John Brigham gave an invited presentation at the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Oñati, Spain on Monday, March 14. His presentation -- co-presented with Susan Ball, Director of Programs at the New York Foundation for the Arts -- linked the "Chaos and Classicism" exhibition currently at the Guggenheim in Bilbao with the strongly neo-classical US Supreme Court building, thereby raising issues about how architecture reflects and reinforces social and cultural trends.

Jesse Rhodes has received a grant from the Spencer Foundation to explore "How Education Accountability Shapes Citizens' Civic Attitudes and Behavior." 

Peter Haas was a plenary keynote speaker at the Universcience Conference, "the Scholar, the Politician, and the Citizen" in Paris, France on March 11, 2011. Haas' lecture, "Science and Politics," offered lessions about institutional design and practices for scientific management within international relations. 

Professor Haas was also an invited speaker at the Séminaire Développement durable et économie de l'environnement at Sciences Po while in Paris.

 The UMass Amherst Mock Trial team went undefeated to place 2^nd at the Northeast Regional Mock Trial Competition at Clark University in Worcester on February 26 and 27. They will advance to the regional championship on March 11-13 in White Plains, NY. This marks the first time in program history that UMass has advanced to the championship round.