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Meet the DifferenceMakers

  • Low Income Community Homework Center

    Low Income Community Homework Center

    DifferenceMakers

    Low Income Community Homework Center plans to improve test scores and the graduation rate of high school students.

  • Bio-Printing with Multimedia Curriculum

    Bio-Printing with Multimedia Curriculum

    DifferenceMakers

    Bio-Printing with Multimedia Curriculum is a cost effective 3D bio-printer for comprehensive and effective use in teaching the emerging science of 3D bio-printing.

  • Treehouse

    Treehouse

    DifferenceMakers

    A website and phone application that connects people with plans, events and small businesses nearby.

  • ZHUUM

    ZHUUM

    DifferenceMakers

    ZHUUM is a mobile application platform aimed at helping owners across the food service industry drive out inefficiencies and reduce wait times.

  • Word Builder

    Word Builder

    DifferenceMakers

    Word Builder is a fun toy that helps build a reading foundation for children.

  • BASH

    BASH

    DifferenceMakers

    BASH plans to create and implement a new waste management system for the city of Les Cayes, Haiti.

  • Roma Aurora

    Roma Aurora

    Management Information Systems & Marketing

    Roma Aurora has become a strong and valued presence on campus, from her roles as president of both the Manning Leaders Council and Marketing Society, to her ambassador work for both international students and student alumni, to her participation in the DifferenceMaker Program.

  • Love of the Game

    Love of the Game

    DifferenceMakers

    Love of the Game will unite universities and people with physical and cognitive disabilities through sports.

  • invisaWear

    invisaWear

    DifferenceMakers

    invisaWear is a discrete wearable device that connects to a smart phone that sends an emergency alert to predetermined contacts when the wearer is in need.

  • Guardian

    Guardian

    DifferenceMakers

    Guardian is a sensor platform that can attach to any commercially available drone for use in search and rescue operations.

  • Fresh Beets

    Fresh Beets

    DifferenceMakers

    Fresh Beets is a food truck and music venue based out of Lowell, Ma. that unites food, music, education, and revelry into one vehicle of change.

  • Expect

    Expect

    DifferenceMakers

    Expect is an application that facilitates communication between referring facilities/emergency medical services and accepting inpatient/emergency units.

  • SmartEater

    SmartEater

    DifferenceMakers

    SmartEater is an Automated Diet Monitoring (ADM) System designed to help people manage their dietary behavior.

  • Support Our Students

    Support Our Students

    DifferenceMakers

    Support our Students (SOS) is a nonprofit organization that addresses the issue of hunger in the UMass Lowell community.

  • NerdOnyx

    NerdOnyx

    DifferenceMakers

    NerdOnyx is a web-based learning tool that will provide articles, videos and other resources to enhance the learning of engineering students and help bridge the gap between the classroom and the industry.

  • Cyborg

    Cyborg

    DifferenceMakers

    Cyborg is a hybrid, cost effective, musical instrument, which has the ability to transform any object into a touch sensitive musical instrument.

  • Robotic Feeding Arm

    Robotic Feeding Arm

    DifferenceMakers

    After a three minute rocket pitch to a panel of alumni judges Philip Colangelo's Robotic Feeding Arm was awarded first place in the “Innovative Technology” category, $3,500 award.

  • Peter Larsen

    Peter Larsen

    Biology & Biotechnology

    The Honors College offered Peter Larsen a chance to explore outside his major, giving him a true liberal arts education and changing his career plans. Then DifferenceMaker helped him realize his dream of providing unique and inexpensive prosthetic hands to kids.

  • Daniel Schmith

    Daniel Schmith

    Entrepreneurship and Finance

    Daniel Schmith knows how to pace himself on the cross country and track teams. But when it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s full speed ahead.

  • QBell

    QBell

    DifferenceMakers

    QBell is a mobile application that improves upon the current nursing call bell system.

  • Ayah Awadallah

    Ayah Awadallah

    English, Journalism and Professional Writing; minor in Graphic Design

    Ayah Awadallah is starting an online magazine for young American Muslim women caught between American culture and the tenets of their faith.

  • Happy Heart Cart

    Happy Heart Cart

    DifferenceMakers

    Happy Heart Cart is a program that provides advanced therapeutic and holistic practices to improve patient stays in adult hospitals

  • Breezy

    Breezy

    DifferenceMakers

    Breezy is a real-time air quality-monitoring device, which can be tracked through its cell phone application or online website.

  • Buddies Without Borders

    Buddies Without Borders

    DifferenceMakers

    Buddies Without Borders aims to bridge the gap between domestic students and international students.

  • Mayday

    Mayday

    DifferenceMakers

    Mayday upon activation can reach all emergency contacts in just a tap.

  • Rachel Silk

    Rachel Silk

    Marketing and Entrepreneurship

    Manning School of Business student Rachel Silk landed a professional co-op as a marketing events coordinator that has helped shape her future career plans.

  • Nonspec

    Nonspec

    DifferenceMakers

    Nonspec participated in the first annual DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge where they received the prestigious title of “The Campus Wide DifferenceMaker” and the top award of $5,000.

  • Project Starfish

    Project Starfish

    DifferenceMakers

    Project Starfish is an effective, non-invasive, and cost-effective prosthetic hand for people with disabilities.

