From “Muffin Mondays” to “Six-Hour Quiet Study Time” on Saturdays, Honors College Dean Jim Canning is bent on inculcating serious study habits in students. He provides the food and they put in the effort, quietly.

Political science students looking for campaign experience have found plenty of opportunities this year in the open race for the 3rd Congressional District seat and other midterm contests. Many of them cross the border in presidential election years to work in New Hampshire, too.

There are 150 UML students studying abroad in 20 different countries this summer, as the International Experiences & Study Abroad office continues to provide new ways for students to become globally engaged while gaining valuable career skills.

Most arrests end in guilty pleas instead of trials, and research suggests that many innocent people plead guilty to escape the threat of a long prison sentence. A psychology professor has teamed up with an art professor to make plea bargains easier to research – and to change an unjust system.

Manning School of Business Senior Lecturer Deb Finch won the 2018 Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching, awarded annually to one faculty member from each of the five UMass campuses.

Spring Move Out yielded a record haul from students, with 16,500 pounds of clothing, household goods and nonperishable food items collected by the Office of Sustainability and donated to local nonprofits.

The First-year Writing Program is changing things up by offering service-learning and research experiences. Honors College students explore and write about Lowell, while other students can choose their own level in College Writing, including the intensive “studio” option.

Honors student Mansour Chaya won “Wheel of Fortune” by a nose, beating out students from Georgia State and UCLA. Chaya, a political science major, says he’s saving the money for law school.

This year, the Honors College offered 100 fellowships to students who wanted to delve into research, read broadly outside their majors, intern at a nonprofit or create something original. The fellowships pay students for 100 hours of work with a faculty, staff or community mentor.