Connector 3/10

WinterFest returns to Lowell â–ş Page 3

THE UMASS LOWELL

Serving the Student Body Since 1976

March 10, 2015

MEISA’s Mothers of Rock

In This Issue ‘Out of the City’ MRT production preview

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Campus Calendar

â–ş Page 6

LeAnne Piepiora, a 2013 graduate of UMass Lowell, and Nicholas Dellarocca perform “Rejazz� by Regina Spektor.

Mothers of Rock is an annual celebtration of women in music, honoring female musicians past and present. The event is in its 11th year.

Men’s Lacrosse River Hawks earn first Division I victory

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Final River Hawk Scores Team

Score

Overall Record

W 9-2

2-2

M. Lacrosse vs. NJIT

W 9-7

1-3

W. Lacrosse vs. Sacred Heart

L 6-7

0-4

Baseball vs. Georgia State

Residence Life offers gender-inclusive housing Lindy Reed

â–şSee page 4 for more photos

Jen Desrosiers/Connector

Freshmen step up in Thomas’ absence

Connector Staff

When it comes to housing, students now have more options to select than just which room to live in or who to live with.

UMass Lowell will offer gender-inclusive housing effective as of the fall 2015 semester. The new housing option allows incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors to fill out a housing application and request roommates regardless of gender. The agreement is due by March 31, 2015, along with the online housing contract and the standard $200 housing deposit.

The contracts are not completely binding. If students decide that their room arrangements are not working, they can request to change housing, according to Residence Life Associate Director of Housing and Operations, Matt Austin. â–şSee Housing, page 3 goriverhawks.com

Thomas led the team in points, field goal percentage and rebounds.

Shane Foley Connector Editor

Sections General........................ 2 News............................. 6 Campus Life.................. 3 Calendar....................... 7 A&E.............................. 4 Sports........................... 8

The final seven games on UMass Lowell’s schedule this season may have been their most important stretch all year.

Having just joined Division 1, they were not eligible for any playoff basketball, they only had nine wins on the season, most of their roster was

made up of freshmen and they lost their leading scorer, Jahad Thomas.

They had the least incentive to compete out of any team in America East, and yet they won three out of seven games, and finished sixth over all in the conference.

The four teams they lost to, Albany, Stony Brook, Vermont and

New Hampshire, would become the top four seeds in the America East Tournament.

Thomas was to the River Hawks what LeBron is to the Cavaleirs or Harden is to the Rockets; they guy they can’t afford to lose. Thomas lead the River Hawks in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounds, and was second

in steals. “Jahad’s a guy that you can’t just replace with one guy,â€? said Brad Shaub, a freshman forward who had to do just that. “He rebounds, he sets other guys up, he scores. He’s such a great player that one guy just can’t replace him.â€? â–şSee page 8

March 10, 2015

UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR

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THE UMASS LOWELL

Serving the Student Body Since 1976

UMASS LOWELL CONNECTOR

EDITORIAL BOARD CHRISTOPHER TRAN Editor-In-Chief MADDIE KOUFOGAZOS Managing Editor SARAH PACHT KACI MCLAUGHLIN Copy Editors OPEN Web Manager JENNIFER VIVIER MICHAELA HYDE Social Media Managers LUCAS BROWN Distribution Manager KELLY FREITAS JENNA FREITAS Graphic Designers

DAVE RUDDERHAM Asst. SAM LINSTEAD-ATKINSON News Editors SHANE FOLEY NICHOLAS GIANNINO Sports Editors MARLON PITTER Campus Life Editor REGINA ALONGI JEN DESROSIERS Arts & Entertainment Editors GRYPHON LAYNE Comics Editor JONATHAN SILVERMAN Advisor

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March 10, 2015

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CAMPUS LIFE

WinterFest returns to Lowell this weekend Dave Rudderham Connector Editor

WinterFest is set to take place in Lowell this weekend, beginning March 13, after being postponed in February due to extreme snow accumulations.

