51视频

08/30/2017
By Ed Brennen

If you鈥檙e a new student at the university, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. New classes. New friends. New routines. New city. Was that class in Dugan Hall or Durgin Hall? What鈥檚 an 鈥淚CC鈥�? Does the LRTA go to Mill No. 5?听

If you鈥檙e a returning student, you know there鈥檚 always some new building or program popping up that you need to learn about. What鈥檚 the 鈥淩iver Hawk Village鈥�? Where are these new Aiken Fields that keep showing up in Snap stories?听

To help you get acclimated (or reacquainted) with the university, we鈥檝e put together a glossary of terms and acronyms common on the UML campus. So if your roommate ever talks about the work she鈥檚 doing for PERC at ETIC, you鈥檒l know what she鈥檚 saying.

The Acre: The oldest neighborhood in Lowell, the Acre is actually several hundred acres 鈥� and home to much of our East and South campuses. 听

Aiken Fields: Want to play intramural soccer or club rugby under the lights? Or maybe some tennis? Then these new recreation fields on East Campus are the place for you.

Allen House: With sweeping views of the Merrimack River and South Campus, this is the university鈥檚 most picturesque place. The historic house was the former residence of Charles Herbert Allen, a former businessman and governor. It now features an art gallery, an event space and an exhibit of the desk, typewriter and personal items of famed Beat writer (and son of Lowell) Jack Kerouac.

Ally Space: Have a question about LGBTQ resources and support services? Want to find out how you can help make the campus more inclusive? The Ally Space promotes a safe and healthy campus environment through trainings, programs and education.

CLASS: Yes, you鈥檙e here to go to class. And surely you act with class. But CLASS also stands for the Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services, and they鈥檙e here to help. Have a question about your course selection? Need tutoring or another set of eyes on that paper? You can access them online or in person in four locations: North Campus (Southwick Hall, third floor); South Campus (Learning Commons, first floor); East Campus (Fox Hall, first floor); and Downtown (ICC, Room 821).

听The Connector: 鈥淪erving the Student Body Since 1976,鈥� this is the student newspaper distributed free across campus every Tuesday during the academic year. You can also check it out online at .

CRC: The Campus Recreation Center on East Campus is where you can go to work out, join a club or intramural team and even get your bicycle tuned up. The 65,000-square-foot facility features three multi-use courts for basketball, volleyball and badminton, two aerobic studios, squash and racquetball courts, an indoor track, a turf field, a bike shop and locker rooms. You can even play pool or ping-pong in the lobby.

DifferenceMakers:听If Steve Jobs had gone to 51视频, he would have loved听DifferenceMakers. It鈥檚 where students who enjoy creativity and innovation learn how to turn their ideas into products and businesses that, you guessed it, make a difference in people鈥檚 lives. 听听

Durgin vs. Dugan:听Don鈥檛 worry, everyone has a hard time keeping these South Campus buildings straight.听Durgin Hall听is our 1,000-seat performance center, where you can catch a student concert. Dugan Hall is an academic building that features a new Media Fabrication Laboratory, complete with a 3-D printer and scanner for design and fine arts students.

ETIC:听Also known as the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, this high-tech building is impossible to miss on North Campus. Even if you鈥檙e not involved with the听cutting-edge research听in nanotechnology, molecular biology, plastics engineering and optics going on inside, you can still relax on its gorgeous front lawn or catch up with friends over a Frappuccino from Starbucks.

Free Wheelers:听You鈥檙e at Fox Hall and need to get to South Campus pronto. But the weather鈥檚 so nice and you don鈥檛 feel like catching a shuttle bus. Just check out a听Free Wheelers听bicycle (it鈥檚 free, of course) and you鈥檙e on your way.

HEROES:听Did you know that our faculty and students work with the U.S. Army to develop state-of-the-art gear for soldiers on the battlefield? HEROES, or听Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers, is a collaborative research and development center with the U.S. Army鈥檚 Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.听

Howe Bridge:听This is the mighty span over the Merrimack River that connects North Campus to the rest of the university. It鈥檚 also a great spot to get a gorgeous sunset photo for your Instagram.

ICC:听This is what we call the听51视频 Inn and Conference Center, a university-owned residence hall, hotel and meeting space in the heart of downtown Lowell. More than 400 students live at the ICC, where they enjoy their own dining hall, a Learning Commons and shuttle service to the rest of campus.

