Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
Image by Tory Germann
04/17/2017
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 news 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 March for Science on Earth Day Saturday, April 22 and a first-hand account of why one UMass Lowell faculty member is walking out of the lab and into the streets;
- Vice President Michael Pence’s visit to North Korea and its implications for the future of U.S. security policy in the region;
- Prom-season parenting tips on how adults can set limits for their teenagers’ behavior, including what to spend and wear, enforcing a curfew and managing expectations for the big night.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Competition, Showcase Honor Student Research, Community Work
Recipients of Energy Program Grants be Announced
UMass Lowell to Dedicate Makerspace to UMass Lowell Graduate
Students Vie for $50K in DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge
UMass Lowell Opens New Business School Building
Former U.S. Ambassador, Hockey Coach to Receive Alumni Awards
Healthy Aging and Living Well Forum Features Secretary of Elder Affairs
Experts Mark Start of Space Age, Look to Next Frontiers in Exploration
‘Invitation to Innovation’ Taps into Creativity of Students and the Public
SymposiumCompetition, Showcase Honor Student Research, Community Work
When: Tuesday, April 18. Pitch contest, noon to 2 p.m.
What: Research projects that explore how to counter the recruitment methods of terrorists, build a photo archive of the history of Asian Americans in Lowell and study the behaviors of gorillas will be among the more than 100 presentations at the 20th annual Student Community Engagement and Research Symposium. The event provides a venue for UMass Lowell undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in all fields to display their work, including the results of internships and co-ops, for their peers, faculty and guests. This year, the event includes a pitch contest where participants will vie for awards before a panel of expert judges.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
GrantsRecipients of Energy Program Grants To Be Announced
When: Tuesday, April 18, 1 p.m.
What: Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Steve Pike and Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton will present innovation grants to further energy and water technology to researchers including UMass Lowell faculty. The Catalyst Awards program is run by MassCEC in partnership with the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC). UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Julie Chen and MTTC Founding Director Abigail Barrow are expected to participate in the event, along with Beaton and Pike.
Where: Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, North Campus, 40 University Ave., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LinUMass Lowell to Dedicate Makerspace to UMass Lowell Graduate
When: Wednesday, April 19, 4 p.m.
What: The College of Engineering’s makerspace – an 8,500-square-foot open-concept work area that offers students 3-D printers, laser cutters and other equipment to guide their projects from concept to reality – will be dedicated to Lawrence Lin, who earned a Ph.D. in plastics engineering at UMass Lowell, at an event that will honor his achievements as an entrepreneur and leader in corporate social responsibility. Lin and his wife, Jangli Chang, who is also a UMass Lowell graduate, have established a $1 million fund to equip and operate the makerspace. Speakers are scheduled to include Lin and UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, Vice Chancellor for Advancement John Feudo, College of Engineering Dean Joseph Hartman and Stephen Kender, a plastics engineering major from Chelmsford.
Where: Falmouth Hall, North Campus, 1 University Ave., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
DifferenceStudents Vie for $50K in DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge
When: Wednesday, April 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
What: A device that tracks the air quality inside homes, a sensor that makes drones more effective in search-and-rescue missions and a medical instrument that reduces blot clots are among the products UMass Lowell students will pitch to expert judges in the finals of the $50K DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge. The winners will share in $50,000 in seed money to advance their projects. The annual competition is the culmination of UMass Lowell’s yearlong DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students in all majors entrepreneurial skills they can use to solve problems in business and the community, and even launch their own ventures. One such enterprise is the 2013 winner Nonspec, the student-led producer of low-cost, scalable prosthetic limbs that is now based at UMass Lowell’s Innovation Hub business incubator.
Where: University Crossing, Moloney Hall, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
PulichinoUMass Lowell Opens New Business School Building
When: Thursday, April 20, 11 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell will officially open the Pulichino Tong Business Center, the new home of the Manning School of Business, at an event with university leaders, public officials, students, faculty and staff. The 54,800-square-foot academic building – the 13th new building opened by UMass Lowell since 2009 – will offer students a real-time trading room, a live stock market ticker suspended above the lobby, “smart” classrooms, meeting space and other amenities. The center is named for UMass Lowell graduate John Pulichino and his wife, Joy Tong, successful entrepreneurs who have donated more than $4 million to student scholarships. Speakers are expected to include Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito; UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney; UMass President Marty Meehan; state Rep. Brian Dempsey of Haverhill; Commissioner Carol Gladstone of the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM); Lowell Mayor Ed Kennedy; Manning School of Business Dean Sandra Richtermeyer; and student Rebecca Foley of Acton.
