Three UMass Amherst School of Public Policy master’s students, Bareha Abbas Naqvi, Nicholas Vasconcellos, and Jakob Gokey, with support from faculty mentor Marta Vicarelli, won the 2024 Richard Beinecke State Capstone Competition on May 7, 2024. Their workshop project, “Coastal Resilience in the Saugus River Watershed,” placed first amongst competing teams from Brandeis University, Clark University, Northeastern University, Suffolk University, UMass Boston, and Westfield State University. Held at Suffolk University, the Richard Beinecke State Capstone Competition invites students from MPA and MPP programs in the region to present capstone projects on a variety of public policy issues.
In collaboration with the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC), the municipalities of Revere, Everett, Lynn, Malden, and Saugus, and Woods Hole Group, SPP’s graduate student team supported the implementation of a Massachusetts Vulnerability Program (MVP) project. The team engaged with the community through interviews with affected residents and developed tools and materials for local stakeholders and officials in support of the SRWC’s coastal resilience agenda.
Congratulations to SPP’s team and to the participants at other regional universities!