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NSM highlights from 2007

• Dec 11, 2007  Eliot Moss, Computer Science selected as Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Fellow
• Dec 1, 2007  UMass Robotics Laboratory featured in December 2007 Wired magazine for notable developments on robotic hands
• Nov 28, 2007  Junior Michael Krainin, Computer Science, received honorable mention in 2008 Computing Research Association's Outstanding Undergraduate Award competition
• Nov 27, 2007  $1.5 million NSF grant awarded to Fueling the Future Chemical Bonding Center for renewable energy; S. Thayumanavan, Chemistry, to lead research on proton transfer and alternative fuels
• Nov 26, 2007  Lila Gierasch, BMB, helps promote the state’s biotechnology industry at legislative hearing
• Nov 20, 2007  Wayne Burleson, Kevin Fu and Dan Holcomb, Computer Science, develop improved security for RFID credit card chips
• Nov 18, 2007  Robert Moll, Computer Science, awarded $198,651 U.S. Dept. of Education grant for building Java Instructor Community
• Nov 17, 2007  David Hart, Computer Science, received $299,984 NSF grant for reseach on electronic delivery and referencing
• Nov 17, 2007  Alfred Crosby and Douglas Holmes, Polymer Science & Engineering, create novel “snapping” Venus Flytrap-inspired polymer surface
• Nov 16, 2007  Magdalena Bezanilla, Biology, awarded $139,530 NSF grant for research on plant cell proteins
• Nov 15, 2007  Abigail Jensen, Biology, and Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute featured in November US Airways Magazine
• Nov 14, 2007  Alejandro Heuck, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, awarded four-year $308,000 American Heart Association grant
• Nov 13, 2007  Panos Kevrekidis, Math, awarded Humboldt Research Fellowship
• Nov 8, 2007  Jim Kurose, Brian Levine, and Donald Towsley, Computer Science, received $200,000 President’s Science and Technology Grant for new Center of Excellence in Wireless Communications
• Nov 2, 2007  Lila Gierasch, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, named Mount Holyoke alumnae trustee
• Nov 2, 2007  Celeste Asikainen, Geosciences, and Sean Werle, Biology, discover fast-growing, metal-rich sedimentary deposits in New Hampshire lake
• Nov 2, 2007  Mike Williams, Geosciences, develops “Trail of Time” to help Grand Canyon visitors understand geologic time
• Nov 1, 2007  Campus scientists awarded $597,000 NSF grant to fund polar science and climate education for middle and high schools
• Oct 31, 2007  Joseph Kunkel featured in New York Times Online Health section about cockroaches
• Oct 26, 2007  Mark Corner and David Jensen, Computer Science, named to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research study groups
• Oct 24, 2007  Ed Klekowski, Biology (emeritus), is working on a PBS documentary about the American Ambulance Field Service in W.W. I, supported by the Florence Gould Foundation
• Oct 24, 2007  R. Thomas Zoeller, Biology, received $386,678 NIH grant to study developmental disruption of thyroid hormone action
• Oct 24, 2007  Raymond Bradley, Geosciences, is contributor to Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel’s report on Climate Change
• Oct 23, 2007  Al Crosby, Polymer Science and Engineering, received NSF grant to support a partnership between American and Korean scientists
• Oct 23, 2007  The Discovery Channel filmed gecko locomotion work in biologist Duncan Irschick’ s lab for its "Weird Science" series
• Oct 22, 2007  Al Crosby, Polymer Science & Engineering, received Adhesion Society’s first Young Scientist Award
• Oct 19, 2007  Joe Kunkel, Biology, received a NOAA grant to research bluefish responses to environmental estrogens
• Oct 18, 2007  9 Biology undergraduates selected as Fall 2007 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) interns
• Oct 18, 2007  Magdalena Bezanilla, Biology, awarded 2007 Packard Foundation Science and Engineering Fellowship for plant gene and cellulosic biofuel production research
• Oct 16, 2007  Karsten Theis, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, awarded $516,000 American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant for DNA Repair research
• Oct 16, 2007  Pat Wadsworth, Biology, wins 2008 Olympus BioScapes Imaging Competition
• Oct 13, 2007  Rod Grupen, Computer Science, has developed next-generation “uBots” designed to interact with humans, to appear at Boston Museum of Science in 2009
• Oct 11, 2007  Free, public Internet access now available in downtown Amherst, a project spearheaded by Mark Corner and Brian Levine, Computer Science in conjunction with town officials
