The UMass Amherst Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) Program held its 13^th annual Senior Exposition on May 13, celebrating 53 scholars who completed iCons with projects spanning a wide array of academic disciplines and societal problems. 

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iCons is a certificate program focused on real-world problem-solving in four tracks: biomedicine and biosystems; sustainable energy and materials; food-water-climate; and AI and automation. 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. 

Now in its 16^th year, iCons has graduated over 400 alumni with high-impact roles in education, entrepreneurship, industry, law, medicine, policy and research, where they apply the specialized skills developed in the program as emerging leaders in their fields. The iCons Class of 2026 marked the largest iCons cohort to date, with the graduating students having investigated topics ranging from innovations in healthcare and environmental resilience to policy analysis and entrepreneurship.

In his opening remarks at the expo, Michael Fox, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, emphasized that “iCons students work on projects that can change the world.” He encouraged iCons students to “carry the expertise and skills they’ve gained through iCons into the world to continue driving meaningful change – to make lasting impacts.” 

“The diversity of topics and problems studied by the 13^th cohort of iCons is remarkable,” said Scott Auerbach, Mahoney Family Sponsored Executive Director of the iCons Program. “The quality of this cohort’s innovative work is top-notch across all 53 projects.”

Forty-four students presented their work during the iCons Senior Exposition’s poster session, with topics including a policy analysis of incarcerated pregnant women and the impacts of nanoplastics on the integrity of DNA.

Eight iCons seniors were also invited to give oral presentations, having been nominated by their research advisors because of the importance of their research findings. Five students gave “3-minute thesis” presentations, a short-form genre that emphasizes impact and accessibility.

The final presentation, given by a team of iCons students advised by Lisa Minter, graduate program director in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, told the story of how herbal medicines combat inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis. 

This year marked other firsts in the iCons Program: graduating its first student majoring in public policy and the first marketing student from the Isenberg School of Management. 

“iCons allowed me to utilize my business background in an interdisciplinary way to form complex solutions to time sensitive challenges,” said Isenberg student Grace Wills, who worked on marketing for a carbon capture startup company as part of the program.

Alumni and student awards were also presented at the Senior Expo. Dongyeop Shin, a 2014 graduate of iCons and the chemical engineering department received the 2026 Mahoney Alumni Award, which is given to an alumnus of iCons who has exemplified the program’s values in their career and has stayed in touch with iCons to give back to the program. As a member of the first iCons cohort, Shin has developed skills in linking technical insights with market opportunities to drive new business at Omniseals Solutions, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, Inc. Shin also came to campus to lead the 16th annual iCons Idea Slam last October, working with over 100 iCons students on new ideas in sustainable construction practices that produce much less waste.

Aminata Toure ’27 (Food Science and Managerial Economics) and Bart Scheer ’28 (Environmental Science) were named the 2026 recipients of the Crowley-Nowick Award for iCons Student Leadership and Philanthropy. Nominated by rising iCons juniors and seniors, the award recognizes students who have organized events that build a sense of community and philanthropy among present iCons students. Part of that philanthropy is a scholarship funded by present iCons students for a rising iCons 2 scholar, this year given to biology major Amiya Fowler ’28.