Volume 1, Issue 4

Welcome to the fourth issue of Honorable Mentions, a monthly newsletter that will catch you up on some of the important developments within the Honors College. This newsletter is written by honors fellows Emerson Tully and Matthew Kelley.

Dr. Robert Giles & Energy in the Developing World

Dr. Robert Giles of the UMass Lowell Physics Department has long been an advocate for students in the UMass Lowell community. Although Giles' first "new fascination" as a professor may have been leading the Physics Department in an exciting new direction for its students, his passion for helping students both domestically and overseas—specifically in Haiti—has grown as a result of his teaching interests.

"We support a range of Haitian students at UMass Lowell, and the goal is to create an online preparatory science curriculum that will accomplish two goals," Giles says. It will allow us to supplement the high school curriculum so that students can improve their knowledge of math and science. We can also screen the students. Therefore, if we observe that certain students truly shine, we can make it easier for them to enroll in any college in the United States, and for those who perform well in the course, but they may not wish to travel to the United States because they will be more qualified science instructors in their home country's high schools.”

Dr. Giles started his trips to Haiti in 2003, where he first learned that the average family would live off of about $300 a year. Dr. Giles has put over two dozen students through schools himself, financing their education on his own dime. He emphasized the importance of helping students receive an education, because of the lack of funding that public education gets from the government.

“The real issue lives in the amount of poverty that manifests within Haiti, because of how little employment there is. People don’t have stable income, putting them at great risk for food insecurity, unsafe water, drought ridden shallow wells, and very very little medicine. And the government can’t fund those social safety nets because there is no income to tax. It is an ongoing and vicious cycle of poverty. So it’s no surprise that the average age of people in Haiti today is 23.8 years of age.”

Dr. Giles still teaches in Haiti and keeps in contact with the students he financed through private schools in Haiti. He had a facility that he would operate out of when visiting the island nation, which he has visited at least 50 times. But since the increase of social unrest in the country, he has not returned since June of 2019.

However, he is still involved with teaching on the island, and he continues to advocate for the rights of Haitians and poverty ridden countries globally.

For the past 10 years, Dr. Giles began teaching an Honors course on global energy. He cites that the largest part of the reason as to why Haiti is facing such fervent civil upheaval is due to the lack of access to the global energy market. He also noted that the energy consumption rates and the Human Development Index by the United Nations was positively correlated with the International Banking System which tracks the financial stability of nations. He argued that in order to lift nations out of poverty, economic powerhouses such as countries in North America, the EU, and Southeast Asia need to reduce the amount of energy we consume, renewable or fossil fuel, to drive the costs of energy down, allowing countries with less money to enter the market and enhance the lives of their people.

“Haiti has no electricity,” Dr. Giles said. “I would have to remind my students of this when I would take them. They have no air conditioning. They have very little regarding energy, and it was world breaking to see. The people of Haiti deserve better.”

So when Dr. Giles had the opportunity to expand his previous noble work to Africa, he seized the opportunity. This past winter, in their first trip to Winneba, Ghana, he embarked on a journey bringing students to water processing facilities, municipal government buildings to meet with officials, and hospitals—all to learn how we at UMass Lowell can impact their lives positively by being active at home.

In the future, Dr. Giles expressed he wanted to broaden the scope of what was learned on this trip, specifically in assisting them in securing grant funding for HIV and AIDS research, medical physics developments, and medical imaging technology. He also mentioned the possibility of collaborating with the University of Winneba’s STEM education initiatives.

To all students interested in travelling at all, particularly to Ghana, Dr. Giles stated that he thinks it to be a “unique opportunity to change your mindset, by ‘sitting where they sit and standing where they stand’.”

Student Profile: Amee Patel

Amee Patel, a Nursing major with a Minor in Public Health, loves keeping herself busy.  However, handling as much as she does can get stressful at times. “I learned that prioritizing your health and time is crucial because this allows me to dedicate my time to my education and my other school-related responsibilities. I have also learned that I can help people in many ways, such as through tutoring or performing research. Having the support of my family, friends, and professors is greatly helpful, as their support motivates me to strive for more.”  

