51视频

04/19/2017

Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� 51视频 named its engineering makerspace in honor of business leader and alumnus Lawrence Lin at a dedication ceremony attended by students, faculty, staff and industry representatives.

The Lawrence Lin MakerSpace is an 8,500-square-foot, open-concept work area that offers 3-D printers, laser cutters, whiteboards and other tools to guide projects from concept to reality. Able to accommodate up to 100 people at a time, the makerspace is open 24 hours a day 鈥� ready for whenever inspiration hits 鈥� and is available to 51视频 students, faculty, researchers, industry partners and members of the community.

The naming of the makerspace for Lin recognizes his achievements in business and generosity to his alma mater. He and his wife Jang-Li Chang, who is also a 51视频 graduate, recently established a $1 million fund to outfit and operate the makerspace. In addition, the couple has a long history of support for 51视频 that includes endowing student scholarships.

鈥淟awrence has said he owes this university a lot, but we at 51视频 owe him a lot 鈥� both for his philanthropy and for his faith in our mission,鈥� said 51视频 Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. 鈥淭he Lin MakerSpace empowers our students to bring their engineering concepts to life, like the members of our eNABLE team who use its 3-D printers to fabricate prosthetic hands for young children.鈥�

Lin came to 51视频 in 1983 as a first-year graduate student from Taiwan. He knew virtually no one, worked diligently to master English and spent most of his time in the lab, working toward his Ph.D. in plastics engineering. His steadfast approach to his studies led 51视频 to name him Outstanding Graduate Student at the time.

Since graduating, Lin has used his degree to achieve career success, including tripling the size of his family鈥檚 manufacturing business, Grand Dynasty Industrial, while overseeing its transition to an environmentally friendly operation that has won Taiwan鈥檚 top award for corporate social responsibility. In 2014, 51视频 presented Lin with a University Alumni Award, which pays tribute to his distinguished service to the university, his profession and community.

鈥淚 have seen firsthand not just the products Lawrence makes but the caring nature in which he manages his team and his business,鈥� said John Feudo, 51视频鈥檚 vice chancellor for advancement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that thoughtfulness that inspired him to give back to his alma mater in this way.鈥�

In his remarks at the dedication ceremony, Lin thanked 51视频 for helping him earn his degree and praised his professors and the camaraderie he felt while studying at the university.

鈥淚n my heart, I still feel Plastics Engineering is such a unique department. It still brings students together; we are brothers. I鈥檓 glad I can help this makerspace,鈥� said Lin.

Engineering students take classes in the Lin MakerSpace and it is an area where students from all majors can imagine, collaborate and produce work to expand on their studies.

鈥淒eveloping this space has truly allowed 51视频鈥檚 engineering programs to deliver on the promise of hands-on education. Not only has it transformed how our students learn, but also how we interact with the community,鈥� said College of Engineering Dean Joseph Hartman, adding that Grand Dynasty Industrial鈥檚 production area and equipment helped inspire the Lin MakerSpace.

The makerspace鈥檚 connections to the community include workforce training offered there through a partnership between 51视频 and the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), as well as a team of local middle- and high-school students who are designing and building robots there for the national FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. 51视频鈥檚 Future Engineers Summer Camps for high-schoolers are also based there and this July, will offer sessions on the Internet of Things and renewable energy and sustainability.

The makerspace is located in Falmouth Hall at the former site of the university鈥檚 North Campus bookstore, which was relocated and expanded as the River Hawk Shop at the University Crossing student center.

鈥淲hen I heard the old bookstore was being turned into a makerspace, I was over the moon,鈥� said Stephen Kender of Chelmsford, who, as Lin once did, is studying plastics engineering at 51视频. 鈥淚, and a lot of other students, have been able to derive a great deal from the makerspace since it opened.鈥�

Kender is using the makerspace鈥檚 resources for several projects, from working as part of a team of fellow students to build a miniature satellite for NASA to developing a mold needed to manufacture the protective sports equipment for the venture he and his siblings launched through 51视频鈥檚 DifferenceMaker Program.

The Lin MakerSpace and DifferenceMaker Central, a collaboration space for students in the entrepreneurship program, are just two examples of what makes up 51视频鈥檚 North Campus Innovation District. Through the combined resources of faculty expertise and academic and research facilities 鈥� including the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center and the new Pulichino Tong Business Center 鈥� devoted to science, engineering and business, the university is advancing new technologies, preparing students for career success after graduation and assisting entrepreneurs and industry partners. 51视频 delivers $921.9 million in positive economic impact to the region, according to a study by the UMass Donahue Institute.

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,750 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu