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High Performance Computing Center will boost medical and energy research

The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center will boost advanced medical and energy research conducted by UMass scientists. CNS professors, including Lila Gierasch, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Scott Auerbach, Chemistry, and Robert M. DeConto, Geosciences, look forward to using the center to perform large-scale data storage, simulations, and analysis to answer questions about protein folding, fuel cell development, global climate change and other areas.

Tropical Field Biology research trip is Mojcher's top UMass experience

Alex Mojcher, a senior pre-med student majoring in biology, says taking the "Tropical Field Biology" class over Spring Break is the best thing he's done at UMass Amherst. Everything from conducting his own tree frog research at the Tirimbina Rain Forest Center in Costa Rica to sharing night walks to learn about a dozen bat species was "just magnificent," he says. The difference between reading about tropical biology and species diversity in a textbook and being able observe exotic creatures couldn't have been more thrilling.

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Lovley's research on biofuel-producing bacteria featured in Sierra Magazine and BioElectric conference

Sierra Magazine featured the work of Derek Lovley, Microbiology, in a story about research into new forms of energy that will help break our national dependence on fossil fuels. Lovley is experimenting with bacteria that inhale carbon dioxide, feed on electricity and produce biofuels. Lovley is also a keynote speaker at a green bio-energy conference sponsored by the North American BioElectric Systems Meeting and held at UMass Amherst.

Dr. Michael Williams, Geosciences, will present the first 2010-2011 Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Tuesday, October 19 at 4 pm in the Massachusetts Room, located on the third floor of the Mullins Center. His talk, "Telling Earth Time: New Ways to Date Earth Processes and Explain Geologic Time," will describe the length of geologic time, ways to think about time on various scales, how the unique UMass "Ultrachron" is dating geologic events, and why it's important that people understand "deep time" as demonstrated in his project, the new Trail of Time at the Grand Canyon.

Boston Globe cites Microbiologist Leschine as "Earth Angel"

The Boston Globe featured Susan Leschine, Microbiology, in a story about people doing good deeds for the environment. It describes how Leschine and her research associate Tom Warnick found a microbe in the soil near the Quabbin Reservoir that breaks down plant material into ethanol, a biofuel additive used with gasoline.

Dinsmore creates technique for Willy Wonka 3-course meal gum

Anthony Dinsmore, Physics, has created a technique that allows molecules of particular flavors to be used in nanoparticles for so-called Willy Wonka gum that will deliver several flavors. The nanoparticles release different flavors at different times and allow for creation of three-course gum.

Food Science PhD Student Awarded New PepsiCo Fellowship

Doctoral candidate Chanelle Adams, has been selected by the Food Science department as the first recipient of its PepsiCo Minority Fellowship. She is currently studying antimicrobial delivery systems in bacterial biofilms under the direction of Lynne McLandsborough, associate professor of food science.

MA student awarded national architecture student research award

Recent Master of Architecture graduate Tracie Reed has been awarded the American Institute of Architecture Students Student Research Award for her outstanding work in the field of green building.

Official Groundbreaking for High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke

Ground was officially broken on Oct. 5 for the new $168 million Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke. The project is a collaboration between UMass, MIT, Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard and private computer companies EMC Inc. and Cisco Systems.

Decker featured in article on regulations on omega-3-fortified meats

Eric Decker, Food Science, is featured in an article about how current regulations restricting the progress in producing fortified and functional meats that are enriched with substances such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Stealth toxin delivery system kills tumors from within

Researchers led by chemist Vincent Rotello have demonstrated that they can deliver a dormant toxin into a specific site such as a tumor for anti-cancer therapy, then chemically trigger the toxin to de-cloak and attack from within. It holds promise as a "complex and sophisticated" synthetic, therapeutic drug delivery system for living cells.

iCons, a new innovative science education program, launches first course

Incoming undergraduates interested in pursuing a science major will be able to choose a completely new, enhanced science education program believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. iCons--Interdisciplinary Concentration in Science--will teach science "the way it is really done," and "emphasize the reason people become scientists in the first place, which is to solve problems," says Justin Fermann, a program coordinator and senior lecturer in Chemistry.

