News

Campus role in county jail labyrinth project noted in documentary

A new documentary by Northampton Cable Television about the construction of an 80-foot green labyrinth at the Hampshire County Jail notes the role of the School of Nursing and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, which worked with the Sheriff’s Department on the project.

The labyrinth, which is part of the stress reduction regimen at the jail, brought together the efforts of faculty, students, community members and the incarcerated men who built and planted the space, resulting in what is being called a robust and transformative treatment program.

Among those

Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards grants to 8

Eight campus scholars have been selected to participate in the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
 
The competitive program selects current university students and recent graduates for their academic success and leadership potential and supports a year of study abroad. Participants teach and conduct research with the opportunity to exchange ideas, observe political, economic and cultural institutions, and embark on joint ventures in foreign lands.
 
Psychology professor Susan K.

Nagurney gives graduate commencement speech at University of Gothenburg

Anna Nagurney, the John F. Smith Memorial Professor of Operations Management at the Isenberg School of Management, delivered the graduate commencement speech in a June 12 diploma ceremony celebrating the master’s degree recipients at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Nagurney’s speech, “On Great Leadership,” emphasized the importance of innovation and creation, doing the right thing, making opportunities for others, recognizing the achievements of others, supporting diversity, and remembering where you come from.

Fire evacuation drills and alarm system testing begins June 17

Annual fire evacuation drills and testing of fire alarm systems begin June 17 and will be conducted within academic and administrative buildings through July 3, according to Ed Mientka of Environmental Health and Safety.

The program is being coordinated through a joint effort of Physical Plant and Environmental Health and Safety. Fire evacuation drills help to ensure that occupants are familiar with the sound of the fire alarm system, are knowledgeable of all evacuation routes, and that immediate evacuation from the building is necessary.

Video journal documents research by Chase and lab staff

A recent visit by videographers from the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) to the laboratory of geneticist and neurobiologist Dan Chase in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department highlighted special experimental techniques his lab uses to perform genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screens. “These RNAi screens can be used to identify novel genes involved in many important biological processes,” says Chase.
 
The Chase lab uses the RNAi knockdown approach to search for genes that mediate neuron excitability, particularly those genes that act in dopamine signaling pathways in

Obituary: Conrad Heon, retired HVAC mechanic at Physical Plant

Conrad N. “Connie” Heon, 61, of Leeds, a retired HVAC and refrigeration mechanic at Physical Plant, died June 9 at Kindred Hospital in Springfield.

Born in Northampton, he was a lifelong resident of Leeds and was educated in local schools, graduating from Smith Vocational High School in 1969.
 
He was hired at Physical Plant in 1982 and retired last year.
 
He leaves his wife of 39 years, Madeline (Adams) Heon, his sisters Beatrice Emerson of Leeds and Theresa Eastwood of Shoreham, N.Y., and four nieces and nephews.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane

Three chosen as faculty-in-residence

Three faculty-in-residence have been selected for the coming academic year, according to Eddie Hull, executive director of Residential Life.
 
Alexander Phillips, English and Commonwealth Honors College, will reside in and work with students in Van Meter/Butterfield and its Creative ExpressionsSophoMORE Living-Learning Community.
 
Alexandrina Deschamps, of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, and Christin Glodek, Sociology, will reside in and work with students in the new Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community.
 
“These three faculty members will be the vanguard for re-launching the

Juniper Summer Writing Institute faculty to give readings

The Juniper Summer Writing Institute will host seven nights of poetry and fiction readings by acclaimed faculty and writers in residence from June 23-29.
 
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 23 with Mark Doty and Joy Williams. Doty is the author of nine books of poems, including Fire to Fire: New & Selected Poems, and five volumes of nonfiction. Williams is the author of four novels, including The Quick and the Dead, three collections of stories, and Ill Nature, a

Johnston elected chairman of Building Authority board of directors

Trustee and alumnus Philip W. Johnston is the new chairman of the UMass Building Authority Board of Directors, succeeding three-term chairman Robert Sheridan.
 
Johnston, who is president and chief executive officer of Johnston Associates, a Boston-based public affairs firm he founded in 1996, was elected chairman at UMBA’s recent annual meeting.
 
In announcing the selection of Johnston, President Robert Caret said,  “Given the many services that he was already providing to the University, I appreciate Phil Johnston’s willingness to take on this new leadership role at the UMass Building

Permaculture Your Campus conference is June 23-26

The campus is hosting its second annual Permaculture Your Campus conference on June 23–26. Discount registration is available for students, faculty and staff from other universities, food service managers, chefs and sustainability coordinators who wish to attend.
 
Kicking off the conference will be urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter, co-founder and CEO of StartUpSouthBronx, who will deliver the keynote speech, “Home(town) Security,” at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 23 in the Campus Center Auditorium. This event is open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m.

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