The UMass Eyetracking Lab offers researchers the opportunity to explore cognitive processes related to vision. The expertise of the lab and its associated faculty has been widely regarded; the research done in the lab that relates to reading has been especially outstanding. While it is housed in the Psychology Department under the Direction of Professor Keith Rayner, it is a shared facility that pulls in projects from several industry and government partners and other departments on campus. In addition to serving faculty in the Cognitive Processes area of the Psychology Department, researchers from the departments of Linguistics and Industrial Engineering have utilized the lab’s facilities. Read more.

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March 22nd will mark the inaugural meeting of the newly-created campus Industry Liaison Network (ILN). The ILN is a community of UMass Amherst faculty and staff working on the front lines with industry who are seeking to improve their interactions with industry. The forum provides an opportunity for colleagues to network and to share experiences about industry/university relations.

Under the facilitation of the office of Research Liaison and Development, the creation of the ILN is an indication of UMass Amherst's continuing commitment to partnering with industry in meaningful ways. Vice Provost for Research Paul Kostecki sees engaging with industry as an important campus issue. “Enhancing institutional capacity to collaborate with industry is key to the campus's success in building industry/university partnerships that support increased research, recruiting, education, and outreach," says Kostecki. Contact Karen Hayes (413) 545-9586, Research Liaison and Development, for more information about the ILN.

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David Fisher's Introduction to Software Engineering (CMPSCI 320) class gives UMass Amherst students a unique opportunity to interact with industry through a win/win partnership. Fisher, an instructor in the computer science department, asks his students to do a team project that produces a software system for a customer such as faculty members, former students or external partners. Some customers have included companies, such as GE Plastics and an impending partnership with IBM's Lotus Division. Companies partner with Fisher and his students by providing detailed specifications, a high level design, and a partially working prototype system. To complete the team project, students perform activities and abide by workflow guidelines that have been closely adapted from the real world partners' actual processes.

The benefit of such partnerships is mutual. For the students, the project "gives them exposure to real world practices, enabling them to enter the workforce a step ahead of students who have not had that experience," says Fisher. “And the customers get the opportunity to interact with the students in ways that can help them better tailor their internship and recruiting activities to maximize the fit with UMass Amherst undergraduates." For information on CMPSCI 320, contact David Fisher. Find out more information about the campus’s long-standing GE partnership. Visit the UMass Amherst/IBM partnership website to find out more about IBM on campus. For more about industry partnerships on campus, contact Karen Hayes (413) 545-9586, Research Liaison and Development.

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Just a few months after the Office of Grants and Contracts Administration (OGCA) introduced a new deadline to accommodate Grants.gov requirements, administrators are receiving positive feedback about the change. Several PIs who have submitted applications since the shift have called or emailed the office to say that they are pleased with the service provided under the new 96-hour deadline. They believe that the extra lead time alleviates the time pressure previously associated with getting submissions in before the deadline. Associate Director of OGCA Jennifer Donais says, “PIs are hearing from us earlier in the process with revision requests, which allows them time for review without the stress of the eleventh hour.”

The extra time also alleviates pressure for OGCA staff. With the shift toward an entirely electronic submission process through Grants.gov in October of this year, staff members have had an extra layer of technical concerns added on top of their duties. The longer lead time allows them to focus not only on the technical format of submissions, but also on the substance. Contact OGCA (413) 545-0698 with questions about Grants.gov submissions.

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New proposed state biosafety regulations may have some effect on campus research. The offices of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) and Research Affairs are working together to advise the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on the proposed changes. In the fall of 2006, Maureen O’Leary, program head of Biological and Environmental Health Services, coordinated a meeting on campus for Massachusetts institutions that may be affected by the proposed legislation. Speakers from Connecticut institutions that had been affected by similar state regulations offered insight into how to navigate such regulations concerning biosafety. These are likely to include mandatory annual open hearings for the public and local Department of Public Health representation on the Institutional Biosafety Committee. Dr. O’Leary, and Hilary Woodcock, research compliance coordinator for Research Affairs, are working together to ensure that UMass Amherst will be ready if the proposed legislation becomes law. O’Leary says, “Our offices in EH&S and Research Affairs work closely together to facilitate research on campus in a safe way and in a way that meets state and federal regulations.”

