From the ISS to UMD
A Week After Returning to Earth, Alum Joins 6 Others to Accept Alumni Association Honors
From left, Hall of Fame inductee Joy Bauer ’86 and President's Award recipient Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00 pose with Angela Dimopoulos '07, senior director of alumni engagement and outreach with the Alumni Association, at its annual Celebration of Terps: Featuring the Maryland Awards.
Photos by Branden Camp
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00 came from the International Space Station “screaming back into the atmosphere” and splash-landed in the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 25 after 235 days in orbit.
One week later, she stood on a stage at the University of Maryland, joking that gravity is overrated and marveling that she was being honored for living her dream.
Then she said, she realized that the award was about everyone—including her dissertation adviser, Distinguished University Professor of aerospace engineering Inderjit Chopra; President Darryll J. Pines, who as a professor sat on her dissertation committee; her twin sister and fellow Terp Janet Epps Smith Ph.D. ‘98 and the ground team at NASA—”who supported me on this crazy, amazing journey that I enjoyed thoroughly.”
She was among seven accomplished Terps recognized Friday night at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center at the Alumni Association's annual Celebration of Terps: Featuring the Maryland Awards.
Honorees and special guests at the event included, from back left: Jim Spencer ’90, Alumni Association Board of Governors President Laurie De Armond ’94, Sylvie DeLaHunt ’14, M.S. ’16, Alumni Association Senior Executive Director Jessica K. Roberts, UMD President Darryll J. Pines, Evan Lutz ’14 and UMD Vice President for University Relations Jim Harris. Front row, from left, Joy Bauer ’86, Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00, Oneyda Hernandez ’23 and Sharon Akers ’78.
"Today" show health and nutrition expert and author Joy Bauer ’86 was inducted into the Hall of Fame; Evan Lutz ’14, CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest, and Oneyda Hernandez ’23, who leads a local nonprofit addressing food insecurity in the local Latinx community, received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award and Do Good Award, respectively. Jim Spencer ’90, a longtime university supporter, accepted the Spirit of Maryland Award. The Tyser Gottwals Award went to Sharon L. Akers ’78, who helped drive the revitalization of Greater College Park. Sylvie DeLaHunt ’14, M.S. ’16, a diversity, equity and inclusion advocate at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, was given the Elaine Johnson Coates Award.
“It was an honor to host these seven outstanding alumni along with their family and friends, and to recognize the significant contributions they have each made in their fields and to their alma mater,” said Jessica K. Roberts ’02, senior executive director of the University of Maryland Alumni Association.
At the event, each of the honorees spoke about their time at Maryland and how it helped propel their careers.
Hall of Fame Inductee: Joy Bauer ’86
Bauer is best known for her work on NBC’s “Today” show, but she’s also a New York Times-bestselling author of 14 books and shares cutting-edge health tips and thousands of recipes on her website, JoyBauer.com.
She served as the nutritionist for the New York City Ballet for nearly 20 years, and earlier in her career, was the director of nutrition and fitness for Pediatric Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center and a clinical dietitian for its neurosurgical team. One of Bauer’s most rewarding experiences was creating and implementing the “Heart Smart Kids” program for underserved children in Harlem.
Before leading a successful media career, Bauer taught anatomy and physiology and sports nutrition at NYU’s school of continuing education, while building the nation’s largest private nutrition center.
She has earned countless accolades, including the National Media Excellence Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society of Nutrition Science, as well as the University of Maryland School of Public Health’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Bauer enjoys a close connection to her alma mater, leading sessions like the 2021 “Cooking with Joy” Maryland Masterclass and serving as master of ceremonies for UMD’s Department of Kinesiology’s 125th-anniversary celebration.
President’s Award: Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00
The Syracuse, N.Y., native became a NASA fellow during graduate school at UMD and authored several journal and conference articles describing her research. Epps was subsequently a technical specialist in the Scientific Research Laboratory at Ford Motor Co., where she investigated automobile collision location detection and countermeasure systems, which resulted in the granting of a U.S. patent. After leaving Ford, she worked at the Central Intelligence Agency for seven years before being selected in 2009 to the 20th NASA astronaut class.
