Story and Source Ideas from UMass Lowell
04/21/2015
This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations. 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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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:
- How Boston Marathon bombing survivors’ recovery may be influenced by the outcome of the penalty phase of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial;
- Whether Jeb Bush’s decision to run his campaign largely through a Super PAC will affect his chances of securing the Republican nomination for president;
- How the “Fight for $15” effort to raise the minimum wage is changing the face of the labor movement.
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
Students’ Art Featured on 80-Foot-Tall Boston Marquee
UMass Lowell to Make History with Largest-Ever Sustainability Effort
Motivational Speaker Tells His Story to ‘Disable the Label’
Activist, Author Helps Mark 25th Anniversary of Peace-Building Program
Arts Event Celebrates Talents of the UMass Lowell Community
Honored University Professor Shares Cutting-Edge Inventions
Kerouac Writer-in-Residence Reads Work, Discusses Creative Process
University Concert Band Performs for the Public
Former EPA Official Presents Vision for Cleaner, More Efficient Cars
Civil Rights Activists Reflect on Struggle at Event for Campus, Public
Marquee Students’ Art Featured on 80-Foot-Tall Boston Marquee
When: Opening reception, Tuesday, April 21, 6 to 8 p.m.
What: The largest LED video display in New England – seen by more than 100,000 people each day – will feature digital designs by three UMass Lowell students as part of the Art on the Marquee project. Works by fine arts students Amanda Murrin of Haverhill, Kristen Racamato of Wakefield and Jeffrey Stein of Suffield, Conn., will be among seven pieces created by Massachusetts college students that will be shown on a rotating basis on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center’s 80-foot-tall outdoor marquee. The display is comprised of seven video screens that provide more than 3,000 square feet of space that is visible to pedestrians, motorists and people in hotels and office buildings as far as a half-mile radius from the center. The program is presented by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Boston CyberArts.
Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston
Contacts for media: Katie Hauser, Signature Boston, 617-954-2325, khouser@signatureboston.com or Nancy Cicco, UMass Lowell, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
AEPUMass Lowell to Make History with Largest-Ever Sustainability Effort
When: Wednesday, April 22, noon
What: UMass Lowell and Massachusetts officials will announce plans for a multimillion-dollar sustainability project – the largest in the university’s history – that will dramatically reduce annual energy consumption and improve the living and learning environment on campus. Those scheduled to participate in the announcement include Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Commissioner Carol Gladstone, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Acting Commissioner Dan Burgess, state Rep. Rady Mom, UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and James Christopher, a UMass Lowell political science major from Peabody who is the Student Government Association representative to the university’s Sustainability Committee. The announcement will be made during UMass Lowell’s Earth Day Sustainability Festival, where students, faculty, staff and university partners will offer demonstrations and information about best practices in energy conservation initiatives, research and more. The festival is one in a series of events during the university’s Earth Week, which features a range of activities for the campus community presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Sustainability and its Sustainability Committee.
Where: South Quad, South Campus, Solomont Way, Lowell (Rain location is O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell.) Note: For directions and parking information, contact UMass Lowell media relations.
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
CamMotivational Speaker Tells His Story to ‘Disable the Label’
When: Wednesday, April 22, 3:30 to 5 p.m.
What: Motivational speaker Cameron Clapp will share his story of becoming a triple-amputee at age 15 and his journey to success as an athlete, actor and activist for people with disabilities. He is the recipient of the Shining Star Award – an honor also given to Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles – that recognizes the achievements of disabled individuals. Clapp has appeared in the TV show “My Name is Earl” and the feature film “Stop-Loss,” among other acting credits. The event is presented by UMass Lowell’s Disable the Label Club, which promotes understanding of people with disabilities and raises awareness about local resources, and Hanger Inc.
Where: Cumnock Hall auditorium, 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
PeaceActivist, Author Helps Mark 25th Anniversary of Peace-Building Program
When: Wednesday, April 22, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
What: Activist and author Michael Patrick MacDonald – whose memoir “All Souls: A Family Story from Southie” won an American Book Award for its retelling of his rough-hewn childhood in Boston – will be the guest speaker at a program to mark the 25th anniversary of UMass Lowell’s Peace and Conflict Studies Institute. An anti-violence activist, MacDonald helped start Boston’s gun-buyback program and founded the South Boston Vigil Group. He will talk about restorative justice and nonviolence during a program that will include the Rev. Imogene Stulken and Prof. Robert Gamache, co-founders and co-directors of the institute, which promotes education, research and real-world experiences that advance conflict-resolution, social justice and peace-building on an interpersonal, community, national and global level. MacDonald will sign copies of his book during a reception at the close of the event, which is free and open to the public.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons mezzanine, 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
ArtsArts Event Celebrates Talents of the UMass Lowell Community
When: Thursday, April 23. Reception, art exhibit and readings, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Theatrical and musical performances, 7:15 to 9 p.m.
