AMHERST, Mass. - Researcher Priscilla Clarkson of the exercise science department has seen many muscles at work at the Totman Gym at the University of Massachusetts, but now, thanks to cutting-edge technology, she can examine them in a whole new light. Clarkson is the principal investigator for a three-year, multi-university study of the role of genotype, or genetic makeup, in the development of muscles in the upper arm. The project involves five other public universities and one hospital, and it is funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Eric Hoffman, of the Children''s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., is clinical director.

AMHERST, Mass. - Vincent Rotello, professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, is working on what he calls a "molecular nose:" a way of sensing and identifying particular chemicals. Rotello''s research could eventually be used to identify bioterror agents such as anthrax or smallpox, he says, although the research team is currently working with benign substances, such as sugars and aspirin, as a way to hone the technology safely. The work also has applications in biomedicine, in creating new treatments and diagnostic techniques. The project is currently funded by a $950,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

AMHERST, Mass. - A team of University of Massachusetts polymer scientists has challenged a longstanding theory regarding how plastics harden, perhaps offering scientists finer control over the flexibility or rigidity of specially produced plastics. The findings, by Professor Murugappan Muthukumar and former graduate student Paul Welch, were published recently in the journal Physical Review Letters. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation. Polymers are extremely long chains of linked small molecules called monomers, Muthukumar explains.

AMHERST, Mass. - Biologist Pablo Pomposiello has joined the microbiology department of the University of Massachusetts as an assistant professor. Pomposiello comes to UMass from Harvard University School of Public Health, where he was a post-doctoral fellow in the department of cancer cell biology.