With the click of a shutter, photographers aim to tell a story. UMass Dartmouth's Photography and Visual Culture class set out to tell the story of a forgotten city. Working in collaboration with B.M.C Durfee High School photography students, Dr. Andrea Klimt connected her anthropology class to the forgotten city of Fall River, Massachusetts. "I always look for ways to collaborate with and contribute to local communities," said Klimt. "My goal was for my students to go past Fall River's negative reputation and find points of connection and mutual understanding."

Armed with cameras, Klimt's students took to the streets of Fall River, and they photographed many overlooked small businesses like barbershops, bakeries, and clothing stores. The photographs morphed into an entire exhibit - "Fall River Portraits: People, Neighborhood, Community" - at the Narrows Center for the Arts. "The exhibit was not just a portrait of the conventionally 'pretty' aspects," said Klimt. "It documented the complexity of this urban space, the challenges facing the city, as well as evidence of a deep-seated pride and meaningful connection to place."

"Fall River Portraits: People, Neighborhood, and Community" connected Klimt's students to an unfamiliar urban space. But it also helped Fall River's residents find their own snapshot of local pride. "Many Fall River residents came to the exhibition and found pleasure in seeing images of their own community up on the gallery walls," said Klimt.  

Every summer Portuguese culture invades UMass Dartmouth. The annual Summer Program in Portuguese, directed by Professor Gláucia Silva, offers intense language instruction coupled with cultural immersion. "The students have the opportunity to take advantage of the close ties to the Portuguese-speaking community that we have here in Southeastern Massachusetts," said Serena Rivera, Ph.D. student and assistant director of the program's cultural events. "Situated in a cultural hub of the Portuguese-speaking world, students spend time in the classroom learning the language only to then see the context of the instruction within their immediate surroundings."

In the heart of the oldest and largest Portuguese-speaking community in North America, the 21st Annual Summer Program strives to create one-of-a-kind experiences. On July 25th, the program will be hosting Portuguese soccer legend, António Simões, at the Whaling Museum, and he will host two soccer practices on July 26th and 27th. Also, the program will offer a Fado Workshop and concert; a film series; a capoeira class; a trip to a Brazilian churrascaria; a Raízes concert; trips to the Casa dos Açores in Fall River and the Casa do Benfica in New Bedford.

These cultural events and activities embrace and celebrate Portuguese culture, and they create a sense of vibrancy within the community. "The Summer Program in Portuguese is important to UMass Dartmouth and the community because it is a longstanding tradition," said Rivera. "It is a powerful link between the instruction of the Portuguese language and the community that gives life to the language," said Rivera.

Sidafa Conde received an email granting him the opportunity to join math and computational extremists. The third year Engineering and Applied Science graduate student accepted. Now, he is traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to join other extreme students from around the world. "As soon as I received the acceptance email, I immediately forwarded it to my advisors," said Conde. "XSEDE is a big deal and I will be participating with students from all over the country with a variety of experiences and backgrounds differing from my own.".

All of the students, including Conde, share the same passion for computational science and mathematics. For the last four years, XSEDE, the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment, hosts a scholars program. The students learn about high performance computing, network with researchers and scientists, and connect with other students. In July, Conde joins the XSEDE conference as a leader. He will be a team leader and in charge of 5-6 students for the modeling and analysis challenge. His job is to guide the students through the competition and engage them in computational science and engineering.

A stellar scholar, Conde proudly represents UMass Dartmouth. "I've had tremendous experience thus far as a Corsair," said Conde. "With world-class faculty members serving as my mentors in conjunction with the possible networks I will gain as a 2014 XSEDE scholar, I believe that my experience as a graduate student will only get better."