Category Archives: QUEST Classes

QUEST Student and Alumna Team up after Capstone

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Creating a successful startup is no easy task, yet there are several QUEST alumni who have been able to solve problems they are passionate about by creating their own company. A couple examples include Kanchan Singh (Q17), who started a cat café in D.C. called Crumbs and Whiskers, Sahil Rahman (Q17), who co-founded Rasa, an Indian restaurant, and Allan Nicholas (Q20), who created a startup called Sweet Buds that sells scented earring backs that release perfume throughout the day. This article, however, will follow the story of Kajal Pancholi (Q7) and how her aerospace and systems engineering firm, Avatar Technologies, grew and eventually came back to QUEST.

Kajal Pancholi has stayed connected with QUEST even after her graduation. She had sponsored several QUEST Capstone projects through her previous employer, Millennium Engineering and Integration Company, but this time she decided to reach out to partner with QUEST so a team of 490H students could help Avatar Technologies become an ISO 9001 registered company. Kajal said she needed “bright, hardworking, and innovative individuals to augment [her] team and develop tailored quality management tools & techniques for the company’s operations,” and she believed it would be a perfect project for QUEST. Students Dennis Chen, Taylor Joyce, Julia Roh, and Devin Rosen from cohort 27 came together to implement an ISO 9001-compliant Quality Management System so that Avatar Technologies could gain a competitive advantage in its field.

One student on the team, Devin Rosen, really enjoyed working with Avatar Technologies during his time in 490H and consequently returned to Avatar for a summer internship. Devin learned many aspects of technology entrepreneurship and enjoyed his time learning about Avatar with his team and wanted to be able to continue helping Kajal make an impact by getting Avatar Technologies an ISO-9001 certificate. Devin said that there were several differences between working with his team and working with Kajal over the summer, and mentioned that “the biggest difference was going from a group project to an individual endeavor [he] could turn into [his] own.” He also said that he had to absorb a lot more information about the company and about ISO-9001 since his teammates weren’t there to bounce ideas off of over the summer, but that Kajal was a great help in guiding him and teaching him the ins and outs of the Avatar business.

Kajal and Devin represented Avatar Technologies at the QUEST Networking Event in September

Being a math major, Devin mentioned that he was able to utilize his critical thinking and problem solving skills when assessing Avatar’s regular business operations in order to optimize process interactions and design the Quality Management System itself. He wants to tell QUEST students that regardless of the project or the major, people will be appreciative of hard work. He mentioned, “QUEST students make significant impacts” in 490H, and that the class itself encourages students to ask as many questions as possible in order to filter ideas and uncover effective solutions. He also wants to emphasize that students are capable of learning more than they think. After being assigned to his 490H project, Devin said he “learned a lot about ISO-9001 quality management system and that it was nice to prove to [himself] that [he] can jump into something completely foreign, learn all about it, and come up with impactful recommendations.”

Kajal was very appreciative of the work that the team did during 490H and the work Devin did during his time at Avatar since now the quality management system is in place and that all there is left is to call an auditor to get Avatar Technologies certified. She said that there are many benefits working for a smaller scale company for the 490H project since the work students do create a very meaningful impact on a large scale. She also mentioned that “Working with the QUEST students and Devin was both professionally and personally rewarding,” since the project brought back memories of Kajal’s own QUEST experiences and she was able to “use that QUEST knowledge and lessons to be a better-engaged and more resourceful project champion for the student team.”

 

 

What’s Happening in 490H this Semester?

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One of the key pillars of QUEST is the 490H course, which all students are required to take. The QUEST Capstone Professional Practicum (BMGT/ENES 490H) is the culmination of the effort students have put into QUEST and is designed for them to use the skills they’ve learned. It’s a chance for students to get experience working with real-world companies and solving actual problems in the industry. Students work in teams to provide corporate clients with recommendations for organizational challenges that they recognize.

