News

Visiting Writers Series hosts Emily Barton, Melanie Rae Thon

The Visiting Writers Series will host authors Emily Barton and Melanie Rae Thon on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

Barton is the author of two novels, Brookland and The Testament of Yves Gundron, both named New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Sustainable Arts Foundation; she has also been awarded the Bard Fiction Prize and a residency at Yaddo.

Thon is the author of four novels and three collections of short stories, most recently, The Voice of the River and In This

UMCA exhibit works by photographer James Welling

“James Welling: Place/Life Studies,” an exhibition detailing the photographer’s work in New England from 1970 to 2010, will be on view Jan. 31 to May 5 at the University Museum of Contemporary Art.
 
A reception for the artist is being held Wednesday, Jan. 30 from 5-7 p.m.  At 5:30 p.m., Welling will discuss his work and career with Lorne Falk, visiting associate professor at Hampshire College and former dean of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
 
Included are Welling’s earliest experiments in photography, video and watercolor, all harking back to his formative years in

Flags lowered for Lynn soldier

Gov. Deval L. Patrick has ordered that the U.S. and Commonwealth flags be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Friday, Jan. 18 in honor of U.S. Army Pfc. Antonio Syrakos of Lynn who died Jan. 10 at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

MSP Computer Replacement Program demonstrations

The deadline for faculty and librarians to apply for a computer through the Massachusetts Society of Professors Computer Replacement Program is Friday, Feb. 8.
 
Representatives from Apple and Lenovo will be on campus next week to introduce the program computers and to answer questions. A few demonstration computers will be available.
 
The Apple representative will be in 162-175 Campus Center from on Wednesday, Jan. 23 from 9-11 a.m .
 
The Lenovo representative will be in 174-176 Campus Center on Thursday, Jan. 24 from 1-3 p.m.
 
For additional information about the computer replacement

Doctoral oral exams for Jan. 28 to Feb. 1

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

Seung-Yun Oh, Ph.D., Economics. Monday, Jan. 28, 11 a.m., 919 Thompson Hall. Dissertation: “Social Emulation, the Evolution of Gender Norms, and Intergenerational Transfers; Three Essays on the Economics of Social Interactions.” Nancy Folbre, chr.

Nitai Charan Giri, Ph.D., Chemistry. Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2 p.m., 702 Du Bois Library.

Lord's study may explain why wolves are forever wild, but dogs can be tamed

Dogs and wolves are genetically so similar, it’s been difficult for biologists to understand why wolves remain fiercely wild, while dogs can gladly become “man’s best friend.” Now, doctoral research by evolutionary biologist Kathryn Lord suggests the different behaviors are related to the animals’ earliest sensory experiences and the critical period of socialization. Details appear in the current issue of Ethology.
 
Until now, little was known about sensory development in wolf pups, and assumptions were usually extrapolated from what is known for dogs, Lord explains.

Historian Stephen Platt to discuss Taiping Civil War on Jan. 24

Historian Stephen R. Platt will offer rare glimpse into the Taiping Civil War on Thursday, Jan. 24 as part of a celebration of his book “Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War,” which won McGill University’s 2012 Cundill Prize – called the world’s richest and most prestigious award for historical literature.
 
Platt’s talk, titled “Into the Storm: Some Windows into a Chinese Civil War,” begins at 4 p.m. in the Student Union’s Cape Cod Lounge. A reception will follow.
 
Published earlier this year by Alfred A.

Anderson named dean of the College of Engineering

Tim Anderson, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida, has been named dean of the College of Engineering. His appointment is effective March 1.
 
Provost James V. Staros, who made the announcement, said, “I am delighted to welcome Professor Anderson to our campus. An elected fellow of both the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Society of Engineering Education, he is an international leader in both engineering research and education.”
 
A member of the University of Florida faculty since 1978, Anderson also directs the Florida

Campus Center Way closed to through traffic Jan. 17

The contractor for the Old Power Plant Demolition Project will be closing Campus Center Way, from Flint/Holdsworth Way to the Lower Garage Service Road on Thursday, Jan. 17 to make steam line repairs in the area.

The Campus Parking Garage will remain open and accessible from Commonwealth Avenue via Holdsworth Way. There will also continue to be access to the Lower Garage Service Road.

The work zone will be open, as necessary, to emergency vehicles only. UMass Police will direct traffic. Through traffic on Campus Center Way should resume by the end of the day.

Questions about this project

Senior awarded Language Intensive Focus Track scholarship to continue Arabic studies in Jordan

Clara Wool, a senior in Commonwealth Honors College majoring in Environmental Design and Middle Eastern Studies, has been named an inaugural Language Intensive Focus Track (LIFT) scholar by the Council on International Educational Exchange, allowing her to extend her studies of Arabic in Amman, Jordan through the spring semester.
 
Last summer, Wool attended an intensive language institute in Jordan with a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.

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