AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has appointed Amilcar Shabazz, professor of Afro-American studies, to serve as his faculty advisor for diversity and excellence.
“Professor Shabazz has written and consulted extensively on issues of race and diversity,” said Subbaswamy. “We will benefit greatly from his scholarship and leadership experience on this campus and in his previous appointments, and I look forward to having his invaluable perspective on our work in this critical area.”
In his new role, Shabazz will serve on the Campus Leadership
AMHERST, Mass. – Paul J. Dauenhauer, a chemical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has received a five-year, $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s CAREER program to conduct basic research on the chemical reactions that create biofuel from organic matter such as wood.
AMHERST, Mass. – Studies led by cell biologist Thomas Maresca at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are revealing new details about a molecular surveillance system that helps detect and correct errors in cell division that can lead to cell death or human diseases. Findings are reported in the current issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.
AMHERST, Mass. – Online graduate programs in nursing and business administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been ranked among the top 25 in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
AMHERST, Mass. – Dogs and wolves are genetically so similar, it’s been difficult for biologists to understand why wolves remain fiercely wild, while dogs can gladly become “man’s best friend.” Now, doctoral research by evolutionary biologist Kathryn Lord at the University of Massachusetts Amherst suggests the different behaviors are related to the animals’ earliest sensory experiences and the critical period of socialization. Details appear in the current issue of Ethology.
AMHERST, Mass – University of Massachusetts historian Stephen R. Platt will offer rare glimpse into the Taiping Civil War on Thursday, Jan. 24 as part of a celebration of his book “Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War,” which won McGill University’s 2012 Cundill Prize – called the world’s richest and most prestigious award for historical literature.
AMHERST, Mass. – Tim Anderson, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida, has been named dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His appointment is effective March 1.
AMHERST, Mass. – The American Enterprise Institute’s Frederick M. Hess has recognized two scholars from the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for contributions to the national public dialogue on education policy.
AMHERST, Mass. – Despite modern designs intended to allow migratory fish to pass, hydropower dams on major Northeast U.S. waterways, including the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers, have failed to let economically important species such as salmon, shad and river herring reach their spawning grounds, say a team of economists and fish ecologists including Adrian Jordaan of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 
AMHERST, Mass. – In partnership with Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently completed an energy efficiency project expected to save the campus more than $220,000 in energy costs per year and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1,000 metric tons in 2013 and beyond.