The opening ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday night and will feature UMass Lowell’s own a capella group, Hawkapella. The night will continue to offer many choices for entertainment including the UMass Lowell men’s hockey playoff game at the Tsongas Center, as well as a beer showcasing from New England-based Micro Brewers for those over the age of 21.

While some of the events, such as

the beer showcasing, will cost money, “most events will be free” says Susan Halter, a leading organizer for the event. According to Halter there will be many events held throughout Lowell for family as well.

“People should come down on both days and sample a little bit of everything,” says Halter.

The events originally planned for February are still slated for this weekend, including many favorites such as the soup competition and the human dog sled race, set for noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, respectively.

The soup competition fills up quickly, according to Halter. She says she recommends that interested parties arrive early to observe the

contest.

The human dog sled race is also a favorite and has been an event at Lowell’s WinterFest for the last 15 years.

“We’ve also had huskies there so that people could see what dog sledding with huskies looks like,” says Halter. As with any group of people, cute, friendly dogs will always be a crowd pleaser.

In addition to these long-running events, new events, such as a ceremonial lighting of the canals in Lowell, are on the schedule. There will also be a snow globe photo station, which is a first for the annual winter celebration.

These new ideas were the product

of extensive research, Halter says.

“We did a lot of research on WinterFests around the country and we saw incredible things that look like a lot of fun. This year we’re going to be trying [lighting the canals] as well as some new events along with the older events that people love every year,” says Halter.

Winterest is funded by the Lowell community and attracts thousands of people. From the New England breweries, to the New England Music Awards winners performing in a heated tent to end both nights, Winterfest shows that people from around here can still have fun when it’s cold.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Halter.

Housing options more open for students ►Continued from front page

“We try to keep things a little flexible,” he said. “If someone were to come to us and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t working out,’ we would do our best to prioritize that. We wanted to provide an option for any student to feel comfortable living with any other student.”

Austin said he has advocated for this change for the last three years.

The process of finalizing the policy started with a proposal, which was reviewed by Assistant Dean of Residence Life Joel McCarthy, Dean of Students James Cole and Associate Vice Chancellor Larry Siegel.

Once they approved the proposal, the university’s legal counsel evaluated it, accepted it and the university was approved to implement it.

“It’s more than just co-ed, since not every student operates on a binary gender spectrum,” said Austin.

“Some students identify as male, some as female, some as cisgender.

Not everyone fits in a box.”

Students do not have to be LGBTQ

to apply. Many other unique housing situations are accepted, Austin said, and he has already met with about 20 groups with varying circumstances.

“There are some boyfriends and girlfriends, but mostly, it’s students who grew up together, who are cousins, who have been living together since five and want to live together in college, or students that identify as transgender come to us,” said Austin. “It’s really an effort to make our campus more inclusive.”

Other students say they are just happy about the new policy.

John Mulcahey, freshman history major, said that he is thinking about applying and requesting to dorm with a female student. He said that if it weren’t for this policy, he probably would not have a roommate for next year.

“Having gender-inclusive housing allows for much [sic] more options in selecting roommates, and at the same time provides for room opportunities with the LGBT community,” Mulcahey said.

For those students who do not support the policy, they say they are cautious about the potential conflicts that may come with gender inclusivity.

“I feel that it is better to have roommates of the same sex because I think there is a better chance that the two roommates will develop a stronger bond than those of a different sex,” said Jake O’Connell, freshman chemistry major.

Another student, who asked to remain anonymous, said she thought “it might be difficult for students of different sexes to live together.”

UMass Lowell tried experimenting with gender inclusivity a few years ago, according to Austin. The university offered students the option of living in an eight-person suite, with four men and four women. The housing options were more limited, however, which contributed to its lack of success.

“We didn’t have any takers for that, even though we offered it. Having eight people was, I think, the deter-

rent,” Austin said. “It was hard to find eight students who were all okay with this situation. It was also in one specific building, one area.”

This year, however, the increased flexibility of six- and eight-person suites, and the expanded building options have proved more popular. Applicants do not have to find all six or eight people to fill a suite, and their roommate can be a different sex.

