Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

04/07/2014

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 are available to discuss:

  • What closing the gender pay gap means for men and women, as the Senate considers the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday;
  • Why sinkholes and potholes happen this time of year and new laser technology that can help transportation agencies address the problem;
  • What last-minute filers of tax returns need to know.

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

World-Renowned Peace Advocates to Unite at UMass Lowell Event

When: Tuesday, April 9, 12:30 p.m.

What: Four internationally acclaimed human-rights activists honored by UMass Lowell – including the recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize – will come together for a once-in-a-lifetime event to share their work with the public, students, faculty and staff. “Reflections on Peace-Building” will include anti-apartheid champion Albie Sachs, UMass Lowell’s 2014 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, and three of the past recipients of the honor. They are Leymah Gbowee, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 after uniting Christian and Muslim women in a national protest that helped end the Second Liberian Civil War; Linda Biehl, an American mother who reconciled with two of the men convicted of murdering her daughter in South Africa and now travels with them to teach restorative justice; and Padraig O’Malley, who works to unite divided communities and resolve conflicts in places such as Northern Ireland, South Africa and Iraq. The free public event will be held in UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane Theatre in Mahoney Hall on the university’s South Campus at 870 Broadway St., Lowell. As the 2014 Peace Scholar, Sachs – an influential member of the African National Congress, judge and author – will be in residence at UMass Lowell throughout April, engaging the university community and the public in programs on advancing human rights. Other upcoming events, all of which are also free and open to the public, include:

  • Day Without Violence – Sachs will deliver an address on human rights and the preservation of dignity. Tuesday, April 8, 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Nelson Mandela Memorial Groundbreaking – UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan, Sachs, public officials and members of the local African American Alliance are scheduled to help break ground on a city of Lowell memorial that will pay tribute to Mandela, who was Sachs’ friend and colleague. Thursday, April 10, 11 a.m., western lawn, Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell. A reception inside the Tsongas Center will follow.
  • “Soft Vengeance in a Violent World” – Sachs will discuss his work with Mandela to achieve peace in South Africa. Sunday, April 13, 3:30 p.m., Congregation Kerem Shalom, 659 Elm St., Concord.

Visit www.uml.edu/Research/PACSI/Greeley-Scholars for a full schedule of events and more information.

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

Acclaimed Poet Presents Free Public Reading of Latest Work

When: Wednesday, April 9, 4 p.m.

What: Award-winning poet Willie Perdomo will read from “The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon,” his latest work, which chronicles the life of a percussionist in the throes of reinventing his life. Perdomo, whose poetry has appeared in the New York Times magazine, is the winner of the PEN Beyond Margins Award and a Pushcart Prize nominee. He will sign books after the reading, which is hosted by UMass Lowell’s English Department as part of its Writers on Campus series. Perdomo will also visit with students enrolled in the department’s advanced poetry writing workshop.

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

Hockey Heroes’ Game Salutes Veterans, Olympians

When: Wednesday, April 9, 7:45 p.m.

What: A team of military veterans injured in action will take the ice to face former Olympic and NHL hockey players – including Ted Donato, Brian Leetch and Shawn McEachern – in the American Heroes Hockey Challenge. Members of the U.S. gold medal-winning 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, including captain Mike Eruizone and Dave Silk are also scheduled to appear. The USO is providing a live stream of the event to troops in Afghanistan. At 6:30 p.m. before the game, the USA Warriors will face the CHD Disability Resources Western Massachusetts Knights in a game of sled hockey. Tickets are $10 per person. The event will benefit the USA Warriors, the Travis Roy Foundation and One Fund Boston. To purchase tickets, visit www.americanheroeshockeychallenge.com.

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

Contacts for media: Steve Palmacci, 781-820-7911, spalmacci@mahockey.org or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Cambodia Exhibit Opening Honors Kitty and Michael Dukakis

When: Sunday, April 13, 3 to 5 p.m.

