We’re Hiring: Assistant Professor in Advanced Building Technologies

We’re Hiring: Assistant Professor in Advanced Building Technologies

Effective immediately, we are seeking qualified applicants for the following position in BCT: Assistant Professor - Advanced Building Technologies Apply now Job no: 510501 Work type: Faculty Full Time Location: UMass Amherst Department: Environmental Conservation Union: MSP Categories: College of Natural Sciences About UMass Amherst UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to diverse urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region. Job Description The Building and Construction Technology (BCT) program in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (https://www.umass.edu/bct/) invites applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position in the area of Advanced Building Technologies. This is an academic year appointment at the level of Assistant Professor. We seek candidates with...
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Polymer Science’s Al Crosby gives talk about pressure-sensitive tapes

Polymer Science’s Al Crosby gives talk about pressure-sensitive tapes

For the last talk of our BCT Spring 2018 lecture series, Prof. Al Crosby from Polymer Science at UMass Amherst spoke about the many uses of adhesion in construction and the principles behind them. He especially focused on tapes and the mechanics of their pressure-sensitive adhesive behavior. Synopsis: Adhesives are used widely in building construction and are prone to play an increasingly important role in future construction processes and structures as new materials and new standards are established. In this presentation, I will provide a brief review of the basic structure and properties of pressure sensitive adhesives, as well as an introduction to the Geckskin™ technology, which can sustain large forces, permit easy release, and be reused without loss in performance. https://youtu.be/gX2GRfW5aj8 Links: Crosby Research Group ...
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Students in BCT’s 3D CAD & BIM course participate in library project on maker competencies

Students in BCT’s 3D CAD & BIM course participate in library project on maker competencies

As part of this spring's BCT 420 and ECO 620 courses (both taught by Alex Schreyer, BCT Program Director), students will explore making and digital fabrication, which will inform a curriculum pilot study by the University of Texas on this topic. The UMass library has been chosen as one of several collaborators nationwide and will guide the local implementation of this study. Press release below... Libraries Chosen as Partner in Maker Competencies, Curriculum Pilot Study February 1, 2018 The UMass Amherst Libraries has been chosen by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the University of Nevada-Reno as one of four additional university partners to participate in a pilot study entitled Maker Competencies and the Undergraduate Curriculum. Funded by a $49,800 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the study seeks to explore the impacts of academic library makerspaces–spaces with technological resources and equipment for project-based collaboration–on undergraduate student learning. Sarah Hutton, head of undergraduate teaching and learning services at the...
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BCT’s ‘False Color’ Exhibit is Open!

BCT’s ‘False Color’ Exhibit is Open!

From now to October 28th, 2017, UMass students, faculty, and the general public are invited to visit the UMass Design Building Gallery during opening hours (9am - 4pm on weekdays) to view BCT's latest exhibition on all things related to "False Color" visualizations. Showcasing work by our faculty and graduate students, this exhibition visually (and interactively) explores the various technologies of our research: stress analysis, energy analysis, thermography, laser scanning, and more... BCT would like to especially thank Trimble Inc. for their support through our Trimble Technology Lab. We are also tremendously grateful to Peter Chrzanowski, Sharon Mehrman, and Alexander Okscin for their invaluable hands-on help in putting this exhibition together. The following synopsis explains our thoughts on this exhibition: As engineers, scientists and designers we are often faced with data that is not immediately comprehensible in its raw form, consisting solely of numeric values and ranges. Either the volume of such data is too large to lend itself to easy evaluation or it is too limited...
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New Trimble Technology Lab Gift to UMass Amherst Expands Training and Research for Building Design and Fabrication

New Trimble Technology Lab Gift to UMass Amherst Expands Training and Research for Building Design and Fabrication

  SUNNYVALE, Calif. and AMHERST, Mass., – A significant in-kind gift from Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) will expand the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and the sustainable built environment. Partnering with Trimble allows UMass Amherst to more fully integrate across its curricula the technological tools that are rapidly transforming how building and living environments are designed and constructed. The gift will establish the 1,300-square-foot Trimble Technology Lab in the new Design Building at UMass Amherst. The lab will include equipment such as Trimble’s laser scanners, advanced robotic surveying systems, imaging rovers, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and many of Trimble’s software packages including RealWorks® scanning software, Trimble Business Center, Vico Office Suite, GCEstimator™ Suite, Tekla® Structures, Sefaira Architecture and its popular 3D modeling software SketchUp Pro. Potential applications of these technologies range from the scanning of historic buildings to ensure their preservation, design and 3D printing of architectural building models, digital fabrication of...
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