The School of Earth and Sustainability will hold it’s annual Earth Day Celebration on Wednesday, April 17 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m in the John W. Olver Design Building atrium. The theme for the celebration is Hope and Reslience and it will feature a showcase of undergraduate and graduate student projects that cover such topics as climate change, environmental solutions, green design and sustainability.
The UMass Amherst Libraries will host an open house for the new Mass Aggie Seed Library on Thursday, April 18, 1-4 p.m. in the Science and Engineering Library, Lederle GRC Lowrise. The event is open to the campus and local community.
Gov. Charlie Baker today celebrated the opening of the new Physical Sciences Building (PSB) at UMass Amherst, a facility funded by the state that fosters and expands cutting-edge collaborative learning and research at the Commonwealth’s flagship campus.
Professor Eric Decker, head of food science at UMass Amherst, has been elected president of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, a century-old group that aims to advance the science and technology of oils, fats, proteins, surfactants and related materials. He has served as vice president of the organization over the past year.
The Baker-Polito administration has awarded the Town of Amherst and Blue Thermal Corp. $103,179 to support technical advancements for wastewater treatment facilities. The UMass Water and Energy Testing (WET) Center facility is the main subcontractor doing the work. The funding will be used to install, monitor and commission a wastewater source heat pump.
Recipients of the UMass Libraries undergraduate sustainability research award will be announced at a special sustainability event, “Design for Change: An Exploration of Social, Built and Natural Systems,” from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 4 at the Science and Engineering Library at the Lederle Graduate Research Center Lowrise.
Sarah Berquist, lecturer of sustainable food and farming in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, was recently recognized by the UMass Amherst chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi with its Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding service to the university in ways that are consistent with the society’s motto of “Let the love of learning rule.” Berquist will be honored at the annual initiation ceremony for the UMass Amherst Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi at the Campus Center on March 31.
Kristina J. Peterson, facilitator-director of the Lowlander Center in Gray, Louisiana, will present “Climate Displacement: A Second Chance to Get it Right,” a public discussion on Tuesday, March 26 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at S131 Integrated Learning Center. Peterson will discuss her belief that climate displacement might create an opportunity to change the course on economic inequality and urban planning; that the displacement of populations–be it from small towns, tribes or communities within cities–does not have to follow traditional models of urban renewal and gentrification.
To educate and inspire people about how to farm and garden sustainably in the Northeast, three student-led permaculture gardens at UMass are now featured in vivid and interactive, 360-degree splendor on the USDA’s Climate Hubs website.
The New2U team is looking for volunteers for its annual move-out collection drive from May 6-12 in all residential areas. Students, faculty and staff can register to volunteer here for a two-hour shift.