Amee has made the Chancellor’s List every semester she has been at UMass Lowell and is President and co-founder of Achieving in Movement (AIM), which is focused on mental health through activities that include arts and crafts and helping the local Lowell community by volunteering.  She served as an Undergraduate Student Representative for the 2025 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, is a member of the Student Nursing Association and Pre-Health Club. Amee also recently presented her Honors Thesis “Improving Mental Health and Optimism using a Virtual Reality-Based Intervention Among Undergraduate Students at UMass Lowell,” with the help of Professors Yun-Ju Lai, Yuan Zhang, and Ramraj Gautam.  

She credits her achievements at UMass Lowell and her work ethic to her parents, who immigrated to the United States in the 1980’s. She says that knowing how hard they worked to get to where they are is what keeps her pushing to succeed.  

She believes that the experiences that she has had in the Honors College and at UMass Lowell have prepared her for life after graduation. She highlights that they have taught her how to communicate with others, as well as to advocate for herself and others, which is an extremely important skill for a future healthcare professional.  

Honors Networking Events

In the coming days and weeks, the Honors College will be hosting networking events by college. These networking mixers will allow students to meet faculty within their colleges, learn about research opportunities, and potentially turn these interactions into a future honors fellowship and/or project! No resume or preparation is needed prior to the event, and there is no dress code. This is supposed to be a stress-free event to make connections and get directed into a potential contact for you. Below is the flyer to RSVP for the event that corresponds to your respective major. The Honors College encourages you to take advantage of this great opportunity. 

Meet our newest Honors Specialist: Kali Couronis

Honors Specialists are here to guide you through your honors undergraduate experience at UMass Lowell, while connecting you with meaningful opportunities on campus and within honors. The Honors College is happy to welcome Kali Couronis as our newest Honors Specialist! She advises Computer Science students. Originally from the University of New Hampshire, she is excited to now be a part of the Riverhawk community and to encourage students to make the most out of their time in the Honors College.  

Student profile: Carolina Cabral

Carolina Cabral was born and raised in Portugal and came to Lowell at the age of fourteen. Part of what she loves about UMass Lowell is how she has consistently been given the opportunity to celebrate her background, as well as incorporate it into her academic endeavors. “I truly believe that has only been possible due to the immense diversity that exists not only at UMass Lowell, but also Lowell in general.”  

She went on to explain how the Honors College has been a crucial part of her time at UMass Lowell, not only providing her with many academic related opportunities but also personal support and guidance to get the most out of her college experience, which includes consistently making the Dean’s List, being a member of an Emerging Scholars Program, a member of the Criminal Justice Student Advisory Council, studying abroad in Madrid with the Honors College, and working in the Honors College as an Honors Informational Peer.  

“I am incredibly grateful for everything and everyone at UMass Lowell who has helped me get where I currently am,” Cabral said. “And I although I am not 100% sure what the future holds for me, I know that I will always have the support from this community to help me figure it out.”  

The Uniqueness of a Dedicated Honors Course, as described by some of the instructors who teach them

Dedicated honors courses have been designed to enrich a student’s degree pathway, often using a seminar format to strengthen both critical thinking and communication skills. These honors sections do not necessarily mean more work for the student but more responsibility. So why would a student choose to take a dedicated honors course? Who better to hear from than the professors who teach these sections!  

“I think of honors classes as seminars where the subject matter is critically analyzed and explored more deeply in an interactive, collaborative way,” expressed Dr. Cathy Levey of the School of Criminology and Justice Studies. She considers these courses as journeys where the teacher serves as the students’ guide, and together they discover and re-discover new approaches to and aspects of the subject. “These courses are conducted as seminars and are discussion based,” emphasized Professor Levey, which the small class sizes help facilitate, as she is she can offer students more interaction and individual attention. 

As for Dr. Lauren Fogle, of the History Department, she finds that the honors seminars allow her to drill down into a historical era in exciting and unconventional ways. “My HONR seminars tend to focus on a more niche historical topic that might usually be a smaller part of a larger course.” Not only does Professor Fogle teach an Honors Seminar about WWII, but also one about Nazi art looting and censorship and another about Medieval art, along with a new seminar for Fall of 2025 on Vikings and Early Modern England. 