• Sep 28, 2007  Lila Gierasch and Jennifer Normanly, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Sandy Petersen, Biology, are co-PI’s for NSF IGERT program in Institute for Cellular Engineering to boost graduate training in biotechnology and biomedical fields
• Sep 26, 2007  Danny Schnell, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, elected Secretary of the American Society of Plant Biologist's Executive Committee
• Sep 25, 2007  Mark Tuominen, Physics, launches NSF funded open access National Nanomanufacturing Network
• Sep 23, 2007  Lynmarie Thompson, Chemistry, awarded $142,448 NIH grant for Chemistry/Biology Interface Training Grant
• Sep 21, 2007  Alan Parrish, Astronomy, awarded $210,000 National Aeronautics and Space Administration grant for Continued Ground-Based Microwave Observations of Ozone
• Sep 21, 2007  Thomas Russell, Polymer Science & Engineering, awarded $589,195 Army Research Office grant for Bio-Directed Hierarchical Assembly of Multifunctional Materials
• Sep 20, 2007  Jennifer Normanly, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, awarded $138,091 NSF grant for The Role of Trytophan Metabolism in Auxin Homeostasis
• Sep 19, 2007  Andrew McCallum, Computer Science, receives tenure
• Sep 16, 2007  Gerome Miklau, Computer Science, awarded $78,375 NSF grant for CT-T: Preserving Utility While Ensuring Privacy for Linked Data
• Sep 15, 2007  Ralf Schiffler, Mathematics & Statistics, awarded $87,048 NSF grant for “Cluster Algebras and Tilting Theory”
• Sep 14, 2007  Bret Jackson, Chemistry, awarded $125,000 US Department of Energy grant for Theory of Reaction Dynamics of Small Molecules on Metal
• Sep 13, 2007  Lori Ann Clarke, Computer Science, awarded $370,000 NSF grant for ITR-Improving Safety and Efficiency of Medical Processes
• Sep 13, 2007  Raymond Bradley, Geosciences, awarded 3-year NSF $416,550 grant for research on Arctic volcanoes
• Sep 12, 2007  Erik Learned-Miller, Computer Science, awarded $228,843 NIH grant for Universal Text Recognition
• Sep 11, 2007  Ivon Arroyo, Computer Science, awarded $145,549 NSF grant for “What Kind of Math Software Works for Girls?”
• Sep 10, 2007  Jenia Tevelev, Mathematics & Statistics, awarded NSF grant for project “Geometry of Compact Moduli Spaces”
• Sep 10, 2007  John Staudenmayer, Mathematics & Statistics, named associate editor of Journal of the American Statistical Association
• Sep 10, 2007  Markos Katsoulakis, Mathematics and Statistics, awarded $336,172 NSF grant for “Multiscale Methods for Many-Particle Stochastic Systems”
• Sep 9, 2007  Ralf Schiffler, Mathematics & Statistics, awarded $87,048 NSF grant
• Sep 9, 2007  Tom Braden, Mathematics & Statistics, awarded 2-year $61,120 National Security Agency grant for project “Equivariant Topology of Singular Varieties”
• Sep 7, 2007  Biology undergraduates Mary Le and Amy Rayla awarded 2007 William and Margaret Nutting Scholarships
• Sep 6, 2007  Peter Hepler, emeritus professor of Biology, named American Society of Plant Biologists Fellow
• Aug 31, 2007  14 Biology undergrads awarded Junior Year Fellowships
• Aug 28, 2007  John Staudenmayer, Mathematics & Statistics, Co-PI on $2,100,000 National Cancer Institute Grant to develop miniature device to measure physical activity
• Aug 15, 2007  Elizabeth Sterner, incoming PhD student in Polymer Science & Engineering, awarded $30,000 Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship
• Aug 15, 2007  Elizabeth Sterner, incoming PhD student in Polymer Science & Engineering, awarded $30,000 Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship
• Aug 7, 2007  The August 7 issue of Scientific American features photos of research team led by Mark Corner, Computer Science, who have developed technology to efficiently track local snapping turtles, which will provide invaluable information to conservation efforts
• Aug 5, 2007  Article by Egor Babaev, Physics, is cover story for the August issue of Nature Physics
• Jul 29, 2007  Article by Narayanan Menon, Physics, on "swarming" featured in Science, Perspective in Science, NPR's Science Friday, and Physicsworld.com
• Jul 29, 2007  Toddler-sized robots built by Rod Grupen, Computer Science, discussed in a New York Times feature article on July 29 about efforts to make robots more human-like
• Jul 26, 2007  Todd Emrick, Polymer Science & Engineering, is a co-PI on a grant from The Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research to develop novel polymers for the treatment of muscular dystrophy
• Jul 26, 2007  Wei-Lih Lee, Biology, awarded an NIH/NIGMS research project grant to study how budding yeast cells move their mitotic spindle during cell division.
