Jakob Awarded Fulbright to Study Jumping Spiders in New Zealand
Psychology professor Elizabeth M. Jakob will spend six months in New Zealand studying jumping spiders and how they track prey with their eyes. The research is supported by a grant from the Fulbright Scholar Program. Jakob will spend the spring semester at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, working with collaborating researcher Robert Jackson. Read more...

Jhally's 'Reel Bad Arabs' Part of Dubai Film Festival
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, a documentary directed by Professor Sut Jhally (communication), will be shown at the Dubai Film Festival in the United Arab Emirates the week of December 11. The 50-minute film is based on Arab-American film authority Jack Shaheen’s book of the same title, examines film portrayals of Arabs, and includes numerous clips and commentary from films of past decades to the present. Read more...

Anthropologists' Research Determines Genetic Relationship of Lemurs
A team of researchers has found that nocturnal lemurs thought to belong to different species because of their strikingly different coat colors are not only genetically alike, but belong to the same species. The team, which includes Anthropology professor Laurie R. Godfrey and graduate student Emilienne Rasoazanabary, has just published its findings in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. Read more...

Fountain Keynotes International Semantic Web Conference
Political Science and Public Policy Professor Jane E. Fountain gave a Keynote Address at the 5th International Semantic Web Conference in Athens, GA on November 8, 2006. Fountain’s talk, “The Semantic Web and Networked Governance: Promise and Challenges,” discussed how the structures and processes of the state are becoming increasingly aligned with the structures and processes of the Semantic Web through “electronic government” initiatives. Read more and view the video...

CRF's International Conference on Analysis Methods Draws Crowd
In October the Center for Research on Families (CRF) held an international conference for researchers on “New Methods for the Analysis of Family and Dyadic Processes.” Because of the special structure of family data, nontraditional methods are necessary for appropriate analysis, but graduate programs typically do not include these specialized methods in their courses of study. Combine that with an explosion of research in the area of clustered or multilevel methods during the past decade, and one finds the demand for learning new methodologies exceedingly high. This comprehensive forum, developed by CRF, was among the first to address this pressing need. Read more...

New Staff Member Aims to Meet Alumni
The SBS Dean’s Office welcomes Daniel R. Cole ’06 (economics) into the new position of Constituent Relations Associate. Fulfilling one of the Chancellor’s imperatives, Cole is charged with building personal connections with alumni. As he reaches out to them, he’ll share news about exciting developments at UMass Amherst and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Read more...

Archaeological Field School Finds Native Fort in Deerfield
For thousands of years, long before Europeans arrived in 17th-century New England, the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts was home to many Native American communities. Some traces of Native American occupation in the region, as identified by archaeologists, date back at least 12,000 years, but much of this history is poorly understood. Read more...

World Renowned Economist to Address "Irrational Exuberance"
On Tuesday, November 14, the Economics Department will host the annual Philip Gamble Memorial Lecture. This year's featured speaker is Yale Professor Robert J. Shiller. His presentation is entitled "Stock Markets, Real Estate and 'Irrational Exuberance': What is To Be Done?" It will take place at Gordon Hall at 4:00 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Conference Room. A public reception in the Gordon Hall Atrium will follow. Read more...

Alumnus Brings Marketing Experience to Campus
On October 23 and 24, alumnus Bruce Friend ’79 (communication), president of Media and Entertainment Insights at OTX (Online Testing eXchange), was on campus to share his expertise with various groups of students. OTX, a pioneer of online research in the entertainment, advertising and consumer packaged goods spaces, is one of the fastest growing market research companies in the United States with over $30 million in revenue. Read more...

Two SBS Faculty Named Distinguished Faculty Lecturers
For more than 20 years, the campus has celebrated the value of academic excellence through the Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series. The faculty members chosen for the series receive the Chancellor's Medal, the highest honor bestowed on individuals for exemplary and extraordinary service to UMass Amherst. This year SBS faculty received two of the four awards: Ethan Katsh (legal studies) and Melinda Novak (psychology). Katsh's lecture, "Law in a Digital World: New Processes for an Age of Conflict and Change," will be held on October 25, 2006 at 4:00 pm in the Massachusetts Room at the Mullins Center, followed by a reception. Novak's lecture will take place in the spring. Watch these pages for details on that lecture and her career. To read more about Ethan Katsh, click here.