Van Driesche organizes international biological controls conference

Roy Van Driesche, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, has organized the first internation conference of its kind that will advanced the effectiveness of biological rather than chemical control of invasive and non-native species such as aquatic plants, adelgids and tree-killing borers.

Ahronian, Stockbridge alum, is Holliston Man of the Year

Mark Ahronian, Stockbridge graduate, has been named Holliston Citizen of the Year of the Year. Ahronian owns Ahronian Landscaping & Design on Concord Street in Holliston, Mass.

Thayumanavan is first campus Spotlight Scholar

S. "Thai" Thayumanavan, Chemistry, is an authority on charge transport and molecular design. He was recently chosen as the campus’s first Spotlight Scholar in recognition of his research and innovation in clean energy science. His recent breakthrough to improve proton conductivity, or “charge transport,” is helping solve one of the biggest problems holding back development of affordable fuel cells. The Spotlight Scholar program publicly recognizes the scholarly achievements and contributions of the UMass Amherst faculty.

Arroyo and Woolf's computer tutor program featured in New York Times

The New York Times features the work of Beverly Park Woolf and Ivon Arroyo, Computer Science, on computerized tutors that respond to the emotional responses of the students, especially helpful in teaching math and science to girls.

EUREKA: $1.2 m for disease related protein misfolding research

Anne Gershenson and her biochemistry and molecular biology colleagues Daniel Hebert and Lila Gierasch have received a four-year, $1.2 million EUREKA grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to study folding and misfolding of secretory proteins in the cell's protein factory, the endoplasmic reticulum, where misfolding can lead to diseases such as cystic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

The Liar in Your Life , by Robert Feldman, professor of psychology and Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, is now available in paperback. The book describes the surprising and sobering reality of lying in everyday life. It's a fact: we all lie. And we lie a lot, an average of two to three times in a ten-minute conversation, shows Feldman, one of the world's leading authorities on deception. In this groundbreaking book, you'll discover the truth about lying, learn to recognize the lies you yourself tell, and how you can embrace a more honest approach to life.

Xiao investigates how oranges might help to prevent colon cancer

Hang Xiao, Food Science, has received a $435,000 National Cancer Institute grant to develop a novel diet-based strategy, a new class of dietary compounds originating from oranges, that could help prevent colon cancer.

Boutt examines former mine, anticipated to become first deep underground interdisciplinary research facility

David Boutt, Geosciences, examined water flow and rock dynamics at depths up to 4,850 feet in the mine shafts and tunnels of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, the site of the NSF's proposed Sanford Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. Boutt is co-leader of a three-year NSF project to study the evolution of life in the deep underground environment.

Barton's Forest to Faucet program is inspiration for Denver partnership

Denver, Colo., is adopting the Forest to Faucet program, a “Payments for Watershed Services” joint partnership between the Northeastern U.S. Forest Service and UMass Amherst that Paul Barton, Environmental Conservation, helped spearhead in 2001.

Condit trains new NASA astronauts how to explore other planets

Geologist and pilot Christopher Condit spent two intense weeks on a remote, high desert plateau with an unusual group of students: NASA astronauts-in-training preparing for human exploration of other planets. The field exercises took place on a simulated alien planet in northern Arizona’s San Francisco volcanic field, about 30 miles southeast of the Grand Canyon. One main goal of the Desert Research and Technology Studies mission is to train astronaut-geologist teams how to identify the most promising spots for collecting rock and soil samples from the planetary surface.

Laura Cadonati, Physics, has received a five-year, $700,000 NSF CAREER award to lead a team developing ways to detect bursts of some of the most elusive signals in nature: Gravitational waves traveling across the universe at the speed of light since the Big Bang. Cadonati explains that "no one has ever measured these waves before, and it is really daunting, really challenging." She says that “if we can detect these waves passing through Earth, it would be the ultimate confirmation of the theory of general relativity.”