AMHERST, Mass. –  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM) is safe for use in the United States under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization, which helps support public health during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Two students were honored for their dedication to public service at the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy’s (SPP) virtual celebration of its class of 2020 on May 7.

Keith Mascoll had always been into telling stories. His family is originally from Barbados of the West Indies where storytelling is enmeshed in their culture. Whether he was dancing like his father, talking like his grandmother, or doing impersonations of his neighbor, Mascoll was mesmerized as a child by the idea of “becoming somebody else.” It wasn’t until his family took him to see a black production of the musical Mama, I Wanna Sing! in New York that Mascoll realized he could turn that concept into a career.

Chancellor Michael F. Collins recognizes his own mother and offers support for all mothers, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in his May 11 video address.

“Better days are ahead. It may take a while, but a mother’s hope springs eternal with that truth. I am grateful for the wisdom and hope my mother gave to me,” Chancellor Collins said. “No virus can stop us from celebrating the importance of mothers in our lives. I thank my mother and all mothers for their calm in times of trouble.”

Thirty-nine students from the Graduate School of Nursing Class of 2020 at UMass Medical School wrapped up their Doctor of Nursing Practice project presentations at the end of April. It’s the final step before they graduate on May 31 in a virtual commencement celebration.

The projects can take years to complete, and like many other events at UMMS and across the country, the presentations took place via Zoom to allow participants to abide by social distancing guidelines.

UMass Medical School RNA therapeutics researcher Anastasia Khvorova, PhD, has been elected by the membership of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy as director-at-large/scientific & research council chair. Her three-year term will commence at the conclusion of the society’s annual meeting being held virtually from May 12 to 15.

PreLaw magazine has ranked UMass Law third in Massachusetts for practical training, which the publication says is a “key component of the law school experience.”

In the practical training category, UMass Law was ranked third in Massachusetts, landing just below law schools at Northeastern and Harvard universities and was tied with Yale Law School for fifth place in New England.

Today, UMass Dartmouth would have held its 2020 Commencement ceremony for Undergraduate students on campus at Cressy Field. Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing forced the University to cancel spring ceremonies.

A group of UMass Amherst School of Public Policy (SPP) students recently volunteered with the Pioneer Valley Community Advised Fund, a new initiative of the nonprofit Peace Development Fund that supports local grassroots projects focused on social justice.

As chief investment strategist for Quantitative Management Associates (QMA), Manning School of Business alum Ed Keon ’77 leads a team that oversees more than $50 billion in multiasset portfolios.

So professionally speaking, he’s as invested as anyone in how the markets and the economy are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.