Angelina Chaves of Rehoboth, a fourth-grader at Palmer River Awarded Runner Up in Cool Science Contest at UMass Lowell

Angelina Chaves of Rehoboth, a fourth-grader at Palmer River Elementary School, awarded Runner Up at the annual Cool Science contest that asks Massachusetts’ K-12 students to create artwork that illustrates concepts behind climate science to educate commuters on the subject.

Cool Science teaches students about science and art as it asks them to create drawings that illustrate important environmental issues. The best of these submissions are displayed in and on Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses, where they educate thousands of passengers and others each day. This year, more than 250 young people from 45 communities across the Commonwealth participated in the competition.

Cool Science winners, their parents and teachers were honored during a ceremony at O’Leary Library Learning Commons on UMass Lowell’s South Campus, where the students’ artwork was displayed in an exhibit at the event and inside an LRTA bus parked outside the venue. The award is named in memory of Lustick, a former Nashua, N.H., resident and UMass Lowell College of Education professor who founded Cool Science six years ago and was a nationally recognized champion of environmental education.

“The Cool Science team believed that this highest honor should be named for David as part of his legacy. We chose Emma as the inaugural recipient of the award because her entry incorporated both a childlike quality to the art and an important question for adults. Both of these elements were important to David,” said Lohmeier, who is working with UMass Lowell Art and Design Prof. Stephen Mishol and Prof. Bob Chen, director of UMass Boston’s School for the Environment, on the project.

“Children’s ideas about climate change are one day going to help determine the future composition of the atmosphere. Cool Science works to engage them early in scientific assessment and discovery so they become informed participants in deciding the future health of the planet,” Chen said.

Entries in the contest came from home-schooled students, pupils studying environmental issues in the classroom and youths involved in community after-school programs. “Each year, I'm excited to see the work of these young artists. The students bring great energy to a very timely and important issue and the opportunity to view and share all their art is always an honor. Their accomplishment and contribution to this topic is considerable,” Mishol said.

Assisting the professors in their research are UMass Lowell civil engineering major Alanna Grondine and Cool Science project manager Shanna Rose Thompson, both of Dracut. Thompson received her doctoral degree from UMass Lowell’s College of Education and serves as manager of its Center for Program Evaluation.

Cool Science’s partners include the LRTA and ATA Outdoor, which donated advertising space on the bus fleet, and Stone Jetty Marketing & Design, which prepared the artwork for display. This year, Cool Science is sponsored by UMass Lowell and its College of Education.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu