Our Mission

IDS incentivizes translational research through seed grants awarded to multidisciplinary student-faculty teams, using STEM theories and tools to address socially relevant problems.

IDS matchmakes collaboration by hosting multidisciplinary research seminars with faculty and student speakers, bringing people together across disciplines and colleges to pursue common goals through STEM research.

IDS affiliates come together from UMass Amherst and the Five Colleges to participate in our programs, contribute to our initiatives, and share a common interest in leveraging STEM research to improve social good.

Our student research programming emphasizes mentorship from faculty and graduate students for undergraduates.  These programs give undergraduate students a taste of the research environment where they can work closely with their mentors to produce tangible findings and advance the goals of important projects.

• Providing mentored research opportunities through paid fellowships for students to gain hands-on experience in multidisciplinary teams studying real world situations.
• Connecting undergraduate students who want research experience with faculty and grad students working on projects that connect STEM to social good.

IDS helps students who face multiple barriers to degree completion, including community college transfers, succeed in college and navigate the transition to early careers by:

• Teaching students to navigate unspoken professional expectations of the workplace which are not explicitly taught in college but are key to career readiness.
• Guiding students to balance academic success with mental health and well-being by equipping them with tools to strengthen resilience, manage stress, and build meaningful social connections.