Inventing Progress, Inspiring Greatness.
UMass Amherst faculty members are among the best in the nation, and through their research, they create knowledge to solve global problems. In their teaching they inspire a new generation of explorers and leaders.
A few examples:
Susan B. Leschine (at right), a professor of microbiology, is lead scientist for the UMass Amherst spin-off company Qteros. She has been named one of the top 10 “Women to Watch” by Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology. Leschine found a unique microbe, now known as the Q Microbe, in a wetlands area near the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, and makes cellulosic ethanol from plant waste in her UMass Amherst Lab. D. Julian McClements, a professor of food sciences and one of seven winners of the Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity at the 2008 Faculty Convocation, has done groundbreaking work in the study of food emulsions, encapsulation and functional coatings for foods. His team is working on a way to encapsulate dietary fats so that fatty foods will taste like the real thing but the fat will not be digested. What makes his research special? He applies ideas from physics and chemistry. McClements has brought $4.6 million in research funding to the campus.John Gerber, a professor of plant science and sustainability studies
teaches a course called “Sustainable Living.” The first year it was offered, 35 students enrolled. Now hundreds sign up. In covering topics like energy, food, health, and waste management, Gerber helps students see where they fit into the big picture, asking, What is calling you? What do you love? What are your gifts? Of his approach to teaching students, he says, “What they need is not training, it’s preparation, guidance. They have a yearning for the language and tools to live.” And he firmly believes students will find their places, and livelihoods, in tomorrow’s world: “There is more work on this planet than we can serve.”
These are just three of the professors at UMass Amherst who bring great enthusiasm, ideas, and acumen to their teaching and research. To recruit and retain world-class faculty, we need your help. Whether you give to an endowed professorship, research, or other forms of faculty support, your gift will translate into Aha! moments for generations of students—and valuable contributions to society.