News from UMass Lowell for Week of March 28, 2016

03/28/2016

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. In case of inclement weather, call UMass Lowell’s weather hotline at 978-934-2121; if the university is closed, events are canceled. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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:

• How to meet the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as World Autism Awareness Day will be observed on Saturday;

• The faction of the Taliban that has claimed responsibility for killing 70 people in a terrorist bombing in Pakistan on Easter;

• The work of UMass Lowell’s Baseball Research Center – which tests the construction and performance of bats, balls and helmets – as Major League Baseball prepares for Opening Day.

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

Programs Examine U.S. Policies, Attitudes on the Middle East
Expert: Robots are Changing the Way Humans Relate to Each Other
Graphic Designer to Share His Work and Inspirations
Networking Event Develops Community Opportunities for Students
Special Olympian Shares Story of Perseverance
Event Examines Greek Orthodox Leader’s Influence on History
Students to Experience Basketball from a New Perspective
‘First Thursdays’ Kick-Off Celebrates Vibrancy of Downtown Lowell

Programs Examine U.S. Policies, Attitudes on the Middle East
When: Tuesdays, March 29, April 5, April 12 and April 19, 1 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students will learn about U.S. foreign policy from a former U.S. State Department analyst who is an associate with the university’s Middle East Center for Peace, Development and Culture. The event series, which explores U.S. attitudes toward and actions in the Middle East over the past 100 years, is being led by Gregory Aftandilian, who also served as a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff member and adviser to Edward M. Kennedy. Topics to be explored during upcoming programs are:

• Tuesday, March 29 – The Arab-Israeli conflict since 1967: The United States’ role as an arms supplier to Israel, the Camp David accords during the Carter administration, President Reagan’s “strategic consensus,” U.S. dealings with the Palestine Liberation Organization and policies during the Bush and Obama administrations.
• Tuesday, April 5 – The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War of 1990 and the Iran nuclear deal.
• Tuesday, April 12 – Sept. 11, 2001 and the Bush administration’s response, along with causes and consequences of the Iraq War.
• Tuesday, April 19 – U.S. policy toward the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Where: McGauvran Center, Room 309, South Campus, 71 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

Expert: Robots are Changing the Way Humans Relate to Each Other

When: Tuesday, March 29, 4 p.m.
What: “The Robotics Evolution,” which will explore how robots and assistive technology are changing people’s relationship with each other and the world, will be presented by Holly Yanco, an internationally recognized expert in the field. Yanco will deliver the program as this year’s UMass Lowell’s Distinguished University Professor, the highest distinction bestowed on a faculty member for exceptional teaching, research and service to the institution. A computer science professor, Yanco established the university’s Robotics Lab and is the founder and director of the New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center at UMass Lowell, one of the country’s most advanced robotics-testing facilities. She has secured more than $7 million in research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Standards and Technology and Google, among others, for her work. Later this spring, the NERVE Center will become the temporary home of a 6-foot-tall, 300-pound humanoid robot known as R5 or “Valkyrie,” which was developed by NASA. At NERVE, faculty and student researchers will explore how the robot can assist humans in space travel and exploration. NOTE: The event is not open to the public but the media is invited to cover it.
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

Graphic Designer to Share His Work and Inspirations

When: Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.
What: Graphic designer Russ Pope, who draws on his love of skateboarding, punk rock music and politics to create his work, will present a free program for the campus and community that will explore his creative process. Known for his bold use of color in his pen-and-ink drawings, Pope has exhibited his work around the world. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Art and Design Department.
Where: Health and Social Sciences Building, Room 140, South Campus, 113 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

Networking Event Develops Community Opportunities for Students

When: Thursday, March 31, 8:30 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff annually record 168,000 hours of academic and non-academic service in the community. To advance this work, representatives of the Merrimack Valley’s service organizations will meet with UMass Lowell faculty during the annual Community Connections Breakfast to expand current and create new service-learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom. These experiences complement academic coursework and enrich students’ civic engagement. UMass Lowell’s commitment to this type of outreach has earned the university a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fifth consecutive time. The university is also the recipient of the prestigious Carnegie Foundation classification as a “community-engaged campus.”
Where: Cumnock Hall, North Campus, 31 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

Special Olympian Shares Story of Perseverance

When: Thursday, March 31, 6 p.m.
What: Tyler Lagasse – a UMass Lowell student from Tyngsborough who has won medals in golf as a Special Olympian – will share his story, as told in his autobiography, “What Do You Say?: Autism with Character,” during a free event for the public and university community. The program will include Ashleigh Hillier, a faculty member in UMass Lowell’s Psychology Department who leads the university’s Working Group for Autism Research and Education, who will discuss her work with teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Disability Services.
Where: University Crossing, 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

Event Examines Greek Orthodox Leader’s Influence on History

When: Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m.
What: Archbishop Iakovos – whose decades of leadership in the Greek Orthodox Church spanned the globe and included activism with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a Presidential Medal of Freedom – will be the topic of UMass Lowell’s annual Zamanakos Lecture, a free program for the campus and public that celebrates Greek history and culture. Born Demetrios Coucouzis in 1911, the archbishop was ordained as a priest in 1940 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, the first church of its kind in the United States. His path to power as one of the most influential leaders in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America – and his downfall – will be discussed by scholar and author Alexander Kitroeff during the event, which is presented by UMass Lowell’s Hellenic Studies Program.
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

Students to Experience Basketball from a New Perspective

When: Friday, April 1, 6 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students majoring in physical therapy and exercise physiology will learn how it feels to be differently abled when they take on the New England Blazers, an affiliate of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, for a game on campus. The annual event, which celebrates sportsmanship and skill, includes raffles, prizes and refreshments. Admission is $3 at the door.
Where: Costello Gymnasium, North Campus, 275 Riverside 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

‘First Thursdays’ Kick-Off Celebrates Vibrancy of Downtown Lowell

When: Thursday, April 7, 5 to 9 p.m. Walking tours of the city will start at 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff will join community partners to participate in downtown Lowell’s “First Thursdays” event, which will showcase all the city has to offer to residents, students and visitors. Galleries and businesses will extend their hours to welcome the public, walking tours will feature the city’s historical and cultural attractions and student musicians from UMass Lowell and Middlesex Community College will perform behind the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center along the Lower Locks Canal Complex, which will be lighted up at 7:15 p.m. as night falls. Food trucks, an Earth Day fair and other attractions will also be on hand. Subsequent events in the series will be held the first Thursday of the month from May through September.
Where: Walking tours start at Lowell National Historical Park Visiting Center, 246 Market St., Lowell. The Lower Locks Canal Complex is accessible via the 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