Weekly Bulletin

Amherst scholar speaks on invention of national dress in 21st century China

On four Wednesdays in February, the Fine Arts Center Asian Arts and Culture Program presents "Weaving Our Stories," a series of free talks by scholars and artists on topics of popular and unique interests. Highlighting the artistic and cultural arts of Asia, the lectures use the concept of "motif" as a central theme and examine landscapes, nature, and personal expressions seen in Asian culture to understand the significance of these objects from a socio-cultural perspective.

All lectures begin at 7 p.m. and are held in various locations on campus.

Yoga classes offered in Newman Center

Spring semester yoga classes begin this week in the Newman Center. All levels of experience are welcome; classes are open to all students, faculty and staff.

Schedule:

Monday/ Wednesday - 3-4:30 p.m., Power Yoga (athletic flow, beginners welcome)
Tuesday/Thursday - 3-4:30 p.m., Intermediate (more challenging poses and movements)
Monday - Thursday - 4:45-6:15 p.m, Yoga Basics (an introduction to yoga fundamentals)

Fees:

1 class per week - $100/semester
2 classes per week - $175/semester
Unlmited attendance - $220/semester
Single drop-in class - $12
 
 

Doctoral oral exams for Feb. 4-8

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

Toby Dragon, Ph.D., Computer Science. Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m., 151 Computer Science Building. Dissertation: “Content-Focused Collaboration for Tutoring in Ill-Defined Domains.” Beverly Woolf, chr.

Casey Knight, Ph.D., Philosophy. Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m., 316A Bartlett Hall. Dissertation: “The Plausibility of Moral Error Theories.” Fred Feldman, chr.

Spencer Ross, Ph.D., Management. Thursday, Feb. 7, 2 p.m., 128 Isenberg School of Management.

STEM talk examines using Learning Catalytics to create interactive classrooms

Brian Lukoff, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, will give a STEM talk on “Using Learning Catalytics to Create an Interactive Classroom" on Tuesday, Feb. 5  at 4 p.m. in 138 Hasbrouck.
 
Lukoff says peer instruction and other interactive teaching methods have been shown to dramatically improve conceptual understanding.

Science Cafe program looks at 'Smell: the Secret Sense'

The Science Café resumes Monday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. with “Smell: the Secret Sense,” presented by Tom Eiting, a graduate student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB). The program takes place at the Esselon Café in Hadley.
 
Eiting will spotlight his work exploring how the sense of smell works in mammals, from the anatomy of nasal passages to how smell is perceived. All Science Café events are free and designed for a public audience. Light snacks will be provided and drinks will be available for purchase.
 
The Science Café series is organized by graduate students in the OEB program

20th annual Multicultural Film Festival explores 'Continuities'

The Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies is presenting the 20th annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival starting Feb. 6 and continuing through April 25.
 
This year’s festival focuses on the theme of “Continuities.” With weekly screenings and events on campus and in the Five College area, the entertaining and provocative line-up headlines award-winning narrative features and documentaries from France, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Romania, Spain and the U.S.
 
Unless otherwise noted, all screenings are held in the Flavin Family Auditorium, 137

Research Next expands

Research Next, the magazine-style website that connects the public to UMass Amherst research, scholarship, and creative activity is expanding. Two new gateways, Governance and Society and Identity and Culture join the Environment and Energy and Materials gateways launched last summer. A fifth gateway dedicated to the life sciences and health will be launched later this spring.

“Research Next gateways offer the community and the world an entry point to some of our leading research institutes and centers while showcasing interdisciplinary research and engagement,” says Mike Malone, vice

South Africa's Magnet Theatre visits campus for week-long residency

The Theater Department is hosting a week-long artistic residency by South Africa's Magnet Theatre from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3.
 
The company will stage four performances of its acclaimed show "Every Year, Every Day, I Am Walking" and also visit classes, give lectures and lead a workshop.
 
In conjunction with the residency, assistant professor of Theater Megan Lewis, a South African performance scholar, will give this year's Rand Lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Rand Theater.

Poehler's Honors Faculty Lecture to examine modern archaeology in Pompeii

Eric Poehler, assistant professor of Classics, will speak on “The roles of innovation and imagination in the archaeology of Pompeii” on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Auditorium. His talk is part of the Honors Faculty Lecture series.
 
His presentation will explore how archaeology in the 21st century is looking to reel in the past. With the ancient city of Pompeii and the monumental Quadriporticus building, as an example, the current methods used by archaeologists and those being imagined for the first time, will be examined.

Poehler is a classical archaeologist with 16

Nominations invited for Spotlight Scholars

The campus community is invited to submit nominations for the 2013 UMass Amherst Spotlight Scholars. Spotlight Scholars are individual faculty members who exemplify the quality, dedication and achievements of the UMass Amherst faculty. All full-time tenure- and non-tenure system faculty members are eligible to be nominated. Scholars receive a cash award of $500 and widespread publicity in campus communications.

The nomination form is available online at www.umass.edu/researchnext/spotlight-scholars. The Spotlight Scholar program is co-sponsored by the vice chancellors for Research and

Pages