Project Grant 2601516

The National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers awarded the University of Massachusetts Lowell $599,963 on September 1, 2026, to establish an Engineering Classrooms and Research Experiences for Health (ECARE for Health) Research Experience for Teachers (RET) site under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041).

The award funds a six-week summer research program and academic-year implementation spanning three years through August 31, 2029. The site will recruit and support eight high school STEM teachers annually from Massachusetts Gateway City school districts—cities with lower median household incomes and educational attainment rates. Teachers will work alongside engineering faculty on interdisciplinary projects in biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, medical devices, and rehabilitation technologies. The program equips teachers with knowledge of the engineering design process and healthcare research methods, supports them in developing standards-aligned classroom modules that translate summer research into accessible STEM learning experiences, and builds sustainable school-university partnerships to expand engineering participation. Teachers will engage in professional development focused on connecting emerging healthcare technologies to classroom instruction and introducing students to engineering solutions that improve healthcare accessibility in low-resource settings. Work is performed at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.