Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
11/16/2015
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/pressroom. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:
- The investigation into the Paris attacks, including ISIS’ role and the world’s response;
- Nutritious Thanksgiving meals and how to stay on track with your diet during the holidays;
- The retail outlook for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and throughout the season.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
NERVE Center Event Showcases Robots
Curtain Rises on Performances by Music Students, Faculty
Women’s Role in Arab Spring Uprisings Featured at Event
Marathon Bombing Survivor to Speak to Campus, Public
Student Volunteers Prepare Thanksgiving Baskets for Families in Need
Artist’s Creativity Flows from Respect for Water
NERVENERVE Center Event Showcases Robots
When: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m.
What: Prototypes of robots that may be available to the public someday will be showcased during an open house at the New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center at UMass Lowell. The center – one of the country’s most advanced testing facilities – evaluates robots’ durability and performance through a variety of obstacle courses and other challenges. Free to the public, the event will include demonstrations and exhibits of robots being developed at businesses, universities and organizations throughout the region, helping to fuel the estimated $1.9 billion robotics industry in Massachusetts as well as assisting researchers in other states. Members of the public who have built robots they would like to demonstrate during the event or wish to attend are asked to contact Adam Norton at nerve@cs.uml.edu.
Where: NERVE Center at UMass Lowell, 1001 Pawtucket 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
ConcertsCurtain Rises on Performances by Music Students, Faculty
What: UMass Lowell students will present free concerts and performances for the campus and community in a variety of genres that will showcase their musicianship. Events, which are open to the public, will feature the following groups:
- Studio Orchestra – The ensemble will perform the music of jazz bandleaders Thad Jones and Gil Evans under the direction of UMass Lowell music faculty member Walter Platt, who arranged many of the selections. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
- Wind Ensemble – Performers will play works by classical composers Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Gustav Holst and Carl Orff, conducted by Daniel Lutz, director of university bands. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Small Jazz Ensemble – Student musicians will perform selections by Parliament-Funkadelic and instrumental fusion band Snarky Puppy, along with modern jazz classics by Freddie Hubbard and Ornette Coleman. Music will also include original works composed by the group’s members and ensemble director Walter Platt. Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.
- Opera Workshop – UMass Lowell voice students will stage an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” under the direction of faculty member Janice Giampa with pianist Elaine Smith Purcell. Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.
Where: Durgin 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
SpringWomen’s Role in Arab Spring Uprisings Featured at Event
When: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
What: Documentary film director Gini Reticker will present a screening of “The Trials of Spring,” which chronicles the lives of nine women who played pivotal roles in the Arab Spring movement in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. A discussion and event reception featuring Egyptian women’s rights advocate Hend Nafea will follow. Reticker received an Academy Award nomination for her film short “Asylum” about political refugees from Ghana and was also behind the lens for “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which profiled the civil disobedience and peacemaking efforts of Liberian women who ended the country’s second civil war, including Leymah Gbowee, UMass Lowell’s 2011 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies.
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
SdoiaMarathon Bombing Survivor to Speak to Campus, Public
When: Thursday, Nov. 19, 4 p.m.
What: Boston Marathon bombing survivor Roseann Sdoia, a UMass Lowell graduate, will lead a program for the campus and public about the challenges she has overcome. Sdoia was standing near the marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013 and sustained serious injuries when one of two bombs planted by terrorists killed three spectators and hurt more than 260 others. She’ll talk about how that day irrevocably changed her life and how it affected her career. Sdoia graduated from UMass Lowell in 1991 with a business degree and spent 25 years in the real estate field, where she rose to become a vice president of property management for a Boston area development company. As she continues to recover from her injuries, she has forged a new path as a motivational speaker. The program is the first in UMass Lowell’s new Women in Business Speaker Series, which is presented by the university’s Manning School of Business.
Where: University Crossing, Moloney Hall, 220 Pawtucket 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
BasketsStudent Volunteers Prepare Thanksgiving Baskets for Families in Need
When: Monday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m. to noon
What: UMass Lowell student volunteers will prepare Thanksgiving baskets that will be provided to more than 300 local families in need through the event’s partner, Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities, which determines the recipients. Items for the baskets are donated by UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff during a campus-wide collection drive. The annual event, now in its seventh year, is presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Residence Life. Note: This event is not open to the public but media are welcome to attend.
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
WaterArtist’s Creativity Flows from Respect for Water
When: Exhibit runs through Wednesday, Nov. 25. For University Gallery hours, see www.uml.edu/Dept/Art/galleries_university.htm.
What: The scarcity of the world’s water and the importance of the resource is the topic of “In Solidarity,” an exhibit by visual artist Naoe Suzuki that reimagines rivers in works of art fashioned by laser-cut paper. The exhibit is open to the public and admission is free.
Where: University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Deborah Santoro, gallery coordinator, 978-934-3491, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu