The Dynamic Architecture and Manufacturing Systems Laboratory (DyAMS) was started in 1997 by Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Professor J. MacGregor Smith as part of his research on flows in dynamic systems such as factories, health care facilities and highways. Located in Marston Hall, the research and teaching lab is used by undergraduates, graduate students, and Postdocs in the Industrial Engineering Department. It is also used by local industry and hospitals such as Springfield's Danaher Tool Company and Newton Wellesley Hospital to help them visualize their flow systems and understand how to achieve optimal performance. Read more.

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Partnerships for International Research and Education
Intent to Apply: August 11. Preliminary proposal deadline: October 30. This NSF award program anticipates awarding $7 million per year for five years to 14-17 projects that catalyze a cultural change in U.S. institutions by establishing innovative models for international collaborative research and education. As science and engineering discoveries result more and more from international collaboration, U.S. researchers and educators must be able to operate effectively in teams comprised of partners from different nations and cultural backgrounds. The program is also intended to facilitate greater student preparation for and participation in international research collaboration, and to contribute to the development of a diverse, globally-engaged, U.S. science and engineering workforce.

The campus may submit three preliminary proposals in the following areas: Biology, Education, Engineering, Geosciences, International, Polar Programs, Math/Physical Sciences, Social/Behavioral Sciences, and Computer/Information Sciences. Visit the NSF Web site for more information. Contact Bev Strakose (413-545-5283) by August 11 if you are interested in submitting a preliminary proposal.

Sustainable Visions Grants
Deadline: October 27. A new grant program sponsored by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) will fund 5-10 grants at $50,000 each to support innovative educational programs that move ideas to commercialization for the benefit of the environment and people in need. Grants will support collaborative teams representing education and industry that apply technology entrepreneurship to address poverty and environmental degradation, and/or meet basic human needs such as clean air and water, nutrition, health care, and shelter. Contact Jennifer Keller Jackson (413-587-2172) to discuss your proposal. Visit the NCIIA Web site to learn more.

MA Cultural Council John and Abigail Adams Arts Program
Intent to Apply: September 8. Draft deadline: October 13. Are you working with arts and cultural organizations in MA? This MCC grant program promotes the use of cultural assets as an economic development tool. The program is designed to connect artists and cultural organizations to local and state economic development efforts, develop new arts and cultural enterprises, raise awareness of the state's cultural products, and attract and retain arts and cultural visitors to the state. Both planning and implementation grants are available in amounts from $10,000 to $100,000. Matching funds are required. Visit the MCC Web site for eligibility and application guidelines. Contact Christina Hogan, Program Coordinator, 617-727-3668 for more information.

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CVIP congratulates UMass Amherst faculty on patents issued between January 1 and June 30, 2006.

James J. Watkins (Polymer Science & Engineering) was issued two patents in January 2006. The first patent, “contamination suppression in chemical fluid deposition,” with former graduate students Jason M. Blackburn, and Albertina Cabanas, details methods for depositing materials onto a substrate surface or into a porous solid. The second patent is for “Chemical fluid deposition for the formation of metal and metal alloy films on patterned and unpatterned substrates,” with former graduate students Jason M. Blackburn, David P. Long, and Jason L. Lazorcik.

Patricia Bianconi (Chemistry) with former graduate students Michael W. Pitcher, and Scott Joray. “Methods of preparing polysilynes,”--involves new syntheses for poly (methyl- and ethyl-silyne). The invention also includes silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics that can be produced from poly (methylsilyne), as well as other ceramics.

Haim B. Gunner, Professor Emeritus, William A. Torello, Associate Professor, and Ming-Jung Coler, former graduate student (Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences). “Antifungal bacterium ATCC PTA-4838,” -- a unique Bacterium strain that is designated APM-1, a Gram-positive, aerobic, motile rod that appears to be most closely related to Bacillus spp. Also disclosed are methods of using the disclosed compositions for controlling plant fungal diseases, for controlling mammalian fungal diseases, or for bioremediation.

Thomas P. Russell, Professor (Polymer Science & Engineering) --“Methods and apparatus for forming submicron patterns on films,” with 4 other inventors, all located in Europe. This patent discloses a method which will be useful in high density data storage and microelectronics as well as biotechnology and advanced materials applications.

Lloyd H. Semprevivo, Research Associate Professor (Veterinary and Animal Sciences). “Lipoglycan compositions and methods of treating parasitic infections,” --a vaccine which elicits a protective immune response in humans and animals to the parasites Schistosoma and Fasciola. These parasites are a worldwide problem, especially in developing nations, infecting approximately 200 million people in 74 countries. It is estimated that 200,000 people die each year from these infections.

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ChemE Receives Xerox Corp Research Grant
Associate Professor Surita Bhatia, Chemical Engineering, is the recipient of one of ten 2006 Xerox Corp Research Grants that encourage scientific research and collaboration with academic leaders in higher education at leading universities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The grant supports collaborative work between Xerox and the Bhatia group on fundamental aspects of colloidal dispersions, including the rheology of dispersions and colloidal aggregation. The research grants are part of Xerox's University Affairs Committee program, which aims to advance science, technology and management research by promoting interaction between Xerox researchers and their counterparts at universities. The grants are designed to stimulate basic academic research in technologies of long-term importance to Xerox. Learn more about the Bhatia group at their Web site.

