An interdisciplinary group of faculty members from UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative attended the recent United Nations global climate summit, aka COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, where they observed progress being made — but also missed opportunities.

UML students, alumni and faculty have documented the pandemic experiences of Lowell and Lawrence residents for an oral history project and some of those stories will be published as a book next year.

The university’s new digital media major prepares students to become video, audio, corporate media and advertising professionals through classes that combine storytelling and technical skills. Students also get hands-on experience through internships.

Retired New York City Fire Department Battalion Cmdr. Jack Oehm urged students to study history so the U.S. can learn from its mistakes. Oehm, whose battalion lost 20 firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001, held students spellbound as he gave a history lesson from firsthand experience.

This summer, a UML support program for first-generation college students is piloting a “First to Launch” program on campus for incoming first-year students. With support from two recent grants, the River Hawk Scholars Academy is also expanding its services to sophomores, juniors and seniors. 

“Integrating Climate Change into the K-12 Classroom,” a free professional development workshop hosted by EEAS Assoc. Teaching Prof. Lori Weeden and the university’s Climate Change Initiative, showed teachers how they can address the topic through a variety of educational lenses.

As international travel restrictions lift and study abroad programs slowly resume, six UMass Lowell students — including four in one semester — have received prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State.

Her leadership on campus and advocacy for Black students won Fiona Bruce-Baiden recognition as one of “29 Who Shine,” an award given by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to one student from each of the state’s public colleges and universities.