Student success

Participation in undergraduate research leads to student recognition

Physics Professor Robert Fisher along with student and Goldwater Scholar Mckenzie Ferrari.

As a national research university, UMass Dartmouth encourages undergraduate students to pursue research activities. The College of Engineering and Office of Undergraduate Research work closely to provide students with a high-quality academic experience by pairing students with faculty mentors, promoting publication and presentation opportunities, and providing the necessary funding to support projects. Our partnerships with agencies, professional societies, and private foundations also provide generous funding to help support students like physics major Mckenzie Ferrari ’23.

Mckenzie was recently named a Goldwater Scholar, becoming the first recipient of the prestigious recognition in UMass Dartmouth’s history. The highly competitive scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to support college students who show exceptional promise in becoming the nation’s next generation of natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering research leaders.

“I am tremendously proud that the Goldwater Scholarship program has named Mckenzie a 2022 scholar. Mckenzie richly deserves this recognition on the basis of her ground-breaking astrophysical research accomplishments and her stellar academic record,” said Dr. Robert Fisher, physics professor and graduate program director at UMass Dartmouth’s College of Engineering. “I hope that other UMass Dartmouth students both in the sciences and engineering and in other disciplines will look to Mckenzie’s trailblazing achievements and realize that their personal aspirations and dreams are also within their reach.”

Mckenzie is also one of 60 students selected nationwide to participate in the Council on Undergraduate Research “Posters on the Hill” event. This past April, she presented her project “Synthetic Spectroscopy of Near-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from the Double-Degenerate Channel,” which sheds light on the structure of the universe. She was recently accepted to the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, one of the most prestigious astrophysics REU programs in the nation.

“I am grateful to my advisor Dr. Robert Fisher and the entire physics department for all of their support over the past few years,” said Mckenzie. “Being named a Goldwater Scholar has already connected me with thousands of previous scholars, all of whom are willing to share advice about their careers and provide support to younger students. I hope to take what I learn from them and give back to the UMassD community.” The College of Engineering has established the Women in Engineering (WiE) community to assist students in successfully adapting to campus life. The residential and learning community is open to all first-year engineering students. A WiE peer mentor works alongside a faculty advisor to help provide first-year students with a highquality academic and social experience. The peer mentor provides academic, social, and professional support for its members in the form of monthly social activities, office hours, hosting study sessions, and one-on-one support.

Peer mentor Mckenzie Ferrari guides first-year civil engineering student Momoko Kudara on a hovercraft activity as part of the WiE residential community experience.

Women in Engineering

community supports first-year students

Learn more:

umassd.edu/engineering/women-engineers