Experiential / Reality-based Learning / December 22, 2014

Senior Undergraduates Complete Honors Capstone at Quest Conference

Senior Undergraduates Complete Honors Capstone at Quest Conference

Thirteen teams of undergraduate QUEST honors students presented the results of their capstone projects to an audience of hundreds at the annual QUEST Conference on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at the Riggs Alumni Center.

Dressed in business professional attire, and with their presentations memorized, the students were highly polished. Each session was timed and carefully orchestrated to deliver maximum impact – it was clear they had been preparing for this moment for some time.

Over the course of the past semester, QUEST capstone teams had been paired with businesses in the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area and given a challenge to solve. Participating businesses included conference sponsor, ATK, and other project sponsors such as AT&T, PwC and Thales Defense and Securities, Inc.. The consulting projects varied in scope and subject matter, but each focused on one of three pillars of the QUEST program - quality management, process improvement and system design.

QUEST, short for Quality Enhancing Systems and Teams, is a multidisciplinary, reality-centered program for University of Maryland undergraduates from three colleges of the University: The Robert H. Smith School of Business, the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. The senior year capstone class of the QUEST program is the team consulting project.

Last Thursday, two student teams received special honors at the QUEST Conference. “The Thalesmen” –Paige Nelson, Cheryl Rosenberg, Ethan Schindel, Matthew Schmitt and Rebecca Zubajlo – received the Poster of the Year award. The Project of Year went to “Artemis Solutions” – consisting of Yoni Kozlowski, Kenny Lopez, Mark Nathanson, Isa Oporto and Grace Zhang.

Artemis Solutions recommended to their clients, Tulkoff Food Products Inc. and T.W. Garner Food Company, that they pursue commercialization of their byproducts as deer repellent – estimating three to five million dollars in potential annual revenue. The two clients currently spend $36,000 a year to remove a combined 500 tons of this byproduct as waste.

“We’re so happy that we were successful for our client,” said Artemis team member Mark Nathanson, “and then, being awarded Project of Year on top of that was a fantastic feeling. It made all the work we did just a little bit more worthwhile.”

The QUEST program provides students with the opportunity to take their multidisciplinary learning and apply it to real world business challenges. “It gives you the closest thing to a professional world experience as you can imagine,” said Matthew Schmitt, team member of “The Thalesmen.” 

It’s clear that the consulting project is an invaluable experience for students, but it’s also beneficial for the clients.

Kylie King, Program Director of the QUEST Honors Program said, “Every year, expectations for QUEST projects are raised based on the exceptional quality of work produced by previous students. This year's projects exceeded our high expectations. I am proud of the work of our students and the results that they achieved for their clients.”

Andrew Kneale, graduate assistant, Office of Marketing Communications

Photos by:  Kiati Plooksawasdi, Kiati Plooks Photography

Media Contact

Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
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301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu 

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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