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The long anticipated, state-of-the-art greenhouse and laboratory facility for PSIS will be completed soon! The project design balances the historic, agrarian character of the
University's roots with the spirit of cutting-edge plant research. Read all about the new facilities HERE.
 Dr. Robert Wick went to Bangladesh on a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2006. He returned in 2008 for the opening of Bangladesh's 1st Plant Disease Clinic, and again in 2009 to conduct a Clinic Workshop. Follow his teaching and life experiences in the words and beautiful pictures of his Online Journal.
 Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik also taught classes in Bangladesh on a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2007. He invited all of us to join him via his two-part Online Journal.
- Dr. Frank Mangan has been selected to receive the 2012 New York Farmers Medal by the New York Farmers Club. This award is in recognition of outstanding achievement in agriculture
and will be presented in April at the New York Farmers Club's annual
black-tie gala at the Union Club in New York. Read more about the award and Dr. Mangan's work HERE.
February, 2012
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik was presented with the 2012 Outstanding Research Award by the Weed Science Society of America during the organization's annual meeting, held this year in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Read all about this honor HERE.
February, 2012
- Dr. Allen Barker has been named the 2011 Agronomy Journal Outstanding Associate Editor by the American Society of Agronomy. Read all about this prestigious award HERE.
January, 2012
- Dr. Frank Mangan has spent 16 years finding ways to grow and market non-native crops in Massachusetts. His latest venture culminated in a new collaboration between UMass Amherst
and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. An agreement signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and UMass President Robert Caret during a trade mission to Brazil in December, will not only bring Brazilian produce to Massachusetts stores, but also recruit Brazilian graduate students to UMass Amherst. Read more about it HERE.
December, 2011
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik was honored by the International Allelopathy Society at the World Congress on Allelopathy, held Dec. 15-19, 2011 in Guangzhou, China. He was presented the the Molisch Award for Outstanding Research
Contributions, the highest honor the Society
bestows. Dr. Bhowmik also gave an invited plenary lecture on "Allelochemicals in soil environment: Fate, functions and implications." Read all about Dr. Bhowmik's outstanding achievement HERE.
December, 2011
- Dr. Robert Wick and Dr. Li-Jun Ma have joined a multistate research team that includes Rutgers University, University of Florida, and Cornell University to investigate disease control strategies for the culinary herb sweet basil. The research effort: “Strategies for Improving the U.S. Responses to Fusarium, Downy Mildew and Chilling Injury in Production of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)” was recently awarded $1.8 million from the USDA. Read all about the research HERE.
November, 2011
- Dr. Anne L. Averill has been awarded a five-year, 3.3 million dollar grant to study native bee
communities, which play a key role in pollinating important crops in the
Northeast, such as apples, low-bush blueberries, cranberries and
pumpkins. The project, which involves more than a dozen scientists in Maine, New
York, Connecticut and Tennessee, is aimed at maintaining a diverse
community of native bees, together with managed bees, to ensure the best
long-term pollination strategy. Read all about it HERE.
October, 2011
- It's working! A 6 year campaign led by Entomologist Dr. Joe Elkinton to control invasive winter moths via a natural
parasite now shows some concrete evidence of success. The released parasitic fly, Cyzenis albicans, has been found to be established and attacking the pest moths at four test sites in Massachusetts. Read more about the research HERE.
September, 2011
- Dr. Wesley Autio has been awarded the prestigious Jackson Dawson Award by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The award is named in honor of Jackson Thornton Dawson, who had a 43-year
career at the Arnold Arboretum and raised and distributed over 450,000 plants and 48,000 packets of seeds throughout the
world. Read about the award and about Dr. Autio's own distinguished career HERE.
September, 2011
- An invited commentary by Dr. Stephen Rich and Dr. Dr. Guang Xu was featured in the August 16, 2011 issue of PNAS (PNAS 2011 108 (32) 12973-12974). The commentary discussed recent contributions to determining the origin of malaria parasites. Read about this paper HERE.
August, 2011
- An international team of scientists led by Dr. Li-Jun Ma have published a paper entitled "Comparative Genomics Yields Insights into Niche Adaptation of Plant Vascular Wilt Pathogens" in the July 2011 issue of the Journal PLoS Pathogens. Knowledge gained through this important study reveals insights into the evolution and niche adaptation of fungal wilt pathogens, and sheds light towards development of novel disease management strategies for combating the destructive wilt diseases. Read about this paper HERE.
July, 2011
- Dr. William J. Manning gave an invited keynote paper entitled "Global Warming and Increasing Background Concentrations of Ozone: Problems or Opportunities?"
at the international conference "Ozone, Climate Change and Forests" in Prague, Czech Republic held June 14-16. Read HERE for more information.
