UMass Lowell this Week: Events Celebrate the Class of 2019, Entrepreneurship

05/13/2019

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. This is the last edition of “UMass Lowell this Week” for the academic year. For more, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom. 

Sources of the week 

UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss: 

• The debate in communities around the country about whether to allow retailers to go cashless and accept only credit or electronic payment;
• The job outlook for the Class of 2019, what employers are looking for and other workforce trends.

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

Event Marks Expansion of Student Entrepreneurship Program 

When and where: Friday, May 17, 2 p.m. DifferenceMaker Central, Lydon Library, North Campus, 84 University Ave., Lowell

What: A program including speakers and a ribbon-cutting will be held to  honor UMass Lowell alumnus Brian Rist and his wife Kim, whose support recently helped UMass Lowell establish the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute, significantly expanding the DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches students entrepreneurship skills to start businesses and nonprofits. The institute will support new student co-ops, fellowships student teams in the program and an award in the annual DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge. Brian Rist is a Stoughton native who founded and grew Florida-based Storm Smart Industries into the largest manufacturer and installer of hurricane-protection products in the U.S. The couple pledged $5 million to the university, the largest single gift to UMass Lowell, earlier this year to support student scholarships and initiatives including DifferenceMaker. 

Commencement Eve Salutes 2019 Student Medal Winners

When and where: Friday, May 17, 5:30 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell

What: UMass Lowell’s Commencement Eve Celebration will honor outstanding graduating seniors from each of the university’s schools and colleges who have excelled in academics, diversity and inclusion, and service to the campus and community. The event, which is a fundraiser for student scholarships, features the presentation of the Chancellor’s Medals for Distinguished Academic Achievement, Student Service, Community Service and Diversity and Inclusion; University Scholar-Athlete Award; and Trustees Key awards, which recognize students who have maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average over eight semesters at the university. Honorees are from Acton, Billerica, Boxboro, Braintree, Chelmsford, Dracut, Foxboro, Lexington, Lincoln, Lowell, Methuen, North Andover, Saugus, Swansea, Tewksbury, Waltham, Westford, and Woburn, along with Grand Rapids, Mich., Hayward, Calif., Nashua, N.H., and Lake Grove, N.Y. The annual event has raised millions of dollars for student scholarships since 2008. 

Record number to receive degrees at Commencement ceremonies

When and where: Friday, May 17, 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  

What: What: More than 4,500 graduates – the largest number in UMass Lowell’s history – will receive degrees at three Commencement ceremonies. Delivering Commencement addresses will be U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan (Saturday morning); Jack Wilson, former UMass system president and founder of UMass Lowell’s Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship (Saturday afternoon); and Meg Bond, UMass Lowell Distinguished University Professor and director of UMass Lowell’s Center for Women and Work (Friday). Honorary degrees will be presented at the Saturday afternoon ceremony to Wilson, Gerald Colella ’78 and Joyce Colella ’77 and the Chancellor’s Medal for Public Service and Engagement will be presented to Jack O’Connor and Therese O’Connor. On Saturday morning, the following will be presented: the Distinguished Alumni Award to Brian Rist ’77 and the Chancellor’s Medal for Outstanding University Support to Kim Rist. Members of the media interested in covering Commencement should contact UMass Lowell media relations for credentials and details on check-in and parking.

Art and Design Degree Candidates Showcase Senior Projects

When and where: Exhibit runs through Saturday, May 18 in University Gallery, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell and Dugan Hall, lower level, South Campus, 883 Broadway St., Lowell. 

What: UMass Lowell art and design majors who will graduate this month will showcase their senior thesis projects at a free artists’ reception and exhibit for the campus and public. Works in a variety of media will be displayed by more than 35 students from communities across the region. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 18, 6 to 8 p.m. Members of the public who would like more information should contact Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu. 

Forum Explores How Computing Drives New Technologies 

When and where: Tuesday, May 21, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell 

What: Virtually every important scientific breakthrough relies in part on computing technology and resources. Cutting-edge research by UMass Lowell faculty and others in the field will be featured during High-Performance Computer Day, a sold-out conference for researchers and the public. Speakers are scheduled to include IBM executive and engineer Kirk Jordan, whose keynote address at 10 a.m. will focus on the computing behind artificial intelligence, and Noah Van Dam, a UMass Lowell mechanical engineering professor and expert on propulsion, who will speak at 2:40 p.m. on how computing assists in testing the performance of engines. 

IBM Exec and Marketing Guru to Headline Leadership Conference 

When and where: Tuesday, June 18, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell  

What: IBM executive Sophie Vandebroek, who oversees emerging technology partnerships for the multi-billion-dollar company, and Lorna Boucher ’86, a business marketing strategist who launched her career while still a UMass Lowell student, will anchor the 2019 UMass Lowell Women’s Leadership Conference. The event is a forum for professionals in all fields to explore career and personal development topics and to connect with each other. Boucher will speak at 8:45 a.m. and Vandebroek at 2:30 p.m. The daylong program features networking opportunities as well as panels with experts including professors in UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business and Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace. Members of the public may register to attend and find more information at www.uml.edu/wlc.