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Wilmington

UMass Lowell features local teen artist

The artwork of a Wilmington High School student is being featured on a University of Massachusetts Lowell website, www.coolscience.net. Caitlin Riley, a freshman at Wilmington High, was named one of 24 winners of a statewide art contest that aims to educate the public about climate change. The top six entries are being displayed throughout the region on 9-foot-long placards on Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses, and inside buses and bus terminals through June. In addition, the artwork produced by second place and honorable-mention winners — including Riley, who earned an honorable mention — is being featured on the Cool Science website. Winning entries were selected for their clarity of message, scientific accuracy, creativity, and artistic appeal. In all, the Cool Science competition received nearly 600 entries from more than 25 schools across the state. The Cool Science project includes research to gauge what students in Massachusetts have learned about climate change, and measures how the project’s mass transit media affects the public’s understanding of the issue. “The Cool Science initiative is bringing climate change issues out of the classroom, educating thousands of commuters in the neighborhoods where they live, work, and shop,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan. “Understanding climate science is essential to caring for our planet and creating a more sustainable way of life for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.” The winners were honored at a ceremony at UMass Lowell last month.