For 30 years, when companies and municipalities have faced especially vexing and persistent predicaments, they’ve turned to an elite squad of problem solvers: the students of the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ QUEST Honors Program.

From navigating the maze that is the Port of Houston to talking in-depth with ExxonMobil executives, QUEST students have gone inside operations to closely observe them, suss out snags and learn critical skills that have helped many go on to become entrepreneurs, founders and logistics masterminds.

The program celebrates its 30^th anniversary with an event tomorrow at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, featuring speakers, QUEST trivia, networking, and food and drink.

QUEST, which stands for Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams, is a three-year program spanning Maryland Smith, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, and the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Over five courses, students work on team-based, experiential learning projects in which they gain skills in areas like product development, user experience, and manufacturing and operations.

In 1992, the University of Maryland was one of roughly 100 universities that applied for a $1.8 million IBM grant to improve research in the manufacturing sector. Only 10 universities were awarded the grant, and when the money ran out five years later, UMD was the only one to continue it with its own funding. More than 1,800 students have completed the curriculum since then.

“QUEST has at its core the spirit of building a community of people who are committed to excellence and eager to apply it in their life for the good of society at large,” said Hassan Ibrahim, interim executive director of QUEST.

In recent years, the program has focused on questions like how to build high-quality digital projects, how data science can improve manufacturing and operations, and how design thinking can influence the way products are made. One of QUEST’s trademarks is a semester-long capstone course in which students consult on a problem that one of the program’s corporate or governmental partners is experiencing.

“It was always a customer-centric program—that has continued on through the many years, but what customers are worried about and thinking about, that’s changed,” said Joseph P. Bailey, assistant dean for specialty undergraduate programs in Maryland Smith.

To mark three decades of questing, Maryland Today took a look back at four of the most memorable projects.