praneeth from Cohort 29 studied Redfin to study their design and development process which resembled that of many other Silicon Valley companies. He got to learn that “ideation starts with product managers and then goes through an iterative testing process to finalize specifications that are sent out to developers who build the product.”

QUEST students visited ABC7 news to get a behind the scenes look!

Students visited many companies in order to study their operational ways and to understand their design processes to see how they compare to one another. Students got to visit Uber, Autodesk, Facebook, Cisco, and Google to name just a few! One company they visited, Compology, was actually founded by QUEST alumnus, Jason Gates, from Cohort 16. The visit to Tesla was a popular one. QUEST students got to see the factory and ride the Model X. Jeff Zhao (Q28) enjoyed it, saying, “Going from 0-80 mph in less than 3 seconds is something that I will never forget.”

QUEST trips to various locations, such as our most recent trip to Silicon Valley, teach our students in a unique way outside of the classroom. They not only got to interact face-to-face with people that work for these companies, but they also got to see them in their work environment. A special part of the trip was that QUEST alumni were working at many of the locations visited and getting to see them give back to the program felt great and inspired Jeff Zhao to think about a future with the program beyond graduation. All of the alumni that our students got to talk to were keen on sharing career advice and the best places to go to in San Francisco.

With that said, being in Silicon Valley meant that there was exploring to be done. In their free time, QUEST students had a chance to explore the local areas and all the tourist attractions. Jack Sturtevant from Cohort 29 loved bonding with everyone in the evenings after the visits were completed. Praneeth liked sightseeing, especially when it came to seeing and experiencing things unique to San Francisco. While they were learning, students were also provided with the opportunity to get to know each other better and bond with students outside of their cohort.

Students completed a design activity at Facebook

The takeaways from this trip are endless. From the opportunity to network with many people leading and working for these great companies to forging new relationships, the QUEST students that went to Silicon Valley have brought back great experiences and stories to share with our community. Anyone that went on the trip would recommend it! Jack (Q29) was grateful that “the trip gave [him] great insight into the area of California and how different companies and life are out there. It gives you opportunities to make business connections outside of the DMV.”

Praneeth recommends the trip strongly and described it as “a unique opportunity that every QUEST student should take advantage of, if possible. We were able to get an inside look at companies that come up in every major news source on a daily basis. It’s an incomparable way to understand problems at a deeper level which ultimately helps you discover your passion. Whether that’s going behind the scenes of Tesla’s factory and watching the largest machine in North America press down on sheets of steel with enough force to be noticed on UC Berkeley’s seismograph or playing games in the arcade of Facebook’s headquarters while thinking about creative ways to connect people across the globe, it’s these unique environments that this trip gives you exposure to that helps you find your passion.”

QUEST students love the “QUEST2” trips. The adventure is unlike any other and getting to see different parts of the world while better understanding design is unmatched by any other trip. For more photos of the trip, click here

QUESTees at IDEO!

Where Are QUEST Students Going Over Spring Break?

Every student can agree that we cannot wait for spring break! Spring break is week-long relaxation period from schoolwork, early morning wakeups, and time commitments. This week, I went around QUEST asking students what their plans are for spring break!

Traveling

Roger Mao (Q29) exclaimed, “I am going to Barcelona with a friend for spring break! I am super excited to moped around the city, eat cultural foods, and of course watch the FC game! Also, on my way back to America, my friend and I are going to visit the blue lagoon in Iceland which I am psyched see!”

Jack Sturtevant (Q29) said that he’ll be visiting the Bay Area with QUEST to Silicon Valley. “I cannot wait to visit Facebook and eat some of the famous Clam Chowder and sourdough bread from Boudin. Thanks QUEST!”

Giving Back

Shanaya Mullan (Q29) explained that she is going to Houston, Texas for Harvey relief. “I am excited to help repair a community that has lost so much to this natural disaster.”

Family

Haley Greenspan (Q29) said that she’s just hanging at home for spring break and spending time with family and friends. “I really miss my bed and home cooked meals, so I’m basically counting down the days for break to start!”

