We know you’re all out of school, but we’re going to attempt to keep you abreast on Terrapin news this summer with a new feature: Ripe Produce. Similar to Fresh Cream, the post will feature local University of Maryland news that’s “ripe for the reading.” Here are six summer stories you must know.

* This guy needs to rot in jail, forever. A University of Maryland Eastern Shore police officer was charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. But wait, he has been released on bond, which means he is roaming the streets! Scary! What has the University of Maryland done about this creep? Oh, he has just been placed on unpaid leave.

* Way to help children. Another free dental clinic has opened in Maryland, making Charles County the 14th jurisdiction to provide this service.  A pediatric dentist from the University of Maryland's pediatric dentistry fellowship program runs the clinic.

* It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...no, it's a plane. Dr. Sandra Ugrina at the University of Maryland is on a mission to create a more fuel efficient airplane. She is just one of the many female scientists who are conquering tough scientific questions. Women may be taking over the world! Alright!

* Want to know how the University of Maryland ranks? The Princeton Review has released the 2008 Best 366 Colleges and Maryland made the list! Hooray!

* Why is life rougher and tougher for women? Life is hard for women, especially working women, according to University of Maryland School of Law professor Paula Monopoli, who studies gender and the law. Women lawyers, who have children, seem to have a more difficult time,  but firms are attempting to help.

* A team of University of Maryland scientists are reconstructing the earth. Yes, the earth. Professor Dan Lathrop and his team from the non-linear dynamics laboratory have constructed a 26-ton sphere of the earth in an attempt to discover why the earth's core is not as powerful. Cool.