In Fall 2025, Paige O’Connor, of Cambridge, completed an electronics course at Middlesex Community College fully funded by Metallica’s Foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), through the Metallica Scholars Initiative. This summer, O’Connor was recognized by AWMH and Wolverine as a standout Metallica Scholar.
“Receiving the Wolverine Recognition means the world to me because it shows that my professors truly believe in my potential,” O’Connor said. “Participating in the Metallica Scholars Program has been an incredible experience – one of the absolute highlights of the program is knowing it sets students up for success. I learned technical soldering skills that I can use daily, and there are so many professional pathways to move toward.”
Since 2019, Wolverine and Metallica Scholars have partnered together to release collections of co-branded boots and apparel, with half of proceeds benefiting the Metallica Scholars Initiative and career and technical education programs across the country. Their recognition of students like O’Connor is the latest initiative in their ongoing partnership.
O’Connor received a voucher for a free pair of boots at Wolverine. She was also gifted a custom-branded Bluetooth speaker, a poster featuring Wolverine and Metallica Scholars art by frequent Metallica collaborator WolfSkullJack, and Wolverine and Metallica Scholars socks, bandana and stickers.
O’Connor was nominated for the recognition by her professors in the Metallica Scholars Initiative and MCC’s computer aided design (CAD) program. Middlesex Assistant Professor of Engineering Angel Escalona believes she is “a great example of what a Metallica Scholar should be.”
“She is a hardworking student who is always willing to learn new things and improve her skills,” Escalona said. “Paige stays focused on her goals and puts in the effort to succeed. She is also kind and respectful, and she is always willing to help other students when they need support. Paige is a very positive person who is always full of energy, and she brings a great attitude to everything she does. Her strong work ethic, motivation, and willingness to learn and help others make her very deserving of this award.”
Graduating from Simpson College in marketing communications and journalism in 2022, O’Connor wanted to continue her education in the hopes of turning her passion into a career. After purchasing a 3D printer, she decided to pursue an associate degree in CAD at MCC to put her on track to one day become an engineer.
After taking two online courses in 3D modeling and drafting, O’Connor started taking on-campus classes. She loved the experience of practicing hands-on in the lab and connecting with Middlesex professors, including Escalona, Cristopher Algarra and Nicoleta Fattorini. This work led to her involvement in the Metallica Scholars Initiative and being recognized with the Wolverine recognition.
Middlesex was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive $100,000 in 2022 from AWMH. With the initial and other rounds of funding, MCC’s Corporate Education and Training division offers an electronics course to teach participants the knowledge and skills they need to be hired into entry-level positions in the advanced manufacturing field.
The program provides students with the skills to work in CAD Technician and Engineering Technician jobs. In addition to gaining hands-on experience in the field, O’Connor receives career advising, professional development, and access to MCC’s student support services such as free tutoring.
After completing the Metallica Scholars program, she was able to begin working in the industry. She credits MCC for “opening the doors” for her to become a PCB Designer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory while she completes her degree program.
“The support I’ve received at MCC has already made a massive impact on my career goals,” O’Connor said. “Enrolling here has truly changed my life for the better, and I am incredibly grateful for the endless support and opportunities I’ve been given.”

