Story and source ideas for journalists
04/06/2015
This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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
- With the start of baseball season, talk to researchers testing bats and balls at UMass Lowell’s Baseball Research Center;
- International relations experts can discuss whether Congress has a role in overseeing and approving a nuclear deal with Iran;
- Business experts weigh in on the Apple Watch and what the tech giant hopes to accomplish with its release later this month.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Alumni Return to Share Career Experiences in Science Fields
Event Launches Book on Challenges of Personal-Care Workers
NERVE Center Showcases the Robots of the Future
Area Employers Host Job Fair and Networking Event
Contest Awards Schoolchildren for Art that Educates Commuters
Americans’ Quest for Civil Rights Honored in Event Series
24-Hour ‘Relay for Life’ Raises Awareness, Money for Cancer Fight
Free Event for Public, Campus Explores Perceptions of the Arab World
Science Alumni Return to Share Career Experiences in Science Fields
When: Tuesday, April 7, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell graduates who are working in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and environmental science will discuss the challenges of these industries and the promise they hold for the future with students who want to build careers in these areas. The event will include panel discussions and question-and-answer and networking sessions.
Where: Olsen Hall, Room 102, North Campus, 198 Riverside 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
BookEvent Launches Book on Challenges of Personal-Care Workers
When: Wednesday, April 8, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell’s Center for Women and Work will host a launch event for the book “Caring Around the Clock: The Complexities and Contradictions of Paid Care Work,” which was co-edited by Sociology Prof. Mignon Duffy and features the writings of the center’s researchers. The book examines the history of workers in the paid-care sector – including nannies, nurses and home health-care aides – and the on-the-job challenges and rewards they experience. Designed to be a resource for policymakers, the book offers potential reforms so these employees can continue to be fulfilled in their roles and avoid burnout. The Center for Women and Work brings together UMass Lowell faculty members from a variety of fields to research the relationship between work and gender and advance measures that promote equality among workers.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Mezzanine, South Campus, 61 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
NERVENERVE Center Showcases the Robots of the Future
When: Wednesday, April 8, 6 to 8 p.m.
What: Robots poised to enter the marketplace will take center stage at the New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center at UMass Lowell – the nation’s most advanced robotics testing facility – which evaluates prototypes’ durability and performance through a variety of obstacle courses and tests. Free to the public, the open house will exhibit and demonstrate robots being developed by researchers at businesses, universities and organizations including iRobot, the UMass Lowell Robotics Laboratory, Devens Interoperability Playground and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, as part of National Robotics Week, which is April 4 through April 12. Members of the public who have built robots they would like to demonstrate during the showcase should contact Adam Norton at nerve@cs.uml.edu. Members of the public who wish to attend are asked to register at http://nerve-nrw-2015.eventbrite.com/.
Where: New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation Center at UMass Lowell, 1001 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
NetworkingArea Employers Host Job Fair and Networking Event
When: Thursday, April 9, 2 to 5 p.m.
What: Representatives of employers such as Kronos, Lowell General Hospital and Enterprise Bank will attend the Merrimack Valley Commonwealth Compact Diversity Career and Networking Fair, which will be free to job-seekers from UMass Lowell and the general public. Attendees may apply for jobs on site, participate in resume-review sessions and learn about how to navigate the job-application and recruitment process. The event is presented by the Merrimack Valley Commonwealth Compact, a collaborative of area employers committed to fostering development by connecting diverse job applicants to businesses, nonprofit and government agencies throughout the region.
Where: UMass Lowell Inn & 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
CoolContest Awards Schoolchildren for Art that Educates Commuters
When: Friday, April 10, 3 to 5 p.m.
What: Elementary-, middle- and high-school students from across the state will be recognized for creating award-winning artwork that depicts concepts behind climate change for the third annual Cool Science contest. The artwork – the basis of a public-transit campaign – can be seen on and inside Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses and commuter terminals, where it helps raise awareness of these issues among thousands of patrons daily. Cool Science is led by David Lustick of Nashua, N.H., and Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier of Westford, associate professors in UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education, who are conducting research on the program’s effectiveness as an educational method. The artwork will be on display at the event, both in a gallery exhibit and on an LRTA bus that will be on site. Schoolchildren from Belchertown, Chelmsford, Holbrook, Lowell, Marblehead, Milton, North Andover, Rochester, Somerville, Taunton and Tyngsborough are expected to attend the program.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Mezzanine, South Campus, 61 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
RightsAmericans’ Quest for Civil Rights Honored in Event Series
What: UMass Lowell programs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explore the significance of Americans’ quest for equality during that era and the relevance of that struggle today. UMass Lowell Honors College students from Bedford, Billerica, Brockton, Chelmsford, East Walpole, Groton, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, Middleton, Saugus, Taunton, Waltham, Westford and West Newbury are working to present these events and are participating in a range of research and classroom programs. They include:
- University Orchestra Spring Concert – The student ensemble will perform selections associated with peace and human rights, including Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture,” under the direction of Mark Latham, a UMass Lowell music faculty member. The concert is free and open to the public. Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell.
- The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Struggle for Civil and Political Rights – In the 1960s, Charles Cobb and Judy Richardson were members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which participated in many of the major events in the civil rights movement, including the Selma marches and lunch counter sit-ins. Cobb, now an author and journalist, along with Richardson, a leading scholar with the SNCC Legacy Project and a documentary filmmaker who worked on “Eyes on the Prize,” will share their experiences in the quest for civil rights. Thursday, April 30, 4 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
- Selma to Montgomery: A Photo Exhibition – Images by photojournalist and activist Matt Herron – whose work can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture – documenting the 50-mile march is on display daily for the public and the campus. The free exhibit runs through Thursday, April 30. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell.
For a full list of events, see (http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx) www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Relay24-Hour ‘Relay for Life’ Raises Awareness, Money for Cancer Fight
When: Friday, April 10, 6 p.m. through 5 a.m. Saturday, April 11
What: UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff will run or walk laps on the university’s indoor track to raise money for cancer research, prevention and early detection in the 24-hour Relay for Life marathon. The event will include live entertainment, activities and tributes to cancer survivors and those who have succumbed to the disease. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s chapter of the nationwide Colleges Against Cancer student organization in partnership with the American Cancer Society.
Where: Campus Recreation Center, East Campus, 292 Aiken 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
ArabFree Event for Public, Campus Explores Perceptions of the Arab World
When: Tuesday, April 14, 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
What: Middle East expert Shibley Telhami will discuss shifting public opinions about the Arab world and how they are reshaping foreign policy during UMass Lowell’s annual “Day Without Violence.” The program is free and open to the public. Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at University of Maryland, College Park and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has served as senior adviser to George Mitchell in his former role as U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace. Now in its 20th year, the “Day Without Violence” is observed annually on college and university campuses in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work advancing social justice. Previous “Day Without Violence” speakers at UMass Lowell include South African anti-apartheid leader Albie Sachs, former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis III and human-rights activist John Prendergast.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus 61 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