News Archives | Department of Environmental Conservation

Tree doctors needed— The demand for arborists surges as New England’s forests respond to climate change

October 26, 2020 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

UMass arborists were featured in a New York Times article discussing the future of New England’s trees and the increasing need for arborists and foresters. Forests in the Northeast are changing with the warming planet. Extreme weather, pests, air pollution, and increased temperatures are only some of the threats on the long list of stressors taking a toll on New England’s picturesque woodlands. According to UMass conservationists Paul Catanzaro and Kristina Bezanson, the dire situation in our forests has led to a shortage of arborists. From “New England’s Forests Are Sick. They Need More Tree Doctors:” Many arborists say they are spending more time taking down dead or unhealthy trees than ever before. “We are a heavily treed state,” said Kristina Bezanson. “We are having more tree problems that require lots of arborists, and there is a shortage of arborists.” Bezanson, who is among those training the next generation of arborists, said she sees rising demand not just regionally but nationwide in the profession’s three principal...

Charlie Schweik and Brenda Bushouse Receive NSF Award to Study Open-Source Software

October 22, 2020 by C. Anderson Comment Closed

From: https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/schweik-bushouse-and-partners-receive-34 Research Team Including UMass Amherst’s Charlie Schweik and Brenda Bushouse Receives $3.4 Million in NSF Grants to Study Open-Source Software Over 80% of businesses, including all major tech companies, rely on open source software, Schweik says A research team including Charlie Schweik and Brenda Bushouse of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded $3.4 million in grants from the National Science Foundation’s Growing Convergence Research program for their project, “Jumpstarting Successful Open-Source Software Projects with Evidence-based Rules and Structures.” Schweik, professor of public policy and environmental conservation, and Bushouse, associate professor of political science and public policy, will work in collaboration with Vladimir Filkov and Seth Frey of the University of California Davis to discern the socio-technical structural and governance conditions under which internet-based open-source software (OSS) projects are most—and least—effective, and provide actionable knowledge to OSS developers and to the nonprofit organizations that support them. The NSF Growing Convergence Research program funds projects that address complex research problems, particularly ones focused on societal needs, by...

Register now for BCT’s Winter & Spring Online Professional Education Courses

October 20, 2020 by Alexander SchreyerNo Comments

With an increasing number of our courses now online, we are announcing the immediate availability of the following professional education courses for the upcoming Winter Term (Dec. - Jan.) and Spring Term (Feb. - May). There is no need to be a matriculated UMass student to take these courses. Anyone with a professional interest in our field can take them on a per-credit fee basis. Register Now! Learn more about these courses and register now on the University Without Walls (UWW) website at the following link: Find Courses and Enroll (filter by “Subject” and look for “Building and Construction Technology” or “Environmental Conservation”) Want More? Many of these courses can be taken to fulfill requirements of our Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building Construction or our Professional Masters in Sustainable Building Systems. Contact us anytime if you would like to learn more about those options. Upcoming Courses Winter Term Sustainable Building & LEED Certification This course introduces core concepts of the USGBC LEED Rating Systems and assists students in study and...

Andy Danylchuk receives Flats Stewardship Award

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by C. Anderson Comment Closed

The recipient of the 2020 Flat Stewardship Award from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust is Dr. Andy Danylchuk, Professor of Fish Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a BTT Research Fellow. He also serves as Director of the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program; an Ambassador for Patagonia, Thomas and Thomas, and Sight Line Provisions; and is also a National Fellow of the Explorers Club. Dr. Danylchuk has authored or co-authored more than 45 scientific publications focusing on flats species. They have included studies on catch and release, movement ecology and early observations of bonefish moving offshore to spawn. He is also the Principal Investigator on the BTT's tarpon telemetry project, which is studying the population connectivity movements and habitat uses of 200 acoustically-tagged tarpon. "We appreciate our partnership with Andy through his role as a collaborating scientist and Research Fellow," said Jim DcDuffie. "The Tarpon Acoustic Tagging Project is rewriting the book on what was previously known about...

A gold prize for being green— UMass among the ‘Top 20 Coolest Schools’

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The University of Massachusetts Amherst was named among Sierra magazine’s “Top 20 Coolest Schools 2020,” a list of the greenest colleges and universities in North America. For its strong environmental ethos and wide-ranging sustainability efforts, UMass Amherst jumped to No. 15 on the 14th annual list from the Sierra Club’s national publication, up from No. 27 in 2019. Sierra received a record 312 submissions for this year’s survey. Despite the challenges of a pandemic, “…the schools on this list have shown incredible resourcefulness as they have innovated new ways to maintain – and in many cases, further – their sustainability objectives,” the Sierra states in announcing the Top 20 list on Monday, Sept. 28. The rankings consider which schools offer the best sustainability-focused courses, ecofriendly dining options and carbon-neutral land and energy policies, as well as the most opportunities to engage with the green movement. “This ranking is an acknowledgement that the university maintains its commitment to educating students, conducting research and operating its facilities...