Restaurants in Massachusetts have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with a recent survey showing that revenue dropped by at least half for 70 percent of eateries in the first six months of 2020.
With all the COVID-19 disruptions, the summer of 2020 could have been a washout for so many UMass Lowell students. But plenty of River Hawks managed to nail down internships and find opportunities that are aligned with their studies, gaining valuable hands-on experience and expanding their professional networks. Here’s a sampling of some of the positions River Hawks landed this summer.
Taking Stock in the Cloud
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cripple social interaction, upend education, endanger health and disrupt business, the university’s researchers are exploring the ever-widening aspects of the virus’ presence.
In the latest round of seed grant funding, seven faculty-led research projects that explore the social, medical and academic factors tied to COVID-19 were awarded more than $70,000 from the university’s Office of Research and Innovation.
A team of researchers from UMass Lowell and SUNY Albany won a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a computer science curriculum for middle schools in collaboration with school districts in Lowell and Methuen, Mass., and Schenectady, N.Y.
On July 30, NASA successfully launched its heaviest and most sophisticated Mars rover, named “Perseverance,” from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard an Atlas V rocket.
Computer science major Brennan Macaig has spent a lot of time on campus the past few months.
Some days, he roams around University Crossing or Fox Hall and chats with fellow students. Other days, he busies himself by stacking one-cubic-meter blocks at University Suites, the residence hall where he was living when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the campus in March.
“Whenever I miss being on campus, I’ll come on and work on stuff,” says Macaig, a junior from Concord, N.H.
Education Asst. Prof. Johanna Tigert has experienced the challenges of learning and teaching multiple languages firsthand.
She grew up in Finland studying several languages, earned a university degree in Russian literature and education, and then moved to the United States and pursued a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language.
Students, faculty and researchers interested in the rich cultural and historical tapestry of Portuguese-Americans in the Merrimack Valley and beyond will soon have access to a digital archive chronicling generations of immigrants, thanks to a $300,000 grant received by the university’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies.
The grant, from the William M. Wood Foundation, is spread over three years.
The archive will be known as the Greater Boston Portuguese-American Digital Archive (PADA).
A UMass Medical School researcher in emergency medicine recently received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop telehealth and mobile app programs to reduce suicide among patients seen in emergency departments.
Celine Larkin, PhD, assistant professor of emergency medicine, is co-investigator with Bengisu Tulu, PhD, associate professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, on the $727,201 two-year grant.
UMass Medical School will bring the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science to its next level of innovation and collaboration with the five-year, $30 million renewal of its Clinical and Translational Sciences Award from the National Institutes of Health. The center advances clinical and translational research through education and training, pilot funding programs, research cores, and services.