Around the World With Adventurous Terps
From the Fjords of Norway to the Peaks of Peru, Students Studied, Researched and Did Good This Summer
Environmental science and policy major Shayna Silverman ’25 (right, blue jacket) examines an Arctic reindeer jaw and teeth held by Danish lecturer Astrid Schmidt during a 15-mile hike on a cool, rainy day in Svalbard, Norway, in late June. “During this hike, we saw little auks, purple saxifrage, Arctic reindeer and—luckily—no polar bears!” Silverman said.
Photos submitted by students
Sandy beaches, barbecues and outdoor concerts aren’t the only signs of a great summer. Cooking mouthwatering pasta dishes in Italy, interviewing the next big NBA stars coming out of Africa or learning how to salsa dance in Cuba were just a few of the fun feats Terps enjoyed over the last few months.
More than 300 University of Maryland students studied or volunteered abroad this summer, according to Education Abroad, trading the muggy mid-Atlantic for a jaunt across the globe. They got hands-on research experiences, immersed themselves in local culture and made memories to last a lifetime through a variety of short-term UMD or partner programs.
Check out these fun student photos:
Early childhood education major Nick Bentley ’26 (left) and criminology and criminal justice major Riley Roimisher ’26 roll out cavatelli pasta during the “Italy: Food Writing” course in Rome. Led by Principal Lecturer of English Peter Grybauskas, students learned how to prepare traditional dishes like coniglio all'ischitana, a rabbit stew originating on the island of Ischia and side dishes like tomatoes and green beans.
At a public basketball court at Club Rafiki in Kigali, Rwanda, journalism student Jenna Bloom ’25 shows boys photos she took at the Basketball Africa League Championship Game in June. She visited as part of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism’s “NBA Africa” course, offered by the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism. Students went to Senegal and Rwanda to explore NBA Academy Africa, part of a global network of youth basketball schools that seek to develop the next generation of college or professional players.
Studio art major Edgar J. Urena Lizardo ’25 (center, dancing with the girl in yellow) attends a salsa class in Cuba with fellow UMD students. He visited various historic sites and landmarks as part of the “Law, Public Health, and the Cuban Family” class, seeking to understand the impacts of communism and the U.S. embargo on Cuban lives. He acquired two pieces of art by local artists, “whose works remind me of the importance of hope, both for a better future and for a dream worth fighting for,” he said.
Environmental science and policy majors Zenia Kaovasia ’25 and Shayna Silverman ’25 collect water samples off the coast of Svalbard, Norway, for a course on arctic ecology. During a five-hour boat trip throughout the fjords, they identified wildlife around the glaciers and sampled water in three locations to test temperature and look for microorganisms like phytoplankton.
Mechanical engineering major Benjamin Cohen ’27 tries punting, pushing a flat-bottomed boat along the shallow River Cherwell. He was part of the Maryland Honors in Oxford program in England, offered for the first time this summer. Students spent six weeks at Oxford’s Exeter College, taking classes on a wide variety of topics, including the art of ghosts, behavioral ecology of animals and the literatures of modernism.
Public health major Ayushi Patel ’27 and a Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco medical student collect water samples at community homes in Combapata, Peru. UMD’s Public Health Beyond Borders group visited Cusco, Combapata and Compone in August, collaborating with UNSAAC students to help improve water quality and food safety as well as strengthen maternal child health.
Students peer out from the Periscope Observation Tower in Seinajoki, Finland, exploring the unique structure as an example of accessible design. They toured as part of the “Scandinavia: Culture + Place” class offered by the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, led by Professor of the Practice Peter Noonan, and also visited Sweden and Denmark. It’s one of the architecture program's longest-running education abroad trips, where students explore how culture, climate, history and geography impact the shape of a region's cities and towns.
Kinesiology major Joy Reider ’26 (left) and community health major Anne MacLellan ’26 teach schoolchildren about handwashing and germs at the Abigail Butscher School in Calaba Town, Sierra Leone. They were part of a Public Health Beyond Borders group that also offered workshops on first aid and malaria, and conducted interviews with community health workers.
Art history major Stephanie Korth ’25 in Capri, Italy, during a weekend excursion from the “In the Shadow of Vesuvius” class at Castellammare di Stabia in early June. Through the program, she learned to use photogrammetry and LIDAR to collect data for her honors thesis on mosaic floors of the Villa Arianna in the ancient Roman city of Stabiae; she also traveled throughout the country to gather more data from from other Roman towns buried by the Vesuvius eruption in the year 79: Pompeii, Villa San Marco and Oplontis. She was excited to stay at the Vesuvian Inn, a hub for archaeologists, where she networked with professionals in the field.
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