As part of his internship with local startup company Tertill, mechanical engineering major Max Prescott tested its solar-powered weeding robot at the Rist Urban Agriculture Farm on East Campus.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A device to assess the body’s core alignment and an app for buying and selling stock opinions took home top prizes at their respective Rist DifferenceMaker Institute engineering and business pitch contests at University Crossing.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SPACE HAUC – UMass Lowell’s first satellite – was successfully released into Earth orbit from the International Space Station on Oct. 12.

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.

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.

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.

The UMass Lowell Police Department recognized eight staff members for their outstanding service at the department’s annual awards program.

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.

UML students, alumni and faculty have documented the pandemic experiences of Lowell and Lawrence residents for an oral history project and some of those stories will be published as a book next year.

UMass Lowell has been awarded nearly $1.5 million by the U.S. Department of Education to support Asian American and Pacific Islander students, who now comprise 13% of the student body. 

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.

A team of researchers from UMass Lowell, Physical Sciences Inc., the University of Connecticut and Merck is developing a manufacturing method that would allow mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines to be transported and stored at room temperature.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Master of Science in Entrepreneurship students Lani Faith Gacula and Wynn Wiggins put their customer discovery and market research skills to work through the new I-Corps Intern Program.

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.

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.

After 18 months of virtual learning during the pandemic, students and faculty were elated to be back in the classroom on the first day of the fall 2021 semester.

Assoc. Prof. Kelsey Mangano, a nutrition researcher, says that the health of the planet and our own health go hand in hand – and that by improving one, we can improve the other.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A team of researchers from UMass Lowell and Northeastern University is creating and testing a low-cost, automated wireless sensor network that could detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the air and in wastewater potentially days before an outbreak occurs.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.   

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Transportation engineering graduate student Jenna Howard ’19 is leading the design of UML’s Pawtucket Greenway project through her work as a transportation infrastructure designer for the civil engineering firm TEC.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

More than 650 UMass Lowell students attended the virtual STEM and Spring Career Fairs hosted by the Career & Co-op Center, where nearly 130 employers recruited for full-time positions and internships.

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.

Asst. Prof. Garrett Michaelsen leads students through the music of the 1920s and 2020s during his “Headphones Series.”

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.

Recent alumni from the Honors College say their honors experiences, from research with faculty to small seminars, have had a lasting impact, preparing them for advanced graduate studies and rewarding jobs.

A new option within the exercise science major prepares students for careers on the business side of fitness. The exercise and fitness management option is particularly appealing to athletes who want to stay involved with sports.

River Hawks are finding ways to make friends, connect with classmates and join extracurricular activities while learning remotely during the pandemic.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jerry St. Peter '89 and his wife Jamie established an endowment that will help undergraduates in the pharmaceutical sciences program.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We are divided. Luckily. we have an expert like Political Science professor Morgan Marietta to help us understand the depths and implications of such a chasm.

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.