If you think this summer has been cold, it’s only because your sense of “normal” has been skewed by the extra-hot summers of the past few years, and perhaps you have some lingering trauma from last winter’s brutality too. This summer is actually pretty average as far as temperatures go, according to a state official…”It’s been cooler than the last four summers because the last four summers were all excessively warm,” David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University, told Suburban Trends last week. “There’s nothing all that remarkable about this summer in the long term. What makes it seem well below average in the temperature department is a function of how warm recent summers have been.”
Archives for August 2014
Alumni Story: Herbert Bormann (Ag’48), Identified ‘Acid Rain’
Editor’s Note: One of the most prestigious honors conferred on alumni of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is induction into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni (HDA). The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is proud of its 16 HDA honorees. This is one of a series of stories about them. In its 2012 […]
FORUM: Barnegat Bay’s pollution sources
Rapid growth in southern Ocean County in the last decade may be accelerating the marked decline of Barnegat Bay in the last few years – extending southward problems that are already severe in the county’s heavily developed north, data from a new government report show…”I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Robert Nicholson, supervisory hydrologist with the USGS New Jersey office, whose team of Ronald Baker and Christine Wieben were authors along with Richard Lathrop, a remote sensing mapping expert at Rutgers University, and Nicholson. Nearly 25 percent of the watershed is covered in turf grass, and most is in the densely populated northern county suburbs, he said.
Penguins and Antarctica and climate change, oh my! Teachers CONVERGE at Rutgers with research team
Excited talk of underwater robots, food webs and climate change filled the air at a weeklong teacher workshop at Rutgers University for Project CONVERGE, a program that will bring “real science” into area classrooms…Led by chief scientists and oceanographers Josh Kohut of Rutgers and Matt Oliver of the University of Delaware, the workshop is the kickoff for a year-long collaboration. The teachers’ students will become part of the Project CONVERGE team. Through blogs, interactive online classroom sessions and video conference calls, the middle-schoolers will get to know researchers in Antarctica and their work.
Butterflies and moths get their day (and night) at the Meadowlands
What’s the difference between a moth and a butterfly? Mostly the time of day. Other than what shift they work, there’s not all that much difference between the two insects, experts explained recently at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst…What separates the two creatures is one of the most-asked questions about the insects, said Elana Tartaglia, an expert on moths from Rutgers University, who holds a Ph.D in ecology. “I’m asked that all the time,” she said, “and the answer is quite simple: Very little.”
Rutgers Microbiology Professor Wins SIMB Waksman Outstanding Teaching Award
Max Häggblom, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, is the winner of the 2014 SIMB Waksman Outstanding Teaching Award, funded by the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology. Häggblom, who was nominated for this prestigious award by his former undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, received the award at the Society […]
Volunteers needed for Master Tree Steward program in Union County
One tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Trees also trap dust particles and other pollutants, and they help keep neighborhoods cool in the summer. These are just some of the many environmental benefits of planting and caring…
Somerset County 4-H members qualify for State 4-H Horse Show
Sixteen 4-H horse club members will represent Somerset County at the New Jersey State 4-H Championship Horse Show, Aug. 22-24, at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown. More than 200 4-H members from throughout New Jersey will gather to compete in the English, Western, Dressage, Driving, Very Small Equine, Challenged Rider and Game Divisions…”The competing 4-H’ers are the best of the best from each county; they have earned the right to participate through county-level qualifying shows.” said Carol Ward, County 4-H Agent…The 4-H Youth Development Program is part of Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station – Cooperative Extension.
Where the Weeds Are: Plant Biodiversity in Rutgers Parking Lots
The idea of investigating weeds in a parking lot may not look very exciting, but to a botanist –and especially to an urban ecologist interested in plants and biodiversity – this car-filled area represents an extreme, urban treasure trove of thriving and flowering plants. These are mostly the same species as those pesky weeds that […]
Rutger the Rutgers Garden cat reunited
It was grilled salmon that caught the attention of Rutger, the 19-year-old Rutgers Gardens cat. Thanks to Rutger’s good taste and strong sense of smell, Monica McLaughlin, horticulturist at Rutgers Gardens, can report a happy ending for the saga of the stolen feline. “He’s home,” she said. “I was crying. Everyone was crying. I think if Rutger could cry, he’d be crying. He looked at me like he had been wondering if I was ever going to find him. I’m so happy. I really thought we were never going to see him again.”