University of Massachusetts Amherst - Office of News & Information

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

 An Online Resource for Journalists
Daily News Summary

Each weekday morning, the Office of News and Information compiles a summary of news coverage about UMass Amherst and trends in higher education.
UMass Amherst

Headlines

President Wilson to Recommend Rescinding Robert Mugabe Honorary Degree

May 12, 2008

BOSTON – President Jack M. Wilson today announced that he will recommend that the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees rescind an honorary degree granted to Robert Mugabe in 1986. More...



Media Passes Are Required For Coverage of UMass Amherst Undergraduate Commencement

May 9, 2008

PRESS ADVISORY

Undergraduate Ceremony is Saturday, May 24

AMHERST, Mass. – Media passes will be required to gain access to the field at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium for coverage of the Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Saturday, May 24, at 12:30 p.m. More...



UMass Amherst to Recognize 21st Century Leaders at Its Undergraduate Commencement May 24

May 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Eleven seniors will be presented with 21st Century Leaders awards during the 138th Commencement of the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Saturday, May 24 in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. More...



UMass Amherst Electrical and Computer Engineers Gather for Senior Design Project Day on Friday, May 9

May 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – A wireless drumstick and a sensor that warns drivers of cars that are about to run a red light are just two of the projects to be displayed on Friday, May 9 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as the latest crop of talented students from the electrical and computer engineering department (ECE) display their senior projects. More...



UMass Amherst Whiz Kids Compete in 2008 Technology Innovation Challenge on May 8

May 6, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The finals of the UMass Amherst Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC) - a competition on Friday, May 8 from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Campus Center Room 1009, will award $80,000 in prize money and feature gadgetry normally found at an inventor''s expo. More...



Robert C. Holub Approved as UMass Amherst Chancellor

May 5, 2008

BOSTON – Acting on President Jack M. Wilson’s recommendation, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees today approved Dr. Robert C. Holub as the new Chancellor of the University’s flagship campus in Amherst. More...



Katie Huston Will Be the Student Speaker at UMass Amherst Undergraduate Commencement

May 2, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Senior Katie Huston of Royal Oak, Mich., who is graduating with a major in journalism, a minor in political science, and is a member of Commonwealth College, has been selected to be the student speaker at the Undergraduate Commencement of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 24 at 12:30 p.m. in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. More...



Role of Genome Science in Bioenergy to Be Focus of Talk at UMass Amherst on May 5

May 1, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Environmental Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will continue its spring lecture series on emerging technologies and the environment on Monday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m. with a presentation by James K. Fredrickson of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He will give a talk, “The Role of Genome Science in Bioenergy, Carbon Cycling, and Environmental Remediation.” The lecture will be held in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union Building and is free and open to the public. More...



UMass Amherst to Offer Free Community Screenings for Anxiety and Depression on May 9

May 1, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Psychological Services Center (PSC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will offer free community screenings for anxiety and depression on Friday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Tobin Hall, Suite 123. The screenings are part of National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week (May 4-10) and are open to the public and the campus community. More...



UMass Amherst’s New Emergency Text-Messaging System Up and Running; Sign-Up Campaign Continues

April 28, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst reports that the recent wide-scale test of its emergency text-messaging system was successful. The new service is now in operation and available for use during an actual emergency. More...

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UMass Research

Metal Complexes That Could Change the Face of Explosives Detection Developed By UMass Amherst Researchers

AMHERST, Mass. – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have created complex molecules containing zinc for use in portable sensors that quickly and reliably detect the presence of plastic explosives, a pressing need for soldiers in Iraq and other hostile environments.

‘Portable Hug’ To Improve Quality of Life for Autistic Patients Takes Top Prize at UMass Amherst Competition

AMHERST, Mass. – The $50,000 grand prize in the Technology Innovation Challenge held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been won by Therapeutic Systems. Their concept business plans to market a novel “deep-pressure” vest that will improve mental health care and quality of life for people with mental illness, especially autism, by providing a “portable hug.”

Parasitic Flies That Control Invasive Winter Moths to Be Released May 9 in Wellesley by UMass Amherst Researchers

AMHERST, Mass. – A team of scientists led by Joseph Elkinton at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will release approximately 1,000 parasitic flies at Centennial Park in Wellesley on Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m. to control the winter moth, a new invasive species in eastern Massachusetts that is now in the process of stripping the foliage from many kinds of deciduous trees in towns that stretch from the North Shore to Cape Cod.

Rice Plants That Resist the Uptake of Arsenic Could Ease Rice Shortage, Says UMass Amherst Researcher

AMHERST, Mass. – More than 80 percent of the world’s population depends on rice as a staple food, but production is dropping in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, parts of India and South and East Asia due to toxic levels of arsenic in the topsoil. Om Parkash of the University of Massachusetts Amherst leads a research team that uses genetic engineering to produce rice plants that block the uptake of arsenic, which could increase production of this valuable crop and provide safer food supplies for millions.

Chemicals Used In Teflon, Scotchgard, Found In Human Milk from Massachusetts, Says UMass Amherst Researcher

AMHERST, Mass. – Chemicals used to make nonstick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics are spreading around the world and turning up in surprising places, everywhere from wildlife and drinking water supplies to human blood. Now, a team of researchers including Kathleen Arcaro of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found these suspected carcinogens in samples of human milk from nursing mothers in Massachusetts.

UMass Amherst Chemist Receives $825,000 Grant to Study Proteins That Cause Cell Death in Humans

AMHERST, Mass. – Jeanne Hardy of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a five-year, $825,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to unlock the secrets of a group of proteins called the executioner caspases, which control cell death and play a role in cancer, strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Bacteria in Aircraft Cabin Air May Pose Less of a Risk to Travelers Than Imagined, Says UMass Amherst Researcher

AMHERST, Mass. – Popular wisdom says that aircraft provide the perfect environment for spreading disease, but few studies exist to confirm or deny this suspicion. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a leading federal agency and Harvard University has measured concentrations of bacteria in the cabin air of 12 commercial passenger aircraft, and found that flying may be safer than we think.

TechCast at UMass Looks at How Genetic Engineering Develops New Crops, Including Toxin-Resistant Rice

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s third installment of its podcast series on breakthrough discoveries focuses on how genetic engineering is being used to produce new plant strains that produce more food and help fight pollution. One key crop that is affected is rice, a staple for much of the world and a food that is scarcer and more expensive than it has been in recent years.

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