Regardless of how next year works out, Austin said that the university plans on maintaining and expanding this policy.

“I can’t think of what some issues would be,” he said. “Generally speaking, this is something students have thought about before deciding.

This is something we want to build upon in the future. If we have some struggles, we want to evaluate what they are, and then make adjustments, but not discontinue the process. We do think this is very important so that our students feel comfortable living on campus.”

ICC to host Future of Business Conference Maddie Koufogazos Connector Editor

What does a NASCAR driver have in common with two teenagers? They are successful entrepreneurs under the age of 25 and will be guest speakers at Top Notch Network’s “The Future of Business Conference,” which will take place Sunday, March 29, at UMass Lowell’s Inn and Conference Center.

Co-founded in 2014 by Joanna de Pena and J. Lucky Henry, Top Notch Network is “an organization comprised of millennial entrepreneurs and professionals who have been or are aspiring to be successful,” according to their website. The organization targets millennials because de Pena and Henry believe that it is never too early to become an entrepreneur or

to practice networking habits. Top Notch holds monthly free mixers open to students, young professionals and members, said Henry.

The “Future of Business Conference” is the first of four major events that are taking place this year. The conference will feature de Pena, Henry, Parker Kligerman, 24, a NASCAR driver who owns his own rising energy shot business and is also an analyst at NBC and social media, and entrepreneur experts Mark Guberti, 17, and Alex Hamm, 19.

According to a Top Notch flyer, the guest speakers “will focus on the direction of business from a social media and marketing stand point, what it takes to stay motivated and some success habits and strategies to add to your daily routine.”

Henry highly encourages students to attend the conference. “I believe it is crucial that people listen to speakers that are relatively close to their age because it increases their believability that they can actually achieve what they are hearing about,” he said.

Vice President of Operations Robert Campbell also believes students should attend the event. “It is important for students to attend this event because it allows them to understand where businesses are going through a social media standpoint, innovative ways in which businesses are starting to market themselves and it will help them expand their own networks and potentially help them find a job or help them with their own future business or nonprofit.”

In addition to being an excellent networking opportunity, the conference will teach students how to utilize social media platforms to gain followers or customers, how to implement entrepreneurial traits in your career and how to start a business, said Henry.

Attendees will walk away from the event feeling prepared, said Henry.

“Once you have gone through some of our networking games with five powerful professionals in one night, your next interview will seem like a walk downtown on a sunny day.”

Tickets are $15 for students and can be reserved by visiting tnnconference. eventbrite.com. For more information on Top Notch Network, visit topnotchnetwork.net.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” Indie Spotlight Review Brendan Jacques Connector Staff

The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” series is, without a doubt, the most interesting series of indie games to appear on the scene in years.

Not only is its massive success and continued relevancy surprising considering its complete lack of conventional marketing, but the series is also home to one of the most unique gameplay concepts to have come about in recent memory. Regardless of anyone’s opinions on the series as a whole, it will undoubtedly be remembered as the most defining video game releases of 2014 (partially because there were almost no other defining releases in 2014, but I digress). Unfortunately, as Isaac Newton probably said at some point or another, everything that goes up must come down and “Five Nights At Freddy’s” is no exception, with many on the internet beginning to question if the series truly deserved any of the praise and attention it got.

Now arriving to silence that debate is “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3,” an excellent survival horror game that brings the entire series full circle in some very unique and surprising ways despite a few drawbacks.

For those who don’t know about this series or haven’t looked at YouTube in the past six months, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a game series centering on a night security guard working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant, whose animatronic mascots are possessed and come to life at night to try to kill him. The objective of each game is to survive from midnight to 6 A.M. without getting caught by the animatronics, with the catch being that you can’t move out of your office during the night; your only chance of survival is to track the animatronics using security cameras and hide when they get close.

