The Antennas and Propagation Laboratory (APLab) has been serving the campus community, government agencies and global and local industries for over 25 years. The work performed in the lab includes antenna design and analysis and radio wave propagation. Headed by some of the world's leading experts in the field, the lab offers state-of-the-art facilities to project partners and to outside researchers on a fee-for-service basis. Read more.

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The National Science Foundation has instituted new proposal guidelines effective June 1, 2007. The biggest changes in the process will be for formatting proposals, including new font and column guidelines. Researchers should check "The Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide" on the NSF Web site for these changes and for additions, such as sections on the support and development of NSF centers and major facilities and equipment. Questions about submitting proposals and awards should be directed to OGCA.

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On May 10, the UMass Amherst Faculty Senate adopted a resolution that promotes open access to academic journals and repositories. The resolution was proposed by the Research Library Council, a committee of the Faculty Senate, in response to rising costs of academic journals and databases. It is meant to encourage faculty, librarians, staff and administrators to use available innovative methods of scholarly communication more frequently. In addition, the council advised faculty to carefully consider copyright provisions to allow for greater freedom in disseminating their work. Part of the resolution also asks faculty to positively influence the direction of scholarly publication by being strategic about paper submissions, refereeing activities, and engaging in editorial work. For more information about the resolution, check out the story from In the Loop.

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RLA Grants Awarded
Congratulations to the spring 2007 recipients of Research Leadership in Action Grants. Awards totaling $43,000 were granted to the following five proposals: Professor Sonia Alvarez, Political Science - "Interrogating the Civil Society"; Professor David Buchanan and Assistant Professor Lisa Wexler, Public Health - "Postcolonial Prospects for Indigenous Circumpolar Peoples"; Professor Wayne Burleson, Electrical and Computer Engineering - "Integrated Circuits and Systems Science Contract Review"; Professor Sarina J. Ergas, Civil and Environmental Engineering - "2008 North American Membrane Research Conference"; Professor Massimo V. Fischetti, Electrical and Computer Engineering - "12th International Workshop on Computational Electronics".

The RLA, an internal grant program launched by the Vice Provost for Research, encourages the showcasing of faculty leadership as well as developing connections to industry and other external partners for program support. RLA grants are awarded twice a year in the fall and spring. Visit the RLA Web site or contact Karen Hayes (545-9586) program administrator with inquiries about the program.

First Armstrong Fund for Science Awards Granted
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Armstrong Fund for Science has named its recipients for the spring 2007 round. Assistant Professor Janice Telfer, veterinary and animal science, received a two year, $45,000 grant to investigate adult stem cells responsible for forming blood and other cells in the immune system. Assistant Professor Harry Bermudez, polymer science and engineering, received a one year, $22,000 grant for his project exploring the modification of tumor cells to avoid immune system responses. These awards reflect UMass Amherst's growing capacity in the Life Sciences.

These two awards conclude the inaugural competition of the Armstrong Fund for Science, a new internal grant program made possible by the generosity of John and Elizabeth Armstrong. The number one criterion for the Armstrong Award is the willingness of the investigator to challenge conventions in their fields. To learn more about the Fund, click here. Contact Barbara Pearson (545-5023) with inquiries.

UMass Amherst Awarded DARPA Grant in Life Sciences
The Pioneer Valley is committed to technology-based economic development, particularly through the creation of a medical device industry cluster in the region. UMass Amherst contributes to a knowledge-based economy by pursuing research and developing technologies that can fuel this sector. One example of this is the Department of Chemistry's recent receipt of a $1.57 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant. Under the leadership of Associate Professor S. "Thai" Thayumanavan, a multidisciplinary research group will design a drug delivery vehicle that will control the release of medications in the body. Dr. Thayumanavan's group will collaborate on the project with researchers at Stanford University's School of Medicine and Oregon Health and Science University. Read the press release for more information about the grant.

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Regional Technology Corporation Appoints New Board Members
The Regional Technology Corporation (RTC) recently named Marla Michel, director of Research Liaison and Development at UMass Amherst, to its Board of Directors. Other new appointments include Robert Merkl, vice president and chief financial officer of Information Systems Organization and Richard Friedberg, MD, medical director of Baystate Reference Laboratories. The appointments reflect RTC's commitment to growing the region's economic development.

RTC's mission is to be a catalyst for growth and development of technology-based industries in Western Massachusetts. The campus is a founding member of RTC. Visit the RTC Web site for more information.

Condition Engineering Wins $45K Innovation Challenge
Condition Engineering, a team made up of engineering doctoral student Alaina Hanlon and alumnus Rick Bradshaw took the $45,000 first place prize in the spring '07 Technology Innovation Challenge business plan competition. Condition Engineering won for their plan to develop novel technologies that will monitor and provide early failure warning systems for earthen structures. Robert Hyers, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering was their faculty advisor.

