Talking Points

Dining Services ranked No. 7 nationally by The Daily Meal

The Daily Meal, a food and beverage website, has ranked UMass Amherst seventh among the “Best 52 Colleges for Food in America.”
 
The website evaluated the dining programs at more than 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide. Schools were graded on several criteria, including healthy food, events such as themed dinners, programs that support the community with local purchases, incorporating eco-friendly practices into the dining program, accessibility and service, and the “X Factor, something that made our jaws drop,” says the website.
 
Here’s what the site has to say: “Pork carnitas with

Researchers solve long-standing mystery of how cellulose chains break down

One would think that scientists had long ago cracked the secret of cellulose, the most abundant polymer on Earth, in order to break its chemical bonds and harness its wealth of energy. But in fact, only recently have theoretical chemist Scott Auerbach and colleagues discovered how cellulose chains break down with heat, which is critical information for efficiently converting cellulose to biofuels.

 
Reporting in the current issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Auerbach and chemical engineer Paul Dauenhauer, with others, for the first time model at the molecular level the

Campus must continue to inspire public confidence, says Subbaswamy

In his first Faculty Convocation address, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy last week pledged to be a “tireless advocate and ambassador” for the campus and laid the groundwork for a strategic plan that will guide the campus forward.
 
Speaking at the Sept. 14 event in Bowker Auditorium, Subbaswamy praised the assembled faculty, clad in their colorful academic robes.
 
“You are the innovators and creators at our university and you are the sources of inspiration for our students,” said the chancellor. “Your passion, expertise and innovations are the fire at the core of UMass.”
 
While the campus is

New website matches undergraduates with research labs

With roughly 1,000 undergraduate majors and 30 research faculty, it can be a challenge for Biology students to find a research position with one of the department’s laboratories. But a new website developed over the past year and introduced this semester is making it simpler than ever before.
 
And much of the credit goes to Mike Selden, an undergraduate with associate professor Sheila Patek’s lab, who designed a new Drupal-based website over the summer.

Vigil, carillon concert planned in memory of George N. Parks

Minuteman Marching Band members and alumni will remember the late director George N. Parks with a vigil and carillon performance on Sunday, Sept. 16, the two-year anniversary of his death.
 
Parks, who led the band to national prominence during his 33 years as director, died unexpectedly of a heart attack in Ohio, where the band was staying while en route to play at a fooxtball game at the University of Michigan.
 
The memorial vigil will run from 3-6:30 p.m. outside the Old Chapel, the one-time home of the band.

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