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Current and archived issues are now searchable by
keyword from the Research ACCESS index page.
| Lab Profile: Keck Nanostructures |
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Since 2004, the W.M. Keck Nanostructures
Laboratory has provided nano-scale material
characterization equipment, technical support, and
training to campus researchers from several different
departments. Located in the Silvio O. Conte National
Center for Polymer Research Building, the lab is
primarily used by polymer science students and
faculty with researchers from Chemical Engineering,
Chemistry, Physics and Plant and Soil Sciences
bringing the number of current users to over 100 per
year. The lab is also open to industry. General
Electric and Presstek currently use the laboratory
which is the only one of its kind available in Western
Massachusetts. Read more.
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| New CVIP Web Site Address |
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The Web site of the Office of Commercial Ventures &
Intellectual Property (CVIP) has recently received a
long overdue “makeover” that has made it more
user-friendly. The main CVIP web
address now matches other UMass Amherst campus
addresses, making it easier to find.
A few minor features are still in the works, but we
encourage you to browse now for information relating
to Intellectual Property, Confidential Disclosure
Agreements, Materials Transfer Agreements and
Invention Disclosure. The site offers downloadable
forms that are necessary to complete each of these
processes and makes it simpler for faculty inventors
and their industry partners to navigate the
procedures. For faculty, the CVIP site contains
General Guidelines and a section that explains the
Patent Process. CVIP also lists UMass technology
available for licensing via a searchable database on
the website, and therefore is of interest to
companies and collaborators. Please call the CVIP
staff at 413-545-3606 with any questions or
comments - we’re always glad to help.
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| Funding Opportunities |
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Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship
Program
Deadline: September 20
Microsoft announces its 2006 New Faculty Fellowship Program.
Each fellowship award is comprised of a cash gift of
$200,000. The Fellow also receives other Microsoft
resources such as software, conferences, and
engagement with Microsoft Research. The funds can
be applied to a wide variety of uses to pursue novel
research. Examples of research areas may include,
but are not limited to: security, interdisciplinary
research, scientific computing, bioinformatics,
computational biology, software engineering, and
other areas in which computing transforms the
discipline and advances the state of the art. Only
one faculty can be nominated for the program from
campus. Deans, Chairs and Heads from the Colleges
of Engineering and the Natural Sciences and
Mathematics are reminded to nominate any suitable
candidates from their faculties. Interested parties
should contact Bev
Strakose in ORA (545-5283) before September
20th for information on the application process.
Microsoft MSR and Live Labs PhD Fellowship
Program
Deadline: October 14
This year, Microsoft Research will award twelve (12)
PhD fellowships and Microsoft Live Labs will award an
additional five (5) PhD fellowships. Each fellowship
includes a $20,000.00 stipend, payment of
tuition/fees, and conference travel for two years. In
addition, each Fellow will be given a Tablet and the
opportunity to be a 12-week, salaried intern at either
Microsoft Research or Live Labs. Target Audience:
2nd and 3rd year outstanding PhD students in
Computer Science, Computer Engineering,
Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, and directly
related departments. Candidates should be the most
talented and highly capable students within their
given domain. Live Labs candidates should be working
in one of the following areas: optimization, auction,
and market theory, document classification, text
mining, retrieval, and extraction, multimedia and
imaging, large graphs and network algorithms,
distributed computing, or HCI.
All applications must be submitted by the student's
home program department chair (or their direct
designees) via our on-line application tool.
Applications
must include the
student's thesis proposal, curriculum vitae and three
letters of reference. Each department is eligible to
nominate up to three (3) candidates for evaluation.
For more information, click here.
Research Leadership in Action Fall Grant
Cycle
Deadline: November 1
Applications are now open for Fall 2006 Research
Leadership in Action (RLA) grants. The RLA, an
internal grant program launched 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 provide
support for 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 Web site. Applications
should be submitted to Martha
Martin (545-5270). For more information,
contact Karen
Hayes (545-9586), program administrator.
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| In The News |
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Fall INFORMS Seminar Series Launched
The Institute for Operations Research and the
Management Sciences (INFORMS) kicks off its
seminar series on September 29th with a talk by Dr.
Robin Lougee-Heimer of IBM. INFORMS has scheduled
six speakers, including Dr. Lougee-Heimer as well as
Professor William Hogan of the Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University, Professor Cynthia
Barnhart of the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering and the Engineering
Systems Division at MIT, Professor Andrew McCallum
of the Department of Computer Sciences at UMass
Amherst, Dr. Les Servi of Lincoln Labs at MIT, and
Professor Nathaniel Whitaker of the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics at UMass Amherst. The
series will continue on selected Fridays at 11 a.m.
through the fall. For details about the speakers and
the series, click here.
