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UMass Amherst Architectural Historian Max Page Receives Rome Prize for Cross-Disciplinary Study in Italy

AMHERST, Mass. – Max Page, professor of architecture and history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is one of three scholars nationally named to receive the Rome Prize for Historic Preservation and Conservation, awarded annually by the American Academy in Rome to honor “the highest standard of excellence in the arts and humanities.”
 
The prize includes a fellowship that provides a stipend, studio or study, room and board in Rome for up to two years—and the opportunity for recipients to expand their own professional, artistic or scholarly pursuits.

UMass Amherst Will Graduate 5,500 at May 10 Commencement with Address by Kenneth Chenault, American Express chairman, CEO

AMHERST, Mass. – Undergraduate Commencement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday, May 10 will feature a keynote address by Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express. He will speak to 5,500 graduating seniors at McGuirk Alumni Stadium where friends, family and alumni will gather to take part in a full day’s schedule of commencement observances. The ceremony runs from 5-6:30 p.m.
 
Chenault will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the undergraduate ceremony.Chenault joined American Express in 1981 and became president and chief operating

UMass Amherst Engineering Students Show off Inventions May 1

AMHERST, Mass. – Fifteen teams of mechanical and industrial engineering seniors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will demonstrate prototypes of their inventions on Wednesday, May 1 from 5:30-8 p.m. in the ELab II atrium. Devices to be displayed include all-terrain crutches, an assistive walker for children, an automatic rocking crib, an ergonomic shopping cart and a rugged transport for the disabled.
 
Other projects being demonstrated include a wind turbine blade made of environmentally friendly composite fibers, an assembly line station for a new mechanical power-transmission

First Land Animals Kept Fishlike Jaws for Millions of Years, Says UMass Amherst Biologist

AMHERST, Mass. ­– Scientists studying how early land vertebrates evolved from fishes long thought that the animals developed legs for moving around on land well before their feeding systems and dietary habits changed enough to let them eat a land-based diet, but strong evidence was lacking. Now, for the first time fossil jaw measurements by Philip Anderson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and others have tested and statistically confirmed this lag.
 
“This pattern had been hypothesized previously, but not really tested. Now we've done that,” Anderson says.

Science Café Speaker Discusses Acrobatics of Jumping Frogs

AMHERST, Mass. – Gary Gillis of Mount Holyoke College will present “Brace for Impact,” exploring the acrobatics of jumping frogs and how they, like gymnasts, coordinate their muscles to effectively prepare for landings, at a Science Café on Monday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at Esselon Café in Hadley.
 
Gillis uses biomechanics and neuromuscular analysis to understand how animals are able to control their movements during rapid deceleration.  
 
Light snacks will be provided and drinks will be available for purchase. All Science Café events are free and designed for a public audience. 
 
The Science

UMass Amherst Cuts 150-Pound Birthday Cake to Celebrate Campus’ Sesquicentennial

AMHERST, Mass. – Thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends attended festivities marking Founders Day celebration on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus today on the 150th anniversary of the signing of the campus charter. Among the highlights was the ceremonial cutting of a 150-pound birthday cake created in the shape of the university’s iconic Old Chapel.
 
It was on April 29, 1863 that Governor John Andrews signed the charter to form Massachusetts Agricultural College, creating the first Board of Trustees for what would become Massachusetts State College in 1931

UMass Innovation Challenge Awards $55,250 to Three Teams in Finals

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Innovation Challenge final business plan competition has awarded $55,250 to three competing teams. Fetch Rewards won the top prize of $30,000. VideoConversation won a total of $15,000 at the event while Crowd Solar received $10,000.
 
Since 2005, the UMass Innovation Challenge has provided more than $500,000 in awards to 65 different student-led teams. It is designed to help current students and young alumni who have innovative business ideas to develop business plans and move products closer to market.

UMass Amherst Biologists Propose a New Research Roadmap for Connecting Genes to Ecology

AMHERST, Mass. – A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is proposing a new investigative roadmap for the field of evolutionary developmental biology, or “evo devo,” to better understand how innovation at the genetic level can lead to ecological adaptations over time. Evo devo seeks to understand the specific genetic mechanisms underlying evolutionary change.
 
Seven UMass Amherst authors, all biologists but with diverse research programs including evolutionary genetics, developmental biology, biomechanics and behavioral ecology, describe the new framework they

UMass Amherst Launches Ambitious $300 Million Fund-Raising Campaign in its Sesquicentennial Year

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst today announced the launch of its most ambitious fund-raising campaign ever, “UMass Rising,” in its sesquicentennial year, setting a goal of $300 million to achieve new heights as a leader in the Commonwealth’s and the nation’s innovation economy.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said, “To excel today, the best universities must adapt. Simply reacting to new circumstances will not do, much more is required.

UMass Amherst Inaugurates Kumble Subbaswamy as Chancellor

AMHERST, Mass. – With academic pomp and pageantry, Kumble R. Subbaswamy was formally inaugurated today as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst during ceremonies at the Mullins Center.

The installation was held in conjunction with a weeklong commemoration of the founding of the campus in 1863, an occasion noted by Subbaswamy during his inaugural address.

“For 150 years, the University of Massachusetts Amherst has served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by making a world-class education accessible to qualified students from all walks of life, engaging in research to solve our

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