Turtles equipped with satellite and acoustic tags for post-release monitoring
BOSTON, MASS. (June 24, 2026) – After months undergoing rehabilitative care for life-threatening injuries at the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, 12 sea turtles were released Tuesday evening back into the waters off Cape Cod, Mass. The five Kemp’s ridleys, four loggerheads, and three green sea turtles were the first group of rehabilitated sea turtles released by the Aquarium this summer.
For the past seven months, staff at the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Mass., treated the hypothermic turtles for a variety of life-threatening medical conditions, including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma. Staff veterinarians cleared the sea turtles to return to Nantucket Sound from West Dennis Beach, where the water temperature recently crossed the 65-degree threshold for the turtles to reacclimate in the ocean.
Loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are threatened or endangered species, facing threats including climate change, ocean pollution, and degradation of their habitats. Rescue and rehabilitation efforts help to conserve these species.
“As we complete the first sea turtle release of the season, I’m reminded what this rescue and rehabilitation work makes possible,” said Adam Kennedy, Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium. “We dedicate months to the turtles' recovery, and seeing them return to their ocean home off Cape Cod is the goal. This work is critical to the long-term survival of these species.”
Scientists from the Aquarium’s research arm, the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, worked with the Rescue team to tag the turtles for post-release monitoring. The tags collect information about the turtles’ behavior, habitat use, and survivorship, which helps inform sea turtle conservation and protection efforts, especially in New England where little is known about these species. This season, the team is using a combination of satellite tags for real-time data and acoustic tags for longer-term tracking; some of the turtles will be added to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Tracker for the public to follow their journey. This sea turtle work is permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through Permit Number ES69328.
Aquarium staff, volunteers, and interns have a tradition of naming the turtles receiving long-term care, with this year’s theme being font-inspired names. Turtles released this past week include Helvetica, Pretty Pretty Princess, Rage Italic, and Verdana. (More details below.)
During the 2025 cold-stunning season, the Aquarium treated nearly 500 live sea turtles that were rescued from the shores of Cape Cod from November to December by staff and volunteers with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Getting these turtles back to full health requires a collaborative effort between biologists, veterinarians and researchers. There are 29 turtles remaining at the Aquarium’s Quincy facility, which will be released off Cape Cod this summer once medically cleared by Aquarium veterinarians.

LOWELL, Mass. – Bestselling author Ann Patchett will join acclaimed writer and UMass Lowell English Professor Andre Dubus III next month for a free program offered to UMass Lowell alumni, students, staff and faculty, as well as members of the community.
The second Andre Dubus III UMass Lowell Alumni Book Club event, to be held online Thursday, July 16 at 4 p.m., will feature Patchett sharing insights into her work and creative process, including a discussion of her latest novel, “Whistler.” The book club series is sponsored by the university’s Office of Alumni Relations.
“Ann Patchett is one our country’s finest writers, and we are thrilled that she has agreed to join our book club for the discussion of her beautifully written and deeply moving new novel, ‘Whistler.’ She’s also a good friend, and I’m very much looking forward to our conversation on July 16,” Dubus said.
The conversation between Patchett and Dubus will be the second installment of the Book Club, which last October featured writer Stephen King talking about his 2023 crime novel, “Holly.” The virtual event is open to the public.
Individuals who would like to attend the Zoom session should visit alumni.uml.edu to register, as space is limited. Attendees may also submit their questions to Patchett as part of the discussion.
“UMass Lowell launched the book club last year with Professor Dubus to share the works of celebrated authors with our alumni network and the public. We’re excited to feature Ann Patchett and we’re grateful to Professor Dubus, an esteemed author himself, for his work in creating this program,” said Scott Conway, executive director of alumni relations.
Patchett’s books have been named both New York Times Notable Books and New York Times bestsellers, and her work has been translated into more than 30 languages. She is the author of 10 novels: “Whistler,” “The Patron Saint of Liars,” “Taft,” “The Magician’s Assistant,” “Bel Canto,” “Run,” “State of Wonder,” “Commonwealth,” “Tom Lake” and “The Dutch House,” for which she was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

She has written five nonfiction books, “Truth & Beauty,” “What now?,” “This is the Story of a Happy Marriage,” “Nashville: Scenes from the New American South,” and “These Precious Days,” along with three children’s books with illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser, “Lambslide,” “Escape Goat,” and “The Verts.” She was also a guest editor of the 2006 edition of the anthology series, “Best American Short Stories.”

The recipient of a National Humanities Medal and the PEN/Faulkner Award, Patchett was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She often contributes to The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine and The New York Times.