Global Ed Requirement Connects SBS to the World
In a rapidly changing world, it has become imperative for well-educated students to be globally competent learners. Back in 1999 when the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences made the 15-credit Global Education requirement part of the standard curriculum for all majors, the intent was to bring them into a framework to help them gain knowledge about individuals, societies and cultures while exposing them to diverse cultural perspectives essential to building an understanding of contemporary society and, ultimately, themselves. Read more....

Alfange Lecture to Feature Bruce Allen Murphy '73
On Thursday, October 19 the Department of Political Science will present the Dean Alfange, Jr. Lecture in American Constitutionalism at 4:00 p.m. in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union. "Roberts: Save this Honorable Court!" will be presented by Bruce Allen Murphy '73, the Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights at Lafayette College. One of the nation’s foremost authorities on constitutional law, civil rights and liberties, Murphy is also a distinguished author of three major Supreme Court biographies. Read more....

Anthropologist Explores Menopause from a Biocultural Perspective
Menopause is a biological reality for all women. Yet the way we think about the cessation of menstruation is influenced by a variety of factors and varies considerably between cultures and individuals. Drawing on her own case studies and comparative data from places around the world, Lynnette Leidy Sievert (anthropology) in her new book, Menopause: A Biocultural Perspective (Rutgers University Press, 2006) explores these variations and suggests that attempts by medical professionals to define the "normal" occurrence of menopause, including its typical onset and symptoms, may not be realistic. Read more...

Schweik  Brings Expertise in IT to National Center for Digital Government
Charles Schweik, associate professor of Natural Resources Conservation and Public Policy, has been appointed associate director of the National Center for Digital Government (NCDG). NCDG is an National Science Foundation National Center, based administratively in the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), part of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Read more...

Feldman Named SBS Associate Dean
Professor of Psychology Robert S. Feldman has answered Dean Janet Rifkin’s call to assume the role of Associate Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. In this position he will assist Rifkin in managing overall college activities, including the development of a strategic plan and the development of new programs, including online undergraduate and graduate programs that will generate new sources of revenue. Read more...

Outreach to Alumni Is New Staff Member's Top Priority
New to the staff in the dean's office at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is Jackie Brousseau-Pereira '00 (MPA), director of external affairs. Read more...

Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity Honors Boyce and Rayner
Nine professors were honored with the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Activity for their research and scholarship at the Faculty Convocation in September. Among them are James K. Boyce, professor of economics and director of the Political Economy Research Institute’s Program on Development, Peacebuilding, and the Environment, and Keith Rayner, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and director of the Eyetracking Laboratory. Read more...

Parents of Young Athletes, Take Note of Alum's New Book
In an era when parents and kids are overwhelmed by a sports-crazed, win-at-all-costs culture, here is a comprehensive guide that helps parents ensure a positive sports experience for their children. In Whose Game Is It, Anyway? two of the country’s leading youth sports psychologists, Richard D. GInsburg, PhD '98 (psychology; MS '95), and Stephen Durant, EdD, team up with former Olympic rower and expert on performance excellence, Amy Baltzell, EdD, to share knowledge gained in more than forty years of combined experience. Read more...

Four Student Apartment Buildings to Open on Schedule
All four buildings in the new North Residential Area will open on Sept. 3 as scheduled, according to campus housing officials. Read more...

Scholar Goes to New Orleans to Counteract Violence, and Give Hope
There is no quick fix for the anguish-fueled violence that raked New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But Ervin Staub, emeritus professor of psychology, believes he can help bring accord to the city, a year after its devastation. Read more...

Fountain Keynotes Public Policy Meeting in Japan
Political Science and Public Policy professor Jane E. Fountain recently gave a keynote address at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Public Policy Studies Association of Japan and also presented an invited lecture to the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) in Tokyo. Read more...