June, 2011
- Dr. Baoshan Xing is Senior Editor of a book just published by John Wiley & Sons entitled "Biophysico-Chemical Processes of Anthropogenic Organic Compounds in Environmental Systems."
May, 2011
- Undergraduate PSIS Major Alissa Martin was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from Annie's Homegrown, an organic food company based in California. Read all about Alissa and her scholarship HERE. Alissa credits PSIS Faculty member Dr. Susan Han and Instructors Ruth Hazzard and Amanda Brown for helping with her success at UMass. Congratulations to Alissa, and kudos to the PSIS personnel who inspired her.
April, 2011
- Dr. Baoshan Xing was invited to give a keynote speech at the "6th International Symposium of Interactions of Soil Minerals with Organic Components and Microorganisms" to be held June 25 - July 1, 2011 in Montpellier, France. The tilte of his speech will be "Environmental fate and toxicity of engineered nanoparticles" and will be an important contribution to the "Soil Interfaces in a Changing World" symposium at the meeting.
April, 2011
- UMass Amherst Turf Club students placed 3rd in the 2011 National Collegiate Turf Bowl competition at the annual Golf Course Superintendants Association of America Educational Conference. Read all about this outstanding achievement, and how Turf Club members worked to raise money to send students to the conference HERE.
February, 2011
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik organized and served as Chair of a symposium session at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Weed Sociey of America held February 7-11, 2011 in Portland, OR. The symposium "Significance and Use of Sulfonylurea Hebicides in Turfgrass" was well attended and resulted in excellent discussions. Read about it HERE.
February, 2011
- Congratulations to PSIS Graduate Student Krystian Madrid who received a $500 Pre-Dissertation Research Grant from The Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies (CLACLS) at UMass Amherst. Krystian presented a report, "Adaptation of Ethnic Latino and Asian Crops to Massachusetts: Grafting Vegetables" for CLACLS at UMass on November 15, 2010. Krystian's PSIS Faculty Advisor is Dr. Allen Barker.
November, 2010
- UMass Amherst is one of 32
colleges and universities nationwide chosen to participate in "General
Education for a Global Century", a curriculum and faculty development
project that is part of the Association of American Colleges and
Universities’ (AAC&U) Shared Futures initiative. Dr. John Gerber, PSIS professor of plant science and sustainability studies,
is a key team member on this project at UMass.
This new project builds upon innovative efforts to reframe general
education courses and programs, and create coherent curricular designs
that address complex, global issues across divisions and disciplines.
Read about it HERE.
October, 2010
- Congratulations to
PSIS Graduate Student Nicholas Brazee for winning the Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation Award at the
70th Annual Meeting of the Northeast Division of the American Phytopathological Society (NED-APS), which took place in Northampton, MA on October 27-29, 2010. Nicholas was presented with an engraved plaque and an award of $500 to help cover
the cost of travel to either the APS or NED-APS meeting in 2011. Nicholas will also receive a one-year online or print subscription to one
APS journal, as well as memberships in both APS and the Northeast Division. PSIS Faculty member Dr. Robert Wick is Nicholas' Advisor.
October, 2010
- Dr. Roy Van Driesche, PSIS Professor of Entomology, organized The 2010 Biological Control for Nature Conference held in in Northampton, MA, from October 3-7, 2010. Read more about the Conference HERE.
October, 2010
- Dr. Baoshan Xing was named as Honorary Chair and Dedicatee of the Humic Science & Technology XIV Conference to be held on March 9-11, 2011 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Dr. Xing will be honored as an internationally recognized researcher and expert in environmental and soil chemistry. Read all about it HERE.
September, 2010
- Dr. Wesley R. Autio, PSIS Professor of Pomology, will receive the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Association's Ronald J. Prokopy Award "in recognition of his outstanding support of Massachusetts agriculture." Read more about Dr. Autio's award HERE.
August, 2010
- Congratulations to
Plant Biology doctoral student Nicole Soper Gorden, who received a $14,998 National Science Foundation
dissertation grant, one of
only 12 grants funded among 140 national applications. Her PSIS advisor, Dr. Lynn Adler says
the award is a compliment to the importance of Nicole's research topic, as well as
a recognition of her skills in chemical analysis.
The grant will fund research to bring new methods to study how flowers
defend themselves against nectar robbers and florivores, and to explore
how they interact with beneficial pollinators such as bees. Read more about Nicole's award and her research project with the Adler Lab group HERE.
July, 2010
- Dr. Baoshan Xing and his colleague Dr. Kun Yang from
Zhejiang University in China have will have their paper "Adsorption of Organic Compounds by Nanaomaterials in Aqueous Phase: Polanyi Theory and Its Application" published in an upcomming issue of "Chemical Reviews." A pre-print is available on the webpage of this highly rated chemistry journal. The paper discusses the mechanisims and theory for adsorption of organic compounds by carbon-based engineered nanomaterials.
June, 2010
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Dr. Baoshan Xing organized the special session " Environmental Processes & Toxicity of Internationally Produced Nanomaterials" at the 2010 Asian/Pacific SETAC Meeting held June 4-7 in Guangzhou, China.
Dr. Xing also gave a talk at the meeting entitled " Aggregation of aqueous fullerene colloids in the presence of structurally different dissolved organic matters."
June, 2010
- Dr. Nicholas Barber, currently a PSIS Postdoc with Dr. Lynn Adler, is a coauthor of an article recently published in the Proceedings of the National Acacemy of Sciences. "Interactions Among Predators and the Cascading Effects of Vertebrate Insectivores on Arthropod Communities and Plants" (PNAS 2010, 107 (16) 7335-7340)
demonstrates how predators such as birds, bats and
lizards provide significant protection and enhancement of plant
growth across a broad range of ecosystems by eating insect pests. Please read about this important research HERE.
April, 2010
- Dr. Duane Greene was named 2010 Researcher of the Year by the International Fruit Tree Association at its March 1 Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Greene was praised for research advances that have proven useful to growers, and for his work in testing new apple varieties. Read about his award HERE.
March, 2010
- Umass Amherst Turf Club students placed 2nd in the 2010 National Collegiate Turf Bowl competition at the annual Golf Course Superintendants Association of America Educational Conference. Read all about this outstanding achievement, and how Turf Club members worked to raise money to send 13 students to the conference here.
February, 2010
- Dr. William Manning was asked to be a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Urban Environment in Xiamen, China. Read about his appointment here.
February, 2010
- Dr. Patricia Vittum was invited as a featured speaker at the Southeastern Regional Conference of the New York State Turfgrass Association held Feb. 23-24, 2010 in Suffern, NY. Read all about it here.
February, 2010
- PSIS on YouTube! Dr. Frank Mangan and associates speak about cultivating and marketing ethnic vegetables like the Brazilian Taioba in Western Massachusetts (link to video here). Want to learn how to cook Taioba? Check out this YouTube clip featuring Dr. Mangan and company!
January, 2010
- UMass Amherst PSIS Plant & Soil Sciences Alum honored by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for working to help Massachusetts better define child labor laws as they relate to golf course management. Read all about Richard Gagnon HERE.
January, 2010
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik was invited to speak at the First Asian Allelopathy Society (AAS) Conference in Guangzhou, China held December 18-22, 2009. He was also elected as one of the Executive Board Members of the AAS to represent the United States. Read about Dr. Bhowmik HERE.
December, 2009
- Congratulations to PSIS Graduate Students Jason Lanier and Lindsey Hoffmann for winning turfgrass presentation awards at the 2009 ASA-CSSA-SSA International Meetings held in Pittsburg, PA. Read all about it by clicking HERE.
November, 2009
- Dr. Lynn Adler was invited to give one of two keynote presentations at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Scandinavian Association for Pollination Ecologists (SCAPE). The SCAPE 2009 symposium was held October 23rd-25th at the Archipelago Research Institute of the University of Turku in Finland. Dr. Adler's keynote presentation, "Sex and Food: The Role of Flowers for Pollinators and Herbivores" focused on how plants attract animals that will benefit them, and, at the same time, deter ones that could harm them. Click HERE to learn more.
October, 2009
- An article co-authored by Dr. Craig Hollingsworth, PSIS Adjunct Assistant Professor, has won an Editor's Choice Award from the Entomological Society of America. “Biochemical and Molecular Analysis of Deltamethrin Resistance in the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)” was published November 2008 in the Journal of Medical Entomology. Read about this award and the research that earned it by clicking HERE.
October, 2009
- Biocontrol research by PSIS Postdoc David Masuel and PSIS Professor Joseph Elkinton aimed at
stemming an invasion of hemlock woolly adelgids
is featured online at UMass "In the Loop" and in an article in the October 23, 2009 "Daily Hampshire Gazette".
October, 2009
- Senior Amy Koenig, who is double majoring in PSIS and Environmental Science, has put her UMass lessons to good use as a fall semester intern in Bangladesh. Her UMass coursework, along with her summer job at the UMass Research Farm in S. Deerfield, MA with Dr. Frank Mangan, taught her a lot about sustainable agricultural research methods. Read about Amy and her internship in Bangladesh by clicking HERE.
