News Story

Engineering is a Family Affair

Elizabeth and Garret Childs at Elizabeth's commencement ceremony

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When it came time for Elizabeth Childs ’21 to choose a college, she had only one in mind: Caltech. With small classes, an intense focus on math and science, and beautiful weather, Elizabeth was eager to spend her next four years in California. But her father, Garrett Childs M.S. ’91, saw value in something more than world-class academics: a diverse community and a strong, intentional support system. He knew the University of Maryland had both—from his time as a master’s student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). And the decision to become a Terp became easier with Elizabeth’s Banneker/Key scholarship.

Childs family sits in a room with Spanish writing on one wall and a flag on the other

Less than a year into her first time at UMD, Elizabeth knew her father was right. UMD had the infrastructure to sustain a broad range of student interests—Elizabeth continued playing violin with the Gamer Symphony Orchestra—and learned what every student eventually discovers: no one gets through college alone. For Elizabeth, a Black mechanical engineering major, that support came through the Clark School’s CMSE, which offers programs designed to support, prepare, and inspire future engineers. Having joined CMSE’s summer Bridge Program, “I started my first year not only with friends,” she says, “but also with trusted faculty and staff I could turn to for help with academics, career decisions, or anything in between.”

With the support of CMSE, Elizabeth thrived academically. She joined research projects and even co-authored a first-author paper with another student involved with the center. When she began considering graduate school, center Director Rosemary Parker was there to mentor her, offer research guidance, and connect her with UMD graduates pursuing doctoral degrees.

Garret Childs hugs family during his commencement ceremony

Today, Elizabeth is a doctoral candidate at Stanford University, where she investigates how technologies like augmented reality can strengthen hands-on learning in high school science. Elizabeth considers herself privileged to have attended a high school with great teachers and adequate resources but knows not all students have that opportunity. Augmented reality, which layers digital visuals onto physical objects, can offer the kind of high-quality representations that usually require expensive equipment—without losing the tactile, curiosity-driven value of science inquiry, she explains. “I want to pay it forward by building tools that expand hands-on learning without relying on costly resources,” she says.

The Pay It Forward Scholarships for CMSE grew from Elizabeth’s desire to share the great significance of her education with others. Deeply moved by their daughter’s selfless vision, Garrett, along with Elizabeth’s mother, Marcella Childs, M.D., established these funds as a way to invest in the next generation of Terps. The scholarships provide merit-based support for undergraduate students engaged with CMSE, with preference for students involved in the Bridge Program.

Garret Childs sits at a computer in a lab

For Garrett, this gift is a profound full-circle moment rooted in the mentorship of the late Manfred Wuttig, professor emeritus and inaugural MSE chair. Wuttig paid it forward by teaching Garrett the “big lever” philosophy: the discipline of mastering the primary forces that control a process before focusing on the minor details. Today, the Childs family is applying that same mindset to their philanthropy. They recognize that merit-based support and the Bridge Program are the big levers that most effectively can determine a student’s trajectory.

By prioritizing these big-lever areas, the Childs family is turning the fruits of Garrett and Marcella’s professional success, along with Elizabeth’s generous spirit, into a bridge for future scholars. “In honor of the young woman Elizabeth has become,” Garret says, “our family feels blessed by God and wishes to pay it forward by supporting students on their own paths to success.”

Published February 4, 2026