News

ECE students show inventions at Senior Design Day

The College of Engineering is hosting Senior Design Project Day on Friday, April 19, where students in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) show off electronic devices they have invented. One speeds up the location of avalanche victims, another teaches how to play the guitar and a third helps sports trainers diagnose concussions. There is also an automated system for parking payments using wireless technology.
 
Thirteen teams of four students will unveil their inventions at the Gunness Engineering Student Center in Marcus Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cornell scientist discusses X-ray phase problem solutions

Veit Elser of Cornell University will speak on “A Solution Strategy for Hard Problems Inspired by the X-ray Phase Problem” Wednesday, April 24 at 4 p.m. in 124 Hasbrouck Laboratory.

A standard topic in the introductory physics curriculum is computing a diffraction pattern given a pair of slits of a given size and separation -- but not the reverse, i.e. directly computing the structure of the slits from the diffraction pattern.

Native Studies Symposium and Powwow set for April 19-20

The sixth annual Native Studies Symposium and Powwow is being held on campus April 19-20.
 
The symposium, “Water and Social and Economic Justice,” takes place Friday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 10th floor of the Campus Center. The program highlights graduate and undergraduate research with indigenous communities, especially as relates to indigenous water rights, industrialization and economic politics. The keynote speaker is Ramona Peters of the Mashpee Wampanoags.
 
Also on Friday, Martha Redbone performs in concert at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center Reading Room.
 
The UMass Powwow

Swordsmanship conference is April 27

The ninth annual Swordsmanship Conference takes place Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Reading Room and on the grounds outside the Renaissance Center, 650 East Pleasant St.

This year, the conference will feature presentations by Russ Mitchell on the Hungarian sabre tradition, Michael Chidester on Italian and German longsword, and Frank Hunt with an analysis of Joachim Meyer's rapier system.

The conference is free and open to the public and lunch is provided. Call 577-3600 by April 25 to register.

For information, contact the center at renaissance@english.umass.edu or

Cattani, Kaplan collaborated with Abel Prize-winning mathematician

During the course of his notable career, professor Pierre Deligne of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, this year’s winner of the Abel Prize in Mathematics, collaborated with two members of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics: professors emeriti Eduardo Cattani and Aroldo Kaplan.
 
Deligne is being recognized “for seminal contributions to algebraic geometry and for their transformative impact on number theory, representation theory, and related fields.”
 
The Abel Prize was instituted in 2002 by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Arts as an international prize for

New course proposal

The following new course proposal has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review and approval and is listed here for faculty review and comment. Comments on any new course proposal should be submitted to Ernest May, secretary of the Faculty Senate, at senate@senate.umass.edu.

SCH-MGMT 200, “Career and Professional Development,” 2 credits; Instructor: Co-taught with various faculty, Deans, and career center staff; This course is designed to prepare students for success in career and professional development competencies such as networking, internship/job search, professional

Flags lowered for victims of Boston Marathon bombings

Gov. Deval L. Patrick has ordered that the U.S. and Massachusetts flags be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings immediately and until further notice in honor of the victims of the acts of violence perpetrated in Boston on April 15.

Chancellor expresses support, condolences for Boston Marathon bombing victims

In response to the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy sent the following message to the campus community:
 
Today marks a somber return to classes and work for the UMass Amherst community. Many of us have been glued to the news channels and social media outlets watching, searching for loved ones, and sending well wishes to the city of Boston and the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions.
 
We extend our sincere condolences to the victims, their families and friends and to the many people around the world impacted by this act of violence.

Miller, Page to discuss and sign copies of new guide to campus architecture

Professors Max Page and Marla Miller, authors of a newly published guide to the architecture and landscape of the 150-year-old UMass Amherst campus, will present their research and sign copies of the new book in a special Sesquicentennial lecture, “Beauty, Cravings, Virtue: A Celebration of the Architectural Legacy of the University of Massachusetts Amherst” on Tuesday, April 23 beginning at 4 p.m. in the Bernie Dallas Room in Goodell.
 
Miller and Page admit from the outset that not all campus architecture is for everyone.

Panel discussion on the 'Engaged Campus' is April 26

A panel discussion on “The Engaged Campus: Giving Back to the Commonwealth and Beyond” will be presented Friday, April 26, from 3-4:30 p.m. in W-32 Machmer Hall as part of this year’s Founders Week celebration.
 
Organized by the UMass Public Engagement Project (PEP), the panel will include Dan Gerber, associate dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and chair of the Faculty Senate’s Public Service and Outreach Council; Marla Michel, director of Community Engagement and the Scibelli Enterprise Center in Springfield; John Reiff, director of the Office of

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