Alumni Events 2008

Join fellow Zoology alumni for two days of events that celebrate UM and the history of the Zoology department (now Biology). Download the reunion invitation for details and to register.

• Recognize Zoology alumni from the classes of 1958, 1968, and 1983 celebrating their 50th, 40th, and 25th anniversaries
• Explore the College’s new Bioscience Research Building and other points of interest in the college
• Learn about cutting edge research from current graduate students
• Reconnect with old classmates and make new friends
• Meet and greet faculty both “old” and “new”
• Discover how Maryland has grown

Events include (download the invitation for details on each event):

• Past, Present, & Future: Forum on Preparing Undergraduates for Medical and Dental School
• Tours of the Bioscience Research Building
• Biology Graduate Student Review Day
• Terps Football Game and related festivities

The University of Maryland has more than 200 alumni from Puerto Rico, and a large number of them met for the first “Terps de Puerto Rico” event in San Juan in January. The event was organized by Andrea Morris, College of Chemical and Life Sciences Assistant Dean for Development and Corporate Relations, who greeted the dozens of alumni who attended at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. On behalf of UM President C.D. Mote, Jr. and CLFS Dean, Norma Allewell, Morris gave a warm Terp welcome and shared news of the university’s and college’s recent successes.

University representatives included Nicole Balloffet, a Latin-American graduate student in Conservation Biology.  She shared updates on the College’s priority research areas in Spanish, including her specialty, Ecological Sustainability. Mariann Payne, Associate Director of the UM Scholarships Campaign, also attended to share news of the Great Expectations: Campaign for Scholarships success.

Alumni expressed gratitude for the wonderful education and experiences they had at UM, and acknowledged the difference it made in their careers and personal lives.  Many shared stories and photo albums of days at College Park.  Some had known each other while attending, others met afterwards on the island.

Many attendees graduated from College of Chemical and Life Sciences majors, including the former Zoology and now Biology, and have gone on to successful careers in medicine and dentistry.  CLFS alumnus Dr. Jaime Suárez  Igartua, Zoo '85 shared stories of playing for the Terps Football team as the only "pre-med" on the team.  He arrived at UM having never played "futbol Americano" and thought he would give it try as a natural athlete.  Originally planning to try out for a kicking position due to his many years playing soccer in Puerto Rico, he was selected as a wide receiver due to his speed. He got quick coaching and found it easy to master.  Once picked for the team, he was told to go get suited up, yet he did not have the first idea on how to put on the protective gear and had to ask for advice after he put it on backwards.  Dr. Suarez Igartua later completed an MD and a DDS degree and now has a plastic surgery practice in San Juan. 

Other CLFS guests included Dr. Carmen Lebron de Oliva, PhD Bio/Edu '71, José Ayala, Bio '88, Maria E. Cruz, DDS, Zoo '85, DDS, and Felix del Rio, MD, Zoo '84 and Raimundo Espinoza, CONS '07.  A practicing cardiologist, Dr. Del Rio is an active member of the UM Alumni Association and has expressed interest in leading the effort to create a formal Puerto Rico Alumni Chapter to keep the momentum of the "Terps de Puerto Rico" going.  Dr. Del Rio is a long-time supporter of scholarships on campus.  One goal of the Chapter would be to support one young person from a Puerto Rico high school with a scholarship to attend Maryland.  It was clear that there is support for the project as alumni from majors such as Architecture, Music, Business, Psychology, English and Engineering expressed their willingness to participate.

While the "Terps de Puerto Rico" was the first such gathering on the island, it is certain not to be the last.  The emotional connection to Maryland is very strong and the fellow Terps are committed to maintaining the alumni community they discovered that evening.

For more information on a Puerto Rico Alumni Chapter, contact Andrea Morris, Assistant Dean for Development and Corporate Relations.

Dean Norma M. Allewell and College of Chemical and Life Sciences alumni cheered on the Maryland Terps in a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at DuClaw's Brewing Co. in Fells Point, Baltimore on January 12, 2008.

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