• Back of young woman's head where her braids are formed into white hearts atop her head

    The Year in the Rear View

    For many of us, the pandemic has warped our sense of time. Was that milestone last year? Or six months ago? Or was it last week? To help you keep things in perspective, we’ve pulled together some highlights from 2021. Here’s a look back on the year that was at UMass Lowell.
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  • A man in glasses holds an award while standing next to a man in a tie

    University Police Earn Trio of Statewide Honors

    UMass Lowell Police Officers Dan Dolan and Brian Ethier and Director of Police Dispatch and Security Operations Ken Wilson were recognized for their outstanding work by the Massachusetts Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.
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  • firefighters put on fire

    Researchers Win $900K Grant to Protect Health and Safety of Firefighters

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a $900,000 grant to Research Prof. Anila Bello of the Department of Public Health for research into better protections for firefighters from harmful chemicals used to extinguish fuel-based fires.
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  • Two women hold an award plaque while posing for a photo with five men

    UML Earns ‘Leading by Example’ Award for Decarbonization Efforts

    UMass Lowell received a Leading by Example award from the state’s Department of Energy Resources for its collaborative efforts with fellow honorees UMass Amherst, UMass Dartmouth and Salem State University to decarbonize their campuses.
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  • UML Honors students Ariel Shramko and Nilaish Sen

    Pandemic-Inspired Discord Server an Enduring Hit with UML Students

    Two Honors College students who started their UML careers during the pandemic hosted a Discord server to keep in touch with other students they’d met at the summer Student Success Summit. “Riverhawk Rendezvous” has grown rapidly by hosting study groups and connecting students to clubs – and each other.
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  • Asst. Prof. Stephen T. Lam

    UML-led Research on Molten Salt for Energy Generation Wins DOE Funding

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a team of researchers from UMass Lowell and Oak Ridge National Laboratory a $400,000 grant to develop machine learning-based approaches for simulating molten salts used in advanced nuclear reactor systems.
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  • A female student and two male students pose for a photo in a classroom

    Finance Students Lay Foundation for Real Estate Careers

    Six Manning School of Business finance students learned about potential commercial real estate career paths through Project Destined, an eight-week virtual internship program designed to boost diversity in the industry.
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  • Two photos by Pedro Letria from his show "Maskirovka"

    Portuguese Photographer Documents Lowell’s Luso-American Community

    Visiting Prof. Pedro Letria, a Portuguese photographer and writer, is teaching photography and documenting the Portuguese American community in Lowell for the university’s Portuguese American Digital Archive. His wife, journalist Cláudia Lobo, is also gathering oral histories for the archive.
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  • The original Making WAVES leadership team will continue to guide the ADVANCE Office for Faculty Equity at UML

    New ADVANCE Office for Faculty Equity Aims to Improve Campus Culture

    The new ADVANCE Office for Faculty Equity aims to change the culture across campus for faculty from underrepresented and marginalized groups. It builds on the programs and research of the five-year, National Science Foundation-funded Making WAVES program.
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  • A man in a bowtie gestures in his hand while speaking

    Good COP, Bad COP: UML Delegates Reflect on U.N. Climate Summit

    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.
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  • Jacquie Moloney, Katy Tucker and Joe Hartman

    Katherine Tucker Receives Top Faculty Honor

    Prof. Katherine Tucker of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences was named the 2021 Distinguished University Professor, the highest accolade bestowed on a UMass Lowell faculty member for outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service.
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  • Students participate in the Plastics Sustainability Forum

    High School Students Learn about Plastics Recycling, Sustainability

    Fifty students from Lowell High School and Greater Lawrence Technical High School, along with their teachers, learned about plastics recycling and environmental sustainability during the Plastics Sustainability Forum, held recently at the Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center on North Campus.
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  • A female student wearing a masks holds a microphone and paper while speaking, while a man and a woman look on

    Local Biotech Startups Offer Students a Wealth of Internship Opportunities

    Students learned about internship opportunities at a dozen early-stage medical device and biotech startups during a networking event co-hosted by the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) and the UML student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
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  • SPACE HAUC satellite deployed into Earth orbit

    UML-built Satellite Is Now Orbiting the Earth

    SPACE HAUC – UMass Lowell’s first satellite – was successfully released into Earth orbit from the International Space Station on Oct. 12.
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  • A man in a face covering hands a small blue sticker to a student, who is holding open a small booklet

    Students Explore the Gray Areas at ‘Ethics Fest’

    More than 250 students were challenged to think about ethics and social responsibility in new ways at UMass Lowell’s first annual Ethics Fest, hosted by the Donahue Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility.
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  • UMass Lowell Criminology and Justice Studies Chair Sheldon Zhang and Assoc. Prof. Jason Rydberg,

