Around Campus

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Scientific Pedagogy

Preparing 21st-century scientists requires a 21stcentury approach. Thinking outside the traditional pedagogy box, the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst launched the Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) program in 2010. A unique approach to science education, the program answers the pressing need to produce the next generation of leaders in science and technology with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required to solve the multifaceted problems facing our world.

Today’s society faces urgent challenges, such as developing clean energy, curing diseases, producing drinkable water, and responding to climate change. To make meaningful contributions to the issues of their time, students must possess a deep understanding of relevant scientific concepts and the ability to apply these concepts in real-world contexts. Unfortunately, most fields of science are taught the same way they were a century ago—in separate silos isolated from economic and political realities. Without offering a wider cultural perspective, science instruction cannot inspire today’s students to create solutions our world needs.

While deep technical expertise is critical to solving the world’s biggest problems, standard

Currently housed in the former Astronomy Research Facility, the Makerspace is available to all UMass community members. It is a place for creating, tinkering, collaborating, sharing, and relaxing. It includes a lounge area for casual meetings, a presentation area, a staffed front desk, arts and crafts and sewing stations, electronics testing and soldering stations, molding and casting areas, and 3D printers. Visitors create projects on their own and in groups, for assignments or just for kicks.

science instruction alone does not provide students the breadth of training they need to succeed as future leaders in industry, government, or academia. New skill sets in collaboration, communication, leadership, and interdisciplinary thinking define the needs of the 21st-century technical workforce. Organizations must identify and recruit employees armed with these skills to compete in today’s world. The iCons program is at the cutting edge of integrative education, bringing together undergraduate students to: • Collaborate on complex societal issues in diverse teams; • Understand multifaceted problems from multidisciplinary perspectives; and • Develop and study creative solutions to realworld challenges. Initially focused on STEM, iCons has expanded its partnerships to include students from 40 different majors from the College of Natural Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences, and, as of 2020, the Isenberg School of Management. Building on the disciplinary strength of each student’s major, the 20-credit iCons curriculum consists of one course per year over four years, culminating in world-class research experiences. iCons projects involve student teamwork on case studies, laboratory experiments, and research—all fostering cross-disciplinary communication and integrative problem-solving skills. iCons does not replace a major. Instead, the certificate program enhances a major by providing opportunities to engage with real-world issues as part of interdisciplinary teams—skills that translate directly to careers at the leading edge of science. Students apply knowledge from their disciplines to existing problems of global significance, such as the cholera epidemic in Haiti, endocrine disruptors, or the development of algae biofuels.

Spring 2021 projects focused heavily on the UMass Amherst goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2032, exploring campus heating and cooling proposals including geothermal heat transfer.

In spring of 2021, the University of Massachusetts Amherst announced a $1 million gift from Michael ’76 and Theresa (Murphy) ’77 Hluchyj to serve as seed funding for the establishment of the new Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation. The center will forge new collaborations between nurses and engineers, bringing together the two fields to create clinical solutions that can improve personal well-being and save lives.

The center has also been supported by a $21.5 million gift in honor of Elaine Marieb, who received her master’s degree in nursing in 1985. The center will support participating students, staff, and faculty from both colleges, and provide financial support for activities and resources, such as graduate fellowships, seed funds for R&D pilot projects, and an annual symposium. Funds will be shared between the newly named Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and the College of Engineering, enabling them to recruit the top student researchers from both colleges, as well as others from outside the university.

“We are excited to support UMass in this new initiative,” says Michael Hluchyj. “Innovation is often accelerated at the intersection of different academic disciplines. The worldwide health crises resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic make clear the critical need for innovative solutions in clinical settings, where both nursing and engineering play vital roles.”

The center will not only provide students with an environment to work together, but will also integrate innovation and entrepreneurship into the current nursing and engineering curriculum. With support from faculty leaders, students will engage with industry partners on enhancing and inventing their own products.

“The ability to quickly and effectively tackle everyday challenges in health care requires both nursing and engineering expertise,” explains Karen Giuliano, joint associate professor for the College of Nursing and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences. “The power of a nurse-engineer approach is derived from mutual collaboration, where the nurse identifies the problem, the engineer creates potential solutions, and through bi-directional, real-time continuous collaboration, iterations and tradeoffs occur until the best solutions are found.” Giuliano will serve as an inaugural co-director of the center along with Frank Sup, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.

