News

Sunwheel and sky-watching events mark summer solstice on June 20

The public is invited to join Astronomy professors Judith Young and Steve Schneider to witness sunrise and sunset associated with the summer solstice among the standing stones of the campus Sunwheel on Wednesday, June 20 at 5 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Rain cancels the events. 
 
These Sunwheel events mark the astronomical change of season in the northern hemisphere when days are longest and nights are shortest.
 
At these hour-long gatherings, there will be a talk on the astronomical cause of the sun’s solstice or standstill.

Juniper Summer Writing Institute hosts public readings by authors and poets

The Juniper Summer Writing Institute will host seven nights of poetry and fiction readings by acclaimed faculty and writers in residence from June 24-30.
 
All readings begin at 7:30 p.m. in 135 Integrated Sciences Building. Readings are open to the public for a suggested donation of $5-10.
 
The series kicks off June 24 with Mark Doty and Leni Zumas. Doty is the author of nine books of poems, including Fire to Fire: New & Selected Poems, and five volumes of nonfiction. Zumas is the author of the story collection Farewell Navigator and the novel The Listeners.
 
            The schedule of

Heuck awarded $950,000 research grant by NIH

Alejandro P. Heuck, assistant professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has received a five-year, $950,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medicine for his project “Molecular Mechanism of Translocon Assembly into Cell Plasma Membranes.”

The goal of this project is to analyze the structure and mechanism of assembly of the type III secretion translocon complex employed by pathogenic bacteria to inject virulence factors through the plasma membrane of human cells.

Employing a combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques the Heuck’s

Peregrine falcons take to the sky

The three female peregrine falcon chicks that hatched last month on the roof of the Du Bois Library all successfully began flying over the weekend of June 9-10.

They have been coming back to the box at night to be fed, but they will spend less and less time at the box over the next few days until they completely stop visiting it on a regular basis, according to Richard Nathhorst, capital projects manager in Facilities Planning.

“They are in the flight school phase of their training, following the parents around campus begging for food, learning to fly and hunt for prey and developing

Family Business Center joins BFF Affiliate Network

The UMass Family Business Center has joined Business Families Foundation (BFF) Affiliate Network to work collaboratively on developing additional educational material, supporting business family communities and encouraging research in the field of family business.

As a philanthropic organization, BFF supports research and develops and disseminates educational material to family enterprises and professionals working with them to help them address their unique growth and development challenges.

The UMass Family Business Center provides a learning community for families in business who aim to

Badgett testifies before Senate panel in favor of employment non-discrimination act

Economics professor M.V. Lee Badgett, director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on June 12 that Congress should pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act because lesbian, gay and bisexual people are nearly as likely to file discrimination complaints as those already protected by federal anti-bias laws.

Badgett was one of five witnesses who provided the Senate committee with testimony related to the proposed bill, which would ban discrimination in hiring and other employment decisions based on sexual

Doctoral oral exams for June 18-22

The graduate dean invites all graduate faculty to attend the final oral examinations for the doctoral candidates scheduled as follows:

Chris Boulton, Ph.D., Communication. Monday, June 18, 10 a.m., 620 Thompson Hall. Dissertation: “Rebranding Diversity: Colorblind Racism Inside The U.S. Advertising Industry.” Emily West, chr.

Marcelo Dias, Ph.D., Physics. Tuesday, June 19, 10 a.m., 409 Hasbrouck. Dissertation: “Swelling and Folding as Mechanisms of 3D Shape Formation in Thin Elastic Sheets.” Christian Santangelo, chr.

Anna Curtis, Ph.D.,Sociology. Tuesday, June 19, 11 a.m., W-32 Machmer.

Obituary: Oswald Farquhar, professor emeritus of Geosciences

Oswald Cornell Farquhar, 92, of Amherst, professor emeritus of Geosciences, died May 30 at home.

He was born in Hexham, England. At age 16, he joined a cadet wing at an airfield developing military radar technology that played a pivotal role in World War II.  He later went on to champion the now-widespread use of radar-based remote sensing for geologic science. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, served as an active-duty officer until 1945 and as a reservist until the early ’50s.

Sinha addresses conference on Underground Railroad

Manisha Sinha, associate professor of Afro-American Studies, gave the opening address at the Underground Railroad Public History Conference held April 13-15 at Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y.

Sinha’s presentation was titled “Fleeing for Freedom: Fugitive Slaves and the Making of American Abolition.”

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Goldman appointed Distinguished Professor

The Board of Trustees voted June 6 to appoint Sheldon Goldman of the Political Science Department as a Distinguished Professor.

The appointment recognizes Goldman's outstanding research, service and teaching over the course of his nearly 47 years on the faculty. During that time, Goldman has become one of the nation's top experts on the politics of judicial selection and confirmation.

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