Adam Hostetter (Q29) expressed that he cannot wait for spring break! “My sister is supposed to have her baby this week so when I go home I plan on spending my time with her and my newborn nephew! I even bought him a Terp beanie-baby!”

Spring Break

Whether QUEST students are traveling somewhere cool or just taking the time to relax, everyone cannot wait for spring break!

 

Springing into a New Setting – QUEST2Spain!

The QUEST2Spain course pioneered this past winter, where 20 students, both from within and outside of the QUEST Honors Program, spent 10 days total between Barcelona and Madrid to learn about design and innovation. Personally, I spent some time in Spain before and after the trip so that I could get fully immersed into the Spanish culture and setting, as I had just finished a quite stressful semester filled with the 490H capstone, the first part of the Aerospace capstone, and a plethora of concerts and recitals. Having the opportunity to travel to Spain, especially being my first time, was an unforgettable experience that, if offered in the future, I highly recommend anyone with the time and money to do!

I was honestly quite blind going into the course, to the point that I didn’t even realize the geographic locations of the cities we’d visit until I arrived. However, I had traveled to Europe in the past, so I did have a couple things I’d expect from European culture. To my surprise, there were many differences that I didn’t expect, ones I learned from self-travel and during the course. From the midday siestas businesses would take, to the times of meals being shifted over around 3 hours, and even the intimate interactions in public and at the dinner table, it provided a change in perspective and insights to situations that I took for granted back in the US.

Continuing with this theme of “surprise,” the course itself exceed the expectations I had prior. Starting out in Barcelona, we explored an array of sites and experiences, which ranged from visiting Gaudi’s works such as La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, and Casa Batlló, to makerspaces in El Poblenou district, as well as a visit to Art Cava, a Cava maker, just outside Barcelona. Each day had a different focus, whether it was appreciating impact artists in Barcelona, or a comparison to the old vs. new traditions, or even digging into the intersection of art, science, and tradition. We even had the time to interact with students, undergraduate and graduate, from universities around the city, whether it was over tapas or participating in design thinking workshops.

Moving inward towards Madrid, the trip became a lot more relaxed, but at the same time introspective. Prior to the course, Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Suarez gave each of us a journal, and each day, they’d give us one or two prompts which we would have to answer. In Barcelona, they focused more on the themes mentioned above. However, when we got to Madrid, they became much more introspective and required us to dig answers and insights from our surroundings. With the activities ranging from interviewing locals at the Flee Market to taking walks around El Retiro Park, it provided a nice “break” from the hustle and bustle back in Barcelona, but at the same time, provided insightful experiences that I cherished.

Having been back now for over a month now, I feel very privileged and fortunate to have gone on that trip! It truly was unlike any experience that I had previously, and it was an honor that I could have two professors that I admire, Dr. Suarez and Dr. Armstrong, co-lead the course. It rejuvenated my intellectual curiosity for what’s out there beyond UMD and the United States, and if offered in the future, it’s an experience that I, 100%, would recommend anyone to do!

If you’d like to see additional blog posts that I wrote on during the trip, you can check out this link here!

Rou Tzamaras and Andrew Jones (Q26) attend Forbes Under 30 Summit

Rou Tzamaras (senior, mechanical engineering major, international engineering minor, Q26) and Andrew Jones (senior, aerospace engineering major, Q26) both had the recent pleasure of being invited to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit as U30 Scholars. This was a 4-day event held in the heart of Boston, MA, and it brought together students, young entrepreneurs, innovators, corporate sponsors, and celebrities such as Kendrick Lamar and former Apple CEO John Sculley. Recently, I had the chance to catch up with both of them to ask them to reflect on their experiences and insights from the event.

I know you were recently at the Forbes Under 30 Conference so what was your favorite part of the whole event?

Rou: My favorite part was the area called the under 30 village where everyone could go and hangout. They had multiple tracks, but if there were no events going on during your track session, you could just go and hangout there. That’s where they had speakers and different networking opportunities.

