Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and University of Maryland Medical System Celebrate Opening of New STEM Center

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) and the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Katherine Johnson Global Academy in Baltimore to launch a state-of-the-art STEM center.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included speakers Cal Ripken Jr., MLB Hall of Famer and co-founder of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation; Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System, and officials from the Baltimore City Public Schools.

The University of Maryland Medical System partnered with CRSF to develop 10 STEM centers across the System’s footprint in Maryland, with a three-year $500,000 grant.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, participants toured the innovative space while students explored and tinkered with high-tech tools such as 3D printers, and hands-on coding and electronics activities such as littleBits and Snap Circuits.

As of October of 2024, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has opened over 600 STEM centers in 25 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 22 district-wide public-school systems, impacting over 260,000 students across the country.

“Our STEM Center program has been amazing to watch,” said Cal Ripken, Jr. “The demand for these centers all across the country has been tremendous and continues to grow.  The University of Maryland Medical System is a great partner and because of them we are able to provide tools to students and teachers that help them develop problem solving skills and critical thinking.”

The University of Maryland Medical System is a private regional health system focused on serving the healthcare needs of Maryland. This partnership with CRSF represents an opportunity to introduce students to the field of STEM which are core to the work UMMS does and allows the System’s member organizations to engage with their communities by strengthening relationship with local community-based organizations and schools.

“We know that extending access to STEM education will help pave the way for the next generation of scientists,” Dr. Suntha said. “This great partnership provides a unique and significant opportunity to reach more young people in our communities with foundational skills that will inspire future medical breakthroughs and advancements in compassionate, equitable care.”

Download photos of the event.

About the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation:

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) helps to strengthen America’s most underserved and distressed communities by supporting and advocating for children, building Youth Development Parks and STEM Centers, partnering with law enforcement and youth-service agencies, and addressing community needs through its national program initiatives. CRSF has opened over 600 STEM Centers nationwide, gifting children in communities across the country a new access to state-of-the-art technology, hands-on learning experiences, and skill sets essential to the future of STEM. 

About the University of Maryland Medical System:

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high-quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. As one of the largest private employers in the state, the health system's more than 29,000 employees and 4,600 affiliated providers offer primary and specialty care at 11 hospitals, in more than 150 locations and through a network of UM Urgent Care locations.