Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
03/30/2015
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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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
UMass Lowell experts are available to discuss:
- The legal and economic controversies behind Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act;
- The legacy of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and how a new institute dedicated in his memory on Monday can help the public understand the role of the legislative branch;
- The latest research findings and treatment of autism-spectrum disorders in advance of World Autism Day.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Photo Exhibit of 1960s Civil Rights Marches Opens
Renowned Expert in Portuguese History Presents Programs
‘Master Thieves’ Author Explores Intrigue Behind Gardner Museum Heist
‘Zippers and Other Interventions’ Interprets Role of Space, Architecture
Asian American Cultures Festival Premieres ‘The Kingdom of Kambuja’
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas Teaches Students About Congress
Event Launches Book on Status of Personal-Care Workers
PhotoPhoto Exhibit of 1960s Civil Rights Marches Opens
What: UMass Lowell programs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explore the significance of Americans’ quest for equality during that era and the relevance of that struggle today. Events include a photography exhibit depicting the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., sessions with activists from the 1960s who will talk about their experiences and accompanying film screenings at the Luna Theatre in Lowell. UMass Lowell honors students from Bedford, Billerica, Brockton, Chelmsford, East Walpole, Groton, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, Middleton, Saugus, Taunton, Waltham, Westford and West Newbury are working to present these events. They include:
- Selma to Montgomery: A Photo Exhibition – Images by photojournalist and activist Matt Herron – whose photography is on display at the Smithsonian Institution and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture – documenting the 50-mile march will be on display daily. Opening reception – Monday, March 30, 5 p.m. Exhibit runs through Thursday, April 30. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell.
- The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Struggle for Civil and Political Rights – In the 1960s, Charles Cobb and Judy Richardson were members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, which participated in many of the major events in the civil rights movement, including the Selma marches and lunch counter sit-ins. Cobb, now an author and journalist, along with Richardson, a leading scholar with the SNCC Legacy Project and a documentary filmmaker who worked on “Eyes on the Prize,” will share their experiences with SNCC in the quest for civil rights. Thursday, April 30, 4 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
For a full list of events, see (http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx) www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx. For more on the film screenings at the Luna Theatre, see http://www.lunalowell.com/.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
RenownedRenowned Expert in Portuguese History Presents Programs
When: Portuguese empire program – Tuesday, March 31, 5:30 p.m. “Age of Discovery” series – Thursdays, April 9 and April 16, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
What: Whether Portugal presided over an empire and the travels of Portuguese explorers in the early 15th century – known as the “Age of Discovery” – are the subjects of programs throughout the month. “Empire, Religion and Utopia in the Early Modern Portuguese World” will examine how 17th-century scholar Antonio Vieira advanced the concept of a Portuguese empire and whether one actually existed. The “Age of Discovery” series will examine the first encounters between Christians, Muslims, Europeans, Africans, Asians and Americans from West Africa to India and China. Leading the programs will be Ana Valdez, the inaugural Luso-American Foundation Visiting Professor in Portuguese Studies at UMass Lowell. The sessions, which are free and open to the public, are presented by UMass Lowell’s Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research and History Department. Members of the public who wish to attend must register with Natalia Melo at Natalia_Melo@uml.edu or 978-934-5199.
Where: Portuguese empire program – Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell. “Age of Discovery” series – Dugan Hall, Room 211, South Campus, 883 Broadway 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
‘ MasterMaster Thieves’ Author Explores Intrigue Behind Gardner Museum Heist
When: Thursday, April 2. Student program from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and book-signing from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
What: Author Stephen Kurkjian will speak to UMass Lowell art history students about the still-unsolved theft of paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston 25 years ago in the largest robbery of fine art in history. Kurkjian – a former journalist who has won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work among other accolades – has penned “Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist” detailing the case. The UMass Lowell students he will meet with are studying all of the artists – including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet – whose works were stolen from the museum on March 18, 1990. Kurkjian will hold a book-signing and offer remarks at the Whistler House Museum of Art later in the day.
Where: Talk – Coburn Hall, Room 300, South Campus, 850 Broadway St., Lowell. Book-signing – Whistler House Museum of Art, 243 Worthen 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
‘ ZippersZippers and Other Interventions’ Interprets Role of Space, Architecture
When: Artist’s talk – Thursday, April 2, 3 p.m. Exhibit runs from Wednesday, April 1 through Friday, April 24. 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: Installations and sculptures by artist James Lentz will be featured in the exhibit “Zippers and Other Interventions,” which challenges viewers to re-examine both the use of space and architecture. Lentz will discuss his creative process during an artist’s talk, which, like the exhibit, will be free and open to the public. The exhibit is presented by UMass Lowell’s Art Department.
Where: Artist’s talk – O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell. Exhibit – University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, First Floor, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Deborah Santoro, 978-934-3491, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
AsianAsian American Cultures Festival Premieres ‘The Kingdom of Kambuja’
When: Thursday, April 2, 7 p.m.
What: Flying Orb Productions of Lowell will present “The Kingdom of Kambuja,” a multimedia play that tells the story of a Cambodian refugee who uses fairy tales to communicate difficult stories from her past to her daughter. The play is the centerpiece of the Asian American Cultures Festival, which includes performances by the Angkor Dance Troupe and the UMass Lowell World Music Ensemble. Tickets for the public are $10 per person and may be purchased with cash at the door. The event is one in a series of programs that commemorates the 40th anniversary of major events in Southeast Asia including the end of the Vietnam War. For a full list of events, see www.uml.edu/Research/CAAS.
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
U.S. RepRep. Niki Tsongas Teaches Students About Congress
When: Friday, April 3, 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.
What: U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas will guest-teach a class in a course about the Congress taught by UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and Patricia Sullivan Talty, both faculty members in the Political Science Department. A former U.S. Representative, Meehan served constituents of Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional District from 1993 to 2007; Tsongas succeeded him in service to what is now the state’s Third District. The course examines Congress’ role in U.S. government, how the body interacts with the executive and judicial branches and the various campaign issues behind how congressional candidates are elected.
Where: Contact UMass Lowell media relations for details.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
EventEvent Launches Book on Status of Personal-Care Workers
When: Wednesday, April 8, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell’s Center for Women and Work will host a launch event for the book “Caring Around the Clock: The Complexities and Contradictions of Paid Care Work,” which was co-edited by Sociology Prof. Mignon Duffy and showcases the scholarship of the center’s researchers. The book examines the history of workers in the paid-care sector – including nannies, nurses and home health-care aides – their rewards and the on-the-job challenges they face. The book, designed to be a resource for policymakers, offers potential reforms so these employees can continue to be fulfilled in their roles and avoid burnout. The Center for Women and Work brings together UMass Lowell faculty members from a variety of fields to research the relationship between work and gender and advance measures that promote equality among employees.
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