A team of researchers from UMass Lowell, Cornell University and the American Museum of Natural History is examining a family of spiders called Deinopidae to understand how these eight-legged creatures became so adept in detecting and capturing prey.

Sociology Asst. Prof. Teresa Gonzales is studying how people of color use public parks and other urban spaces for leisure – and to assert their cultures. Her “Joyful Cities” project, supported by a Ford Foundation fellowship, is teaching students about ethnographic research.

From new materials for transparent body armor to a sensor on drones for use as a way finder underground, UMass Lowell researchers showcased their innovations created to improve soldier protection and effectiveness in the field.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Physics Asst. Prof. Archana Kamal has won two early career development awards totaling $1 million from the U.S. Air Force and the National Science Foundation for her research on quantum information processing with open quantum systems.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A team of researchers led by Chemistry Asst. Prof. Manos Gkikas is developing an advanced X-ray imaging method that aims to improve the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

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.

Ketan Muni ’87 and his son, Ronak Muni ’19, are part of the Earlens team that developed an innovative hearing device, which was recently recognized by Time magazine as one of the “Best Inventions of 2020.”

Ryan Shields, assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies, is sharing a $1.5 million, four-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study a unique approach to deterring child sexual abuse.

Four current and former exercise science majors won praise at a conference for their research on a heart rate finger sensor – and honors student Andreas Himariotis carried off the top undergraduate prize.

Science teacher Karin Loach ’11, ’20 presented a paper at the 2020 conference for the Eastern Education Research Association, held last February. This fall, she learned that she’d won the 2020 Best Graduate Paper award for her study of elementary educators’ confidence in their science-teaching ability.

Unprecedented. Almost everything about the 2020 presidential election is different than before. UMass Lowell gathered three experts -- including UMass system President and former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan -- to discuss the campaigns and where we might all end up after Nov. 3.

Asst. Prof. Serena Rajabiun and two other Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences professors are leading a $3.9 million federal grant to help HIV treatment centers improve care for Black women, who have higher infection rates and worse health outcomes because of poverty, stigma and structural racism.