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Big Ideas – New Technology For Lowell’s Future
In the Boston Herald this morning – writer Donna Goodison puts the spotlight on Lowell’s future in the new industrial revolution. The state-of-the-art UMass Lowell Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center – opening in the fall of 2012 – is the focus for the future.
Just as its famous mills are a symbol of the Industrial Revolution, Lowell officials hope the state-of-the-art UMass Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center — set to open in fall 2012 — will put the struggling city back on the map and at the forefront of the coming revolution in high-tech manufacturing.
“We’re looking forward to this center being able to expand the breadth of the university’s ability to do research that spins off new companies, as well as the depth and sophistication of their ability to do that in certain fields,” said Adam Baacke, Lowell’s assistant city manager for planning and development. “We definitely think that it bodes well for the city.”
The center is a building that will “serve big ideas,” according to University of Massachusetts at Lowell’s Chancellor Marty Meehan.
“We believe the next industrial revolution will be fueled by the work that goes on at the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center,” he said.
Read the full article here at the BostonHerald.com.
“struggling city”? How so?
Smooth – if you had to talk objectively about Lowell on issues of economics and demographics, in what areas do we look particularly good on paper? Certainly not in poverty, crime, available jobs, unemployment, educational attainment, finances, etc. Sometimes I get the feeling that Lowellians look downriver, say “well, at least this isn’t Lawrence!”, congratulate themselves, and move on. Lowell is not really out-of-band in terms of similarly sized cities of a similar post-industrial predicament, but I think “struggling” is fair.
*If* this biotech center provides jobs and/or attracts top-rate professors and students to the University, it’ll be a big win for Lowell. I still want to know how. The Five Colleges out in the Amherst area still haven’t prevented Springfield from being one of the worst cities in America.
Corey,
I just think it’s hard to have an outsider label us as struggling. Truth hurts I guess. Gotta love the unconditional love some have for Lowell. I don’t know much about Springfield but Lowell’s proximity to Boston/Cambridge will only help us. How many students/profs at those 5 schools live or attend class in downtown Springfield? I think umass Lowell expanding classrooms and beds downtown can help us shed the struggling stigma.