    Criminal Justice Faculty Aim to Prevent Labor Trafficking in Tunisia

    Faculty in Criminology and Justice Studies have won a pair of U.S. State Department grants totaling $1.9 million to evaluate the extent of human trafficking in Tunisia – and to try to stop abuses of domestic servants.
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  • A student carries an air conditioner on his shoulder in a parking lot while another student collects recycled items from a car in the background

    ‘Fall Into Recycling’ Returns, Diverting Over 6 Tons from Landfills

    More than 6 tons of appliances, electronics, batteries and more were collected at Fall into Recycling, a popular waste diversion program that contributed to UMass Lowell being named a Top 10 Zero Waste Campus by the Post-Landfill Action Network.
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  • A man in glasses looks up at a large monitor showing a map of the United States

    Business Professor: Start Your Holiday Shopping Yesterday

    As the pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains, Operations and Information Systems Asst. Prof. JM Song discusses why U.S. shipping ports are snarled and what it means for the holiday shopping season.
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  • At the fall 2021 Panasuk Symposium at UMass Lowell, a panel of educators and advocates discussed critical race theory

    Educators, Advocates Tackle Critical Race Theory at Symposium

    Educators and student advocates discussed critical race theory at the fall symposium, and how the political controversies surrounding it are affecting students and teachers. The first education symposium to be held since November 2019 also included a workshop on teaching LGBTQ history.
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  • People are a blur walking under two solar street lights

    Off the Grid: UML Installs New Solar-Powered Streetlights

    The university has installed eight solar-powered streetlights along the new Northern Canal Overlook on East Campus — one of the city’s busiest areas for foot traffic. The lampposts were funded in part by a $10,000 grant from the Lowell Green Community Partnership, an alliance between UML and the city.
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  • A man in a blue blazer speaks from a glass podium

    DifferenceMaker Celebrates 10 Years of Entrepreneurial Success

    Alumni of UMass Lowell’s Rist DifferenceMaker Institute returned to campus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, which has spun off 40 companies that have generated over $4 million in revenue.
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  • An image depicting the murder of mill girl Sarah Cornell

    English Professor Studies Industrial Gothic ‘Factory Fiction’ and True Crime

    In Assoc. Prof. Bridget Marshall’s new book, “Industrial Gothic,” she traces the use of Gothic literary devices to portray the horrors of industrialization. The Gothic still fascinates today, she says, because it helps us cope with the dark side of technological and social change.
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  • UML pharmaceutical sciences major Christina Ciaramitaro in an Analytical Instrumentation class

    Pharmaceutical Sciences Major Combines Science and Business Classes

    The major in pharmaceutical sciences combines classes in biomedical sciences and business to prepare students for jobs in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Students can go on for advanced degrees in the same field – or an MBA.
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  • A woman in a wheelchair holds a microphone while speaking on stage

    Why Has Entrepreneurship Thrived During the Pandemic?

    As the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary, Director Holly Lalos discusses why there’s been a resurgence in entrepreneurship during the pandemic, and Assoc. Prof. Li Sun shares research on how new ventures can survive a crisis.
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  • UML Public Health major Jordan Lippincott and Assoc. Dean Nicole Champagne at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic run by Lowell General Hospital

    UML Receives $3 Million for New Public Health Informatics Degrees

    UMass Lowell received more than $3 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop new undergraduate and graduate programs in public health informatics and technology. UML will work with community colleges and health care partners to educate diverse students who can fill vital jobs.
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  • DifferenceMaker®is a campus-wide program that engages UMass Lowell students in creative problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurship.

    Making a Difference for A Decade

    The DifferenceMaker program has provided training, mentoring and other resources to UMass Lowell student entrepreneurs who wish to address social, environmental and economic problems in the community and world for 10 years.
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  • Gulden1-resized

    NIH Awards $2M for Faculty Research on Bone Tissue Engineering

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Chemical Engineering Asst. Prof. Gulden Camci-Unal a five-year grant worth nearly $2 million to support her research on repairing and regenerating bone.
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  • Headshots of a woman professor, a woman student and a male student

    RISE Fellowships Support Innovations in Energy, Sustainability

    The Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy has awarded 2021-22 fellowships to Assoc. Prof. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Cordula Schmid, Analytical Chemistry Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Farrell and chemical engineering major Andrew Parker.
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  • An aerial view of the Merrimack River running through the UML campus

    With NSF Award, New Grad Program Focuses on Protecting Water Resources

    An interdisciplinary team of UML faculty, led by Assoc. Profs. Meg Sobkowicz-Kline and Chris Hansen, have received a nearly $3 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award for a new graduate student program focused on developing sustainable materials and chemicals that won’t harm water resources.
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  • ECE Assoc. Prof. Joyita Dutta

    Engineering Professor Wins $2.7M Grant for Alzheimer’s Research

    Assoc. Prof. Joyita Dutta of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has been awarded a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research that could help shed light on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
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  • UML digital media student assistant Nick Jarek checks out a new camera lens