A champion of independent booksellers, in 2011, she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dubus’ books include the New York Times’ bestsellers “House of Sand and Fog,” which was adapted into a film by the same name; “The Garden of Last Days;” and his memoir of growing up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, “Townie.” His novel “Such Kindness” appeared on Amazon’s “Best Books of 2023” list, and a collection of personal essays, “Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin,” received praise for its unvarnished honesty. He has been a finalist for the National Book Award, and has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, three Pushcart Prizes, and is a recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature.

In 2023, Middlesex Community College completed a comprehensive Facilities Master Plan and incorporated a Decarbonization Plan to align with the state’s net-zero emissions goal. While supporting the college’s long-term financial sustainability, the plans are guiding many upcoming facilities and capital investment decisions.
As part of the plans, Middlesex is adding electric vehicles (EV) to the campus fleet. The goal is to replace seven gas-powered vehicles with EVs over three years, including adding three vehicles this summer. To support the shift, dedicated charging stations for fleet vehicles have already been installed on both the Bedford and Lowell campuses. The college has also expanded access to sustainable transportation by installing public EV charging stations on the Bedford campus, available this summer for students, faculty, staff, and the public.
The college is in process of installing devices in the Bedford and Lowell campus buildings to participate in the Commonwealth’s Energy Intelligence (CEI) platform. CEI provides real-time energy usage data across state-owned facilities. Participation in the program allows Middlesex to identify inefficiencies, reduce energy consumption, lower operating costs, and improve long-term energy management.
Middlesex participates as an offtaker in a solar farm, generating bill credits that offset energy expenses. To maximize the financial benefit of the credits, PowerOptions completed an analysis to reallocate credits across the College’s electricity accounts.
“MCC is proud to serve as the host agency for two 5MW solar projects reinforcing the college’s commitment to environmental stewardship and community partnership,” said Christina Kelley, MCC’s Director of Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, & Sustainability. “Through the net-metering program, the energy generated by the solar projects will provide valuable utility bill credits, reducing energy costs, for local community organizations such as the City of Lowell.”
In the summer of 2024, Middlesex knocked down the former Bedford House to turn the site into green space with an outdoor amphitheater for instructional use Part of the Campus Carbon Footprint Reduction Projects, the college is also selling the Springs Road Parking Lot near the VA.
Throughout the spring 2026 semester, MCC converted bottled water dispensing units to touchless, bottleless filtered water stations. Supporting MCC’s sustainability goals. This initiative eliminates more than 2,100 five-gallon plastic bottles annually and reduces transportation emissions.
This summer, Middlesex is replacing transformers on the Lowell Campus’s Cowan Center and Federal Building. The goal is to improve system reliability and reduce energy inefficiencies. Looking ahead, the college is planning a solar canopy project on the Bedford Campus. Middlesex is in the early exploration stages of installing the canopy to generate on-site renewable energy and provide covered parking.
“For three years, we have been working hand in glove with our partners at the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to help Governor Maura Healey meet her long-term decarbonization goals for the Commonwealth,” said Patrick Cook, MCC’s Vice-President of Administration. “Using our completed Master Plan and Decarbonization studies as our roadmaps, we have already taken dramatic steps forward. Knowing what we still have on the horizon, Middlesex is uniquely poised to continue brainstorming innovative ways to keep our campuses in Lowell and Bedford on track to establish long-lasting sustainability victories.”

LOWELL, MA – At its Annual Board Meeting on June 9, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) unanimously elected three new members to its Board of Directors: Marie Beam of Littleton, Jeff Bush of Groton, and Mouli Ramani of Andover.

Marie Beam is Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Museum in Acton, Massachusetts, a National Medal for Museum Service-winning nonprofit dedicated to inviting children and their families to explore science and nature through play. Prior to becoming CEO, she served as the Museum’s Chief Development Officer for 10 years. Before that, she led fundraising programs and campaigns for nearly two decades at the Fay School and Simmons University. Her career has centered on expanding equitable access to learning experiences and championing the nonprofit sector’s expertise and creativity. Beam is a 2021 recipient of the New England Museum Association’s Excellence Award and resides in Littleton, Mass.