October, 2009
- Dr. Baoshan Xing was presented a 2009 Excellence in Review Award by the Environmental Science & Technology Division of the American Chemical Society Publications . This award recognizes the significant contributions to the journal made by outstanding reviewers.
October, 2009
- An international research team led by evolutionary geneticist Dr. Stephen M. Rich has discovered that the parasite which causes the deadliest form of malaria jumped from wild chimpanzees to humans via bites by mosquitoes in equatorial Africa perhaps as recently as 10,000 years ago. The study is featured in the August 3rd Early Edition of the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences. Read all about this important finding HERE.
August, 2009
- A research paper couthored by Dr. Baoshan Xing was the 2nd place winner in the 6th Excellent Academic Paper Awards of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) for 2008. "Extraction and Characterization of Humic Acids and Humin Fractions From a Black Soil in China" by Baoshan Xing, Ju-Dong Liu, Xiao-Bing Liu, and Xiao-Zeng Han was originally published in the international journal Pedosphere (Pedosphere 15: 1-8, 2005).
July, 2009
- The 1st annual Shutter-Bug Insect Photo Contest sponsored by PSIS's Fernald Club was a great success. Find out who the winners were by clicking HERE.
June, 2009
- Dr. Benjamin Normark was featured on the WFCR Radio (88.5FM) program "Field Notes" on June 22, 2009 to talk about the fascinating lives of spittlebugs (also known as froghoppers).
Field Notes' host Laurie Sanders
interviewed Dr. Malcolm Burrows of Cambridge Univ, UK, who talked about
jumping, and Dr. Normark, who talked about spittlebug diet and "spittle" production. The broadcast can be heard by clicking HERE.
June, 2009
- Dr. Frank Mangan was interviewed by
Tina Antolini of the WFCR Radio (88.5FM) program "Focus Western New England" in a broadcast that aired June 18, 2009. Dr. Mangan spoke about cultivating ethnic vegetables like the Brazilian Taioba in Western Massachusetts. Dr. Mangan and his associates encourage local commercial farmers to establish the new crops, and help them to find the ethnic consumer markets that are seeking the produce in large numbers. To listen to the interview, click HERE. For more information about Dr. Mangan's UMass Extension Ethnic Crop Program, click HERE.
June, 2009
- PSIS Postdoctoral Associate Dr. David Mausel spoke with Laurie Sanders of the WFCR Radio (88.5FM) program "Field Notes" about
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a non-native insect that has been devastating U.S. Hemlock trees. Dr. Mausel, from Dr. Roy Van Driesche's UMass research group, has introduced a predator beetle for biocontrol of the Adelgid. The interview aired Monday June 15, 2009 and can be heard by clicking HERE.
June, 2009
- Dr. William Manning presented a paper at the "2nd International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture" held in Bologna, Italy on June 9-13, 2009.
The paper, "Assessment of Uptake of Nitrogen Dioxide by Tree Leaves in Springfield, MA, USA" was coauthored by PSIS graduate student T. B. Harris. Dr. Manning also chaired a session of contributed papers at the conference.
June, 2009
- Dr. Baoshan Xing was Co-Director of the "International Conference on the Environmental Implications and Applications of Nanotechnology" held from June 9-11, 2009 at UMass Amherst.
Researchers and practitioners from around the world met to address the impacts of manufactured nanoparticles on the environment and to present new applications for using nanotechnology for remediation, pollution control and prevention, and sustainability. For more information about the conference, and to see abstracts of materials presented, please go to the conference website.
June, 2009
- Dr. Lynn Adler was interviewed by Laurie Sanders of WFCR's program "Field Notes." Dr. Adler discussed the challenges that plants face in terms of only being attractive to animals that benefit them, like pollinators, and not to those that could harm them. The interview aired Monday May 18, 2009 on WFCR Radio (88.5FM) and can be heard by clicking HERE .
May, 2009
- Dr. William Manning was invited to present the keynote opening paper at the International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Ecological Remediation in Industrial Regions held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai China on April 24-26, 2009.
April, 2009
- PSIS welcomed to Fernald Hall the great-great-granddaughter of Dr. Charles Henry Fernald, the Entomologist for whom the building was named. Nancy Elisabeth Fernald, a local artist from Hadley MA, was invited for a visit to the 100 year old building where both her great-grandfather Henry and her great-great-grandfather Charles taught classes and did research in the field of Entomology.
