From Robots to Electricity-producing Bacteria, Local UMass Lowell Students Spent the Summer on the Frontier of Science
UMass Lowell student Victoria Albanese, a computer science major from Haverhill, learned how to program the robot “Blue” this summer as part of her work in the university’s Co-op Scholar Program. Participants, who are selected for the program based on their academic standing, conduct research alongside UMass Lowell faculty and are paid for their work.
08/12/2015
Eagle-Tribune
By Amy Szablak
Instead of going to the beach, local students opted for a less luxurious way to spend their summer.
They traded their flip flops for lab coats. They spent sunny days with liquid nitrogen and electricity-producing bacteria. Most of all, they had fun.
This summer, more than 50 students participated in the Co-op Scholar Program at UMass Lowell.
The program invited select students to work on research projects with faculty. These projects included a wide range of topics, spanning physics to environmental science.
Victoria Albanese of Haverhill was one of many local students who participated in the program.
The 19-year-old spent her summer working on a robot named Blue. She helped program Blue to sit, stand and balance.
"I had a blast," she said. "The most exciting part was when we got it to move for the first time."
This isn't the first year that UMass Lowell has offered the Summer Co-op Scholar Program.
It started in 2011 with 18 engineering students. Today, the program is open to students from all fields of study. Each student is required to complete 300 to 350 hours of research, for which they are paid.
Justin Jozokos, 19, and Michael D’Eon, 19, completed their hours with research on detectors. Neither of them had worked with detectors before the program.
"The most exciting part was being able to physically work with the materials," said D'Eon of Methuen. "There is lots of theory in physics and we got to see it happen. We learned to walk the walk instead of talk the talk."
Many students learned to "walk the walk" during the program.
Susan Macdonald of Haverhill was able to work in five areas of environmental science. She worked with water testing, helped plan a conference, worked with maps and taught students from grade school. She also worked on a community garden for sustainable agriculture.
"We researched a very vast, broad spectrum," she said.
Macdonald's research has long-term benefits for her education.
"I am prepped to go into classes," she said. "Doing research and applying it to a field is much different than book learning."
Kristie Bucchianeri, 19, has also learned a lot from her research.
Working with bacteria that creates electricity, Bucchianeri filtered through scholarly articles during her research. She also helped build chambers that contained the bacteria.
"It was a crazy mix of biology, chemistry and physics," said the Atkinson resident. "I learned about good accountability and good communication with a boss and a team of people."
UMass Lowell offers six-month co-op programs during the school year, and three-month programs during the summer.
"Any incoming freshman should definitely consider attending UMass Lowell more seriously," Albanese said. "It really is an excellent opportunity to have."