Andrew: I think the event was interesting because it was spread throughout Boston and over the course of 4 days, so there was a lot of freedom to choose where you wanted to go.

There was a hub called the “village” which had a mainstage set up for companies such as Fidelity, Microsoft, and Samsung to host booths where you could visit, learn more about the companies, and network. There was also another tent with different types of startups in multiple fields such as medicine, technology, and others. There was even a stage for entrepreneurs to talk and host roundtables too.

I was on the tech track with two sessions and different speakers ranging from CEOs of companies like One Plus to actors like T.J. Miller and engineers from Reddit and Bumble. I loved that there was so much for you to pick and choose from.

Which speaker was your favorite and why?

Rou: I was on the create track which was all about branding yourself, making your image, and creating cool things with an impact on society. During this time, TJ Miller from Silicon Valley came to talk to us and he was not only hilarious, but also very candid. He spoke about what you need to do to follow what you want and the advice that he left us with was, “Make your own meaning, work for a reason, and work harder than anybody else.”

Andrew: I listened to Saket Modi, an ethical hacker and CEO of Lucideus Tech, talk about the recent wave of data hacks. He discussed how easy it was to get access to people’s information and even hacked into a person’s phone in the audience after they handed it to him for about 10 seconds. He pulled out his laptop and projected all their contact information, texting history, audio, and location information as well.

This was so eye opening to me because I had no idea how easy it was to do something like that. It became especially interesting once I realized how many people use their phone numbers as a secondary authentication service for Facebook, Gmail, and other social networks. I’m studying aerospace engineering, and I don’t do too much coding, but it was cool to see how much you can infiltrate a person’s life despite all the measures of security we have in place.

From your perspective, why do you think an event like Forbes Under 30 is so significant when it comes to bridging the gaps between young people and older people who are more established in the industry?

Rou: I met a lot of people in a lot of different startups, and I think it’s important for people who have been in the industry for a long time to see the types of things that younger people can come up with. I also think it’s important for younger people to talk to the people who have been in industry to see how they got to where they are and what kind of path they should follow.

What if anything would you say you learned after being at the conference?

Andrew: I would say I learned how to feel more confident in my progress and comfortable with my pace. I felt reinvigorated after seeing everybody doing their own thing. I concluded that if you keep pushing forward, doing your own thing, and staying humble then you’ll eventually see the returns from those efforts. We had big CEOs and then people from obscure startups talking about their success and failures and it was all incredibly inspirational.

After being at the event and learning what you learned, how do you feel the conference impacted your thoughts about what you want to do with your career and your life moving forward?

Rou: I went to the create stage because it was something different from engineering. I have always been interested in media and content creation, but the biggest thing for me is having a platform that I can use to speak on things that matter to me.

Looking for a job has been stressful, and I feel like I’ve been thinking too much about what location is the best, what’s going to pay the most, and what’s going to look the best, but not what’s going to help me make the greatest impact possible. I want to do something where I feel like my work is helping people. I want to make a personal impact, and this conference drove home how important that is for me.

Do you still think you want to focus on the engineering side of things, or do you want to make an impact in another field of study?

Rou: That’s TBD, but I’m applying to a lot of engineering and non-technical roles so we’ll see how things turn out. When it comes down to it, if I take an engineering role, I hope to supplement that time with meaningful activities on the side by volunteering and doing pro bono work. If I take a nontechnical role such as consulting, those tend to have these opportunities built in so I hope to utilize those opportunities and make an impact there. Regardless of where I go, this conference showed me that I want to be a change maker. Whether it’s in a technical or non-technical role, I want to be a mover and a shaker than can make a lasting impact.

Andrew: During the past few months, I’ve been going back and forth between consulting and engineering, but I’ve always wanted to do something service related like AmeriCorps or Princeton in Asia. I’ve been talking to my parents and various other people, but being at the event made me even more confident about pursuing what I want to pursue and doing what I want to do. For some people, there’s a rush to go corporate and climb up the ladder, but for me, I’ve realized that I want to do something more service-oriented before going into corporate. After attending the Under 30 conference, I feel even more energized to move towards that.

