LOWELL, Mass. – James Keeley, of Hollis, N.H., was among more than 80 University of Massachusetts Lowell students who participated in the its co-op scholar program this summer.

Keeley worked with faculty mentors on academic research and service projects to help answer needs in the business world and the community.

Working in teams or individually, the students gained real-world experience while earning a paycheck in their chosen fields of study. Student research projects ranged from how to use robots to help treat autism to how to engage children in music education.

Keeley, who is majoring in sound recording technology, worked at the Music Clubhouse for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell and exhibited the results during UMass Lowell’s annual Co-op Scholar Showcase. Students and their family members, along with UMass Lowell faculty and staff, were among those who attended.

In all, the students worked on 60 different initiatives.

Co-op scholars are academic achievers who were invited to join the program before they enrolled as freshmen. They may conduct their projects during the summer after their freshman year or as sophomores.

“A year ago, most of you had just graduated high school,” UMass Lowell Executive Vice Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney told the students at a lunch that followed the event.

“Did you ever think you’d be doing this kind of research? The quality of the experiences you had and the work you are doing is amazing.”

The scholar program began in 2011 with a small group of engineering students and has grown to include students in each of the university’s six colleges and schools.