Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
10/08/2013
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 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.Sources of the week are available to discuss:
- The political and economic ramifications of the federal government shutdown;
- A United Nations report issued last week on global climate change and how to engage students and the public in learning about the science behind it.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
- Lawyers Working Toward Marriage Equality Hold Forum
- Fall Festival Unites UMass Lowell Alumni, Families and Friends
- River Hawks Unveil Banners, Drop Puck on Hockey’s New Season
- Cancer Researcher Shares Issues that Influence his Work
- Entrepreneurs, Industry Leaders Learn about the Rise of Robots
- Climate Change Teach-In Focuses on Work of Students, Experts
- Portuguese Fado Musicians to Perform Benefit for UMass Lowell
- UMass Lowell Hosts Conversation with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino
LawyersLawyers Working Toward Marriage Equality Hold Forum
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m.
What: Lawyers who are helping to shape the marriage-equality movement will discuss the achievements and setbacks of the past 20 years, share how this year’s historic Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage came to fruition and talk about what lies ahead. Panelists will include Vickie Henry, a senior staff lawyer at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) who leads its youth initiative; Mark Mason, a Springfield District Court associate judge; and Maura Healey, chief of the Civil Rights Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, who has tried cases on marriage equality. The session will be moderated by Frank Talty, assistant dean of UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Free and open to the public, the event is presented by the UMass Lowell’s Pre-Law Society and the Pride Alliance.
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
FestivalFall Festival Unites UMass Lowell Alumni, Families and Friends
When: Thursday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 13
What: Fall Festival welcomes UMass Lowell alumni, parents and students to celebrate their ties to the university and to each other. Homecoming events and class reunions bring alumni together to reminisce and reconnect, while Family Day offers fun events that showcase UMass Lowell’s breadth of activities and scope of campus life. For a full schedule of events, visit http://alumni.uml.edu. Events include:
- 15th annual Jennifer’s 5K Fun Run/Walk, Saturday, Oct. 12, race registration, 7:30 a.m. race start, 9 a.m. Participants will explore the city and view beautiful fall foliage while raising money for the Jennifer D’Amour Scholarship Fund, which supports scholarships for women’s cross-country and track and field athletes. Entry fee is $25 per person, $20 for UMass Lowell students and participants under age 18. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell.
- Golden Alumni Luncheon, Saturday, Oct. 12, noon. Graduates from classes prior to 1963 will dine with former classmates, fellow alumni, retired faculty and friends to remember UMass Lowell’s predecessor institutions and learn about the dynamic changes shaping UMass Lowell today. $20 per person. UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell.
- Family Day, Saturday, Oct. 12, noon to 4 p.m. Students, faculty, staff, friends and family will enjoy a barbecue, music from the UMass Lowell Marching Band and an array of activities for children that showcase and help support the university’s more than 200 student organizations. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, back lawn, 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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
HockeyRiver Hawks Unveil Banners, Drop Puck on Hockey’s New Season
When: Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
What: River Hawk Nation will be out in full force when UMass Lowell men’s hockey team unveils its Hockey East 2012-2013 championship banners in a special ceremony before dropping the puck on the team’s new season in the home-opener against the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University. To thank the fans, the first 1,000 ticket-holders through the gate will receive a replica mini-banner. After capturing last season’s Hockey East regular-season and tournament championship titles, winning the NCAA Division I Tournament Northeast Region championship, and landing a first-ever appearance at the Frozen Four, the River Hawks are a top-ranked team in the country. This season, the team hopes to continue last year’s success with Coach Norm Bazin, the Hockey East and Spencer Penrose Division I Men’s Coach of the Year, once again behind the bench. The game is just one event in UMass Lowell’s annual Fall Festival Weekend. For tickets, visit www.goriverhawks.com or stop by the Tsongas Center box office.
Where: Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell
Contacts for media: Christopher O’Donnell, 978-934-2306 or Christopher_ODonnell@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
CancerCancer Researcher Shares Issues that Influence his Work
When: Wednesday, Oct. 16, noon
What: Researchers’ quest for a cancer-free society, along with the science and regulatory issues that influence that effort, will be explored by David Kriebel, professor of work environment and co-director of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at UMass Lowell. Kriebel’s research focuses on the causes, patterns and frequency of occupational injuries, cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease. As part of that work, he has studied the effect of aerosols on the lungs. His talk, one in the Fall 2013 Seminar Series, is presented by UMass Lowell’s College of Health Sciences; College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Work Environment Department; and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production.
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
RobotsEntrepreneurs, Industry Leaders Learn about the Rise of Robots
When: Thursday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
What: How are robots reshaping the workplace? How are they affecting the regional economy? Entrepreneurs, emerging-technology professionals and industry leaders will find out during robot demonstrations and a roundtable discussion at UMass Lowell’s New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, the country’s leading robotics testing facility. Speakers are scheduled to include UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan; Computer Science Prof. Holly Yanco, the center’s director and an internationally known robotics expert; Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch; and Pamela Goldberg, chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The event is presented by the Merrimack Valley Venture Forum, Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council, Middlesex 3 and UMass Lowell’s NERVE Center.
Where: NERVE Center at UMass Lowell, 1001 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
ClimateClimate Change Teach-In Focuses on Work of Students, Experts
When: Thursday, Oct. 17, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
What: Policy-makers, activists and experts on climate science will discuss the choices that need to be made today in order to avert climate change’s potential consequences during UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Teach-In, “Too Late for What? Real Choices on a Changing Planet.” Speakers are scheduled to include activist Wen Stephenson, who helped launch the grassroots climate-change action group 350 Massachusetts; Elizabeth Sawin, co-director of Climate Interactive, which works with governments, businesses and nonprofit agencies around the world to address climate-change issues; and Jennifer Francis, co-founder of Rutgers Climate and Environmental Change Initiative. UMass Lowell students will screen short films and display research projects they created as part of the event.
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
FadoPortuguese Fado Musicians to Perform Benefit for UMass Lowell
When: Friday, Oct. 18, benefit reception, 5:30 to 7 p.m.; concert, 7 p.m.
What: The Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass Lowell will present “Sounds of Portugal,” a night of fado music featuring singer Rodrigo Costa Félix with virtuoso guitarist Marta Pereira da Costa and special guest Nathalie Pires. Traditional Portuguese folk music, fado is marked by melancholy melodies and lyrics that describe such topics as everyday life, the sea, unrequited love and longing. Félix is a singer, composer and lyricist whose recent single “Amigo Aprendiz” was named one of the 12 best ballads of 2012 by The Atlantic Monthly. Pires has developed a national and international reputation for her stirring, soulful performances. A reception before the show will benefit the center. Tickets for the donor reception and show are $100. General admission for just the 7 p.m. performance is $30. Tickets are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/fado. The event is a production of the Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Office of University Advancement and the Center for Arts and Ideas.
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
MeninoUMass Lowell Hosts Conversation with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino
When: Monday, Oct. 21, 11:45 a.m.
What: A national champion for cities and Boston’s longest-serving mayor, the Honorable Thomas Menino will reflect on his multi-faceted career as part of the university’s Lunchtime Lecture Series. Menino, who served five terms as a Boston city councilor before becoming mayor in 1993, is known for his tireless work strengthening the fabric of the city’s diverse neighborhoods. Along with his service to Boston, from 2002 to 2003, he served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. After 20 years at Boston’s helm, the Democrat has decided not to run for re-election. Boston voters will elect the next mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The Lunchtime Lecture Series is co-hosted by the UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas and the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures with support from community partners.
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