The University of Massachusetts Amherst, founded in 1863, is the flagship of the five-campus UMass system. Home to the Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst incorporates modern teaching methods involving new communication and information technology, yet remains an immersive, residential campus serving more than 22,000 undergraduate and approximately 6,300 graduate students across a comprehensive array of academic programs.
True to its land-grant roots, UMass Amherst is engaged in research and creative work in all fields and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a doctoral university with the “highest research activity” or R1. Major areas of emphasis include climate science, food science, alternative energy, nanomanufacturing, polymer science, computer science and linguistics.
Together, students and faculty are deeply engaged in collaboration with communities — both regional and international — to improve their social and economic conditions.
Are health risks from air pollution less serious than we think? Mainstream scientists call this a fringe view, but it’s getting high-level attention at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Most baby clothes, toys, bedding and furniture are treated with flame-retardant chemicals.
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Brief exposure to a family of chemicals used as flame retardants early in life can permanently alter fat levels in the blood and liver, raising the risk of liver cancer and heart disease.
A modern mouse lemur Microcebus sits upon the cranium of an extinct Megaladapis lemur.
Dao Van Hoang www.daovanhoang.com
A series of new studies sheds light on the population crash and extinction of the giant birds, lemurs and more that roamed the island until around A.D. 700-1000.
Skilled craft jobs like plumbing and carpentry pay better than most blue-collar jobs.
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President Trump says that the white working class is being pushed out of the job market. But that doesn’t seem to be true for the best-paying blue-collar jobs.
Festivals can offer great exposure for smaller acts, but the competition for slots is fierce.
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Live performances account for more than 40 percent of their income, while profits from streaming and record sales amount to only 5 percent of their earnings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may soon exit the political stage.
Reuters/ Ammar Awad
Two-thirds of people who report workplace sexual harassment say they lost their jobs or are retaliated against in other ways. Most never receive any money.
An image from the International Space Station captures plumes of smoke from California wildfires on August 4, 2018.
NASA
Haze from Northern California wildfires has drifted as far east as Philadelphia. Wildfire smoke contains many potentially toxic substances, so anyone exposed to it should take basic precautions.
Robert Mahoney of the Committee to Protect Journalists on Oct. 18 appealed to the U.N. to investigate the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
The Trump administration’s abandonment of support for democracy and civil rights abroad may be behind the sort of attacks on individual freedom that likely claimed journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s life.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Saul Loeb/Pool Image via AP
One striking feature of Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony was the number of times he interrupted. Data shows that hearing interruptions are becoming more common, particularly when the nominee is female.
A study finds that higher ozone levels correlate with slower performance times for college endurance athletes.
Pavel1964
2018 brought the announcement of a new geologic age that covers the last 4,200 years. How do scientists divide up Earth’s timeline and what do these demarcations mean?
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has shown little tolerance for dissent.
AP/Cliff Owen
With the Trump Administration’s abandonment of support for democracy and civil rights abroad, Middle Easterners may well believe that the U.S. cares little for their well-being and their very lives.
Just as the printing press made books more affordable, technology could do the same thing for college textbooks today.
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An English and economics professor explain why America’s college textbook industry might undergo radical change that makes books more affordable, similar to what happened in medieval times.
Many voices mean many viewpoints.
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The rule of law can take on different meanings depending whom you ask and where you are – but in the US it pretty much means one thing.
An ingredient in toothpaste and other personal care products may be harming the microbes in our gut and leaving us vulnerable to disease.
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Triclosan is found in thousands of personal care products from toothpaste to soap. New research links it to inflammation and cancer in the gut in mice, by disrupting their microbiome.
Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker signed a comprehensive energy law in 2016 that authorized the development of new offshore wind and hydroelectric projects.
Massachusetts governor’s office
Several states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have developed ambitious renewable energy targets that hinge in large part on getting their power from turbines stationed in the water.