Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
05/08/2017
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. This is the last edition of “News from UMass Lowell” for the academic year. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 college graduates need to know as they prepare to enter the workforce and what employers are looking for from new hires;
- Ivanka Trump’s new book on working women and the challenges they face – from pay equity to child care – as the country celebrates Mother’s Day on Sunday;
- What’s at issue as a federal appeals court today considers the legality of President Trump’s revised executive order banning travel to the U.S. by nationals from six Muslim countries;
- A bill before the U.S. Senate that would let private-sector employers give eligible workers time off instead of paying them overtime.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Researchers Developing Safer Alternatives to Chemicals to Speak
‘Conversation Starters’ Forum Opens Dialogue on Space Exploration
Event Will Provide Women with Strategies to Launch Ventures
Commencement Eve Celebration Honors Students, Alumni and Guests
Political Analyst, Renowned Educator to Address Class of 2017
Program to Showcase How UMass Lowell Drives Economic Growth
Global Carework Summit to Feature United Nations Leader
Broadway Producer, Coca-Cola Exec to Headline Leadership Conference
Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Educators to Gather at UMass Lowell
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. 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
Space‘Conversation Starters’ Forum Opens Dialogue on Space Exploration
When: Wednesday, May 10, 3 to 6 p.m.
What: Research that maps the next frontiers in space exploration will be presented by UMass Lowell faculty during “Conversations Starters,” an event for the campus. The program will include renowned Physics Prof. Supriya Chakrabarti, who leads the university’s Lowell Center for Space, Science and Technology (LOCSST) and heads projects to discover new planets, analyze the Earth’s upper atmosphere and build a miniature NASA satellite, among others. UMass Lowell’s Kennedy College of Sciences is presenting the event, which is the first of three programs to spotlight faculty initiatives in a variety of fields. (Note: This event is not open to the public, but the media may attend.)
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
HubEvent 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.
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
EveCommencement Eve Celebration Honors Students, Alumni and Guests
When: Friday, May 12, 5:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell’s Commencement Eve Celebration will honor outstanding graduating seniors who have excelled in academics and service to the campus and community, along with alumni and this year’s Commencement speakers, MSNBC host and political commentator Steve Kornacki and University of Maryland Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabowski III. The event features the presentation of top student awards – including Trustees Keys to five students who have had perfect 4.0 GPAs for all eight semesters at UMass Lowell – and a question-and-answer session moderated by bestselling author and UMass Lowell English Prof. Andre Dubus III that is scheduled to include Kornacki and Hrabowski, along with Distinguished Alumni Award winner Edward “Ned” Barrett ’58, a leader in educational publishing, and civic leaders and philanthropists Francis and Mary Jo Spinola ’66, who will receive honorary degrees at the Commencement ceremony the next morning. Trustees Key recipients are from Byfield, Chelmsford, Gloucester and Haverhill, Mass., and Cumberland, R.I. Other student award winners are from Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Cotuit, Dracut, Franklin, Leominster, Lowell, Melrose, New Bedford, Peabody, Ware and Winthrop, along with West Hartford, Conn.; Great Falls, Mont.; Lake Oswego, Ore.; and Queensland, Australia. The annual event has raised millions of dollars for student scholarships since 2008.
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
DayPolitical Analyst, Renowned Educator to Address Class of 2017
When: Saturday, May 13. Ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and 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 in recognition of their outstanding achievements along with Francis Spinola ’66, retired president of INDSPEC Chemical Corp., and Mary Jo Spinola ’66, philanthropist and former educator. 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 for credentials and other details.
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
TelloProgram to Showcase How UMass Lowell Drives Economic Growth
When: Thursday, May 18, 6:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell’s success in launching university-led businesses, product innovation and research will be explored at an event presented by Steven Tello, senior associate vice chancellor of entrepreneurship and economic development. “Turning Ideas into New Ventures and Industries” will look at how UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff are driving growth in industries including life sciences, robotics, printed electronics and textiles. UMass Lowell delivers $921.9 million in annual positive economic impact to the region. The event will raise funds for UMass Lowell student scholarships. Members of the public who would like to purchase tickets may go to www.uml.edu/alumni and click on the “events” tab on the left-hand side of the page.
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
CareGlobal Carework Summit to Feature United Nations Leader
When: Thursday, June 1 through Saturday, June 3. Keynote address by Shahra Razavi, Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m.
What: Shahra Razavi, research and data chief of the United Nations’ Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, will be a keynote speaker at the Global Carework Summit presented by the UMass Lowell Center for Women and Work and the Carework Network. The event will be a forum for researchers who study work performed by caretakers and domestic employees and its impact on the economy and society. Participants will share findings, best practices and future challenges. Razavi will be among dozens of speakers to lead programs on topics such as the movement to unionize care workers, how public policies are changing working conditions for these employees and the benefits and costs of investing in care. More information is available at www.uml.edu/Research/CWW/carework/Summit/default.aspx.
Where: Keynote by Shahra Razavi – United Teen Equality Center, 35 Warren St., Lowell. Conference sessions – 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
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-winner and 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 enable professionals in business, education, government and the nonprofit sector to explore career and personal development topics and to connect with each other. 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
DeshEntrepreneurs, Innovators and Educators to Gather at UMass Lowell
When: Monday, June 12 through Wednesday, June 14. Keynote address by Bob Metcalfe, Wednesday, June 14, 3 p.m.
What: Hundreds of higher education and business leaders will unite at UMass Lowell to discuss how colleges and universities can best teach the next generation of entrepreneurs and champion the work of inventors to fuel business and economic development in their communities. Ethernet pioneer Bob Metcalfe, founder of digital electronics manufacturer 3Com Corp., will be among the keynote speakers at the sixth annual Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. The conference was established by UMass Lowell in partnership with the Deshpande Foundation, which was launched by entrepreneur Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, chairman of the Sparta Group LLC and trustee of the foundation that bears his name. Registration and more information is available at www.deshpandesymposium.org.
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