Features

The American Library Association documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023. When Enlish Professor MaryLynn Saul sees this list of novels, memoirs, fiction and nonfiction, she can’t help but wonder: What’s in this book that people don’t want others to know? That’s one of the questions Saul is asking the students in […]

Like much of Southeast Asia, Nepal is plagued by some of the globe’s worst air pollution, and it is causing serious health problems, from respiratory and cardiovascular damage to reproductive and gastrointestinal malfunctioning. Worcester State physicist and air pollution expert Dr. Nabin Malakar, who was born in Nepal, has been tracking air pollution in Southeast […]

When Patrick Sweeney ’20, M.S. ’21 was an undergraduate at Worcester State, he had an internship at an accounting firm where he was given menial tasks no one else wanted to do. “When I got out of school and started working, I realized, ‘This is nothing like school,’” he says. Today he is the supervisor […]

Worcester State students can now reach for the stars thanks to a recent long-term loan of modern and antique telescopes that promise to offer a stellar opportunity for learning and research. The collection was amassed by the late Charles Blumsack, a lawyer and avid amateur astronomer, and includes 18 telescopes, most of them antiques, as […]

As Chief Operating Officer of United Fray, Brittany Rheault ’07 has made a career of bringing fun into other people’s lives. Through inclusive social sports and virtual and in-person programming, Rheault helps build community, strengthen teams, and foster positivity. We spoke with Brittany about the impact of her time playing on Worcester State’s women’s basketball […]

Education Department graduate students journeyed to Kenya last summer for a transformative experience filled with cultural connections, profound reflections and of course, lions, zebras, and giraffes. Led by Christina Kaniu, professor of education, the group included 10 students, mostly teachers working in Central Massachusetts schools, who immersed themselves in the local community while in Kenya, […]

Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies Assistant Professor Rita Mookerjee’s first full-length collection of poetry, False Offering, published by JackLeg Press in Nov. 2023, addresses topics ranging from religion to pop culture staples to being a person of color growing up in a rural part of Pennsylvania. Mookerjee has studied African literature, post-colonial literature, women’s and gender […]

The messages appeared by the hundreds across Facebook, online and in handwritten notes. Messages of gratitude. Well wishes and good luck. And so many memories of the ways Tara Hancock MS ‘06, during her 18 years in Alumni Relations at Worcester State, has made a difference to students, alumni, and her colleagues. “Wouldn’t have been […]

Worcester native John J. Lynch ’98 has been following the call to write for the big screen since he was kid. His latest short film is gaining attention as it shows in film festivals around the country. Story and photos by Nancy Sheehan John J. Lynch took a gamble on an idea close to his […]

Researchers find consumers are less likely to engage with this fast-spreading technology when they anticipate feeling embarrassed. By Nancy Sheehan You’re searching online for a pain relief remedy. A friendly little chatbot pops up with a smile and announces: “Hi there, I’m Emma. I’ll be happy to help you find the perfect hemorrhoid cream for […]