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UMass Lowell's annual Day Without Violence will be held on Tuesday, April 5 at 12:30 p.m. in the O'Leary Library Learning Commons.

04/04/2016

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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:

  • The potential ramifications of a U.S. Supreme Court decision today that ruled states can count everyone – not just voters – when determining electoral districts;
  • Alaska Airlines’ $4 billion takeover of Virgin America, announced today, and how it could affect air travel;
  • The U.S. women’s national soccer team’s pay-equity lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation and what it could mean for the future of women’s sports.

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

Digital Archive Advances Paul Tsongas’ Legacy for Students, Historians

When: Tuesday, April 5, 9:30 a.m.
What: A new UMass Lowell digital archive dedicated to advancing the legacy of the late Sen. Paul Tsongas, a Lowell native, legislator and presidential candidate, will be unveiled during an event for the campus and community. The new website contains a searchable collection of Tsongas’ congressional papers from his time as a U.S. representative and senator from 1975 to 1985 that will allow students, the public, historians and researchers to learn about his life and work at the click of a mouse. Speakers scheduled to attend the event include U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, Paul Tsongas’ widow; UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney; and Library Director George Hart. The online collection complements UMass Lowell’s physical archive of Paul Tsongas’ papers and other effects, which are entrusted to UMass Lowell at its Lowell Center for History.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, 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

International Women’s Rights Advocate to Speak on Stemming Extremism

When: Tuesday, April 5, 12:30 p.m.
What: Internationally respected women’s rights advocate Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, UMass Lowell’s 2016 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, will discuss how promoting inclusion can counter dangerous extremism around the world during the university’s annual Day Without Violence, a free event for the campus and public. Naraghi-Anderlini is the co-author of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, a groundbreaking mandate that requires warring factions to prevent gender-based violence against women and girls while including women in peace-building efforts and upholding their rights. Naraghi-Anderlini is the director of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), a nonprofit organization that promotes peace in countries with closed political systems that are experiencing conflict. Observed annually on college campuses across the country, the Day Without Violence was launched in 1996 by the Peace Studies Association – of which UMass Lowell is a founding member – and pays homage to the legacy and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In addition to members of the UMass Lowell community and public, students from schools including Greater Lowell Technical High School are scheduled to attend the program.
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

Programs Examine U.S. Policies, Attitudes on the Middle East

When: Tuesdays, April 5, April 12 and April 19, 1 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell students will learn about American 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 the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Topics to be explored during upcoming programs are:

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

Singer-Songwriter to Perform and Lead Talk about Careers in Music

When: Concert – Wednesday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. Artist’s talk – Thursday, April 7, 1 p.m.
What: Singer-songwriter Catriona Sturton will visit UMass Lowell for two days to present a free concert and lead a discussion about what it’s like to be a working musician. A blues harmonica and bass player, she is a former member of the power-pop and punk band Plumtree, which formed in her native Canada in 1993 and recorded and toured throughout North America until 2000. Sturton’s current one-woman show finds her performing her songs on guitar, harmonica and percussion. Both events, presented by UMass Lowell’s Music Department, are free and open to the public.
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

‘Cool Science’ Honors Students for Art Used in Public-Service Campaign

When: Friday, April 8, 3 p.m.
What: Elementary-, middle- and high-school students from across Massachusetts will be recognized for creating award-winning artwork that depicts concepts behind climate change for the fourth annual Cool Science contest. The artwork can be seen on and inside Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses and commuter terminals, where it raises awareness about climate science among thousands of patrons daily. Cool Science is led by professors in UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education who are conducting research on the program’s effectiveness as an educational method. The artwork will be on display at the event, both in a gallery exhibit and on an LRTA bus. Students from Amherst, Becket, Beverly, Chicopee, East Freetown, Everett, Hadley, Hanson, Holyoke, Lee, Lowell, Milton, Needham, North Andover, Weymouth, Whitman, Winthrop and Woburn will be honored.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, 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

Asian Festival Celebrates People’s Culture, Music

When: Friday, April 8, 7 p.m.
What: The premiere of “Memory Box,” a multimedia play presented by Flying Orb Productions, will be the centerpiece of the 2016 Asian American Cultures Festival, which will include performances by the Angkor Dance Troupe and UMass Lowell World Music Ensemble. Admission to the event is $10 for the public at the door (cash only) and UMass Lowell students with a valid ID will be admitted for free. The performance is presented by the Center for Asian American Studies and the Music Department.
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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