Where: Pulichino Tong Business Center, Grande Tomaney Innovation Plaza, 72 University Ave., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
AlumniFormer U.S. Ambassador, Hockey Coach to Receive Alumni Awards
When: Thursday, April 20, 5:30 p.m.
What: James Costos, a Lowell native who went on to serve as U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra, and Norm Bazin, head coach of the UMass Lowell River Hawks hockey team that he has turned into a national powerhouse, are among eight distinguished UMass Lowell graduates who will be presented with this year’s University Alumni Awards. The recognition will also go to Lorna Boucher ’86 of New York; Robert Bushong ’67 of Bluffton, S.C; William C. Geary III ’80 of Andover; Emmanuel Lamour ’05, ’16 of Canton; Russell LeClaire ’67, ’74 of Plano, Texas; and Jerry St. Peter ’89 of Fort Worth, Texas. The honorees are selected from graduates of each of UMass Lowell’s six schools and colleges, as well as the university’s athletics program. One recent graduate who is already having a positive impact is also recognized. Proceeds from the event support UMass Lowell student scholarships. Ticket information is available at www.alumni.uml.edu/AlumniAwards2017.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
HealthyHealthy Aging and Living Well Forum Features Secretary of Elder Affairs
When: Friday, April 21, 9 a.m. to noon. Keynote address is at 9 a.m.
What: Ensuring senior citizens’ safety at home, asthma prevention and new methods of evaluating risks for dementia will be among the topics explored at UMass Lowell’s third annual Healthy Aging and Living Well Forum. Alice Bonner, a UMass Lowell graduate and Massachusetts’ Secretary of Elder Affairs, will address how the Commonwealth is working to become the best place for older Americans to live in a keynote address that will open the event. The program is presented by the UMass Lowell School of Nursing’s Center for Gerontology Research and Partnerships.
Where: Lydon Library, Room 110, North Campus, 84 University Ave., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
SpaceExperts Mark Start of Space Age, Look to Next Frontiers in Exploration
When: Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22
What: Astronauts, scientists, NASA officials and entrepreneurs will come to UMass Lowell to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the start of the Space Age and map the next frontiers in exploration – including travel, humans’ ability to live on other planets and research that benefits life on Earth. “Space Exploration in the Upcoming Decade: The Domestication of Space” is presented by the UMass Lowell Center for Space, Science and Technology (LOCSST) and the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium. Keynote speakers include:
- Former astronaut Col. Catherine “Cady” Coleman, U.S. Air Force (ret.), a UMass graduate who will lead a program on how tech entrepreneurs can best bring their innovations to market to serve the space industry. Friday, April 21, 6 p.m.
- Astronaut Col. Robert Cabana, director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, who will talk about creating a spaceport where spacecraft can launch and land. Saturday, April 22, 2:45 p.m.
- John Connolly, leader of NASA’s Mars Study Capability Team, who will offer insight on when human exploration of Mars may be possible. Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m.
Led by renowned researcher Supriya Chakrabarti, physics professor and associate dean of UMass Lowell’s Kennedy College of Sciences, LOCSST advances humankind’s understanding of space and provides research opportunities for UMass Lowell students, training the next generation of scientists, teachers, business leaders and policymakers. More about the event, which is open to members of the public who pre-register, is available at www.uml.edu/Research/LoCSST/symposium/default.aspx.
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, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Innovation‘Invitation to Innovation’ Taps into Creativity of Students and the Public
When: Friday, April 28, noon to 5 p.m.
What: UMass Lowell will present its first “Invitation to Innovation,” a free event for the public and school groups that will highlight the intersection of creativity and industry, where students apply classroom and hands-on learning to develop products, prototypes and projects. A NASA satellite, a Formula 1-style race car and a robotic arm that assists people with limited mobility – all built by UMass Lowell students – will be featured. Attendees can also participate in a Tinker Toy contest to build a vehicle that must navigate a series of challenges. The event spotlights the work of students in UMass Lowell’s College of Engineering, Kennedy College of Sciences and College of Health Sciences. School groups may register at www.uml.edu/i2ischool. Members of the public interested in more information should email Erin_Caples@uml.edu.
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