    New Digital Media Major Combines Storytelling and Technical Skills

    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.
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  • UML politics, history and honors students listen spellbound to the history of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

    Retired FDNY Battalion Commander Urges Students to Study History of 9/11

    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.
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  • A woman in glasses stands outside in front of a library

    Checking In with UML’s New Director of Libraries

    With a law degree from Duke and master’s degrees from Yale and Simmons College, Allison Estell has spent her fair share of time in university libraries. As UML’s new director of libraries, Estell is excited to build on its services and strengthen its connection to the community.
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  • UML Asst. Prof. of Nutrition Sabrina Noel

    Nutrition Professor Finds Major Gaps in Bone Health Research

    Osteoporosis has been traditionally viewed as a disease of non-Hispanic white women, says Asst. Prof. Sabrina Noel. But the reality is more complicated, she says in a new paper that looks at inequities and gaps in the research.
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  • A Cool Science bus poster

    Professor: Science Education Can Help Slow Climate Change

    Science education can help slow the pace of global warming, because people who understand climate science can make informed decisions, says Education Assoc. Prof. Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier. Lohmeier does research on using artwork in informal settings to educate the public about climate science.
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  • A student reads at a podium while Chancellor Moloney looks on in front of a 9-11 memorial

    UML Remembers Those Who Were Lost 20 Years Ago on 9/11

    The UMass Lowell community gathered at the Unity memorial on East Campus to honor the seven alumni and friends of the university who were killed 20 years ago on 9/11.
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  • New UMass Lowell students celebrate the end of a summer program for first-generation college students

    Publications Praise UMass Lowell Efforts on Diversity

    Three magazines have named UMass Lowell to their lists of "Top Colleges and Universities" for 2021 for the university's efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.
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  • A view of the GPS Center from outside

    From Refurbished Labs to New Hammocks, River Hawks Will Find Many Changes

    Returning students will notice several changes across campus this fall, including the new Global and Professional Studies Center opposite University Crossing, refurbished instructional and research labs, and the addition of outdoor amenities such as hammocks, Adirondack chairs and covered bike racks.
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  • Students sitting in the stands at the Tsongas Center

    A Hello, and Hello Again, to New River Hawks at Convocation

    Convocation formally kicked off the 2021-22 academic year for 2,600 first-year and transfer students — and also served as a belated welcome to campus for sophomores who spent last year learning remotely.
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  • Two female students wearing facemasks pose for a photo

    Students Unpack a Sense of Relief on Move-in Weekend

    Move-in weekend is always an exciting time on campus. But this year brought the added euphoria of students escaping 18 months of pandemic-induced social isolation and remote learning.
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  • Coronavirus1

    COVID-19’s Delta Variant: Here’s What You Should Know

    Biology Prof. Matthew Nugent, who is an expert in disease biology, biochemistry and biotechnology, recently answered questions about the Delta variant and how best to protect against it.
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  • Four students, three females and a male, smile

    New to Campus? Here’s What You Need to Know

    From advertising student success workshops and mental health services to connecting students with clubs and each other, UMass Lowell is helping students transition to campus life – especially first- and second-year students and new transfer students who’ve never studied in Lowell.
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  • SPACE HAUC shown in Earth orbit

    UML Satellite Set to Blast Off into Space on Aug. 28

    If everything goes according to plan, SPACE HAUC, UMass Lowell’s first satellite, will launch into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, Aug. 28, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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  • UML health sciences faculty tour the new Health Sciences Hub

    ‘Health Sciences Hub’ Offers Tutoring, Advising and More

    The new “Health Sciences Hub” in the Health and Social Sciences Building is a one-stop center for student success. It includes space for advising, tutoring, exam reviews, faculty and teaching assistant office hours, health sciences club meetings, interprofessional education and more.
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  • A woman smiles while leaning on a classroom desk

    New Center Helps Faculty Transition Back to Classroom

    UML’s new Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching provides faculty with resources and tools to foster innovative, engaging and inclusive learning environments for students — and a place to compare notes and share ideas with one another.
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  • three band members play saxophones in an outdoor park

    This Summer, They’ve Got the Beet

    Fresh Beets, the brainchild of adjunct music instructor Savanah Marshall ’13, ’16, served up a summer of music, street food and community education in downtown Lowell’s Kerouac Park.
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  • Assoc. Prof. Rick Hochberg in the lab

    NSF Awards Researchers $1.5M to Study Rotifers

    The National Science Foundation has awarded a team of researchers led by Biology Assoc. Prof. Rick Hochberg a four-year grant worth more than $1.5 million to understand the biology and life cycle evolution of rotifers, which are a key link in the aquatic food chain.
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  • A man in a red USA T-shirt holds a framed poster for the Olympics while standing outside

