The Environmental Analysis Lab (EAL) has been providing high quality laboratory services for the campus and communities across Massachusetts since 1984. The lab was created to assist in the Acid Rain Monitoring Project, a unique state-wide program in which citizen volunteers collect samples from local water sources and send them to EAL for testing. Over the years, the lab has expanded its focus and also has provided services to such diverse groups as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MA Fish and Wildlife, and the Living Lakes Corporation. EAL also works with researchers and campus groups ranging from the Physical Plant to the Geology and Chemistry Departments. Read more.

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Microsoft Live Labs: Accelerating Search in Academic Research RFP
March 24, 2006 deadline. This RFP is in support of Live Labs’ collaboration with the academic research community and is focused on the Internet Search research area. Awards up to $50,000 will be made to 10-14 institutions. Awards come in the form of unrestricted funds. Proposals should be processed through OGCA: no overhead will be charged. Contact Karen Hayes (545-9586) with your intent to submit. Visit the Microsoft External Research website for more information.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces Pathway to Independence (PI) Program
April 7, 2006 deadline. Are you a postdoc with less than 5 years of postdoctoral research training? The NIH started a new award program this year to mentor and support early career scientific investigators from their post-doctoral studies to running their own research programs. The Pathway to Independence Award will provide up to five years of support in two phases. The award is limited to postdoctoral trainees who propose research relevant to the mission of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. NIH anticipates awarding 150 to 200 PI Awards in the initial year. Visit the NIH New Investigators Program website for more information.

Research Leadership in Action Grant Program
May 1, 2006 deadline. Applications are now open for the Spring 2006 Research Leadership in Action (RLA) grants. The RLA, an internal grant program launched last spring by the Vice Provost for Research, is designed to support faculty interested in showcasing leadership in their field of research and scholarly activity. RLA grants support highly visible campus events such as conferences, professional meetings and performances that bring together researchers, industry, government and the public. Awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 are distributed twice annually, in the spring and fall.

More details, including the RFP, application, past recipients and FAQs 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.

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Conference on Cellular Engineering – Industry Sponsorship Opportunities Available
The University of Massachusetts Amherst invites life sciences industry representatives to campus on Wednesday, May 10 for the First Annual Conference on Cellular Engineering. The event, coordinated by the newly established Institute for Cellular Engineering (ICE), will feature presentations by leading researchers along with networking opportunities to explore potential UMass-industry collaborations. University faculty throughout New England and private sector researchers based in and around Massachusetts are invited. Approximately 200 researchers representing industry and academe are expected to attend. Supporters include the Mass Biotech Council, Mass Medical Device Industry Council, and the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute.

ICE was formed to enable interdisciplinary, translational research, and to develop a skilled workforce that will propel the emerging cellular engineering sector in Massachusetts. Industry collaboration is therefore an essential component of the Institute’s applied research objectives. Conference sponsorship opportunities are currently available and an industry affiliates program is under development. Please visit www.umass.edu/ice/ for more information about the Institute and to learn how you can benefit by getting involved.

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The Center for Educational Software Development (CESD) develops educational software for use on campus, at other colleges and universities, and in K- 12 classrooms. Formerly CCBIT (Center for Computer Based Instructional Technology), the center has expanded its services and changed its name to better reflect the center's current mission and work on campus. Read more.

MentorNet Comes to Campus--E-Mentors Needed
UMass Amherst recently joined MentorNet, the leading e-mentoring network for diversity in engineering and science. MentorNet's mission is to further the progress of women and others underrepresented in scientific and technical fields.

The MentorNet Academic Careers E-Mentoring program (ACE) currently seeks tenured faculty members to mentor graduate students, postdocs and untenured faculty pursuing faculty careers. The program matches a protégé from a participating campus for an e-mail based mentoring relationship. Mentors are needed in all fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Contact Barbara Pearson (413-545-5023) for more information. Visit the MentorNet website to learn about the organization and to become a mentor.

Two More Microsoft Grant Winners Announced
The Amherst campus has been very successful this year in winning competitive research and curriculum development awards from Microsoft Research.

Chris Pal (Computer Science) with Jerry Schoen and Sarah Dorner of the Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) were awarded $50,000 and software for their project "What Did We See? Facilitating the Interaction of Personal and Community Journaling of Natural Spaces."

Aura Ganz (Electrical and Computer Engineering), director of the Multimedia Networks Laboratory, was awarded $50,000 for the "Trustworthy Mobile Networking and Computing Course." Read more about the winners here.