While each game takes place in a new restaurant, with their own animatronics and own ways of protecting yourself from

them, the core of the series has always been the same.Where this game separates itself from previous installments is in its choice of location and the lack of traditional animatronic enemies. This time around, the game takes place 30 years after the original at a soon-to-be-opened horror attraction based on the tragedy

game of cat-and-mouse, as Springtrap is very good at hiding himself in any room.

Finding where he’s hiding could spell the difference between life and death.

Beyond its attempts to differentiate itself from its predecessors, what surprised me most about the game is the transition the game makes from survival horror to

Courtesy of Scott Cawthon

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” takes place in a new restaurant with different ways to protect yourself from the murderous animatronics.

that occurred at Freddy Fazbear’s all those years ago. What’s important about this setup is that all the previous mascots, including Freddy himself, have been destroyed or lost to time, leaving the mysterious new animatronic Springtrap as the only adversary.

To compensate for the lack of enemies this time around, all defensive options found in the previous games have been removed and replaced by a noisemaker used to bait Springtrap away from your office. What makes this new mechanic so novel is that the trick will only work if you’re able to play it in the vicinity of the animatronic, which leads to an interesting

something else entirely. While it’s true that the game can be incredibly stressful and terrifying for the first hour or so, there are only so many times you can be caught off-guard by the same stock jump scares before the game fails to remain scary.

However, instead of the lack of genuine fear in the latter half of the game, I was allowed to treat the experience as more of an unsolved mystery than a conventional game. I felt less interested in seeing what new jumpscare was hiding behind each corner of Fazbear’s Horror attraction than I was seeing what that new event could teach me about the overriding mystery of why the animatronics are

acting the way they are, as well as slowly learning how to properly and consistently defeat them. This approach to gameplay progression made completing later portions of the game incredibly satisfying and only furthered my interest into the world of Freddy Fazbear, which I wasn’t really expecting this game to accomplish.

However, while the mysterious nature of the game is what gives the story part of its appeal, I do feel the game has a serious problem with being too vague for its own good. Unlike previous games in the series, which at least gave you a general idea of how to deal with the animatronics and game mechanics, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” tells you almost nothing in advance. While this does end up contributing to the sense of terror and dread present in the first few hours, it also meant that I spent far too much time struggling to understand how I was supposed to play the game rather than immediately enjoying it.

Being a longtime fan of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” lore and having really enjoyed the final ending of the game, I will admit that the road to unlocking that ending was incredibly obtuse and completely beyond anything I would have bothered to do if I didn’t feel obligated to do it for this review. If you’re interested in seeing the real ending, just look it up online. It’s simply not worth the effort.

Regardless of my issues with how vague the game can be at times, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” still stands as a great sendoff to this incredibly interesting series of games. While I don’t think the game has quite enough to it to convert those who’ve already passed this franchise by, it’s still a fun ride that I would gladly recommend to fans of the series and newcomers alike.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 3,” as well as its predecessors, are available on PC for $8, with an iPhone version of the game set to be released in the coming months.

March 10, 2015

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MEISA’s Mothers of Rock 11

Lauren Azevedo serenades the crowd with Mary B Bilge’s “I’m Goin Down”

Alyssa Adrio takes the stage for Eurythmic’s “Sweet Dreams”

“Out of the City” up next at Merrimack Rep. Theater Lowell, MA – Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) 2014-15 Season continues with the romantic comedy “Out of the City,” written by Leslie Ayvazian and directed by Christian Parker. This charming new play by an Outer Circle Critics Award-winning playwright makes its regional premiere with this production. Full of laughter and themes of rejuvenation, “Out of the City,” is the perfect play to guide New England audiences out of a harsh winter and into spring.

The 90-minute play will run from March 19 – April 12, with press performances at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 22, with a reception following the evening performance. All performances will be held at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, located at 50 East Merrimack Street in historic downtown Lowell. Tickets range from $60 - $20 and are on sale now through April 12 at www. mrt.org or by calling 978-654-4678.

