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.

Philosophy Chair Nicholas Evans and Criminology Assoc. Prof. Neil Shortland are researching the future of artificial intelligence in warfare and policy under a pair of Department of Defense Minerva Grants worth $4.2 million, leading teams that include paid student researchers and other UML and outside faculty.

Three faculty members have won U.S. Department of Justice grants to study pressing issues in crime: whether “red flag” laws help to prevent mass shootings, how police internal affairs units investigate citizen complaints, and whether sending mental health clinicians with Boston Police on some calls improves outcomes for troubled individuals.

Melissa Mullen, a 28-year veteran of the UMass Lowell Police Department, was sworn in as deputy chief, becoming the first woman to hold the role at the university.