Engineers at UMass Amherst are leading a research team that is developing a new type of nanodevice for computer microprocessors that can mimic the functioning of a biological synapse—the place where a signal passes from one nerve cell to another in the body. The work is featured in the advance online publication of Nature Materials.

The UMass Amherst Community Campaign, a workplace giving program that allows UMass faculty, staff and retirees to donate to any nonprofit organization, will launch its 2016-17 campaign on Sept. 26 with a kick-off event and charity fair. This year’s goal is to raise $430,000 for local, national and global nonprofit organizations.