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| Contact Info |
Research Liaison & Development
70 Butterfield Terrace Amherst, MA 01003
413-545-2706
413-545-3632
rld-news@research.umass.edu
www.umass.edu/research/rld
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If this email does not include graphics or links, click here. Current and archived issues are now searchable by keyword from the Research ACCESS index page. |
| Schools Reap Benefits of Stimulus Funds |
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and The Science Coalition (TSC) released highlighted examples of the important scientific work happening across the country as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The brief report summarizes just a handful of the thousands of projects benefiting from stimulus dollars.
UMass Amherst has its own stimulus success stories. Overall, the campus has received over $33 million in competitive stimulus grants as of mid-September. This includes a total $7.1 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, $16 million from the Department of Energy to establish an Energy Frontier Research Center to develop highly efficient non-silicon polymer materials for harvesting solar energy, and $1.9 million to chemical engineer George Huber to further develop green biofuels production processes. The campus also received $7 million in federal stimulus money from the National Institutes of Health for renovations to create shared lab and instrument space and build two new laboratories in the Lederle Graduate Research Center. The funds will be combined with campus funds to undertake an $11.7 million renovation of three floors in the biochemistry and molecular biology and chemistry departments.
Campus researchers can check the Research and Engagement ARRA web page for more information on stimulus funding and current opportunity updates.
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Faculty Profile: Elizabeth Chilton
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Elizabeth Chilton, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology at UMass Amherst is interested in uncovering and putting together missing pieces of history. This fall she is organizing a workshop titled "Heritage in Conflict and Consensus: New Approaches to the Social, Political, and Religious Impact of Public Heritage in the 21st Century." The workshop is for professionals in the field of study as well as for community members interested in history and archeology, global problems involving indigenous burial grounds, learning about the destruction of heritage all over the world, and other topics dealing with awareness and preservation of historical and cultural lands. The public portion of the workshop will be held at UMass Amherst on November 9-10 this year.
[Read More]
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FY09 Sponsored Activities Report Available
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Research and Engagement produces two complementary publications that report on the campus's fiscal year research activities. The Office of Grant and Contract Administration (OGCA) has issued its Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Cumulative Data report. This detailed piece includes views of FY09 proposal and award activity, distribution of award and proposal dollars by sponsor, distribution of award dollars by MBU, proposal and award trends and much more. New this year are additional data tables on proposals, such as the number of new proposals, the average number of years for which these projects were proposed, and proposal success rates. The report is available here.
The UMass Amherst Report on Research is a marketing piece designed to give our constituents a broad view of the campus's strategic research initiatives, technology transfer, private donations for research and Research and Engagement Area internal grant programs in addition to sponsored activities. A PDF of the report will be available at the end of October. The Report on Research is also available in print for campus recruiting or other marketing needs. Please contact Michelle Wonsey, RL&D (545-2706) if you are interested in receiving copies.
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2nd Annual Clean Energy Connections Conference
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The 2nd Annual Clean Energy Connections Conference will be held Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Clean Energy Connections is a career and business development information and networking event. It is a forum for the individuals and organizations that will accelerate the growth of our clean energy economy. Featured speakers are Dr. Robert Pollin, UMass Amherst Political Economy Research Institute - "Green Recovery since the ARRA" and Andrew Shapiro, Founder and President of Green Order - "Sustainability as a Critical Driver of Profitable Growth."
UMass Amherst departments, centers, institutes, and programs may exhibit free of charge at Clean Energy Connections and there are significant discounts for students to attend. Last year's event attracted 650 career seekers, college students, entrepreneurs, and business owners to Springfield's MassMutual Center. This event is a terrific opportunity to raise your visibility and recruit new students. Campus groups should contact Michelle Wonsey (413-545-2706) to confirm their complimentary exhibitor registration.
The Clean Energy Connections conference is produced by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and coordinated in partnership with area businesses, community organizations, agencies and institutions of higher education.
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U.S. - Russian Public Health Education Collaboration
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The UMass Amherst Institute for Global Health (IGH) was awarded a three year grant in support of a project with Novgorod State University (NovSU) in Russia on Advancing Public Health Sciences and Global Health Issues. The two institutions will receive just under $400,000 each over the next three years from the U.S. Department of Education and its Russian Federation counterpart. The funding will support the exchange of 24 medical and public health students from Novgorod and UMass, faculty and curricula development, publication of a new public health text book in Russia, and the creation of a public health summer institute in Northwest Russia. This award marks the third international collaboration in the past 10 years between UMass and Novgorod State University, one of the top 15 classical universities in Russia.
