Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

UMass Lowell Image

05/04/2015

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 Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.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:

  • Mother’s Day and how children can improve their relationships with their parents;
  • What’s next for Baltimore residents and police and how they can build trust with each other;
  • McDonald’s new business model and whether it will help the fast-food giant regain its market share;
  • Current legal cases involving celebrities like the Kardashians who are trying to trademark their names.

Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.

New England Youth Wind Ensembles Perform Concerts for Public
Art Exhibit Showcases Creativity of Graduating Seniors
UMass Lowell Professor to Receive Honor for Preservation Efforts
Event Celebrates Excellence in UMass Lowell Community
Actor, Education Advocate LeVar Burton Addresses Class of 2015

NewNew England Youth Wind Ensembles Perform Concerts for Public

When: Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6, 7:30 p.m.

What: More than 60 high-school and middle-school students who are among the Merrimack Valley’s best instrumentalists in their age group will showcase their talents for the community and the campus in two free concerts on consecutive nights. Members of the New England Youth Wind Ensemble are young musicians who play piccolo, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet and English horn who are selected to join the group and are mentored by UMass Lowell music students. Tuesday’s performance will feature high-school students and Wednesday’s concert will feature middle-schoolers. The programs will be conducted by Debra-Nicole Huber, the ensembles’ artistic director and UMass Lowell’s director of instrumental music outreach and associate director of university bands.

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

ArtArt Exhibit Showcases Creativity of Graduating Seniors

When: Artists’ reception, Wednesday, May 6, 5 to 7 p.m. Exhibit runs through Saturday, May 16.

What: UMass Lowell art and design students who will receive their bachelor of fine arts degree on May 16 will display their senior thesis projects at this exhibit, which is free and open to the public. Pieces incorporate photography, graphic design, illustrations, advertising campaigns, painting, installation works, animation and comic-book art. Participating students hail from Bedford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Fitchburg, Gardner, Haverhill, Lowell, Malden, Medford, Methuen, North Reading, Peabody, Pepperell, Revere, Shrewsbury and Webster, and Milford, N.H. The artists’ reception will be open to the public. Members of the public interested in viewing the exhibit after May 6 should call the UMass Lowell Art Department at 978-934-3494 or e-mail Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu to schedule a time.

Where: University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, First Floor, South Campus, 870 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

UMassUMass Lowell Professor to Receive Honor for Preservation Efforts

When: Thursday, May 14, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

What: Patricia Fontaine, an associate professor in UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education, will be among the Greater Lowell leaders honored for their efforts to preserve cultural heritage during the annual presentation of the Community Excellence Awards by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Heritage Partnership and the city of Lowell. Fontaine will be recognized for her work with UMass Lowell and Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust in support of Hawk Valley Farm, nearly five acres of protected land located off Varnum Avenue in Lowell.

Where: 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

EventEvent Celebrates Excellence in UMass Lowell Community

When: Friday, May 15, 5 to 8:30 p.m.

What: UMass Lowell’s Commencement Eve Celebration will unite students, faculty, staff and alumni to honor the accomplishments of graduating seniors who have excelled in academics and service to the community and university. Commencement speaker LeVar Burton is expected to attend along with UMass Lowell’s 2015 honorary degree recipients and other special guests. The event raises funds for UMass Lowell student scholarships. Members of the public interested in purchasing tickets should contact Kathleen Sullivan at 978-934-3236 or Kathleen_Sullivan@uml.edu.

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

ActorActor, Education Advocate LeVar Burton Addresses Class of 2015

When: Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.

What: Actor, entrepreneur and education advocate LeVar Burton will address more than 3,800 graduates – a record number for the eighth year in a row – during UMass Lowell Commencement exercises. Burton’s career spans five decades. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kunta Kinte in the TV miniseries “Roots” and as the host and executive producer of the PBS show “Reading Rainbow,” which helped teach generations of children to read. That work continues today with the launch of RRKidz, Burton’s all-digital educational publishing company that is bringing “Reading Rainbow” to the web and into the classroom. During the morning ceremony, the university will confer degrees to candidates in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; College of Health Sciences; and the Graduate School of Education and award honorary degrees to Carole Cowan, former president of Middlesex Community College; John Sampas, literary executor of Jack Kerouac’s estate; and Donato Tramuto, founder, CEO and chairman of Physicians Interactive. At a second ceremony in the afternoon, graduates will receive degrees from the Francis College of Engineering, College of Sciences and Manning School of Business and an honorary degree will be bestowed to Barry Perry ’68, former chairman and CEO of Engelhard Inc. Lorenzo Cabrera ’94, founder and chairman of the board of Cabrera Services Inc., which provides radiological and environmental remediation services, will be presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

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