College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst

Nominate yourself or fellow College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst alumni for the 2025 CNS Alumni Awards! These awards celebrate members of our community who are making a positive impact in society and science. Learn more and submit a nomination here: https://lnkd.in/eCZZxZyf #CNS #CNSAlumniAwards #CNSAlumni #UMass #UMassAlumni

Come celebrate the spring equinox, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, at the standing stones of the UMass Amherst Sunwheel on Thursday, March 20 at 6:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. At the gatherings, Stephen Schneider of the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst’s Department of Astronomy will discuss this astronomical change of seasons, when days and nights are nearly equal in length all around the world. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e262Ja7j University of Massachusetts Amherst #CNS #UMassAstronomy #Astronomy #SpringEquinox

The UMass Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) program—which offers a unique integrative education for undergraduates studying science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), public health, policy, and business—is doubling in size to offer two new tracks. Adding to the two long-established Biomedicine and Clean Energy tracks, iCons launched a Food-Water-Climate track this spring, and the inaugural AI-Future of Work cohort will enroll in Spring 2026. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dKyy_fMS College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst #CNS #iCons #STEM #IntegrativeEducation

Meet the members of the 15th cohort of iCons! Lucy Billiar '28 is an Environmental Science major in Commonwealth Honors College on the Food-Water-Climate track. Fun fact: "I have visited 18 countries!" University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst UMass Commonwealth Honors College

Meet Molly from Manchester, New Hampshire. In May, Molly graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, offered through the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. As a first-generation college student, Molly felt that “getting a bachelor's degree in something that interested me was very important.” Though she’s always been interested in marine science, she never associated that with her educational goals. But after her time at the College of Natural Sciences (CNS), she now wants to pursue a PhD in the field. Aside from the ocean, Molly has always had a fascination with bees. This drove her to run for (and win) the presidency of the Beekeeping Club. Her love of bees also led her to the Pollinator Health and Ecology Lab (known as the Adler Lab), where she worked with bumble bees. “That lab, and all of its members, truly changed my undergraduate experience and made it something I will look back on fondly.” The Department of Biology’s Lynn Adler, for whom the lab is named, was “an amazing mentor” for Molly during her time there: “She allowed me to grow my skills in leadership and communication, as well as serve as an advocate for my interests.” The Animal Science major offered Molly exposure to many exciting courses. One of her favorites was Research Animal Management (ANIMLSCI 455 and 456). “I would definitely recommend that class, it is so fun and engaging. Shout out to Dr. Nuno Carreiro, who made the class so fun and enjoyable to take!” Learn more about Molly: https://lnkd.in/e3_bUPp5 University of Massachusetts Amherst #CNS #CNSStudentSpotlights #UMassVASCI #AnimalScience #MarineScience

Americans have been using seed oils—such as canola, soybean, and corn oils—in their kitchens for years. But a growing chorus of critics claim that the most common refined oils are responsible for rising inflammation and the prevalence of chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. Food scientists are pushing back against these claims. In a recent Associated Press News article, Eric Decker, professor in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst’s Department of Food Science and the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at UMass Amherst, presents a more nuanced view. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e3ta9dFe #CNS #UMassFoodScience #UMassCAFE #SeedOil #Nutrition

On a recent episode of New England Public Media's “The Fabulous 413” focused on the local production of “ice wine” made from the juice of frozen apples, Elizabeth Garofalo of the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at UMass Amherst speaks with the hosts about the challenges faced by apple growers in the region, such as labor shortages and climate change. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eiRk4kgn #CNS #UMassCAFE #Apples #IceWine #IceCider

One of the coolest things about being in this field is though there hasn’t been much new for a while. There’s a lot that’s new right now. This is one of the coolest things. Lynne McLandsborough , University of Massachusetts Amherst

Supertaster: To taste or not to taste. Individual variation in the ability to taste bitterness was first observed for phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) by Fox in the early 1930s, and attempts to link such individual differences in bitterness to PTC and a similar compound PROP (propylthiouracil) to food preferences and dietary habits date back to the early 1960s. It was in the early 2000s that the individual differences observed in the bitterness of PTC and PROP was due to genetic polymorphisms in a bitter taste receptor, TAS2R38. While this was a profound discovery at the time, we now know that this genetic mutation only explains some of the variation . Specifically, individuals with the non-functional mutation of the receptor, still reports perceiving bitterness at high concentrations (see Figure 3), suggesting another pathway or receptor is involved. In this paper with?John Hayes,?Maik Behrens, Wolfgang Meyerhof, and John McGeary, it identifies a different bitter taste receptor, TAS2R4, that has at least one additional receptor involved in the bitterness perception of PROP. Supertaster: a term of the past: Further, it is important to note that tasting PROP as more bitter does not mean individuals will perceive all senses as more intense or even other bitter compounds as more intense. WHY? - Bitterness is perceived through 25-26 different receptors. PROP corresponds to genetic differences on two receptors, thus, does not determine whether other bitter taste receptors are functional or non-functional. This is why the terms "supertaster" and "non-taster" are not accurate, and also why tasting PROP is not a good replacement for genetic testing. #PROPstatus #sensoryscience #TAS2R38 #bittertaste #TAS2Rs #genetics #Tasting #research #PTC #PROP #bitterness College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst https://lnkd.in/eVGcJ3Sq

It's great to read about some of the impactful work being done by a Hughes Investigator at my alma mater College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst. HHMI Investigator Lillian Fritz-Laylin, PhD, develops genetic tools to study the development of the cytoskeleton – an internal cellular scaffolding system that varies wildly among cell types and species – at her lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her work focuses on organisms that occupy pivotal evolutionary positions and could lead to breakthroughs in human health and global ecology. Read more about Dr. Fritz-Laylin and her research here: https://lnkd.in/eKPSnPTg #HHMI #MovingScienceForward