Johns Hopkins students are back on campus today, buzzing with excitement for the start of the fall 2025 semester. However, our newest students kicked off their academic year last week with an array of orientation activities designed to foster connections and spark creativity.
One standout event was Meet the Flock, the Whiting School of Engineering’s spirited undergraduate orientation program. This year, Senior Lecturer Jenna Frye collaborated with Kimberley Bassett Zing, assistant dean for undergraduate advising, and Michael Falk, vice dean for undergraduate education, to create an ice-breaker engineering challenge that paired teamwork with creativity. The challenge, aptly named Hold the Cold, tasked students with designing a hands-free ice pack that sustains the ideal temperature to alleviate inflammation after injury. Armed with a set of materials and whimsical client profiles—including fan-favorite characters like Bob from Bob’s Burgers and Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants, each with their own unique design constraints—students worked in teams to brainstorm and prototype their inventive solutions. The outcome? A showcase of imagination and ingenuity that can be explored here.
MSIL students enjoy an improv workshop led by Senior Lecturer MC Coghlan on the Homewood Campus.
Meanwhile, our newest graduate students arrived on campus last Monday, August 18, ready to immerse themselves in a week of orientation activities. From workshops to campus tours to social outings, the incoming cohorts engaged in a variety of events that fostered community and prepared them to begin the fall semester. Highlights included a visit to the Baltimore Museum of Industry, where students explored the city’s rich industrial heritage, and an evening cheering on the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Those interested in the details of the MS in Engineering Management orientation can dive in here, while more information on the MS in Global Innovation and Leadership through Engineering orientation can be found here.