UMass iCons Program: Integrated Concentration in Science

The UMass Amherst iCons program prepares our best undergraduates to be problem solvers, leaders and innovators in science and technology. iCons faculty recruit top tier students across a diverse range of science and engineering disciplines to identify global problems and find cutting edge solutions. The iCons program positions students for high achievement in graduate school and in their careers.

Why iCons? | The iCons Advantage

News Highlights

iCons Alum, Eres, Published in Nature for Work Designing Synthetic Proteins

"Researchers, led by UC Berkeley engineers, have created a synthetic material that is as effective as naturally occurring proteins in transporting molecules through membranes, a major milestone that could transform such fields as medicine, life sciences, alternative energy and environmental science." Read more

In an article featured on the Dec 26, 2019 journal cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, UMass iCons Executive Director Scott Auerbach and collaborators in the Chemical Engineering departments at UMass and WPI have discovered new building blocks that they call "tricyclic bridges," which help to explain the structures and vibrations of zeolites.

Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) students don’t shy away from big problems. They use the strength of the team and the broad range of skill sets across disciplines to take risks and think boldly.

So, it is fitting that a like-minded, world-famous expert in computational drug design, Dr. Woody Sherman, was the guest-speaker facilitating the program’s Fall 2019 Integrative Science Workshop. Dr. Sherman’s company, Silicon Therapeutics, does cancer research using an integrative approach combining physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and biology -- all starting with high-performance computing of protein-drug interactions to design more effective drugs.