The reactor containment cylindrical shell being built, January 18, 1967.
Lowell is known for historic transformations starting with the industrial revolution. So in the 1960's it is no surprise UMass Lowell, then Lowell Tech, jumped into the nuclear research venue.
Construction started on the Pinanski Energy Center building filled with state of the art labs and teaching spaces, bookended by a 5.5 megavolt (MV) Van de Graff particle accelerator and 1 Megawatt swimming pool style reactor.
These two research assets, the reactor and accelerator, make up what is now the UMass Lowell Radiation Lab.
The particle accelerator target room underground construction site, October 4, 1966.