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.



Molecular Probes That Will Shed Light on Memory Formation, Learning, To Be Developed At UMass Amherst

May 13, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Receptors that play a role in learning and memory rapidly change their location and shape as signals travel through the nervous system. James Chambers of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Ismail Hafez of the University of British Columbia have received a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Human Frontier Science Program to develop fluorescent tags called Tri-Probes, which will allow researchers to track these movements and changes in real time. More...



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

May 12, 2008

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. More...



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...



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

May 9, 2008

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.” More...



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

May 8, 2008

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. More...

sealUMass 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...



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

May 7, 2008

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. More...



Whiz Kids Compete For Big Jackpot at UMass Amherst Technology Innovation Challenge May 8

May 7, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY


DATE: Thursday, May 8, 2008

TIME: 3-6 p.m.

PLACE: UMass Amherst Campus Center, Room 1009
Amherst, Mass.


 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. HolubRobert 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...

HustonKatie 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...



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...



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...

Robert C. Holub Tapped for UMass Amherst Chancellorship

April 30, 2008

BOSTON - UMass President Jack M. Wilson today announced that he will recommend that Robert C. Holub, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Tennessee’s flagship campus in Knoxville, become UMass Amherst’s new chancellor. More...



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

April 30, 2008

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. More...



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

April 29, 2008

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. More...



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

April 29, 2008

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. More...



Governor Deval Patrick to Attend Founders Day Celebration This Tuesday at UMass Amherst

April 28, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY


DATE: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 (rain or shine)

TIME: Noon

PLACE: Haigis Mall, UMass Amherst

(across from the Visitors Center on Mass. Avenue)


 More...

Text nessagingUMass 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...



Visiting Writers Series at UMass Amherst Hosts Reading By Poet James Tate

April 28, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Visiting Writers Series at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is hosting a poetry reading by James Tate on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall. More...



Computer Scientist to Discuss Environmental Monitoring at UMass Amherst Lecture Series on April 30

April 25, 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 Wednesday, April 30 at 3:30 p.m. in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union building. John A. Stankovic of the University of Virginia will give a talk titled, “Wireless Sensor Networks: Global Scale Environmental Monitoring from Arctic to Zebras.” The talks are free and open to the public. More...



UMass Amherst Announces Commencement Weekend Events

April 25, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Commencement weekend activities at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will include a ceremony for undergraduates on Saturday, May 24 and separate ceremonies on Friday, May 23 for the Graduate School and the Stockbridge School. More...



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

April 24, 2008

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. More...



UMass Amherst, Graduate Student Organization Reach Tentative Agreement on Contract

April 24, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) have reached a tentative agreement on a 14-month contract. More...



UMass Amherst Researcher Seeking Participants for Women’s Health Study on Flaxseed

April 22, 2008

AMHERST, Mass.– Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences are seeking healthy postmenopausal women to participate in a study of dietary flaxseed to see if it can lower a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. More...



Computer Network Intrusion Occurs at University Health Services

April 18, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – University officials are evaluating an intrusion into the computer network of University Health Services (UHS). The University is assessing the scope of the incident to determine what, if any, files were compromised. More...



Lizards Undergo Rapid Evolution after Introduction to a New Home, Says UMass Amherst Researcher

April 17, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – In 1971, biologists moved five adult pairs of Italian wall lizards from their home island of Pod Kopiste, in the South Adriatic Sea, to the neighboring island of Pod Mrcaru. Now, an international team of researchers has shown that introducing these small, green-backed lizards, Podarcis sicula, to a new environment caused them to undergo rapid and large-scale evolutionary changes. More...



UMass Amherst Professor Sara Lennox to Give Distinguished Faculty Lecture April 28

April 17, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Sara Lennox, professor of languages, literatures and cultures at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will give the fourth and final Distinguished Faculty Lecture of this year’s series on Monday, April 28 at 4 p.m. in the Massachusetts Room of the Mullins Center. The talk is free and open to the public. More...



UMass Amherst to Dedicate Collection of Aerial Photographs of Massachusetts

April 17, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – In the early 1950s, William P. MacConnell, a forestry professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, launched a pioneering effort to map the entire state through aerial photography, an effort that produced nearly 24,000 images over nearly 50 years. More...



Governor Patrick to Celebrate Founders Day at UMass Amherst April 29

April 17, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Governor Deval Patrick will be on hand Tuesday, April 29 to help celebrate the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s first Founders Day, and to honor the commitment to public service that has guided the growth of the state’s flagship institution since its inception in 1863. More...



ABOUT UMASS AMHERST

April 16, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. - Need information in a hurry? Check our campus fact sheet. More...