    Professor Emeritus Michael Jones Champions the Olympics

    Professor Emeritus Michael E. Jones, former director of UML’s Legal Studies program, is an appeals judge for the sport of triathlon at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
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  • Two teenage girls play brass wind instruments in a classroom

    Band Camp Returns to Chorus of Praise

    UML’s 24th annual Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp offered 40 students entering ninth grade through freshman year of college a weeklong, in-person concert band experience.
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  • Presley Bennett and Maddie Emond are both first-generation college students at UMass Lowell

    First-generation Students Get Head Start on College Life

    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. 
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  • A woman in an orange shirt stands with hands on hips while talking to young women at a library table

    New Seminar Demystifies College for High Schoolers

    UMass Lowell hosted a new College Exploration Seminar this summer for local high school students. It was designed to introduce them to the world of higher education while also giving them an in-person look at the UMass Lowell campus.
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  • A shape sails past wind turbines in the ocean

    UMass Lowell Wins Grant to Diversify Offshore Wind Workforce

    UMass Lowell, in partnership with the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston, has received a $241,300 grant from the Commonwealth to develop academic pathways that increase the participation of underrepresented populations in the offshore wind industry.
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  • A woman in glasses holds a piece of cardboard that has a rectangular hole in the middle. Her right hand is in the opening.

    Climate Change Lessons Reach Beyond the Science Classroom

    “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.
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  • UML Nursing student Caroline Owusu

    Nursing Faculty Will Assist in Clinical Trials for New, Rapid COVID-19 Tests

    Solomont School of Nursing faculty will soon assist with clinical trials on rapid COVID-19 tests that are being developed as part of a massive federal effort. Assoc. Prof. Ainat Koren is leading the initiative, which will deploy nurses and nursing students to existing testing sites to gather patient samples and data.
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  • View of San Sebastian, Spain, from Mount Igueldo

    Students ‘Basque in the Glory’ as Honors Study Abroad Resumes

    With caution, masking and lots of outdoor activities, the Honors College’s study abroad program in San Sebastian, Spain, returned this summer. Three groups of honors students are celebrating the chance to travel and learn abroad, some for the first time.
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  • At DifferenceMaker Demo Day, the women of Digital Life Prosthetics made a better pitch for their project.

    Seeing Success at DifferenceMaker Boot Camp

    At DifferenceMaker Demo Day, the four biomedical engineering majors of Digital Life Prosthetics were among nine teams that showed off revamped pitches, thanks to a four-week summer boot camp. During the camp, the women of Digital Life got a chance to see the success of Rajia Abdelaziz '16 and use her inspiration to fuel their project.   
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  • Assoc. Prof. of Education Iman Chahine won a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to do ethnomathematical research in South Africa

    Education Professor Gets Second Fulbright to Complete Ethno-mathematics Project

    Assoc. Prof. Iman Chahine has won a second Fulbright Scholarship to help South African educators build Zulu and Ndebele cultural practices into the math curriculum. The professor of education specializes in ethno-mathematics, which translates beadwork and mural painting into teaching tools.
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  • SPACE HAUC in its stowed configuration

    UML Satellite a Step Closer to Launch

    SPACE HAUC, UMass Lowell’s first satellite, recently passed a critical test that cleared the way for its upcoming launch into Earth orbit. The satellite was designed and built by more than 100 students from the Kennedy College of Sciences and the Francis College of Engineering over the course of five years.
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  • A man talks on the phone and works on a laptop at home while holding his daughter on his lap

    Will the Shift to Remote Work Survive the Pandemic?

    A team of workforce scholars from the Manning School of Business is researching how the shift to remote work during the pandemic has changed the landscape of the labor market, and what it means for job seekers in the future.
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  • Prof. Daniel Obrist wearing safety gear

    New Study Reveals Higher-than-Expected Deposition of Toxic Mercury in Forests

    Toxic mercury is being deposited in forests in much higher quantities than previously thought, posing a concern for the health and well-being of people, wildlife and waterways, according to Prof. Daniel Obrist, who is investigating the source of the pollution.
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  • Assoc. Clinical Prof. of Education Sumudu Lewis directs the UTeach program at UMass Lowell

    UTeach Turns STEM Majors into Sought-After Teachers

    The UTeach program, which turns science, math and engineering majors into classroom teachers, is now in its 10th year at UMass Lowell. Graduates are in great demand at local high schools, and one was named a finalist for Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year.
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  • UML Assoc. Prof. of Education Stacy Szczesiul, winner of the Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Service

    Education Professor Wins Manning Prize for Teaching and Service

    Education Assoc. Prof. Stacy Szczesiul won the Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Service in recognition of her commitment to helping students succeed and for her contributions to the Doctor of Education program, which she directs.
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  • The UMass Lowell and American flags fly in the wind in front of the Tsongas Center

