Laura Vandenberg, associate professor of environmental health sciences, gave a talk explaining her research on harmful chemicals found in plastic at the first annual Plastic Health Summit held in Amsterdam earlier this fall. Her presentation focused on how early life exposure to chemicals and chemical mixtures can predispose individuals to diseases that manifest later in life.

At the Society for Music Teacher Education’s biennial Symposium in September, newly-appointed assistant professor of music education Daniel Albert co-presented a research paper on mentoring networks for music teachers, along with a research poster about re-imagining the admissions process.

The College of Humanities and Fine Arts extends a warm welcome to Mariana Ivanova, the new Academic Director of the DEFA Film Library. As a scholar of East German cinema, she brings a wealth of experience to continue the legacy of Founding Director Barton Byg and to lead new global initiatives and collaborations. Based in the German and Scandinavian Studies Program in the department of languages, literatures, and cultures, the DEFA Film Library is the only research center worldwide devoted to a broad spectrum of filmmaking from and related to the former German Democratic Republic. Since its founding in 1993, it has become internationally known for its innovative approaches to scholarship and programming.

The UMass Police Department is joining forces with the Amherst and Hadley Police Departments to host a “Stuff-A-Cruiser” event this holiday season to gather donations of toys, clothing, toiletries, non-perishable food items and any other donatable items.