April, 2009
- Congratulations to Wei Jiang, a Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences Graduate Student of Dr. Baoshan Xing, for winning first place for her student poster presentation at the "Water Dependencies in New England" 6th Annual Conference.
April, 2009
- Undergraduate Honor Student Ashley Bono conducts research on the deer tick bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. Her honors project is guided by Dr. Stephen Rich, PSIS Department Head.
April, 2009
- Size matters...particle size that is. Dr. Baoshan Xing's research on the environmental effects of nanoparticles is again featured on Nanowerk.com. Nanoparticles of various substances were found to be more toxic to bacteria than their larger particle size versions.
April, 2009
- Dr. Baoshan Xing gives an invited presentation at the “Assessment of Biological Effects of Nanomaterials Symposium" at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
March, 2009
- Nanowerk.com spotlights Dr. Baoshan Xing's research on the uptake and effects of metal oxide nanoparticles on tiny, but very ecologically important, soil nematodes. Can nanoparticles absorbed by nematodes be subsequently passed up the food chain? Dr. Robert Wick is a collaborator on these studies.
January, 2009
- Three PSIS personnel awarded 2008 NRE Outstanding Achievement Awards
November, 2008
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik had a major role in organizing and running the 5th World Congress on Allelopathy held on September 21-25, 2008 in Saratoga Springs, NY.
September, 2008
- PSIS welcomes new Department Head, Dr. Daniel Fairbanks.
September, 2008
- Dr. Baoshan Xing's research on the root uptake and phytotoxicity of zinc oxide (ZnO) is highlighted in Nanowerk.com. ZnO nanoparticles are widely used in personal care products and paints. Dr. Xing's research examines a potential environmental impact of ZnO.
July, 2008
- Dr. William Manning was invited to share his expertise on plants and air pollution as a guest lecturer at the University of Naples in Italy.
July, 2008
- Dr. Baoshan Xing's nanoparticle research is highlighted in Nanowerk.com. The inovative research couples an olive oil manfacturing waste product with nanoparticles of aluminum oxide. The resulting unique complex can efficiently absorb one of the most hazardous biproducts of carbon fuel combustion, phenanthrene.
June, 2008
- The late Dr. Thomas Henry Boyle III recieved a posthumous Patent Recognition Award from UMass Amherst for two of his Cactaceae plants.
May, 2008
- Dr. Om Parkash's research on plants that resist uptake of arsenic could help ease the global rice shortage. Listen to a podcast interview with Dr. Parkash.
May, 2008
- Dr. John Gerber is one of four faculty members selected for a 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest honor for excellence in the classroom at UMass Amherst.
April, 2008
- Dr. John Gerber receives a $500 Community Service Learning Course Assistant Award to support his course PLSOILIN 285: Sustainable Living.
April, 2008
- Dr. Baoshan Xing organizes symposium at The American Chemical Society's 2008 Annual Meeting.
April, 2008
- Dr. Lynn Adler is among of a team of three researchers awarded a 3-year, $450,000 NSF grant to study the effects of suburbanization on plant evolution.
April, 2008
- Former UMass Amherst Entomology Graduate Student named State Minister for Agriculture in Rwanda, Africa.
March, 2008
- Dr. John Burand to receive $150,000, 3-year USDA grant for research aimed at improving bee health in the Northeast.
March, 2008
- UMass Amherst Turf Club Students participate in two National Turf Bowl Competitions.
January, 2008
- Dr. William Manning gave the opening invited plenary lecture at an environmental forum in Xiaman, China.
November, 2007
- Dr. Stephen Rich receives funding to track growing populations of ticks that carry Lyme Disease bacteria.
July, 2007
- Three PSIS Faculty share $481,500 in Massachusetts Agricultural Innovation Grants.
May, 2007
- Dr. Baoshan Xing's research paper, "Phytotoxicity of nanoparticles: Inhibition of seed germination and root growth," is featured online this month at Nanowerk.com. This paper is currently in press, and will be in print soon in the journal Environmental Pollution (Elsevier Ltd).
March, 2007
- Dr. Baoshan Xing's research on fullerene and carbon nanotubes is highlighted this month on Nanowerk.com
December, 2006
- Dr. Frank Mangan's Work Brings New Ethnic Crops to Massachusetts. Dr. Mangan is helping local farmers to grow specialized crops and market them to emerging immigrant communities.
November, 2006
- Dr. Lynn Adler's research on "Toxic Nectar" is featured in a Science News Online article; Vol. 169, No. 19.
May 13, 2006
- Dr. Prasanta Bhowmik awarded Fulbright to Bangladesh
April, 2006
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