A Watertown 11th grader will have her artwork displayed on buses in Lowell after being selected as one of the winners of the Cool Science programs, sponsored by UMass Lowell.
Keeva Angstadt, a homeschooled junior from Watertown, had her artwork selected as one of the winners of the contest.
“Many people in my neighborhood view urban trees as annoyances or liabilities. As the climate warms, heat islands are becoming more extreme. The shade provided by trees makes it possible for people to travel outside safely,” Keeva said in a statement about her artwork. “Once a tree is gone, there’s no bringing it back; planting saplings won’t “make up for it”, because trees take decades to mature and get big enough to provide shade.”
“My piece depicts people waiting at a bus stop. On one side, a tree has been cut down and there is no shade; the words ‘ARE HEAT ISLANDS ESCAPABLE?’, are painted using warm colors to convey a sense of heat. On the other side, a tall tree (appearance inspired by an American Basswood) provides shade. Wildlife nests in its branches,” her statement continued. “The words ‘MATURE TREES ARE IRREPLACABLE’ are painted using cool colors, curling into a softer, calmer shape to convey a sense of rest. In the middle is the bus stop; the people waiting for the bus have gathered at the shady side closer to the tree. My hope for this piece is that viewers will remember their own experiences of hot days with and without shade, reflect on how urban trees disrupt heat islands, and go into the future with an increased respect and understanding of the importance of urban trees.”
See more information about the Cool Science program in the announcement provided by UMass Lowell, below.
Artwork created by a first-grader in Andover is helping to teach the public about climate science.
Auggie Mulligan, a young artist at The Pike School, is the 2026 top winner in UMass Lowell’s Cool Science program, a national initiative that brings together youth, mentors community members and researchers to learn about climate science through science and art. The program’s annual competition asks K-12 aged children to create artwork that depicts what they have learned.
Auggie’s poster – and the entries of other contest winners – were displayed again this year on Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) buses, where they educated hundreds of passengers and passersby each day. As the top contest honoree, Auggie also received UMass Lowell’s David Lustick Award at the Cool Science Art Exhibition Celebration, held in April at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts.
It’s always such a pleasure to see the incredible work that these young artists put into their posters. We continue to be impressed every year and hope that we can continue this great project in the future. We know that thousands of young people and bus riders have learned new things about science through the initiative. It is incredibly meaningful work for the team,” said Jill Hendrickson, associate dean of UMass Lowell’s School of Graduate Studies and a professor of research and evaluation in education.
The contest’s top award is named in memory of the late David Lustick, a Nashua, N.H., resident, UMass Lowell professor and nationally recognized champion of environmental education. Lustick and Hendrickson co-founded Cool Science in 2012 to study how people learn science in informal settings. The program is currently a research partnership between UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Thousands of K-12 youth from around the world have participated in Cool Science since the annual program began.
“The education Cool Science provides – not only through the artwork created by students, but the impact of the interactive experience – lives on in former program participants who are now young adults,” said UMass Boston’s Bob Chen, a professor in the university’s School for the Environment, who added that a parent of three Cool Science alumni, Sheri Marnoto, shared such a story as one of the guest speakers at the awards event in April.
Information about the Cool Science initiative, including previous years’ artwork by students, additional projects that draw on the blending of art and science, along with resources for educators, is available at www.coolscience.net.
Cool Science is just one example of UMass Lowell’s commitment to the environment.The university is the highest-rated campus for sustainability in Massachusetts, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. UMass Lowell‘s platinum rating is the top designation a college or university can earn through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System. UMass Lowell is the only higher education institution in Massachusetts and one of 11 in the nation to hold the prestigious designation.
These achievements underscore the work of UMass Lowell’s Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, which advances research in these sectors and promotes community action in solving environmental challenges.
Along with Auggie, other winning contestants saw their artwork displayed on LRTA buses. Their names and schools, listed by hometown, are:
Acton: Darla Fex, a third-grader at Gates Elementary School
Chelmsford: Daksh Murudkar, a sixth-grader at Parker Middle School
Watertown: Keeva Angstadt, a homeschooled junior
Winchester: Emma Ghandi and Mia Ott, sixth-graders at McCall Middle School
Overland Park, Kansas: Divya Tripathi, a sophomore at Blue Valley West High School
Runners-up also honored include:
- Amherst: Emily Midura, a fifth grader at Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
- Andover: Anderson Yu, a fourth grader at Andover School of Montessori
- Barnstable: Nina Wang, a freshman at Cape Cod Academy
- Chelmsford: Zova Pathan, an eighth grader at McCarthy Middle School
- Conway: Anwen Toleno, a sophomore at Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion School
- Holyoke: Grace Rains, a fifth grader at Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School