Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
05/01/2017
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 news about UMass Lowell, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:
- What to expect as severe weather moves into the Northeast this week after causing devastation throughout the Midwest;
- The reasons behind a threatened strike by Bloomingdale’s employees, who may walk off the job today, International Workers’ Day;
- How the Democratic Party can rebuild its brand as Joe Biden’s appearance in New Hampshire on Sunday sparked speculation he would run for president in 2020;
- What consumers need to know about a new study that links artificial sweeteners to risks for dementia and stroke.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Graduating Art and Design Students Discuss, Display Works
Climate Science Program to Honor Schoolchildren
Researchers Developing Safer Alternatives to Chemicals to Speak
Event Will Provide Women with Strategies to Launch Ventures
Political Analyst, Renowned Educator to Address Class of 2017
Broadway Producer, Coca-Cola Exec to Headline Leadership Conference
ArtGraduating Art and Design Students Discuss, Display Works
When: Artists’ reception, Thursday, May 4, 5 to 7 p.m. Exhibition runs Thursday, May 4 through Sunday, May 14. 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: UMass Lowell art and design students – who will receive their bachelor of fine arts degrees at Commencement on Saturday, May 13 – will discuss and display their senior thesis projects at a free artists’ reception and exhibit. Featured works explore a variety of themes through drawing, painting, 3-D animation, web and mobile app design, motion graphics and interactive installations. Participating students are from Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Clinton, Hudson, Lawrence, Lowell, Lunenburg, Methuen, Newburyport, North Andover, Southbridge, South Yarmouth, and Tewksbury, along with Hudson and Nashua, N.H. Both the reception and exhibit are open to the public.
Where: University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Deborah Santoro, gallery coordinator, 978-934-3493, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu
ClimateClimate Science Program to Honor Schoolchildren
When: Friday, May 5, 3 p.m. Event rescheduled from Friday, March 31
What: Cool Science will honor K-12 students from across the state for creating award-winning artwork that depicts concepts behind climate change. The artwork can be seen on and inside Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses, where it raises awareness about climate science among thousands of passengers and others daily. The program, now in its fifth year, is led by UMass Lowell College of Education faculty researching alternative ways to teach people about climate science, in and outside the classroom. The winning artwork will be on display at the event, including on an LRTA bus. Students being honored are from Acushnet, Billerica, Boston, Chelmsford, Dedham, Holyoke, Lakeville, Medford, North Andover, Norwell, Rehoboth, Roslindale, Tyngsborough and Warren.
Where: 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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
TURIResearchers Developing Safer Alternatives to Chemicals to Speak
When: Wednesday, May 10, 9:45 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell faculty who evaluate and develop more sustainable substances for use in manufacturing will share their work at the Greener Materials Research Symposium. Biology Prof. Peter Gaines and Plastics Engineering Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan will talk about creating sugar-based alternatives to chemicals used to make medical devices, a project they are pursuing in collaboration with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. The event is presented by the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell, which was established through state legislation in 1989 to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, protect public health and the environment, and increase competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
iHubEvent Will Provide Women with Strategies to Launch Ventures
When: Wednesday, May 10, 6 p.m.
What: Women from throughout the community who are launching their own ventures will participate in “The Entrepreneur to Watch,” an event that will show them how to get started. The forum will explore the personality traits of successful entrepreneurs and factors that attract investors, along with strategies for developing confidence and long-term success. A program in the Women’s Entrepreneur Speaker Series, the free event is presented by the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub business incubator. Members of the public who would like to attend should register by Monday, May 8 at http://bit.ly/2oDHbGN.
Where: UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, Third Floor, 110 Canal St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
CmentPolitical Analyst, Renowned Educator to Address Class of 2017
When: Saturday, May 13. Morning exercises will be held at 9 a.m. and afternoon exercises at 2:30 p.m.
What: MSNBC host and political correspondent Steve Kornacki and civil-rights activist and educator Freeman Hrabowski III will address graduates of UMass Lowell’s Class of 2017 at Commencement exercises. Hrabowski and Kornacki will receive honorary degrees for their outstanding achievements along with Francis Spinola ’66, retired president of INDSPEC Chemical Corp., and Mary Jo Spinola ’66, philanthropist and former educator. Nobel laureate Steven Chu, former U.S. secretary of energy, who received an honorary degree from UMass Lowell in November, will also be recognized. Edward Bartlett ’58, retired from a career in educational publishing, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. A Groton native who took classes at UMass Lowell while in high school, Kornacki will address graduates during the morning ceremony, while Hrabowski will speak during the afternoon ceremony. Members of the media interested in covering this event should contact UMass Lowell media relations.
Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
WLCBroadway Producer, Coca-Cola Exec to Headline Leadership Conference
When: Tuesday, June 20. Keynote address by Bonnie Comley at 8:45 a.m. Afternoon keynote with Therese Gearhart at 2:30 p.m.
What: Tony Award-winning UMass Lowell graduate Bonnie Comley and Therese Gearhart, president of Coca-Cola’s Latin Center Business Unit, will deliver keynote remarks at UMass Lowell’s 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference. “The Power and Potential of Women” will provide professionals in business, education, government and the nonprofit sector with a forum to explore career and personal development topics. Women leaders in medicine and health care, financial services, marketing, retail, professional and personal development, nonprofit management and higher education – including professors in UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business – will be featured panelists. Members of the public may register to attend and find more information about the event at www.uml.edu/wlc.
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