There’s a new name on campus in the Research Area! The Research Liaison and Development (RL&D) Office has taken on this new title to better reflect its function on campus. Previously called ILED (Industry Liaison and Economic Development), it became clear over that last few years that this name was not representative of the office’s activities and value to campus. “ILED was too hard to explain because it didn't represent the full scope of our activities,” says Marla Michel, RL&D’s director. She’s excited by the change and the greater flexibility it provides her and the RL&D staff to enhance the capacity for research and innovation at UMass Amherst.

The role of RL&D, Michel explains, is to increase the likelihood of success for new initiatives that have the potential to grow sponsored activities. “We know that for our campus to grow its programs and attract the best talent, it needs an enabling infrastructure. RL&D is contributing to that,” says Michel. “UMass Amherst has wonderfully talented faculty. We want to help them ‘do more'." The range of services and products her office provides corresponds to the breadth of initiatives being pursued on campus. The services include, but are not limited to:

• proposal support (including project management, analysis, and writing);
• liaison to state, industry, and academic institutions on a regional, national, and international level;
• communicating about UMass Amherst research excellence.

Paul Kostecki, Vice Provost for Research, explains that the RL&D mission is in line with his vision to raise the campus’ capacity for research and innovation. “The Amherst campus is invested in building more interdisciplinary research programs,” says Kostecki. “Many of these initiatives require resources and support services beyond those available through the academic departments of the faculty who are driving them. Because they are campus-wide initiatives, the Research Area would like to provide whatever services it can to support their growth”.

It’s not uncommon for RL&D to assist with internal projects while also representing and marketing the campus externally. To keep apprised of the many activities on campus, RL&D works with faculty, department chairs, and deans as well as the many administrative units on campus including Corporate Relations and Development, Outreach, Career Services, and the Research Area’s other units: CVIP and Research Affairs. “I’m very fortunate to be working with such capable colleagues,” remarks Michel.

Michel and her colleagues maintain an open door policy in their offices on the third floor of the Research Administration Building. They are eager to discuss ideas for new programs and initiatives and take a flexible approach to working through new processes. Contact Marla Michel at 577-0092 to learn more about what RL&D can do for you.

Technology Innovation Challenge

Do you and your students have some innovative ideas? Put together a team and enter the first annual Technology Innovation Challenge. The competition promotes innovation, education and participation of students and faculty based on technology conceived by faculty, students and alumni at UMass Amherst. Each interdisciplinary team will conceptualize a product with regard to its scientific and technological design, and create a business plan for its commercialization. The winner could win up to $50K to advance their business plan. For more information, including entry rules and deadline, click here. Deadline to submit intention to compete is Monday, October 17.

IBM PhD Fellowship Competition

Are you a faculty member working with PhD students in computer science? IBM is accepting nominations for their 2006-07 PhD Fellowship Competition. Exceptional PhD students, focusing on areas of interest to IBM, may be nominated by a faculty member. Areas of interest encompass a wide range of computing and technology arenas. IBM PhD Fellows are awarded one year's tuition, fees and a $17,500 stipend. Please direct further questions about the IBM PhD Fellowship program to Marla Michel (Director, UMass Amherst Research Liaison & Development, 545-2706) or Mark Hanny (IBM Vice President ISV Alliances and Academic Initiative, 914-766-1704). Visit IBM for more information.

L’Oreal Grant

Are you a female postdoctoral researcher? L’Oreal USA will be accepting applications until October 27th for its 2006 For Women in Science Fellowship Program. The program provides five $20,000 grants to postdoctoral researchers who are pursuing studies and research in the life and physical/material science, engineering, computer science and mathematics. For on-line application and further details click here.

Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Curriculum

The deadline to apply for the Trustworthy Computing Curriculum 2005 is October 28th. The RFP is posted on the corporate funding page of the Research website. The RFP grant encourages multidisciplinary, multiple PI projects. RL&D can help advocate for your proposal. Contact Karen Hayes with your intent to submit. Applications for the two other Microsoft proposals, Smart Clients for eScience and Digital Memories (Memex) have closed.

RLA Reminder

There is still time to apply for Fall 2005 Research Leadership in Action (RLA) grants. This new internal grant program administered by the Vice Provost for Research provides $5,000-$25,000 of support to highly visible campus events that bring together researchers, industry, government and public. The application and FAQ’s are available at the Research Leadership in Action website. Applications should be submitted to Martha Martin (545-5270). For more information, contact Karen Hayes, (545-9586) program administrator.

Correction-New Dates for Proposal Development Workshops for New Faculty

The faculty workshops will occur as follows: Group 1—Tuesdays—October 18, 25, November 1 (9:00-11:00 A.M.) Group 2—Wednesdays-October 19, 26, November 2 (2:00-4:00 P.M.)

Open Standards, Open Source and Web Application Development Lecture and Demonstration

Join Paul Coates, an Advisory Software Engineer with IBM's Developer Skills Programs, at IT's Fourth Thursday Event on Thursday, October 27th at 4PM in the South Corridor of the UMASS W.E.B. DeBois Learning Commons. The talk and demonstration will cover open standards, open source, brief histories of Linux and Eclipse as well as a discussion of the use of open source tools to develop web-based applications with backend database integration.