The university’s Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS) opened doors in 2011 to support the student success and sense of belonging of first-generation students, students of color, multiracial students, and low-income students. The center offers social engagement, guidance in navigating the university, cultural connections, and feedback on students’ plans for success, and it works to promote inclusion. Its program offerings include ongoing success coaching as well as events such as the annual Cultural Connections event, which takes place at the start of the fall semester. Attendees learn about the four cultural centers on campus and connect with the cultural registered student organizations (RSOs) and multicultural Greek organizations. The event features performances and appetizers from around the world, and is a highlight of UMass Welcome.

CMASS also organizes interactive programming throughout the academic year, such as an event called The Return of the Black Wall Street, whose guest speaker, Marcelius Braxton, assistant dean of students at Capital University School of Law, explained the truth of the massacre that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921 and the impact it had on Black and brown businesses.

The American Nurses Association has named Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Associate Professor Karen Giuliano (pictured above) and Associate Professor and PhD Program Director Rachel (Rae) Walker to its newly-formed Innovation Advisory Board. The board comprises 15 nurse leaders with commitment to healthcare innovation that encompasses design, education, nonprofit, business, venture, and philanthropy sectors.

The central focus of Giuliano’s work is to improve patient outcomes through innovation in healthcare delivery practices and products. While at Philips Healthcare, she spent 12 years in various global roles, working with patient monitoring systems and clinical outcomes research. In 2016, Giuliano completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Yale University, where she collaborated across the schools of nursing, engineering, and business while working on improving the safety and usability of IV smart infusion pumps.

Walker is an associate director of the UMass Center for Health and Human Performance—a multidisciplinary translational science center that specializes in developing sensors, wearables, and digital health technology. They earned their PhD in nursing, certificates in health disparities research and nursing education, and completed their postdoctoral fellowship in innovation for aging and translational science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Their clinical background includes oncology nursing and patient navigation, as well as experience in rural emergency response, humanitarian disaster relief, wilderness search and rescue, and as a U.S. Peace Corps-Mali volunteer.

As a key partner in teaching, learning, and research at UMass Amherst and beyond, the libraries foster a diverse, inclusive, and user-centered environment in which to engage with ideas and acquire the skills necessary for independent learning and critical thinking.

The Digital Media Lab’s 3D Innovation Center (DML) has seven digitizers and fifty 3D printers, which can facilitate cross-discipline collaboration, rapid prototyping, educational models, final products, and more. The Virtual Reality system at the DML can be used for personal or academic use.

The UMass Amherst Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) librarian and materials are in the Science & Engineering Library in the Lederle Graduate Research Center. PTRC is a nationwide network of about 80 public, state, and academic libraries designated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public. In Massachusetts, UMass Amherst libraries and the Boston Public Library assist with trademark and patent searches, the application process, and general intellectual property questions.

The Business & Entrepreneurship Services librarian is located in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, along with three databases in the Entrepreneurship Collection, available to users: Entrepreneurship Database (ProQuest) supports teaching, research, and academic competition for undergraduate and MBA programs, as well as other students or individuals looking to launch new business opportunities. CB Insights provides a real-time listing of U.S. venture capital/ private equity deals with the ability to search by keywords for deals, companies, or investors. Foundation Directory Online is a comprehensive search for grants, grant makers, and grant recipients, complete with funding opportunities and financial information.

Engineers are inventive. Their creative ideas and approaches result in solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and improve quality of life. At UMass Amherst, engineers are immersed in design experiences that focus not only on specifications, fabrication, and analysis, but also on customer need and the economic, social, and environmental impact of their solutions. In the College of Engineering, we also partner with industry to tackle real world production issues, and with local community organizations to address urgent projects that have an immediate social impact—experiences that further ready our students for the workforce.

The following are examples of College of Engineering student work, including projects completed by teams of graduating seniors as well as course-based accomplishments.

Manufacturers need packing material that is ecofriendly and more customizable. This challenge was issued to the college’s engineers by Pelican Products. Currently, the company fits a proprietary polyethylene foam into shipping cases through a labor-intensive deductive manufacturing process, using bandsaws and waterjets, that leaves behind hard-to-recycle scraps.

The solution? Establish key foundational performance characteristics of various 3-dimensional connective rod structures. These custom-designed additive manufactured structures, when incorporated within rotationally molded containers, will ensure high-quality protection.

You expect liquid energy from your morning cup o' joe, but what about harmful chemicals? Inexpensive plastics in consumer-grade coffee makers are leached by hot water during brewing. The Pioneer Valley Coffee Machine Company (PVCC) challenged our engineers to create a non-traditional coffee valve for an innovative, hybrid/drip coffee maker that eliminates plastic from the brewing process. The solution? An inexpensive metal “showerhead” coffee valve that functions to industry standards— modular, compact, and with simple assembly. A fluid and thermal analysis, coupled with prototype testing, demonstrated that the students’ design prevents overflow and allows for even dispersion.

