51视频

08/31/2022
By Brooke Coupal

If you hear students around campus using the phrase 鈥渃ow bones,鈥� don鈥檛 be alarmed.

Chancellor Julie Chen encouraged more than 2,500 first-year and transfer students to use the unusual phrase to indicate that they are trying new experiences during their time at 51视频.

鈥淲e are creating a shared bond,鈥� Chen told the incoming students during her first Convocation as UML鈥檚 leader. 鈥淪o, when we see each other at University Crossing or the O鈥橪eary Library Starbucks, and I ask you how it鈥檚 going, you can answer with 鈥榗ow bones.鈥� Let me know you are exploring different paths and making good friends along the way.鈥�

The phrase comes from Chen鈥檚 time working as a paid intern at Massachusetts General Hospital鈥檚 Orthopaedics Laboratory following her freshman year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Through this pivotal experience, she realized that she did not want a job in a hospital, but that she enjoyed working with materials, such as cow bones, and running mechanical tests.

鈥淵our time here will be one of discovery 鈥� a time when you will figure out who you want to become and how to get there,鈥� said Chen, who previously served as the vice chancellor for research and economic development at UML.

Chen鈥檚 words resonated with keynote speaker Evana Gizzi 鈥�13, 鈥�14, a double River Hawk in applied and computational mathematics. Gizzi credits 51视频 with providing her with opportunities that led her to a career at NASA鈥檚 Goddard Space Flight Center, where she serves as principal investigator of RAISR 鈥� a project that focuses on using artificial intelligence to speed up the detection and repair of problems in spacecraft.

鈥淣ot only am I extremely proud of where I am today, but I can also honestly say that I love my job,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have a deep sense of purpose in what I do.鈥�

Gizzi said she came to 51视频 without any specific career intentions, but a required computing course she took during her junior year changed her trajectory.聽

On the last day of Computing I, she approached her professor, triple River Hawk Mark Sherman, who at the time was pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science, and asked him about employment opportunities in the department. From there, Sherman connected her with computer science Prof. Fred Martin, who now serves as the associate dean for teaching, learning and undergraduate studies.

鈥淚n a few weeks, I found myself working in a research lab on campus as one of the only females, undergraduates and non-computer science majors,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 pulled Mark aside and asked, 鈥榃hy did you recommend me for this lab?鈥� And he replied, 鈥楤ecause you were one of my best students. You really have a knack for coding.鈥� 鈥� From that moment on, I decided I was a programmer and never really questioned it again.鈥�

Gizzi said that being surrounded by people who wanted her to succeed is what made 51视频 so special.

鈥淭hroughout my entire time at 51视频, I had become so conditioned to exist among those who believed in me that I would go on in my career to exclusively seek out people where there was mutual encouragement of one another,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got to NASA by constantly seeking out and building environments around me that were conducive to my success.鈥�

Gizzi urged the incoming students to lean on the 51视频 community as they work toward their goals.

鈥淎sk for support, ask for that job and seek camaraderie,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all here for you.鈥�

Student Government Association President Neyder Fernandez, a senior double-majoring in political science and peace and conflict studies, reiterated Gizzi鈥檚 advice.

鈥淔our years ago, I was sitting right there where you are, wondering where my path would take me at 51视频,鈥� he said while pointing at the seats in the Tsongas Center. 鈥淥ver that period, I鈥檝e interned at the Jack M. Wilson Center in the Manning School and Dana-Farber, the best cancer hospital in New England, both of which would have not been possible without my support network here at 51视频.鈥�

Student-athlete , a senior biological sciences major from Westport, Massachusetts, told those new to campus to take advantage of the university鈥檚 different opportunities, from the 250-plus student organizations to the research experiences within the departments.

Incoming students also got to hear from three student teams from the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute, which engages students in creative problem-solving, innovation and entrepreneurship. The teams shared how the campuswide program has opened doors for them.

鈥淭he program introduced us to the world of entrepreneurship and connected us to mentors, the Lowell community and the industry community,鈥� said Amie Russell, a senior biomedical engineering major who, alongside seniors Victoria Williams and Ethan Block, created Tendren, an innovative technology that connects patients and triage nurses in emergency rooms.

Students who were interested in learning more about DifferenceMaker and other organizations on campus headed to the Engagement Fair at the Campus Recreation Center following Convocation.

Sofia Sutherland, an incoming student from Winchester, Massachusetts, called Wednesday鈥檚 events an inspiring way to kick off her time at 51视频.

鈥淚 feel like it brought us closer together as a community,鈥� said the psychology major.

Joshua Lai, a first-year business major from Hong Kong, also walked away feeling that same sense of togetherness.

鈥淭he school itself is quite unified,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are a lot of connections and opportunities everywhere.鈥