On May 13, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County was presented with a proclamation from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders in recognition of the centennial anniversary of Cooperative Extension. The proclamation also recognized the various milestones of RCE faculty and staff dating to 1918 when RCE of Somerset County was established. This recognition […]
Archives for May 2014
‘Alien Plants’ Cleaning Up Liberty State Park
Under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty there are actually alien species that are working to clean up the park by detoxifying the soil that just a few years ago people couldn’t go anywhere near. These “alien plants” are vegetation that are not native to New Jersey and are brought in from other places because they help suck up toxins and store them in ways that are not harmful to animals or humans. Rutgers Professor Frank Gallagher and some of his students are using a combination of landscaping and ecology to remediate what used to be a wasteland of toxic dumping at Liberty State Park.
Groups partner to plant garden
The Hammonton Green Committee has partnered with the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Atlantic County and The Eagle Theatre to develop a native plant garden to celebrate the region’s environment and help mark the 100th anniversary of The Eagle Theatre. Volu…
2014 Celebration of Excellence Awards Recognize Outstanding SEBS and NJAES Contributions
Now in its 21st year, the annual “Celebration of Excellence Awards” honors the individuals and teams who have advanced the mission and vision of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). This year’s event was a luncheon held on April 24 at the Neilson Dining Hall on […]
Congratulations to SEBS Class of 2014!
Why is This ‘Normal’ Allergy Season So Bad? [AUDIO]
This spring’s allergy season in New Jersey has been classified as “normal” because elevated levels of pollen began to show up as soon as the spring season officially began in March, but many Garden State residents report having the worst allergic symptoms they can recall. So what’s going on here? Leonard Bielory, a professor at the Rutgers University Center for Environmental Prediction and a leading authority on allergies, isn’t surprised. He said recent studies confirm pollen levels are rising, and individuals who have been sensitized to one type of pollen begin to have allergic reactions to other types as well.
University of Sao Paulo Undergrads Present Research at George H. Cook Honors Symposium
In a longstanding and well-established exchange with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, four undergraduate students from the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil, visited Rutgers University to present their research at the George H. Cook Honors Symposium on April 22. It is a great achievement for the four USP students selected to present […]
4-H’s Explorations Week Summer Program
The Middlesex County 4-H’s Explorations Week day camp program is inviting boys and girls who have completed grades 3 through 6 to participate in a week of fun and learning. The Explorations Week (E-Week) program, hosted by the Rutgers Cooperative Exten…
NJ towns might need to spend up to $9B to repair water infrastructure, report says
The aging and decaying water infrastructure system that remains in use in some New Jersey towns could cost billions to upgrade, a Rutgers professfor told NJTVNews.org. In many places storm and waste water flow through the same system, which could event…
Pollen count on the rise in New Jersey
For those who experience seasonal allergies, the past week may have felt like the most severe of the year. But while it may seem like the start of one of the worst allergy seasons, allergist Leonard Bielory says the opposite. “The sky is not falling this year,” said Bielory, an attending physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and professor at Rutgers University’s Center for Environmental Prediction. “This is the first normal season in at least 10 years. The grass is not as high, pollen counts are normal.”