Registration for the DifferenceMaker competitions is on Oct. 31. (Courtesy of UMass Lowell DifferenceMaker)
Kelly Skelton
Connector Staff
The fifth year of the DifferenceMaker program is underway, with the beginning of the annual competition’s registration, open to all UMass Lowell students. Registration closes on Oct. 31 with a variety of contests inciting a renewed sense of excitement from last year’s successes.
Recent DifferenceMaker projects include Nonspec (2013), InvisaWear (2016), Biobubbler (2014) and Support-Our-Students (2014). These innovative groups have used DifferenceMaker resources to serve the Lowell community and beyond.
For those unfamiliar with the DifferenceMaker program, these events are being provided for one fundamental purpose. DifferenceMaker envisions a world where UMass Lowell graduates are equipped with a set of entrepreneurial skills and experiences that support them in developing sustainable solutions to problems encountered in their community, workplace or around the world.
The competitions this year include the Francis College Engineering Prototype Competition, the FAHSS Creative Venture Competition and the DCU/MSB Innovation Contest.
The Francis College of Engineering Prototype Competition is open to all students. Each team must have one engineering member. The Prototyping Competition seeks ideas that can be turned into real products. This competition assists students in thinking about an idea and actually building it into a reality.
The FAHSS Creative Venture Competition is open to all students. Each team must have one student in fine arts, humanities or social sciences. The competition looks to bring the spotlight to the entrepreneurial prowess of students here at UMass Lowell, specifically within FAHSS.
DCU/MSB Innovation Contest is open to all students. This contest is looking for students of UMass Lowell that possess innovative ideas pertaining to the banking/financial industries that will foster success within the banking industry.
While the competitions differ in focus, all will highlight student’s capabilities to solve problems by creating real solutions. Involvement in the contests serve as great resume builders. Within these events, students will have the opportunity to work with experts in each field, such as the CEO of DCU Jim Regan ’88 and entrepreneur Glenn Morgan ’86. In addition, $10,000 in cash prizes and funding will be awarded. Each team will also receive an automatic entry into the DifferenceMaker Preliminary Pitch-Off in spring 2018.
To register for a competition, visit https://www.uml.edu/Innovation-Entrepreneurship/DifferenceMaker/College-Competitions/. For more information regarding these events or more opportunities with DifferenceMaker, contact differencemaker@uml.edu.