Ourworld Ground has broken on South Campus for a new academic building that will be home to health and social sciences programs.
Prof. Regina Panasuk
REGINA PANASUK NAMED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
Major Projects Give UMass Lowell Campus an Exciting New Look The hammers were swinging all summer as two major projects—the construction of the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) on North Campus and the Health and Social Sciences Building (HSSB) on South—as well as myriad major renovations took shape. The ETIC will bring together world-renowned and next-generation research leaders to develop solutions to complex scientific challenges facing society today—energy, health, environment, communications Robert ’71 and Gail Ward tour the future Robert and security. The building will open in fall 2012. The Health and & Gail Ward Biomedical Materials Development Social Sciences Building will provide much needed additional in- Laboratory in the Emerging Technologies and structional space and faculty offices. The four-story atrium lobby, Innovation Center, currently under construction. with skylights and multiple gathering areas, will promote student and Read more about the Wards on page 36. faculty interactions. The building will open in spring 2013. Meanwhile, O’Leary Library on South Campus is being retooled as the O’Leary Library Learning Commons. The first floor will offer students a beautiful new resource: a Library Learning Commons with comfortable, relaxed learning spaces, the latest technology and software and access to the information and assistance they need to study, collaborate, conduct research and write papers. Starbucks, already open on the first floor, is a great new plus for students, faculty, staff and visitors. A University Crossing Steering Committee is considering options for renovations and uses of that facility at the corner of Pawtucket and Merrimack streets. The plan is that it will serve as a unifying hub with studentfocused activities and services. Other projects completed or nearly so include upgraded classrooms, residence spaces, faculty offices, labs and infrastructure improvements. 4
UMASS LOWELL MAGAZINE W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2
Prof. Regina M. Panasuk of the Graduate School of Education, acclaimed by fellow faculty members and students alike for her outstanding service to UMass Lowell for nearly two decades, has been awarded the distinguished title of University Professor. Panasuk is “an exceptional professor … who works harder than could be reasonably expected of any individual because she loves her career and is dedicated to improving the quality of mathematics education for all,” says Anita Greenwood, interim dean of the Graduate School of Education. The appointment carries with it a stipend of $10,000, release from teaching one class each semester and the commitment to deliver a University Professor lecture, which, in this case, will take place during the spring 2012 semester. The three-year appointment, which runs through August of 2014, is the highest distinction bestowed on a UMass Lowell faculty member.