News Highlights

Making the STEM Academic World a Better Place

Picture of Kitty Lovell

When asked why she joined the UMass iCons Program, Kathryne (Kitty) Lovell ‘23 said, “I joined iCons because I wanted to find a group of people who are interested in making the world a better place within their field of STEM.” Through her senior thesis work, Kitty is working towards this goal and helping to make the world of STEM education a more inviting and inclusive atmosphere.

UMass iCons Hosts Spring Info Session for Interested Students

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UMass iCons hosted a virtual Spring Info Session for students interested in UMass Amherst and to help recruit the next amazing cohort of iCons students.

iCons Women in Power

Dylan Masi in on hill with wind turbines

Full story from UMass Amherst: The Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) Program alters expectations about what undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and business are capable of achieving.

UMass Amherst iCons brings the real world into the classroom with two goals in mind: preparing undergraduates for success after graduation and equipping them to change the world for the better. To do this, iCons asks students to tackle problems that have defied solution by even the world's foremost experts.

Fermann Reflects on iCons Legacy

Fermann Leading Discussion During the 13th Cohort Launch

Dr. Justin Fermann is a Chemical Education and Theoretical Computational professor at UMass Amherst and has played a critical role in the creation and continued development of the UMass Integrated Concentration in STEM Program (iCons) as an educational program, serving in multiple roles: instructor, program director, and associate director of academics. This spring semester, Fermann is taking a step back from his major responsibilities as an iCons administrator and will be focusing more on student education. Without Justin Fermann, iCons would not be what it is today and we all thank him.

The Clean Energy Living Lab: Helping Students Go Beyond The Classroom

Image of solar panels and wind turbines

Full story from UMass Carbon Zero news: When undergraduate student Emma Cady first began applying to colleges, she was unsure of what she wanted to do for her academic career. When the UMass iCons Program was introduced to her at UMass Amherst’s Accepted Students Day, a lightbulb went on in her head, powered by a new passion – the ability to tackle real-world environmental problems through practical application. Even so, one question lingered as she pursued her education: how do I, a young college student, actually solve real world problems and make a difference? For Emma and many students like her, the Clean Energy Living Lab provided the answer.

iCons' Advisory Board Chair Discusses New Phase of Her Company

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Dr. Peggy A. Crowley-Nowick '86, chair of the iCons Advisory Board, turns the microphone around on her podcast, Medical Affairs Unscripted, and is interviewed by Dennis Crowley of The Entrepreneur's Story podcast.

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

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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.