News Highlights
Universities Love Interdisciplinary STEM Programs, but What About Students?
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
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
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
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.
iCon’s Idea Slam discusses transitioning to clean energy solutions
Excerpt from Massachusetts Daily Collegian story: On Nov. 9, the University of Massachusetts integrated concentrations in STEM program hosted the iCons Idea Slam, with the years topic being “the business of the energy transition.” Students discussed the detrimental impacts that climate change and fossil fuels have on our earth and ways to implement green solutions going forward.
A Passion for Learning and for Community Building
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
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.
Saving Space for Students
Lena Fletcher’s first-day teaching in the iCons Program made her feel right at home.
Satisfied Customer of Higher-Education: A Parent’s Story of the UMass iCons Program
When Joanne Cleary’s son, Liam, decided to attend UMass Amherst in 2016, his parents were thrilled. Joanne and her husband both attended UMass Amherst as undergraduates and they feel great affection for their alma mater. However, they worried that their son may struggle to develop a sense of belonging in the large institution that they remembered.
Teaching by Learning Something New Every Day
Shubha Tewari enjoys a good challenge, especially if that challenge means that she gets to learn something new. So when she was first asked to teach in the iCons Program at UMass Amherst, she was highly intrigued.
Stay Connected