听iHUB:听Short for the听Innovation Hub, this is a space for tech startups working to bring their ideas to life and products to market. Located in downtown Lowell, it includes the听Medical Device Development Center听(M2D2), a business incubator on the fourth floor. Thanks to $11.3 million in recent state funding, the first and second floors are being converted into a cutting-edge research lab for creating next-generation smart fabrics.

LoCSST:听Don鈥檛 worry, it has nothing to do with a plague of locusts. The听Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology听is where researchers, students and industry partners come together to explore space, the final frontier. You may have heard about their work during the recent听solar eclipse.

LRTA:听Need a free and easy way to get to the Burlington Mall, the movie theater or Lowell鈥檚 commuter rail station for a train to Boston? Use your UCard to听ride any of the city buses for free. You can also get to Dracut, Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill with the听听(MVRTA) Route 01/41 bus.

MakerSpace:听This is like a playground for engineering students: a听big, open workshop听with 3-D printers and workstations for electronics and machining.听

Mill No. 5:听Live music, yoga, movies, coffee, vinyl records, an apothecary, a cheesemonger and even an occasional farmer鈥檚 market.听, located in a renovated factory downtown, is a haven of hip.听

M2D2:听No, it鈥檚 not R2-D2鈥檚 little sister. It鈥檚 the听Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center, and it鈥檚 where medical device companies team up with researchers from both 51视频 and the UMass Medical School.听

NERVE:听The听, which is moving downtown to 110 Canal Street this fall, is an indoor obstacle course for robots of all kinds 鈥� including Valkyrie, a $2 million humanoid robot that NASA hopes to one day send to Mars. 听

Olsen vs. Olney:听This is another frequent source of confusion, compounded by the fact that these science buildings are located across the street from each other on North Campus. Olsen houses the Computer Science and Biology departments and various labs and classrooms. Olney is where you will find the Kennedy College of Sciences Dean鈥檚 office, classrooms, the meteorology lab and more.

PERC:听Good name for a coffee shop, right? It鈥檚 actually something far cooler: the听Printed Electronics Research Collaborative. It鈥檚 where industry, academia and the government come together to develop the future of printed and flexible electronics.

River Hawk Roadster:听It鈥檚 a big campus, but the听River Hawk Roadster听shuttles make it much more manageable. Be sure to get the听Roadster Routes app听to know when the next bus is coming.

River Hawk Village:听A new residence hall opening this fall on East Campus,听River Hawk Village听offers loft and townhouse housing options for 780 students. Did we mention that every unit has a washer, dryer and kitchen?

Rowdy:听The university鈥檚 mascot has gone through a听few transformations听over the years, but Rowdy the River Hawk is now the big bird on campus. Be sure to give him a high-five at the next hockey or basketball game.

The Solution Center:听Adulting has never been so easy. You can register for a class, pay your bill or apply for financial aid 鈥� all in one听convenient location听in the lobby of University Crossing.

SPACE HAUC:听Pronounced 鈥淪pace Hawk,鈥� this wins the award for most creative acronym: the听Science Program Around Communications Engineering with High-Achieving Undergraduate Cadres. Backed by $200,000 from NASA, students are building a satellite that will launch in 2018 on a yearlong mission to collect and transmit research data.

UC:听Considered the 鈥渓iving room鈥� of campus life,听University Crossing听also goes by 鈥淯Crossing鈥� and 鈥淯X.鈥� It鈥檚 home to the River Hawk Shop, the Solution Center, Crossroads Caf茅, student clubs, the Study Abroad office, Career Services and more.

UCAPS:听If you live, learn or work at the university, then you鈥檒l know the听UCard, Access and Parking Services听office. They provide your UCard and manage parking on campus.

Western Avenue Studios:听Another funky find in the city,听听is the largest artist community on the Eastern Seaboard, home to more than 300 working painters, photographers, sculptors, weavers, woodworkers and more.听

Wicked Blue:听Home to our powerhouse field hockey team,听Wicked Blue听is the nickname of the blue Cushing Field on North Campus.听

WUML: OK, it鈥檚 not really an acronym, but rather the call letters for the student-run radio station,. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall (the station first aired on Nov. 26, 1967), WUML broadcasts from the basement of Lydon Library.