Robots That Can Assist With Elder Care Created By UMass Amherst Researchers

April 15, 2008

AMHERST, Mass.– Baby boomers are set to retire, and robots are ready to help, providing elder care and improving the quality of life for those in need. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a robotic assistant that can dial 911 in case of emergencies, remind clients to take their medication, help with grocery shopping and allow a client to talk to loved ones and health care providers. More...



Mysterious Disappearance of Honeybees, Bumblebees to Be Researched By UMass Amherst Bee Consortium

April 14, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The mysterious disappearance of honeybee colonies in the United States due to colony collapse disorder is a major concern for New England growers of cranberries and blueberries, who must rent thousands of hives from commercial bee operations to maintain fruit harvests worth over $100 million each year. More...



Women of Color Leadership Network at UMass Amherst Stages Production of Body Politics

April 14, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Women of Color Leadership Network at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is presenting Body Politics, an original theater production by and about women of color on April 26-27. More...



Finalists for UMass Amherst Chancellor to Begin Campus Visits Starting Tuesday, April 15

April 12, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The four finalist candidates for chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been scheduled for campus visits, starting Tuesday, April 15. More...



Search Committee Names Four Finalists for UMass Amherst Chancellorship

April 12, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – A search committee today designated four finalists for the University of Massachusetts Amherst chancellorship, completing a major step in the process of selecting a new leader for the University’s flagship campus. More...



UMass Amherst Junior Named Goldwater Scholar

April 11, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Michael Krainin, of Sharon, a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has won a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. He is one of just 321 students in the nation to win the award for the 2008-09 academic year. More...



UMass Amherst Psychological Services Enters Partnership with Allies in Recovery of Northampton

April 9, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Psychological Services Center (PSC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has created a partnership with the Northampton-based Allies in Recovery (AIR) to assist families in the region dealing with substance abuse. More...

UMass Amherst Details Plans for Emergency Text-Messaging Service; Sign-ups Begin Today

April 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst will launch an emergency text-messaging service for students, faculty and staff this spring. Members of the campus community can subscribe to the alert service beginning today by visiting www.umass.edu/campusalertsMore...



UMass Donahue Institute Receives $896,779 Federal Grant to Teach About Immigration and Migration in American History

April 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The UMass Donahue Institute, in conjunction with Southbridge Public Schools and eight school districts in western Massachusetts, have received a three-year, $896,779 Teaching American History (TAH) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to teach students about immigration and migration in the region. More...



New Method for Making ‘Green Gasoline’ Developed By UMass Amherst Researcher

April 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – George Huber of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a $400,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to pursue his revolutionary new method for making biofuels, or “green gasoline,” from wood or grasses, a process that would be much less expensive than conventional gasoline or ethanol made from corn. More...



UMass Amherst Hosts Annual Juniper Literary Festival April 25-26

April 7, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is holding its 8th annual Juniper Literary Festival on April 25-26. More...



Climate Change Will Diminish Quality, Amount and Supply of Water in New England, Say UMass Amherst Researchers

April 7, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – The Connecticut River Watershed is vital to New England, serving as the primary water supply for Greater Boston and a National Fish and Wildlife Refuge for thousands of species of plants and animals. A study done at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that rising temperatures due to climate change will reduce the availability of water during the summer when demand is highest, and increase sediment and pollution loads carried by rivers and streams. More...



UMass Amherst Graduate Programs Receive National Rankings From U.S. News & World Report

April 7, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Graduate programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in computer science, education, nursing, engineering and speech-language pathology have earned national rankings from U.S News & World Report for 2009. More...



Birds of a Feather Flock Together When Adapting To Urban Environments, Says UMass Amherst Researcher

April 7, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Urban areas are the fastest-growing habitat on earth, but little is known about how plants and animals fit themselves into landscapes dominated by humans. Now, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Arizona State University have shown that birds faced with urban development are a lot like people when choosing a place to live. More...



Student Falls to Death at UMass Amherst

April 4, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – A University of Massachusetts Amherst student fell to his death early Friday morning from a 17th-floor window of the John Quincy Adams residence hall. UMass Amherst police responded to a report of someone jumping from the building about 3:30 a.m. The case is under investigation, but police said there are no indications at this time of foul play. More...



UMass Amherst Scientists Receive Grant to Study the Effects of Urbanization on Plant Evolution

April 4, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – Suburban areas are the fastest-growing habitat on Earth, replacing forests with private homes and changing the communities of native plants and animals that live there. Now, a team of researchers has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to determine whether suburban development can affect the evolution of a native plant by changing how it interacts with insects. More...



Women and politics focus of panel discussion at UMass Amherst

April 3, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. – How are issues such as health care, war and the environment – ones traditionally important to women – shaping the presidential election? Experts will weigh in at a free panel discussion on Wednesday, April 16 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. More...


Story Archive