• Jul 26, 2007  Astronomy's Large Millemeter Telescope (LMT) received a $750,000 grant as part of the U.S. Departments of Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill
• Jul 17, 2007  Kevin Fu and Brian Levine, Computer Science, lead the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection (I3P), a consortium of leading national cyber security institutions, for UMass Amherst
• Jul 15, 2007  UMass scientists' TWO-Micron All Star Survey finds that solar system born in another galaxy, the Sagittarius Dwarf, and later drawn into the Milky Way by gravitational forces
• Jul 10, 2007  Karen Searcy, Biology, received a Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program grant for survey on rare plants and priority natural plant communities in Robinson State Park in Agawam, Mass.
• Jul 10, 2007  Eric Bittman, Biology, received NIH grant to study the coordination in time of physiological processes, which will shed light on jet lag, seasonality, and disease processes
• Jul 6, 2007  Jim Watkins, Polymer Science & Engineering, will receive Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity at the 2007 UMass Amherst Faculty Convocation on September 21, 2007
• Jul 6, 2007  Edwin Chan, Polymer Science & Engineering, received Bausch & Lomb Student Innovation Award
• Jun 27, 2007  George M. Langford, NSM Dean, named Distinguished Professor by the Board of Trustees
• Jun 27, 2007  Andrew McCallum, Computer Science, appointed to first permanent Council on the Computing Community Consortium of the Computer Research Association
• Jun 26, 2007  Julian Tyson, Chemistry, awarded $200,000 NSF Discovery Corps Fellowship to support research and educational efforts on the toxic contaminant arsenic
• Jun 25, 2007  Harry Bermudez, Polymer Science & Engineering, recipient of first Armstrong Fund for Science awards
• Jun 25, 2007  Richard Vachet and Jonathan Wilson (PhD '05), Chemistry, issued patent for process that quickly and simultaneously identifies multiple proteins
• Jun 22, 2007  The Chemistry Department hosted 10 students this summer from various institutions working on renewable energy research through an NSF REU grant for undergraduate research
• Jun 22, 2007  Craig Martin, Chemistry, received over $1 million NIH grant to study how key enzyme changes structure during transcription (the process of copying DNA to RNA, which allows genes to regulate cells)
• Jun 22, 2007  Peter Alpert, Biology, appointed by the Department of the Interior to Invasive Species Advisory Committee and received a USDA grant to study grasses with carbon addition to soil
• Jun 21, 2007  Michael Barnes, Chemistry; Thomas Braden, Mathematics & Statistics; Kenneth Carter and Gregory Tew, Polymer Science & Engineering; and Anthony Dinsmore, Physics awarded tenure; appointments with tenure were approved for Daniela Calzetti, Astronomy and George M. Langford, Biology by the Board of Trustees.
• Jun 19, 2007  Al Crosby, Polymer Science & Engineering, invited as one of the nation's brightest young engineers to participate in National Academy of Engineering's U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium
• Jun 15, 2007  Julie Brigham Grette, Geosciences, awarded additional $1.5 Million NSF grant for an international arctic drilling project on Russia's El'gygytgyn Lake
• Jun 14, 2007  Joe Kunkel, Biology, awarded $200,000 N. E. Lobster Research Initiative grant to study lobster shell disease
• Jun 14, 2007  Gerald Downes, Biology, awarded $790,000 NIH grant to study the genetic control of spinal cord assembly
• Jun 4, 2007  Murugappan Muthukumar, Polymer Science and Engineering, awarded $265,875 NIH grant for "Modeling Macromolecular Transport through Protein Channels and Nanopores"
• May 31, 2007  S. Thayumanavan, Chemistry, awarded $1.57 M DARPA grant to design a controlled release drug-delivery system
• May 30, 2007  Richard Farris, Bryan Coughlin, and Todd Emrick, Polymer Science & Engineering, create fire-safe 'green' polymer that can replace plastics in vehicles and household goods
• May 28, 2007  Rick Adrion, Computer Science, awarded $668,185 NSF grant for work on Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education
• May 28, 2007  Raymond S. Bradley, Geosciences, awarded $349,621 U.S. Department of Energy grant for research on regional-scale climate change
• May 26, 2007  Tisato Kajiyama ('69 PhD Polymer Science and Engineering), president , Kyushu University in Japan, received honorary Doctor of Science degree from UMass Amherst & Distinguished Alumni Award