LinuxFest

What is a “LinuxFest”? LinuxFests are available in different flavors, but this LinuxFest is an opportunity to participate in a hands-on workshop where you get to learn and “testdrive” Linux at three different levels. On Friday, October 28th, 9AM-1PM, Paul Coates, an Advisory Software Engineer with IBM's Developer Skills Program will conduct the day's events at the UMass W.E.B. DuBois Library Learning Commons, South Corridor. Session requirements include a laptop running Windows XP or a Red Hat Linux distribution with at least 6-8GB of available disk space. Participants are encouraged to download and install a 30 day trial version of VMWARE 5.0 at on their laptop PRIOR to attending the LinuxFest workshop. For people without machines, there will be about 40 laptops available for participants who do not have their own equipment. Seating is limited. To make a reservation, please click here.

World's Best Technology Showcase

NineSigma is accepting applications to present platform technologies that are first in space and close to market at the World’s Best Technology (WBT) showcase. The showcase is an opportunity to present to venture investors and licensing scouts from a variety of industries. The event will take place March 27-29 in Dallas. There is no cost to apply, and the deadline for online submissions is November 18th. Contact Marla Michel or Loren Walker with questions. More information and the application are available at NineSigma.

The Environmental Institute (TEI) Lecture Series

TEI’s Fall 2005 Environmental Lecture Series focuses on the Global Environment and Health. The public lectures will be held at 3:30 P.M. in the Bernie Dallas Room in Goodell with a reception to follow. Lectures are scheduled for Monday, October 17th and Tuesday, November 15th. Visit TEI for a listing of lecture titles and more information.

Women in Public Higher Education Fall Conference

Dr. Judith Gill, the chancellor and chief executive of the state Board of Higher Education and UMASS Amherst alumna, will be the keynote speaker at a conference on Friday, October 28th in Taunton, MA. In her presentation, “Public Higher Education: Moving Ahead,” Dr. Gill will address the state of public higher education in Massachusetts as well as share her career path. The conference will also feature the annual “Special Recognition Award,” professional development and scholarship awards. Contact Robin Simonelli for registration information.

Entreclub Collegiate Entrepreneurship Conference

The inaugural Collegiate Entrepreneurship Conference offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs the appropriate steps to take to start a business, how to turn an idea into reality, and the risk and rewards of business ownership. Participants attend two breakout sessions and hear a luncheon keynote speaker on Friday, October 21 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Contact Neal Van Patten for registration information.

MASS Water Resources Conference

The third annual Massachusetts Water Resources Conference, Research to Practice: Science for Sustainable Water Resources, will be held Friday, October 21, 2005 in the Lincoln Campus Center at UMASS Amherst. The Conference serves as a forum for university researchers and extension educators, local, state, and federal agency staff, industry, and non-profit organizations to share and gain new information on water-related research and emerging issues. For more information and to register, visit the MA Water Resources Research Center website or contact Françoise Walk (545-2842).

Collaborative Biomedical Research (CBR) Program's 10th Anniversary

On October 7th, CBR celebrated ten years of biomedical research and training through interdisciplinary collaboration. The featured speaker at the event, Dr. J. Craig Venter, one of the world's leaders in genomic research, presented his work on decoding the human genome with a look at future applications. The anniversary event and annual meeting also honored Fredrick W. Byron Jr. Ph.D., former Vice Chancellor for Research, with the first annual Frederick W. Byron, Jr. Ph.D. Research Award for Excellence in Promoting Collaborative Biomedical Research. The former vice-chancellor was instrumental in developing the CBR program. Visit the CBR site for more information about how CBR supports biomedical research in Western Massachusetts.

New UMASS Press Catalog

The University of Massachusetts Press has produced a catalog of the new books it will be publishing for Fall & Winter 2005-2006. The printed catalog is mailed to booksellers, librarians, and reviewers across the country. Members of the UMass community may request a copy by calling 545-2217. A digital version of the catalog is also available at the Press website.

Alfred J. Crosby
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: MRI: Acquisition of Nano-Imprint Lithography System
Total Award: $702,750

Lisa Chasan-Taber
Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Epidemiology of Stress and GDM Among Latina Women
Total Award: $481,037

Edward M. Riseman
Computer Science
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: DHB: Enhancing Control and Empowerment for the Elderly through Assistive Technology
Total Award: $386,707

James J. Watkins
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Sensors: Hierarchical Metal Oxides for Next Generation Devices
Total Award: $374,881

David J. McClements
Food Science
Sponsor: Coop State Res, Educ and Ext Service
Title: Utilization of Interfacial Engineering to Improve Food Emulsion Properties
Total Award: $335,000

Randall W. Phillis
Biology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Assessment of Model-Based Reasoning in Biology
Total Award: $325,015

Daniel R. Anderson
Psychology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: The Effects of Television on Very Young Children
Total Award: $299,248

Blair Perot
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Predictive Turbulence Models for Computational Fluid Dynamics
Total Award: $190,000

John M. Clark
Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Sponsor: MA Dept of Agricultural Resources
Title: Pesticide Analytical Services
Total Award: $163,000

Brian Levine
Computer Science
Sponsor: National Security Agency
Title: Information Assurance Education Capacity Building at UMass Amherst
Total Award: $130,233