    River Hawk Athletes Champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

    UMass Lowell is one of just 14 NCAA Division I athletic programs in the country to receive a perfect score of 100 in the Athletic Equality Index, developed by the nonprofit Athlete Ally to measure LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. The score is part of a larger, overall commitment by the Athletic Department to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at UML.
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  • Three characters from the role playing game Favor

    River Hawks Take on Roles for Gaming Studio Startup

    Several UMass Lowell students have had a hand in creating and marketing a new neo-noir tabletop role-playing game called “Favor,” the upcoming first release from their indie gaming studio, Eclipse Entertainment.
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  • Three women pose for a photo while wearing traditional Korean gowns

    Slowly but Surely, River Hawks Resume Studying Abroad

    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.
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  • Two students help containers at the rooftop garden

    O’Leary’s New Rooftop Garden More Than a Pretty View

    A new rooftop garden of 500 herb, flower and vegetable plants has taken root at O’Leary Learning Commons on South Campus, the latest piece of UMass Lowell’s Urban Agriculture Program — a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and Mill City Grows.
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  • Operations Director Jirair Derkrikorian gives Chancellor Jacquie Moloney a tour of Fox dining hall

    Daily Special: UML Finds New Ways to Nourish Students During Pandemic

    University Dining Operations Director Jirair Derkrikorian, whose team worked to create special dining experiences for students during the pandemic, was recognized as a “College Foodservice Hero” by the industry website Food Management.
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  • Fiona Bruce-Baiden won the 29 Who Shine award for UMass Lowell in 2021

    Political Science Major Recognized as One of ‘29 Who Shine’

    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.
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  • Joseph Sheedy celebrated learning for all of his 86 years.

    At 86, Joe Sheedy Embodied Lifelong Learning

    Joseph Sheedy was a man who embodied lifelong learning. He earned his final degree in Psychology from UMass Lowell, posthumously.
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  • Martha Mayo

    Library Research Guide Explores Lowell’s Anti-Slavery, Abolitionist History

    “Untold Lowell Stories: Black History,” an online research guide published recently by the UMass Lowell Library’s Center for Lowell History, sheds light on the city’s anti-slavery and abolitionist movements. Last year, the center was named an Underground Railroad Research Facility.
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  • Red trinitite

    Researchers Discover New Quasicrystal in Atomic Rock

    A recent discovery by a research team that includes Kennedy College of Sciences Prof. Nelson Eby is shedding light on the debris created by an atomic blast, and it could set the stage for advances in materials research, including potential applications in energy, health care and nuclear forensics.
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  • GenCyber logo

    Summer Camp to Inspire Next Generation of Cyber Stars

    Eighty high school students from across New England and New York will get a chance to learn about cybersecurity during a free, two-week virtual summer camp hosted by the UML Cyber Range.
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  • Global Studies Doctoral Student Shawn Driscoll co-created a book exploring the pandemic a century ago, beginning with no idea of how timely it would be.

    Timely Tome Examines Previous Pandemic

    Global Studies doctoral student Shawn Driscoll helped create, edit and write "The Grip," which examines the affect the 1918 pandemic had on Worcester. When the project began, he had no idea what was around the corner. We caught up with him with a few questions.
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  • Chemistry Assoc. Teaching Prof. Khalilah Reddie talks to a student after an Organic Chemistry class

    MAGIC Helps Students Realize Medical School Dreams

    The MAGIC program, started by Chemistry Assoc. Teaching Prof. Khalilah Reddie, aims to close the health professions and medical school admissions gap for students from underrepresented groups, especially students of color, through tutoring and support. Students say MAGIC has improved their academics and their confidence, while providing them with a community.
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  • students play cornhole outside the Campus Rec Center

    Hammocks and Patio Heaters: UML Enhancing Outdoor Spaces

    Hammock gardens, Adirondack chairs and patio heaters are just some of the amenities the university is adding to improve outdoor spaces for when students return to campus in the fall.
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  • Chancellor Jacquie Moloney processes into the Tsongas Center for Commencement 2021

    Commencement 2021: The Class That Persevered Embraces the Future with Optimism

    UMass Lowell celebrated the perseverance of the Class of 2021 in a hybrid format that resembled the school year. Graduates and guests processed in person through the Tsongas Center to receive their diplomas and get formal photos taken, while a pre-recorded ceremony streamed online.
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  • Three Hacking for Defense students pose for a photo with a flying drone

    Students Use Entrepreneurship to Address National Security Issues

    UMass Lowell is the first university in New England to offer Hacking for Defense, a course sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense that pairs interdisciplinary student teams with defense and intelligence organizations to rapidly address emerging national security challenges using entrepreneurial methods.
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  • Professor/poet Sandra Lim is among the 2021 Guggenheim Fellows.