 

An Inside Look at QUEST2Japan

By: Grace Cha (Q24)

This school year for the QUEST2Asia study abroad trip, the program took 21 students to Japan. Japan is known as the birthplace of the total quality management (TQM) movement. Naturally, Japan would be the perfect destination for QUEST’s 25th year. Students went on various cultural and corporate site visits in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka. Outside of the class, students got to explore the city and participate in fun activities, such as a tea ceremony or sushi-making class. Read on to learn about two students, Ivy Xia (Q25, Marketing) and Dominick Montero (Q24, Aerospace Engineering), and their experiences in Japan this past winter break:

Ivy Xia in front of temple

Ivy Xia in front of a temple

1. Why did you decide to go on the QUEST2Japan trip?

Ivy: I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. My interest to explore the Japanese culture stemmed from my love for Japanese cuisine, and a QUEST trip sounded like an enriching learning experience in addition to the cultural components.

Dominick: This program gave me a reason to travel to East Asia, somewhere I haven’t been before. I’ve been to Europe and Latin America, and I feel that Japan would have a different perspective because its history and roots are drastically different. I wanted to see how people would think and act in an East Asian country. I also was able to build my winter vacation around the trip and got to stop by South Korea as well.

2. What was your favorite corporate/cultural site visit?

Ivy: My favorite corporate visit was to Kodenshi corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductors. Our hosts really exemplified Japanese hospitality and made us feel like the most important and valued visitors. We were welcomed by a staff of over 10 people, including the founder of the company. We were able to see the clean room and the various facilities, which gave us really valuable insight into the operation of the company.

Dominick: The corporate visit to Toyota. The employees took us on a tour of the factory, where we witnessed the final stages of assembly building. We got to look over the entire factory on an overhead walkway. At one point, we got to complete fun tasks testing our hand coordination and agility. It was really interesting to see how Toyota implemented small kaizens (improvements) – such as line robots or kanban flashing lights – and how it could significantly impact their overall efficiency.

Dominick Montero in Niseko

Dominick Montero in Niseko

3. What were your main “QUEST” takeaways from the trip?

Ivy: The main QUEST takeaway was the application of quality management and Kaizen (continuous improvement) principles in businesses. While Japan is a leader in innovation and quality, there are significant differences in business operations between Japan and the U.S. The business visits shed light on the effects of culture in business.

Dominick: On a soft skills level, I would say that a main takeaway was understanding the importance of different perspectives and balancing that with your own. For example, Japan has a different approach in certain areas that we could apply here in the U.S., but there are also things that we do that could work in Japan as well. In QUEST, we intuitively learn about team dynamics through our projects – and how to better work together. It was inspiring to see how people in Japan work together like cogs in a machine.

QUEST Entrepreneurs Take Silicon Valley

QUEST’s second annual Silicon Valley trip over spring break provided students with the opportunity to learn about design, innovation, and product and software development processes from firms in the region. This trip offered students a chance to visit various firms: from Fortune 500 companies, like Google, to tech startup companies, like Q16 Jason Gates’ very own Compology. Additionally, students networked with QUEST alumni working in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, developing relationships with firm employees and returning to campus ready to share their stories with members of the QUEST community.

QUEST students frequently learn about these principles in the classroom, but the trip allowed students to apply these principles in a real world setting and use tools such as utilizing the voice of the customer and designing strategies to improve design quality.

This trip was especially enriching for two budding entrepreneurs in the QUEST program: Teddy Li, a junior finance major in Cohort 25, and Derien Scott, a junior computer engineering major in Cohort 24. Teddy and Derien sat down with QUESTPress to discuss what they learned from the trip and how QUEST skills can be useful in developing startups like their own.

What venture are you currently working on? 

Teddy: Reducing restaurant labor costs using data analytics and hardware.

