University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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FACULTY The faculty year in review would be incom- plete if some mention were not made of the prog- ress being made at the University by our educa- tors. Here is a picture of what the University staffs, both here and in the Extension Service, are doing on their own time for tlie furthering of your education, and in the long run, for the benefit of all humanity. Needless to say, there is no such thing as a complete list of research grants and faculty publications, for new grants are being constantiy awarded and many articles and books are being prepared right this very day. All this is being done because there is a never ending search for knowledge in our world. Knowledge can come to us only through the efforts of individuals such as those on our faculty. The following is taken from a memorandum sent by Provost McCune to President Mather: It is the obvious feeling of the Research Council that the University staff should carry on research and creative writing and publish their results. It is felt that as this is done, it will enhance the teaching program which is the primary purpose of the University. It is evident that many faculty members have adopted the foregoing statement as a basis for their academic activities. Since a complete list is impossible to obtain, we have attempted to gather information which can best represent the different work being done by each department. The advances made in the field of science are an integral part of our daily lives. These days, new developments are being announced which affect every aspect of our existence. In the Chemistry Department, Dr. Stein, Dr. Little, and Dr. Carpino are doing major research projects: these include the examination of the synthesis and reactivity of a new class of organic com- pounds and a study of amorphous polymers. Members of the Zoology Department are equally busy. Some of their work, sponsored by the National Institute of Health, includes a study of diet, temperature, toxins produced by tricho- mandas, and research on the growth and hyper- trophy of the foetal rat kidney. The United States Department of the Interior is sponsoring Dr. L. Bartlett ' s work dealing with a comparative study of tastes and smells in birds. In addition, the zoology staff has been a regular contributor to various periodicals concerned with zoology and related fields. Within Clark Hall, members of the Botany Department are also engaged in research and development projects. Dr. Bigelow has obtained funds in order to make a prelimin- ary investigation of the fungi of Massachusetts. Professors Gentile and Shuster have received University of Massachusetts Teachers grants for further study. The former of the organic acid metabolism of rumex virus tumors and the latter for the study of hepaticae of Eastern North America. The Entomology Department may be unfamil- iar to many students but the work being done there should be of interest because it concerns us. In this school year alone nearly $17,000 worth of grants have been given to this depart- ment. Some of the projects are: a taxonomy of the Plecoptera of the Eastern Seaboard region, a study of the distribution of the crane flies of the Western United States and Canada, and the Control of Tree and Shrub insects by Chemo- therapy. Practical scientific aid to humanity is only one goal of effective research work; another import- ant goal should be the enlightenment of the in- dividual and his problems. Why are these so necessary? They are useful for the purpose of an all-around education, for the promotion of better understanding among individuals, and for the practical application of new theories to life itself. The work done by those departments whose interests lie in the fields of social science, humanities and the arts, affects these three purposes. 22

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The fields of sociology are unique in that the six are regarded by some as arts and by otliers as sciences. Much of the work being done in the Psychology Department is being sponsored by the National Institute of Health — among those working under grants from this organiza- tion are Dr. Kates, Dr. Feldman, Dr. Epstein, and Dr. Myers. Their work ranges from efforts to discover the influence of drive strength upon apperception, to determining the error of meas- urement of the Rorschach and Behn-Rorschach Inkblot Tests. Professor Wendell King of the Sociology Department is working toward finding information concerning the status and role of the aged in the modem family. Dr. Korson is making a study of intergerational occupational mobility of Japanese University alumni. Grants totaling nearly $4,000 have been allocated to sociology this school year. History is more than a story dealing with past events and people; it is a system of facts and ideologies which set the pattern for the future. Five members of the History Department are making studies on their own in an attempt to make past events logical and to present events clearer. Professor Schoeffler of the Economics Department has contributed numerous articles which have appeared in such publications as the Revies of Economics and Statistics , Business Scope and Challenge. In addition, he has published a book, The Failure of Economics: A Diagnostic Study. Knowledge of a foreign laguage is very essen- tial in this era in which the world has been made so much smaller. Knowing another ' s language helps one to understand his own cultru-e. The Department of Romance Languages is constantly doing research on new material to be used in the language laboratory as well as studies on new texts and courses. Of notable importance are the Russian studies being conducted by Mr. John Beebe. The Department of Business Administration has been active in releasing articles that can be used in solving problems which are certain to arise in the modern business structure. Profes- sor Lawrence Hackmack has published Per- sonnel Managers Discuss Management Man- power Questions and The Right Man For the Job. Other members of the department are en- gaged in studies in the fields of finance and accounting. The College of Agriculture is also taking an active part in the research game . Dr. Hankin- son is doing work on the relative merits of four measures of a dairy sire ' s transmitting ability. The Department of Forestry and Wildlife Man- agement has been working to find methods of alleviating the losses of crops, caused by attacks of birds and animals. The members of the Oleri- culture Department are doing work on the potato and tomato plants. Dr. Colby of the Agronomy Department is doing research on the effects of fertilizer elements and the vigor and persistence of top growth and the development of roots of common turfgrass growth. This department has also published a great number of articles to assist the farmers in the area. The University Extension Service is an ex- tremely important branch of the University and a great source of research work. Extension agents keep in constant touch with the scientific research being done by the Massachusetts Agri- cultural Experiment S tation and by the United States Department of Agriculture. There are twelve county extension services throughout the Commonwealth; all working for the people of Massachusetts. The University has come a long way since the days in which the livestock outnumbered the students. The subjects of research are almost endless, but they are being taken by the faculty and are being projected into written and tangi- ble form for the benefit of humanity. There was made available to this institution in September over $440,000 for work to be done during the school year 1958-59. This figure is out of date already for new grants are being given regularly. If we are, at any time, unable to comprehend all that is happening in regards to these projects, at least let us appreciate those who are doing it. For it is these people who are making the world of the future, the very near future to be sure, a healthy and more satisfying place to live. 23