AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts English professor John Nelson combines the best of the past and the future. As head of the Professional Writing and Technical Communication Program at the University, he has been preparing students for the rapidly evolving field of "tech-writing" for nearly nine years. At the same time, Nelson has been keeping one eye firmly fixed on the past, pursuing hobbies such as antique clock repair and woodworking with a passion that has made him an expert in the field.

AMHERST, Mass. - An expert in groundwater contamination, David Ahlfeld has joined the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Massachusetts. He has extensive experience in dealing with industrial sites where contaminants seeped into the soil and polluted groundwater. Two high-profile cases he has been involved in include the San Fernando Valley clean-up in California, and the former Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace & Co., site in Woburn, the focus of the court case depicted in "A Civil Action," a best-selling book by Jonathan Harr. The book is expected to be released as a movie in the coming months.

History Professor Appointed Co-Chair of Annual Meeting of Organization of Amherican Historians

AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts history professor Bruce Laurie has been appointed co-chair of the program committee for the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians in the year 2000. The meeting will take place in St. Louis, Mo., March 30-April 2, 2000. The theme is "The United States and the Wider World: Assessing Global Influence."

Alumnus Lauded for Dissertation in Nuclear Physics

AMHERST, Mass. - Yury G. Kolomensky, who earned his doctorate in nuclear physics at the University of Massachusetts in 1997, has received the Dissertation in Nuclear Physics Award from the American Physical Society’s division of nuclear physics.