This semester, students taking 490H are working for a variety of corporate partners. Leidos, Northrop Grumman, Miltec UV, OTech, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, GE, and BD are some of the organizations that will be benefiting from the insight that the QUEST teams assigned to them will be providing.

An in-depth analysis of one of the teams’ mindset is very intriguing. The team at Northrop Grumman, consisting of Q28 students Eric Ding, Brandon Lucas, Elizabeth Gillum, and Jordan King, named Brady Bunch Consulting, is working with the company to improve their inventory management system. They (Northrop Grumman) have on hand and cycle through some 240,000 parts and believe there is an opportunity to improve the process from when the part arrives from the supplier to when it’s assembled into its final product. This requires both a technical analysis and a holistic review of the process to determine where those opportunities may lie in between the moving parts and the teams working to move them.

The skills they’ve gained in QUEST have served them well so far. Eric Ding says, “Generally, we’ve been able to gather deeper insights by asking better questions and implementing healthy communication skills that we garnered from our experiences working on teams in QUEST.”

Teamwork is an important component to accomplishing this goal and Eric mentions that working with his team has been a real pleasure. He points out that “the different backgrounds, skill sets, and personalities on the team invigorate team meetings to always be productive, efficient, and fun.”  

Challenges while carrying out a project like this are to be expected and for this project, the main one so far is making sure that the team scopes out the right problems in the existing system at Northrop Grumman and making sure they focus on the right areas. Eric’s thoughts on the subject are, “The challenge in improving a quantifiable system is being certain at the end of the journey that you were able to scope the right problem, validate your key assumptions from the beginning, and provide the correct recommendations to enable those improvements.” When asked about whether the team has a good chance of earning the distinction of having the most outstanding capstone project, Eric insists that it’s “not about the destination but the friends and experiences you make along the way.” Wise words indeed, and this project should prove to be a boom to Northrop Grumman.

It should be a blast to see all of these projects blossom through the semester and to see which one achieves the distinction of being the most outstanding capstone project. Be sure to save the date for the QUEST conference when all of the teams will present the results of their projects: Thursday, December 6, 2018 6-8:30 PM at the Riggs Alumni Center.

QUEST Students Study Design in Silicon Valley Over Spring Break

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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!

Springing into a New Setting – QUEST2Spain!

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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!

Interested in Web Development? A New QUEST Elective May Be Perfect For You

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Danny Laurence (Q19)

Danny Laurence (Q19), a QUEST alumnus who was awarded one of the Outstanding Service Awards at this year’s QUEST Gala, will be offering a new QUEST elective for students interested in Web Development, beginning in Spring 2018. I was able to sit down and ask Danny about the inspiration behind the course and how it will help QUEST students in the future.

What new QUEST elective will you be offering, and what will the class focus on?

BMGT408C – Quality Web Development in Business. The class will focus on giving students the tools by which web development is achieved, without necessarily focusing on the coding itself. This class is designed to give students an understanding of what’s called the “full stack” – everything from database design to agile will be covered. Students will walk away with a solid understanding of how the internet works.

What inspired you to come up with the new elective?

A previous version of this course was offered by Dr. Bailey, Dr. Purtilo, Josh Kohn (Q18), and myself in Spring 2013 (I can’t believe it’s been 4 years). The inspiration for the course was a clamoring by business students for more technical content and a strong desire by me to get experience teaching a course. The students who took that course, to this day, will tell you how useful it was to their career searches. They were able to talk to parts of technology that their peers had never even heard of, let alone interacted with.

How does this new course fit the QUEST curriculum (cross-functional teams, hands-on learning, community of learning, etc.)?

Well, certainly everything you listed is represented in the course. Students are organized into teams, and class is largely about working through examples and hands-on learning. The community of learning aspect is relatively apparent – I’m an alumnus teaching this course. The class set up will likely have non-majors, so peer instruction on writing code is very important.

How will this class help students in the real world?

