The Tsongas Industrial History Center offers unique, standards-based field-trip programs that incorporate hands-on activities with the authentic historical and natural resources of Lowell National Historical Park.

Our interdisciplinary approach brings engineering, physics, environmental, and earth sciences to life for students.

UMass Lowell Image

The Tsongas Industrial History Center's STEM programs empower students to:

  • Explore environmental and earth science concepts in the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
  • Conduct investigations in a unique hands-on environment.
  • Visit natural sites to experience ecosystems at work.
  • Put engineering skills into practice.

Engineer It! (Grades 3-12)

Lowell led the way in engineering and mechanical innovation in early industrial America. Engineers chose certain materials and incorporated simple machines into systems that solved problems to make Lowell “work.” Students work in teams to design/build a device to solve a problem in a textile mill, and explore the Park’s historic engineering resources to see how engineers of the past solved problems. Learn more about Engineer It!.

Student with Industrial Watershed Groundwater Tanks

Industrial Watershed (Grades 7-12)

Nineteenth-century industrial and municipal waste adversely affected the Merrimack River watershed, source of the city’s drinking water. The pollution generated by the growing industrial city unleashed unforeseen consequences that we are still learning from today. Students perform experiments to source and track groundwater and surface water pollution, and discover ways to protect our environment today. Learn more about Industrial Watershed.

At the start of the Industrial Revolution, water from the Merrimack River powered mechanical systems that allowed Lowell’s machines to produce cloth faster than ever before. As engineers and scientists, students work in teams to test for and build solutions to the problem of effectively harnessing waterpower. They explore how water’s potential energy was transformed into kinetic energy to power Lowell’s machines, and examine how that energy is transferred from water to loom in the historic Suffolk Mill.

Power to Production (Grades 4-12)

At the start of the Industrial Revolution, water from the Merrimack River powered mechanical systems that allowed Lowell’s machines to produce cloth faster than ever before. As engineers and scientists, students work in teams to test for and build solutions to the problem of effectively harnessing waterpower. They explore how water’s potential energy was transformed into kinetic energy to power Lowell’s machines, and examine how that energy was transferred from water to loom in the historic Suffolk Mill. Learn more about Power to Production.

The Merrimack River watershed – shaped by human and natural influences – serves as a living laboratory for the study of ecosystems and earth science. In the role of scientists, students collect water samples, perform tests, and analyze data to assess the health of the watershed.

River as a Classroom (Grades 5-8)
The Merrimack River watershed – shaped by human and natural influences – serves as a living laboratory for the study of ecosystems and earth science. In the role of scientists, students collect water samples, perform tests, and analyze data to assess the health of the watershed. Learn more about River as a Classroom.

After reviewing our program descriptions, call us at 978-970-5080 to book your programs.

Partnership

The Tsongas Industrial History Center is an education partnership between the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Education and the National Park Service at Lowell National Historical Park.

  • UMass Lowell
  • National Park Service