AMHERST, Mass. – In an effort to combat a major source of serious bacterial infections, chemical engineers Jessica Schiffman and Lauren B. Andrews at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are studying how bacteria attach themselves to polymer materials used in biomedical devices such as catheters, implants, wound dressings and contact lenses. The goal is to help prevent infections by developing new biofouling resistant materials.

AMHERST, Mass. – A slender little fish called the sand lance plays a big role as “a quintessential forage fish” for puffins, terns and other seabirds, humpback whales and other marine mammals, and even bigger fish such as Atlantic sturgeon, cod and bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine and northwest Atlantic Ocean. But scientists say right now they know far too little about its biology and populations to inform “relevant management, climate adaptation and conservation efforts.”

Music can emerge from some unusual places. Elissa Johnson-Green knows that sometimes, it just needs to be found and pieced together.

Johnson-Green, an assistant professor of music, recently found herself and a group of fifth- and sixth-grade students from Lowell’s Stoklosa Middle School as the center of attention at the annual district science fair at Lowell High School. 

Now that schools across the country have moved all courses online in an effort to stem the coronavirus pandemic, many students are getting their first taste of virtual learning. 

Around the world, people are trying to adapt to the new reality of life in the time of coronavirus. It’s an ever-shifting landscape of uncertainty, dominated by an unseen enemy. Many people who are hunkering down and practicing social distancing are turning to the arts to reduce isolation and soothe the mind and soul. 

UMass Lowell faculty, going through their own adjustments during this time of disruption, have some advice for those looking for entertainment, diversion, enrichment or simply an escape.  

In a video recorded on Monday, March 23, Chancellor Michael F. Collins is urging members of the UMass Medical School community to continue working closely together, even as many do their jobs from home in keeping with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s state of emergency declaration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a few short weeks, 135 members of the School of Medicine Class of 2020 at UMass Medical School will begin their medical careers on the front lines against the COVID-19 pandemic, as new doctors caring for patients from Worcester to Boston, across New England and the nation. As a surreal Match Day unfolded on Friday, March 20, under a state of emergency that urged Massachusetts’ residents to stay home and emptied the UMass Medical School campus, students clicked on emails remotely to discover where their medical careers will start.

Dear Colleagues,

Like our counterparts around the world, the University of Massachusetts finds itself thrust into a moment of almost unimaginable challenge, but as we move forward to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been heartened and inspired by all that I see in the UMass community’s energetic, compassionate, multifaceted response. 

While most graduating medical students must wait until the third Friday in March to discover where they will begin their careers as doctors, School of Medicine 2020 class members Lauren Colwell, Britney Atwater and Ashley Matthew learned in January where they will serve their residencies, after participating in early residency matches.

Epidemiologist and Public Health Prof. David Kriebel, who is reviewing data as it becomes available on the outbreak of COVID-19, sees cautiously encouraging trends on the containment of the virus emerging in China.