Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
03/16/2015
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 and click on “Media” at the top of the page. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell experts are available to discuss:
- What Disney’s success with its latest film adaption of “Cinderella” – which brought in a reported $132 million in its first weekend – says about gender roles and economic disparities between men and women;
- Whether a proposal to raise the legal age to purchase cigarettes to 21 would be effective in curbing smoking;
- Why Apple Inc. is joining the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
River Hawks Advance to Semi-Final Round of Hockey East Playoffs
UMass Lowell Alumni Lead Production of ‘Fiorello!’
Event Series Marks 50th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act
Writer, Humorist Shares His Experiences
Lowell Leaders Create, Strengthen Service Opportunities for Students
Career Fair Connects Students with Potential Employers After Graduation
Portuguese ‘Age of Discovery’ is Basis for Discussion Series
‘Master Thieves’ Author Explores Intrigue Behind Gardner Museum Heist
HockeyRiver Hawks Advance to Semi-Final Round of Hockey East Playoffs
When: Friday, March 20, 5 p.m.
What: The UMass Lowell River Hawks are hoping for a three-peat as the team defends its Hockey East tournament crowns from 2013 and 2014 in the semi-final round of the playoffs against the University of Vermont Catmounts. The second game in the semi-finals, between the Boston University Terriers and the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, will follow at 8 p.m. The winners of Friday’s games will play on Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. for the league tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Division I tournament. River Hawks fans will gather at The Harp at 85 Causeway St., Boston on Friday afternoon to cheer on the home team before play begins. Tickets are available to the public through the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell box office, www.tsongascenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780 beginning at noon on Tuesday, March 17.
Where: TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston
Contacts for media: Pete Souris, 978-934-3771, Peter_Souris@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
FiorelloUMass Lowell Alumni Lead Production of ‘Fiorello!’
When: Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m.
What: The Greater Lowell Music Theatre, in partnership with UMass Lowell’s Center for Arts and Ideas, will present the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Fiorello!” for the public and campus community. The musical – about the life and times of feisty former New York City Mayor Fiorello H. Laguardia – features the songs of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, the team that penned the music for “Fiddler on the Roof.” Actors in the production include Mara Bonde, Dave Sullivan, Jessica Dee, John Budzyna, Margaret Felice, Kirk Trach, Beth Trach, and Rick Sherburne. The show will be directed by GLMT Producer Jack Neary, with musical oversight by Leon Grande, both UMass Lowell graduates. Tickets are $35 for regular admission, $30 for seniors and students and may be purchased online at www.glmt.org or by calling 978-319-8867.
Where: Durgin Concert 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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
VotingEvent Series Marks 50th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act
What: UMass Lowell will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act with an event series that explores the significance of the 1960s civil rights movement and its ramifications today. Programs include a photography exhibit depicting the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., sessions with civil rights activists from the era who will talk about their experiences and accompanying film screenings at the Luna Theatre in Lowell. UMass Lowell honors students are participating in these sessions and others held in the classroom. Events include:
- Selma to Montgomery: A Photo Exhibition – Images by photojournalist and activist Matt Herron – whose photography is on display at the Smithsonian Institution and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture – documenting the 50-mile march will be on display daily. Exhibit runs from Monday, March 23 through Thursday, April 30. Opening reception – Monday, March 30, 5 p.m., University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell.
- Young People and the Civil Rights Movement – Journalist Callie Crossley, best known for her work on WGBH in Boston and on the acclaimed TV documentary series “Eyes on the Prize,” will talk about civil rights. The event will include a performance by the UMass Lowell Choral Union of songs from Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album, “What’s Going On?” Thursday, March 26, 4 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
- The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Struggle for Civil and Political Rights – In the 1960s, Charles Cobb and Judy Richardson were members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, which participated in many of the major events in the civil rights movement. Cobb, now and author and journalist, along with Richardson – a leading scholar with the SNCC Legacy Project and a documentary filmmaker who also worked on “Eyes on the Prize” – will share their experiences with SNCC in the quest for civil rights. Thursday, April 30, 4 p.m., O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.