I’d postulate that most jobs now require you to understand technology, no matter what you are doing. Everyone has to deal with email, with web systems, and this class will give you the tools to understand what is going on. Simply demystifying the computer a bit is a very useful skill set, even if it seems like it wouldn’t be.

What is one message you have for any QUEST students who are interested in your class?

Do it. Not only are you going to have fun in class, you’re going to gain skills that will help you in your future endeavors.

Spring Fever: QUEST Electives Edition

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The three required QUEST courses allow students to work in multidisciplinary teams to apply quality management tools, develop products that address real-world problems, and use the conflict negotiation and business etiquette skills needed to consult clients. However, these core courses alone will not ensure that QUEST students have a well-rounded outlook on process improvement, system design, and quality management.

Each QUEST student has his or her own individual interests, ambitions, and motives. QUEST’s five-course curriculum includes two elective courses, which gives students the freedom to pick two classes out of a comprehensive list with over 25 options. This allows students to take classes that intrigue them while simultaneously incorporating their passions into their QUEST experience. Many of you may wish to take an elective this coming spring 2018 semester, so it is important to understand your options and how the electives help you pursue your career goals.

There are several quality courses this spring that are QUEST-specific and are taught by QUEST professors. These courses include BMGT/ENES 397 and BMGT/ENES 491, as well as several classes that revolve around visits to places like Silicon Valley and Spain. These are well-worth looking into if you wish to get closer with QUEST students across cohorts or get to know the QUEST faculty better.

 

QUEST-Specific Electives

1) BMGT/ENES 397 is an engaging class that allows students to leave an impact on QUEST by guiding new QUEST students through the process of 190H and by doing a semester-long project for QUEST that requires a thorough knowledge of design and quality techniques.

“397 is a great opportunity to see 190H from the other side, and it comes with the added bonus of going to QUEST camp again!” – Akshay Guthal (Q27)

 

2) BMGT/ENES 491 is a course in which students play a role in finding the various consulting and innovation projects for 190H and 490H students. This course gives students a great opportunity to make connections with some of QUEST’s corporate partners and prepare for 490H. 491 is the class where students conduct site visits and talk to various departments on campus in order to scope out potential consulting projects new QUEST students can work on in their 190H class. Michael Vetter from Cohort 28 enjoyed his time in 491 and wants students deciding on electives to know:

“[Scoping is] a great opportunity to develop your professional skills and learn more about real businesses and how QUEST connects with them.” – Michael Vetter (Q28)

3) The QUEST immersion courses are amazing ways to spend your winter and spring semesters. Look into BMGT438G/ENES489Q if you’re interested in going to the Silicon Valley with Dr. Bailey and learning about design, innovation, and quality through various site visits and company research. BMGT438G/ENES489Q is a great way to network with professionals in your field and get the nitty gritty on what really goes on behind the scenes in successful tech companies.

“Exploring the technological culture that defines Silicon Valley, ranging from their start-ups to the Big 4 Tech, provided insight that can’t be paralleled in a classroom setting.” – Andrew Jones (Q26)

 

BMGT438M will allow students to visit Barcelona and Madrid this January to see how things like culture and architecture have an impact on innovation. Recent study abroad trips included QUEST2Japan and QUEST2China, where students were able to go on site visits to companies such as Toyota and Nikon in order to see how business cultures abroad differ from those in the United States.

“[QUEST2Japan was] literally the best trip I’ve ever taken in my life… QUEST study abroad trips are super unique experiences that everyone should take advantage of.” – Akshay Guthal (Q27)

Outside-of-QUEST Electives

1) BMGT 332 is just one of the many classes that teaches students topics such as project management, systems analysis and design, operations management, and managing for innovation and quality.

“Optimization based on data is extremely important, since proper data analysis prevents resources from being wasted, which would be tremendously detrimental to an organization.” – Roger Mao (Q29)

If you’re interested to see what electives can double as one of your major requirements or upper level electives, you can visit the electives guide here.

