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Three College Park Scholars alumni were among the 19 Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars named by the University of Maryland (UMD) this past week: Sam Varga, Science, Discovery and the Universe Scholars Rina Torchinsky, Science, Technology and Society Scholars Selena Cen, Global Public Health Scholars Merrill Scholars, which are selected by the academic college and schools with undergraduate major programs, annually honors the university’s most successful seniors and their designated university faculty and K–12 teachers for their mentorship.

For most University of Maryland (UMD) students, the end of the spring semester heralds the start of finals. But for sophomores in College Park Scholars, for the past 24 years, this time of year has signified Academic Showcase. The event, one of the largest exhibitions of undergraduate student learning on campus each year, typically involves more than 600 Scholars sophomores presenting on their capstone projects to fellow students, faculty, parents and other members of the UMD community.

More than 20 years ago, a University of Maryland sophomore created a Scholars-wide charity softball tournament for his Scholars practicum project. His project has since grown and evolved into the Scholars Cup, a year-round fundraising competition for charity. Every fall, each Scholars program selects a charity based on individual program theme or student interest. It then fundraises for that organization for the remainder of the year. Students can earn points through service projects and community events, which builds community and incentivizes involvement throughout the year. These efforts culminate with the spring charity softball—now kickball—tournament.

This blog post is the first in the "Choosing Scholars" series, which examines various aspects of College Park Scholars. When Erin McCormick was invited to College Park Scholars last year, she knew that she wanted to pick a program that would expand her world view and teach her something different. “I wanted to expose myself to subjects I wasn’t confident in in high school,” McCormick says. After reviewing the curricula for the 12 Scholars programs, she was drawn to the Science, Discovery and the Universe (SDU) program because she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to learn about astronomy.

Science, Discovery and the Universe alumna Steffi Yen is pursuing her doctorate degree at Heidelberg University after graduating from the University of Maryland in 2013 with her B.S. in astronomy. Yen credits SDU Scholars with furthering her passion for astronomy through academic excursions and hands-on scientific experiences. "My favourite SDU excursion was to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, home of the world's largest steerable radio telescope," Yen said. "We got a little taste of what it's like to be an astronomer. We were able to operate a small radio telescope and analyzed the spectral emission from clouds in the Milky Way."

The third annual Scholars Cup raised a record-breaking $13,194 for charity this academic year, with Science, Discovery and the Universe named the winner of the 2016 Scholars Cup. The Scholars Cup is a community-wide fundraising competition for charity and a series of competitive events. “The Scholars Cup attempts to capture the best of the Scholars community by harnessing a spirit of fun, friendly competition and raise money for charities,” said Scholars Assistant Director Ben Parks. “It serves as a vehicle to bring Scholars programs together to build community, which is as the heart of Scholars.”