Lecture by UMass Amherst History Professor Daniel Gordon Examines Cult of Violence in Western Culture

AMHERST, Mass. – Daniel Gordon, professor of History and associate dean of Commonwealth Honors College, will speak on “The Fatal Truth: The Cult of Violence in Western Political Thought” on Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
 
After the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, the status of violence continues to be widely discussed and examined. Some disavow “an eye for an eye” and all forms of violence completely, while others accept violence as a necessary means to be kept in proportion to its ends.

Career Day at UMass Amherst Seeks to Encourage Young Women to Become Engineers

AMHERST, Mass. – More than 300 female high school students, teachers, and guidance counselors from across Massachusetts will travel to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to attend the annual Women in Engineering and Computing Career Day Conference on Monday, March 4. The conference is being held in the Campus Center Auditorium beginning at 8:30 a.m. It seeks to excite, inspire and encourage young women to pursue engineering as a career path.
 
Among the districts and schools represented at Career Day are the Greenfield Public Schools, Springfield Public Schools, Holyoke Public Schools,

Historian Robin D.G. Kelley, Scholar of Urban Life and Social Movements, to Speak at UMass Amherst March 5

AMHERST, Mass. – Historian Robin D.G. Kelley, award-winning African-American scholar and 2013 history department writer-in-residence at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will speak Tuesday, March 5 in the Student Union’s Cape Cod Lounge beginning at 4 p.m.
 
Kelley’s talk is titled “The Long Rise and Short Decline of American Democracy.”
 
The author of seven books on urban American culture, including “Yo Mama’s Disfunktional: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America,” “Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of An American Original” and “Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black

UMass Amherst Students Practice Sustainability in 'No Impact Week'

AMHERST, Mass. – Hundreds of University of Massachusetts Amherst students, faculty and staff are expected to participate in a weeklong challenge called “No Impact Week” beginning on Sunday, Feb. 24, to reduce their individual carbon footprints and other environmental impacts through daily personal experiments in waste reduction, transportation, energy, food and water consumption.
 
The activities are based on “No Impact Man” Colin Beavan and his family’s year-long effort to have zero impact on the environment in their New York City apartment.

UMass Amherst Turf Club Turns Green into Gold at National GCSAA Turf Bowl

AMHERST, Mass. – The grass is always greener when it is being tended by the nation’s number one-ranked turf team, which just happens to be part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Turf Club.
 
The 19th annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Turf Bowl held Feb. 7 in San Diego was dominated by a UMass Amherst team consisting of Evan Bradstreet, a senior from Gorham, Maine; Sean Raposa, a junior from Tiverton, R.I.; Kevin Shewmaker, a senior from Granby, and Peter J. White III, a senior from Worcester.

Home Drone: A Public Art 'Intervention' at UMass Amherst Set to Bring the Drones Home across Massachusetts

AMHERST, Mass. – An 18-foot-long rhinestone-covered replica of a U.S. Predator drone will be the center of a new multimedia art exhibit opening on March 1 at the Hampden Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The exhibit, titled “Home Drone,” challenges viewers to imagine their reaction if thousands of deadly drones had struck in the U.S. – specifically Massachusetts – rather than in Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan.
 
The exhibition was created by Heather Layton, an internationally known social intervention artist and senior lecturer at the University of Rochester, and

Home Gardening Workshop Series Led by UMass Amherst Kicks off Across the State on March 9

AMHERST, Mass. – A series of seminars on home gardening topics taught by University of Massachusetts Amherst agriculture faculty and professional staff is being offered at sites around the state starting March 9.
 
All of the workshops take place on Saturdays. Registration fees vary. Online registration and full descriptions of the workshops and other upcoming events are available at http://umassgarden.com or call 413/545-2254.  
 
The schedule is as follows:

  • Pruning Fruit Trees, March 9, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Sholan Farms, 1125 Pleasant St., Leominster (registration $50)

  • Growing and

Science Café Series Presents 'Beyond the Chatter: Adventures in Animal Communication'

AMHERST, Mass. – Sarah Partan of Hampshire College will present “Beyond the Chatter: Adventures in Animal Communication” at a Science Café on Monday, March 4 at 6 p.m. at the Esselon Café in Hadley.
 
Partan will highlight the fascinating world of animal communication and answer such questions as: Why did the robot squirrel wave its tail? What do female pigeons really want, his song or his dance? Do urban birds find it harder to get a date over all that noise?
 
Light snacks will be provided and drinks will be available for purchase. 
 
The Science Café series is organized by graduate

UMass Amherst Professor to Participate in Panel on Springfield’s African-American Heritage

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
 
DATE:           Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013
TIME:            1 p.m. 
PLACE:         Pan African Historical Museum, 1500 Main St., Springfield
 
 
Amilcar Shabazz, professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will be a panelist on “Discovering Springfield’s African American Heritage” on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. at the Pan African Historical Museum in Springfield.
 
Joining Shabazz in the discussion will be Wayne E.

UMass Amherst’s Center for Women & Community to Honor Six Women with 40th Anniversary Leadership and Advocacy Awards

AMHERST, Mass. – Six area women will be honored for their achievements in the arts, politics and social justice advocacy on Friday, Feb. 22 when the Center for Women & Community (CWC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst marks its 40th anniversary with a gala from 7-10 p.m. in the Amherst Room of the Campus Center.
 
Janet Aalfs, former poet laureate of Northampton, is receiving the Arts award in recognition of the enormous positive impact that creative contributions have on the local community.

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