Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

03/31/2014

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 business strategy behind Market Basket’s move to online shopping and home delivery;
  • Issues raised by a United Nations report released today that warns global climate change will trigger international security concerns;
  • How to help young people with autism-spectrum disorders in advance of World Autism Day, Wednesday, April 2.

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

High School Students Debate Global Issues at Model UN Event

When: Tuesday, April 1 and Wednesday, April 2, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What: High school students from Lowell, Haverhill, Reading and Plaistow, N.H. will be among those who will learn about nations’ involvement in selected issues, develop writing and public-speaking skills and test their ability to negotiate at UMass Lowell’s fifth annual Model U.N. Conference, a simulation exercise that challenges students to advance selected countries’ positions on critical issues facing the global community. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

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

Meryl Streep Visits UMass Lowell for Chancellor’s Speaker Series

When: Tuesday, April 1, 7:30 p.m. Media check-in from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.

What: Fresh off her latest Academy Award nomination for her performance in “August: Osage County,” Meryl Streep will talk about her art, her life and her goals during the latest installment of the Chancellor’s Speaker Series. “A Conversation with Meryl Streep” will be moderated by bestselling author Andre Dubus III, a professor in UMass Lowell’s English Department. Proceeds from the event will support two UMass Lowell scholarship funds established by Streep, one for outstanding English majors and the other for students who excel in math. Streep’s appearance is co-sponsored by the university’s Theater Arts Program and the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Acclaimed Photographer, Professor to Introduce Exhibit

When: Artist’s talk – Wednesday, April 2, 4 p.m. and reception at 5 p.m. Exhibit runs through Friday, April 25. Hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30 to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 4 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 11 to 4 p.m.

What: World-renowned photographer and UMass Lowell Art Prof. Arno Minkkinen – a past Nancy Donahue Endowed Professor of the Arts and the 2013 Lucie Foundation’s honoree for achievement in fine arts – will share his insights into the world of photography in a preview to the exhibition “The Power of Three.” The show will include works by more than a dozen avant-garde photographers.

Where: Artist’s talk, O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell. Artist’s reception and exhibit, University Gallery, McGauvran Student Center, South Campus, 71 Wilder St.

Contacts for media: Deborah Santoro, 978-934-3491, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Students Dine and Dress for Success in the Professional World

When: Wednesday, April 2, 5 to 8 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell students will participate in a simulated business dinner that will give them a chance to hone their etiquette and networking skills. Joining them for the meal will be representatives of Prudential, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and other event sponsors, who will help them prepare for the professional world and life after graduation. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Career Services and Cooperative Education Center.

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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

University Honors Cambodian Culture and Experience

When: Thursday, April 3

What: UMass Lowell will celebrate and honor Cambodian arts and culture with a day of events. The activities are presented in collaboration with the university’s Music, Cultural Studies and English departments; centers for Asian-American Studies and Arts and Ideas; and the Cambodian-American Student Association, along with the Angkor Dance Troupe and Flying Orb Productions of Lowell. Many events are free and open to the public. They include:

  • Ceramics and sculpture exhibit – This show will include traditional and contemporary works by Yary Livan of Lowell. Noon to 9 p.m., Durgin Hall lobby, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Poetry reading – Works will be presented by Thararith Kho, a UMass Lowell Cambodian language and culture faculty member at 2:30 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 478, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Post-traumatic stress in refugee cultures – This panel discussion will be moderated by Psychology Department faculty members Ivy Ho and Khanh Dinh from 4 to 5 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 478, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Angkor Dance Troupe performance – Featuring Cambodian traditional dances, the show will include selections from the UMass Lowell World Music Ensemble. 7 p.m., Durgin Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell. Admission is $25 for the public. Tickets may be purchased at the door the night of the show or through www.angkordance.org. Admission for the first 200 UMass Lowell students is free if reserved through artsandideas@uml.edu.

For more information, call 978-934-2957.

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

‘Who Wears the Pants?’ Looks at Women in Male-Dominated Jobs

When: Thursday, April 3, 4 to 7 p.m.

What: What do women in engineering, construction, computer science, management and policing have in common? They all work in traditionally male-dominated fields. Free and open to the public, “Who Wears the Pants?” will explore the stories of women who work at male-dominated occupations, the experiences of advocates who promote gender equality and academic research about long-held societal values. UMass Lowell faculty members Kim Merriman, Melissa Morabito and Michelle Haynes will present their work and share their respective expertise in management, criminal justice issues and psychology. The event is part of the 16th annual Gathering at the Well Forum, which is presented by UMass Lowell’s Center for Women and Work.

Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons mezzanine, 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

Autism Expert Gives Insights on Research, Cutting-Edge Programs

When: Thursday, April 3, 7:30 to 9 p.m.