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How DO We Refer to UMass Amherst?
Will you be writing about UMass Amherst in the future? If so, there are guidelines outlined by Chancellor Lombardi regarding how to refer to the campus in publications and other communications. Visit the campus' Graphic Identity page to access the guidelines. The Style Guide is another useful resource published by the Communications and Marketing Office that advises about such things as abbreviations, acronyms, and honorary titles. These resources are helpful tools in the campus’ quest for consistency in written communication.

Use the Events Calendar to Help Publicize Your Event
With so much happening on campus, it is important to work together to make sure the UMass Events Calendar is a comprehensive resource. It's easy to submit an event for listing on the calendar, and you can provide a description and links to more detailed information about the event.

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Check the UMass Events Calendar for a more comprehensive list of campus events.

March 13: TEI Spring Lecture Series. William H. Hooke presents "Natural Disasters and the Environment: The Outlook for the 21st Century." Goodell, Bernie Dallas Room, 4:00 P.M.

April 6: The first Digital Quadrangle Series event, "Research and Scholarship in the Digital Age: An Exploration," W.E.B. DuBois Library, Learning Commons. 2:00-5:00 P.M. Chris Greer, National Science Foundation Program Director, will speak about multi-disciplinary digital collections and toolkits for future applications. Selected faculty will share their experiences of the impact the digital age has had on their research. Sponsored by the UMass Amherst Libraries, Office of Research, Center for Teaching, and Graduate School. Refreshments at 1:30 and wine/cheese reception at 5:00. Contact Marla Michel (413-545-2706) for more information.

April 10: TEI Spring Lecture Series. Kathleen J. Tierney presents "Disaster Readiness in the U.S.: Katrina and the Shape of Things to Come." Goodell, Bernie Dallas Room, 4:00 P.M.

April 20: "Priming the Pump for Innovation." Mullins Center, Massachusetts Room. 2:30-8:30 P.M. Two complementary events to foster higher education and industry collaboration.
2:30-4:30. "Small Business Innovations Research(SBIR)/ Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Partnerships: A Mechanism for Funding Innovation and Collaboration."
4:30-8:30. Pioneer Valley Innovation Development Exchange (PVTIDE) "Innovation Round Table: Industry Connections for Innovations." Light buffet dinner and dessert will be served. Contact Selena Kaplan (413-577-3165) for more information and to R.S.V.P. for both events.

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March 15: CVIP Technology Development Awards
April 8: Public Service Endowment Grant

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This year, nearly 70 new faculty were hired under Chancellor Lombardi's 250 Plan. Each month, ACCESS will list a selection of them and their research interests.

Welcome new faculty in the Isenberg School of Management (ISOM), School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS), and the College of Social and Behavorial Science (SBS).

Kwong Chan, ISOM, Marketing. Research Interests: Market Segmentation New Product Diffusion, New Product Innovation.

Tiffany Galvin, ISOM, Management. Research Interests: Organization Theory, Organizational and institutional change; Professionals, identity, and organizations; Sociology of strategy, Longitudinal research methods; Industry studies in health care, venture capital, higher education.

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James M. Allan
Computer Science
Sponsor: SRI International
Title: Support Distillation for GALE (Global Autonomous Language Exploitation)
Total Award: $658,030

Sheila Bair
Finance & Operations Management
Sponsor: Inter-American Development Bank
Title: Providing Financial Services to Non-Mexican Latino Immigrants
Total Award: $29,900

Priscilla M. Clarkson
Exercise Science
Sponsor: Hartford Hospital
Title: Clinical Trail: Effects of Low and High Dose Atorvastatin on Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury
Total Award: $108,840

Robert M. Deconto
Geosciences
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Research: Time-Continuous Simulations of Abrupt Events, Transitions, and Long- Term Trends Through the Cenozoic
Total Award: $113,538

John T. Finn
Natural Resources Conservation
Sponsor: MA Army National Guard
Title: Redundant/Backup GIS for the Massachusetts Army National Guard (MA-ARNG)
Total Award: $25,000

Frank E. Karasz
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Title: Electro-Optical Properties of Polymer Blends: Lasing, Electroluminescence and Photophysics
Total Award: $110,000

Yeonhwa Park
Food Science
Sponsor: American Heart Association
Title: Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases Using Conjugated Nonadecadienoic Acid in an Anti-Obesity Approach
Total Award: $65,000

Jonathan Rothstein
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: CAREER: Stability of Viscoelastic Wormlike Micelles in Extensional Flows
Total Award: $400,000

Lynnette Leidy Sievert
Anthropology
Sponsor: Harvard School of Public Health
Title: Therapeutic Decisions at Menopause: A Multi Site Study
Total Award: $100,301

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