The Biosafety and Environmental Health Program is also making some other changes. The office is pleased to announce that it has hired a new associate biosafety officer. Her duties will include outreach development for biological laboratories and developing new training in the area of animal biosafety. Dr. O’Leary teaches occupational health and biosafety training sessions and new training courses and a biosafety manual for the campus are in the works. For more information about the efforts of Biological and Environmental Health services, contact Maureen O'Leary. For information about the activities of the Institutional Biosafety Committee and the Biohazards Oversight Committee contact Hilary Woodcock (413) 577-0387, Research Affairs.

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Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase I
Deadline: March 30th. Contact Bev Strakose (413) 545-5283 if you are interested. For more details click here.

Research Leadership in Action
Deadline: May 1st. Applications are now open for the spring 2007 Research Leadership in Action (RLA) grants. The RLA, an internal grant program launched in 2005 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 proposal support or program questions, contact Karen Hayes, (545-9586) RLA program administrator.

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March 15: Armstrong Fund for Science
March 21: The Early-Stage Life Sciences Technology Conference
March 26: Technology Innovation Challenge Mini-plan Deadline
March 29: Digital Quadrangle Series
March 30: Outreach Program Innovation Fund
April 6: Public Service Endowment Grant

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New Staff

The Research Area welcomes Sandy Teale who has joined the staff in the office of the Vice Provost for Research as a bookkeeper. Sandy worked many years in the President's Office and has most recently been working for the School of Education. She will support the Research Area by processing billings and receivables, helping to administer the equipment match program, issuing and receiving POs, and generally maintaining operations. Sandy replaces Alyssa Walder, who recently took a position in the Polymer Science Department assisting the CUMIRP program. Sandy Teale can be reached at (413) 545-6003.

Looking for Speakers

The STEM Convention is looking for speakers to present at their March 28th meeting at Western New England College. The goal of the meeting is to expose and prepare high-school students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). River East School-to-Career, Inc. is coordinating a career-oriented mini exposition at WNEC. This is a great opportunity to "feed the pipeline" of our future workforce. Ignite their interest now so that they can explore the career path later. For more information on the program, please contact Loretta Dansereau at (413) 283-5051.

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Funding Definitions Available

The language of grants and contracts can often be confusing to new researchers. The Research Area has prepared a document that helps to demystify the differences between types of awards. The resource offers user-friendly definitions for terms such as “grants,” “gifts,” and “indirect costs.” You can access this information here on the Research Area website.

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March 29: The Graduate Education and Career Development Initiative (GECDI) will host a workshop entitled “A Recruiter’s Guide to Getting a Job: Reasons You Will Not Get Hired and How to Avoid Them.” Wayne Devonport and Lester McIntosh, corporate recruiters and scientists at Rohm & Haas, will discuss key elements of a successful graduate career search. Rooms A110/A111 in Conte Polymer Science Building, 5 PM – 7 PM. Information about registration (free but required) can be found here.

April 5: The UMass Instructional Technology Conference is resurrected at the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Sturbridge, MA. This year's topic will be "The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Technology and Reflective Practice." For more information, view the conference announcement or contact Mark Schlesinger (617) 287-7102, Associate Vice President for Academic Technology.

April 9: The Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center, a part of The Environmental Institute, will hold its annual interdisciplinary conference called "Sustainable Waters in a Changing World: Research to Practice." First floor Lincoln Student Center. 8:15 A.M. - 4:45 P.M. Register on the conference website by March 23.

April 27: Commonwealth College presents the 13th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference. Undergraduates showcase their work for their peers, faculty and the public. Lincoln Campus Center, 8:30 AM – 5 PM. Click her e to view the announcement.

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In this issue of ACCESS, we welcome new faculty from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Catherine Benincasa. Mathematics and Statistics. Teaching interests: Basic math skills; Algebra, Analytic Geometry and Trigonometry; Math for elementary teachers.
Ana Caicedo. Biology. Research interests: Plant molecular evolution and evolutionary genomics.
Adena Calden. Mathematics and Statistics. Teaching interests: Calculus.
Ana-Maria Castravet. Mathematics and Statistics. Teaching interests: Calculus; Linear Algebra.
Daniel Chase. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Research interests: Dopamine signaling; Signal transduction; Eukaryotic cell culture.
Qian-Yong Chen. Mathematics and Statistics. Research interests: Numerical analysis and scientific computing.
Adriàn Espìnola-Rocha. Mathematics and Statistics. Teaching interests: Calculus.
Zhigang Han. Mathematics and Statistics. Teaching interests: Linear algebra.
Duncan Irschick. Biology. Research interests: Functional morphology; Evolution; Behavioral ecology.
Jenia Tevelev. Mathematics and Statistics. Research interests: The study geometric objects with symmetries using algebraic methods.
Rui Wang. Computer Science. Research interests: Computer graphics; Global illumination algorithms; Real-time rendering; Graphics hardware, 3D scanning and image processing.

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OGCA processed 153 proposals for a total of $15,003,943 in February 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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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.

David F. Boutt
Geosciences
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Research: Using Pore Fluid Pressure Gradients to Test the Relative Importance of Hydrologic Versus Mechanical
Total Award: $140,780

Kenneth R. Carter
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Benchmark Technologies
Title: MassNanoTech Unrestricted Research Grant: Benchmark/Holographix
Total Award: $2,000

Joseph Jerry
Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Sponsor: Avon Foundation
Title: Effects of Age and Parity on Gene Expression Signatures and p53-Mediated Prophylaxis
Total Award: $200,000

Matthew J. Kelty
Natural Resources Conservation
Sponsor: Forest Service
Title: Effects of Fuels Reduction in Wildlife Openings on the Distribution and Demography of Early-Successional Birds
Total Award: $11,600

Byung H. Kim
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sponsor: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
Title: Micro/Nano Embossing Technology
Total Award: $41,063

Clifford Konold
Scientific Reasoning Research Institute
Sponsor: Vanderbilt University
Title: A Learning Progression to Support the Development of Model-Based Reasoning
Total Award: $49,403

Krishna S. Kumar
Physics
Sponsor: Stanford University
Title: Support for Research Associated with EXO and ILC Programs at SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center)
Total Award: $18,000

Alan J. Lesser
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Essilor of America Inc
Title: Research in the Area Associated with the Fracture Behavior of Transparent Materials
Total Award: $26,000

Kevin McGarigal
Natural Resources Conservation
Sponsor: MA Dept of Environmental Protection
Title: CAPS: An Innovative Approach for Identifying and Protecting Wetlands Wildlife Habitats of Potential Regional or Statewide Importance
Total Award: $65,672

Ramgopal R. Mettu
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: CAREER: Algorithms for Experimental Structural Biology
Total Award: $102,674

KerryAnn O'Meara
School of Education
Sponsor: College Board
Title: CAREER: Identifying Key Characteristics of Public Postsecondary Institutions Fostering Success for Under-Represented Students
Total Award: $217,759

Sharon F. Rallis
Educational Policy Research & Administration
Sponsor: Massachusetts Charter Public School Association
Title: Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination Project Evaluation
Total Award: $212,542

David P. Schmidt
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sponsor: Magnetic Development Inc
Title: STTR Phase I: Condensing Ejector for Second-Step Compression in Reversed Rankine Cycle
Total Award: $49,776

Christopher Woodcock
Biology
Sponsor: International Rett Syndrome Association
Title: Rett Syndrome - A Protein Folding Disease?
Total Award: $50,000

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