Story and Source Ideas for Journalists
03/25/2019
Contact: Nancy Cicco: 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette: 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell. In case of inclement weather, call UMass Lowell’s weather hotline at 978-934-2121; if the university is closed, events are canceled. For more, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom.
Sources of the week
UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:
- Why the Mueller report and Russia investigation is failing to capture the attention of some Americans;
- General Motors’ new drive to build electric and autonomous vehicles, including: -
- How these new cars and trucks are reshaping the auto industry
- The new technology being developed at UMass Lowell for use in EVs
- The ethical challenges associated with autonomous vehicles
Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.
M2D2 $200K Challenge Features Cutting-Edge Biotech Innovations
When and where: Wednesday, March 27, 5 to 9 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
What: Finalists in the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) $200,000 Challenge will pitch their medical device and biotech innovations to a panel of expert judges for a chance to receive services including legal, business and clinical assistance to help bring their concepts to market. The event will also feature speaker Rick Bright, director of the Biomedical Advances Research and Development Authority and deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since its inception in 2007, M2D2, a partnership between UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School, has assisted more than 100 startups. Members of the public who would like to attend should email MaryAnn_Picard@uml.edu.
Repair Café to Showcase Skills of Women Engineering Students
When and where: Saturday, March 30, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lawrence Lin MakerSpace, Falmouth Hall, Room 102, North Campus, 201 Riverside St., Lowell
What: The public is invited to bring clean, mendable clothing, knitted and crocheted items and broken lamps, clocks, small appliances and bicycles to the UMass Lowell’s Repair Café, where students in the campus chapter of the Society of Women Engineers will fix goods for free. The students will also demonstrate how to change vehicles’ windshield wipers, add needed fluids and locate the jack and spare tire in car trunks. Donations are requested to cover to cost of parts; participants may also bring the parts needed to make goods whole. Members of the public interested in more information should email Linda_Barrington@uml.edu.
International Civil Rights Leader to Headline Day Without Violence --NOTE:This event has bee canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
When and where: Tuesday, April 2, 12:30 to 2 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell
What: Civil rights champion Fania Davis, UMass Lowell’s 2019 Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies, will deliver the keynote address at the university’s annual Day Without Violence, a free program for the campus and public. Davis came of age in Birmingham, Ala., where the murder of two of her childhood friends in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing of 1963 cemented her resolve to become a justice-seeker and healer. She is the founder and director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), which works to transform public schools and juvenile court systems through reconciliation and other programs that are alternatives to punitive “zero-tolerance” policies. Free parking for the public will be available in the nearby Wilder Lot.
Acclaimed Writer, Actress, Advocate to Share Work at Free Event
When and where: Thursday, April 4, 5 p.m. O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell
What: Acclaimed writer, actress and advocate for people with disabilities Marianne Leone will read from her work and talk about her creative process in a free program for the campus and community. Leone is the author of the memoirs “Jesse: A Mother’s Story,” which recounts her family’s efforts to care for her son with cerebral palsy, and “Ma Speaks Up: And a First Generation Daughter Talks Back.” She has appeared in HBO’s drama “The Sopranos” and in films by David O. Russell, Larry David, John Sayles and Martin Scorsese. Best-selling author and UMass Lowell English Prof. Andre Dubus III will also participate in the event, the latest in the university’s Writers on Campus series. Leone and her husband, Oscar-winning actor Chris Cooper, hold honorary degrees from UMass Lowell. Free parking for the public will be available in the nearby Wilder Lot.
Animals’ Visual World, Impact on Science Explored at Program
When and where: Thursday, April 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell
What: While humans can see the colors of the rainbow, the visual world of animals is totally different. Many birds, insects, reptiles and aquatic animals perceive colors in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, which exists literally “over the rainbow” and goes unseen by humans. Charles Clark, chief of the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s Electron and Optical Physics Division and an authority on the properties of light, will talk about the latest scientific findings connected to the ultraviolet spectrum, how animals’ ability to see it affects their behavior and how scientists’ understanding of it is influencing advances in physics, astronomy and climate change. The free event for the public and campus is one in the UMass Lowell Kennedy College of Sciences Eric and Lola Chaisson Lecture Series on Science and Society.