News Highlights

Water Scarcity Wins the Day at the 13th Cohort Launch

UMass iCons 13th Cohort Launch | December 3, 2022

On December 3, 2022, the 13th cohort of the UMass iCons Program was launched. The UMass iCons Program is a certificate in real-world problem solving open to science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and business undergraduates.

A Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Picture of Sean McGrath

Most people in their mid-20s are just getting started in their careers. Some are taking tentative steps towards management roles or continuing on to get postgraduate degrees. But very few are taking the giant leap of starting their own companies and also being responsible for the employment of others.

This is what puts Sean McGrath, an iCons alumnus and the co-founder and chief technical officer of a New York City software startup, in a league of his own.

iCons' Jared Starr and Collaborators Publish Paper on Inequality in Carbon Emissions and Income

Pic of environmental protest sign "We Dont Have Time"

iCons instructor and lecturer in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst, Jared Starr, and colleagues from Norwegian University of Science and Technology and UMass Amherst's Political Economy Research Institute and Department of Environmental Conservation have published a paper in Ecological Economics on inequality in carbon emissions and income.

iCons' Scott Auerbach and Team Use Artificial Intelligence to Rank the Synthesizability of Materials That Show Promise for Carbon Capture

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Excerpt from UMass News story: Recently, the journal Digital Discovery published a study from an international research team including UMass Amherst chemistry professor Scott Auerbach that applied artificial intelligence (AI) to a long-standing problem in materials science – identifying structures within massive computer-generated databases that are good candidates for actual fabrication. Auerbach and coworkers focused their study on hypothetical zeolites, which show promise for capturing carbon dioxide emissions.

Universities Love Interdisciplinary STEM Programs, but What About Students?

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Excerpt from The Ritz Herald story: A recent study, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and appearing in the Journal of Higher Education, reveals how undergraduate students engage with interdisciplinary learning throughout their college careers and beyond—and how universities should respond to support such learning.

iCons Announces Teaching Fellows for Spring 2023

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The UMass iCons Program is excited to announce the selection of Paul Wolff, Shira Epstein, and Nicholas Tooker as the 2022-2023 iCons Teaching Fellows. The award provides funding for faculty to join the iCons teaching team while receiving professional development funds. Selected faculty learn to teach student-driven courses with inclusive values while bringing their own expertise and unique experiences to the iCons Program.

Department of Energy Announces Funding of an Interdisciplinary Team of iCons Faculty

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Excerpt from UMass News story: The Department of Energy announced renewed funding of an interdisciplinary team of researchers at UMass Amherst in chemistry and chemical engineering, studying new ways to fabricate nanoporous zeolite crystals with targeted defect patterns, which hold promise for producing carbon-neutral biofuels and capturing carbon dioxide.

iCons Students Partner with the Museum of Science, Boston, to Tackle Climate Justice

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Excerpt from UMass News story: Students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently released the results of their semester-long projects, conducted in partnership with the Museum of Science (MOS), Boston, which looked at how to decrease Boston’s carbon footprint.

A Passion for Learning and for Community Building

Picture of Ravid Inbar

Like many iCons students, Ravid Inbar ’23 spent his summer gaining valuable experience by participating in a research internship, but unlike most, he had the unique opportunity to conduct his research in Israel.

Passion and Persistence

Picture of Aurelia Reynolds

Families don’t always get the chance to give back to the hospital staff and researchers that save their loved ones’ lives. But Aurelia Reynolds '21 got just this chance when she was offered a research position at the world-famous Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and she’s grateful for it every day.