2) ENME 466 is one of the most popular electives, as it teaches students how to use Lean Six Sigma and how to apply the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) strategy in projects with corporate partners.

Even with the plethora of possible electives one can choose from, QUEST students do not have to be limited to these options. You can always nominate an elective to be considered for the program curriculum! Just email Dr. Herrmann at jwh2@umd.edu to see if you can get one of your favorite classes to count as a QUEST elective. The Curriculum Review Committee will review all requests and see if any can be approved. This is just one of the ways QUEST takes input from its students to continuously improve its program and keep its community curious, engaged in critical thinking, and fascinated with what QUEST has to offer.

 

 

 

The Inside Scoop: Working with Verizon and the Redskins in 490H

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By Jacob King (Q27)

When exploring the University of Maryland during one’s freshman year, a program that typically intrigues the highest achieving students is the QUEST Honors Program. And why shouldn’t it? The students in the program get to learn hands-on consulting skills and their capstone project involves applying design thinking, process innovation and systems thinking to a real world company and problem. Clients range from small, one-person companies to Fortune 500 companies, but they all demand long hours and commitment from teams.

The 4Gs at the Redskins Stadium

This semester, Cohort 25 is working on 11 capstone projects with a variety of companies. So how did one project lead a team to an exclusive tour of Redskins stadium? I reached out to the 4G’s to find out.

Cohort 25 students Pranav Khatri, Eleanna Makris, Alex Jerome, and Steven Kurapaty, also known as the 4G’s, have spent the semester working with their project sponsor, Verizon Smart Venues, and the Washington Redskins. This project relates to a new initiative by the Redskins which focuses on how fans interact with the team at away games. At its core, the scope of the project revolves around creating a medium for Redskins fans to gather at away games in cities where they are typically the minority fan base. Currently, the team holds bar events near stadiums during away games. However, there is no way to measure or track the turnout and demographic of such events.

The goal of the QUEST capstone project is to better understand who is coming to these events so that the Redskins are able to better engage with their fans. The most recent step in the team’s data collection involved testing what a bar rally might entail. In order to do this, the team took advantage of the finals for March Madness and conducted their own “bar rally” at Looney’s in College Park. According to team member Pranav Khatri, “We were hoping to get a breadth of differing demographics to attend our event. To tackle this, we decided to use Snapchat filters as well as Facebook advertisements before and during the event to gather different crowds of people. The Facebook ads were aimed at anyone 18 and over so believed we could attract a variety of people.”

In terms of collecting data at the event, Khatri added, “We created a two-tier solution. First, and most open to all users, the person texts a phone number to receive a giveaway and a link to our website. The user can then click on that link and sign in through Facebook to receive another giveaway. For this solution, we used a Twilio text messaging service to receive and send texts, Heroku to host our website and databases, PHP Facebook SDK for our website for Facebook authentication, and PostgreSQL as the database to store the information.”

The QUEST team, whose students are majoring in marketing, computer science, biology, and biochemistry, has found this scope to be challenging but very rewarding thus far. They expressed having to learn a lot of new skills to add to their own personal arsenals, mainly within the business sector such as marketing and accounting. Their biggest challenge so far has been effectively handling the intersection of the two clients and making sure that all requirements are fulfilled.

If you are interested in seeing the final recommendations from this exciting project and others, be sure to RSVP for the QUEST Conference on May 4th!

An Inside Look at QUEST2Japan

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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.

3 QUEST Electives You Might Not Have Considered

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In addition to the three core classes, QUEST students are required to take two electives to enrich our learning experience. With a long and growing list of electives, the decision to decide on what elective to take may seem daunting. Last year, I interviewed three QUEST students about electives they enjoyed taking other than the popular QUEST-only electives (like mentoring, scoping, and study abroad trips). One year later, I have asked three more QUEST students about their opinions on worthwhile electives.