Derien: Kanvasroom LLC, we are building a market network for the creative service industry. We provide a marketplace where people or organizations can subcontract creative services. These teams can then use our real-time collaboration tools to work on and complete their projects. These tools include video conferencing, whiteboarding, file transferring, video editing and many more specifically tailored to the creative service industry. We plan to finish user testing in May and launch our beta version in the summer.

What part of the Silicon Valley trip was the most beneficial to your startup or entrepreneurial goals? 

Teddy: The Silicon Valley trip was interesting because it gave me a glimpse of what career entrepreneurs had to do when they started their companies (very QUEST-like method of thinking). I really enjoyed the Compology visit because we were able to see the different iterations of the product as it progressed into what it is today. I’m gracious for the advice Jason (the founder) gave me. The alumni event in Mountain View on Thursday was also an interesting experience because it reminded me that no matter where I go, there are alumni around who are more than willing to help out.

Derien: The most beneficial part of the trip was being able to network with and learn from so many people that have been in the same shoes that I am currently in. Similarly, it was very beneficial to visually see where I want my company to be in the long term and learn how I can get there.

What was your favorite part of the trip? 

Teddy: Alcatraz [our first morning of the trip], because that was the first time we bonded as a class and even though it was raining, I had a great time getting to know people outside of my cohort that I would only normally pass by or see in the QUEST Lab.

Derien:  My favorite part of the trip was going on random excursions throughout the city. The first day alone, we walked 15 miles and the equivalent of about 150 flights of stairs after our Alcatraz tour. And even after all of that exploration, we still only scratched the surface of the culture in “Frisco”. The eye-opening company visits and the free swag, food, and Palantir Ray Bans were also really nice.

How are QUEST skills helpful in running or developing your startup? 

Teddy:  [QUEST] pushes you to seek out customer input because you won’t have a business if nobody will buy your product. You have a business when you have customers, but the only way to be successful is when you have customers who love your product. Essentially, you want to provide a 100% solution rather than a less than complete solution to their problem.

Derien: I utilize the tools and concepts I’ve learned in QUEST constantly within my startup. Learning how to take a perspective and turn it into an viable solution has been incredibly valuable in our early stages. The skills I’ve learned put me at an advantage in entrepreneurship especially because they are necessary skills that everyone from the CEO’s of a startup to the sales teams have to use on a daily basis and often, people new to the startup world have to learn these lessons the hard way. Even during our trip, many of the speakers would use the usual QUEST jargon like “agile”, “lean” and “user-centered design” to describe their design processes. Learning how to communicate and cooperate with a team is also extremely valuable. Balancing the perspectives of my team members and keeping everyone engaged, organized and open-minded can prove to be difficult at times, but being able to apply previous experiences with working in teams has helped me work through many of those challenges.

What is the biggest take away or lesson you learned on the trip? 

Teddy: Someone once told [me] that “everything you see in the world today is built by people no smarter than you and me” and I think Silicon Valley exemplifies that perfectly. [It helped me confirm] what that person said to me, and I cherish the opportunity I had to go there.

Derien: The biggest takeaway from this trip was that there is no such thing as failing if you can learn from your mistakes and keep yourself from being stubborn about your ideas. As my friend Terrell would put it, ‘Losing doesn’t exist, the only L’s we ever take are learning opportunities.’ Many of the companies we visited had to fail, dissolve problems and reiterate a ton before their ideas came to fruition and while we learn these iterative processes in class, it was really helpful to see them in practice at almost every company we visited from small early-stage startups like Compology to tech giants like Google.

QUEST Goes Global in 490H

Immediately upon joining QUEST, one hears about the challenge of 490H. One hears that it’s demanding, realistic, and enriching- the pinnacle of the QUEST program. This spring, eight students from Cohort 23 have ventured even further outside of their comfort zone for their 490H projects. For the first time ever, the QUEST Program has teamed up University of Maryland students with students in Australia and Sweden.

“Providing an opportunity for students to work on projects with geographically dispersed teams has been a goal for the program for the past 5 years,” explained Kylie King, QUEST’s Program Director. “When asking our alumni how QUEST could be better-structured to prepare students for the real world, this emerged as a significant opportunity for improvement. Funding from the Office of International Affairs helped make this possible.”