• May 26, 2007  Edward P. Marram ('59 BS, Chemistry; '61 MS, Physics), founder, president, and CEO of Geo-Centers Inc., received UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award
• May 11, 2007  Polymer Science & Engineering received $107,508 GAANN grant from U.S. Department of Education to fund 6 PhD fellowships
• May 10, 2007  Polymer Science and Engineering awarded Dept of Education scholarship funding for 5 U.S. PhD students
• May 10, 2007  Rick Adrion, Computer Science, awarded $668,185 NSF grant to develop the Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education
• May 8, 2007  Don Towsley, Computer Science received ACM Sigmetrics Achievement Award
• May 4, 2007  Rod Grupen, Computer Science, awarded NASA $330,000 grant to study force guided control for mobility and manipulation
• May 4, 2007  Scott Auerbach, Chemistry, awarded $276,000 NSF grant to study nanotechnology for renewable biofuels
• May 1, 2007  Nikolay Prokofiev and Boris Svistunov, Physics awarded $840,000 NSF grant for computational studies of condensed matter systems
• Apr 23, 2007  Bruce Croft, Computer Science, and Nikolai Prokof'ev, Physics, awarded UMass Amherst Conti Fellowships
• Apr 19, 2007  Guy Blaylock, Physics, and PhD candidate Jennie D'Ambroise, Mathematics and Statistics receive Distinguished Teaching Awards
• Apr 17, 2007  Ray Bradley, Geosciences, awarded Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union
• Apr 12, 2007  Ken Carter, Polymer Science & Engineering, received Percy L. Julian Award
• Apr 11, 2007  Bill MacKnight, Polymer Science and Engineering, received the Society of Plastics Engineers International Award
• Apr 11, 2007  PhD candidate Brian Jordan, Chemistry, awarded a $17,500 IBM PhD Fellowship
• Apr 11, 2007  UMass Amherst Distinguished Alumni Awards given to Tisato Kajiyama (’69 PhD Polymer Science and Engineering), president , Kyushu University in Japan and Jess Kane (’70 BS Biology/Pre-Dental), orthodontist and associate professor, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
• Apr 10, 2007  Scott Garman, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, awarded $1.4M NIH grant to research lysosomal storage diseases
• Apr 9, 2007  Peg Riley, Biology, receives $1.75M NIH grant to study role of stress in antibacterial toxins
• Apr 9, 2007  Dawn Eriksen ('07 Biochemistry & Molecular Biology /Chemical Engineering) awarded Goldwater Scholarship
• Mar 9, 2007  Gerry Downes, Biology, received $790,000 NIH grant to investigate zebrafish spinal cord network assembly
• Mar 5, 2007  Twelve life science undergraduates received the new HHMI Academic Research Internships
• Mar 1, 2007  Elizabeth Connor, Biology, named Redesign Scholar for Biology Education by National Center for Academic Transformation
• Mar 1, 2007  Joe Kunkel, Biology, received $200,000 2-year NOAA grant to study lobster shell disease
• Mar 1, 2007  Chris Woodcock, Biology, received 2-Year $100,000 grant from the International Rett Syndrome Association for work on protein-folding
• Feb 22, 2007  Gregory Tew, Polymer Science & Engineering, first winner of the new Herman F. Mark Young Scholar Award
• Feb 20, 2007  Evgueni Tevelev, Mathematics and Statistics, named 2007 Sloan Fellow
• Feb 13, 2007  Todd Emrick, Polymer Science & Engineering, gets 'Hot Paper' citation for ACS article
• Feb 12, 2007  David F. Boutt, Geosciences, awarded $140,780 NSF Grant for research on pore fluid pressure gradients
• Jan 30, 2007  Gerome Miklau, Computer Science, receives NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for his project on privacy and accountability in database systems.
• Jan 30, 2007  Ian Henderson, graduate student in Polymer Science and Engineering, named Kodak Fellow
• Jan 19, 2007  Ray Bradley, Geosciences, invited by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to discuss global warming
• Jan 18, 2007  Alum Dr. Art Goldstein (MS '77, PhD '80, Geosciences) named Division Director of Earth Sciences at NSF, replacing alum Herman Zimmerman (MS '63, Geosciences)
• Jan 12, 2007  Polymer Science and Engineering has been ranked third in the nation for Material Science in terms of productivity and impact (2005 data) in a new study published in the Chronicle of Higher Education
• Jan 9, 2007  Computer Science faculty gave technology workshops in Ghana in January