Chancellor Lombardi Expresses Views on "Value Added" Measurements
"Reality Check" column entitled "Virtues and Vices of 'Value Added'" by Chancellor John V. Lombardi in Inside Higher Ed (August 10, 2006) discusses calls for accountability and measuring the “value added” aspects of a college education as well as the complication this leads to when one tries to apply it to higher education. A lively commentary from readers follows. Read the article.

Alum's Economics Text Named Outstanding Academic Title
The book Liberating Economics: Feminist Perspectives on Families, Work, and Globalization (University of Michigan Press, 2004) by Drucilla K. Barker and Susan F. Feiner PhD '81 (economics) was selected as the Choice "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2005 in economics. Read more...

Professor Harper Briefs New U.S. Ambassador to Hungary
Krista Harper (assistant professor of anthropology and public policy) was invited by the State Department to help prepare Ambassador April Foley for her posting in Hungary. Read more...

New Book by Emeritus Professor Hollander Reviewed
On the website Enter Stage Right an article entitled "Omnibus of Evil" by John W. Nelson, web posted 7/10/06, reviews the book From the Gulag to the Killing Fields, edited by Paul Hollander, emeritus professor of sociolog. Read the article.

Journalism Program Chosen to Create New England News Council
The Journalism Program has been awarded a $75,000 grant to establish a New England News Council to investigate complaints about the media and promote public trust in the news. Read more...

Media Giraffe Conference Viewable in Quick Time, Blogs Available
"Democracy & Independence: Sharing News & Information in a Connected World," the first summit conference of The Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst held June 28-July 1, was a tremendous success with more than 200 participants in attendance. Sponsors included The Boston Globe, Omidyar Network, MassLive/The Republican newspaper, and the New England Press Association, among others. Conference events, including the keynote address by veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas, are now viewable on Quick Time. Independent logs are also available. Go to mediagiraffe.org for links.

Five Years of Online Competition Offer Law Students Experience and Empowerment
The UMass Amherst Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution is celebrating an anniversary. For five years running, the Center has organized and managed the International Competition for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR), a pioneering competition—the first of its kind, in fact—for U.S. and international law students. Read more...

Folbre Co-authors Article on Nursing Pay
Nurses who are well paid for their skills and performance provide higher quality healthcare, according to an article in the journal Nursing Economic$ co-authored by Economics professor Nancy Folbre and Julie A. Nelson of the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. Read more...

Economics Student Receives Fulbright to Study Fair Trade Coffee in Peru
Noah Enelow, a graduate student in Economics, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to conduct research on the economics of the Peruvian coffee sector. Read more...

Microsoft Grant to Help Students Learn More About IT and its Uses
Microsoft Corporation has announced that it is giving UMass Amherst a gift of nearly $600,000 in software to help support the Learning Commons in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. Jay Schafer, library director, says the Learning Commons will be expanded and the new software will help students learn more about information technology and its uses. Anthony D. Salcito, a Microsoft official, and Emily Silverman, the library’s director of development and communication, offer comments. Read more...

Fulbright Grant Awarded to Mednicoff
David Mednicoff, assistant professor of legal studies and public policy, has been awarded a Fulbright research and teaching grant to Qatar for the entire 2006-07 academic year. Read more....

Afghan Women to Pursue Master’s Degrees at Center for Public Policy and Administration
Coming up this fall the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), part of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UMass Amherst, will be welcoming three Afghan women into its master’s degree program. Read more...

Psychological Services Center Offers Affordable Assessments and More to Community
When education and the needs of the community intersect, the situation is definitely win-win. Such is the case with the Psychological Services Center, a community mental health clinic operated by the Clinical Division of the Department of Psychology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Read more...

Read All About It: Journalism Major Thrives at UMass Amherst
“People think students aren’t interested in current events,” says Professor Karen List, head of the Journalism program. “And some people think students don’t major in journalism these days because they don’t want to change the world. From where I sit, they still do.” Read more...

SBS Researchers Explore  Societal and Policy Implications of Nanotechnology as Part of New National Center
The new Science, Technology and Society (STS) Initiative, based in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) and the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), will lead a major initiative to define and articulate the societal implications of nanotechnology. Read more...

