News

New England Public Radio taps Kaufman, Kaplan as news program hosts

New England Public Radio this week announced that Jill Kaufman has been named the permanent local host of Morning Edition and Susan Kaplan is continuing her duties as host for All Things Considered.
 
"Jill and Susan are highly-valued professionals with long experience representing the best in public radio journalism," says Martin Miller, CEO and general manager of New England Public Radio. "I am thrilled they are in these positions because I know they will create great radio for our listeners."


 
Kaufman has been a creative force in developing and producing regional programming, including

Science and Engineering Library to close July 16-27

The Science and Engineering Library (SEL) in Lederle lowrise will be closed for renovations from Monday, July 16 through Friday, July 27.   
 
UMass Amherst and Five College faculty, staff and students and UMass State borrower card holders may request books from the SEL collection through the “Request Item” feature in the online catalog accessed through the Library homepage. 
 
Books requested during the closure will be available for pick-up at the circulation/reserves desk on the lower level of the Du Bois Library or delivered to the home library of the Five College requestor.

Baby Berk food truck wins national award

Baby Berk, the mobile eatery operated by Dining Services, has won top honors in the 2012 Loyal E. Horton Awards given by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).
 
The presentation will be made in July during the association’s national conference in Boston.
 
The popular food truck, which made its debut last September, was the gold medalist in the “retail sale-single concept” category for large schools. It is the first national award for Dining Services’ retail operations, according to Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises.
 
Named after the

Plant Diagnostic Lab to bid farewell to Dan Gillman, welcome Nick Brazee

UMass Extension's Plant Diagnostic Lab is holding an open house on Friday, June 29 from 9-10:30 a.m. to bid farewell to plant pathologist Dan Gillman, who is retiring July 16 after 15 years on the staff. The event is also a welcome for Nicholas Brazee, who was hired to succeed Gillman.

The lab is located at 101 University Drive, Suite A7.

According to Kathleen Carroll, director of the Agriculture and Landscape Program, "Nick has been working with Dan for the past month to insure a smooth transition of services. His background includes a Ph.D.

Vacanti dance works set for Boston performances

Thomas Vacanti, assistant professor of Dance, will present two of his newest creations, Rinforzare and The Crimson Petal, in Vacanti Ballets on Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14 at 8 p.m. at the Boston University Dance Theater.
 
The performance will feature an international cast and guest companies North Atlantic Ballet and LeeRoc Dance.  
 
Rinforzare premiered at Amherst College in March. Set to the music of Michael Torke, this ballet takes a contemporary look at the structures and manners of baroque court dances. The Crimson Petal, which will premiere at the performance, is a

Cahoon steps down as hockey coach; search for successor launched

Hockey head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon stepped down June 19 from his position, according to athletic director John McCutcheon.
 
"Through the course of our recent conversations, coach Cahoon and I mutually agreed that it would be in the program’s best interest for him to take this action at this time,” McCutcheon said. “I want to thank coach Cahoon for his many contributions to UMass and the community. He has positioned the program well for future success, both on and off the ice, and we are excited to continue to build on the foundation that he has put in place.”

“Its been an honor to coach

Obituary: John 'Oscar' Pliska, retired mechanic

John Anthony “Oscar” Pliska, 66, of Hadley, a retired Physical Plant mechanic, died Monday morning at his home surrounded by his family.

Born in Northampton, he graduated from Hopkins Academy and also attended Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.

He served as a sergeant with the Marine Corps in Vietnam and was awarded a Purple Heart.

He was an ASE-certified master mechanic and worked as a motor mechanic II at Physical Plant until his retirement in 2000.

He leaves his wife of 46 years, Joanne (Bohonowicz) Pliska; his son John A. Pliska Jr. of Hadley; his daughter Christine M.

UMass Press author re-reads Emily Dickinson

University at Buffalo professor Cristanne Miller, author of Reading in Time: Emily Dickinson in the Nineteenth Century, published last month by the UMass Press, will read from her work and sign copies of the book on Friday, June 22 at 2 p.m. at the Amherst College Alumni House.
 
The event is free and open to the public.
 
In the book, Miller provides new information about Emily Dickinson in relation to 19th-century literary culture. Miller argues that Dickinson’s poetry is formally far closer to the verse of her day than generally imagined.
 
Miller presents Dickinson’s writing in relation

Renaissance Center on Amherst Historical Society's Garden Tour

The Renaissance Center is part of this year's Amherst Historical Society's Garden Tour on Saturday, June 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
The center features gardens planted with herbs and flowers and a meadow with views of the hills. This spring, a Renaissance apple orchard, with eight varieties of Renaissance-era apples was planted. Visitors should be sure to walk the Kestrel trail (a loop around the meadow) and the Montague trail, which is in the woods to the front of the center.
 
Handouts explaining all of the gardens will be available the day of the tour.

Nagurney gives commencement speech at University of Gothenberg

Anna Nagurney, the John F. Smith Memorial Professor of Operations Management at the Isenberg School, gave the master's commencement "diploma" speech on June 14 at the University of Gothenburg's School of Business, Economics and Law to an audience of more than 400.

In her speech, she spoke about "Life as a Network" and the journeys that the degree recipients took to achieve their graduate degrees. She emphasized the importance of hard work and passion, how local action can make a global impact and that chance encounters can lead to great opportunities.

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