Students working on the global projects have not only welcomed the challenge but say it’s right-in-line with what they signed up for when they decided to join QUEST two years ago.

“I think one of the biggest goals of the 490H consulting projects is to give us a relevant ‘real-world’ experience while we are still in college,” said Andrew Dicken, who, with Shmuel Gold is paired with a team from Sweden. “Working with international teammates is a very realistic challenge that many professionals deal with on a daily basis in 2016.”

These students were not only up for the challenge, but some even searched for it and welcomed it with open arms.

Joseph Dadzie, who with Alex Huang is paired with an Australian team and client, says he ranked all of the global projects as his top choices. Currently studying chemical engineering, he’s interested in working internationally in the future. “I’m involved with a lot of global programs at school, and I studied abroad,” Dadzie said. “Gaining a better global perspective is something I value.”

While the time differences and geographic positionings are two of the most prominent challenges these students face, through today’s technology, these students have been able to adapt and adjust. Being able to critically think through their group’s challenges and come up with innovative solutions echoes not only what real-world international professionals do, but what QUEST students have done since day one.

“[A] challenge that we have faced is that our Swedish teammates were not able to physically visit our client’s warehouse with us,” said Dicken. “Therefore, it is somewhat difficult for them to get a full picture of the challenges that our client is facing and their current solutions. We have tried to overcome these challenges by skyping with them while walking around the facility as well as answering any questions that they have about the layout as they come up.”

“There’s about a 15 to 16 hour time difference, so we have to schedule meetings in the late evening here, which is early morning for Australia,” said Dadzie, whose team has realized how valuable the time they can meet actually is. In order to make meetings more productive, his team has had to take a slightly more individual approach where they perform their individual tasks for the week on their own prior to meeting up, so that their team members can spend time on Skype monitoring progress and delegating work.

“The biggest challenge was finding a balance where we all remember that we are one team together, despite the distance,” said Shmuel Gold. “Along those lines, we also struggled with how to properly divide the work without separating into two teams entirely.”

Embracing the challenges and benefits of this unique experience, QUEST students are not the only ones getting this taste of international business. Their clients have also realized the prominence of global projects in the world today and have eagerly welcomed this opportunity.

“Our clients have fully embraced this challenge,” said Dicken. “They are very enthusiastic about working with us. They think that it is very appropriate that they have an international team consulting for them because Intralox is an international company, and we are facing many of the same challenges that they face on a daily basis.”

Hao Tian, one of the project champions from Intralox, stated that “the students have been very impressive so far. They recently handed in a statement of work with well-organized objectives and a great understanding of our current process and operations [at Intralox]. They came up with a very good approach for moving forward.”

Tian said that Intralox was interested in a global project because it provides the company with “a great opportunity to have a chance to work with students and gain new insights and opinions.”

Kylie King is the faculty advisor for the Intralox team. “Advising the Intralox team has been a wonderful experience so far. It was fun to tour the warehouse with the Swedish students joining us over Skype. The combination of the student skills and experiences has already resulted in some interesting findings. I can’t wait to see where this team takes their project.”

The students too have not only fully embraced this challenge, but also the opportunity itself to learn about new cultures. While Dadzie admits that other QUEST teams have had a lot more time to get to know each other, being that they’ve taken 190H and 390H together, his team has already gotten close enough to crack jokes in meetings and chat about differences in sports, culture, and slang.

“You realize how big the world really is,” said Dadzie, who eagerly looks forward to the opportunity to present his final presentation with his full team at the QUEST Conference this May.

King explained, “In addition to welcoming the international students to our final presentations here at Maryland, we plan to send the students working on projects in Sweden and Australia to present their final results at their client sites. I think this will be a rewarding experience for our students and will help showcase the quality of QUEST across the globe.”

If you’d like to check out the final presentations here at Maryland, be sure to save the date for the QUEST Conference on Thursday, May 5th, 2016 from 5-9PM at the Riggs Alumni Center!

