Story and Source Ideas from UMass Lowell

University Crossing
Teams of UMass Lowell students who have developed solutions to business, technology and social problems will pitch their concepts before expert judges during the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge on Wednesday, April 13 at 5:30 p.m. at University Crossing.

04/11/2016

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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:

  • Congress’ plans to increase security in transportation hubs in response to the Brussels and Paris terrorist attacks and whether these events have affected planning for this year’s Boston Marathon;
  • The threat of sea-level rise to historic coastal sites – including many in Boston – as climate scientists meet in Rhode Island this week to discuss the issue;
  • The difference between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates and a new study that links foods including pizza and soft drinks to higher cancer rates.

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

Sex Offenders’ Re-Entry into Community is Topic of Research Forum

When: Tuesday, April 12, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: The release of convicted sex offenders after their incarceration poses distinct challenges, including how to protect the community and supervise offenders. Scholars, law enforcement officials, human-service and public-policy professionals from around the world will come together for workshops and panel discussions that explore the latest research findings and best practices in the field. Topics will include understanding and evaluating whether convicted individuals will re-offend, how such individuals can find support and how they can best be re-introduced into the community. The conference, which includes faculty members in UMass Lowell’s School of Criminology and Justice Studies, is presented by the Leverhulme Trust, an organization based in the United Kingdom that supports research and education in all fields of study.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

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

When: Tuesdays, April 12 and April 19, 1 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students will learn about American 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 the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Topics to be explored during upcoming programs are:

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

New Program in Business Analytics Offers Open House
When: Tuesday, April 12, 4 to 7 p.m.
What: People interested in the rapidly growing field of business analytics may learn more about a Manning School of Business master’s program offered by UMass Lowell during this open house. Private and public employers in health care, finance, logistics and marketing need business analysts to help them identify and solve problems related to forecasting, customer relationship management and revenue optimization, among other concerns. Prospective students may enroll in the program on a full- or part-time basis. Online and on-campus courses are available during the summer, fall and spring semesters, allowing full-time students to earn their master’s degree in as little as one year.
Where: Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, North Campus, 40 University Ave., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

String Project Performs Free Concert, Seeks New Members

When: Tuesday, April 12. New member information and registration, 6 p.m. Concert, 7 p.m.
What: Public school students from throughout the Merrimack Valley who are members of UMass Lowell’s String Project will perform a free concert for the community. The show, “Music Takes Flight,” will feature selections from the film scores of “Mary Poppins,” “Up” and “Skyfall” that celebrate the freedom of flying, along with other works. The ensemble will perform under the direction of John-Morgan Bush, the program’s executive director and a UMass Lowell Music Department faculty member. Before the concert, members of the public can learn more about how Lowell public school students and other schoolchildren may join the String Project, which provides music education and instruction in stringed instruments such as the viola, violin and cello to participants age 7 to 18.
Where: Lowell High School, Cyrus W. Irish Auditorium, 50 Fr. Morissette Blvd., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

DifferenceMakers Compete for Seed Money to Fund Best New Ideas

When: Wednesday, April 13, 5:30 p.m.
What: Ten teams of UMass Lowell students who have developed solutions to business, technology and social problems will pitch their ideas before a panel of expert judges in the final round of UMass Lowell’s 2016 DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge. The winners will share in $35,000 in seed money to help make their ideas a reality, as is happening for the UMass Lowell students who won the 2013 competition and now run their own company, Nonspec, which makes affordable, scalable prosthetic limbs. From a mobile app that helps people learn languages to a newly imagined waste-management system for Haiti, this year’s presentations will offer ideas for mobile technologies, human service organizations, health-care products, exercise equipment and educational tools. The competition is part of UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students the entrepreneurship skills they need to become innovators in the marketplace and help solve problems in business and society.
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

Music Students Showcase Talents at Free Performances

What: Performing selections from Leonard Bernstein to the Beatles, UMass Lowell music students will showcase their talents during free events for the campus community and public. Shows include:

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

Earth Day Events Promote Sustainability, Unite Community

What: UMass Lowell and more than two dozen community partners – including the city of Lowell, Middlesex Community College and Lowell National Historical Park – are coming together to raise awareness about environmental protection and sustainability to mark Earth Day, which will be observed around the world on Friday, April 22. The community-wide celebration was made possible through a $30,000 grant awarded to UMass Lowell Political Science Prof. John Wooding in 2015 through the UMass President’s Office Creative Economy Fund. A full schedule of events can be found at www.lowellearthday.org. They include:

  • UMass Lowell canal cleanup – Members of the university community will volunteer to spruce up the city’s historic canal system. Participants will start at Mack Plaza, located at the intersection of Market, Shattuck and Dutton streets in downtown Lowell. Saturday, April 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Earth Day Festival – More than 30 nonprofit organizations and garden and energy companies will be on hand at this free event to educate the public about sustainability. Mill City Grows will host an Urban Growers Gathering, featuring workshops and seed swaps. Saturday, April 23. Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mill City Grows event starts at 10 a.m.
  • Earth Day Parade – Local schoolchildren and youth groups will display puppets they have made as they march with four brass bands. Procession starts at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 304 Dutton St., Lowell, and heads down Shattuck Street to Middlesex Street en route to the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. Saturday, April 23, noon.
  • Film screenings – Students involved in UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative have produced short videos that will be shown for the public. Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 304 Dutton St., Lowell.

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

Event Advances Students’ Research, Honors Best Projects

When: Tuesday, April 19, noon to 5 p.m. Pitch contest, noon to 2 p.m.
What: Projects calling for a new way to image skin cancers, safer alternatives for substances used in paint thinners and methods to understand the impact of sibling relationships for children with autism will be among the initiatives presented during UMass Lowell’s annual Student Community Engagement and Research Symposium. Now in its 19th year, the event is a venue for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in all disciplines to present their research, creative work, internship and co-op experience, and innovative ideas to their peers, faculty and guests. Again this year, more than 130 students will participate. Those competing for honors and cash awards to further their research will present their work during three-minute pitches to a panel of expert judges. The event will also award a “fan favorite” project, as voted by attendees.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

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