    Assoc. Prof. Sandra Lim Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship

    Sandra Lim is one of 184 Guggenheim Fellows selected from nearly 3,000 applicants. The award will allow her to work on future projects and follow where her intellectual and creative curiosity take her.
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  • Montage of five graduating students

    Heroes Among Us

    One week before Commencement, we asked eight graduating seniors to join us for a roundtable discussion on — where else? — Zoom, where we talked about their favorite UML memories, how the pandemic has affected them and what advice they’d give to themselves four years ago, among other topics.
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  • nursing major David Nguyen poses for a photo

    At the Finish Line: Graduating Seniors Look Back — and Ahead

    UMass Lowell’s Class of 2021 refused to be knocked off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked eight graduating seniors, representing each of UML’s six colleges, to talk about their experiences over the past four years in a virtual roundtable discussion on Zoom.
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  • Jamie Smorczewski at Fenway Park

    Student Commencement Speaker a Profile in Perseverance

    Veteran Jamie Smorczewski, a Double River Hawk who is graduating with a master’s degree in security studies, will share some of what he’s learned about persevering as the university’s 2021 student Commencement speaker.
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  • Faculty members Carole Salmon, Brent Shell and Leslie Ferris during the zoom ceremony

    And the ‘OERscar’ Goes to … Professors Who Use Digital Textbooks

    More than two dozen UMass Lowell faculty members were recognized by students from the university’s MASSPIRG chapter and Student Government Association for using free or low-cost digital textbooks and open educational resources (OERs) at the first “OERscars” ceremony.
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  • Senior Jack Bove missed some aspects of participating in the Model U.N. during the pandemic, but the team found ways to bond and compensate, he says.

    Virtual Success: Model U.N. Team Racks up Wins

    It wasn't what they wanted, and it certainly wasn't what they planned. But the teammates who battles it out in Model U.N. competitions made it virtual debate work to their advantage.
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  • Hogan dedication

    University Pays Tribute to Former Chancellor Hogan

    The university paid tribute to former chancellor, William T. Hogan, with the unveiling of space on campus that will serve as a testament to his visionary leadership for future generations of River Hawks.
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  • Alec Itzaina holds a panini sandwich

    Pandemic Pivot: Business Students Open Pop-Up Panini Stand

    Delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, Manning School of Business students in the Internship for Entrepreneurship course opened “After Hours,” a student-run, pop-up panini stand that raises donations for the UML Navigators Food Pantry.
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  • Engineering students look at a refrigerator while doing an energy audit

    Urban Sustainability Projects Get $50K Boost

    The Lowell Green Community Partnership, an alliance between UMass Lowell and the city, awarded its first $50,000 in grants to five joint university-community projects that advance urban sustainability initiatives.
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  • Senior Billy Crowley standing in front of the Advancement office

    Student Employee of the Year Sees Career Advancement

    Senior business administration major Billy Crowley, who has a work-study job as an assistant gift processor for the university’s Advancement office, was named UML’s Student Employee of the Year.
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  • TrueFIT team member Siddhant Iyer Explains the project to a panel of eight alumni judges during the ninth annual DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge

    Airtight Argument Wins Top Prize in DifferenceMaker Showdown

    Pitching to alumni judges “Shark Tank” style, 10 teams from across the university competed in the finale of a yearlong contest to conceive and bring to market solutions to social issues or everyday problems.
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  • Assoc. Vice Chancellor Julie Chen and her wife, Susu Wong, get vaccinated by Nursing Prof. Lisa Abdallah, who volunteers at Lowell General Hospital's vaccination clinic

    Should You Get Vaccinated?

    Starting April 19, anyone 16 years and older living in Massachusetts can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Campus health experts and researchers recommend vaccination for everyone who can safely get the shot -- so that we can protect ourselves and others in our campus community.
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  • This year's Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, Fania Davis shared her perspective on racism in America, the inequities of the justice system and paths toward healing in the university’s annual “Day Without Violence” address, delivered via Zoom from Oakland, California.

    Greeley Scholar Fania Davis: From Dynamite Hill to Restorative Justice

    As UMass Lowell’s 2021 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, Fania Davis, spoke via Zoom of American history through the lenses of race, justice inequities and how we begin healing. Davis is the one of the foremost voices on restorative justice.
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  • Selfies of Brian Madigan and Christina Michel, who both work at Moderna

    ‘It’s Kind of Like You’re Saving the World’

    Several recent UML alumni are doing their part to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end through their vaccine production work at pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer.
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  • UML Public Health Prof. Wenjun Li researches healthy ageing resources by neighborhood

    Public Health Professor Studies Aging, Health Inequities

    Public Health Prof. Wenjun Li researches people’s access to resources that support healthy aging, with a focus on how social and environmental factors such as income, race and residential neighborhoods contribute to inequities in health and well-being. He’s also collaborating on research projects involving veterans.
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  • Asst. Prof. Marianna Maiaru

    Engineering Profs’ Robotics and Composite Materials Research Win $1M in Funding

    Two researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering – Asst. Profs. Yan Gu and Marianna Maiaru – were recognized by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force, respectively, with faculty early career development grants totaling $1,015,000. The funding will help advance research on robot walking and the process modeling of composite materials.
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  • Mai Gaglione and Ava Gilligan of Tewksbury Memorial High School pitch their “Insulwatch” beneath the watchful eyes of judges, mentors and competitive peers.

