The Institute of Diversity Sciences (IDS) at UMass Amherst recently awarded four $15,000 grants to interdisciplinary teams of faculty and student researchers through its annual seed grant competition. The goal of these grants is to support STEM research that addresses pressing social problems and advances public interest. Researchers supported by these grants come from nine departments across campus.
In the 2026 funding cycle, IDS is supporting projects that expand access in tourism and in the classroom; help communities develop equitable energy infrastructure in the face of climate-related
A new law signed by Gov. Maura Healey aimed at helping people with autism during interactions with police has roots on the UMass Amherst campus.
The so-called “Blue Envelope Bill” sets up a voluntary program where drivers or passengers can provide information helpful to law enforcement during traffic stops or other encounters. The envelope may say the individual processes information or communicates differently during stressful situations, for example, giving the police officer additional insight.
UMass Amherst Chief of Police Tyrone Parham said the new law will help both motorists with autism
As part of the eight-institution cohort, chosen through a nationwide competitive application process, the university will receive a $20,000 implementation grant and participate in a yearlong series of virtual and in-person convenings.
Slavery North, an academic institute housed at UMass Amherst dedicated to the unyielding study of transatlantic slavery and its enduring legacies in the global North, will host “Rebellion, Resistance, and Refuge: Slavery and Border-Crossing During the American Revolution” at Old Chapel.
Journalism professor Kathy Roberts Forde argues that journalists should lean into values such as promoting democracy instead of hiding between claims of neutrality.
Each Wednesday evening, the speaker series will connect the local community with doctoral students from a number of academic disciplines who will discuss the research driving their Ph.D. studies.
Thomas served as a member of the five-campus Board of Trustees from 2012-20 and as chair of the board from 2012-15. He also served as chair of the board’s Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and vice chair of the UMass Building Authority, which oversees the university’s multi-billion capital construction initiative.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst will host Akemi Kochiyama-Ladson, co-founder of the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project, for a presentation and discussion titled “From Harlem to Bandung: Understanding Our Shared Histories and Struggles” on Thursday, March 26, from 5:30–8 p.m. in Room 168C of the Campus Center.
Kochiyama-Ladson is a writer, scholar-activist and proud third generation Harlemite whose work explores cross movement solidarity and reclaiming history through archives and self-education. She is the granddaughter of renowned civil rights and human rights activist Yuri Kochiyama