Research Personnel News
This month we wish a warm farewell to Lee Jennings, our very talented assistant editor for Research ACCESS. Lee, a second-year graduate student in the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning program, was instrumental in helping the Research Area expand the scope of ACCESS to include in- depth staff and facilities profiles. We wish Lee the best as she moves on to pursue other opportunities on campus that will round out her work experience. With Lee's departure, we welcome our new assistant editor, Jess Landis. Jess, a Ph.D. candidate in the English Department, spent time as a research consultant for the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College. There she co-authored a book on management strategies for working with and for underserved markets, wrote several-page case studies on various aspects of corporate citizenship, and performed a number of other duties. Jess also taught English at several places including Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Suffolk University, Newbury College and BC. We look forward to having Jess as part of the Research ACCESS team.

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August 29: New Faculty Orientation. 8:30 AM-4:00 PM W.E.B. DuBois Library, Lower Level. Chancellor's Reception at Hillside. 6:00-7:30 PM. Sponsored by the Provost's Office, the Vice Provost for Research, and the Office of Faculty Development. Contact Jung Yun for additional information.

October 5: Research Open House. 3PM-5PM. Research Administration Building. Save the Date. More details to follow.

October 14-15: New Methods for the Analysis of Family and Dyadic Processes Conference. Welcome reception on Friday, Oct. 13, 5:30-7:00 PM and Poster Session and Reception on Saturday, Oct. 14, 5:30-7:00 PM. The conference is hosted by the UMass Amherst Center for Research on Families and is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research through a Research Leadership in Action grant and by the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association (APA). Visit the Conference Web site for more information.

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The campus is pleased to welcome our new faculty. Here is a sampling of their research interests from Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), School of Education (EDUC), and the School of Nursing (SON). For a full list of faculty from all colleges and schools who are new to campus in 2005-2006 please click here.

William Bartosch (SPHHS) Public Health. Research Interests: Medicare and Medicaid policy, behavioral healthcare issues, disability, and tobacco control.

Amy Grace Barnard (SON)

Margaret Barton-Burke (SON)

David Boutt (NSM) Geosciences. Research Interests: Hydrogeology, watershed hydrology, geomechanics.

Weimin Chen (NSM) Math and Statistics. Research Interests: 4-manifolds, symplectic topology, group actions, and orbifolds.

Yanlei Diao (NSM) Computer Science. Research Interests: Information architectures and database management systems, with a focus on data streams, publish/subscribe, data dissemination, XML query processing, and learning-based data processing.

Gerald Downes (NSM) Biology. Research Interests: Development and function of spinal cord networks.

Kevin Fu (NSM) Computer Science. Research Interests: Secure storage, RFID security, file systems, Web security, and cryptography.

Sally Galman (EDUC) Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies (TECS). Professional Interests: Representation of research findings in mixed-method and qualitative studies, the arts-as-method in qualitative research; the construction of teachers' identity and the role of feminine gender norms in pre- service teachers' developing identities as critical consumers of policy.

Jeanne Hardy (NSM) Chemistry. Research Interests: Allosteric sites.

Alejandro Heuck (NSM) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Research Interests: Pore-forming toxins and translocation of virulence factors in bacterial pathogenesis.

David Kawall (NSM) Physics. Research Interests: Experimental Nuclear Physics, Experimental Atomic Physics.

Wei-lih Lee (NSM) Biology. Research Interests: Mechanism of Dynein-Mediated Nuclear Migration and Spindle Positioning.

Matthew Militello (EDUC) Educational Policy, Research and Administration (EPRA). Research Interests: Administrative preparation programs (pre-service and in-service), distributed instructional leadership practices.

Sharon Rallis (EDUC) EPRA. Professional Interests: Education policy and reform; Educational leadership; Qualitative research methods and evaluation.

Arun Venkataramani (NSM) Computer Science. Research Interests: Distributed Systems and Networking.

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OGCA processed 178 proposals for a total of $19,054,828 in June. How does that stack up against last year and previous months? Have a look at the histograms to find out.

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Maurianne Adams
Student Development & Pupil Personnel Services
Sponsor: Anti-Defamation League
Title: Making Diversity Count -- Evaluation for Online Anti-bias Video Course Pilot
Total Award: $50,000

Jack F. Ahern
Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
Sponsor: MA Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Title: Feasibility Study for a Recreational and Wildlife Passage Across Route 2 in Concord, Massachusetts
Total Award: $172,480

Jean E. DeMartinis
School of Nursing
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration
Title: Advanced Education Nursing Grants
Total Award: $374,026

Richard S. Ellis
Mathematics and Statistics
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: AMC-SS:Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics Applied to Reduced Descriptions of Complex Systems
Total Award: $319,999

Neil S. Forbes
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Title: Design of Targeted Bacteria to Overcome Multidrug Resistance
Total Award: $249,830

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