ENME466: Lean Six Sigma with Dr. David Bigio

In 190H, we are introduced to the concepts of Lean Six Sigma and the DMAIC (Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control) process. This course applies these specific concepts on a deeper level for a semester-long corporate consulting project, much like the capstone 490H course. As a business student, Laura Bell (Q24) found that she learned how to troubleshoot and problem-solve in a different way – with an engineering mindset.

 Laura Bell (Q24), Senior in Supply Chain Management and International Business

I would definitely recommend this class because you learn skills that are applicable outside the classroom. You even get the opportunity to earn your Lean Six Sigma greenbelt, which is attractive to many employers. My advice is to prepare yourself for a more rigorous course load, but know that in the end the learning experience will be worth it!

BMGT452: Marketing Research Methods with Dr. Bobby Zhou

This course focuses on marketing decision-making and market research. Coursework involved designing market research studies, data collection, and statistical analysis. This course also has similar themes to 190H emphasizing how to ask the right questions.

Sydney Tommins (Q24), Senior in Marketing and Operations Management

In my 490H project, we had to conduct market research and contact our client’s customers with questions. Through my experience with BMGT452, I was able to determine how to ask questions that are very qualitative in a manner that allows us to quantify the data in order to analyze it… I can’t stress enough how important it is to know how to ask the right questions… This class really helps develop a foundation so that you can generate the results you need to back up your claims.

CMSC320: Introduction to Data Science with Professor John Dickerson

CMSC320 is a computer science course that focuses on data analysis and data analytics, similar to Kylie King’s QUEST-only BMGT438A/ENES 478A course on applied quantitative analysis. The course assignments are group-based. You get to learn about R to collect data from websites and how to analyze those very data sets.

Andrew Dicken (Q23), Senior in Computer Science

My biggest recommendation is to take CMSC320 with some other friends (aka other QUEST people) because there is a ton of group work and you need a good group to succeed.

QUEST Rolls out New 3-Credit Data Analytics Elective

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As a program that is constantly evolving and improving, the QUEST Honors Program at the University of Maryland has distinguished itself through its unique, rigorous, and practical classes.

QUEST students are required to take two elective classes from a constantly evolving list, pre-approved by the Curriculum Review Committee. Regarding QUEST electives, Kylie King, Program Director of QUEST, says: “We try to stay on top of current trends in education and the business world as a whole and adjust to make sure our students have the skills they need.”

Thus, in the Fall of 2015, after acquiring feedback from students, alumni, and faculty, the Quality Guild realized that QUEST students’ abilities to analyze quantitative data were not where they should be and therefore, decided to pilot a new 1-credit course: Applied Quantitative Analysis. Beginning this Fall 2016, the course will be offered as BMGT438A/ENES 478A: Applied Quantitative Analysis, a more comprehensive and extensive 3-credit class that counts as a QUEST elective.

Clair Devaney, Q25, took the class when it was one credit and definitely thinks expanding the course makes it more appealing and beneficial. “Definitely only reached the tip of the iceberg,” she says, “but it was a great way to expose oneself and inspire a deeper dive into data analytics in the future.

So what’s the change from 1 credit to 3 credits? Now, students will not only expand their knowledge base and be able to get more in-depth, but they will also perform an in-depth project with a QUEST corporate partner.

Possible topics and learning objectives outlined in the syllabus thus far include:

  • Collect appropriate data (considering research questions, type of data, etc.).
  • Describe data collection process (consider assumptions of sampling and sample design).
  • Accurately describe data
  • Clean data for analysis
  • Evaluate alternative analysis methods
  • Select and justify the most appropriate method(s) for analysis
  • Consider assumptions of selected method
  • Draw valid conclusions based on analysis
  • Apply conclusions to problem at-hand and provide recommendations

Kylie King, who is also the instructor for the course, tells interested students: “We are using a flipped-classroom model so be sure you are ready to watch videos and read a little bit before class. In class, we will use R to analyze data. I try to break this down so that it is easy to follow and not intimidating.”