  • OmniSense

    OmniSense

    DifferenceMakers

    OmniSense is performance tracking for athletes, giving users a low cost option of tracking lifting metrics.

  • Security Top

    Security Top

    DifferenceMakers

    Security Top is a reusable bottle cap designed for the purpose of increasing the prevention of contaminates entering a bottled beverage.

  • Grab a Bite

    Grab a Bite

    DifferenceMakers

    Grab a Bite received "Fan Favorite" at the Inaugural DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge, pushing them to the final round where they won the title “First to Market” and were awarded $3,500 by the panel of judges.

  • BioBubbler

    BioBubbler

    DifferenceMakers

    The BioBubbler is made from indigenous material and does not require chemicals or electricity to use. It is a slow sand filtration system that eliminates bacteria in water by absorption, predation, natural death and oxygen depletion.

  • Hydraulic Walker

    Hydraulic Walker

    DifferenceMakers

    The Hydraulic Walker utilizes hydraulics, allowing for the legs to be quickly adjusted, so that it can be used on stairs.

  • WordPro

    WordPro

    DifferenceMakers

    WordPro is a vocabulary builder aimed at high school students learning a second language.

  • Tyler Cote

    Tyler Cote

    Political Science & Criminal Justice

    Honors student Tyler Cote helped start an award-winning nonprofit, co-authored research papers and interned with a Washington think tank, all while completing two majors.

  • Masela Dentures

    Masela Dentures

    DifferenceMakers

    Masela Dentures creates a low cost alternative to expensive dentures.

  • Playable Therapy

    Playable Therapy

    DifferenceMakers

    Playable Therapy connects video games and physical therapy.

  • Solar Electric Vehicles

    Solar Electric Vehicles

    DifferenceMakers

    Solar Electric Vehicles allow people to travel by the energy of the sun.

  • TermaGreen

    TermaGreen

    DifferenceMakers

    TermaGreen is a thermodynamic generator that captures heat and converts it into energy that can be reused.

  • Indoor Hydroponic System

    Indoor Hydroponic System

    DifferenceMakers

    Indoor Hydroponic System ensures an optimal environment for plants.

  • OTTOnomous Technology

    OTTOnomous Technology

    DifferenceMakers

    OTTOnomous Technology is a novel solution for replacing camshafts in car engines with electro-mechanical actuators.

  • PointStick

    PointStick

    DifferenceMakers

    In the finals of the Idea Challenge the judges awarded PointStick, a product that gives tactile and kinesthetic feedback to patients for both correct spinal alignment and breathing mechanics, second place in the “First to Market” award category.

  • KEnDERS Body Armor

    KEnDERS Body Armor

    DifferenceMakers

    KEnDERS Body Armor is a new design for sports equipment using shear-thickening fluids.

  • DigiBank

    DigiBank

    DifferenceMakers

    DigiBank is a software solution that aims to rid the world of pocket change.

  • Andre Ragel

    Andre Ragel

    Management

    Ever since moving to Lowell from the Philippines with his mom as a child, Andre Ragel has embraced a sink-or-swim attitude – one that carried the business administration major through a busy first year on campus.

  • Healthy Habits

    Healthy Habits

    DifferenceMakers

    At the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge, Healthy Habits won first place in the category “Significant Social Impact,” and was awarded $3,500 to further implement their idea.

  • Clot Catch

    Clot Catch

    DifferenceMakers

    Clot Catch is developing a new design to replace the current inferior vena cava (IVC) clot filters that are currently on the market.

  • TopaCan

    TopaCan

    DifferenceMakers

    TopaCan is a product development company whose first product turns any empty can into an environmentally friendly way to dispose of cigarette butts.

  • Veteran’s QRF

    Veteran’s QRF

    DifferenceMakers

    Veteran's QRF is a web platform that will simplify the application process for service connected disability benefits.

  • Tan Nhat Huynh

    Tan Nhat Huynh

    Marketing, International Business

    UMass Lowell was love at first sight for business major Tan Nhat Nuynh, a native of Vietnam, who is making the most of his opportunities in and out of the classroom.

  • Spread the Love

    Spread the Love

    DifferenceMakers

    Spread the Love is an online platform that would consist of personalized lesson plans for struggling schools that cannot afford the resources that they need.

  • eNABLE

    eNABLE

    DifferenceMakers

    eNABLE is an international organization that makes 3D printed prosthetic hands for children in need.

  • Operation250

    Operation250

    DifferenceMakers

    Operation250 is an online platform consisting of an educational website, engaging videos and a large social media presence, focused on educating both young adolescents, parents and educators on how to prevent radical extremist recruitment.

  • Rajia Abdelaziz

    Rajia Abdelaziz

    Electrical Engineering, Computer Science

    Rajia Abdelaziz wants to run her own smart jewelry company – a goal that’s well within reach thanks to a research co-op and involvement with the Society of Women Engineers.

  • UML Green Roofs

    UML Green Roofs

    DifferenceMakers

    UML Green Roofs is attempting to provide secure green outdoor locations for the students at UMass Lowell.

  • Lowell Sprouts

    Lowell Sprouts

    DifferenceMakers

    Lowell Sprouts is an organization that utilizes school gardens as a way to educate middle school children about the importance of sustainable, organic agriculture. Lowell Sprouts entered the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge and won first place in the “Sustainable Environment” category, a $3,500 award.

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