More than 30 middle and high school students from the Merrimack Valley visited UMass Lowell Jan. 14 to meet university leaders and view the campus location where they will spend six weeks designing and building a robot for the international For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) robotics competition. After the robot is built, the students will compete in the qualifying round in Hartford, where they will attempt to prove their creation’s functionality. If successful, the team will continue on to the world championships in St. Louis in April.

Somerville’s Union Square Station Associates has selected four local businesses to participate in a second-round Technical Assistance Program to help them take full advantage of Union Square’s redevelopment. RiverDog, a canine day-care and training center, the gift shop Beadkreative, Pao de Acucar Market — which specializes in Brazilian foods — and The Juice Union, a soon-to-arrive beverage bar, will receive advice from business consulting firm Retail Visioning and grants of up to $1,000 each.

Care Dimensions’ Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers is conducting training for volunteers starting Feb. 18. Those wishing to volunteer will be trained in areas such as how to be prepared, safety precautions, and how to work with patients who are in the last stages of an advanced illness. To register for training, call 978-750-9349

Christina Bagni

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