UMass Lowell plans $800 million project centered on STEM

— UMass Lowell graphic

Edited from a New England Council report

“The University of Massachusetts at Lowell will begin construction next year on an $800 million mixed-use project that will include professional space for technology companies, housing units, and dorms on campus. According to the Boston Business Journal, the school views this upcoming project as a ‘catalyst to improve industry partnerships, improve the surrounding neighborhood, and help keep new graduates in the city.’  

“The project will begin with the construction of a series of buildings for STEM purposes, along with almost 500 housing units for young professionals. However, this is not the only new addition to the UMass Lowell campus. Also on this list of recent projects is a new campus center, a business school building, and a series of residential buildings. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

“It’s an economic development project for Lowell and the greater Lowell region,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor, Julie Chen.’’

Lowell first made its name as a textile-manufacturing center in the 19th Century.

Lowell in 1876

WPI and UMass Lowell partnering in research projects

A 19th Century textile mill transformed into a UMass Lowell facility

From The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

“The University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have partnered to award over $110,000 in grants to six different research teams. The research projects range from cancer detection to alternative energy production to human robot collaboration.

”WPI and UMass Lowell have been working together for the past eight months to group their faculty and researchers together in complementary research teams. Their projects went from discussion to reality when the two universities both contributed funds to create the UMass Lowell – WPI Collaborative Seed Funding Initiative. The collaboration is expected to lead to patentable intellectual property, increased external funding, and future industry partnerships for both universities. A full list of the six grant recipients and their research projects can be found here.

“‘By combining the complementary expertise of UMass Lowell and WPI in these cutting-edge areas, we are strengthening our respective research capabilities, creating new training opportunities for our students and increasing the likelihood of making novel scientific discoveries that will lead to transformative technologies,’ said Anne Maglia, UMass Lowell associate vice chancellor for research and compliance.

“‘No one university can address the pressing problems the world needs solved. We are fortunate in New England to be close to a wealth of institutions with world-class researchers with whom we can collaborate,’ said Bogdan M. Vernescu, WPI vice provost for research. ‘This initiative will begin to tap the expertise across campuses so together we can move certain areas of research forward for the betterment of the world.”’