UMD Celebrates 21st Annual Maryland Day

The University of Maryland will host its annual Maryland Day on Saturday, April 27. The family-friendly event, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is a campus-wide celebration of learning and discovery that features hundreds of free exhibitions and events.

Attendees are encouraged to explore their fearless ideas in five designated learning neighborhoods: AG Day Avenue, Arts & Design Place, Science & Tech Way, Sports & Rec Row, and Terp Town Center. Spread across the entire campus, each neighborhood presents unique opportunities for learning, fun and discovery, while showcasing innovations from students and faculty.

Highlights of this year’s event lineup include:

• Gymkana Obstacle Course—Come play in the home of Gymkana, an outreach program of the School of Public Health showcasing gymnastics and acrobatics. Participate in an obstacle course including trampolines and gymnastics equipment that Gymkana members use to create their magical performances.
• Coding Games With CompSciConnect—Come ​discover computing with middle school students in UMD's CompSciConnect​ ​program and learn how to program LEGO Mindstorm robots, create games in Scratch, and explore number systems and cryptology. Virtual reality and Scratch games created by students will be on display.
• Costume Shop Open House—View displays of Clarice-created costumes from rendering and research to realization, drape your own fashions on half-scale dress forms and color your own historical renderings.
• Makerspace Mashup—Visit the John and Stella Graves MakerSpace to try out virtual reality with the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift stations. See demonstrations of 3-D printing and view student, faculty, and staff projects that have been created in this popular community space.
• Robotics, Avatars and Public Health—Play with the humanoid robot Baxter, see yourself as an avatar, and have fun while learning how research affects our knowledge of public health!
• Urban Oasis: A Greenhouse Tour—Tour the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture's Research Greenhouse Complex. Touch and feel curious plants, learn about green roofs and current research projects, and receive a free plant. Tours begin on the half-hour.
• Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering Open House—Explore the newly built hub for technology and innovation in the region and learn more about the future of computer science at UMD.

Visitors will also be able to explore the university’s campus, learn more about its schools and colleges, attend the Maryland football Red-White spring game and cheer on the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams as they host rival Johns Hopkins. For a complete list of activities, visit marylandday.umd.edu.

The first 15,000 visitors at Maryland Day will receive a commemorative shopping tote, available at one of the 11 information booths on campus.

Maryland Day will take place rain or shine. Admission and parking are free. Complimentary Shuttle-UM transportation will be provided, with buses servicing all main parking lots and garages. The University of Maryland is accessible via the College Park–University of Maryland Washington Metro station.

To plan your Maryland Day visit, use the Plan Your Day tool at marylandday.umd.edu and join the conversation on social media using #MarylandDay.