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| University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Natural Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Name | College of Natural Sciences |
| Parent | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| Established | 1914 |
| Type | Public |
| Dean | Mark S. umm |
| Location | Amherst, Massachusetts, United States |
| Undergraduates | 5,000+ |
| Postgraduates | 700+ |
University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Natural Sciences The College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public college emphasizing undergraduate and graduate instruction in the physical, biological, and mathematical sciences. It administers degree programs spanning traditional fields and interdisciplinary concentrations linking to agriculture, engineering, public health, and environmental studies. The college supports research partnerships and public outreach across regional, national, and international venues.
The college traces roots to land-grant origins linked to the Morrill Land-Grant Acts and the early development of Massachusetts Agricultural College, later University of Massachusetts Amherst. Early faculty included figures associated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and collaborations with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. During the mid-20th century, expansion of programs occurred alongside federal initiatives like the National Science Foundation and wartime research related to the Manhattan Project era science mobilization. Postwar growth brought links to the National Institutes of Health, partnerships with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and participation in regional consortia including the New England Board of Higher Education.
Departments include Biology (UMass Amherst), Chemistry (UMass Amherst), Mathematics and Statistics (UMass Amherst), Physics (UMass Amherst), Geosciences (UMass Amherst), Environmental Conservation (UMass Amherst), Psychological and Brain Sciences (UMass Amherst), Molecular and Cellular Biology (UMass Amherst), and Communication Disorders (UMass Amherst). Degree offerings intersect with professional programs at UMass Medical School, joint initiatives with University of Massachusetts Lowell, and certificate collaborations with Amherst College and Mount Holyoke College. Cross-listed programs engage with external entities including National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Geological Survey, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnerships for applied training.
Research units include the Massachusetts Green High-Performance Computing Center, the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, the Skinner Museum Laboratory (contextual collections), and the Climate System Research Center. Faculty lead projects funded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and industry partners like Bayer and Pfizer. Specialized centers host collaborations with Broad Institute, Harvard University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Faculty have included recipients of awards from the National Academy of Sciences, the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the MacArthur Fellows Program. Alumni have pursued careers at institutions such as NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, IBM Research, Google, Novartis, Merck & Co., EPA, FDA, United Nations, World Health Organization, and academic appointments at University of California, San Diego, University of Washington, University of Michigan, Cornell University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas at Austin, and Imperial College London. Notable researchers connected through training include contributors to the Human Genome Project, winners of the Lasker Award, and fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Campus facilities include laboratories housed in Wright Hall (UMass Amherst), Goessmann Laboratory, Morrill Science Center, Integrative Learning Center (UMass Amherst), and specialized spaces within the McGuirk Alumni Stadium complex for biomechanics collaborations. Instrumentation centers maintain nuclear magnetic resonance equipment, electron microscopes linked to the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, high-performance computing clusters connected to the XSEDE network, and field stations supporting work at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary-style reserves and coastal sites like Iles de la Madeleine collaborations. The college operates greenhouses, wet labs, and cold rooms enabling partnerships with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Admissions follow criteria aligned with University of Massachusetts Amherst undergraduate and graduate procedures, with applicants submitting materials via platforms influenced by standards set by Common Application and Graduate Record Examinations. Undergraduate organizations include chapters of Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa, American Chemical Society Student Chapter, and Society for Neuroscience student groups. Student life connects to campus-wide entities such as Student Government Association (UMass Amherst), Campus Center, Associated Students of the University of Massachusetts, and community partnerships with Town of Amherst and Hampshire County cultural institutions. Career placement fosters ties to employers including Raytheon Technologies, Boeing, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, and regional biotech incubators.
The college's outreach includes K–12 STEM initiatives collaborating with Amherst Regional Public Schools, summer programs modeled on SEED-type interventions, and public lecture series featuring speakers from American Museum of Natural History, New England Aquarium, and university partners like Boston University and Northeastern University. Extension and outreach coordinate with Massachusetts Department of Public Health, local industry consortia, and nonprofit partners such as The Nature Conservancy and Mass Audubon. International exchanges link with University of Tokyo, University of Cambridge, University of Melbourne, and ETH Zurich to facilitate joint research, study abroad, and capacity-building programs.