In “Out of the City,” two couples (Carol and Matt, Jill and Dan) embark on a weekend getaway in the Pocono Mountains, to celebrate Carol’s 60th birthday. But paradigms hilariously shift as they settle into their new, woodsy surroundings, and the four longtime friends find even the most basic assumptions about their relationships turned upside down.

Delightfully quirky yet always close-to-home, this romantic comedy presents endearing, relatable characters in a setting that’s both fantastical and familiar. It’s a play about friendship amidst marriage, forgiveness amidst hurt, and enduring love amidst elusive romance.

Cast and Creative Team All four actors are making their MRT debuts with this production. Charlotte Maier (as Carol) and Ken Land (as Dan) come to Lowell with numerous Broadway credits.

Kate Levy (as Jill) joins us with extensive regional theatre and national tours on his resume. Grant Shaud (as Matt) has many Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits, but may be most recognized for his role as Miles Silverberg on the long-running television show “Murphy Brown.”

Christian Parker, originally from Andover, returns to MRT after directing “Proof ” during the 2012-13 Season.

His directing credits also include many productions at the Atlantic Theater Company, where he also served as Associate Artistic Director for nearly thirteen years. He is also Associate Professor and Chair of the graduate Theatre program at Columbia University School of the Arts and is the newly appointed Director-in-Residence at the Kenyon Playwrights Conference.

Playwright Leslie Ayvazian is the winner of the John Gassner/Outer Critics Circle Award for best new American play for “Nine Armenians.” She has received commissions from the Manhattan Theatre Club, Windancer Productions, and South Coast Repertory Theatre. Her play “High Dive” was produced at the Long Wharf Theatre and the Manhattan Class Company, and went on to be produced in Poland and Slovakia. Her play “Deaf Day” was produced as a short film in Syria by Rana Kaz Kaz, and was included in the 2012 Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. Leslie is an Adjunct Profes-

sor of dramaturgy at the Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts.

The creative team is rounded out by Scenic Designer Lauren Halpern, Costume Designer Jessica Wegener Shay, Lighting Designer Brian J. Lilienthal, and Sound Designer David Remedios.

Jess Hall rocks out to Paramore’s “Pressure”

Admission Tickets range from $60 - $20 and are available at www. mrt.org or by calling 978-654-4678. Senior discount 10% off adult ticket price. Student tickets $15. Group discounts are available for groups of six or more by calling 978-654-7561. $5 Night: Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 pm.

Patrons may purchase tickets for $5, cash only, at the Box Office between 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Limit 2 tickets per person. Lowell Night: Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 pm.

Lowell residents may purchase tickets for $10 at the box office from 4:30 pm-7:30 pm. Proper ID required, limit 2 per person. A Military Discount of $10 off per ticket (up to four tickets per production) applies to any performance for active duty, retired, veteran, and reservist members of the military.

Special Events Post-Show discussions with the cast or creative team will be held following each Thursday evening performance. Each Wednesday, a Post-Show Community Discussion will occur following the evening performance.

MRT partners with various organizations and individuals in the community to discuss a topic related to the themes or content of the play.

All photos by Jen Desrosiers/Connector Laura Altenor earns a standing ovation with her rendition of Beyonce’s “Listen”

Alica Keys’s well know song, “If I Ain’t Got You” was performed by Gel Lorbes

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March 10, 2015

NEWS Campus Police Log For Date: 03/02/2015 - Monday Location: UNIVERSITY SUITES Harrassment - Report Taken Narrative: Student wishing to speak with an officer in regards to harrassment from an ex boyfriend.

Location/Address: MERRIMACK ST Motor Vehicle Accident - Report Taken Narrative: Transportation bus hit a pole near Heritage Nursing Home.

For Date: 03/03/2015 - Tuesday Location: RIVERSIDE LOT Motor Vehicle Accident - Report Taken Narrative: RP states vehicle that the vehicle that parked next to him scraped his vehicle.

Report was taken for damage to m/v.

Narrative: RA’s reported damage to light fixtures on the 4th floor.

Transporting 1 male party from ICC to UMLPD. Transporting 1 male party from UMLPD to Fletcher St. For Date: 03/05/2015 - Thursday Location: WILDER/WEST ADAMS Motor Vehicle Accident - Report Taken Narrative: Car hit a NRT bus on Wilder/West Adams. No injury. The driver of the car is trying to leave the scene. #134 and #141 dispatched. Also, LPD was notified by calling party.

Report taken for assisting LPD with the accident.

For Date: 03/06/2015 - Friday Location: ICC Disturbance - Report Taken Narrative: RA reported an altercation. No weapons involved.

For Date: 03/04/2015 - Wednesday Location/Address: ICC 4TH FLOOR Malicious Destruction Arrest(s) Made

Award to Fund Work of New Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology UMass Lowell Media Relations

LOWELL, Mass. – NASA has awarded UMass Lowell researchers $5.6 million toward their work to build and test an imaging device that will be able to detect planets beyond the solar system that are capable of supporting life.

The device is equipped with a specialized optical-imaging system on a telescope designed to block direct light from stars so that objects close to them – such as planets, asteroids and interplanetary dust – that would otherwise be hidden by glare can be studied. The 24-inch-diameter telescope will be housed in a gondola measuring approximately 6.5 feet by 7.5 feet by 11 feet. When completed, the entire device will weigh an estimated 2,000 pounds, comparable to a small car.

The instrument is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, N.M., for two missions, one in 2017 and the other in 2019. Five stars that represent a range of brightness, ages, distances and spectral types have been selected as the missions’ test

targets. They are Alpha Lyrae (Vega), Sigma Draconis, Epsilon Eridani, Alpha Aquilae (Altair) and Tau Ceti.

The UMass Lowell researchers have named the apparatus the Planetary Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Recoverable Experiment – Coronagraph, or PICTURE C. “PICTURE-C will enable us to image and characterize the disk of dust, asteroids, planets and other debris orbiting the stars and gain a better understanding of the processes and dynamics that formed our solar system,” said Supriya Chakrabarti, a UMass Lowell physics professor who is the director of the university’s new Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology.

The NASA grant is the first major funding for the center, whose researchers study the atmospheres and ionospheres of Earth and the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy and the cosmos.

“The center aims to train the next generation of scientists and engineers through hands-on involvement in all phases of the mission, from

instrument development to data analysis,” Chakrabarti said. “We will also mentor and train early career professionals in space astronomy and engineering and promote undergraduate participation in space and technology research.”

Other UMass Lowell members of the PICTURE-C team include Newton resident Timothy Cook, an assistant professor of physics who is leading the project with Chakrabarti; mechanical engineer Jason Martel of Fitchburg; post-doctoral associates Susanna Finn of Somerville and Christopher Mendillo of Brighton; and graduate student Kuravi Hewawasam of Lowell.

In order to capture quality images once the device is airborne, it will be carried aloft by a giant helium balloon to altitudes of about 120,000 feet where it will be above 99.9 percent of the atmosphere that could distort or blur the images. The balloon will enable the instrument to collect data for six to 10 hours, depending on a variety of factors, including wind and other weather conditions,

according to Chakrabarti.

PICTURE-C’s 2017 mission will be the center’s first balloon flight.

While on its way to the edge of the atmosphere, PICTURE-C will be kept on course by a special Gimbal platform in the balloon’s gondola that can compensate for any unwanted movements and a fine-pointing, optical-control system. The gondola, called Wallops Arc Second Pointer (WASP), was developed and flight-proven

by Wallops Flight Facility of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The device’s optical-control system, which determines where in space the instrument is looking, was designed by Mendillo and Cook, Chakrabarti said.

“This fine-pointing system can provide the coronagraph an accuracy of better than 5 milliarcseconds, which is comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope,” Chakrabarti said. Arcseconds measure the apparent angle between two objects in space, with one arcsecond measuring 1/3600 of one degree. A milliarcsecond is one 1,000th of an arcsecond.

At the end of each mission, ground controllers will send a command to release the balloon from the payload, which will then fall to the ground, aided by a parachute that would deploy to ensure its safe landing.

“The PICTURE-C sounding rocket and future stratospheric balloon are great examples of how NASA’s suborbital program develops and tests the technologies that we will need in our future spacecraft,” said Michael Garcia, NASA headquarters program officer for the project. “The development of these particular technologies is necessary on the way to our ultimate goal of discovering an Earth 2.0.”

Other PICTURE-C project collaborators include researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology and the University of California Santa Barbara.

March 10, 2015

ng happeni What’s us on camp th?! this mon

SUNDAY

MONDAY

9

CAMPUS CALENDAR

MARCH

TUESDAY

10 Dash for Cash Student Activities 9:30p.m.-11:00p.m.

Fox Hall Commons

WEDNESDAY

11 Invisible Identity Series Multicultural Affairs 5:00p.m.-6:30p.m.

UCrossing 492

THURSDAY

12 Comedian: Steve Macone CAPA 8:30p.m.-10:30p.m.

Fox Hall Commons

CAPA Movie Night ‘Thor: The Dark World’ 7:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

Moloney Hall UCrossing

15

16

17

18

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Fairfield 4:00p.m.

Cushing Field

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UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR

23 Classes resume Guest Speaker: Gaurav Nilakantran Mechanical Engineering 11:00am-2:00p.m.

Cumnock Hall Trustees Room

24 Beat the System: Room Selection lottery Office of Res. Life 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m.

Campus Recreation Center

FRIDAY

13 Spring Break begins Wheelchair Basketball Tickets: $3 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

Costello Athletic Center Hockey East Quarterfinals 7:15p.m.

Tsongas Center

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SATURDAY

14 Women’s Lacrosse vs. Quinnipiac 1:00p.m.

Cushing Field Hockey East Quarterfinals 7:15p.m.

Tsongas Center

21 Baseball vs. Albany 12:00p.m.

LeLacheur Park

GRE Prep Workshops Centers for Learning 7:00p.m.-10:00p.m.

Olsen Hall 406

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Film Screening: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ Sundance documentary 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

O’Leary Library 222

Commemoration of Voting Rights Act 50th anniversary w/guest speakers 4:00p.m.-6:00p.m.

O’Leary Library 222

Space Science Lab Friday Seminar Series w/guest presenters Center for Atmospheric Research 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m.

Wannalancit Mills 3rd Floor Training Rm

Calendar listings are FREE when space is available. To better ensure your listings placement, get your information in two weeks in advance by e-mailing Christopher_Tran@student.uml.edu

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March 10, 2015

SPORTS Freshmen step up in Thomas’ absense ► Continued from front page

The loss of Thomas to the team was described as a “moment of prolonged silence” by Head Coach Pat Duquette. “It was a long bus ride home from Binghamton,” said Coach Duquette. Regardless of the major setback however, the team did not consider it an end to their season.

“Everybody knew how important Jahad was to us,” said Coach Duquette. “Everybody also knew that we weren’t going to give up. So, we needed some time just to think it through, and then what our identity was going to be without him, and we all came to the same conclusion that nobody was going to replace him; that we were just going to have to all give a little bit more.”

The River Hawks also had two other players redshirted, which meant that they played mostly nine guys through the rest of the season. What was left of the team became a young squad, the majority of which were freshmen, that could win games. Lance Crawford, starting point guard, dropped 35 points at Maine during their final seven game stretch.

“Lance Crawford is still learning

how to play point guard at the college level,” said Coach Duquette, “but it’s clear that he’s talented and is starting to get a better understanding for that position.”

Schaub also contributed, knocking down 16 shots from downtown while playing the opposing team’s biggest play in the paint.

“Brad Schaub has not scored as much, but plays a ton of minutes in the front court for us and has a super basketball I.Q., and I feel that he’s made a ton of progress as well,” said Coach Duquette.”

Defensively in general, losing Jahad also meant that the team would play the rest of the season, knowing that every other team was bigger that them. Accounting for Jahad’s absence meant making their defense in the post that much better.

“I think that’s a good thing that we haven’t relied on our size,” said Coach Duquette. “We’re quick, we’re tough, we’re strong, we’re quick to the ball.

We have to be that way to survive defensively, and I like the attitude that that’s helped create amongst our team.”

While the big guys on the River Hawks aren’t quite “big,” they make up for their size in versatility. Most of

them have played the wing at some point in U P C OM I N G their careers.

River Hawk Games “One of our biggest things that our forwards Tuesday, Mar 10 4 pm MLax vs Providence can do is coach gives us the freedom to pop Friday, Mar 13 4:15 pm Softbal vs Saint Joseph and shoot 3’s which, I mean, there’s not a lot of Friday, Mar 13 6:30 pm Softball vs Colgate teams that do that,” said Schaub. “You only have Friday Mar 13 7:15 pm Hockey East Quarters maybe one or two guys, but coach gave a lot of Saturday, Mar 14 TBA Hockey East Quarters us that freedom, and most of the time it’s just because he had the conFor more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com fidence in us and a lot of us are shooters. I mean, a lot of us have played and the forward. We’ll become more the wing before. I felt comfortable out versatile. I think you’ll be able to run there, so I felt comfortable catching a lot of different sets, because we have and shooting all season long.” three guys that all play the same posiAt the end of the season, it seems tion on the floor together.” as thought the River Hawks may have gained a new identity with their proficiency at shooting the three ball.

While they’ve gotten good at playing small, however, it may make them all the more threatening when they get big.

“I think it’s just going to open up possibilities for us,” said Schaub, “that we have guys that can play the wing

Men’s Lacrosse holds on for first Division 1 victory UMass Lowell Athletics

Paced by four, first-half goals by freshman Sean Tyrrell (Calgary, Alberta), The UMass Lowell River Hawks held on for a historic first Division I victory defeating NJIT, 9-7, Saturday afternoon at Lutbekin Field.

“It’s great to get our program’s first ever Division I win,” said Head Coach Ed Stephenson. “It was a great battle between two brand new programs. We did well enough in the first half to win the game and close it out. NJIT came back strong in the second half but our kids did a great job finishing it out.”

For the second time this season on the road, the River Hawks (1-3) came away with the first goal of the contest. Tyrrell took the feed from sophomore Chris Litchfield (Burlington, Mass.) and fired home his fourth goal of the season at the 12:31 mark of the first quarter.

Tyrrell added his second of the game with 6:03 to go in the first quarter and freshman Matthew Balter (West Sand Lake, N.Y.) beat the clock with two seconds left for a 3-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.

The River Hawks momentum carried over into the second quarter. Tyrrell and fellow freshman Cory Highfield (Georgetown, Ontario) scored 12 seconds apart at the beginning stages of the quarter to build the lead to 5-0 and Tyrrell increased the advantage to six at the 9:44 mark.

“I thought Sean was well prepared for the game and it showed with his five-point performance,” said Stephenson. “He executed and shared the ball very well and is becoming one of the guys we count on game in, game out.”

NJIT (0-4) stopped the bleeding with 8:21 left in the half courtesy of a goal from freshman Liam Der-

kasch, but UMass Lowell responded with goals from Jon Phillips (Delta, B.C.) and Liam Rafferty (Long Beach, N.Y.) to take an 8-1 lead into halftime.

The Highlanders began a second-half surge with two goals in the third quarter by freshmen Tyler Baggett and Joe Lomeli.

NJIT scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 8-5 before freshman Keenan Koswin (Winnipeg, Manitoba) thwarted the momentum with his first collegiate goal.

Two more goals by the Highlanders made the score 9-7 with 5:15 remaining, but the River Hawks defense held strong for the remainder of the game to secure their first victory of the season.

The River Hawks return home to face Providence on March 10 at 4 p.m.

goriverhawks.com

The River Hawks improved their record to 1-3 with a 9-7 victory over NJIT this past Saturday.