<p>Hey guys I had a question about the Gemstones program. What exactly is it? I signed up for it, but I was wondering if a current member or anyone at the college could shed some light on it for me. Thanks!</p>
<p>basically, gemstone is a multidisciplinary team research program. but im sure that doesn't answer your question. ask me more questions and ill answer.</p>
<p>I'm a rising sophomore in Gemstone. It's a four year undergraduate research program. The first year, you get experience in small groups and see events that the upperclassmen Gemstone teams have to go through. By the end of the first year, you (the students) will have formed research topics, found a mentor to guide you, and split off into teams of about 10-14 people. For the next three years, you'll be conducting the research and presenting it at thesis conferences. Gemstone is a highly respected program in the university and guarantees that you'll have research experience as an undergraduate, which is an amazing thing to put on your resume. Another thing that I really like about Gemstone is that there are so many leadership opportunities within the program. You can teach certain gems classes, be a gems camp counselor, etc. Also most Gemstone students live in Ellicott their freshman year, which is great cuz you get to know each other and go to classes together, bond, etc..</p>
<p>The research topics span from ones based on psych, to engineering (there's a lot of sustainability ones in my class), natural science, business, basically anything. If you have any questions please feel free to ask! :)</p>