The Technology Innovation Challenge promotes innovation education based on technology conceived by faculty, students and alumni at UMass Amherst. Learn more at the TIC Web site.

New Technologies for Medical Devices: EASTEC
Assistant Professor Robert Hyers, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, spoke at EASTEC, the East Coast's largest manufacturing event, on May 23rd. Professor Hyers delivered a talk titled "New Technologies for Medical Devices: Nanotechnology, Medical Polymers, Coatings, Finishes, Etching & More" during the standing room only "Precision Manufacturing for the Medical Device Industry ... Regulations, Requirements, Rewards" special session which was organized by the Regional Technology Corporation.

Participating in externally-focused events increases UMass Amherst's visibility and fosters connections to external organizations, including industry. Staff in Research Liaison & Development can help you get more out of participating in these kinds of programs. For more information about EASTEC, visit the event homepage.

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National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
Deadline: June 15.
NCIIA is accepting proposals for its 12th annual meeting in 2008. The theme of the meeting will be "Getting to the Point: Ideas, Process and Products" and will be held March 20-22 in Dallas, TX. The conference will examine the path of creative ideas to products that meet real needs and make a difference in the world. To submit a paper, panel or workshop proposal click here. Participants at this event include members of the innovation entrepreneurial community from around the country.

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July 15: Collaborative Biomedical Research Grant submission deadline.

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June 22: Invention to Venture Life Sciences 2007 is intended to provide information to life science entrepreneurs and researchers who want to commercialize academic research. 8 AM - 6 PM, Harvard Medical School Conference Center, Boston, MA. For information and to register, click here. Invention to Venture Life Sciences 2007 is presented by the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance in association with the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center.

July 23-25: The Center for Research on Families presents a workshop, "Modeling Longitudinal and Dyadic Data with HLM." Monday - Wednesday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Room 1001, Campus Center, UMass Amherst. Workshop fee: $500 General/$350 Students/$350 CRF Affiliates. More information on the workshop is available here. The workshop series, launched in 2006 with a Research Leadership in Action grant, reflects RLA's goal to create sustainable programs. For more information about the RLA grant program, click here.

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OGCA processed 157 proposals for a total of $19,183,514 in May 2007. How does that stack up against last year and previous months? Have a look at the histograms to find out.

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This month ACCESS welcomes new faculty from the School of Nursing and announces a leadership change in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering welcomes Professor Mario A. Rotea as its new department head. For information on Dr. Rotea's background, access his CV here.

Lisa Wolf. Nursing. Research interests: Emergency room nursing and training; social context for clinical decision making.

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Each month ACCESS includes a selection of grants and contracts awarded to faculty from across campus to provide a sense of what's going on in research at UMass Amherst. These listings reflect only a small fraction of the total sponsored activity for any given month. Since this is just a snapshot in time and grant/contract terms vary, actual award totals may be higher than the amounts listed.

Anne L. Averill
Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
Sponsor: British Columbia Cranberry Marketing Commission
Title: Cranberry Tipworm: Screen of Reduced-risk Insecticides and Impact of Cultural Practices
Total Award: $9,600

Surita R. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Summer REU Site on Cellular Engineering
Total Award: $104,716

Anne F. Broadbridge
History
Sponsor: Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation
Title: Travel Fellowship to Paris for Manuscript Study
Total Award: $4,751

Daniela Calzetti
Astronomy
Sponsor: California Institute of Technology (JPL)
Title: SIRTF Sings: The Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey a Foundation for Understanding Galaxy Evolution
Total Award: $63,904

Maciej J. Ciesielski
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Verification-Aware Algorithmic Synthesis Based on Canonical Data Flow Representation
Total Award: $168,000

Hiromi Gunshin
Nutrition
Sponsor: American Heart Association
Title: Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiac Iron Accumulation
Total Award: $65,000

Duncan J. Irschick
Biology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Comparative and Convergent Approaches to Natural Selection
Total Award: $97,531

David I. King
Natural Resources Conservation
Sponsor: MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Title: Effects of Grazing and Other Management Practices on Nesting and Postfledging Birds in Massachusetts Wildlife Openings
Total Award: $39,571

Murugappan Muthukumar
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Modeling Macromolecular Transport through Protein Channels and Nanopores
Total Award: $265,875

Lisa Sullivan-Werner
Nutrition
Sponsor: Community Partners Inc
Title: Food Stamp Outreach/Portable Electronic Enrollment Program
Total Award: $10,000

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