Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
04/23/2018
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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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 federal investigation into whether AT&T and Verizon are colluding to make it difficult for customers to switch wireless providers;
- Whether the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn President Trump’s immigration ban, as the justices consider the case this week;
- Massachusetts’ 3rd District congressional race and what the 13 Democratic candidates need to do to distinguish themselves from the pack.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Expert Shines Light on Economic Costs of Climate Change
When and where: Tuesday, April 24, 11 a.m. Olney Hall, Room 212, North Campus, 265 Riverside St., Lowell
What: The talk “Worst-Case Economics: Extreme Events in Climate and Finance” will be presented by Frank Ackerman, an expert in the economics of climate change, energy and other environmental issues, whose clients have included Greenpeace and European Parliament, among others. Open to the campus and community, the free event is organized by the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative and the university’s Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Economics Department.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Forum, Book Expose the Violence Behind Drug Trafficking
When and where: Wednesday, April 25, 5 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Mezzanine, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell
What: “The Politics of Drug Violence” will look at the human suffering behind drug trafficking in Latin America and the dangers faced by those seeking to bring it to light. The forum will feature a panel including experts such as UMass Lowell Political Science Prof. Angelica Duran-Martinez, who has a new book on the topic, and Prof. Morgan Marietta, who will discuss how studying societal issues can put researchers in harm’s way. The free event for the public and university campus community will include a question-and-answer session with the speakers after their presentation.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
DifferenceMaker Finals Feature Students’ Innovations
When and where: Wednesday, April 25, 6 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
What: Turning coffee into fuel, screening kids for heart defects and removing lead from water. Those are just some of the challenges UMass Lowell students are taking on in the DifferenceMaker $50K Idea Challenge. Those concepts and other innovations by student teams will be pitched to expert judges in the final round of competition. The winners will share in $50,000 in seed money to advance their projects. The finals cap the annual contest, which runs throughout the academic year, and is presented through the UMass Lowell DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students in all majors entrepreneurial skills they can use in business and the community. Several student projects have spawned real products and companies, such as TopaCan LLC of Nashua, N.H., which makes portable ashtrays that clip onto beverage cans so they become receptacles for cigarette butts. The product – now sold nationally at thousands of Walmart stores – grew from the 2016 DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Event to Highlight Groundbreaking Research by New Faculty
When and where: Friday, April 27, 1 p.m. Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, North Campus, 40 University Ave., Lowell
What: Projects aiming to improve prescription drug safety and how nuclear science can be used to enhance cancer treatments will be among the revolutionary research shared by seven new faculty in UMass Lowell’s Kennedy College of Sciences. Other presentations will delve into pioneering advances in chemistry, mathematics and computer science.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
‘Cool Science’ Honors K-12 Students as Artists, Educators
When and where: Friday, April 27, 3 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Mezzanine, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell
What: UMass Lowell’s Cool Science contest will honor Massachusetts K-12 students who have created artwork conveying concepts behind the science of climate change. Through the program, the best of the students’ submissions are displayed on and inside Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses, where they raise awareness about the issue with thousands of commuters every day. The event will showcase the art in a gallery exhibit and on the outside of an LRTA bus, which will feature the work of top winner Emma Zinni of Freetown. In addition to the student component, faculty researchers are using the project to study how well these types of displays educate the public.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Robots Made by Secondary School Students Vie for Supremacy
When and where: Saturday, April 28. Botfest will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the Botball finals will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony. Costello Athletic Center, North Campus, 275 Riverside St., Lowell
What: Robots built and programmed by middle- and high-school students from across the region will headline UMass Lowell’s annual Botfest and Botball tournament. Botfest is a robotics exhibition presented by the university’s Computer Science K-12 Partnership Program, which supports robotics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education in elementary and secondary schools. Botball is an international tournament in which robots created by teams of high-schoolers compete against each other. UMass Lowell is the host of the regional qualifying round of the competition each year. Participating students are from Andover, Ashland, Cambridge, Hanover, Haverhill, Lexington, Malden, Marlborough, Medford, Needham, New Bedford, Pembroke, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Wellesley and Winchester, along with Portsmouth, R.I.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Democratic Candidates Square Off in 3rd District Debates
When and where: Sunday, April 29, noon and 2 p.m. Durgin Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell
What: Democrats running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Massachusetts’ 3rd District will participate in debates presented by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion and the Boston Globe. The 13 candidates in the Democratic primary who are vying for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, who is retiring, have been invited to participate; because of the large number, they will be divided into two debates. Because only one Republican is currently running, no debate for that party’s primary will be held. Tickets are not required for the free event, but members of the public who wish to attend may RSVP by emailing debate@uml.edu. Free parking will be available in the Wilder Lot across the street from the venue.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Ethical, Social Crises are Topics for Best-Selling Author
When and where: Monday, April 30, 5:30 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
What: New York Times best-selling author and award-winning writer James Carroll will present “American Crusade: The Deep and Deeper History of our Present Ethical and Social Crisis.” The program will explore how the conflicts in the Middle Ages still resonate in U.S. history, from World War II through Sept. 11. The free event for the campus and community is presented by the Richard and Nancy Donahue Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, part of UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business. Members of the public who would like more information should contact Patricia_Dunleavy@uml.edu.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
‘No Sibling Left Behind’ Explores Life with Family with Disabilities
When and where: Monday, April 30, 6:30 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell
What: People who live with and care for siblings with disabilities will be the focus of a free program for the public that will explore what it’s like to grow up with a family member with a disability, strategies to support siblings and related topics. Event participants will include faculty members in UMass Lowell’s Center for Autism Research and Education (CARE), the university’s Disabilities Studies Program and Psychology Department, along with leaders of the Massachusetts Sibling Support Network. Members of the public who would like more information should contact Doreen_Arcus@uml.edu.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Art Installations Showcase Students’ Talent, Points of View
When and where: Display runs through Tuesday, May 1. Installations can be viewed inside O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell; McGauvran Student Center, South Campus, 71 Wilder St., Lowell; and on the South Campus Quad located behind these buildings.
What: Installations created by UMass Lowell art and design students will be on display inside university buildings and on the South Campus grounds. Political and humanitarian issues in the news inform many of the works of art, many of which incorporate repurposed materials and invite interaction with viewers. Participating students are from Chelmsford, Merrimac, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Newton, Tewksbury and Westford, along with Salem, N.H.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu