Eugenia Roberts was only 17 when she came to UMass Amherst from her home country of Nicaragua. English was her second language and she had some trouble at first fully understanding her fellow students. Understanding biochemistry and molecular biology, however, has not been a problem. Working with Sloan Siegrist, assistant professor of microbiology, Eugenia developed a new,
Genius Meets Grit The pandemic didn’t slow the pace of significant achievements by UMass Amherst undergraduates in research, scholarship, and creative activity.
This year, persistent UMass Amherst undergraduates adapted to COVID-19 restrictions as they engaged in substantial research, exercised their creativity, and elevated campus and the community. They found ways to thrive they worked on campus when permitted and capitalized on remote research, learning, and volunteer opportunities. Read about the remarkable accomplishments of the nine spring 2021 UMass Amherst Rising Researchers here.
Ali Abdel-Maksoud ’21, electrical engineering
“In college, things clicked for me. I took the time to find what I like and I learned not to quit when things got hard. When I found my passion, I knew I had to focus.”