For a full list of events, see (http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx) www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx. For more on the film screenings at the Luna Theatre, see http://www.lunalowell.com/.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
TaylorWriter, Humorist Shares His Experiences
When: Wednesday, March 25, 3:30 p.m.
What: Internationally acclaimed writer and humorist Drew Hayden Taylor will talk about the creative process behind his work during a free program for the public and campus community. Taylor, who is an Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nation in Canada, is a multitalented artist whose work focuses on the stories of indigenous peoples. An award-winning playwright, he is also a standup comedian and screenwriter who has served as the artistic director of Canada’s Native Earth Performing Arts theater company. During his stay at UMass Lowell as an artist-in-residence, he will meet with students during classroom visits, lead a master class in screenwriting and participate in a variety of question-and-answer sessions.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Fourth Floor, South Campus, 51 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
BreakfastLowell Leaders Create, Strengthen Service Opportunities for Students
When: Thursday, March 26, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
What: Last year, UMass Lowell students, faculty and staff participated in more than 168,000 hours of community service – an accomplishment that landed the university on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and contributed to its Carnegie Foundation designation as a Community Engaged Campus. During the annual Community Connections Breakfast, representatives of Greater Lowell’s service organizations will network with UMass Lowell faculty to expand existing and create new service-learning opportunities for UMass Lowell students outside of the classroom. These experiences complement students’ academic coursework and enrich their civic engagement. The event will include the university’s presentation of its Community Partner Award to one outstanding area nonprofit organization.
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
FairCareer Fair Connects Students with Potential Employers After Graduation
When: Thursday, March 26, 2 to 6 p.m.
What: What are the most sought-after jobs and who are the hoped-for employees in the current market? What are UMass Lowell students looking for as they prepare to enter the working world after graduation? The “Summer and Beyond Career Fair” will hold the answers. Now in its 20th year, the event will be held at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell – the university’s largest venue – to accommodate demand by employers to participate. More than 190 representatives of for-profit, nonprofit and government agencies and 1,000 UMass Lowell students are expected to attend. Representatives from Raytheon and Fidelity Investments to the Peace Corps and City Year will meet with students about full-time, internship and co-op positions. Students, employers and UMass Lowell’s staff will be available to speak with the media about their goals. The event is hosted by UMass Lowell’s Career Services and Cooperative Education Center. Note: The career fair is not open to the public but members of the media are encouraged to attend.
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 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
PortuguesePortuguese ‘Age of Discovery’ is Basis for Discussion Series
When: Thursdays, March 26, April 9 and April 16, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
What: The travels of Portuguese explorers in the early 15th century – known as the “Age of Discovery” – will be the focus of a discussion series. Sessions will examine the first encounters between Christians and Muslims and Europeans, Africans, Asians and Americans, from West Africa to India and China. By the early 17th century, European merchants, missionaries and conquerors had established colonies and trading posts across the globe. Leading the programs will be Ana Valdez, the inaugural Luso-American Foundation Visiting Professor in Portuguese Studies at UMass Lowell. The programs, which are free and open to the public, are presented by the university’s Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research. Members of the public who wish to attend must register with Natalia Melo at Natalia_Melo@uml.edu or 978-934-5199.
Where: Dugan Hall, Room 211, South Campus, 883 Broadway 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
Book‘Master Thieves’ Author Explores Intrigue Behind Gardner Museum Heist
When: Thursday, April 2. Talk from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and book-signing from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
What: Author Stephen Kurkjian will speak to UMass Lowell art history students about the still-unsolved theft of paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston 25 years ago – the largest robbery of fine art in history. Kurkjian, a former reporter and editor at the Boston Globe, has penned “Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist” detailing the case. The UMass Lowell students are studying all of the artists – including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet – whose works were stolen from the museum on March 18, 1990. Kurkjian will hold a book-signing and offer remarks at the Whistler House Museum of Art later in the day. His visit to the city is presented by UMass Lowell’s Center for Arts and Ideas and the Whistler House.
Where: Talk – Coburn Hall, Room 300, South Campus, 850 Broadway St., Lowell. Book-signing – Whistler House Museum of Art, 243 Worthen 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