Jack Sullivan

Plastics engineering major Jack Sullivan estimates that he will generate 10 pounds of plastic waste in the lab over the course of his undergraduate career. It will be worth every ounce, he says.

“I’m going to end up saving hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastic in the future, because I'm going to learn from the mistakes that I made here and apply those lessons to better the industry in the future,” he says.

A native of Methuen, Sullivan knew by the age of 12 that he wanted to study engineering at UMass Lowell. The only question was which field.

“I had relatives that went here, so I knew that UMass Lowell had a great engineering program,” he says. “I figured I might as well do what the school’s best at, which is plastics engineering.” 

That choice has opened doors to hands-on learning and real-world experience that have shaped his path.

Sullivan completed his first professional co-op at RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) in Andover, where he supported manufacturing operations on the production floor. He helped track work in progress and stepped in to keep projects on schedule when supervisors were unavailable — an experience that helped him develop confidence and communication skills.

“I found my voice on the manufacturing floor,” he says. “I was able to mature a lot in an engineering setting.”

He followed that experience with an internship at Corning Life Sciences in Kennebunk, Maine, where he worked under plastics engineering alum John D’Amico ’11, ’12. 

“I got to shadow a plastics engineer every day, apply what I’m learning in school and gain insight into medical device manufacturing,” says Sullivan, who optimized injection molding lines, helped to automate mold processes and performed statistical analysis to support validation.

Those experiences led to a role as a research assistant with Professor Stephen Johnston, supporting a project sponsored by a leading defense contractor. Sullivan manages undergraduate assistants and operates equipment used to compound highly filled wax feedstocks for powder injection molding.

Sullivan also serves as a teaching assistant for Johnston’s industrial seminars for working professionals in product design and injection molding. The role allows Sullivan to network with engineers in the field while teaching them how to optimize their processes and improve product design.

“Being in the shoes of the teacher gives me a better understanding of what I’m learning in school and helps me hone my skills,” says Sullivan, who works primarily in extrusion.

Sullivan, who serves as a Francis College of Engineering Ambassador, plans to stay for his master’s degree while continuing his research. He is grateful for “generous alumni” who help fund the scholarships and facilities that make his education possible.

“It really goes to show why UMass Lowell has the No. 1 plastics program in the country,” he says.