Alumni Association Honors 7 at ‘A Celebration of Terps’
A serial entrepreneur, Maryland’s first lady and a pioneering microbiologist were among the seven Terps honored Friday night by the University of Maryland Alumni Association.
The annual event, A Celebration of Terps: Featuring the Maryland Awards, recognizes Terps who have risen to the highest levels of public service, launched successful companies and made groundbreaking discoveries.
The President’s Award winner, who was selected by UMD President Darryll J. Pines, was Brendan Iribe, co-founder of Oculus VR. The honor recognizes his leadership in revolutionizing virtual reality and technology.
“This is really where it all began. I was born and raised in Maryland.” Iribe said. “What connects me most to the university are the people I met along the way.”
Kevin J. Tu (B.S. '23, biological sciences; B.S. '23, economics), founder of Sustainabli, received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.
Distinguished University Professor Rita R. Colwell received the Spirit of Maryland Award.
“As Terps, we lift up each other’s successes, and support each other through uncertain times. We need places of belonging and community to come together,” said Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Alumni Association. “Seeing the incredible Terps in this room contribute actively to Maryland’s ongoing success and legacy makes me so proud.”
President’s Award: Brendan Iribe
The serial entrepreneur and visionary leader is best known as the cofounder and CEO of Oculus, the company that revolutionized virtual reality and was acquired by Facebook.
Iribe recently founded Sesame to build the first human-like digital sidekick and lightweight all day smart glasses.
His passion for innovation and commitment to advancing education inspired a transformational gift to the University of Maryland, establishing the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering. Iribe champions entrepreneurship and education through scholarships, professorships and the Computing Catalyst, a campus center that supports computing majors and K-12 students. He has impacted thousands of students, ensuring brilliant minds of all backgrounds have the opportunity to grow into the next generation of tech pioneers.
Spirit of Maryland: Rita R. Colwell
The Distinguished University Professor in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies is a groundbreaking environmental microbiologist whose research focuses on global infectious diseases, water and health. She has authored or co-authored 21 books and more than 850 scientific publications. Colwell served on the National Science Board and as the first female director of the National Science Foundation (1998-2004).
Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Canada, Royal Irish Academy, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society.
She has been awarded 64 honorary degrees and is the recipient of the US National Medal of Science, Japan Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Stockholm Water Prize, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize of Singapore.
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award: Kevin J. Tu (B.S. '23, biological sciences; B.S. '23, economics)
The first-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Is working to decarbonize health care and science.
He founded Sustainabli, a company that creates easy-to-retrofit devices to improve energy efficiency in laboratories. Sustainabli’s technology has been implemented in buildings across North America and Europe, preventing over $1 million in energy waste and avoiding as much carbon emissions as a car would produce driving around the world 340 times.
Tu also co-leads the Million Advocates for Sustainable Science, a grassroots campaign that has mobilized science funders representing over $20 billion to require environmental impact assessments and mitigation plans in the research they support.
Locally, he is involved in regulatory efforts to curb municipal and medical waste incinerator emissions—efforts that have contributed to preventing $12 million in annual health damages in the Maryland/D.C. region since 2023.
Tu has published 11 first-author papers on environmental health and cancer, and is a recipient of the Goldwater, Amgen and Churchill Scholarships at UMD, where he earned a double degree in biological sciences and economics.
Adapted from an article written by Daryllee Hale.
