AMHERST, Mass. - Two faculty researchers in the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts have received prestigious awards in the field. William MacKnight will receive the Herman F. Mark Award, presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Richard Farris has been named to receive the Council for Chemical Research''s (CCR) Malcolm E. Pruitt Award for 2001.

AMHERST, Mass. - Dhandapani Venkataraman, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, has received $385,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue his research in the area of electronic materials. The grant comes through the NSF’s prestigious CAREER program, which is aimed at recognizing promise by a young faculty member. Paul Lahti, head of the chemistry department, made the announcement.

AMHERST, Mass. - Deep below the surface of the Beverhead Mountains of Idaho, a research team led by Derek Lovley, head of the microbiology department at the University of Massachusetts, and Francis H. Chappelle of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has found an unusual community of microoganisms that may hold the key to understanding how life could survive on Mars. Their findings are spelled out in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature (vol. 415).

AMHERST, Mass. - A team of astronomers led by Daniel H. McIntosh of the University of Massachusetts has uncovered evidence supporting the hypothesis that spiral galaxies pulled into large galaxy clusters change drastically both in appearance and star formation. Furthermore, the team has found evidence of several galaxies in the midst of such transformations. The findings suggest a link between a galaxy’s environment and the evolution of its appearance. The report was presented today at this week’s meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C.