What can the foods we eat tell us about physics? We all have physics intuition from our daily lives, beyond just how things move. One place in our homes that is full of physics is actually our kitchen. Physics is more than just particle physics or astrophysics, and one particular less well-known - but very active! - field is soft matter physics. Soft matter physics covers many of the things in our kitchens - from the foods we eat to our cleaning supplies - and these are all things that we have intuition for.

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if we could ever begin to study this great big universe we call home? Do you think astronomers and artists can intersect in their exploration of our universe? How do astronomers use art and artists use astronomy to tell stories? In our class, we will explore these questions and more, first by investigating different elements of art and how they intertwine with a variety of topics in astronomy. We will then create our own works of art to express our understanding.

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if we could ever begin to study this great big universe we call home? Do you think astronomers and artists can intersect in their exploration of our universe? How do astronomers use art and artists use astronomy to tell stories? In our class, we will explore these questions and more, first by investigating different elements of art and how they intertwine with a variety of topics in astronomy. We will then create our own works of art to express our understanding.

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if we could ever begin to study this great big universe we call home? Do you think astronomers and artists can intersect in their exploration of our universe? How do astronomers use art and artists use astronomy to tell stories? In our class, we will explore these questions and more, first by investigating different elements of art and how they intertwine with a variety of topics in astronomy. We will then create our own works of art to express our understanding.

There are more than 200,000 species of viruses that are unknown to us. How often do you come down with a nasty cold? What causes viruses to wreak havoc in an organism that is many orders of magnitude bigger than itself? Are viruses alive? Are viruses good or bad? This seminar will explore what viruses are and how they play an important role in human health (both good and bad). We will address these questions and discuss how viruses are grown and studied in the lab. Additionally, the course will include visits to some labs at UMass that do exciting virus research.

There are more than 200,000 species of viruses that are unknown to us. How often do you come down with a nasty cold? What causes viruses to wreak havoc in an organism that is many orders of magnitude bigger than itself? Are viruses alive? Are viruses good or bad? This seminar will explore what viruses are and how they play an important role in human health (both good and bad). We will address these questions and discuss how viruses are grown and studied in the lab. Additionally, the course will include visits to some labs at UMass that do exciting virus research.

Exercises in play construction involving characterization, dialogue, and plot development; and completion of a short playscript.

Do you know your legal rights?

Do you think UMass buildings like the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, the Campus Center, and Southwest are ugly? In this class, we will explore the history of Brutalism and how you can learn to love (or at least not hate?) these not-so-gentle giants. You will also learn where the word "Brutalism" came from, how the term is a poor translation (or happy accident, depending on the way you look at it) of the original French beton brut (literally "raw concrete"), and the legacy Modernism left behind, aesthetically and politically.