Dr. Naomi Wenick-Pfaffmann of Biological Sciences takes a similar approach to Drs. Fogle and Levey. “I try to allow students to dive more deeply into the content…students are assigned a semester long project of writing a final paper on a topic related to course content.” Professor Wenick-Pfaffmann tries to keep the lecturing short so that more time is spent on reviewing content through a discussion-based teaching style. 

Dr. James Graham Eagle, a Mathematics & Statistics professor, teaches Honors Differential Equations. Since this is an honors section of what is primarily a service course for Science and Engineering students, it is crucial that all the material for MATH.2340 be included. Says Dr. Graham Eagle, “I cover this required material faster, and, when I think a topic is particularly interesting, at greater depth, but otherwise this portion of the course is standard.” However, Dr. Graham Eagle stresses that he feels free to go off on tangents when the opportunity allows him to do so. Although this course does appear to have more guidelines, there is still ample time to engage in topics that are not covered in the regular course, and that is the beauty of these honors seminars. “The standard course is very cookbook, and I try to steer the students away from the formula-driven approach to a deeper understanding of the subject,” says Dr. Graham Eagle. “I try to give the why rather than the how or what.” 

Psychology Professor Dr. Stephanie Block also believes the smaller class allows for more meaningful engagement with the subject. “Honors sections typically have smaller class sizes which allows for more class discussions/activities,” expressed Dr. Block. “I have also found that my Honors sections in Psychology often include students from diverse majors and educational backgrounds which contribute to the richness of our discussion as folks approach the problems from different perspectives.” 

Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to take advantage of these courses! For the latest course information, you can search the catalog for Honors courses. https://www.uml.edu/catalog/advanced-search.aspx 

Honors Summer Study Abroad Programs

Applications have opened for the Honors College’s three summer study abroad programs, and spots are going quickly! Should you wish to satisfy graduation and honors requirements this summer having transformative experiences in Paris, Belfast, or San Sebastian, we encourage you to apply here sooner rather than later:

https://www.uml.edu/honors/study-abroad/

Get to Know Your Honors Informational Peers (HIPs)

Name: Christianna Bittarelli

Hometown: Wilmington, MA

Major: Biology

Minor: UTEACH

Year: Junior

Hobbies: Cooking, hanging with my friends and families, traveling.

Favorite thing about UML is living with my roommates and meeting new people.

Clubs and Organizations: Pre-Med

Favorite things about honors: Being a HIP and working with awesome people.

Future Goals: Grad School

Fun Fact: “I am Greek + Italian”

Name: Sarah Kapadia

Hometown: India/Somerville, MA

Major: Biology (bioinformatics concentration)

Minor: UTEACH

Year: Freshmen

Hobbies: Traveling, exploring cafes and reading novels.

Favorite thing about UML: The Library, The Community

Clubs: Muslim Students Association, Biology research club, South Asian students association, Students for Justice in Palestine, RHSA, Honors College.

Favorite things about honors: Small interactive classrooms, the sense of belonging and the community.

Future Goals: Get into research in Stem Cells.

Fun Fact: I love watermelon with whipped cream.

Name: Megha Saokar

Hometown: Braintree, MA

Major: Biology

Minor: Disability Studies

Year: Junior

Hobbies: Working out, hanging out with my roommates, going out, traveling with my family.

Favorite thing about UML: Meeting new people with similar interests, being a part of the honors college, my roommates.

Clubs and Organizations: Pre-Med club; SWE

Favorite things with honors: Benefits with housing, picking classes, Meeting people who have same interests, LLC

Future Goals: Med School, becoming a doctor.

Fun Fact: I did Gymnastics my whole life

Name: Shirley Rodriguez

Hometown: Revere, MA

Major: Philosophy and political science

Minor: Italian

Year: Sophomore

Hobbies: Reading, singing, taking walks.

Favorite thing about UML: Community, events,

Favorite thing about honors:  The people, Kelley!

Future Goals: Lawyer

Fun Fact: I speak 3 languages.

Name: Sona Chaudhry

Hometown: Andover, MA

Major: Biology

Minor: Spanish

Year: Senior

Hobbies: Tennis, Arts and crafts, going to the beach, baking cookies

Favorite thing about UML: Intramural Flag Football with my roommates and friends.

Clubs and Organizations: Vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society.

Favorite thing about honors: Early class selection time

Future Goals: Optometry school to become an eye doctor

Fun Fact: I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii!