Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
11/14/2016
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 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 Electoral College, including its origins, functions and pros and cons;
- The facts and misconceptions about Thanksgiving, including the Pilgrims, along with the movement that led to it becoming a national holiday;
- The singer-songwriter tradition and its future in American music as the field mourns the recent deaths of musicians Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Event Explores Digital Health Care Revolution
Media, Politics in the Middle East the Subject of Forum
Tsongas Industrial History Center Event Celebrates Lowell
Nobel Laureate, Former Energy Secretary to Receive Honorary Degree
Acclaimed Portuguese-American Author to Discuss His Work at Free Program
Young Musicians Take Center Stage for Community Concert
Student, Staff Volunteers to Provide Thanksgiving Meals to Local Families
HealthEvent Explores Digital Health Care Revolution
When: Monday, Nov. 14, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
What: Top executives will weigh in on how information technology is transforming the health-care industry – from business to careers to patient care – at “The Digital Health Care Revolution.” The free event for the public is presented by UMass Lowell, which is home to the new UMass Center for Digital Health, and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership. Panelists will include Deborah DiSanzo, general manager of IBM Watson Health; Michael Wagner, president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children; and Greg Erman, president and CEO of EmpiraMed. Julie Chen, UMass Lowell vice chancellor for research and innovation, will serve as the moderator.
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
MediaMedia, Politics in the Middle East the Subject of Forum
When: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
What: Journalist and author Sarit Yishai-Levi – the first Israeli reporter to interview Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat – will lead the forum “Media and Politics in the Middle East.” The free event for the public and campus will be followed by a question-and-answer session that will explore these topics. Yishai-Levi’s latest book is the bestselling novel “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” which draws upon contemporary issues in Middle Eastern culture to present a family saga of four generations of Israeli women.
Where: Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
TsongasTsongas Industrial History Center Event Celebrates Lowell
When: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 4:30 p.m.
What: The Tsongas Industrial History Center will host an event for educators and the public to launch the book “Mr. Magnificent’s Magical Merrimack Adventure,” written and illustrated by UMass Lowell Art and Design Prof. Ingrid Hess. The book complements the Tsongas Industrial History Center's “Change in the Making” program, an educational exhibit that examines how the American Industrial Revolution influenced the way people worked and lived. Now marking its 25th anniversary, the center – a partnership between the UMass Lowell Graduate School of Education and Lowell National Historical Park – provides programs and workshops that educate thousands of schoolchildren and teachers each year about Lowell’s place in history and its future. The event will include a reading by the author and an exhibit of the story’s original artwork.
Where: Tsongas Industrial History Center, Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John 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
NobelNobel Laureate, Former Energy Secretary to Receive Honorary Degree
When: Wednesday, Nov. 16. Conferral of honorary degree – 2:30 p.m. Presentation – 3:30 p.m.
What: Nobel laureate Steven Chu – former U.S. secretary of energy and the first scientist to serve in that role – will receive an honorary degree from UMass Lowell for his significant contributions to research and the nation’s work to advance the development of clean energy. Chu, who holds 11 patents, will be awarded the degree by UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney during a ceremony with faculty, staff and students before he delivers the presentation “Climate Change and a Path to Clean Energy” as the university’s Tripathy Memorial Lecture speaker. The annual lecture, which honors the best and brightest in the scientific community, is named for the late Sukant Tripathy, a pioneer in fields including plastics and nanotechnology who was a UMass Lowell professor of chemistry and provost.
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
PortugueseAcclaimed Portuguese-American Author to Discuss His Work at Free Program
When: Wednesday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m.
What: Portuguese-American author Frank Gaspar will talk about his influences and creative process during a free event for the campus and public. Acclaim for Gaspar’s five poetry collections includes four Pushcart Prizes. His debut novel, “Leaving Pico,” was a Barnes & Noble Discovery Prize winner and his second novel, “Stealing Fatima,” received a MassBook of the Year Award for fiction from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Book. The program is presented by UMass Lowell’s Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research and the university’s Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for the Public Humanities.
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
ConcertYoung Musicians Take Center Stage for Community Concert
When: Saturday, Nov. 19. Concert – 4 p.m. Performers’ reception – 5:30 p.m.
What: “Reaching Out!” – a free concert for the public – 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 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; young people from the Lowell Boys and Girls Club’s Music Clubhouse, which is directed by a UMass Lowell graduate; 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 UMass Lowell music students. Tickets are available at 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
ThanksgivingStudent, Staff Volunteers to Provide Thanksgiving Meals to Local Families
When: Monday, Nov. 21. 10:30 a.m. to noon
What: More than 300 local families in need will have a Thanksgiving dinner this year, thanks to UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff, who contributed food through a campus-wide collection drive. Members of the campus community will gather to put everything needed for a holiday meal – including stuffing, potatoes, vegetables and a gift certificate to a local supermarket – together to go to families selected by Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities, which partnered with the university on the project. Note: This event is not open to the public but media are welcome to attend.
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