The project is led by IGH Director David Buchanan and Dr. Viktor Veber Rector of Novgorod State University, Director of its Medical Institute and a member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. Rick Taupier, Associate Director for International Research at UMass, and Elvira Kaminskaya, Director of International Programs at NovSU will serve as project managers. The first faculty exchange will take place in the fall of 2010 and student exchanges will begin in the fall of 2011. Students will participate in advanced Russian and English language courses as well as public health courses during their visits.
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Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities are selected for publication in ACCESS if they are: interdisciplinary in nature, have an international component, involve industry or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, are facilitated by the Office of Research and Engagement, or are targeted to disciplines with limited funding opportunities. Consult the Research and Engagement Funding Opportunities webpage for a more comprehensive list. |
Center for Technology and Aging
Deadline: October 2, 2009 (Letter of Intent)
Award Amount: Up to $100,000 for 12 - months
The Center for Technology and Aging will award a total of $500,000 in grants through the Medication Optimization Diffusion Grants Program. Up to six one-year grants will be made to organizations successfully proposing programs that directly benefit older adults. Click here for more information.
Honda
Award Amount: $50,000
Deadline: December 2, 2009 (Pre-Proposal)
The Honda Initiation Grant was inaugurated in 1997 to reach out to the vast talent that exists in academic-research communities. Projects funded should seek breakaway insights that are likely to make important and valuable contributions to technology in the long term (5-10 years). The award program provides researchers with considerable freedom in their respective areas of study, as well as opportunities to interact with Honda researchers, and the potential for further collaboration. Click here for more information.
American Association for Cancer Research / Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Deadline: Varies
Award Amount: Varies
The American Association for Cancer Research has partnered with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to offer a total of $2 million in funding for pancreatic cancer research. Four grant mechanisms are available: Pathway to Leadership Grant; Fellowship Award; Career Development Award; and Innovative Grant. Click here for more information.
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Announcements/Calls for Abstracts/Papers
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7th Annual Water Resources Research Center Conference
Deadline Extended: November 3, 2009
Submission hosted by The Environmental Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on April 8, 2010. The conference will address the needs for water monitoring, assessment, and management of water resources in New England in the face of variability due to changes in climate, land use, population and other environmental stressors. For information on submission please their website.
International Conference on Green Remediation: Environment ~ Energy ~ Economics
Submission Deadline: November 3, 2009
Sponsored by The Environmental Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the U.S. EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation. Abstracts are encouraged in all areas of green and sustainable remediation, from basic to applied research, from case studies to demonstration projects. For more information visit The Environmental Institute website.
The Politics of Open Source
Submission Deadline: January 10, 2010
Submit
a paper for the 2nd Annual Thematic Conference organized by the Journal
of Information Technology and Politics (JITP). The conference seeks to
examine a range of political issues tied to the free and open source
movement(s). The Program Committee encourages disciplinary and
interdisciplinary approaches to the study of open source. To learn more about paper topics, the
submission process and prizes please visit JITP's website.
Call for Nominations: 2009 - 2010 UMass Amherst Distinguished Teaching Awards
The Distinguished Teaching Award is the highest recognition of teaching awarded to faculty members and teaching assistants/associates. Only current and former students may nominate faculty members. Teaching assistants/associates may be nominated by faculty members or current and former students. For more information or nomination forms please click here.
Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse
UMass Amherst is building the prototype of an ethics in science and engineering national clearinghouse (ESENCe). This project is part of the National Science Foundation's response to the America COMPETES Act. ESENCe advances knowledge and practice as an interdisciplinary, multi-media, and international digital resource center that acts to help researchers incorporate research ethics into laboratories, work groups, teaching, and major scientific and technological research projects. To learn more about the COMPETES Act of about ESENCe please contact Jessica Adamick, Ethics Clearinghouse Librarian at 413-545-6898.
2009 Profiles in Faculty Research
TEI has compiled the TEI 2009 faculty profiles into a PDF publication which you can download from the front page of the TEI Website. Faculty are invited to contact TEI if you would like to be the subject of a future research profile on the TEI Website.
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| Events |
October 19-23: International Open Access Week University of Massachusetts Amherst. During this the week there will be talks on copyright issues for instructors, open access journal publishing, graduate student publishing, finding copyright-free images, and using open educational resources in he classroom. All events are free and open to the public. Click here for schedule of events.
October 20: Pfizer Seminar presents Modeling & Simulation to Integrate and Build Knowledge in Development of Drugs, Biologics and Devices: Overview and Case Study Networking reception will be held from 4:30 - 5:30 pm, Presentations (with Q&A) will be held from 5:30 - 7:15pm at the University of Connecticut in the Thomas Dodd Research Center: 405 Babbidge Rd, Storrs, CT. No charge for admission, but it would be appreciated if you reserve in advance. RSVP to Terri Wilson by e-mail or call (860)547-1995.
October 22, 29: OGCA Brown Bag Lunch Series: Topics Vary 12:00pm to 1:00pm 104 Research Administration Building, For more information visit the OGCA website or contact Helen Bishop (545-0698).
October 27: TEI Environmental Fall Lecture Series: Reading and Conserving New England. Insights from History and Ecology 3:30pm Student Union, Cape Cod Lounge. Visit TEI's website to get complete lecture details.
October 28: William E. Mahoney Annual Lecture in Chemistry: "The Troubled Future of American Public Higher Education" 12:15PM in the Integrated Sciences Building. Speaker: Chancellor Marye Anne Fox (UCSD), nationally known chemist and academic leader.
October 30: Open Government: Transparency, Participation, and Collaboration 12:00 - 1:30pm, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in the Isenberg School of Management Room 108. As Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Beth Noveck will discuss the Obama Administration's open government policies and tenets of transparency, participation, and collaboration on which the office operates.
November 3: Pfizer Seminar Series: "Forecast for the Next Decade of the Medical Device Industry" BEACON Meet & Greet 4:00pm to 5:30pm and Industry Panel Presentation 5:45pm to 7:00pm at Northeast Utilities Auditorium, 107 Selden St, Berlin, CT 06037. No charge for admission, but it would be appreciated if you reserve in advance. RSVP to Terri Wilson by e-mail or call (860)547-1995.
November 4, 10: OGCA Brown Bag Lunch Series: Topics Vary 12:00pm to 1:00pm 104 Research Administration Building. For more information visit the OGCA website or contact Helen Bishop (545-0698).
November 5: The 2nd US-Korea Information and Communication Technology-Based Policy Forum at the World Bank in Washington DC. This year's forum provides a unique opportunity for dialog between Korean and US experts on national IT enablement, Green IT, Knowledge Infrastructure and job creation in the knowledge-based society. Registration deadline is October 16. To learn more about the forum and registration please visit the forum's website.
November 6: Introduction to ATLAS.ti and CAT for Qualitative Data Analysis Presentation by Stuart Shulman, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Qualitative Data Analysis Program. From 10:00am-12:00pm Measuring Validity and Reliability in Coding workshop, 12-1:00pm there will be a lunch break, and 1:00-4:00pm Introduction to ATLAS.ti & CAT workshop. Pre-registration required. For registration and further information please visit the Center for Research of Families website.
November 10: 2nd Annual Clean Energy Connections Conference November 10, 2009 MassMutual Center, Springfield, MA 8:30am to 5:00pm A career and business development information and networking event. Registration is open.
November 11: University Research Briefing Day at MIT Tang Center. University Research Briefing Day is a feature event of Massachusetts Clean Energy Week produced in partnership with the Fifth Annual Conference on Clean Energy and Boston Cleantech Venture Day. Applications or intent of applications are to be collected and submitted to BriefingDay@umassp.edu no later than Thursday October 15, 2009. For more information visit the websites: www.mattcenter.org/cce-2009/university-day.html and www.greenovationconference.com.
November 12-13: 5th Annual Conference on Clean Energy: Financing and Partnering for Emerging Businesses Hynes Convention Center, Boston. Conference features over two dozen early stage companies seeking investment for business opportunities in carbon management, smart grid applications, renewable energy generation, biofuels, and other hot areas. Focused industry panels will expand on critical issues in these sectors from the CEO's perspective. Keynotes: the Honorable Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts, Dr. Steven E. Koonin, Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy, and Secretary Ian Bowles, Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. To learn more about this conference and registration please visit their website.
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New Faculty
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The campus welcomed more than 50 new faculty this year across many disciplines. This month Research ACCESS welcomes new faculty from the College of Engineering, Public Health and Health Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Below are their names and their research interests.
