Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

04/22/2014

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 environmental gains and challenges ahead as the country observes Earth Week; 
  • The potential ramifications of the Department of Justice’s plan to overhaul clemency requirements for federal drug offenders;
  • Netflix’s decision to raise its prices and the shifting landscape of television content providers

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

UMass Lowell to ‘Adopt’ Real-Life River Hawks  

When:     Tuesday, April 22, 2:45 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell’s athletics teams and its mascot are known as the River Hawks, named for the birds of various species living in the area. At this event, the university will officially “adopt” the pair of rare peregrine falcons that nest each spring on top of Fox Hall, Lowell’s tallest building and UMass Lowell’s largest residence hall. The university, which erected a nest box and a webcam for the falcons, works with the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife to monitor the birds and their chicks. Having real-life birds in the role of the River Hawks will enhance both school spirit and understanding of UMass Lowell’s resident falcons, two of only a few dozen believed to be living in Massachusetts. The celebration of the symbolic adoption will include the announcement of official names for the birds, determined through a social-media contest, and speakers including Chancellor Marty Meehan and Athletic Director Dana Skinner.

Where: Hawk’s Nest Café, University Suites, East Campus, 327 Aiken 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

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‘The Body at Work: From Construction to Keyboards’ Set for April 23    

When: Wednesday, April 23, 4 to 6 p.m.

What: Laura Punnett, UMass Lowell’s 2014 University Professor, will discuss her research in the presentation “The Body at Work: From Construction to Keyboards.” Punnett, who lives in Medford, is an expert in the patterns, causes and effects of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the effectiveness of workplace ergonomics interventions, health promotion programs and labor-management safety committees. In 1987, she helped establish UMass Lowell’s Department of Work Environment within what is now the College of Health Sciences. The three-year University Professor appointment recognizes exemplary contributions to teaching, research and service to the institution and is the highest distinction UMass Lowell bestows on a faculty member.

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

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Biopic Tells How Peace Activist Helped Bring Democracy to South Africa    

When: Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m.

What: A free public showing of the film “Soft Vengeance” will tell the story of Albie Sachs, a lawyer, author and anti-apartheid champion who worked with Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders to bring democracy to South Africa. Sachs, UMass Lowell’s 2014 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, will talk about the movie with the audience at its conclusion. The event – just one of several that feature Sachs during his residency at UMass Lowell throughout the month – is presented by the Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies Advisory Committee, UMass Lowell’s Peace and Conflict Studies Institute and degree program, the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Center for Arts and Ideas.

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

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Students, Alumni Aid Lowell’s Service Agencies in Spring Cleanup   

When: Saturday, April 26, 8 a.m. to noon

What: From painting to planting flowers, UMass Lowell students and alumni volunteers will perform a variety of maintenance tasks at service agencies throughout the city during the Spring Day of Service. Buses leaving from the Campus Recreation Center will take participants to their assigned locations and return them there at noon. The event is presented by the UMass Lowell student leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa.

Where: Locations throughout Lowell; starting point is UMass Lowell Campus Recreation Center, East Campus, Pawtucket 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

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UMass Lowell Hosts Regional Round of National Engineering Contests    

When: Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27

What:  Two separate teams of UMass Lowell students who have designed and built a concrete canoe and a model steel bridge will test how well they performed those tasks during the regional round of national collegiate engineering competitions that are a part of the 2014 New England ASCE Student Conference. Last year, for the first time, both student teams made it to the national championship rounds in each competition. UMass Lowell students will compete against other collegiate teams from the Northeast and Canada – including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Laval Universite and Worcester Polytechnic Institute – hoping for a berth in the national championships in these challenges:

  • 2014 Steel Bridge Competition – Teams are judged on how quickly they can assemble their bridge, its structural efficacy, economy, lightness and stiffness, and the quality of a presentation about their work. Saturday, April 26: competition, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; oral presentations and award ceremony, 4:45 to 7:45 p.m. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell.
  • 2014 Concrete Canoe Competition – Teams are judged on their canoe design, construction quality, a presentation about their work and the results from men’s and women’s canoe races. To qualify for racing, the canoe must pass a “swamp test,” during which it will be submerged under water and must resurface on its own. Sunday, April 27: Judging and swamp tests, 8:15 to 10 a.m.; races, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; awards, 5:30 p.m. Bare Hill Pond, 1 Pond Road, Harvard.

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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Acclaimed Author Shares Portuguese-American Experience    

When: Monday, April 28, 7 p.m.

What: Known for her lyrical prose and ability to capture vivid detail, award-winning author Katherine Vaz will read from her forthcoming novel, “Below the Salt” and discuss her work during this free public event. Vaz – who has won awards for each of her two novels and two collections of short stories – is the first Portuguese-American whose work has been archived in the Library of Congress. Her stories blend Old World heritage and New World culture to explore the relationships among families, friends and strangers. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research, along with the university’s English and Cultural Studies departments.

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

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Music Alumni Return to Perform with Wind Ensemble    

When: Monday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.

What: Student musicians in UMass Lowell’s Wind Ensemble will be joined by alumni of the group for a spring concert. Selections will include “First Military Suite for Band in E-flat,” along with compositions from a variety of contemporary composers. The performance is free but a $10 donation is suggested to support the ensemble. Alumni of the group who wish to perform in the concert may contact Derek Weagle at umlwindalumni@gmail.com for more information.

Where: Durgin Concert Hall, South Campus, 35 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

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Students’ Winning Art Shown – on 80 Foot Marquee

When: Premiere is Thursday, May 1, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

What: Three UMass Lowell students are among seven artists whose work will appear on the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center’s 80-foot outdoor LED video screen for “Art on the Marquee.” A program of Boston Cyberarts and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the initiative solicits artwork that is judged by a panel of artists, curators and Boston Convention & Exhibition Center staff, which selects the winning entries. The selected works will appear on a rotating basis throughout the month and will be visible from a half-mile away, including from Summer, D and Congress streets, as well as from the hotels, restaurants and businesses in the Seaport District of Boston.

Where: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston

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