News & Announcements Archive

Dr. Black awarded Gates Foundation Grant

Samuel Black, Ph.D., professor of veterinary and animal sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded a three-year, $478,000 grant, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work with an international team developing a vaccine to control and cure trypanosomiasis, a fatal disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa and a major obstacle to raising livestock there.

UMass Wool Blankets, Yarn & Sheepskin available for Holiday Gift Giving

When the sheep are sheared in the spring we save the best wool and have it woven into our popular, beautiful and soft throws and blankets.  These blankets and throws are made locally, make great gifts, and are a true reflection of the enthusiasm our students have for all the animals at the farm.  All proceeds help support the Livestock Program in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and The Center for Agriculture.

Cynthia Baldwin serves on Brucellosis Panel

Cynthia Baldwin,Ph.D. of the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department, has been invited by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, to serve on an expert panel to update the academy’s 1998 report, “Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area.”

 

Students tour MSA Security's state-of-the-art Explosive Detection Canine Training facility

On Veteran's Day, members of the Pre-Veterinary and Animal Science Club traveled with Dr. Beltaire to Windsor, CT, to tour MSA Security's state-of-the-art Explosive Detection Canine (EDC) Training facility, where handlers and bomb-sniffing dogs exemplify the highest security industry standards.

New course - Wildlife Reproduction

The Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department will offer Wildlife Reproduction for the first time in the Spring 2016 semester.

NEAGEP Welcomes 19 Fellows to STEM Doctoral Programs

Sandra Petersen, director of the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate reports that the program recently welcomed a record number of new fellows to science, technology, engineering and mathematics doctoral programs at UMass Amherst.

Developmental Biologist Kim Tremblay Receives NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Grant

Developmental biologist Kim Tremblay recently received a two-year, $426,000 grant from NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to use extra-embryonic tissue, that is, the membranes and tissues that protect and nourish embryos until birth, to develop a new model liver system for urgently needed  new ways to study liver function and mechanisms.

Erin Amato selected to deliver presentation to the University Foundation Development Committee

Erin Amato, Masters student in the Animal Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences Program, was selected to give a presentation on iCons (Integrated Concentration in Science) before the Development Committee of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation.        

Valley Research Consortium receives grant to study breast cancer risk and household products

The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences announced a five-year grant expected to total more than $3.5 million to a research consortium led by Joseph Jerry of the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study breast cancer risk and environmental exposure to common chemicals found in cosmetics and household products.

Dominique Alfandari, Ph.D. promoted to Professor

Dr. Alfandari's research focuses on the Role of ADAM (A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease) Proteins During the Early Development of the Frog Xenopus laevis.

Lisa M. Minter, Ph.D. promoted to Associate Professor

Dr. Minter's research focuses on identifying key regulatory molecules that contribute to autoimmunity, especially the autoimmune bone marrow failure syndrome, Aplastic Anemia.

Sandra Roy Awarded Manning Inventor Fellowship

Sandra Roy, Ph.D. candidate in the Animal Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences program has been selected to receive one of the four new Manning Inventor Fellowships. The fellowship will allow Roy to expand her basic laboratory research on catheter-acquired urinary tract infection (CAUTI) interventions to include proof-of-concept studies on the most promising drug candidates.