Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

10/06/2014

This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations, 978-934-3224. For more stories about UMass Lowell, visit www.uml.edu and click on “Media” at the top of the page. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.

Sources of the week

UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss: 

  • How Hewlett-Packard’s plans to split the business could affect shareholders and employees from a professor who is a former consultant to company;
  • Cases the Supreme Court are likely to take up as it begins its next session this week, including one that centers on the constitutionality of police traffic stops;
  • What the re-emergence of vinyl records means for music fans and the industry as sales this year are expected to top 6 million.

Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.

Veteran TV News Broadcaster to Reflect on Storied Career

When: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 11:45 a.m.

What: Susan Wornick, who built a 34-year career as one of Boston’s most engaging news anchors and reporters, will reflect on her decades in television journalism and the state of the industry today. The veteran reporter will talk about how she was prepared to go to jail to protect a source, the shield law for journalists, the 24-hour news cycle, how technology has changed the field and what broadcast jobs will look like in the future. Free and open to the public, the event is part of UMass Lowell’s Lunchtime Lecture series. Members of the media interested in covering the event should contact UMass Lowell media relations.

Where: UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Teach-In Explores Solutions to Environmental Instability

When: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 4 to 6 p.m.

What: Experts on climate change and public policy will discuss what can be done now to safeguard the environment for the future during UMass Lowell’s annual Climate-Change Teach-In. Topics will include the sustainability efforts that cities and towns can implement, the factors that give rise to climate change and the dynamics of environmental systems. The program is presented by UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative and Climate Action Plan Steering Committee, which bring together students, faculty and staff with community leaders to foster a carbon-neutral campus and promote awareness and action to improve the environment. The event is free and open to the public.

Where:    Cumnock Hall Auditorium, North Campus, 31 University Ave., Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Art Professor Presents Multimedia Show for Campus, Community

When: Thursday, Oct. 9; artist’s talk at 3 p.m., reception at 4 p.m. Exhibit runs through Thursday, Oct. 30. University Gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What: The exhibit “Murtherer (Two or Three Things I Know About Her),” which will include art installations, sculpture, video projection and refracted light, will be presented by award-winning Canadian multimedia artist Denise Dumas. Dumas teaches three-dimensional design and artistic form and content at UMass Lowell. This exhibit seeks to create a theatrical atmosphere that evokes the passage of time and the illusive nature of memory. All events are free and open to the public.

Where: Artist’s talk – O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell. Reception and exhibit – University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell.

Contacts for media: Deborah Santoro, 978-934-3491, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author and Musician Trace Kerouac’s Influence

When: Louis Menand event – Thursday, Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m., Jolie Holland concert – Friday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.

What: Pulitzer-Prize winning author Louis Menand and avant-garde musician Jolie Holland will explore how Jack Kerouac inspired Andy Warhol’s art and their own work. Menand – who won a Pulitzer Prize for his book “The Metaphysical Club,” which explores the cultural history of late 19th- and early 20th-century America – will present “The Education of Andy Warhol,” exploring the pop-art icon’s rise to prominence in the 1960s. In a multimedia performance, Holland will use Warhol’s silent films of Kerouac, writer Allen Ginsberg and musician Lou Reed among others as a backdrop for her own electrified Americana songs. The events begin a month-long series of programs celebrating the Kerouac’s influence. Mike Millner, a UMass Lowell English professor who is an expert on Kerouac, will be available to discuss the Lowell beat generation writer’s legacy. The events are free and open to the public; there is a four-ticket limit per person for Holland’s performance. Programs throughout the month are presented by the Jack Kerouac Literary Festival and Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! For more information, visit (http://www.jackkerouac.com/kerouac-literary-festival/) http://www.jackkerouac.com/kerouac-literary-festival/. Members of the public who have questions about these events should contact artsandideas@uml.edu or 978-934-2957.

Where: Louis Menand talk – O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell. Jolie Holland concert – Mill No. 5, 250 Jackson St., Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Night of Fado Music to Benefit Saab-Pedroso Portuguese Center

When: Friday, Oct. 10; reception at 5:30 p.m. and concert at 7 p.m.

What: “Fado: Sounds of Portugal” will feature musician Duarte Coxo with singer Ângela Brito and Portuguese guitar master Bruno Chaveiro in a performance to benefit the Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research at UMass Lowell. A type of Portuguese folk music that emerged in the 19th century, fado is characterized by haunting melodies and lyrics that evoke everyday life in working-class neighborhoods and tales of the sea. Tickets – which are $30 per person for the concert only or $100 per person for a pre-concert reception and the performance – are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/fado. The Saab-Pedroso Center promotes the study of the language, literature and cultures of Portuguese-speaking people around the world. The concert is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Office of University Advancement and UMass Lowell’s Center for Arts and Ideas. Members of the public who have questions about the concert should contact artsandideas@uml.edu or 978-934-2957. Members of the media interested in covering the event should contact UMass Lowell media relations.

Where: Reception – Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell. Performance – Durgin Concert Hall (Fisher Recital Hall), South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell
 
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Defending Hockey East Champion River Hawks Soar into New Season

When: Friday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell fans will be “united in blue” when the puck drops on the 2014-2015 men’s ice hockey season at the home opener against the Boston College Eagles. The River Hawks are the two-time defending Hockey East Tournament champions and have earned a berth at the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Head Coach Norm Bazin welcomes 16 new faces to the team. The game will include performances of UMass Lowell’s new fight song, “River Hawk Pride” by the university’s Pep Band and fans are urged to “blue out” the arena by wearing the color. Free UMass Lowell T-shirts will be provided to the first 6,000 attendees. Tickets are available through www.TsongasCenter.com, www.goriverhawks.com, the Tsongas Center box office or by calling 866-722-8780. 

Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell

Contacts for media: Pete Souris, 978-934-3771, Peter_Souris@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

‘Mill PowerPower’ Traces the Course of Lowell’s National Park

When: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 5 p.m.

What: A new book that recounts the history of Lowell National Historical Park will be unveiled by author Paul Marion, UMass Lowell’s executive director of community and cultural affairs. “Mill Power: The Origin and Impact of Lowell National Historical Park,” traces the urban park from 1966 through its place in the community today. The event will include readings by people whose stories are included in the book, a talk by Marion about what it was like to work on the project and book signings. Marion – a Lowell native and UMass Lowell graduate – worked for the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission in the 1980s, helping to develop the park’s programs and properties. The event is presented by the park and Easter National, a nonprofit that supports the National Park Service. Members of the public who have questions about the event should contact the Lowell National Historical Park at 978-970-5000.

Where: Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St., Lowell

Contacts for media: Phil Lupsiewicz, 978-275-1705 or phil_lupsiewicz@nps.gov or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu