At the same time that the Urban Initiative is working to support cities, we are also committed to our university's mission to educate students. We do this by engaging UMass Dartmouth undergraduate and graduate students in every aspect of our work: students participate in meetings with partners, write project and grant proposals, gather and analyze data, write reports, and conduct presentations in the community.
Through these activities, our students benefit not only from the ability to apply classroom lessons in the field; they also become more competitive in the job market by building skills and making connections in the community.
(Bob Golder, MPP '14, presents his research.)
Opportunities for students
Current UI job openings: none at this time; check back or follow us on Facebook for updates.
If you're a UMass Dartmouth student who wants to join the Urban Initiative team, a good first step is to familiarize yourself with our work. Our website is a good place to start, but also visit our blog, Facebook page, and the website of our newest project, SouthCoast Urban Indicators. You should also check out past newsletters (see our 'News' page) to learn about the projects we're currently working on.
A few times a year, we'll use this space to post specific opportunities--usually paid graduate or undergraduate research assistant positions that require 12-20 hours of work. Unpaid interns are welcome year-round. To learn more about these opportunities, email Project Manager Colleen Dawicki (cdawicki@umassd.edu).
Current UI team
Robert Golder, Graduate research assistant, MPP '14
Bob has worked with the UI since the summer of 2012, when he played a key role in our work evaluating the Taunton Housing Authority's HOPE VI project. Bob masterfully translated his previous summer's work tracking fish in Alaska to surveying city residents, and he continues to enrich the work of the UI by contributing his perspectives as an artist and biologist. Learn more about Bob through his introductory blog post.
Jason Hill, Graduate research assistant, MPP '13
Jason joined the Urban Initiative as a grad assistant in September 2012. In addition to playing a key role in the development of the SouthCoast Urban Indicators Project, he has translated his background and interest in environmental policy into research on urban land use--a topic he'll be presenting on as part of the graduate student speaker series, 'Sustainable Cities.' Jason introduces himself in this blog post.
Bethany Racicot, Undergraduate research assistant, UMD '13
Bethany is a UMass Dartmouth senior psychology major working with the UI during Spring 2013. She is tremendously engaged in campus and community life, volunteering with AmericaReads and serving as president of Habitat for Humanity at UMass Dartmouth. Bethany is supporting the development of the SouthCoast Urban Indicators Project by looking at public health issues, a topic that is particularly relevent for her post-college goal of serving in the Peace Corps.
Masi Faroqui, Urban Policy Intern, MPP '13
Masi is in his last semester of the MPP program, and he joined the Urban Initiative team in order to help him explore education policy in further depth. Masi says, " I am confident that my experiences at the Urban Initiative will help me reach my ultimate goal of not being naive to assume I can change the world in a day but confident I can make a difference one individual at a time."
Trai Dang, Urban Policy Intern, MBA '14
Trai is in his second semster of UMass Dartmouth's MBA program. He came to the Urban Initiative to expand upon work he did in that program that resulted in the creation of a sustainability report for the City of Fall River. He is currently researching issues related to housing and neighborhoods for the SouthCoast Urban Indicators Project.
Urban Initiative/MPP Alumni
Jason Silva, Chief of Staff, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Jason was the first Research Associate of the Urban Initiative, a position he gave up to become the Chief of Staff at the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Jason is currently completing coursework to earn his MPP at UMass Dartmouth.
Christopher Nunes, Data Analyst, Brookline (MA) Public Schools
Chris earned his MPP in 2011 and is now a Data Analyst for the Brookline Public Schools. He worked with the UI during Spring 2011 on our dropout prevention program evalution conducted for the Springfield Public Schools. On his time at the UI, Chris says: "In addition to being exposed to analyzing real time data sources, the projects I assisted with provided a tangible value to the community. The Urban Initiative provides a tremendous cost-effective value to the community through the use of its very useful and timely research and analysis."
Hannah Colestock, Founder, Girls on the Run - Rhode Island; Network Logistics Coordinator at Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy
Hannah was a graduate research assistant during the 2011-12 school year, her second and final year of the MPP program. She worked on a broad range of our projects, heading up a program evalution of a regional mentoring program and leading an analysis of permitting processes across greater New Bedford. During that time, Hannah also founded Girls on the Run - Rhode Island, for which she now serves on the Board of Directors. She now works as the Network Logistics Coordinator of Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy.
Jennifer Gonet, Transportation Planner, Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD)
Jen was a graduate research assistant at the UI during Spring 2012, the semester during which she completed her MPP. Her work involved compiling data that contributed to the development of the SouthCoast Urban Indicators Project, and she wrote one of the UI blog's most popular posts on gender and earnings in our region's cities. Just a few weeks after earning her Master's degree, Jen joined the team of SRPEDD as a transportation planner. Jen says, "The opportunity to work as a research assistant at the Urban Initiative gave me the opportunity to apply what I was learning in the classroom directly in a professional capacity...I can't thank UMass Dartmouth enough for all the wonderful hands-on learning opportunities they gave me."
