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  Biology Alumnus Newsletter
  Biology Department
  University of Massachusetts
  Amherst MA 01003-5810
   
• Use the electronic route via the Biology Alumni Forum where you can leave Email messages for all participating Biology alumni.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teacher Education Collaborative (STEMTEC) is aimed at improving math and science teaching from kindergarten through college and is spearheaded by physics professor Morton Sternheim at the University of Massachusetts.
The project has received a $5 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant is one of three such awards made across the nation by the NSF each year.  STEMTEC participants include the University of Massachusetts, Hampshire, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, Holyoke, and Greenfield Community Colleges and Springfield Technical College. Public schools in Springfield, Amherst, Holyoke, Hadley, Northampton, South Hadley, and Franklin County are also included.
Two Biology faculty have participated in the STEMTEC project, Dr. Joe Kunkel and Dr. Steve Brewer.
Joe Kunkel has used the principles learned in his STEMTEC experience to modify the Writing in Biology course he teaches to juniors which emphasises the skills needed by biologists to communicate effectively, whether that be orally or in writing.
STEMTEC support was used by Steve Brewer to incorporate new technologies into the introductory biology laboratories.  One new laboratory uses the Biology WorkBench (URL: workbench.sdsc.edu), a web-based bioinformatics site which allows students to work with protein and nucleic acid sequence data. In the laboratory exercise, students begin with a short amino acid sequence, conduct a BLAST search to find similar sequences, perform an alignment to find conserved regions in the sequence, and then use a three-dimensional visualization package to 'color in' amino acids in the sequence to visualize the homologies. Students were able to rotate the molecule in three-dimensions and use various visualization techniques to allow them to formulate hypotheses as to why the amino acid sequences of certain regions were conserved.  Students worked in small groups and made presentations on their molecule and its conserved regions to the rest of the class.  Hypotheses they had developed were discussed.
 

Our alumni should realize how important they have been and can continue to be to the Biology Department. For years, alumni, now situated in academic departments throughout the U.S.A. or holding nonacademic positions, have been invaluable to our recent graduates by providing advice and help in locating support for graduate studies and finding jobs. We want to remind all alumni that help from nonacademic quarters is more important than ever. If you would like to be on our list of potential contacts, please send a brief description of your field of work with advice on the most appropriate way to contact you to Ed Davis or Bruce Byers, Biology Department, Morrill Science Center, U. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 or by Email to bbyers@bio.umass.edu.  We have many student requests to have individuals with "real life" jobs (i.e., nonacademic ones) come speak with them.  Should you be available for such talks with small student groups, or for one-on-one conversations, please let us know.
The Biology Department is continuing the scholarship funds started in the former Botany and Zoology Departments and established with alumni contributions.  They include the Ray Ethan Torrey Scholarship for undergrads in the plant sciences and the Bill and Margaret Nutting Scholarship in field biology.  In addition, the newly created Massachusetts Museum of Natural History would appreciate alumni support.  Beyond specific funds, the Biology Department greatly appreciates unrestricted contributions.  University budgets have been tight for many years and alumni contributions have become an extremely important source of funds for many initiatives for our students.  If you respond to the annual UMass Telethon you should know that you can direct your donation or a portion of it to Biology.