Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
10/05/2015
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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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:
- Why “On the Road” and other works by author Jack Kerouac, who died 46 years ago this month, still resonate with readers;
- Why Carly Fiorina is gaining on frontrunner Donald Trump in some polls and how her experience as a CEO informs her presidential campaign;
- How the recently approved Trans-Pacific Partnership – which establishes one of the world’s largest free trade zones – will affect the economy.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Lt. Governor Helps Open Innovation Hub, M2D2 Incubators
Triple-Amputee Shares Story of Empowerment
Pope Francis’ Climate Change Adviser to Speak at UMass Lowell
Jack Kerouac’s Personal Belongings on Display in New Exhibit
Market Basket Labor Uprising Revisited at Lunchtime Lecture
Open House Gives Prospective Students Taste of University Life
Lt. GovernorGovernor Helps Open Innovation Hub, M2D2 Incubators
When: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m.
What: Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will join business leaders and representatives of the University of Massachusetts system and UMass Lowell to officially open its Innovation Hub and expanded Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) business incubators. The incubators offer startups in the medical device and technology sectors co-working and research space to foster innovation, job creation and economic development. They occupy two floors in the 110 Canal building in Lowell’s revitalized Hamilton Canal District, where proximity to the UMass Lowell campus encourages faculty and student participation. Along with Polito, speakers are scheduled to include UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins, members of Lowell’s legislative delegation and representatives of city government. 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
CamTriple-Amputee Shares Story of Empowerment
When: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1 p.m.
What: Cameron Clapp will share the story behind the train accident that left him a triple-amputee at age 15 and his journey to become a successful athlete, actor and activist for people with disabilities. He is the recipient of the Shining Star Award – an honor also given to Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles – that recognizes the achievements of disabled individuals. Clapp has appeared in the TV show “My Name is Earl” and the feature film “Stop-Loss,” among other acting credits.
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
PopePope 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 States – will be the keynote speaker at UMass Lowell’s annual Climate Change Teach-In. The event will bring together approximately 500 UMass Lowell students, faculty 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 the negotiation of 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 the writer’s former Florida home at the behest of Sampas, the executor of Kerouac’s literary estate, to bring the beat generation icon’s belongings to UMass Lowell, home of the Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for Public Humanities. Following the 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:
- “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, Mahoney Hall, 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
MarketMarket Basket Labor Uprising Revisited at Lunchtime Lecture
When: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 11:45 a.m.
What: Authors Grant Welker and Daniel Korschun will talk about their new book, “We Are Market Basket: The Story of the Unlikely Grassroots Movement that Saved a Beloved Business,” in this Lunchtime Lecture Series event. In the summer of 2014, thousands of the supermarket chain’s employees and vendors staged a successful walkout and inspired a consumer boycott in support of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas. Welker and Korschun will share stories of the decisions made in Market Basket’s executive suites and in the streets where employees waged their protest and how this has become a case study in labor movements. Lunchtime Lectures are presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Community Relations and the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures with support from campus and community partners.
Where: University Crossing, Moloney Hall, 220 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
OpenOpen House Gives Prospective Students Taste of University Life
When: 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 an open house. 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 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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu