Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

Adam Baacke photo of 110 Canal St. as Freudenberg Nonwovens Image by Adam Baacke
UMass Lowell honors students will present their research projects on the effects of urban renewal on Saturday, May 7 at the Lawrence History Center.

05/02/2016

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.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

  • Mother’s Day and how the holiday can affect those whose mothers are estranged from them or deceased;
  • The educational impact of a “gap year” taken by students between high school and the start of college – as is the plan announced Sunday for Malia Obama;
  • The Mediterranean diet and why it is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

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

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas to Tour UMass Lowell Innovation Hub
High-School Musicians Taught by UMass Lowell to Perform in Concert
Graduating Seniors Discuss and Display Art in Free Reception, Exhibit
Honors Students Present Research on Effects of Urban Renewal
UMass Lowell and City Leaders Plant Tree for Arbor Day
Journalist Judy Woodruff, Maestro Keith Lockhart to Address Graduates
New England’s Largest Marquee to Feature Art Created by Students



iHubU.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas to Tour UMass Lowell Innovation Hub

When: Wednesday, May 4, 10 a.m.

What: U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas will tour the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub (iHub) and is scheduled to meet with Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and other university representatives. Tsongas will visit the business incubator as part of National Small Business Week to highlight how higher education plays a critical role in entrepreneurship. Opened last year, the iHub provides co-working space and a variety of other resources to allow early-stage entrepreneurs to test their concepts and products and grow their ventures.

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


EnsembleHigh-School Musicians Taught by UMass Lowell to Perform in Concert

When: Wednesday, May 4, 7:30 p.m.

What: High-school students from throughout the region who receive instruction in how to play wind instruments from UMass Lowell will perform a free concert for the campus and community. The New England Senior Youth Wind Ensemble will play classical and contemporary works that evoke journeys of the mind, body and spirit, under the direction of Debra-Nicole Huber, director of instrumental music outreach and associate director of university bands.

Where: Durgin 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


BFAGraduating Seniors Discuss and Display Art in Free Reception, Exhibit

When: Artists’ reception is Thursday, May 5, 5 p.m. Exhibit runs through Saturday, May 14. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What: More than 25 UMass Lowell art and design students who will receive their bachelor of fine arts degrees at Commencement on Saturday, May 14 will exhibit their senior thesis projects at an event that is free and open to the public. Works explore a variety of themes through photography, drawing, video installations, sculpture, web design and more. Students will be available to discuss their work during an artists’ reception that is also open to the public. The artists are from Amesbury, Billerica, Brockton, Bellingham, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dorchester, Dracut, Groton, Lawrence, Lowell, Medford, Methuen, North Reading, Tyngsborough and Waltham, along with Nashua and Sandown, N.H. Members of the public who would like more information should contact the Art Department at 978-934-3494.

Where: University and Mahoney galleries, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Deborah Santoro, 978-934-3493, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu


UrbanHonors Students Present Research on Effects of Urban Renewal

When: Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What: Fourteen UMass Lowell honors students who are studying the challenges, successes and effects of urban renewal in gateway cities across the state will share their research during a forum presented by the Lawrence History Center. The student projects – which examine a variety of topics from the renovation of Lowell’s mills to the history of Haverhill City Hall – were completed as part of a seminar course led by UMass Lowell History Prof. Robert Forrant. Participating students are from Boxford, Chelmsford, Everett, Haverhill, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Norwood and Worcester, along with Londonderry, N.H. Individuals interested in learning more may visit www.lawrencehistory.org/education/symposium/2016.

Where: Everett Mill, 15 Union St., Lawrence

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


TreeUMass Lowell and City Leaders Plant Tree for Arbor Day

When: Thursday, May 12, 4 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, Lowell Mayor Edward Kennedy and other city and university leaders will come together to plant a shade tree on campus in observance of Arbor Day. The “Autumn Blaze” maple sapling, donated by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, is a signifier of UMass Lowell’s designation as a “Tree Campus USA” and the city’s recognition as a “Tree City USA” by the Arbor Day Foundation. The respective designations honor college campuses and cities across the country that dedicate resources and maintain a stewardship plan for the ongoing care of trees on their lands.

Where: South Campus, at the intersection of Broadway Street and 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


CmentJournalist Judy Woodruff, Maestro Keith Lockhart to Address Graduates

When: Saturday, May 14. Morning exercises will be held at 9 a.m. and afternoon exercises at 2:30 p.m.

What: Journalist Judy Woodruff and Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart will address the largest graduating class in UMass Lowell’s history at Commencement exercises. Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper and his wife, author and actress Marianne Leone, are among those who will receive honorary degrees during the event.

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


MarqueeNew England’s Largest Marquee to Display Art Created by Students

When: 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 majors who hail from Chelmsford, Lawrence, Medford, North Andover, North Reading and Southbridge, along with Nashua, N.H. Their work 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 add up to 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