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The UMass Amherst Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) Program held its 12^th annual Senior Exposition May 14, celebrating 38 graduating scholars whose senior projects showcased technical excellence and real-world impact across STEM, business and policy disciplines. Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick provided welcome remarks at the event, which was also attended by Chancellor Javier Reyes, College of Natural Sciences Dean Mike Fox, and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Dean R. Karl Rethemeyer, underscoring the university’s support for interdisciplinary, team-based education.

This year’s Senior Expo also marked the graduation of iCons’ first student from SBS, Tara Lecamwasam, who earned a degree in Sustainable Community Development. 

“iCons pushed me to think beyond traditional approaches and work closely with students from STEM and business backgrounds,” Lecamwasam says. “I brought a community-centered perspective to our projects, while learning how to integrate data and strategy. These collaborations taught me how effective problem-solving can be when we value different ways of thinking.”

Scott Auerbach, Mahoney Family Sponsored Executive Director of iCons, says that as the program continues to grow, the inclusion of SBS students brings a powerful new dimension to iCons’ interdisciplinary model. Social science perspectives are essential for understanding human behavior, policy impact and ethical considerations, he says, noting that they are critical elements to developing sustainable and equitable solutions.

By integrating SBS students alongside those in STEM and business, Auerbach notes that iCons is fostering a more holistic approach to real-world problem solving – one that values data and design as much as it values empathy, context and communication. This expansion opens exciting new possibilities for innovation, preparing students to address complex global challenges with creativity, collaboration, and insight, he explains.

This year’s senior projects reflected the exceptional capabilities of iCons students through innovative capstone projects such as:

• “Teaching from the Heart: Triggering STEM Identity and Connection among Girls”
• “Towards Cancer Treatments Without Side Effects”
• “Neely 33 – A Shoe for Real-Time Musical Expression”
• “Evaluating the Potential for Multifrequency Movement in Tuned Rolling Cylinder Dampers in Wind Turbines”

Auerbach says these projects illustrated not only technical rigor but also a deep commitment to equity, sustainability and creativity.

The UMass iCons Program is a certificate program on real-world problem solving in biomedicine, renewable energy and food-water-climate. Open to all students at UMass Amherst in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), policy and business, the mission of iCons is to inspire a diverse generation of innovators with the attitudes and skills needed to solve problems facing society.

For more information about iCons, visit icons.cns.umass.edu.