Face masks muffle speech and prevent lip-reading. Enter Captcha-Shield—a lightweight system that sits on custom face shields and prints audio-to-text on screens to help those with hearing impairments better understand their face-mask-wearing counterparts. It uses a noise-proof microphone, and a microcontroller displays the converted, easy-toread text on the screen. The team’s prototype appears in a 3D-printed enclosure and features a fully populated and functioning printed circuit board and efficient integrated system.

In fall 2020, the College of Engineering offered a new team-based course focused on community engagement and social justice. Students were partnered with local organizations including La Finca, a farm run by a grassroots urban agriculture organization called Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Mass., where engineers designed a cover that could protect irrigation valves and pipes from freezing winter temperatures. The students also learned about the farm’s mission to improve nutrition and agricultural awareness, and its focus on Caribbean cultural crops. As course evaluations noted, the experience “let engineers know that they have a social impact and responsibility.”

Sundar Krishnamurty (pictured), professor and head of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, was named the second Ronnie & Eugene Isenberg Distinguished Professor in Engineering in July 2020. The designation was created to enhance interdisciplinary teaching and research among the fields of management, engineering, and science. Krishnamurty also directs the Center for e-Design, an NSFsupported Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, and serves as associate director for the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring, which focuses on development of wearable sensor systems for personalized health care.

In 2019,Chemical Engineering Professor Christos Dimitrakopoulos was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Dimitrakopoulos holds more than 89 U.S. patents; he has worked on organic and hybrid semiconductor materials and devices for large area flexible electronics as well as wafer-scale epitaxial graphene growth, characterization, and optoelectronic devices.

An essential skill for any entrepreneur is the ability to respond to market signals. Identifying what customers want and then fulfilling that demand is a prerequisite for business success. In 2012, UMass Amherst responded to market signals when it created the College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). Since its inception, CICS has grown rapidly—its graduates become the data scientists, cybersecurity experts, software engineers, researchers, and other technologists required to make the innovation economy possible. Technologies in which CICS excels, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, are driving innovation across virtually all industry sectors, from Amazon to the latest fintech unicorn.

This fall, the college’s success and potential were recognized with a transformative gift of $18 million from Robert and Donna Manning, along with a $75 million investment from the state, announced by Governor Charlie Baker, to enhance and expand its facilities.

Although the demand for computing talent from innovative businesses creates fantastic career opportunities for computer science and informatics majors, the leaders at CICS know their students are not satisfied with just finding high-paying jobs; they seek meaning in their work. They want to bring about positive change. To support entrepreneurship and innovation in the CICS community, the college has the following initiatives: • Ventures @ CICS Program—Members of the CICS and UMass Amherst community can draw on the expertise of the college’s experienced entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs).

This year, CICS recruited three additional entrepreneurs to increase its lineup to seven

EIRs.

• Software Entrepreneurship (COMPSCI 420)—CICS designed this course for students interested in developing software that moves from early-stage proof-of-concept ideas toward marketable products with societal benefits. During the semester, students develop business plans and minimum viable products (MVPs) for their ideas. The EIRs from the Ventures @ CICS program serve as guest lecturers and reviewers for the final presentations. Many of the MVPs that students develop in this course are either ready or nearly ready to launch as revenue-generating offerings. • Center for Data Science Mentoring Program—In this program, students team up with industry partners to work on solutions to real-world problems in data science. Student teams work under the supervision of PhD candidate teacher assistants, who report to a faculty member who has ultimate responsibility for the various customer projects. • Industry Research Partnerships—When companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Stanley Black and Decker, and others have technical challenges in areas where CICS excels, they regularly turn to our faculty-student teams to address those challenges. There are always numerous research projects ongoing within CICS that provide partners with answers to their most vexing research questions, while students get experience dealing with real-world challenges. • Hackathons—CICS students routinely take leadership roles running campus-wide hackathons, such as HackUMass, which attracts students from throughout the northeast, and HackHer413, which creates an inclusive environment for all women (cis and trans) and nonbinary students of all backgrounds.

In addition to all of its ongoing initiatives, Manning has significant plans for the future. The college is developing an additional entrepreneurship course, which will be called Software Entrepreneurship Launchpad. The new course will allow students to transform the projects they started in COMPSCI 420 into revenue-generating businesses.