TEI Announces Fall Lecture Series "Energy for the
Future"
The Environmental Institute (TEI) will launch its 2006
Fall Lecture series on September 27th. The University
Environmental Lecture Series brings experts in the
fields of natural science, social science, engineering
and policy making to campus each fall and spring
semester. The theme of the Fall 2006 series
is "Energy for the Future" and will begin with a talk
by Nathan S. Lewis, George L. Argyros Professor and
Professor of Chemistry, Caltech, titled "Opportunities
for the Future." The Series is jointly sponsored by
TEI, the Vice Provost for Research, the Colleges of
Natural Resources and the Environment, Natural
Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral
Sciences, Engineering, and the School of Public
Health and Health Sciences at UMass Amherst. Each
lecture will be held in the Cape Cod Lounge in the
Student Union and will be open to all. Click here for more information about
TEI speakers and dates.
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| Events |
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September 19: Center for Hierarchical
Manufacturing Fall 2006 Meeting. University of
Massachusetts Amherst. Individuals from industry,
government and academic programs in
nanotechnology are invited to attend the CHM’s first
annual fall meeting. To learn more or to register, click
here.
September 20: Interim Genomics Facility
Open House. B2 Fernald Hall. 3:00-5:00 p.m. For
more information visit the facility
Web site or send email.
September 27: The Environmental Institute's
(TEI) fall 2006 Lecture Series, "Energy for the
Future," begins with a talk by Nathan S. Lewis,
George L. Argyros Professor and Professor of
Chemistry, Caltech. The lecture is
titled "Opportunities for the Future." 3:30 p.m. Cape
Cod Lounge, Student Union Building. Free and Open
to the Public. Refreshments will be served after the
lecture. Click here for more details.
September 29: Institute for Operations
Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
Speaker Series presents Dr. Robin Lougee-Heimer of
IBM giving a talk titled "Advanced Applications of
Operations Research at IBM." 11 a.m. in ISOM. For
more information click here.
September 30: Invention to Venture - Are
you a technologist? An inventor? Have
entrepreneurial ambition? Plan to attend this
introductory workshop on technology
entrepreneurship and learn its process and practice.
Invention to Venture is for science, technology, and
management students and faculty as well as
business people, entrepreneurs, and investors
interested in developing cutting edge technology.
UMass Amherst is the proud organizer of this NCIIA event
which is sponsored by Regional Technology
Corporation, Goodwin Proctor and Foley Hoag, LLC.
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., UMass Amherst, Isenberg
School of Management Room 108. For agenda and
registration information click here.
October 3: Open Computing: An Open
Source Development Workshop for Students. 4:00-
8:30 p.m. in Thompson Hall Open Source Computer
Lab. Sponsored by the IBM Academic Initiative. To
register, contact Michelle Sagan at 577-2354 or by
email.
Faculty are asked to announce this opportunity to
students.
October 3: Polymers in Biomedicine and
Pharmaceuticals: A symposium connecting academic
research with industry needs, Conte Center for
Polymer Research. For more information and
registration click here.
October 3, 4 and 5: Fall 2006 Meeting of the
Center
for UMass Industry Research on Polymers (CUMIRP)
and Materials Research Science and Engineering
Center (MRSEC). For more information and to register
visit the event site.
October 5: Research for New Faculty. 1:45 -
2:45
p.m. Newman Center Room 2. Main Level. This one
hour session will enable faculty to jumpstart their
research careers on campus. In addition to reviewing
the Research services provided to faculty, strategies
for pursuing research opportunities will be discussed
in detail. Solicitation of ideas for a new "Research
Just-In-Time" brown-bag series will be included, too.
Confirm your attendance by contacting Becky
McNiven by October 2.
October 5: Research Open House. 3 - 5 p.m.
Research Administration Building. No question shall go
unanswered! Get to know Research Area staff during
the third annual Research Area Open House. Meet
the folks that support the grants and contracts
processes, compliance, interdisciplinary initiative
development, industry liaison, technology transfer,
and animal care as you enjoy good food and
refreshments. Please contact
Beverly
Strakose with questions.
October 5: IBM Innovation Center
Technology Event for Students. Bus trip will include a
tour of IBM Innovation for Business Partners Facility,
information and panel sessions on careers with IBM
and within the information technology field. 4:30 -
7:30 p.m. in Waltham, MA. Faculty members are
asked to announce this opportunity to their
students. Sponsored by the IBM Academic Initiative.
Please have students contact the Career Office (545-
2224) for further information and to reserve a spot.
October 10, 17 and 24: The Office of
Research Affairs sponsors a workshop series
called "Successful Proposal Development." Group 1
will meet in the Research Administration Building,
room 104 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Please contact Beverly
Strakose to register.
October 11, 18 and 25: The Office of
Research Affairs sponsors a workshop series
called "Successful Proposal Development." Group 2
will meet in the Research Administration Building,
room 104 from 2:00 - 4:00
p.m. Please contact Beverly
Strakose to register.
