Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
10/31/2016
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. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:
- The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to hear a case in the upcoming weeks on transgendered people’s right to use public restrooms of their choice;
- The debate over whether retailers should be open to jump-start holiday sales and the retail outlook for the season;
- The momentum of the Clinton and Trump campaigns and expectations on Election Day as the presidential race enters its final week.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Empowering People with Disabilities is Theme of Event
Robotics Expert to Discuss Her Career Path, Research to Encourage Others
Presidential Election Forum Examines Challenges of Historic 2016 Race
Acclaimed Writers Among UMass Lowell’s Faculty Share Their Work
Brexit Vote’s Ramifications Discussed by Irish Consul General at Forum
Climate Change Teach-In Spurs Community to Improve Environment
Flag Ceremony to Pay Tribute to Veterans, Service Members
Homeland Security Official, Civil Rights Activist to Lead Immigration Event
Young Performers Take Center Stage for Community Concert
disabilityEmpowering People with Disabilities is Theme of Event
When: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2 to 6 p.m. Keynote address – 2 p.m.
What: State Rep. Thomas Sannicandro of Ashland will offer insight on the role public policy plays in empowering people with disabilities during UMass Lowell’s Disabilities Studies Conference. Sannicandro advocates for improved services to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities, both as a lawmaker and as a father of a child with special needs. He also serves as the state’s House of Representatives’ chairman of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. The event will include presentations by faculty and students from the university’s Working Group for Autism Research and remarks by Chancellor Jacquie Moloney.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, 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
robotRobotics Expert to Discuss Her Career Path, Research to Encourage Others
When: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 3:30 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell Computer Science Prof. Holly Yanco will present the free program “Sci-Fi to HRI: Developing the Robots of Tomorrow,” a program that will explore her career path with the goal of encouraging others to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Yanco’s research is on the cutting edge of human-robot interaction (HRI), through which scientists enable robots to read and respond to human behavior. She directs the New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center at UMass Lowell – one of the nation’s most advanced robotics testing facilities – and founded the university’s Robotics Lab. The event is one in the university’s 50/50 Lecture Series, which promotes scientists’ research and explores their professional choices.
Where: Alumni Hall, North Campus, 84 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
electionPresidential Election Forum Examines Challenges of Historic 2016 Race
When: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 4 p.m.
What: “Election 2016: The Challenge” will explore how the presidential race has upended voters’ and experts’ understanding of the political process and rules of engagement. Open to the public and campus, the free event will examine the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, along with how the dynamics of the race and evolving technology are changing the way pollsters conduct their work. Speakers include Marjorie Connelly, an election exit poll analyst with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Jeffrey Barry, an author and scholar whose latest book is “The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility.” The program’s moderator will be Prof. Joshua Dyck, co-director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, which conducts independent, nonpartisan public opinion polls on politics and social issues that provide students and faculty with real-world academic and research opportunities. The center conducted two polls this month on Election 2016, the results of which are available at www.uml.edu/polls.
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
writersAcclaimed Writers Among UMass Lowell’s Faculty Share Their Work
When: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 5 p.m.
What: Acclaimed writers and UMass Lowell English professors Maggie Dietz and Maureen Stanton will read from their work and discuss their inspirations during a free event for the public and campus. Dietz, former director of the national Favorite Poem Project, is the author of the poetry collections “That Kind of Happy” and “Perennial Fall.” Stanton’s latest nonfiction book, “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider’s Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques and Collecting,” won a Massachusetts Book Award. Both writers have been honored with several literary prizes and fellowships. The event is presented by the English Department as part of UMass Lowell’s Writers on Campus Series, which spotlights the work of outstanding authors.
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
BrexitBrexit Vote’s Ramifications Discussed by Irish Consul General at Forum
When: Thursday, Nov. 3, 12:30 p.m.
What: The free event “Brexit, Ireland and the Future of the European Union” will explore the economic ramifications of the United Kingdom’s historic decision in June to withdraw from the EU. Ireland’s consul general to Boston, Fionnuala Quinlan, will offer insight on what will likely change the course of the global economy. The forum is the latest installment in a lecture series named for F. Bradford Morse, the former U.S. congressman and United Nations administrator who began his political career as a member of the Lowell City Council. The programs are presented by UMass Lowell’s Political Science Department and supported by an endowment from the Morse family.
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
climateClimate Change Teach-In Spurs Community to Improve Environment
When: Thursday, Nov. 3, 3 to 5 p.m.
What: Michael Green, who advises the United Nations on climate-change policy, and Spencer Glendon, who studies global trends behind climate change to identify investment opportunities, will be the featured speakers during UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Teach-In. The event, which is expected to draw more than 400 UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff, engages the university community and public to take action on climate change. The program’s theme is “Dealing with a Changing World: How Do We Respond?” The event will feature remarks by UMass Lowell student researchers and Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. The annual program is organized by UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative – a group of faculty, students and local leaders committed to addressing ways to improve the environment – and faculty and staff behind the university’s Climate Action Plan, which inspire the UMass Lowell community to achieve carbon neutrality on campus and throughout the region.
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
flagFlag Ceremony to Pay Tribute to Veterans, Service Members
When: Friday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.
What: A flag ceremony in honor of Veterans Day will pay tribute to the service and sacrifices of UMass Lowell’s approximately 1,200 student-veterans – the most of any college or university in Massachusetts – and veterans throughout the region. The event will include the unfurling of a 36-foot-long American flag and remarks by U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, and Col. Francis Magurn of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Speakers are also scheduled to include Marc Fountain, president of the university’s Student Veterans Organization and a psychology major from Andover; U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas; state Sen. Eileen Donoghue; and UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. The UMass Lowell Marching Band will perform. UMass Lowell is ranked as one of the best schools in the nation for veterans by the Military Times and Victory Media.
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
immigrationHomeland Security Official, Civil Rights Activist to Lead Immigration at Event
When: Monday, Nov. 7, 2 p.m.
What: U.S. immigration policy – one of the hottest issues of the presidential election – will be explored during “Welcome to America: A forum on Immigration in the United States.” Two leaders in the field will share their views: immigration attorney Gregory Sheehan, a UMass Lowell graduate who investigates immigrants’ requests for asylum for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. Sheehan received a degree in political science from UMass Lowell in 2001. Sarsour is a community organizer who works to improve the status of Arab-Americans in the country. The event is free and open to the public.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, 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
concertYoung Performers Take Center Stage for Community Concert
When: Saturday, Nov. 19. Concert – 4 p.m. Performers’ reception – 5:30 p.m.
What: The concert “Reaching Out!” will celebrate UMass Lowell’s commitment to educating the next generation of musicians and its partnerships with arts and youth organizations throughout the community. The performance for the public will feature Lowell schoolchildren enrolled in the UMass Lowell String Project, a K-12 program that provides music classes and instruction in stringed instruments such as the violin and cello. Other performers will be young people from the Lowell Boys and Girls Club’s Music Clubhouse, who are mentored by UMass Lowell students and the Angkor Dance Troupe, which frequently performs at and collaborates with the university. The free concert is sponsored by the Nancy Donahue Endowed Professorship for the Arts. Tickets to a reception with the performers after the show are $40 per person, with proceeds to benefit scholarships for students of UMass Lowell’s music-outreach programs. To purchase tickets, members of the public should go to www.uml.edu/celebratemusic.
Where: United Teen Equality Center (UTEC), 35 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