Office moves were being scheduled and final touches were being put on the university’s new Graduate and Professional Studies Center in March when the coronavirus pandemic abruptly shut down the…
Type: News
Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, associate professor of English and director of UMass Boston’s MFA in Creative Writing Program, has made the long list for the 2020 National Book Award in Poetry with their…, What was your initial reaction to finding out you made the long list? , I had a little weep. I was in disbelief. I was walking into my building when a dear friend called me, and I assumed it was for something work related (as we often collaborate). They were so excited…, What led you to begin using code and computational processes in poetry? , This is a very long question but if you look all the way back to my first book, But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise , I’m already working with combinations and permutations. My second book, a…, What inspired this book of poems in particular? , It didn’t come together as a book itself until the last minute, but the poems were inspired by real events: the precarity of being Black in America is something that is reiterated over and over again…, While the collection was published in December, it feels prescient of this moment. With the Black Lives Matter protests, the white supremist backlash, and the country being forced to reflect on an…, It’s interesting because it’s prescient of this moment and moments 4-5 years ago and longer, and will probably be prescient into the future. Racism is the ultimate case study for an ongoing…, What has been your experience working with creative writing students at UMass Boston? , I love our students! They are curious and passionate about being writers, and they are intimately engaged with their communities and the world…
Type: News
In opening the virtual forum, Standing in Our Power: Women of Color Leading Change, Congresswoman , Ayanna Pressley, delivered a strong challenge to participants: “Stand unapologetically in your power and use it to demand the change we need and deserve.” “Your voice and your passion are so critically needed as we…, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, , director of CWPPP and the Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy graduate certificate program , and MAWOCC President, Visionary and Founding Member , Celia Johnston Blue, said the purpose of these events is to educate, inspire, and activate women of color around policy issues that are of particular relevance to them by providing them with tools and strategies for…, Tanisha Sullivan, addressed the “fundamental right to vote,” expressing strong support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020, which she said would restore and extend the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She said…, Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, stressed the importance of both hard data and relationships to getting out the vote. “We are building democracy hubs, regionally, around the Commonwealth,” she said. “Gentrification is real—our…, Beth Huang, , executive director of the Massachusetts Voter Table explained that voters of color in the state are “leaving power on the table.” Her data showed that voters of color could make up one in every…, Anna Del Castillo, , a fellow of the IGNITE organization, which is building a pipeline of next generation women leaders, suggested ways for young women to become involved in the election, such as becoming IGNITE the…, Loren M. Spears, , a leader of the Wampanoag Tribe in Narragansett, Rhode Island said that they have been in solidarity with all people of color. She noted that historically Native American women were “very empowered…, Andrea Campbell, and , Julia Mejia, addressed the impact of civic engagement. “We now have the most diverse Boston City Council in history with a majority of both women and people of color,” Campbell noted. Campbell said she…, Barbara Berenson, , a historian focusing on the Suffragette movement, highlighted Black women leaders who contributed to Black women winning the vote. She noted that the suffragette movement concentrated on getting…, Lisa Wong, said that she is now more strategic than she was when she was younger and “rushed to do everything.”, Charlotte Golar Richie, , a former state legislator and former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, said Black Lives Matters is an affirming movement that addresses disparities that had…, Sumbul Siddiqui, spoke about protecting tenant rights and how they had passed legislation that requires landlords to inform tenants of their rights when renting to prevent the flight of low- and medium-income …, Liz Miranda, emphasized that all citizens have the right to advocate for the issues they want to advance, but says that there is a lack of access to information about how government really works: “If we can take…, UMass Boston’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality department, actively participated in the forum, which was supported by a Barbara Lee Family Foundation Suffrage Centennial Project Grant. The second part of the forum was held Saturday, September 26, featuring …
Type: News
Astronomers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are marking an especially meaningful event this month, as a team led by Professor Peter Schloerb recently received a three-year, $5 million…
Type: News
The UMass Boston campus was closed, but that didn’t stop dozens of students, faculty, and staff from standing together—to grieve, express their anger, and to be heard. In the days following the death…
Type: News
BOSTON – On the eve of https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/ National Voter Registration Day , the five elected UMass student trustees released the following joint statement in support of the…
Type: News
The Remillard Family Community Service Fund has awarded eight grants for projects with the potential to improve the health of Central Massachusetts residents, particularly those who are economically…, Improving flu vaccination accessibility amidst COVID-19 within the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, proposed by Ashvin Antony, SOM’23 : This grant will establish free flu vaccination stations for patients in marginalized communities served by the free clinics who can’t afford or get access to…, Companion wellness program: Addressing social isolation and loneliness for hospitalized patients in the local community , proposed by Adarsha Bajracharya, MD, assistant professor of medicine: The goal of this initiative is to provide virtual and in-person visits by UMass Medical School student volunteers to English and…, Worcester Department of Health and Human Services recovery coach initiative , proposed by Matilde Castiel, MD, associate professor of medicine: A pilot program which employs a recovery coach to connect marginalized individuals suffering from drug addiction to harm-reduction…, Project Autism Network: Culture, Healthy Outcomes and Resilience (ANCHOR), proposed by Roula Choueiri, MD, professor of pediatrics: Identifying and training family navigators from diverse cultures and educating early childhood health care providers to recognize early…, HARMONIOUS: A virtual community-based mental health initiative among Chinese-Americans and Chinese immigrants , proposed by Zilin Cui, SOM’23 : HARMONIOUS is an online community-based bilingual education and support initiative to reduce cultural stigma, encourage open communication and improve access to and…, Drivers education for high risk teens , proposed by Robert Gakwaya, MD’18: Providing free driver’s education leading to licensure for at-risk youth from disadvantaged communities, where underage, unlicensed drivers are more likely to be…, A better birth experience: A pilot program expanding access to trained labor support, proposed by Kristina Gracey, MD, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine & community health: This pilot program will provide training and technology for perinatal community health workers…, Brain Bee Bootcamp outreach program , proposed by Erica Kwiatkowski, PhD candidate in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences: Now in its second year, this tutoring program to introduce high school students to neuroscience and…
Type: News
Kim Winiker, SOM ’21, ran his first Boston Marathon on Sept. 6 for the Marathon Strides Against MS team and raised nearly $20,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society , an organization that…
Type: News
MassBiologics of UMass Medical School has entered into an agreement with PTC Therapeutics to manufacture biological investigational new drugs and commercial pharmaceutical products for use in humans…
Type: News
Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. James Heiss James Heiss of the Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS) is leading a…, An Important Ecosystem, According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, excess nitrogen in groundwater comes mainly from animal manure and chemical fertilizers in agriculture, as well as from stormwater and…
Type: News