A panel of recent political science alumni returned to UMass Lowell to tell students about what they’ve done since graduation and how UML prepared them for everything from policy and polling jobs to working for the president’s advance team.

Sean Simonini, who is double-majoring in biology and political science, wants to help find treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. He won a $7,500 Goldwater Scholarship to support that work.

Paul Marion ’76, ’05 and Rosemary Noon, who have deep ancestral roots in Lowell, recently donated a treasure trove of artifacts to the Center for Lowell History, which is part of the UMass Lowell Library.

This is summary

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.

Seven Honors College students, representing six different majors, traveled to Ghana during winter break for a study abroad seminar on public health and energy.

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.

To improve the fairness and efficiency of elections, a multidisciplinary team at UMass Lowell is developing a mathematical model to optimize poll worker assignment and voting machine allocation to reduce voting wait times, particularly in minority-dominated areas.