Talking Points

Campus, EPA reach landmark consent agreement on window glazing contaminated with PCBs in Lederle research center

UMass Amherst has entered into a consent agreement and final order with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would safely allow the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated window glazing found in the Lederle Graduate Research Center low-rise and 16-story Tower A to temporarily remain in place. The agreement is considered a first-in-the-nation solution to a problem found in many buildings built from 1950 through 1979.
 
Under the agreement, the campus agrees to encapsulate the window glazing in the two buildings, test the encapsulant and adjacent surfaces and take

New SPIRE menu format to debut Sept. 22

The Office of Information Technologies (OIT) will implement a new SPIRE menu format on Saturday, Sept. 22. Users will be able to access all of the same favorites, menu items and pages as before the change.

The new menu format is smaller to let users see more information in SPIRE and expands when needed. In SPIRE, click Main Menu to see an overview of choices as they appear in the menu now.

Learn more and try out the new menu format.

For information, e-mail sis-train@oit.umass.edu

Five to be honored at Faculty Convocation

The eighth annual Faculty Convocation is being held Friday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. in Bowker Auditorium in Stockbridge Hall.
 
During the ceremony, Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy will present his first keynote address to the faculty and five nationally acclaimed faculty members will be presented with the Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity:
 
Cynthia L. Baldwin, Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Gerald A. Epstein, Economics
Shona Macdonald, Art, Architecture and Art History
Andrew McCallum, Computer Science
Melinda A. Novak, Psychology
 
A luncheon reception in

Alumna Madeleine M. Kunin to speak on next phase of women’s progress

Alumna Madeleine M. Kunin, former governor of Vermont and U.S. ambassador, will speak about her latest book, The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family, on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. in 302-304 Gordon Hall. A reception and book signing will follow Kunin’s talk.
 
A 1956 graduate, Kunin served as governor of Vermont from 1985-91, and during the Clinton administration was deputy secretary of education, then ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 1996-99. She is now a Marsh Professor of political science at the University of Vermont and a

Neuroscientist studies adolescent binge drinking and brain development

Neuroscientist Heather Richardson and colleagues have received a $400,000 grant to study how binge drinking during adolescence affects development in the prefrontal cortex, an area that directs decision-making and controls emotions, and one of the last brain regions to mature.
 
Richardson, doctoral student Wanette Vargas, and others at the Neurobiology of Stress and Addiction Laboratory use an adolescent rat model to reflect the typical teen experience with alcohol, which includes individual variability and intermittent exposure.

Thomas honored as new trustees chairman in Springfield

The appointment of Henry M. Thomas, III, as the new chairman of the Board of Trustees was celebrated officially Sept. 10 as President Robert Caret hosted a breakfast in his honor at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his hometown of Springfield.

Among those who spoke at the event were Congressman Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Thomas was named to the post in June by Gov. Deval Patrick and assumed the chairmanship on July 1, succeeding James Karam. The appointment is for five years.

Study explores use of robots to aid recovery from stroke

Researchers in Computer Science and Communication Disorders have teamed up to explore whether a personal humanoid robot may help people recovering from stroke by delivering therapy such as word-retrieval games and arm movement tasks in an enjoyable and engaging way.

Speech language pathologist Yu-kyong Choe recently won a two-year, $109,251 grant from the American Heart Association to investigate the effect of stroke rehabilitation delivered by a humanoid robot, a child-sized unit with arms and a screen where therapists, doctors and others can interact with a client.

All in one bin: Campus moves to single stream recycling

Call it recycling 2.0. This month, the campus is moving to single stream, in which paper, along with clean plastic, glass, aluminum and steel containers and bottles, can be placed in one bin for pick-up by the Office of Waste Management.
 
The change also means that faculty and staff can put all of their recyclables in a single deskside bin and have it collected by custodial staff on Tuesdays and Thursdays, according to John Pepi, the campus’ solid waste manager.
 
In addition, deskside trash pick-up will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
 
“We’re hoping single stream leads to a

Metawampe takes sabbatical during construction project

Metawampe, the long-time campus symbol, is on sabbatical while construction of the New Academic Classroom Building continues near Hasbrouck Lab and the Campus Center.
 
The bronze sculpture of the Native American, a fixture behind the Student Union since 1957, was moved to storage recently to safeguard it during the building project, according to Peter Gray-Mullen of Facilities Planning.
 
Once the building is completed in spring 2014, Metawampe will be installed at a new site about 100 feet east of the old location on the north end of the Campus Pond, said Gray-Mullen.
 
Metawampe emerged as

Monsanto Fund donates $10,000 for agricultural center

The planned Agricultural Learning Center received a $10,000 grant Aug. 30 from the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic branch of the Monsanto Company, an agricultural biotechnology corporation.
 
The gift was presented to Stephen Herbert, associate dean of Natural Sciences and director of the Center for Agriculture, and Richard Bonnano, president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau by alumnus John Purcell, vice president for technology development for Monsanto Vegetables. Purcell received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
 
Purcell said the grant will support campus efforts to preserve

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