FIRE launched in the fall of 2014 and served an initial cohort of nearly 200 students through the launch of seven FIRE research streams.  The program has grown and changed in the years that followed.  It now welcomes nearly 650 University of Maryland new first-year students annually and offers sixteen research streams across a range of disciplines.

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In 2019, we expanded our mission to describe the intended personal and professional impacts explicitly.  We know that fearless research drives fearless career readiness and that our students develop the communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, and teamwork traits that will enable them to succeed for the rest of their careers - no matter their professional destinations.  As you look through and read our annual review, I hope you see the authenticity and depth of our research ambitions and the breadth of impacts on the students who grow with FIRE.

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2023 is the year FIRE - as a group of professionals - also expanded to serve The University of Maryland in new and exciting ways.  With the launch of the Office of Undergraduate Research, FIRE will continue its well-established forms of student service and mentorship while amplifying its impacts across campus.

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Sincerely,

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Patrick/Patricia Killion

Director: The First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE)

Director: The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR)