DifferenceMaker News

  • A person with dark hair and glasses makes a presentation on a stage. There is a walker next to her and a projection screen behind her.

    UML Students’ Innovative Sparks Fly at IDEA Con

    More than a dozen UMass Lowell students attended the annual IDEA Con innovation conference at Boston University, where senior liberal arts major Sandi DeRuntz spoke about her ZipperBuddy venture.
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  • Two young men in blazers hold microphones and speak in front of a blue backdrop.

    Two UML Alumni Make Boston Business Journal’s 25 Under 25 List

    Business alum Jeurys Santiago ’23 and computer science alum Nuno Mestre ’24 were named to the Boston Business Journal’s annual BostInno 25 Under 25 list, thanks in part to their winning DifferenceMaker projects at UML.
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  • Liberal Arts Gabrielle Salvatore '24 in front of UMass Lowell's Coburn Hall

    Build Your Own Major in Bachelor of Liberal Arts

    Students can customize their studies to meet their personal interests and goals through the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. They choose two concentrations among 27 options in UML’s flexible, interdisciplinary program.
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  • A person smiles and holds a certificate in front of a TV monitor while another person claps for them.

    DifferenceMaker Preps Future Entrepreneurs at Lowell High School

    The inaugural Lowell High Idea Challenge, a business pitch competition held in collaboration with UMass Lowell’s Rist DifferenceMaker Institute and Project LEARN, provided high school students with hands-on entrepreneurial experience and mentorship from faculty and local business leaders.
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  • Ten people pose for a group photo while standing in front of signs on a patio.

    These Graduates are Well-RHED

    Forty-seven students graduated with River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) cords this year, the most in the program’s six-year history. Students can earn a RHED credential in leadership, entrepreneurship, global engagement, community engagement or sustainability.
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  • A person holds a glass award while standing next to two other people on a stage in front of a blue backdrop.

    Concrete Idea Takes Top DifferenceMaker Prize

    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.
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  • A man in a gray T-shirt mixes waffle batter in a silver bowl in a kitchen.

    Batter Up: Alumni Create Gluten-Free Waffle Business

    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.
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  • A professional headshot of a young woman in a blue blazer.

    How to Enjoy Spring Break — Without Breaking the Bank

    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.
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  • A woman in a yellow top holds a blue piece of plastic while talking to a group of students seated around a table

    New Interdisciplinary Course Proves the Power of Invention

    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.
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  • A young man in a baseball hat holds a piece of paper with drawings on it

    Business Alum Swings Big with Benji Ball

    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.
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  • A woman seated in a crowd raises her arms in celebration while people clap around her

    Zipper Buddy Sews Up DifferenceMaker Win

    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.
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