Alyssa Puglisi

Alyssa Puglisi is an out-of-state student who grew up with four siblings while being raised by a single parent. 

“Deciding to study at an out-of-state university was difficult, considering the additional costs,” says the rising junior chemical engineering major and Honors student from Port Washington, New York. “Nonetheless, I knew I wanted to come to UMass Lowell as soon as my acceptance letter arrived.” 

As part of her acceptance package, Puglisi was offered funding to conduct undergraduate research. 

“This was my final push that UML was meant for me. I wanted to go to a school that believes in me and my abilities. UMass Lowell is a school that trusts and supports its students on any project,” says Puglisi, who minors in energy engineering.

Puglisi was selected to receive a $4,000 Immersive Scholar merit award when she got her UML acceptance letter, and she joined the team of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Asst. Prof. Jasmina Burek as a lab research assistant to work on a project called Sustainable Garments for Refugees.

“We conducted environmental and social assessment on all aspects of a single garment’s life cycle, from its beginning through the end of its life either in a landfill or recycling plant,” Puglisi says.

In addition, she and her fellow students worked in collaboration with a local nonprofit refugee organization to evaluate its processes of collecting and distributing donated, culturally specific Southeast Asian garments. 

“Our project helped the organization to reduce its carbon footprint, increase its output efficiency and recognize the social, religious and moral impacts that go beyond donated clothing,” she says.

Last year, Puglisi was selected as the Rising Sophomore Scholar by the Francis College of Engineering and was then awarded a three-year, $75,000 scholarship from Entegris, a global leader in advanced materials science based in Billerica, Massachusetts.

Puglisi is the second UML student to receive such financial support from the company. The first was Nardine Faheem, a mechanical engineering major whose family was among the thousands of Coptic Christians who fled Egypt for fear of religious persecution following the 2011 Arab Spring, and who now lives in Westborough, Massachusetts.

“My family will no longer have to worry about how to make ends meet, so I can continue my education and realize my dream career in the engineering field,” says Puglisi, who plans to pursue a master’s degree in engineering at UML after she graduates.

“UMass Lowell believes in its students,” she says. “It sees your potential, even before you do.”