The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) has been a leader in energy engineering and innovation from the earliest days of renewable energy technology. From the establishment of our Nuclear Engineering program in 1958 in response to Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative when we were still known as the Lowell Technological Institute, to one of the first three solar engineering graduate programs in the nation as the University of Lowell, we have been at the forefront of energy innovation long before we joined the UMass system in 1991. 

A comprehensive History of Energy at UML (pdf) is available for download, but we have featured highlights below. We are proud to continue this legacy today.

John F. Kennedy exits Cumnock Hall through an aisle of regimented soldiers in formation.

1958

President John F. Kennedy celebrated the Lowell Technological Institute's establishment of the Nuclear Science and Engineering education program, which was established in response to President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace" speech.

Aerial view of the Radiation Laboratory reactor.

1974

The Nuclear Radiation Laboratory opened, with facilities including a 5.5 Megaelectronvolt (MV) Van de Graaff accelerator, a 1 megawatt (MW) open pool-type nuclear research reactor, and a Cobalt-60 radiation facility.

A technician examines the controls at the Radiation Facility.

1975

The Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering was formally established as a degree pathway when the Lowell Technological Institute merged with Lowell State College to form the University of Lowell.

The first Nuclear Engineering graduates walk outside the Engineering Building (now Perry Hall).

1977

The University of Lowell offered its first course in Solar Engineering, and the first class of Nuclear Engineering students graduated.

Student standing on a platform above the open-pool nuclear reactor looks down to examine the well.

1980

The Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering degree program was accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). This program is now the Nuclear Engineering Concentration in Chemical Engineering.

Prof. John Duffy demonstrates a solar photovoltaic panel to students outside Pinanski Hall.

1981

A Master of Science in Energy Engineering with a Solar Concentration was first offered as a degree option, one of only three graduate programs in solar energy in the United States at the time.

North Campus and Dandeneau Hall.

1987

The Center for Sustainable Energy was established, focusing on photovoltaic assisted lighting, batteries for energy storage, and the impact of government policies on sustainable development.

Native Quechua children gather on the mountainside in Peru in customary dress.

1997

UMass Lowell's Village Empowerment Project began in the Andes Mountains of Peru in 1997. The project has included the installation of 100 solar systems in 61 mountain villages.

Prof. Christopher Niezrecki demonstrates wind turbine monitoring software to a student.

2009

The Wind Turbine Research Group was formed, with research focused on blade testing, monitoring, structural dynamics, non-destructive evaluation, and composites manufacturing.

A student examines a lab-scale model up close

2010

The Wind Turbine Research Group becomes the Center for Wind Energy after receiving a UMass President’s Office: Science and Technology Initiatives Fund grant.

Prof. Peter Avitabile explains a software demonstration to a student at a computer.

2011

UMass Lowell hosted its first Wind Energy Research Workshop.

Prof. Robert Giles gives a demonstration to a group of Haitian students around a table.

2013

The Haiti Development Studies Center (now the Honors Development Studies Center) was established to work on the challenges of food, energy, and water in impoverished international communities.

Engineers gather on a staircase to celebrate coming together.

2014

The Center for Wind Energy Science Technology and Research (WindSTAR) was formed. It is the nation’s only National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) devoted to wind energy.

Profs. David Willis and Christopher Hansen demonstrate a miniature turbine setup.

2015

Our partnership with KidWind began, hosting Challenge events in the Makerspace, giving demonstrations at town Clean Energy Days. We began enabling student participation in solar installations in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

A female technician wearing gloves places a red plate in a large thermal imaging diagnostic device.

2019

UMass Lowell absorbed significant resources from the Fraunhofer Institute in Boston. Several research scientists moved to campus along with a variety of solar, thermal, and energy diagnostic equipment, both of which dramatically augmented our energy research capabilities.

The newly-renovated Perry Hall's updated exterior and entrance.

2019

Perry Hall was fully renovated, opening a new era of research & learning, The fourth floor became a dedicated Energy Lab, where multiple faculty members from the Center co-located their previously separate laboratories to work collaboratively. Read more about the Energy Lab in the article "Perry Hall Renovations Bigger, Better than Ever".

Rist Institute Co-directors Christopher Niezrecki, Juliette Rooney-Varga, and Ruairi O'Mahoney.

2019

The Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy was formed to bring together the Center for Wind Energy, the Climate Change Initiative, and the Office of Sustainability.

A student wearing protective gear experiments in the lab, connecting hoses to a container of liquid.

2020

The Navy-University Collaboration for Energy Resiliency began in collaboration with Stony Brook University’s Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC). Since then, UMass Lowell has received $16.9 million dollars in research funds to pursue scalable solutions that directly impact energy resilience.

Wind energy technicians in the foreground monitor a wind farm and turbines from their computer.

2020

Central Maine Power (a subsidiary of Avangrid) established a $5 million dollar partnership with UMass Lowell to broadly support the Center’s energy research for 10 years.

Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, Rebecca Tepper cuts the ribbon.

2023

In December 2021, the Center for Wind Energy expanded to include researchers working on solar and other renewable energy solutions and was renamed the Center for Renewable Energy (CRE) . The Center for Energy Innovation (CEI) evolved from the CRE in 2023 as a hub of interdisciplinary research.

ARROW: Academic Center for Reliability & Resilience of Offshore Wind.

2024

The Department of Energy, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and Maryland jointly funded the Academic Center for the Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), which is a partnership between UMass Universities at Lowell, Amherst, and Dartmouth, 5 other universities, and 3 national laboratories.
Merrimack Valley Congressional Representative Lori Trahan gives remarks at the launch celebration. Image by Henry Marte, Marte Media

2025

The Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy relocates to 201 Cabot Street as part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LiNC) to catalyze economic development & facilitate private-public partnerships focused on sustainability. Read more in the article "LINC Development to Propel Lowell into the Future".

Street-level view of the 1-megawatt nuclear reactor facility on UMass Lowell's North Campus

2025

UMass Lowell (UML) leads an effort to create a Nuclear Roadmap for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Read more in the Boston Globe article "Healey administration steps up effort to spur more nuclear power in state," or the WBUR article "Nuclear, fusion energy getting lift in Mass. with new roadmap effort".