UMass Lowell Event is an Interactive Showcase for the Public, School Groups
04/14/2017
Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell’s first “Invitation 2 Innovation,” a free event for the public and school groups, will highlight products, prototypes and projects created in the university’s classrooms, laboratories and makerspaces by students and faculty members.
The event will be held at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell on Friday, April 28 and will feature student-built projects including a NASA satellite, a Formula 1-style race car and a robotic arm that assists people with limited mobility. Attendees can participate in a Tinker Toy contest to build a vehicle that must navigate a series of challenges.
Attendees will have the chance see prototypes in action and talk to the more than 100 UMass Lowell students behind exhibits and projects, including seniors in the university’s Francis College of Engineering, Kennedy College of Sciences and College of Health Sciences who completed these capstone projects as part of their graduation requirements.
“‘Invitation 2 Innovation’ is a forum for the public, UMass Lowell alumni and leaders in business and industry to see our students’ impressive work and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Joseph Hartman, dean of the Francis College of Engineering. “We hope the event inspires not only incoming UMass Lowell students but also those in middle and high school, who will get a sense of what they can achieve with an education in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.”
In addition, the event will shine a light on research conducted by UMass Lowell faculty, products made by startups based at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub business incubator and work by students in all majors who are participating in the DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches entrepreneurial skills they can use to solve problems in business and the community, and even launch their own ventures.
The event will also provide an opportunity for accepted students who will begin their UMass Lowell education this fall to experience the creativity that is put to work every day at the university. Representatives of the offices of Residential Life, Admissions and Financial Aid, along with the Career and Co-op Center, will be available at the venue to welcome first-year and transfer students into the UMass Lowell community.
“Invitation 2 Innovation” will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell. Parking is available adjacent to the venue. School groups that would like to attend should register in advance at www.uml.edu/i2ischool. Other members of the public interested in more information should email Erin_Caples@uml.edu.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,750 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu