Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

A World of Questions art exhibit
An artist's talk for the exhibit “A World of Questions: Posters on the Human Condition”will be held Wednesday, March 23 at 3:30 p.m. in the O'Leary Library Learning Commons.

03/22/2016

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. In case of inclement weather, call UMass Lowell’s weather hotline at 978-934-2121; if the university is closed, events are canceled. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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 arrest of Salah Abdeslam in connection with last November’s terrorist attacks in Paris and the ongoing search for more suspects;
  • Apple Inc.’s rollout of new products, expected on Monday, and the state of the tech giant;
  • Tennis star Maria Sharapova’s use of the banned substance meldonium and whether Nike will resume its suspended business relationship with her.

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

Programs Examine U.S. Policies, Attitudes on the Middle East

When: Tuesdays, March 22, March 29, April 5, April 12 and April 19, 1 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students will learn about U.S. foreign policy from a former U.S. State Department analyst who is an associate with the university’s Middle East Center for Peace, Development and Culture. The event series, which explores U.S. attitudes toward and actions in the Middle East over the past 100 years, is being led by Gregory Aftandilian, who also served as a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff member and adviser to Edward M. Kennedy. Topics to be explored during upcoming programs are:

  • Tuesday, March 22 – The Arab-Israeli conflict, 1948 through 1967: The decision by President Harry Truman to recognize Israel and U.S. attitudes toward the country during the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
  • Tuesday, March 29 – The Arab-Israeli conflict since 1967: The United States’ role as an arms supplier to Israel, the Camp David accords during the Carter administration, President Reagan’s “strategic consensus,” U.S. dealings with the Palestine Liberation Organization and policies during the Bush and Obama administrations.
  • Tuesday, April 5 – The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War of 1990 and the Iran nuclear deal.
  • Tuesday, April 12 – Sept. 11, 2001 and the Bush administration’s response, along with causes and consequences of the Iraq War.
  • Tuesday, April 19 – U.S. policy toward the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Where: McGauvran Center, Room 309, South Campus, 71 Wilder St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Career Fair Connects Job-Ready Students with Employers

When: Wednesday, March 23, 2 to 5 p.m.
What: More than 1,200 UMass Lowell students looking for jobs, internships and cooperative education opportunities will pitch their qualifications to more than 200 employers and apply for jobs during the university’s Spring Career Fair. Employers representing for-profit companies and nonprofit and government agencies will be available to discuss what they want in potential employees, while students will be on hand to talk about their professional interests and goals. The largest of the year, the career fair is presented by UMass Lowell’s Career Services and Cooperative Education Center, which helps students develop their professional plans while teaching them the resume-writing, interviewing and business-etiquette skills essential to landing fulfilling employment. NOTE: The event is not open to the public but the media is invited to cover it.
Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 200 Martin Luther King Jr. 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

Art Exhibit Questions the State of Modern-Day Society

When: Artist’s talk – Wednesday, March 23, 3:30 p.m., with reception at 4:30 p.m. Exhibit runs through Thursday, April 21. University Gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What: The exhibit “A World of Questions: Posters on the Human Condition” will feature works in bold designs that encourage viewers to contemplate modern-day issues such as climate change, consumerism, the prevalence of social media, the preservation of human rights and the plight of endangered species. The artist behind the posters, acclaimed graphic designer Chaz Maviyane-Davies, who received an honorary degree from UMass Lowell in 2009, will discuss his creative process during an event that complements the show. Both events are free and open to the campus and 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, gallery coordinator, 978-934-3491, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

M2D2 New Venture Competition Showcases Inventions

When: Wednesday, March 23, 5 p.m.
What: New methods of cancer and infectious disease detection, a substance that forms bones and a technology for glucose monitoring will be among the inventions pitched by entrepreneurs during the fifth annual Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) New Venture Competition Showcase. The contest’s 18 finalists will pitch these ideas, and more, to a panel of expert judges as the entrepreneurs vie for $100,000 in services to grow their ventures. A partnership between the UMass Lowell and UMass Worcester campuses, M2D2 helps early-stage startups take their new products and technologies from the drawing board to the marketplace. Founded in 2007, M2D2 has worked with more than 100 companies that have secured more than $40 million in external funding for their ventures. In 2011, M2D2 opened a business incubator at UMass Lowell and expanded it in 2015 to the university’s Innovation Hub (iHub) in downtown Lowell, in order to serve even more entrepreneurs.
Where: University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Duo Performs Brazilian Music’s Captivating Rhythms

When: Thursday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
What: Receita de Samba (“recipe for samba”), husband-and-wife team Bill Ward and Anna Borges, will perform a free concert for the campus and community. Recognized around the world as part of Brazil’s national identity, samba music is often associated with the country’s Carnaval, a week-long celebration that ushers in the Christian season of Lent, which ends this year on Sunday, March 27. The band will also play songs in other Brazilian musical styles, including bossa nova, forro, (which features the accordion) and choro (similar to New Orleans jazz). The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Music Department and Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research, which advances the understanding of and appreciation for the history, languages and experiences of Portuguese-speaking people around the world.
Where: 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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Graphic Designer to Share His Work and Inspirations

When: Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.
What: Graphic designer Russ Pope, who draws on his love of skateboarding, punk rock music and politics to create his work, will present a free program for the campus and community that will explore his creative process. Known for his bold use of color in his pen-and-ink drawings, Pope has exhibited his work around the world. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Art and Design Department.
Where: Health and Social Sciences Building, Room 140, South Campus, 113 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

Networking Event Develops Community Opportunities for Students

When: Thursday, March 31, 8:30 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff annually record 168,000 hours of academic and non-academic service in the community. To advance this work, representatives of the Merrimack Valley’s service organizations will meet with UMass Lowell faculty during the annual Community Connections Breakfast to expand current and create new service-learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom. These experiences complement academic coursework and enrich students’ civic engagement. UMass Lowell’s commitment to this type of outreach has earned the university a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fifth consecutive time. The university is also the recipient of the prestigious Carnegie Foundation classification as a “community-engaged campus.”
Where: Cumnock Hall, 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

Event Examines Greek Orthodox Leader’s Influence on History

When: Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m.
What: Archbishop Iakovos – whose decades of leadership in the Greek Orthodox Church spanned the globe and included activism with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a Presidential Medal of Freedom – will be the topic of UMass Lowell’s annual Zamanakos Lecture, a free program for the campus and public that celebrates Greek history and culture. Born Demetrios Coucouzis in 1911, the archbishop was ordained as a priest in 1940 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, the first church of its kind in the United States. His path to power as one of the most influential leaders in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America – and his downfall – will be discussed by scholar and author Alexander Kitroeff during the event, which is presented by UMass Lowell’s Hellenic Studies Program.
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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