College of Engineering:
Michael Zink; Integrative Systems Engineering, sense-and-response sensor networks, sensor virtualization, distribution of high-bandwidth, high-volume data, the design and analysis of long-distance wireless networks, and network measurements
School of Public Health and Health Sciences:
Lorraine Cordeiro; Adolescent nutrition, malnutrition, food security, international health and development, global nutrition programs, program evaluation, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS
Judith Dowd
Claire Norton
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences:
Deepankar Basu; Applied econometrics with a focus on Marxian political economy, macroeconomics, economic development, and demography.
Andrew Goodman
Callie Harbin Burt; Criminology; Deviance and Social Control; Behavior of Law; Quantitative Methods; Families
Mark Lange
Rahsaan Maxwell; ethnic minority migrant integration and political behavior, with a particular focus on West Europe.
Brian McDermott
Noriko Milman
Lynn Phillips; Media constructions of gender, race, class, and sexuality; commercialization of children's culture; activist research, media, health and the environment
Sujani Reddy
Brian Schaffner; public opinion, campaigns and elections, political communication, political parties, and legislative politics. I am currently Editor of the journal Congress & the Presidency.
Thea Strand
Jonathan Wynn
William Yousman
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OGCA Histograms
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OGCA processed 148 proposals for a total of $31,483,242 in September 2009. How does that stack up against last year and previous months? Take a look at the histograms to find out.
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September Grants & Contracts Snapshot
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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.
The campus has begun to receive stimulus funds for research. Those grants identified as ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Acts) are stimulus.
Tobias I. Baskin
Biology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: MRI: Acquisition of a High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope for a Central Facility Supporting Interdisciplinary Research (ARRA)
Total Award: $511,143
Emery Berger
Computer Science
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: SHF: Large: Collaborative Research: PASS: Perpetually Available Software Systems
Total Award: $639,420
(this grant was listed incorrectly last month as receiving ARRA funds)
Surita R. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: GOALI: Large-Scale Structures in Colloids with Moderate-Range Attractions (ARRA)
Total Award: $310,841
Lisa Chasan-Taber
Public Health
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Epidemiology of Stress and GDM Among Latina Women (ARRA)
Total Award: $90,543
Ronald K. Hambleton
Educational Policy Research & Administration
Sponsor: Measured Progress
Title: Score Equating Analyses and Other Technical Work for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, FY'10 - Part 1
Total Award: $63,435
Daniel N. Hebert
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Cellular Protein Maturation and Degradation (ARRA)
Total Award: $309,662
Rolf Karlstrom
Biology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Molecular Control of Pituitary Development and Tumorigenesis (ARRA)
Total Award: $399,942
Joseph B. Krupczynski
Art
Sponsor: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Title: Re-Thinking Downtown Westfield: Comprhensive Downtown Housing and Development Needs Assessment, District Plan, and Action Steps
Total Award: $10,000
James F. Kurose
Computer Science
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: RR-03-011, Extramural Research Facilities Construction Renovation of Lab Space & Shared Instrument Facilities in the Lederle GRC (ARRA)
Total Award: $7,091,800
Shona Macdonald
Art, Architecture, and Art History
Sponsor: Pollock Krasner Foundation
Title: Individual Artist's Grant
Total Award: $15,000
(June Grant)
Michael J. Maroney
Chemistry
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Parameters Involved in Metal Recognition (ARRA)
Total Award: $46,629
Yeonhwa Park
Food Science
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Synergistic Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Calcium on Bone Mass (ARRA)
Total Award: $152,098
Margaret Ann Riley
Biology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Enteric Bacteria (ARRA)
Total Award: $207,325
Thomas P. Russell
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: US Dept of Energy
Title: EFRC: Polymer-Based Materials for Harvesting Solar Energy (ARRA)
Total Award: $16,000,000
Lynmarie K. Thompson
Chemistry
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Title: Chemistry Biology Interface Predoctoral Training Grant (ARRA)
Total Award: $57,420
Mark Tuominen
Physics
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Proposal: Physics of Ferromagnetic Nanorings in an External Azimuthal Field (ARRA)
Total Award: $150,000
Michael L. Williams
Geosciences
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Collaborative Research: Paleoproterozoic Accretionary Evolution of Southern Laurentia: Application of ICPMS Hf, Nd, (ARRA)
Total Award: $191,602
Enhua Zhang
Language, Literature & Culture
Sponsor: Harvard University
Title: Cartographies of Revolution: Space; Politics and Cultural Representation in Modern China (1919-1969)
Total Award: $50,406
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