Libraries

Libraries Announce Awards for Open Access Publications, More Funding Available

Five UMass Amherst researchers have been awarded SOAR Fund grants from the UMass Amherst Libraries for publishing their works in open access journals. The SOAR Fund was established by the Libraries in 2014 to support open access publication of articles, book chapters, and books in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities by faculty, staff, and students when funds are not otherwise available. This fund supports the Libraries’ mission to remove barriers and increase access to information for all through $25,000 in annual grants, awarded in two rounds. 

“These awards recognize the importance of publishing UMass scholarship in a way that is open and accessible to all who might benefit from it.” notes Nandita S. Mani, Dean of University Libraries. “In this way, the SOAR Fund is in alignment with the university’s land-grant purpose of research, education, and service to society.”

Round 1 awardees are:

  • Alissa Nolden, Assistant Professor in Food Science for: D’Andrea AE, Kinchla AJ and Nolden, A. “A comparison of the nutritional profile and nutrient density of commercially available plant-based and dairy yogurts in the United States.” Frontiers in Nutrition, 2023: 10.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1195045 
  • Jacob Barnett, PhD student in Biology for: Barnett, J., Sharma, R., Buonuaro, G., et al., “Evidence of fruit syndromes in the recently diverged wild tomato clade opens new possibilities for the study of fleshy fruit evolution.” Plants, People, Planet. July 23, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10399 
  • Peter Beltramo, Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering for: Zabala-Ferrera, O.; Liu, P.; Beltramo, P.J., “Determining the Bending Rigidity of Free-Standing Planar Phospholipid Bilayers.” Membranes 2023: 13, 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020129  
  • Li Ding, PhD student in Computer Science for: Ding, L.; Spector, L., “Multi-Objective Evolutionary Architecture Search for Parameterized Quantum Circuits.” Entropy 2023, 25, 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/e25010093  
  • Ruthfirst Ayande, PhD student in Nutrition for: Ayande, Ruthfirst E. A., Agordoh Percival D., Salino Vanessa J., et al., “Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered dietitians and nutritionists regarding enteral and parenteral nutrition support in Ghana: a needs assessment study.” Frontiers in Nutrition, 2023:10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1197610 

The deadline for the second funding round is April 19, 2024. The maximum amount of reimbursement for a manuscript accepted in the previous 12 months is $1,900. Complete eligibility, award determination criteria, and applications are available from the SOAR Fund guide.