Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

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04/13/2015

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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

  • How the political landscape has changed since Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and what she must do to win the Democratic nomination this time;
  • Whether the death penalty, which will be considered during Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial next week, is a deterrent for terrorists;
  • The biggest challenges environmental scientists are facing as the nation marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day;
  • Why people procrastinate about filing their taxes and how they can change their behavior next year.

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

Event Explores How Opinions of Arab World Shape Policy
Student Entrepreneurs Vie for $35,000
Actress Paula Plum Leads Production of ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’
Alumni Awards Honor Outstanding Graduates
Motivational Speaker Shares Story to Help ‘Disable the Label’
Arts Event Celebrates Talents of the UMass Lowell Community
Americans’ Quest for Civil Rights Honored in Event Series

Event Explores How Opinions of Arab World Shape Policy

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, a free program for the campus and 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 served as a consultant to Congress during the Iraq War and advised former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell in his role as United States 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

Students Entrepreneurs Vie for $35,000

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

What: Pitching ideas including 3D-printable dentures, a solar-electric car and protective athletic gear, 10 UMass Lowell student teams will vie for $35,000 to bring their concepts to fruition during the annual DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge. The competition, which began in January, matched students with faculty mentors who helped teams develop solutions to real-world problems. During the event, the finalists will sell a panel of expert judges – including celebrity interior designer Taniya Nayak, a UMass Lowell graduate – on the merits of their proposals. The competition is part of UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students how to think like entrepreneurs in order to answer needs in business and the community.

Where: University Crossing, Moloney Hall, Room 260, 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

Actress Paula Plum Leads Production of ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’

When: Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 through Saturday, April 18 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19.

What: Actress Paula Plum, UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane artist-in-residence, will star alongside students in “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” The comedy, written by Oscar Wilde and first performed in 1892, pits the idealistic Lady Windermere against the rumors, suspicion and innuendoes that run rampant in London society of the Victorian era. Tickets for the performance, which is open to the public, are $10 per person for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. The production is presented by UMass Lowell’s Theatre Arts program. Members of the public who wish to reserve tickets should e-mail Reserve.play.tickets.uml@gmail.com. Tickets will be available at the door for purchase with cash.

Where: Mahoney Hall, Comley-Lane Theatre, South Campus, 870 Broadway 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

Alumni Awards Honor Outstanding Graduates

When: Thursday, April 16, 5 to 9 p.m.

What: Prominent UMass Lowell graduates from each of the institution’s schools and colleges will be honored for their distinguished service to the university, their profession and the community during the annual University Alumni Awards event, which raises funds for student scholarships. This year’s honorees are Kathryn Carter ’78 of Nashua, N.H., UMass Lowell’s vice provost for graduate and international affairs and strategy (Manning School of Business); Wendy LaBate ’96 of Nashua, N.H., senior vice president of Genesis HealthCare (College of Health Sciences); Lawrence Lin ’90 of Cupertino, Calif., president and CEO of Grand Dynasty Industrial Company Ltd. (Francis College of Engineering); Glenn Morgan ’86 of Belmont, partner in Skyworld Interactive (College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences); M. Margaret “Peg” Palmer ’73, ’77 of South Dartmouth, president of Surface Solutions Laboratories Inc. (College of Sciences); and Molly Sheehy ’60, ’82, ’00 of Lowell, retired dean of Middlesex Community College. The university’s annual Recent Alumnus Award will be given to Bryce Anderson ’04 of Newburyport, principal of Coffey Design & Build Company.

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

Motivational Speaker Shares Story to Help ‘Disable the Label’

When: Wednesday, April 22, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

What: Motivational speaker Cameron Clapp will share the story behind the train accident that left him a triple-amputee at age 15 and his journey to become a successful athlete, actor and activist for people with disabilities. He is the recipient of the Shining Star Award – an honor also given to Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles – that recognizes the achievements of disabled individuals. Clapp has appeared in the TV show “My Name is Earl” and the feature film “Stop-Loss,” among other acting credits. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Disable the Label Club, which promotes understanding of people with disabilities and raises awareness about local resources, and Hanger Inc., which runs patient clinics that provide orthotics and prosthetics.

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

Arts Event Celebrates Talents of the UMass Lowell Community

When: Thursday, April 23. Reception, art exhibit and readings, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Theatrical and musical performances, 7:15 to 9 p.m.

What: Actors, artists, musicians and writers who are UMass Lowell students and faculty will showcase their talents to raise money for scholarships at the first-ever Chancellor’s Celebration of the Arts. The event will feature an art exhibit, poetry readings and musical and theatrical performances across two venues. Highlights include best-selling author Andre Dubus III, a faculty member in UMass Lowell’s English Department, who will read from his memoir, “Townie” and actress Paula Plum, UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane artist-in-residence, who will perform with students. Chancellor Marty Meehan will present four honors to cap the event: three Outstanding Student in the Arts Awards and the university’s Champion of the Arts Award, which will go to alumna Bonnie Comley ’81 and her husband, Stewart Lane, Tony Award-winning Broadway producers for whom the artist-in-residence program and Comley-Lane Theatre are named. Tickets for all of the events are $75 per couple, $45 for individuals and $25 for veterans and recent UMass Lowell alumni (classes of 2004 through 2014). UMass Lowell students may attend the concert at Durgin Hall for free. Tickets and more information are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/artscelebration, by calling 978-934-4798 or e-mailing Anita_Pastor@uml.edu.

Where: Reception, art exhibit and readings – Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell. Theatrical and musical performances – Durgin Concert 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

Americans’ 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:

  • Concert – Selections from “Earthrise Mass,” an original work composed by UMass Lowell senior Derek Weagle, a music major from Oxford, will be performed by UMass Lowell music students, faculty, alumni and other musicians from the community in honor of individuals who have taken up the cause for civil rights. Saturday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Civil rights activists share experiences in Selma – 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

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