Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

Mill City Steampunk Festival logo
UMass Lowell students will participate in the first Mill City Steampunk Festival, Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1.

04/19/2016

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. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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 Taliban’s so-called “spring offensive” and the suicide bombing that killed at least 25 and wounded hundreds in Afghanistan today;
  • Why Nordstrom has cut 400 jobs and what it needs to do to increase sales amid a complicated retail landscape that also saw the parent company of Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports file for bankruptcy today;
  • How parents can set boundaries on behavior and attire for teens attending the high-school prom and help sons or daughters who were not asked to attend manage disappointment.

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

Students to Hold 12-Hour Fundraiser for Cancer Research, Patient Services

When: Friday, April 22, 6 p.m. through Saturday, April 23, 6 a.m.
What: Approximately 400 people, including UMass Lowell students and other members of the university community, will participate in a 12-hour Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research and patient services. Organized by UMass Lowell’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, the event will support the efforts of the American Cancer Society to find a cure and provide assistance to those who are battling the disease, including free lodging near major hospitals, transportation to treatments and more. The event kicks off with an opening ceremony followed by a victory lap for cancer survivors and their caregivers, and will also include a special remembrance ceremony for those who have been lost to cancer, as well as a host of activities for participants.
Where: UMass Lowell Campus Recreation Center, East Campus, 292 Aiken St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944,
Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Earth Day Events Promote Sustainability, Unite Community

When: Saturday, April 23 through Tuesday, April 26

What: UMass Lowell and more than two dozen community partners – including the city of Lowell, Middlesex Community College and Lowell National Historical Park – are coming together to raise awareness about environmental protection and sustainability to mark Earth Day, which will be observed around the world on Friday, April 22. A full schedule of events can be found at www.lowellearthday.org. They include:

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

New England’s Largest Marquee to Display Works by Art Students

When: Opening reception is Tuesday, April 26, 6 p.m. Artwork will be on display through Wednesday, June 1.
What: The largest LED video display in New England – seen by more than 100,000 people each day – will feature digital designs by UMass Lowell students as part of this year’s Art on the Marquee project. Seven out of the 10 works by college students selected for the exhibit are from UMass Lowell art and design students who hail from Chelmsford, Lawrence, Medford, North Andover, North Reading and Southbridge, along with Nashua, N.H. Their pieces will be shown on a rotating basis on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center’s 80-foot-tall outdoor marquee through June 1. The display is comprised of seven video screens that provide more than 3,000 square feet of space that is visible to pedestrians, motorists and people in hotels and office buildings as far as a half-mile away. The program is presented by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Boston CyberArts.
Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944,
Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or George Fifield, Boston Cyberarts, 617-290-5010, george@bostoncyberarts.org

Multimedia Concert Features Talents of Students, Alumni

When: Wednesday, April 27, 8 p.m.
What: In its final performance of the season, the UMass Lowell String Ensemble will join forces with art students to present a free concert for the campus and community. The event will premiere the original work “Serenade for Bass-Baritone, Horn and Strings,” which was composed by Derek Weagle and will feature vocalist Allyn McCourt, who both graduated with music degrees from UMass Lowell in 2015. The piece will include a French horn solo by John-Morgan Bush, a UMass Lowell Music Department faculty member for whom Weagle wrote the composition in appreciation of his mentorship. Artwork by UMass Lowell digital media and design students will be projected onto the walls of the concert hall during the event.
Where: Durgin Hall, Fisher Recital 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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Steampunk Festival Celebrates Lowell’s Industrial Heritage

When: Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1
What: The Mill City Steampunk Festival will honor Lowell’s industrial age and look forward to its vibrant future during events and activities open to the public. Incorporating technology and designs inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machinery, the Steampunk movement is expressed in literary works, clothing styles, film, architecture and more. The festival, which will include free trolley rides and tours of the Suffolk Mill and adjacent Tremont Power House all weekend, grew out of a partnership between the Lowell National Historical Park and UMass Lowell English Prof. Diana Archibald, who together led the city’s successful “Dickens in Lowell” celebration in 2012. Other partners include the Tsongas Industrial History Center, a collaborative initiative of UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education and the national park. More information on events will be posted on the “Mill City Steampunk Festival” Facebook page, www.facebook.com/events/484868098380484/. Programs include:

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu