Weekly Bulletin

Safeguard projection facilities

     John W. Stacey, director of Academic Instructional Media Services, advises faculty, staff and teaching assistants that projection facilities should be used carefully.

     "Our technicians find, in many locations, projection equipment left on and booths unlocked," he says. "Please be sure to turn off all equipment; untangle microphone cables; where wireless microphones are used be sure to replace them properly and lock the projection booths when you leave. This will not only help prevent vandalism and theft, it will also leave the facilities in good condition for the next user."

Final exam schedules

     The final examination schedule for December is being sent to academic departments for distribution to the faculty on Oct. 10. Copies will be available to on-campus students in their residence halls and to off-campus students in the Registrar's Office, 213 Whitmore, beginning Friday, Oct. 12.

     The final examination schedule will also be available on the Web
(www. umass.edu/registrar) no later than Oct. 2. The information on the Web will be updated with any changes that are made, according to the Registrar's Office.

Rep. Story schedules district office hours

     Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst) is holding district office hours this month as follows:
     Shutesbury: Thursday, Oct. 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m., town hall.
     Amherst: Friday, Oct. 19, 9:15-10:15 a.m., Bangs Community Center.
     Pelham: Thursday, Oct. 25, 3-4 p.m., community center library.

     Office hours are set aside for residents to discuss ideas or concerns about state government programs or legislative matters. No appointments are needed.

     Rep. Story can also be reached locally at 256-6300. Her district aide, Jan Klausner-Wise, can be reached at 253-3690. Story can also be contacted in Boston at (617) 722-2692 or by e-mail (Rep.EllenStory@hou.state.ma.us).

     The postal address is Room 167, State House, Boston MA 02133.

Campus tour schedule revised

     The News Students Program has revised its tour schedule so that the last tour of the semester will be on the last day of final exams, Saturday, Dec. 22, at 1:30 p.m.

     There will be no tours between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1.

     Daily tours at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 2 and continue through January.

     For information, call 5-4237.

Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology seminar

     Wei Yang of the laboratory of molecular biology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health will present a Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the Medical School in Worcester.

     Yang will discuss "DNA Mismatch Repair: From Structure to Mechanism" at noon in S1-608 Hiatt Auditorium, Goff Learning Center.

Subjects needed for nutrition study

     Subjects are needed for a nutrition study assessing the effects of zinc supplementation on resting metabolic rate, bone density, and zinc status.

     Participants must be physically active (men and women) between 18 and 50 years of age.

     Contact Chris Mohr by e-mail at (mohr@nutrition.umass.edu) or
256-4559.

Retired Faculty Association to meet Oct. 10

     Raymond Bradley, head of the Department of Geosciences, will give a talk entitled "Mass. Climate and Global Warming" at the next meeting on Wednesday, Oct.10 at 10 a.m. in 917 Lincoln Campus Center.

     A coffee hour and business meeting precedes Bradley's talk. All retired faculty and librarians are invited to attend.

General Education proposals due

     General Education course proposals should be submitted to the Provost's Office by Friday, Oct. 12 to ensure consideration by the General Education Council during the fall semester.

Hewlett diversity seminar

     "Profiles of Campus Diversity at UMass Amherst," a faculty luncheon seminar in the Hewlett diversity series, is scheduled for noon-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15 in 905 Lincoln Campus Center.

     Attendees will hear reports from the Diverse Democracy Project on the background characteristics of our students, their previous experiences with diversity, and their openness to diversity by race and ethnicity. The presentation and discussion facilitation will be by Martha Stassen, director of Assessment, and Marilyn Blaustein, director of the Office of Institutional Research. The Diverse Democracy Project is a national study involving 12 peer universities.

     RSVP by Wednesday, Oct. 10 to Joanne Provost at 5-3610 or by e-mail (sschmidt@educ.umass.edu).

Free speech screenings

     The Center for Language, Speech and Hearing in the Department of Communication Disorders this semester is conducting free speech screenings for children ages 3 to 17 in Arnold House.

     Call the center at 5-2565 to schedule appointments. Hearing screenings are not included.

Aging and muscle function study

     The Muscle Physiology Laboratory is looking for men and women between the ages of 65 and 85 to participate in a study of aging and muscle function. Men and women in good health and free from disease that may affect muscle function are eligible to participate.

     Financial compensation will be provided for those who complete the study. If you are interested and would like more information, call Ted Towse or Ian Lanza at the Muscle Physiology Laboratory (5-5305).

Monday class schedule

     Due to the observance of the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, Oct. 8, a Monday class schedule will be followed on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Workshop covers research proposal development

     The Office of Research Affairs is offering a workshop for faculty who are new to the grant process or would like to increase their rate of success in securing external funding.

     "Successful Proposal Development" is being presented by Bruce McCand-less, assistant vice chancellor for Research, and Marg Burggren, associate director of the Office of Research Affairs. The two have developed the training by working with faculty groups for more than a decade.

    The session will cover where to look and how to recognize true grant opportunities, the steps to follow when an opportunity has been identified, what activities qualify for funding and when to write and prepare a formal proposal. Participants will also learn quick and effective techniques for planning and costing a project, how to get a proposal out with time to spare, how to increase the creative elements of a proposal and how to present a case persuasively.

     Two groups are being offered. The first meets on three Tuesdays (Oct. 16, 30 and Nov. 6) from 9-11 a.m. The other session meets Wednesdays (Oct. 17, 31 and Nov. 7), 2-4 p.m. Both meet in 419 Goodell, except the Nov. 6 session, which convenes in 508 Goodell.

     Register by contacting Bev Strakose at 5-5283 or by e-mail strakose@ora. umass.edu).

Nominations open for Senior Leadership Awards

     The Alumni Association invites faculty and staff to nominate outstanding seniors for the 2002 Senior Leadership Award, which recognizes graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the University community.

     Last year, 54 seniors were chosen to receive this award from a field of over 105 nominatees.

     Nomination forms and selection criteria are available online
(www.umassalumni.com) or by calling the Alumni Relations Office (5-2317).

     Nominees mus be in good academic standing, be members of the Class of 2002, and have a minimum 2.5 grade point average. They must also have demonstrated two or more of the following achievements:

     Outstanding service to the university community;
     Distinction within department of major study;
     Distinctive leadership in a campus organization; or
     Excellence in a campus job.

     The deadline for nominations is Friday, Nov. 9. Late nominations will not be accepted.

     Students who are nominated will be asked to submit two letters of recommendation, a self-composed essay in support of their nomination, and a resume to the Alumni Relations Office by Dec. 14.

     Winners will be honored at a special luncheon on April 7.

Weekly Sports Luncheon

     Men's cross country coach Ken O'Brien and women's cross country coach Julie LaFreniere will join football coach Mark Whipple as the featured speakers at the Weekly Sports Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at noon in 1009 Lincoln Campus Center.

     The cost of the buffet lunch is $6.50. Call 5-4289 for reservations.

Early payroll for Columbus Day

     Columbus Day will be observed as a state holiday on Monday, Oct. 8. All departments should submit their Weekly Time and Attendance Reports and student and non-student payroll on Friday, Oct. 5.

EWC offers self-discovery group for women

     A women's self-discovery group begins Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the Everywoman's Center in Wilder Hall. The group is free and open to women from the Five Colleges and the community.

     For information and to register, call 7-0077.