LOWELL, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Middlesex Community College issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2024: Job seekers and current employees looking to advance in or pursue their dream careers can benefit from a variety of professional development offerings at Middlesex Community College. Led by the college's Community Education & Training (CET) division, these courses and certificates help individuals develop marketable skills relevant to today's workforce. "Understanding that our indu  more

LONGMEADOW, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Bay Path University issued the following news release: The Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Bay Path University has received a National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Program of Study Validation from the National Security Agency (NSA). This designation extends through 2028. The Program of Study Validation confirms that the MS in Cybersecurity has met the rigorous academic standards set by the NSA in curriculum, faculty qualifications,  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- The Berkshire Bank issued the following news release: Berkshire Bank, a leading relationship-driven community-focused bank with financial centers in New England and New York, is pleased to announce Jessica Fermin has joined its Consumer Lending team as a mortgage loan officer in Burlington, Massachusetts. In this role, she will originate mortgage loans to help consumers realize the dream of homeownership, whether it's their first home or their dream home, and   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued the following news: Mayor Michelle Wu signed a public tree protection ordinance on a key recommendation stemming from the City's Urban Forest Plan (https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/urban-forest-plan). The Urban Forest Plan, released in September 2022, outlines strategies to preserve, cultivate, and expand the city's urban forest. A tree protection ordinance is a critical action item in preserving existing c  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Jan. 23 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news on Jan. 22, 2024: Brian P. Brown, Ph.D., will serve as the interim dean for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, effective today. Brown is a professor in the Department of Marketing who has experience in academic leadership, research and teaching. After serving as an assistant professor for five years at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he earned an award for outstandin  more

DENVER, Colorado, Jan. 23 -- Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2024: Today, in a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, Governor Polis, joined fellow governors in urging the commissioner to provide guidance on the taxability of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) benefits, and also encouraged the IRS to prevent double taxation. The Governor was joined by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Massachusetts Governor Maura  more

FITCHBURG, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Fitchburg State University issued the following news: As the longtime advisor to its pre-law program, Fitchburg State University Professor Paul Weizer has seen many former students go on to successful careers in the law. He has also seen otherwise successful students struggle with the standardized test that can qualify them for law school. This year, Weizer led the effort for Fitchburg State to join a pilot program of five institutions nationwide to try an   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 22 -- Foley Hoag, a law firm, issued the following news: Attorney Intel has named Foley Hoag partner Jim Bucking a "Top 25 Attorney of Massachusetts for 2024." This honor recognizes the "most experienced and accomplished" lawyers in the state, including those in private practice, serving as general counsel, or in other executive capacities. Lawyers were evaluated on their career track record, longevity in the industry, calibre of institutions worked at, and professi  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Harvard University issued the following news: Harvard University Housing (HUH) manages approximately 3,000 apartments, offering a broad choice of locations, unit types, amenities, and sizes to meet the individual budgets and housing needs of eligible Harvard affiliates (full-time graduate students, faculty members, and employees). Harvard affiliates may apply for Harvard University Housing online at www.huhousing.harvard.edu. The website also provides inform  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Harvard University issued the following news: * * * Summit, hosted by College, PEN America, gathers speakers, workshops as part of Harvard Dialogues initiative * * * The growing need for more and better discourse on difficult topics at Harvard as well as at college campuses across the nation prompted a two-day gathering last week co-hosted by the College and PEN America. The Summit on Intellectual Vitality and Free Expression, which featured keynote spee  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Gov. Maura Healey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2024: Governor Maura T. Healey today filed two bills that would increase resources for Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns. The Municipal Empowerment Act expands on tools available to municipal leaders to generate revenue by allowing them to increase local option taxes on meals and lodging. The bill would also create a new local Motor Vehicle Excise surcharge option - a provision  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Gov. Maura Healey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2024: Less than a week after her State of the Commonwealth address in which she vowed to tackle rising housing costs, Governor Maura Healey today committed resources to support the production and preservation of more than 1,900 housing units in 19 communities across the state. Gov. Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus joined s  more

TAUNTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- MassDevelopment issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2024: MassDevelopment today announced the hiring of a new Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Fellow, Misha Thomas, who will work full-time in the Taunton TDI district for the next two years. Misha joins an existing cohort of TDI fellows who currently work in TDI districts in Attleboro, Barnstable (Hyannis), Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Revere, Spring  more

AMHERST, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- The University of Massachusetts-Amherst issued the following news: The University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded a $2.65 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand the Slavery North Initiative, led by founding director Charmaine A. Nelson, provost professor of art history. Slavery North is a one-of-a-kind academic and cultural destination where scholars, thinkers and artists research and build community that transforms society's understandin  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Jan. 23 -- CNN issued the following news on Jan. 22, 2024: Michael Yoshida joins CNN Newsource as a correspondent based in Washington, DC, it was announced today. Yoshida joins CNN from 7NEWS in Boston, Massachusetts, where he reported on a range of diverse news stories including the deadly Merrimack Valley gas line explosions and subsequent local and federal investigations, state and national political campaigns including the New Hampshire Primary and 2020 Presidential elect  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * A compound originally developed to treat cancer could be repurposed to treat polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition that can lead to kidney failure. * * * By Anne Trafton, MIT News Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common form of polycystic kidney disease, can lead to kidney enlargement and eventual loss of function. The disease af  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: By Benjamin Daniel, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Local reporting is a critical tool in the battle against disinformation and misinformation. It can also provide valuable data about everything from environmental damage derived from questionable agribusiness practices to the long-term effects of logging on communities. Reporting like this requires more than just journali  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 19 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * Collaborative brings together charter school policy, practice, and research communities to help make research on charters more actionable, rigorous, and policy-relevant. * * * By Talia Gerstle and Amanda Schmidt, Blueprint Labs Over the past 30 years, charter schools have emerged as a prominent yet debated public school option. According to the National Center for Educa  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * An MIT study finds the brains of children who grow up in less affluent households are less responsive to rewarding experiences. * * * By Anne Trafton, MIT News MIT neuroscientists have found that the brain's sensitivity to rewarding experiences -- a critical factor in motivation and attention -- can be shaped by socioeconomic conditions. In a study of 12 to 14-year-old  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: By Andrew Husband, MIT Sloan School of Management Something new, large, and round has dominated the Las Vegas skyline since July: Sphere. After debuting this summer, the state-of-the-art entertainment venue became instantly recognizable thanks to pictures and videos on social media and Reddit. Some of the most viral posts depict the 580,000-square-foot, fully programmable LED Ex  more

AMHERST, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- The University of Massachusetts-Amherst issued the following news: A century after his birth, the legacy of the late UMass Amherst political scientist Gerard Braunthal lives on, particularly in Braunthal's birthplace of Gera, Germany, where he and his father, Alfred, a trade unionist and scholar on religion and politics, are revered as the city's most important Jewish scholars. Their contributions to the fields of political science and economics were recently   more

WILLIAMSTOWN, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Williams College issued the following news release: The Board of Trustees of Williams College voted to promote 10 faculty to the position of associate professor with tenure. Promotions will take effect July 1, 2024, for Daniel Barowy, computer science; Mari Rodriguez Binnie, Art; Xizhen Cai, Statistics; Amal Eqeiq, Arabic Studies; Galen Jackson, Political Science; Katharine Jensen, Physics; Murad Khan Mumtaz, Art; Anna Plantinga, Statistics; Robert Rawle,  more

WORCESTER, Massachusetts, Jan. 23 -- Worcester Polytechnic Institute issued the following news release: Terry Lopaka Adams, an accomplished leader in intellectual property protection, management, and marketing in both the commercial and academic sectors, has been named director of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). Adams will work with WPI faculty researchers, staff members, and students to identify, protect, and commercialize intellectual pro  more