What: More than 200 actors, artists, musicians and writers who are UMass Lowell students and faculty will showcase their talents to raise money for scholarships at the first-ever Chancellor’s Celebration of the Arts. The event will feature an art exhibit, poetry readings, music and theater across two venues. Highlights include best-selling author Andre Dubus III, a faculty member in UMass Lowell’s English Department, who will read from his memoir, “Townie” and actress Paula Plum, UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane artist-in-residence, who will perform with students. Students will offer a variety of solo and ensemble musical performances. Chancellor Marty Meehan will present four honors to cap the event: three Outstanding Student in the Arts Awards and the university’s Champion of the Arts Award, which will go to alumna Bonnie Comley ’81 and her husband, Stewart Lane, Tony Award-winning Broadway producers. Tickets for all of the events are $75 per couple, $45 for individuals and $25 for veterans and recent UMass Lowell alumni (classes of 2004 through 2014). UMass Lowell students may attend the concert at Durgin Hall for free. Tickets and more information for the public are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/artscelebration, by calling 978-934-4798 or e-mailing Anita_Pastor@uml.edu.
Where: Reception, art exhibit and readings – Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell. Theatrical and musical performances – 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
ProfHonored University Professor Shares Cutting-Edge Inventions
When: Monday, April 27, 4 to 6 p.m.
What: A “nose” that can sniff out dynamite and a “tongue” that can identify toxic metals such as arsenic in groundwater and soil are just two of the research projects Civil Engineering Prof. Pradeep Kurup will present on at this year’s University Professor lecture. Kurup, a resident of Nashua, N.H., is an expert in geotechnical engineering whose research is acclaimed around the world. The University Professor accolade is the highest honor bestowed by UMass Lowell to a faculty member for exemplary teaching, research and service to the university.
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
KerouacKerouac Writer-in-Residence Reads Work, Discusses Creative Process
When: Monday, April 27, 5 p.m.
What: Award-winning poet and novelist Jennifer Tseng, UMass Lowell’s 2015 Kerouac writer-in-residence, will discuss her creative process and read from her work at a free event for the campus and community. The author of two books of poetry, Tseng’s novel “Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness” will be released next month. The program is presented by UMass Lowell’s English Department.
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
ConcertUniversity Concert Band Performs for the Public
When: Monday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.
What: More than 50 UMass Lowell students who are members of the University Concert Band will play an eclectic mix of songs written by composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, from Wagner to Leonard Bernstein. The performance, conducted by Music Department faculty member Blair Bettencourt, is free and open to the public.
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
EPAFormer EPA Official Presents Vision for Cleaner, More Efficient Cars
When: Tuesday, April 28, 3 to 5 p.m.
What: Margo Oge ’72, ’75 envisions a world in which the cars of tomorrow drive themselves by networking with other vehicles on the road, produce no emissions and average more than 100 miles per gallon. She shares her hopes in her book “Driving the Future: Combating Climate Change with Cleaner, Smarter Cars,” which details her leadership role in the passage of the landmark 2012 Clean Air Act when she was the director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. Oge, who earned a master’s degree in engineering from UMass Lowell, has been honored by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for her environmental efforts. She will talk about her work and sign copies of her book during a free event for the campus and public.
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
CivilCivil Rights Activists Reflect on Struggle at Event for Campus, Public
What: Charles Cobb and Judy Richardson, who were civil rights activists with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s, will talk about their experiences as participants in the Selma to Montgomery march and lunch counter sit-ins that helped define the era. Cobb is now an author and journalist, while Richardson is a leading scholar with the SNCC Legacy Project and a documentary filmmaker who worked on “Eyes on the Prize.” The program is one in a UMass Lowell series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. UMass Lowell Honors College students from Bedford, Billerica, Brockton, Chelmsford, East Walpole, Groton, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, Middleton, Saugus, Taunton, Waltham, Westford and West Newbury are working to present these events and are participating in a range of research and classroom programs. For a full list of events, see www.uml.edu/FAHSS/VRA-Commemoration.aspx
When: Thursday, April 30, 4 p.m., 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