News

4th annual History of the Book Conference is Oct. 20 at the Renaissance Center

The 4th Annual History of the Book Conference is being held on Saturday Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Renaissance Center at 650 E. Pleasant St.

Lisa David of Simmons College will discuss “Flagellants, Thieves, a War Refugee and a Very Unscrupulous Bookdealer: A Renaissance Manuscript’s Journey from 14th-century Venice to 21st-century Boston.”

Other speakers include Mark Morford of the Smith College Mortimer Rare Book Room; John Lancaster will discuss several of the new rare books in the Renaissance Center’s collection; Jen Adams of the English Department will speak

Christine Ingebritsen to Speak in Scandinavian Impulses Series Oct. 22

This fall semester the German and Scandinavian Studies Program is sponsoring its second Scandinavian Impulses lecture series, focusing on the theme of "Vengeance and Violence."

On Oct. 22, Christine Ingebritsen will talk on “Transformations in the Scandinavian Welfare State: Real or Imagined?” at 4:30 p.m. in 301 Herter.

Ingebritsen is director of the Center for West European Studies at the University of Washington, where her specialty is the position of small states in international relations.

Renaissance Wednesday Lecture Series Presents 'What is Baroque?' Oct. 17

Richard O’Brien will present a talk,  “What is Baroque?” on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Renaissance Center.

The Renaissance Center is located at 650 E. Pleasant St. in Amherst. The talk is free and open to the public. No reservations are needed. Refreshments to follow.

Student Union Art Gallery reception for Laurie LeBreton is Oct. 18

The Student Union Art Gallery is hosting the opening reception for artist Laurie LeBreton on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 5-7 p.m. LeBreton will give a talk at 6 p.m.

Her exhibit, "ELUSIVE," is on display from Oct. 15 through Friday, Nov. 2.

LeBreton makes sculptures with handmade paper. Her artwork includes nontraditional books made with traditional binding techniques and paper sculptures constructed on armatures, with saturated, vibrant colors.

LeBreton examines ideas of impermanence, the role of chance, the interplay of joy and sorrow and the futility of control.

Faculty & Staff Campaign for 2012-13

Members of the campus community are invited to participate in the 2012-13 Faculty & Staff Campaign. Gifts can support student scholarships, a specific college or department, an athletic program, or one of hundreds of special programs you choose. 

Recognizing the importance of growing the culture of philanthropy on campus, a fund of $500,000 has again been established to match gifts given by current or retired faculty and staff during the 2012-13 academic year. The matching offer expands the strength of giving to the campus and departments people care about.

Doctoral oral exams for Oct. 22-26

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

Daniel Kita, Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biology. Monday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., 153 Goessmann. Dissertation: “Feronia: A Malectin-Like Domain Containing Receptor Kinase in Arabidopsis Insights into Polarized Cell Growth, Pollen Tube-Pistil Interactions, and Sugar Signaling.” Alice Cheung, chr.

Bruce David Tyler, Ph.D., Sport Management. Monday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m., 208E Isenberg School of Management.

Graduate School has more international students, higher selectivity and an overall increase in applications

This fall’s Graduate School class has an increased number of international students, a slightly higher overall number enrolled than last year, and reflects more selectivity in choosing who will pursue graduate degrees, university officials say.

The incoming class includes 1,586 students, up from 1,540 in the fall of 2011. Overall, the Graduate School has about 6,300 students pursuing advanced degrees, including those enrolled in online programs.

John McCarthy is vice provost for Graduate Education and dean of the Graduate School. He is also a Distinguished University Professor.

Obituary: David R. Bloodsworth, professor of Labor Studies, active arbitrator

David R. Bloodsworth, 75, of Amherst, retired professor of Labor Studies and noted arbitrator, died Oct. 11.

Bloodsworth began his career after graduating from UMass Amherst in 1968 with a master’s degree in Labor Studies. In 1972, after working for the National Center for Dispute Settlement in Boston, he returned to the university to become assistant director of the Labor Relations and Research Center. He served in that post for 25 years and devoted much of his time to teaching.

While maintaining his academic schedule, Bloodsworth was also an active arbitrator, overseeing labor dispute cases

Obituary: Andrew F. Brimmer, former Wilmer D. Barrett Professor of Economics

Andrew F. Brimmer, 86, who was the Wilmer D. Barrett Professor of Economics in the Economics Department from 1987 to 2000, died Oct. 7. He continued teaching undergraduates and giving public lectures and workshops until 2008.

Michael Ash, professor of Economics and Public Policy and current chair of the Department of Economics, recall his interactions with Brimmer. “Beginning with my arrival on campus, I would look forward to Dr. Brimmer’s once-a-term seminars for colleagues,” Ash says.

ISI hosts residency by anthropologists Jean and John Comaroff

Anthropologists Jean and John Comaroff are presenting two lectures this week as the inaugural scholars of the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute’s (ISI) residency, which is focused on the theme of “Theory From the South.”
 
For the past 30 years, the Comaroffs’ work has influenced a generation of scholars interested in questions of identity and resistance in both colonial and postcolonial cultures in Africa and elsewhere. Writing both separately and together, their recent work has ventured into the intersections of law and ethnicity as well as relations between the global north and south.

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