    DifferenceMaker Program Draws in High School Students

    The reach of the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute extends well beyond the boundaries of the UML campus, and groups of area high school students recently met virtually to compete using ideas rooted largely in the ongoing pandemic.
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  • Kaley Richards holds her indoor track All-American award

    Richards Hits Historic Stride for River Hawks

    Distance runner Kaley Richards, a graduate student from Lowell, is helping put UML’s cross country and track and field programs on the map after recently earning two NCAA Division I All-American honors in a three-day span.
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  • A infrared image of the Southwick Hall roof taken by the drone

    Infrared Drone Takes Campus Energy Audits to Another Level

    Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering used a drone equipped with an infrared camera to help Facilities Management identify energy inefficiencies in campus buildings and heating systems.
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  • Education Assoc. Prof. Phitsamay Uy has started a mentoring program for Asian American and Pacific Islander teachers and education students

    Education Professor Creates Mentoring Network for Asian American Teachers

    Assoc. Prof. Phitsamay Uy was the first refugee from Laos to become a tenured professor of education in the United States. She started a mentoring network under an NEA grant to make sure other Asian American and Pacific Islander educators don’t feel as alone as she once did.
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  • Accounting adjunct professor Clint Carney

    Pandemic Makes Tax Season Even More Taxing

    Clint Carney ’08, an adjunct accounting professor in the Manning School of Business, says the COVID-19 pandemic has made tax season even more confusing than usual this year.
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  • More than 100 UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff are volunteering at Lowell General Hospital's Mass Vaccination Program for COVID-19

    Health Sciences Students Volunteer at Lowell Vaccine Clinic

    More than 100 students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences have volunteered to help out at Lowell General Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic, which gives about 2,000 shots each day. In addition, some nursing students are earning clinical hours while giving vaccinations.
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  • UML nursing student Darany Long with her grandfather, Saran Yous

    Nursing Student Takes Cap and Gown Photos with Dying Grandfather

    Nursing student Darany Long was the first in her family to graduate high school – and will be the first to graduate from college, too. But her beloved grandfather, who was terminally ill, wouldn’t live to see that day. So nursing faculty loaned her a cap, gown and hood, and she celebrated early with him.
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  • UML basketball players celebrate their first America East playoff win

    River Hawks Give Fans Something to Cheer About

    Strong postseason performances by the UMass Lowell men’s basketball and hockey teams, as well as distance runner Kaley Richards, have given River Hawk fans reason to cheer.
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  • Sciences Dean Noureddine Melikechi

    Sciences Dean Will Help NASA Rover Explore Mars

    Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the Kennedy College of Sciences and a professor in the Department of Physics and Applied Physics, is part of the science team for SuperCam, one of the main instruments onboard Perseverance that will be conducting experiments on the surface of Mars.
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  • Andrew Marshall, a senior studying Music Business, is getting some real-life experience on "The Voice."

    Music Business Major Competes on ‘The Voice’

    Music Business major Andrew Marshall graduates in a few weeks, and he's already been through more than most. Now, under the banner of Team Joe Jonas, he's fighting off competitors on TV's smash show, "The Voice."
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  • UML Education Prof. James Nehring with Merrily, a boat he built himself

    Education Professor Rows ‘Merrily’ for Scholarships

    A decade ago, Education Prof. James Nehring cycled across the U.S. to raise money for a scholarship to benefit first-generation education students at UMass Lowell. Now, he’s rowing down the East Coast in a boat that he built himself, in order to double the scholarship.
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  • Lab director Matthew Gage talks to student workers

    UML Takes COVID-19 Testing into its Own Hands

    The university has expanded its COVID-19 surveillance testing with the creation of an in-house test processing lab at Olney Science Center, where students are getting hands-on laboratory experience while helping to fight the pandemic.
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  • Montage of women's faces

    Herstory in the Making

    Women's History Month is a time for us to celebrate the amazing students, faculty and alumni who have made UMass Lowell what it is today.
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  • Lowell National Historical Park interpretation ranger Allison Horrocks enacts a mill girl on a virtual field trip

    Educators Create Live, Virtual Field Trips at Tsongas Industrial History Center

    When school field trips to the Tsongas Industrial History Center – a partnership between Lowell National Historical Park and UML’s College of Education – were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, center staff seized the opportunity to create live, interactive virtual field trips for K-12 students.
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  • Philanthropist Luis Pedroso with UMass Lowell Education Prof. Eleanor Abrams