What: Ashleigh Hillier, an associate professor in UMass Lowell’s Psychology Department, will discuss her research and innovative programs for people with autism-spectrum disorders. The venue where her talk will be held will be lit up in blue as part of the world recognition of autism awareness. The event is the first in a series as part of “Disable the Label” month, which is presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Disability Services.

Where: Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, Perry Atrium, North Campus, 40 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

Astronaut to Meet Students, Talk About Space Travel

When: Friday, April 4, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.

What: Astronaut Christopher Cassidy – who has completed two missions on the International Space Station and has also served his country as an elite Navy SEAL commander – will meet with UMass Lowell students who won a national NASA contest last year that challenged them to design and build a Mars rover-style robot – nicknamed the “Rover Hawk” – and operate it remotely on terrain that mimicked the surface of another planet.

Where: New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (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

Schoolchildren Recognized by Cool Science Initiative

When: Friday, April 4, 3 to 5 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell will honor 24 students from across the state for their contributions to an education project that is teaching thousands of Lowell Regional Transit Authority riders about climate change. Students from Belchertown, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Easthampton, Fitchburg, Holbrook, Lee, Lowell, Mattapoisett, Millbury, Milton, North Andover and Rochester are scheduled to attend a ceremony for the university’s second annual Cool Science contest winners. The competition asked students in kindergarten through 12th grade to create artwork that addresses climate-change issues; the winning entries are displayed on and in Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses and terminals. The project is headed by David Lustick and Jill Lohmeier, professors in the Graduate School of Education. Cool Science is funded by a grant from the UMass President’s Creative Economy Initiatives Fund and UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education.

Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons mezzanine, 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

Young Musicians of Nationally Honored Program to Perform

When: Sunday, April 5, 1 p.m.

What: Lowell schoolchildren who receive music lessons and stringed-instrument instruction through the UMass Lowell String Project will perform a free public concert that will demonstrate why the National String Project Consortium recently named the program the nation’s best. The program, which currently includes 88 musicians from ages 8 to 18, earned the Outstanding String Project of the Year Award at the American String Teachers Association conference earlier this month. The ensemble will play alongside New York-based quartet Quattor Mahogany during the show, which is supported by a UMass Lowell Creative Economy grant.

Where: St. Anne’s Church, 8 Kirk 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

Nobel Winner is Among Humanitarians at UMass Lowell Event

When: Tuesday, April 9, 12:30 p.m.

What: Four internationally acclaimed human-rights activists honored by UMass Lowell – including the recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize – will come together for a once-in-a-lifetime event to share their work with the public, students, faculty and staff. “Reflections on Peace-Building” will include anti-apartheid champion Albie Sachs, UMass Lowell’s 2014 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, and past recipients of the honor Leymah Gbowee (2011 honoree), who won the Nobel Peace Prize that same year after helping end the Second Liberian Civil War; Linda Biehl (2008 honoree), who reconciled with two of the men convicted of murdering her daughter and now travels with them to teach reconciliation and restorative justice; and Padraig O’Malley (2009 honoree), who has worked to resolve conflicts in Northern Ireland, South Africa and Iraq. The free public event will be held in UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane Theatre in Mahoney Hall on the university’s South Campus at 870 Broadway St., Lowell. Other Peace Scholar events throughout the week include:

  • Day Without Violence – Sachs will deliver an address on human rights and the preservation of dignity that is free and open to the public. Tuesday, April 8, 12:30 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
  • Greeley Peace Scholars Benefit Reception – Sachs, Gbowee, Biehl and O’Malley will be the honored guests at a gala to benefit the Greeley Scholar endowment. The reception will include a discussion about peace and conflict resolution moderated by Marcellette Williams, University of Massachusetts senior vice president of academic affairs, student affairs and international relations. Tickets are $75 per person and sponsorship opportunities are available. For details, visit www.uml.edu/Greeley-fundraiser. Wednesday, April 9, 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a reception until 9:30 p.m., UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell
  • Nelson Mandela Memorial Groundbreaking – UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan, Sachs, public officials and members of the local African American Alliance are scheduled to help break ground on a city of Lowell memorial that will pay tribute to Mandela, who was Sachs’ friend and colleague. The event is free and open to the public. Thursday, April 10, 11 a.m., western lawn, Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell. A reception inside the Tsongas Center will follow.
  • “Soft Vengeance in a Violent World” – During this free public event, Sachs will discuss his work with Mandela to achieve peace in South Africa. Sunday, April 13, 3:30 p.m., Congregation Kerem Shalom, 659 Elm St., Concord.

Visit www.uml.edu/Research/PACSI/Greeley-Scholars for a full schedule of events and more information.

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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