Smith MSIS Students Deploy AI-Powered Solutions for 17 Real-World Clients—from Food Rescue to Microloans

In its second year, the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) capstone program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business paired 20 student teams with 17 clients across hospitality, media, healthcare, education, government, tech, nonprofits, finance, agriculture, and insurance—pushing AI deeper into real-world solutions.

Faculty saw the spark. “We are seeing deeper engagement between the students and client sponsors, along with continued leveraging of AI,” said Tej Anand, clinical professor and MSIS academic director.

Associate Clinical Professor Paul Shapiro mentored two “standout” teams: “They captured the essence of what the capstone was designed to be—immersive, transformative and deeply connected to purpose, he said. “They were highly engaged with their client, interned over the summer, and are already demonstrating business value and impact.”

Sarvagya Singh’s squad built Leftover Love—a Baltimore food-rescue nonprofit—a full-stack platform from scratch. Using React and Google Cloud, they automated volunteer coordination, reports and alerts. “We gained invaluable hands-on experience in system design, development, deployment and testing,” said Singh. This project not only strengthened our technical and professional skills but also allowed us to contribute to a nonprofit with a meaningful mission.”

Coming from UMD’s College of Information, Noah Dolnick and his team crafted an information system for Eskala, a microloan broker lifting Latin American communities. 

Guided by Shapiro’s coding tutorials, they mastered HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flask, SQL and Python—then shipped a tool that fuels real loans for the underserved. “This bridge from classroom to impact,” Dolnick said, "proves the Smith MSIS paying dividends—giving me tangible skills I can use after graduating.”

As this year’s capstone nears closing, “the stories of these students and their projects indicate a larger effect: when education meets purpose, and technology meets empathy, transformation is inevitable," said Shapiro. “The MSIS program isn’t just preparing students for the workforce—it’s preparing them to lead it.”