What: Former Gov. Michael and Kitty Dukakis are expected to join local leaders and the public for the opening of the exhibit, “Lowell, a City of Refugees, a Community of Citizens,” which features the stories of Cambodians who were forced to leave their homeland during the reign of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. In the early 1980s, the Dukakises worked to help ease Cambodian refugees’ relocation to Massachusetts; Mrs. Dukakis organized a mission to Thailand where she worked for the release of 250 orphaned children. Speakers are scheduled to include Gov. Dukakis, Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott and Jean Franco, Lowell’s superintendent of schools. The exhibit is one in a series of free public events in the Cambodia Project at UMass Lowell, which examines Cambodian history and culture. The initiative is led by UMass Lowell Graduate School of Education Associate Prof. Patricia Fontaine and involves university faculty, students and community partners. The project is funded by a UMass Creative Economy Grant.

Where: Western Avenue Studios, 122, Western 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

‘Disable the Label’ Events Promote Understanding, Awareness

When: Monday, April 14 and Tuesday, April 15

What: UMass Lowell’s “Disable the Label” events throughout April engage the UMass Lowell community and the public in promoting understanding of people with disabilities and raising awareness of local resources. Events open to the public this week include:

  • Special Spirit Basketball Game – Special Olympics athletes will square off in this fourth annual game Monday, April 14, 6 to 8 p.m. The event is presented by the offices of Residential Life and Student Activities and the Disable the Label Club. Costello Athletic Center, North Campus Riverside St., Lowell.
  • Thriving Through and Beyond Trauma – Gary Kemp, who has been wheelchair-bound for 40 years, will detail how people cope with traumatic change and the role therapy plays in that process. The event is sponsored by the Reeve Foundation. Tuesday, April 15, 3 to 5 p.m., Weed Hall, Lecture Hall II, South Campus, 3 Solomont Way, Lowell.

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

Student Entrepreneurs Vie for $35,000 in Seed Money for Best Ideas

When: Tuesday, April 15, 5 to 9 p.m.

What: Twelve teams of UMass Lowell students who have developed solutions to business, technology and social problems will go before a panel of expert alumni judges in the finals of the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge. The competition, which began in January, matched students and faculty mentors from each of the university’s six schools and colleges to develop new products and services for business and the community. The finalists will unveil innovative ideas for software apps, health care, energy, education and more. The winners will share in $35,000 in seed money to help bring their ideas to fruition. The competition is part of UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students how to think like entrepreneurs in order to solve real-word problems.

Where: Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, Perry Atrium, North Campus, 40 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

Outdoor Martial Arts Demonstration Celebrates Portuguese Culture

When: Wednesday, April 16, noon to 5 p.m.

What: A demonstration of capoeira – a Brazilian martial art that incorporates elements of acrobatics and dance – will be performed by the Associacao de Capoeira Mandingueiros dos Palmares. The event, which is free and open to the public, is presented by UMass Lowell’s Department of Cultural Studies and the Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research. For more information, contact Prof. Frank Sousa, the center’s director, at Frank_Sousa@uml.edu.

Where: South quadrangle, outside O’Leary Library Learning Commons, 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

Rise in C-Section Births in U.S. Hospitals Explored at Public Talk

When: Wednesday, April 16, 2:30 to 4 p.m.

What: Theresa Morris, author of “Cut it Out: The C-Section Epidemic in America,” will draw on her interviews with expectant mothers, obstetricians, midwives and nurses for this free public discussion on the increase in Cesarean births in the nation’s hospitals. Morris’ talk is presented by UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Center for Women and Work and the departments of Psychology, Community Health and Sustainability, and Gender 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

Conference Fosters Sustainable Campuses, Communities

When: Thursday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What: Sustainability: Systems and Solutions, a conference presented by the Massachusetts Sustainable Communities and Campuses group, will bring together municipal, business, nonprofit and higher-education professionals to share best practices, current trends and resources. UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott will be among the event’s speakers. The program will include more than 50 presentations on topics ranging from how to cultivate urban parks to how to integrate sustainability issues into teaching curricula. UMass Lowell is among the event’s sponsors, which include Casella Resource Solutions and Chelsea Green Publishing.

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

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