    Education Students Get Paid Experience in Lowell Schools

    The Pedroso Tutors program is providing valuable, paid classroom experience to UML education students as they help elementary school students in Lowell. The program is funded by Luis Pedroso, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is a graduate of the Lowell Public Schools.
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  • The UML men's soccer team plays a game on North Campus

    America East Schools Team Up to Champion Sustainability

    With the collaboration between UMass Lowell’s Office of Sustainability and its Athletic Department serving as a model, the America East Conference has created a sustainability network that gives its 10 member institutions an opportunity to share best practices and advance green initiatives.
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  • MGHPCC

    Math Professors Conduct Research on Interaction Models and Change Points

    Two faculty members from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Asst. Profs. Min Hyung Cho and Nilabja Guha, have won grants totaling nearly $340,000 from the National Science Foundation for research that could advance a range of other disciplines, from high-resolution imaging to economics and finance.
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  • UMass Lowell Public Health Prof. Emerita Margaret Quinn

    Public Health Researcher Makes Home Care Safer for Patients and Aides

    The need for home health care services has never been greater, or more challenging, than during COVID-19. Under a major federal grant, Public Health Prof. Emerita Margaret Quinn, lead researcher for the Safe Home Care Project, is using her expertise to address the hazards that home care aides face.
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  • UMass Lowell Ph.D. students Pamela Fallon in nursing and Sharifa Djurabaeva in education

    Ph.D. Students Find Each Other on the Run

    Two Ph.D. students – one an educator from Uzbekistan, the other a nurse practitioner — met through a women’s running group in North Andover. Their friendship grew as they shared early morning runs, dissertation tips and their personal histories amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  • Greg Harris (center), president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, discusses the relationship between music and entrepreneurship during a recent Zoom call that included UMass Lowell's Thomas O'Donnell (top left), Savanah Marshall (bottom left) and Alan Williams (bottom center).

    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President: Music, Entrepreneurship A Natural Combo

    Rock musicians and business tycoons aren't as different as one might think, said Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Greg Harris during a recent virtual panel with music academics, including UMass Lowell's Savanah Marshall and Alan Williams.
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  • Cars and people in a parking lot in front of a GameStop store

    Taking Stock of the GameStop Saga

    Manning School of Business faculty and finance students discuss the Reddit-inspired GameStop stock market frenzy and how it could change the future of investing.
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  • Assoc. Prof. of Nursing Comfort Enah, UMass Lowell

    Nursing Professor Uses Mobile Apps to Improve Health

    Assoc. Prof. of Nursing Comfort Enah takes a public health, community-based approach to research aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health in underserved communities and low-income countries. She focuses on using mobile apps to improve health outcomes.
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  • UML staff members plant flowers using compost generated from dining halls

    UML Named ‘Innovator of the Year’ for Waste Management

    UMass Lowell was named “Innovator of the Year” at the first-ever Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards for the new and creative ways that the university sustains resources and diverts waste destined for landfills.
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  • A Lowell city bus crossing the Howe Bridge on campus

    Students Step Up to Reduce Carbon Footprint

    A plan to boost ridership on Lowell’s city buses won the second annual Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy Climate Mitigation Challenge, which asks students to find ways to reduce CO2 emissions by 10,000 pounds in 10 weeks.
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  • Juliette Rooney-Varga talking to a class

    Science Professor Works to Depolarize Climate Change Issue

    Environmental Science Prof. Juliette Rooney-Varga, director of UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative, says we must depolarize the politics of climate change — an issue that President Biden has made a top priority in his new administration.
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  • a pile of daily calendar pages

    Six Tips for Those Feeling Stuck in ‘Groundhog Day’

    If the monotony of learning and working remotely ever leaves you feeling like Bill Murray’s character in “Groundhog Day,” Counseling Clinician Marianne Specker has a few tips for staying motivated and healthy.
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  • UML education major Abby O'Keefe is doing her student-teaching remotely

    Student Teachers Meet the Pandemic Challenge

    Senior education majors at UMass Lowell are facing unprecedented challenges as they do their student teaching online, in classrooms, or both. But they say that the children and their mentor teachers make it all worthwhile.
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  • Global health researcher Timothy Ford is the new chair of the Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences.

    Researcher Seeks Solutions to Global Health Crises

    Prof. Timothy Ford, the new chair of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, has extensive experience researching infectious diseases, from E. coli to cholera, in countries around the world. Ford says that global epidemics, including COVID-19, need global as well as local solutions.
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  • Hand holding 2021 crystal ball

    What's Next?

    It’s not a stretch to say COVID-19 has changed everything, from the way we work and learn, to how we access health care or cast ballots. We asked our resident experts at UML to weigh in on what we can expect in a post-pandemic world.