Student Research Awards
Award Programs
At UMass Amherst, opportunities abound for students to make meaningful contributions to research, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, across all academic disciplines. Each year, we celebrate some of the university's most dedicated and accomplished student researchers through two award programs: Rising Researchers for undergraduates, and Groundbreaking Graduate Students for master’s or doctoral students.
These award programs shine a light on those students whose outstanding research, scholarship, and creative activity are making a real-world impact. Typically, these students have been recognized with external grants, honors, and awards; have published their work in peer-reviewed journals or books; have presented or performed in prominent venues; or are taking a leadership role in community outreach efforts related to their research.
Nomination, Eligibility, and Recognition Information
Rising Researchers
The Rising Researcher program recognizes undergraduate students who excel in research, challenge their intellect, and exercise exceptional creativity. Students from a wide variety of majors have received the Rising Researcher award.
Faculty members are encouraged to nominate eligible students whom they advise/mentor. Calls for nominations will be issued twice a year at the beginning of the spring and fall semesters. The nomination period for the UMass Amherst Rising Researcher student award program is now closed.
Spring 2025
The Spring 2025 Rising Researchers are proving that research is hardly confined to the inside of a science lab. The work they are pursuing, with passion and perseverance, holds promise to effect change—in the development of new life-saving drugs, on supermarket shelves, on the pages of major newspapers, on the theater stage, and at schools around the world. In the service of helping others, these undergraduates are learning about themselves, their passions, and their resilience as they tackle complex problems and find novel solutions. Learn more about their impressive accomplishments and the limitless opportunities to make a difference through research at UMass Amherst.
Shuli Rosenfeld’s [’25] research aims to improve the qualities of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives to make them more appealing to consumers.
Shakira Ebian ’25 studies Crithidia bombi, a common gut parasite that infects bumblebees, affecting their foraging behavior and reproductive success.
Chemical engineering major Yaozu Chen '25 creates microfluidics to determine the structure of proteins, a precursor to designing drugs to target certain proteins.
Lindsay Forauer ‘25 marries linguistics and theater research to inform her work as a dialect coach to actors performing in theater at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels.
Evan Owens ’25 conducts linguistics research to uncover the inner workings of languages and studies biases people may hold against certain languages or ways of speaking.
Mia Klotz '25 is helping students around the world gain access to educational information through her research and outreach work with the World Librarians club.
Carlie LaFauci ’25 studies the media’s depiction of trans individuals and gender-affirming care to identify opportunities to improve accuracy and reduce bias.
Fall 2024
There is no doubt the Fall 2024 Rising Researchers are making a difference in the world—whether seeking solutions to improve diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, engineering a safer drinking water supply, designing a cutting-edge robot guide dog to help people who are visually impaired, or studying the public’s political opinions to work toward a more representative and equitable society for all. All their hard work has paid off: Beyond enriching their own education in countless ways, they have published papers, presented at national conferences, and received prestigious awards for their research. They have experienced immeasurable growth—both intellectually and personally—largely thanks to the dedication of their passionate faculty and graduate student mentors. Today, these Rising Researchers are leaders and role models as they guide other undergraduates in navigating the joys and anguish of conducting research.
Sarah DeAmicis ’25 conducts research on the brain of the sea slug Berghia stephanieae, which has implications for treating neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s.
Shiven Patel '26 is developing a robot guide dog to allow visually impaired individuals to navigate the world independently.
Bel Corder '25 is analyzing public polling data in order to understand contemporary racial attitudes among different racial groups.
Alexandra Katsoulakis ’26 conducts research to create flexible “nerve cuff electrodes” to help spinal nerves heal, offering promise for patients with spinal cord injuries.
Raul Vera III '24 studies how organic matter enters the water supply and seeks solutions to mitigate the presence of potential carcinogens in drinking water.
Thomas Truong '25 studies cross-linguistics semantics, investigating other languages to discover how they contribute to our knowledge of linguistic theory.
Lily Bigelow ’25 is developing process maps to understand how primary care clinicians diagnose diabetes in adults and gain insights to improve health care access and equity.
Groundbreaking Graduate Students
The Groundbreaking Graduate Student award celebrates the exceptional work of master’s or doctoral students at UMass Amherst. This is a new award launching in fall 2025. Please stay tuned for a call for nominations.
Contact
Questions? Contact Lauren Rubenstein.