Jeff Bush is President of Heritage Properties, located at 142 Middle Street in Lowell. In his role, Bush leads the senior management team overseeing staff and operations, continuing work he began at Heritage Properties in 2016 as an analyst focused on acquisition, redevelopment, and investment opportunities. He holds a degree from Brown University and a certificate in Real Estate Finance from Boston University. Bush also holds board seats with the House of Hope and the Lowell Plan, and resides in Groton, Mass.

Mouli Ramani serves as President and CEO of Aviwell SAS, a biotech company headquartered in Toulouse, France with offices in the Boston area, working at the intersection of life and data science to develop sustainable solutions to improve animal health and food security. Over his career, Ramani has held senior leadership positions at early-stage startups and Fortune 500 companies alike, with expertise spanning sales, strategic marketing, operations, and capital formation. He has served as Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing at Nortel Networks and Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Nextworth, and has closed transactions worth over US$2 billion worldwide.

“We are thrilled to welcome Marie, Jeff, and Mouli to the Board,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “Each brings exceptional professional expertise and a genuine commitment to this region. Their leadership will strengthen the Foundation as we continue to respond to the evolving and growing needs of Greater Lowell’s hardworking families and communities.”

SOSÚA, Dominican Republic – When entering a dark room, most people turn on a light without thinking twice, but for 730 million people worldwide, access to electricity is scarce.
“People deserve to have these basic necessities. It shouldn’t be something they have to fight for,” said Jacob Hoffman, a rising junior mechanical engineering major at UMass Lowell.
Hoffman and seven other UMass Lowell students completed a mechanical engineering directed study during the spring semester, which included a one-week trip to Sosúa, Dominican Republic, where they installed solar panels for residents without reliable electricity. The trip was sponsored by UMass Lowell’s Center for Energy Innovation (CEI) and the Energy Access Foundation, whose mission is to accelerate access to sustainable energy in developing countries.
Working alongside representatives of the Energy Access Foundation, the students installed solar panels at a school in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Sosúa. They then presented to the school about solar power and how it will help their educational experience.
“We were all very touched by how much this means for the community and how this will help them keep the school up and running when they have power outages,” said Nuala Rodgers, a rising junior climate change and sustainability major.
The students also installed solar power systems at three homes in the area. They designed the systems before the trip, after researching quality, cost-effective solar components and studying how much sun Sosúa receives.
The students learned a valuable lesson during the trip: Not everything goes as planned. They faced multiple challenges, including tin roofs being too sharp to wrap wires around and screw holes from mounting brackets posing leak hazards. However, they got creative and found solutions for each issue that appeared.
“Designing a system in the classroom, everything is working under ideal conditions, but when we actually got down there, we had to have backup plans to adapt our system,” said Jackson DeMello, a rising junior electrical engineering major. “You need to have that hands-on experience to actually understand how something will work.”
While in the Dominican Republic, the students immersed themselves in the culture. They tried local cuisine, participated in activities like surfing and explored the nearby city of Puerto Plata.
The students are getting updates from the Energy Access Foundation on how their solar power systems are performing.
“An important part of installing these projects, both at a larger scale at the school and smaller ones at the homes, is that our mission wasn’t just to install and forget about it. It’s about sustained community impact,” Rodgers said. “In the case of the school, we heard that they had an all-day power outage recently, but with the power generated from our solar panels, they were able to keep school in session all day.”

Many people anxiously await the first day of summer and look forward to activities that are tailor-made for warm weather. The first day of summer is known as the summer solstice, which marks the official start of astronomical summer. The solstice features more hours of daylight than any day of the year, according to Space.com. The next summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on June 21, 2026.

The National Weather Services says the summer solstice happens at the moment the earth's tilt toward the sun is at a maximum. The sun will appear in its highest elevation with a noontime position that will not move much for several days before and after the summer solstice. The word solstice is derived from the Latin word sol, meaning sun.

