Mechanical engineering graduate student Joshua Landis ’22 took home the top prize at the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute’s 12th annual $50,000 Idea Challenge with SparkCell Technologies, his fast and cost-effective way to detect problems in concrete structures.

The Robotics Club is looking to make a difference in people’s lives with its robotic guide dog invention, which the club has entered into the SICK $10K Challenge and the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute’s $50K Idea Challenge.

Proven Provisions, a business started by health sciences alum Christianto Putra ’16, ’21 and his wife, plastics engineering alumna Raissa Yona ’15, recently introduced its first gluten-free, high-protein waffle mix.

UMass Lowell alumni Louis Cirignano ’20, Khyteang Lim ’16, ’18 and Tatiana Tompkins ’21 are helping people save for vacations and other major purchases with their FAM Social Finance app.

A new interdisciplinary course, Adaptive Devices for Better Life, brings together students majoring in art and design, physical therapy and kinesiology, engineering and biology to create devices that assist disabled clients from the community.

Business alum Benjamin McEvoy ’21 has turned his DifferenceMaker project Benji Ball into a game that’s now being played in nearly 200 school districts in 41 states across the country.

Zipper Buddy, a clothing attachment that helps people with limited mobility to zipper their jacket, took the top prize at the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute’s Francis College of Engineering Prototyping competition at University Crossing.

Bean Hub, an artificial intelligence solution to improve the mobile banking experience, took the top prize at the 11th annual DifferenceMaker DCU/Manning School of Business Innovation Contest.

Plastics engineering alum Cormac Hondros-McCarthy ’15 is developing a ropeless lobster fishing system, LiftLabs, to protect the endangered North American right whale and prevent the loss of fishing gear.

Three co-op students from the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute attended the 12th annual Deshpande Symposium on Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Higher Education in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they learned how to make the program more inviting to all UML students.

Five teams, including three from UMass Lowell, took part in the Innovation Hub’s inaugural Clean Green Challenge, a pitch contest focused on sustainability for entrepreneurs and startups from across the region.