Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
09/28/2015
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/pressroom. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:
- Speaker of the House John Boehner’s resignation, his likely replacement and where the Republican party goes from here;
- Whole Foods’ strategy to cut jobs and lower prices to stay competitive;
- Why Mattel’s latest Barbie doll is drawing both criticism and praise.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Experts Shine Light on U.S., Iran Nuclear Deal
Expanded Riverview Suites Residence Hall Opens
Downtown ‘Welcome Back’ Event Showcases Mill City’s Diversity, Charm
Open Houses Roll Out Welcome Mat to Prospective Students
Lt. Gov. Polito to Help Open Innovation Hub Business Incubator
Pope Francis’ Climate Change Adviser to Speak at UMass Lowell
Jack Kerouac’s Personal Belongings on Display in New Exhibit
ExpertsExperts Shine Light on U.S., Iran Nuclear Deal
When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
What: The challenges and controversies behind the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran – and Congress’ reaction to it – will be discussed by foreign-policy and nuclear-energy experts during a forum moderated by Prof. Paula Rayman, director of UMass Lowell’s Middle East Center for Peace, Development and Culture. Panelists will include Gregory Aftandilian, an associate with the center and a former analyst with the U.S. Department of State, and UMass Lowell professors Sukesh Aghara, an authority on nuclear security, and Marco Marzo, a former director in the department of safeguards for the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
RiverviewExpanded Riverview Suites Residence Hall Opens
When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 10 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell will celebrate the completion of Riverview Suites with public tours and an event featuring Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The building, a unique public-private partnership between UMass Lowell and SoHo Development, houses nearly 800 UMass Lowell students in a mix of suites and offers approximately a dozen classrooms, a health sciences suite for academic study, a satellite facility of the university’s Campus Recreation Center and other amenities. Many of the residents who live there are members of UMass Lowell’s living-learning communities, which allow students with similar interests and goals to live together to enhance their university experience. Other speakers are scheduled to include Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott, state and city representatives and UMass Lowell students. The event is part of Moloney’s First 90 Initiative (#First90), which focuses the first 90 days of her administration on launching the second phase of the university’s strategic plan, “UMass Lowell 2020.”
Where: Riverview Suites, 1291 Middlesex St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
DowntownDowntown ‘Welcome Back’ Event Showcases Mill City’s Diversity, Charm
When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 4 to 8:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff will explore Lowell’s restaurants, shops and attractions during a “welcome back” event that will showcase all the city has to offer and fuel its growth as a college town. Walking tours led by representatives of Lowell National Historical Park and the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) will feature landmarks important to Lowell’s history and identity. A variety of downtown businesses will provide specials and discounts to members of the UMass Lowell community and a social at Lowell’s Mill No. 5, home to eclectic, locally owned shops and the Luna Theater movie house, will cap the night. UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and City Manager Kevin Murphy are expected to offer remarks at the social. Presented in partnership with the city, the event is part of Moloney’s First 90 Initiative (#First90), which advances programs important to the second phase of the university’s strategic plan, “UMass Lowell 2020,” during the first 90 days of the new chancellor’s administration.
Where: Tours start and end at UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell. Mill No. 5 is located at 250 Jackson St., Lowell.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
OpenOpen Houses Roll Out Welcome Mat to Prospective Students
When: Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 25. Exhibits and resource fair – 9 to 11:30 a.m.; academic presentations and campus tours – 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What: Prospective freshmen, transfer and graduate students will learn about UMass Lowell’s breadth of academic programs and get a taste of its vibrant campus life during two fall open houses. Attendees and their families will meet with faculty, staff and students and tour UMass Lowell’s booming campus, which continues its stunning transformation, including 11 new buildings such as new residence halls and academic facilities. Presentations on majors and programs, exhibits and information about financial aid and educational resources will illustrate why UMass Lowell is ranked as one of the 10 fastest-growing public universities in the nation by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate degree programs and options for graduate study that include 42 master’s and 36 doctoral degrees and dozens of certificate programs. For more, visit www.uml.edu/admissions/visit/open-house/default.aspx.
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
HubLt. Gov. Polito to Help Open Innovation Hub Business Incubator
When: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell will officially open its Innovation Hub and the expansion of the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) business incubator during a ceremony with university leaders, state and city officials, students, faculty and staff. Speakers are scheduled to include Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, members of Lowell’s legislative delegation and representatives of city government. The Innovation Hub and M2D2 offer 22,000 square feet of co-working and research space to entrepreneurs and startups in the medical device and technology sectors. The incubators are the first commercial components of the redevelopment of the Hamilton Canal District. Proximity to the UMass Lowell campus encourages faculty and student participation and facilitates collaboration with the existing M2D2 space at the Wannalancit Business Center. M2D2 has worked with 100 companies that have raised more than $40 million in external funding. Representatives of tenants – such as Nonspec, a venture launched by UMass Lowell students to fabricate and produce low-cost prosthetics – will be available for interviews and tours will be offered.
Where: UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, 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
ClimatePope Francis’ Climate Change Adviser to Speak at UMass Lowell
When: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m.
What: Scientist Naomi Oreskes – who advised Pope Francis on the climate change platform he delivered at the White House and before Congress during his historic trip to the United State last week – will be the keynote speaker at UMass Lowell’s annual Climate Change Teach-In. The event will bring together more than 500 UMass Lowell students and staff with community and business leaders to address the issues behind climate change and promote sustainability. Before Oreskes’ program, selected participants will take on roles as United Nations delegates to simulate negotiating a worldwide climate pact, beginning at 2 p.m. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative and faculty working on the university’s Climate Change Plan. Both the initiative and the plan inspire the UMass Lowell community to take action to achieve carbon neutrality on campus and throughout the community.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
KerouacJack Kerouac’s Personal Belongings on Display in New Exhibit
When: Thursday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m.
What: Keepsakes and items that belonged to author Jack Kerouac – including his desk, handmade carriers for his cats and figurines the writer held dear – will go on display to the public in the exhibit “Kerouac Retrieved: Items from the John Sampas Collection.” The exhibit’s opening will feature UMass Lowell Professors Todd Tietchen and Michael Millner who visited Kerouac’s former Florida home at the behest of Sampas, the executor of Kerouac’s literary estate, to bring Kerouac’s belongings to UMass Lowell, home of the Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for Public Humanities. Following program, which is scheduled to include UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, “Race, Ethnicity and the American Hipster: A Panel Discussion,” moderated by UMass Lowell English Prof. Keith Mitchell, will be held at 3:30 p.m. Other Kerouac-related programs accompanying the exhibit include:
- Acclaimed poet, playwright, actor and lyricist Michael McClure, who will present a reading of his work, which has been praised by Kerouac contemporary Allen Ginsberg, among others. Monday, Oct. 5, at 3:30 p.m. at Allen House.
- “Detective Work in Literary Archives: Claude McKay, Samuel Roth and Jack Kerouac,” with University of Pennsylvania Prof. Jean-Christophe Cloutier focuses on the challenges and thrills of researching literary archives, including his work to find, transcribe and recreate Kerouac’s writings in French. Friday, Oct. 9, 3:30 p.m. at Allen House.
- “The Price of the Ticket,” a feature-length documentary about writer James Baldwin will be screened. Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3:30 p.m. at the Comley-Lane Theatre, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell.
The exhibit and all programs are open to the public and admission is free. More information is available at www.jackkerouac.com.
Where: Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu