10/29/2025
By Joseph Hartman

To the University Community

With sadness we announce the passing of mechanical and industrial engineering Professor Emeritus Sammy G. Shina, a longtime member of the UMass Lowell faculty and contributor to the university community, on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Sammy began teaching evening courses at UMass Lowell in 1971 as a member of the adjunct faculty while he still worked in private industry. He transitioned to teaching full time once he’d earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Tufts University.

Over an extremely successful and productive career, Sammy wrote six books and more than 100 technical papers, according to his obituary. He consulted for numerous companies, and he touched the lives of countless students along the way — as a professor, adviser and benefactor. He created the Sammy Shina Endowed Scholarship Fund for students majoring in industrial engineering, among other contributions to the university.

In 2014, Sammy’s dedication to finding solutions for environmentally safe manufacturing was honored with the “Academic Champion of Toxics Use Reduction” award at a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House.

The award bestowed by the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell and the state Department of Environmental Protection recognized his efforts to create a consortium of companies, including some competitors, dedicated to working in collaboration to pursue safer alternatives to materials used in circuit boards.

Though Sammy retired from UMass Lowell in 2023, after 52 years in the classroom, he continued to teach as an emeritus faculty member. He had three online courses this fall.

Last year, the Sammy Shina Conference Room was dedicated in Room 220 of Dandeneau Hall. A relative, Alan Gabby, funded a professorship at UMass Lowell in Sammy’s honor in recognition of all he has done over the years.

Sammy is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jacqueline, their four children and their families, including nine grandchildren. A service was held Tuesday on Cape Cod. An open house is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. today, Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Shina home in Framingham. More information is available in his obituary.

Generations of River Hawks whose educations and careers were shaped by Professor Shina include many current UMass Lowell students. If needed, these students are encouraged to take advantage of counseling and mental health opportunities available through the UMass Lowell Wellness Center.

Sammy’s colleagues in the UMass Lowell faculty and staff are likewise encouraged to take advantage of counseling resources available through the Employee Assistance Program.

The entire UMass Lowell community extends our condolences to Sammy’s family, colleagues, friends and students. He will be greatly missed.