As youth-led “Cockroach Janta Party” protests spread across India this summer, two professors in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies have been awarded a pair of university seed grants to study Gen Z protests in Kenya, India and other countries.

Assistant Professor Rebecca Dunlea of the School of Criminology and Justice Studies partners with prosecutors around the country on research projects. Two recently published studies looked at case outcomes that are alternatives to plea deals.

UMass Lowell is the first New England university to partner with Braven, a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate students’ careers and prepare them for strong first postcollege jobs.

Ten years ago, criminal justice alum Jake Sulzer ’15 took a “shot in the dark” and offered to release a local band’s album on vinyl. Now, he runs a successful independent record label, Counter Intuitive Records, and recently launched a brick-and-mortar store in Brookline, Massachusetts.

UMass Lowell student teams, including Mock Trial, a cyber security team, Model United Nations (U.N.) and an investment class, are on a winning streak this year.

The university’s Mock Trial team is off to a great start this year, with a win at a Bryant University tournament and strong showings at two more as they head into regionals in early 2025. Students say it’s fun – and that the skills they learn are great preparation for law school or life.

Philosophy Chair Nicholas Evans and Criminology Assoc. Prof. Neil Shortland are researching the future of artificial intelligence in warfare and policy under a pair of Department of Defense Minerva Grants worth $4.2 million, leading teams that include paid student researchers and other UML and outside faculty.

Three faculty members have won U.S. Department of Justice grants to study pressing issues in crime: whether “red flag” laws help to prevent mass shootings, how police internal affairs units investigate citizen complaints, and whether sending mental health clinicians with Boston Police on some calls improves outcomes for troubled individuals.