News

UMass Amherst’s Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies Presents Doctoral Lecture Series

AMHERST, Mass. – The Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will inaugurate a new series of lectures by advanced Ph.D. students on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. at the institute, which is located at 758 North Pleasant St. in Amherst.
 
Hannah Pollin-Galay, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

Special Events Planned as Part of Fall Opening at UMass Amherst

 
*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
 
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst kicks off another school year as it welcomes 4,560 new students to the state’s flagship public university. The busy schedule of events through Labor Day are part of the New Students Orientation and First Week programs. Highlights include:

  • New Students Convocation, Friday, 9:45-11:15 a.m., Mullins Center. Students will be taught the university cheer, fight song and alma mater and also hear from Ernest Cline, author of this year’s common read, “Ready Player One.” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy will

New UMass Amherst TV Spot Reinterprets School Anthem with Rockin' Rendition by Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

AMHERST, Mass. – Setting aside reverent renditions of its school anthem, UMass Amherst this week begins airing a 30-second TV spot featuring rocker (and alumnus) Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers launching into a fast-paced version celebrating the university’s excellence as it approaches its 150th anniversary.
 
The spot, produced by a Boston-based UMass alum, Element Productions founder and CEO Eran Lobel, will debut Thursday night on ESPN3 when UMass makes its debut in Division 1A football against the University of Connecticut, and will run regularly on televised UMass athletic competitions.
 

Fall Student Move-in at UMass Amherst Begins Thursday, Aug. 30

 
*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
 
AMHERST, Mass. – Move-in for the 12,500 on-campus students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst begins in full force Thursday, Aug. 30 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. as UMass welcomes its first-year class of 4,560. Returning students are scheduled to arrive on Sunday, Sept. 2, and Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 3.
 
Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and his wife, Mala, will be on hand to assist first-year students from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday in the Southwest residential area. On Sunday, they will provide help to returning students from 10 a.m.

New Vision Needed to Restore New England River Herring to Healthy Population Levels, Say Researchers

AMHERST, Mass. – Despite evidence from their recent study that populations of two river herring species are dangerously low, ecologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Stony Brook University say removing dams and adding fishways can still revive alewife and blueback herring numbers in New England and help to restore a long-neglected natural link between marine and freshwater ecosystems.
 
Ecologists Adrian Jordaan at UMass Amherst, Michael Frisk at Stony Brook and lead author Carolyn Hall, an independent researcher, also say if numbers of these anadromous fish, which live in

UMass Amherst Biologist to Discuss 'How to Build an Organism' at Science Café on Sept. 10

AMHERST, Mass. – This fall’s Science Café series kicks off Monday, Sept. 10at 5:30 p.m. at Esselon Café in Hadley with “How to Build an Organism: a DIY Guide,” presented by Craig Albertson, assistant professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
 
Albertson will discuss some of his work exploring the design and diversification of the animal body form, proceeding from the genetic blueprint to principles of animal development.
 
Light snacks are provided and drinks are available for purchase. All Science Cafe events are free and designed for a general audience.
 
Organized by

UMass Amherst Welcomes Highest-Achieving First-Year Class When School Opens Labor Day Weekend

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst will welcome its most academically accomplished first-year class when the state’s flagship public campus starts the new academic year on Labor Day weekend.
 
The Class of 2016 includes approximately 4,560 students with an academic profile that is at an historic high—SAT scores have increased by seven points, compared to last year, to 1196, and the high school grade point average has increased from 3.64 to 3.66. On average students rank in the top fifth of their high school class.
 
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said, “We

UMass Amherst Helps to Bring Fresh, Locally Grown Ethnic Specialty Crops to Inner City Markets and Immigrant Families

AMHERST, Mass. – Food from home is one of the things immigrants miss most, and newcomers to Massachusetts, host to an estimated 150,000 transplanted Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Mexicans, are no exception. Recently the Ethnic Crops Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which has brought dozens of crops popular among many ethnic groups to markets across the state, added chipilín, a leafy green loved by Latinos from many lands.
 
Frank Mangan, director of the ethnic crops initiative at UMass Amherst’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, says farms in Methuen, Dracut, Lancaster and

Brian Kibby, President of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, to Speak to First-Year Students at UMass Amherst

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
 
DATE:           Wednesday, Aug. 29
TIME:            Noon
WHAT:          Power Up for College Success
WHERE:       Campus Center Auditorium, UMass Amherst
 
Brian Kibby, the president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, will share his own experiences in college with 350 first-year students participating in the Power Up for College Success program at UMass Amherst.
 
A frequent speaker on topics of leadership, innovation, talent, strategy and education, Kibby has spent nearly 20 years with McGraw-Hill and Pearson, two of the world's largest digital learning and educational

UMass Amherst Researchers Win $2 Million NSF Grant to Develop Self-folding Polymer Sheets for New Materials

AMHERST, Mass. – A group of scientists and mathematicians led by physicist Christian Santangelo at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today received word that they have won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) grant for 2012, one of only 15 given to investigators at 26 institutions and totaling nearly $30 million.
 
Santangelo and colleagues including polymer scientist Ryan Hayward are experts in developing self-folding polymer sheets, which take advantage of origami principles to provide highly tunable mechanical responses.

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