Epps launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 3 on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission as a flight engineer; she seven months conducting and maintaining science experiments aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth with three fellow astronauts.
She was previously inducted into the UMD Department of Aerospace Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni and received the Glenn L. Martin Medal from the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award: Evan Lutz ’14
Originally from Baltimore, Lutz is passionate about food justice, entrepreneurship and the Baltimore Ravens. As a Maryland student, he created the Food Recovery CSA to redistribute surplus healthy food to students. After graduating, Lutz founded Hungry Harvest, a company that buys "ugly" and surplus fruit and vegetables from mid-Atlantic farms and delivers boxes of them via a subscription-based model to customers in the Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C metro areas. Since 2014, Hungry Harvest has rescued more than 27 million pounds of produce from going to waste.
Lutz appeared in 2016 on ABC's “Shark Tank,” where he received a $100,00 investment. He has been recognized as one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Baltimore Business Journal's “40 Under 40,” and Hungry Harvest received the Montgomery County Emerging Business of the Year Award.
Do Good Award: Oneyda Hernandez ’23
Oneyda Hernandez ’23 was instilled at an early age the importance of community and helping out one another. In honor of her late mother, Hernandez co-created the Audelia Community Response Team (ACRT), a Latinx-centered organization to address food insecurity in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In its initial six months, her initiative provided essential supplies and resources to 1,400 families.
During the pandemic, the organization was instrumental in establishing Langley Park’s first fully volunteer-run COVID testing site and, in partnership with Maryland Del. Lorig Charkoudian, facilitated the vaccination of 6,000 community members.
Hernandez’s commitment extends beyond immediate needs; the ACRT has launched sustainability programs that educate families on growing their own produce, promoting long-term self-sufficiency and resilience.
Spirit of Maryland Award: Jim Spencer ’90
Jim Spencer ’90 has notched nearly 20 years of volunteer service at the University of Maryland. He joined the Alumni Association’s Board of Governors in 2015 and as its president from 2019-21, he adeptly guided the organization through pandemic challenges. Using his finance and business experience, Spencer negotiated a deal with the University of Maryland College Park Foundation to clear the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center’s debt and secured a new loan for the association’s future viability.
A second-generation Terp with a strong family connection to the university, Spencer is a devoted supporter of Maryland Athletics and a proud parent of two current Terps. He also serves as chief financial officer at DecisionPoint Technologies.
Tyser Gottwals Award: Sharon L. Akers ’78
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism graduate received the award honoring an alum who has demonstrated outstanding service to the university. She has been deeply involved with her alma mater since joining the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees in 2012. She was later elected to serve as chair of the stewardship and governance committees. In 2017,
She helped establish the Terrapin Development Co. (TDC), the foundation’s economic development arm, to enhance Greater College Park as a vibrant, walkable community, and to boost research and entrepreneurship. She brings expertise to TDC through her leadership role as executive director of special projects at St. John Properties, where she manages community outreach and charitable giving. Akers also oversees the Edward St. John Foundation, which has facilitated over $65 million in philanthropic support.
She was named an Influential Marylander by The Daily Record and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Adjutant General of Maryland James Adkins.
Elaine Johnson Coates Award: Sylvie DeLaHunt ’14, M.S. ’16
DeLaHunt, Discovery Program assistant group supervisor at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), received the award named for the first Black woman to earn a bachelor's degree at UMD. It recognizes an alum who has made a significant and sustained contribution that fosters diversity and inclusion nationally and/or globally.
As a member of the APL Women in Technology group, DeLaHunt has served as its diversity and inclusion chair and president. She played a crucial role in removing membership dues and securing additional funding, as well as organizing events to promote professional development and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Her advocacy extends to the broader aerospace community, where she contributes to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Diversity Working Group and Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics committees. Her outreach efforts include mentoring female interns and engaging in STEM programs for K-12 students and college women. Through her writing and public speaking, DeLaHunt challenges stereotypes and highlights the value of diverse perspectives in engineering.
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