Two programs get combined $1.68M
07/19/2019
Lowell Sun
By Luke O'Roark
LOWELL — Two federal grants have been awarded to the UMass Lowell worth over a million dollars combined.
The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have provided a total $1,683,802 to the university, Rep. Lori Trahan announced in a press release Thursday afternoon.
The National Science Foundation provided $383,803 to support a project called "Global-Position Tracking Control for Highly Versatile Bipedal Robotic Walking."
The project will contribute to the "advancement of the national health, security and welfare, by improving capabilities, safety and reliability of bipedal walking robots," according to the National Science Foundation's website.
The project will be directed by Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Yan Gu.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted $1.3 million to the university for a program titled U19OH. That research grant was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The grant will support two intervention studies to improve the effectiveness of "organizational health and safety programs" for the region's workers, biomedical engineering professor and Co-Director of the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace Laura Punnett said in the press release.
Trahan said she was excited to see the university be recognized for its cutting-edge work.
"UMass Lowell has a robust faculty and staff pushing the boundaries toward the latest, cutting-edge research and technology," Trahan said in the press release. "I am thrilled that the university is being recognized for its leadership and receiving over $1.6 million in federal funding to expand its capability in the fields of robotics and workplace safety."