Six Faculty named Family Research Scholars
The Center for Research on Families has selected six faculty members as 2006-07 Family Research Scholars, based on their promising work in family-related research. Read more...

Journalism Program Earns Top Online Honors
Although it remains young as academic programs go, UMass Amherst's Certificate of Online Journalism Program is already packing a real punch with a first-rate faculty and a far-flung student body—and, now, with a top award in innovative continuing education. Read more...

Keen elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Psychology professor Rachel Keen is among 175 new fellows elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Read more...

Economics Professor Receives Fulbright Fellowship
Associate Professor Michael Ash (economics and Center for Public Policy and Administration) has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for spring 2007. Read more...

Professor Goldman Receives APSA Law and Courts Section Award
Congratulations are in order for Professor Sheldon Goldman (political science) who has been selected by the American Political Science Association’s Law and Courts Section as this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more...

Media Critic's Keynote Address to Appear on C-SPAN
Mark Crispin Miller, renowned media critic and professor at New York University, last week gave the keynote presentation for Communication in Crisis, an interdisciplinary conference on communication and culture. Read more...

Economists Receive Funding for Corporate Toxics Information Project
Professor James Boyce (economics department and the Political Economy Research Institute) and Associate Professor Michael Ash (economics, Center for Public Policy and Administration) are recipients of a $75,000 grant from the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation for the Corporate Toxics Information Project. Read more...

Communication Professor Appears at UN
Donal Carbaugh, professor of communication, spoke to honorary consuls at the United Nations on April 2-3. Read more...

Conference Charting Future of Journalism to Feature Helen Thomas
This summer, from June 29-July 1, The Media Giraffe Project, a non-partisan, interdisciplinary research effort of the UMass Amherst journalism program, will sponsor its first conference, "Democracy and Independence." Hundreds of traditional and citizen journalists, political strategists, educators, bloggers, developers, technology and media researchers—plus speakers like Helen Thomas, the "dean" of the White House press corps—will convene on campus. Read more and/or register....

Comm 433 Offers Live and Lively Playhouse Series
So what are you doing at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays this spring? If you’re on the UMass Amherst campus, consider watching the live “Playhouse 433” series on HSCN channels 15 and 19. For the first time, students in Communication 433, taught by David Maxcy, are producing a nine-episode live drama series. Read more...

Center for Research on Families to Bring First Speaker to Campus
This spring, as part of the Tay Gavin Erickson Lectures, the Center for Research on Families is bringing Alice McIntyre, associate professor and director of elementary education at Hellenic College, to campus. Read more...

Sociologist Awarded NSF Grant to Study Jazz Repertoire
Robert Faulkner, professor of sociology, with Howard S. Becker, of the Chicago School of Sociology, has received a National Science Foundation Award for “Repertoire in Action among Jazz Musicians.” Read more...

Dasgupta to Receive NSF Career Award
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be awarding a CAREER grant to Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, assistant professor of psychology, to test a theoretical model...Read more...

Professor Nominated to Lead Bureau of Justice Statistics
Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, associate professor of Political Science, has been nominated by President George W. Bush to be the director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the U.S. Department of Justice. Read more...

Alumnus Ed Weisman '87 Joins Development Staff
New to the Development team in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is Ed Weisman '87 (economics/geography). Read more...

Order Your UMass Amherst License Plates Today and Support Student Scholarships!
Just $40 puts you on the road in UMass Amherst style and supports the Drive to Succeed Scholarship Fund. Download the registration form, send in your check and reserve your plates today. (No longer available)

Communication in Crisis Conference Scheduled for Late March
What was initially conceived as a mildly ambitious, regional conference has bloomed into an international affair, featuring presenters from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Canada. Read more...

Professor Heim Wins Fellowship for Research on Fiscal Structures and Urban Growth
Carol E. Heim, Professor of Economics and Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA) faculty member, has been awarded a David C. Lincoln Fellowship in Land Value Taxation.... Read more...

"What's News" Teleconference Available Online through April 30
On February 3, 2006 WHYY-TV in Philadelphia hosted a national teleconference for university and college students, members of the press, and concerned individuals on the nature of news in the United States. Read more...