Shah Academy Expands with New Class of Engineering Leaders

During his nuclear engineering internship at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina last summer, chemical engineering major Ethan Ayotte was asked to present his analysis of a plutonium processing anomaly to more than 100 engineers.

As if he wasn’t nervous enough, Ayotte was told that he was being considered for a return offer — if he did well on the presentation.

To prepare, Ayotte thought back to the workshops he’d attended on public speaking and staying calm under pressure as a member of UMass Lowell’s Shah Academy of Innovation and Leadership. The result?

“I absolutely nailed it,” Ayotte says of his presentation, which led to a return offer. “It was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever had.”

Ayotte, now a senior, shared the story during Shah Academy’s recent celebration of its inaugural cohort and formal introduction of its second group of engineering leaders.

Launched in 2024 by electrical engineering alum Bhupen Shah ’92 and his wife, Ramika, the academy provides selected Francis College of Engineering students with $5,000 annual scholarships, alumni mentorship and a wide range of professional development experiences designed to accelerate their readiness to lead.

Shah, who spent two decades building leadership skills on the job before rising to vice president of engineering at Acacia Communications, created the academy so that students could enter the workforce with advantages that he and many alumni developed only later in their careers.

“Being a good engineer is necessary, but it’s not sufficient,” Shah told the audience. “In just one year, I’ve seen a change in these students. Their confidence is higher, their knowledge base is broader, and the excitement is there.”

Chancellor Julie Chen congratulated the scholars for earning their place in the selective program and furthering their career-connected learning.

“What you’re gaining here isn’t in any textbook,” Chen said. “It’s how to navigate challenges that don’t come with formulas — ethical dilemmas, communication, thinking not just about what’s in front of you but about the future and how you can have an impact.”

Applications to the academy more than doubled this fall, growing from 20 to 41, as the program expanded to 11 scholars and members supported by 13 alumni mentors. The calendar of workshops, guest speakers and case studies has grown so quickly that Shah Academy Director Nuzhat Alamgir has begun scheduling sessions into 2027.

Ayotte was part of the inaugural cohort with senior John Bennett (electrical) and juniors Nick Antonietti (mechanical), Hilde Axelson (chemical) and Allie Reading (biomedical).

Juniors Aidan George (biomedical), Sean Roper (mechanical) and Ken Hawkey (mechanical) were all non-scholarship members of the first cohort. They are now part of the 2026-27 class, which also includes juniors Tal Nir (industrial) and Yousuf Mohammed (plastics) and sophomore Brady Devlin (chemical).

Antonietti shared how the skills he’s learned in the academy helped him extend his six-month operations engineering specialist co-op at Raytheon last spring through the summer.

“I was able to utilize my network, advocate for myself and negotiate to extend my co-op to nine months,” said Antonietti, who stayed on as a quality engineer. 

He and Roper are now organizing a golf fundraiser for Shah Academy in the spring.

“We want other students to get the same opportunities as us,” Roper said.

For Axelson, the scholarship was the main motivation for applying to the academy. The support turned out to be crucial this year.

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to stay in school without the scholarship,” she said. “That being said, I would still be part of this program if the scholarship wasn’t included. The life experiences and soft skills that we’re gaining are more valuable to me at this point.”