During the summer solstice, the sun travels the longest path through the sky, which is why it is the day with the most daylight. The length of daylight depends on the latitude. At the equator, the time from sunrise to sunset is about 12 hours.

Although many people celebrate the summer solstice primarily for the extra hours of daylight, the solstice has historically been assigned deeper meaning in many cultures. In Scandinavian countries, the solstice is celebrated as a holiday known as Midsummer's Eve, which is observed on a weekend near the time of the summer solstice. Festivities include dancing, singing, drinking, cleaning house, lighting bonfires, and more.

During the summer solstice at Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, the sun will rise behind the entrance to a stone circle and the sunlight will flow into the center of the monument. Researchers believe solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.

The summer solstice is soon to arrive, marking the start of summer, which is reason enough to celebrate this unique day on the calendar.

LOWELL, MA – On Tuesday, June 9, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation hosted its Annual Meeting at UMass Lowell's Coburn Hall, bringing together community members, nonprofit partners, and donors to celebrate philanthropy in Greater Lowell. A total of $268,200 in competitive Discretionary Grants was awarded to 30 nonprofits serving Greater Lowell across three funding focus areas: Children's Services, Leclair Elder Services, and LGBTQ+ Services.

These grant awards are part of a competitive grant process in which nonprofit organizations apply for funds and independent committees review proposals and select awardees. The GLCF Discretionary Grants program is one of several competitive grant programs offered through the Foundation each year.

“With the largest discretionary grant distribution in our Foundation’s history, these investments reflect the trust our donors place in us and the urgent needs of Greater Lowell’s nonprofit community,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “At a time when federal funding cuts are creating real strain on local organizations, this local philanthropic support is more critical than ever.”

The Foundation presented Bill and Jan Haddad of On the Move with the 2026 Bankers’ Volunteer Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of their extraordinary dedication to volunteering and lifelong commitment to the Greater Lowell community. On the Move’s mission is to allow all children a better opportunity to affect their future by decreasing the disparity in educational achievement.

The program also featured Community Impact presentations from Lisa Ansara, Executive Director of the Lowell Youth Leadership Program, and Alexandra DePalo, Executive Director of Open Table, both of whom spoke to the value of community-centered services in today’s challenging funding environment.

About the Greater Lowell Community Foundation:
Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 500 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of over $77 million, GLCF annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award more than $55 million to the Greater Lowell community.

The Bedford Cultural District’s New Song Music Series is thrilled to host one of only two Massachusetts performances celebrating the release of Peter Mulvey and Jenna Nicholls’s debut album, Floyd Mercantile, on Saturday, June 20.

This project brings together two acclaimed songwriters whose music bridges contemporary folk and the enduring traditions of American popular song. Original songs by Mulvey and Nicholls are interspersed with timeless selections from the Great American Songbook, including “Skylark,” “Them There Eyes,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

Mulvey has built a devoted following through thousands of live performances, twenty albums, and appearances alongside artists including Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco, and Greg Brown. Known for his thoughtful songwriting and magnetic stage presence, he has become one of the most respected voices on the American folk circuit.

Nicholls brings a luminous voice and timeless sensibility inspired by classic American music, vintage jazz, and country traditions. Her latest album, produced by three-time Grammy Award winner Larry Campbell, has been praised for its cinematic Americana sound and emotional depth. Glen Hansard has described her work as “pure mastery.”

Watch Floyd Mercantile perform “Green and Grey” on YouTube: https://bit.ly/MulveyNicholls.
Advance ticket purchase is strongly encouraged, as New Song performances have been selling out well before concert dates. Tickets are available at https://newsongbedford.org/.

The concert will take place in the Reed Room at Bedford Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way, Bedford. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. for refreshments and community connection, and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
New Song is a volunteer initiative of the Bedford Cultural District, made possible through the generous support of its sponsors: Red Heat American Tavern, Suzanne & Company, Bedford Florist & Gifts, FYZICAL® Therapy and Balance Centers Bedford, Prince Street Café & Bakery, and the Mass Cultural Council.