October 13: INFORMS Speaker Series:
William
Hogan of the Harvard Kennedy School, a
leader in energy policy, will give a talk
titled "Electricity Market Restructuring, Economics,
and Operations Research" at 11 a.m. in
ISOM.
October 14 and 15: New Methods for the
Analysis of Family and Dyadic Processes Conference.
This event is sponsored by a Research Leadership in
Action grant. Welcome reception on Friday, Oct. 13,
5:30-7:00 p.m. and Poster Session and Reception on
Saturday, Oct. 14, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Visit the
Conference
Web site for more information.
October 24 and 25: The Path Forward for
Functional Foods: Exploring Scientific and Legal
Solutions for Defining Efficacy Policy Symposium. This
event is sponsored by a Research Leadership in
Action grant. UMass Amherst Campus Center. Visit
the Food Science Department Web site for more
information and to register.
April 9 and 10, 2007. Save the Date.
Massachusetts Water Resources Research
Conference. Sustainable Waters in a Changing World:
Research to Practice. Click here for
more information on
the conference and to nominate individuals for the
MA Water Resources Research Center John W. Olver
Leadership Award.
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| New Faculty Profiles |
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UMass Amherst is pleased to welcome our new
faculty. Below is a sampling of the research interests
of new appointees to the College of Engineering
(COE).
Sanjay Arwade (COE) Civil and
Environmental
Engineering. Research Interests: structural
engineering and mechanics.
Kukreti Anant (COE) Civil and
Environmental
Engineering - Department Head. Research
Interests:
structural engineering, including experimental and
finite element analysis of linear and nonlinear
structural systems, behavior of steel connections,
cyclic plasticity problems, sub-structuring
procedures, fracture mechanics, constitutive
modeling, and modeling for flow through
saturated-unsaturated porous media.
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| OGCA Proposal Histograms |
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OGCA processed 147 proposals for a total of
$12,898,009 in August. How does that stack up
against last year and previous months? Have a look
at the histograms to find out.
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| Grants and Contracts Snapshot |
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Correction to June Grants/Contracts:
Patty S. Freedson
Kinesiology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Novel Analytic Techniques to Assess Physical
Activity
Total Award: $253,307
Dr. Patty Freedson received a grant for her work in
the Kinesiology Department in the School of Public
Health and Health Sciences.
August Grants and Contracts
Joseph S. Elkinton
Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
Sponsor: Forest Service
Title: Evaluation of Predators of Hemlock Woolly
Adelgid with Whole-Tree Enclosures
Total Award: $97,211
Andrea S. Foulkes
Public Health
Sponsor: Wistar Institute
Title: HIV Therapy & Interruption RCT in Resource
Poor Clinic
Total Award: $30,772
Dimitrios Maroudas
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Research: Plasma-Surface
Interactions in Hydrogen Plasma-Induced Transitions
from Carbon Nanotubes
Total Award: $99,999
Caren M. Rotello
Psychology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Research: Identifying Reasoning
Processes Using Memory Methods
Total Award: $152,353
Thomas P. Russell
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
Title: Combing with Light to Make Hierarchically
Structured Polymeric Materials
Total Award: $115,000
Robert L. Ryan
Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
Sponsor: Island Alliance
Title: Boston Harbor Island National Park Area Scenic
Analysis and Assessment: A Pilot Study
Total Award: $10,214
Lynnette Leidy Sievert
Anthropology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Reproductive Aging and Symptom Experience at
Midlife among Bangladeshi Immigrants, Sedentees,
and White London Neighbors
Total Award: $101,944
Paul Siqueira
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sponsor: National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
Title: Triple-Frequency Radar Measurements for
CloudSat Validation and Precipitation Measurement
Mission Science at the Canadian Centre
Total Award: $185,002
Donald F. Towsley
Computer Science
Sponsor: IBM Corporation
Title: Collaborative Research: IBM-ITA. Performance
Limits of Collaborative Wireless Networks. Benyuan
Liu.
Total Award: $176,981
Martin D. Weinberg
Astronomy
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: High-Performance Computational Bayesian
Inference for Astronomy
Total Award: $771,905
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Staff Profile |
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Creating and Enhancing Research
Opportunities
Paul Kostecki is a familiar face on campus. As an
alumnus with over twenty-five years of research and
teaching experience at UMass Amherst, he knows the
ins and outs of the University. After serving three
years as Interim Vice Provost for Research, Paul was
permanently appointed to the position in June after a
national search. Over the past three years, Paul
implemented several new programs and policies to
position the campus to maximize its potential as a
research institution. Kostecki isn't content with the
campus measuring itself against peer
institutions. "We have to strive for excellence at the
next level of institutions that we compete with, or
we'll never be much better than we are today. Higher
expectations are a powerful force." Read more.
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