AMHERST, Mass. - The following is a transcript of Hunter-Gault''s speech to the Class of 1998:

AMHERST, Mass. - More than half of the eligible 1,300 master’s and doctoral degree candidates at the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts, plus about 3,500 friends and family members, attended Commencement activities held in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center earlier today.

AMHERST, Mass. - The biotechnology techniques that enabled University of Massachusetts researchers to produce three cloned, transgenic calves last January will be published in the May 22 issue of the prestigious journal, Science. The research was conducted by James Robl, professor of veterinary and animal sciences at UMass, and Steven Stice, of Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) Inc., an adjunct faculty member at the University. The article includes new details on how researchers were able to extend the lifespan of certain cells, which may help scientists to introduce complex genetic modifications in cloned animals. Co-authors on the paper include recent UMass Ph.D. graduate Jose Cibelli, ACT research associates Paul Golueke, Jeff Kane, Joseph Jerry, Cathy Blackwell, and former UMass faculty member F. Abel Ponce de Leon, now at the University of Minnesota.

AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts English professor John Nelson combines the best of the past and the future. As head of the Professional Writing and Technical Communication Program at the University, he has been preparing students for the rapidly evolving field of "tech-writing" for nearly nine years. At the same time, Nelson has been keeping one eye firmly fixed on the past, pursuing hobbies such as antique clock repair and woodworking with a passion that has made him an expert in the field.