Shmuel Gold and Andrew Dicken from Team Intralox skyping with their teammates in Sweden

Shmuel Gold and Andrew Dicken from Team Intralox skyping with their teammates in Sweden

QUEST’s Top 7 Quality Spring Break Plans

Two weeks ago, we were attempting to stay warm indoors with a hot cup of cocoa on a chilly snow day. It’s hard to believe that we have already reached 60-degree weather, which can only mean one thing – spring break is coming!! And with midterms and the pressure of QUEST projects upon us, we are definitely ready for it. Take a mental break to read about seven of your fellow QUESTees’ *quality* spring break destinations:

1. Outdoor excursion in Arizona

Andrew Jones, an Aerospace Engineering major from Q26, is taking a class through the Science and Global Change Scholars Program. The GEOL288A course, called “Field Geology: The Natural History and Astronomy of Arizona,” is a ten-day hands-on excursion exploring the diverse geology, zoology, botany, astronomy, and archaeology of the breathtaking state. Some highlights include visiting the Grand Canyon, Chiricahua National Monument, and the Sunset Crater.

2. Road trip to Myrtle Beach

Some are opting for a more “traditional spring break” and heading to the beach. Q22 seniors Ben Hsieh, Dan Levine, Sarah Niezelski, Brogan Sheehey, and Chris Yeager (formerly known as 390H Team Sync) are taking a fun road trip to Myrtle Beach. Although Ben wanted to go the extra mile and drive down to Florida, Myrtle Beach sounds like a fierce competitor to the beaches of the Sunshine State. In addition to soaking up the rays, the 390H dream team will also be stopping by Charleston, Greenville, and the Great Smoky Mountains bordering North Carolina and Tennessee.

3. Spontaneous getaway to Iceland

If you thought spring break was all about warm weather, you thought wrong – Dominick Montero (Q24) will be flying all the way to Iceland. “My friends and I had been joking about going to colder places for the spring, and I brought up that we could try to go see the Northern Lights,” Dominick remarked. In addition to gazing at the Aurora Borealis, Dominick and his two friends will be driving along the coastline, hiking on glaciers and volcanoes, riding ATVs, and taking in the spectacular raw landscapes of the country.

4. Environmental conservation service in the Chesapeake Bay

Uva Dayalan, a junior majoring in Bioengineering also from Q24, will be staying a bit closer to home this spring break, but not to catch up on her Netflix shows. Uva is an Experience Leader for Alternative Breaks, a University-sponsored service-learning program that offers students the opportunity to engage in community service during school breaks. She is leading the Chesapeake Bay team in a service experience focused on environmental conservation. In collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Uva and her team will be helping out with tree plantings in Clagett Farm and a CBF oyster restoration center.

5. Chilly vacation in Montreal

Jacqueline Kwan (Q21) is going up north to Canada. She is visiting a friend of hers who attends McGill University in Montreal and some other friends she met on a study abroad trip and through her internship at Ernst & Young. Although she’ll be bundled up to avoid the frostbite, Jacqueline is excited to check out the main tourist attractions like Parc du Mont-Royal and the Old Port of Montreal.

6. Terp Pride in Indianapolis

For the die-hard Maryland basketball fans out there, Sydney Tommins from Q24 is going all out during her spring break. Sydney and her dad will be traveling to Indianapolis for the 2016 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “I’m going because I love Maryland basketball and my dad and I wanted a nice father-daughter trip since I don’t get to see him as much during the school year,” Sydney explained. The tournament will take place from March 9th-13th.

7. QUEST in Silicon Valley

And finally, some QUESTees are so committed to the program that they devote even their spring break to all things QUEST. Michael George (Q23) is one of them. As a Computer Science major, Michael has always been particularly interested in QUEST’s Silicon Valley course (BMGT438G/ENES489Q: Design and Innovation in Silicon Valley) because it is “an opportunity to go to a place where technology and innovation thrives.” Michael especially looks forward to visiting Google, Twitter, and Facebook and is also hoping to stop by the California-native In-N-Out Burger.