It’s summertime in Jersey and the landscape bursts into a symphony of color: greenery, flowers, blue skies and water, beach umbrellas, fireworks. And then you go to a picnic or barbeque. All of a sudden the tableau turns to a drab brown and white: Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Buns. Potato salad. Cole slaw. Cola. Lemon-lime soda. […]
Archives for July 2015
What Heat Wave? N.J. Still One of the Coolest Places on Earth
It may be the heat wave that was over before it even got started. After two miserable days where temperatures peaked in the upper 90s and high humidity made it feel like well over 100, many parts of the state did not reach 90 degrees today, which would formally constitute a heat wave… But compared to the rest of the globe and its own recent history, New Jersey has gotten off pretty light compared to the rest of the world… “Here we are, one of the most comfortable places on the planet,” said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University… According to data from Robinson’s office, eight of the 13 summers since 2002 have ranked among the 10 warmest in the state’s history. And the three warmest summers on record have occurred in 2010, 2005 and 2011, respectively.
Basil Crops Succumbing to Downy Mildew
The Latin name for basil is Ocimum basilicum, which loosely translated means “a fragrance fit for a king.” (It is pronounced OH-see-mum bah-SIL-ih-kum). Basil is in the mint family of plants and there are 60 species of annuals, perennials and shrubs, native to Africa and tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New World… Downy mildew of basil presents as yellow-green angular spots on the upper leaf surfaces with white-to-gray fuzzy spores developing on the undersides of the leaves. To the naked eye, it may appear like dust or soil. Under a microscope, these spores look like small bunches of branched hairs. The older leaves on a plant are affected first and the disease proceeds up the stem, affecting newer growth… At Rutgers, the commonly planted (or straight species) sweet basil was found to be far more susceptible than others. Red leaf varieties, as well as lemon basil, lime basil, Thai basil and spice basil, exhibit fewer symptoms and may provide the basis for a breeding program for disease resistant plants and seeds… But if you are interested in getting an early glimpse into what the team has accomplished, visit the Great Tomato Tasting at Rutgers Snyder Research Farm in Pittstown on Aug. 26.
Underwater Robot Tracked Ocean Sediment During Hurricane Sandy
A Teledyne Webb autonomous underwater glider RU23 belonging to Rutgers University deployed off the New Jersey coastline in 2012… In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the northeastern United States around New Jersey and devastated a number of large…
Alumni Story: Phillip Gordon (AG ’63) – On Point
[Editor’s Note: In the spring 2015 issue of the SEBS magazine Explorations, the 1963 alumni class correspondent shared Phillip Gordon’s recollection about living on the Douglass campus, a blizzard and eating with the young women of Douglass at the Douglass College dining hall – punctuating the tale with “What a misfortune!” Phillip contacted us to […]
Why N.J. Cities Are the Worst in the Heat
Long after the sun went down in Newark Sunday, the city was baked. At 1 a.m. Monday, it was 86 degrees, but it felt like 94. Less than 25 miles away in Bernards, it was 75, and, more importantly, to the human body it felt like 75… If you live in a city in New Jersey and it feels like there’s no relief from the heat, you’re right. Cities in New Jersey, and around the country, suffer from a man-made phenomenon called the Urban Heat Island Effect, which allows urban areas to retain heat even as towns just a few miles away cool down with the normal ebb and flow of the sun… “The cities retain the solar energy from the previous day that’s been absorbed by asphalt, by the sides of buildings and the rooftops,” said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University. “They hang onto the heat well into the evening and never fully relinquishes it by dawn.”
Cumberland County 4-H Invites Bridgeton Pathways Students to “Spy” on Nature
Students in the Bridgeton 21st Century Pathways Program took part in hands-on experiential learning with Cumberland County 4-H during the week of July 13th… The Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program partnered with Bridgeton Schools to engage youth in science, engineering, and the arts. The week-long program, designed by County 4-H Agent Julie Karavan, invited students to spy on nature, learning how Rutgers scientists and engineers monitor local species and habitats. Students produced their own constructions and personal creations- including underwater robots, contact prints, poetry, and artwork, based on their first-hand observations… The program included a service learning opportunity with Jenny Paterno of Project PORTS. Participants visited the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Lab and created over 100 shell bags to provide habitat to oysters. Students also were able to take a tour of the gardens at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, where they constructed LEGO based underwater robots designed to retrieve a simulated biological sample or marine debris… “Rutgers colleagues made this a fabulous experience for the kids,” said Karavan. “Having a 4-H alum return in a staff position to teach in the schools really enriched the program.”
Edible Schoolyard’s Kate Brashares Relives Her English Childhood Through a Grill
For nearly three hours a day, Kate Brashares lives in transit. That’s the length of the commute between her home in Montclair, N.J., and Dumbo, Brooklyn, where she runs the nonprofit organization Edible Schoolyard NYC, an offshoot of an Alice Waters initiative to bring gardens and cooking classes to public schools… Her reward, from May through October, is returning home to eat dinner outside, off the grill, in a backyard that sprawls like a court at Wimbledon. Never mind that she can use the grill only half the year; it is her most prized cooking tool and a connection to her childhood, when, she said, “I was outside all the time.”… Although gardening “is part of my cultural heritage,” Ms. Brashares said, she fell in love with it only after joining Edible Schoolyard in 2012. At first, she tried to grow the plants she remembered from her home in London, overestimating the New Jersey climate: “They all died.” She has since enrolled in the Master Gardener Program through the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension, hoping to find illumination on the subjects of soil science and pest control.
Dangerous Heat, Humidity at Shore
Getting tired of the high heat and humidity? Relief is on the way, but you’ll have to endure one more day of temperatures in the 90s, according to experts… “No one is suggesting this is unusual, but what makes this so tough is the level of humidity, which is creating really dangerous heat indexes,” said David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist who is based at Rutgers University… Monday’s heat follows widespread temperatures in the 90s on Sunday in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with more of the same expected on Tuesday. This will be the first “really statewide” heat wave of the summer, although we came close in June, according to Robinson. A heat wave consists of at least three days of 90-degree or higher temperatures. But cooler air is on the way, with temperatures in the 80s expected the rest of the week, according to experts.
Glen Ridge Resident’s Business Provides ‘Sweet’ Rewards
In the backyard of Eric Hanan’s residence in Glen Ridge, the detail that is most distinct might be the bees. It’s a space full of chopped lumber as well as a tiny bat house, clucking chickens, tall trees and a couple of sheds that Hanan built out of his neighbor’s former garage. But over by the fence, partially resting in the shade, are four bee colonies and their nectar-collecting residents coming and going as they please… Hanan started his own beekeeping business three years ago, but he’s been keeping colonies in his backyard for the past eight years. And ever since he gave his green backyard a touch of black and yellow, according to Hanan, he’s seen his backyard touched with the environmental benefits that come with bees… Before getting into beekeeping, Hanan had been a TV producer for shows like “Dateline” and “20/20.” He decided that he wanted a different career, he said, where he was closer to home and helping the environment more. He joined the Glen Ridge Shade Tree Commission, as well as the Environmental Committee, took the “beekeepers’ short course” at Rutgers University, and after partnering with Lelinho, who he had met years earlier, Hanan looked into finding clients.