Talking Points

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

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

Dining Services wins silver in national nutrition award competition

Dining Services is a recipient of the Silver Award for the 2013 Nutrition Awards, given by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). The Nutrition Awards aim to help member institutions advance their culinary expertise by acknowledging successful promotions and outstanding recipes.

Thirty colleges and universities across North America submitted entries in two categories, including Most Innovative Wellness and Nutrition Program, and Best Local Foods Recipe. Each entry was judged by a team of collegiate dining professionals.

New Badgett report shows higher poverty rates in LGB community

Poverty rates among all Americans have increased during the current recession, but people in our country’s lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities are more likely to be poor than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a new study co-authored by M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of Economics and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration.
 
The report, “New Patterns of Poverty in the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community,” shows that women, children and African-Americans are particularly vulnerable.

Visiting scientist from Bangladesh training on campus this summer

Ferdous-E-Elahi Jabin, a visiting scientist from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, will work in professor Rob Wick’s laboratory this summer under the auspices of a Norman Borlaug Fellowship.

Jabin is a plant pathologist and is seeking training in nematology through the Wick lab. She will receive a short-course in nematology that will include identification of nematodes using morphological as well as molecular techniques.

Alumnus Ed Ward commits $2.25 million to Athletics

Alumnus Ed Ward, a longtime campus supporter, has made a $2.25 million commitment to the Athletics Department.

With just under a month to go before the close of the fiscal year, the Athletics has received $4.28 million, surpassing last year’s fundraising mark of $3.2 million.

“I received a great education from the university and really enjoyed my time there as I worked on my degrees. I feel I owe a lot to the university and that was the main reason for me doing this,” said Ward, who is a member of the Athletics Council and a board member of the Court Club.

Governor, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announce $100m in capital grants for regional projects

Gov. Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) on June 6 announced more than $100 million in grants for life-sciences-related capital projects in western Massachusetts, including $95 million for UMass Amherst and $5.5 million for the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI), a joint venture of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and the campus.
 
“Our Life Sciences strategy is about choosing to shape our future - investing today to leave a better Commonwealth for the next generation,” said Patrick.

New UMass Poll finds Markey leading Gomez in Senate race

The results of a new statewide UMass Poll released June 6 shows Democratic U.S. Representative Edward Markey with a strong 11-point lead over Republican Gabriel Gomez among likely voters in advance of the Massachusetts special U.S. Senate election scheduled for June 25. Markey and Gomez are contesting the open Senate seat created by John Kerry’s appointment as Secretary of State.
 
Markey leads 51 percent to 40 percent among likely voters, and among registered voters Markey’s lead is 10 points (47 percent to 37 percent). With only 6 percent of likely voters identifying themselves as

Mellon Mutual Mentoring Grants for 2013-14 announced

Ten campus programs driven by early-career or under-represented faculty, along with 12 pre-tenure faculty members, will receive Mellon Mutual Mentoring Grants for 2013-14, the Center for Teaching & Faculty Development (CTFD) has announced.
 
The award-winning Mutual Mentoring Initiative is funded by a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Du Bois Library falcon chicks banded

The three chicks hatched by the mating pair of adult peregrine falcons nesting atop the W.E.B. Du Bois Library were banded May 29, allowing wildlife officials and researchers their first opportunity to study the tiny birds and the nesting box they currently call home.
 
Two males and one female were banded by officials from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Since the first nest box was installed on the roof of the 28-story library, 30 chicks have hatched and flown from the site.
 
Examination of the prey remains from the nest revealed that the falcons have been feeding on

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