Right now, there are thousands of robots roaming the Earth’s waters. More and more, scientists are relying on bots to fill a knowledge gap, sending autonomous technology where humans cannot go, and gathering data on vast and diverse ecosystems that are increasingly under threat… A study published in the journal Science at the beginning of the year had dire warnings for Earth’s marine life, but researchers were quick to say it is not too late to avoid cataclysm in the ocean… “We’re lucky in many ways,” said Malin L. Pinsky, a marine biologist at Rutgers University and another author of the new report. “The impacts are accelerating, but they’re not so bad we can’t reverse them.”
Archives for August 2015
Jersey Tomato Gets Boost From Rutgers
The Jersey tomato has a special place in its home state’s self-image, and not only because New Jersey’s farmers grew and sold more than 62 million pounds of them last year, $38.1 million worth… But the Jersey tomato brand has been watered down in recent decades, according to many critics. So Rutgers, the state’s university, is trying to do something about that… The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in Cumberland County is part of a long-running effort to re-create the Rutgers tomato, a variety with a history well beyond its home state… “What people remember as the Jersey tomato was really the Rutgers tomato,” said Tom Orton, a professor of plant biology and head of Rutgers’ tomato program.
Talking Oyster Farming With Lisa Calvo
This article interviews Lisa Calvo, Aquaculture Extension Program Coordinator at the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory… One recent afternoon, the oysters (and a few clams) were making their star turns at Oyster House on Sansom Street – a mouthwatering postscript to a South Jersey shellfish story all but ended by a stunting parasite in 1950… The occasion was part exhibition, part celebration of the region’s hard-won revival of farmed oystering, now boasting its own buzzword: merroir, the watery equivalent of what winemakers call terroir. But this hasn’t been an overnight success. We talked to Lisa Calvo, one of the pioneers, about rough winters, brightening prospects, and the fear of flies in Port Norris… “The big problem is that, in summer, things like to settle on the oysters. Worms weave these beehives of mud tubes. You need to wash the ambient seawater over the bags, spray the mud off. Then you’ve got the splitting of the bags, counting out the market orders. You work the whole tide. You can get in five hours,” said Calvo.
Extension Agent Jenny Carleo Wins Distinguished Service Award
Jenny Carleo, agricultural agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County, was recognized recently with the 2015 Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents… The award honors members with at least…
The Great Tomato Tasting
Everyone knows that Jersey tomatoes are great. What you may not know is that Rutgers University is a leader in developing new tomatoes and is responsible for some of your favorites over the years… Peter Nitzsche, the Morris County agricultural agent for the Rutgers University Cooperative Agriculture Extension is on the planning committee for the event and shared with me that they are growing 160 varieties this year. Not all of those tomatoes will be ripe for the Great Tomato Tasting but he anticipates 60 tasting stations with varieties being cycled in when one variety runs out. With proper pacing of the stations, you may be able to taste over 100 tomatoes in one day… This year they are working on a new tomato to release in 2016 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Rutgers. “We have three varieties that are contenders and we need the public to help us with choosing one,” Nitzsche notes. “They are medium slicers developed by Dr. Thomas Orton. We’ve selected seedlings that have good plant habit, fruit quality and flavor. We’re hoping participants like what we’ve got.”
Agritourism Growth Sparks Concerns Over Safety, Liability
As more farms open themselves up to visitors for apple picking, hay rides and some extra income, experts are advising owners to take steps to prevent accidents – be they small or fatal… The first key is assessing the risks, said Brian Schilling of Rutgers’ Cooperative Extension in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “If you’ve grown up on a farm you’re sort of blind to a lot of these things,” he said, advising owners to have an extension agent, emergency official or insurance agent walk the farm to identify hazards… The extension also has a safety checklist that reminds farmers to, among other things, designate areas that are closed to the public, train employees to property operate farm machinery, secure and restrict areas that contain chemicals, provide hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations and have employees assist with parking.
Don’t Bug Out But Trump Beats Christie in This Race
Call it a case of “Roach Rage.” Three Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches sprinted toward the finish line Thursday in an effort to predict which of three well-known presidential candidates will win the November 2016 election… The roaches represented Chris Christie, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush in the 17th annual “Running of the Roaches” derby. Cardboard cutouts of each candidate were glued to the back of each roach for the race… The race was part of the New Jersey Pest Management Association’s 68th annual Clinic, Trade show and Clambake, held outside Rutgers University’s Hickman Hall on George Street in New Brunswick… Richard Cooper, a research assistant in Rutgers’ Entomology Department, explained that Madagascar cockroaches are fun creatures… “They’re very harmless, very docile and they make very good pets,” he said of the roaches, which were bred in captivity.
Interactive Forensics Training Helps Professionals Solve Petroleum Contamination Cases
When a site is contaminated with petroleum products, there are many questions. How did it happen? When did it happen? And, most importantly, who is responsible for paying to clean it up? This fall, Rutgers University’s Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE) will help professionals answer those questions in its completely revamped Environmental Forensics training […]
Somerset County 4-H Members Qualify For N.J. Horse Show
Nineteen 4-H horse club members will represent Somerset County at the New Jersey State 4-H Championship Horse Show, Aug. 21-23 at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown… Over 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,” says Carol Ward, Somerset County 4-H Agent… The 4-H Youth Development Program is part of Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station – Cooperative Extension.
Rutgers VETS Continue the Mission to Serve
At a greenhouse and garden growing behind the Metropolitan Baptist Church’s Willing Heart Community Care Center on MLK Boulevard, Newark native, resident and Army veteran Rodney Spencer is getting his hands dirty… “I was living in my car for a while after I left the service,” said Spencer, 41, program intern for the Rutgers Veterans Environmental Technology and Solutions, or Rutgers VETS, which teaches veterans employment skills using a holistic approach involving landscaping, horticulture and urban farming. “But after I found this program, everything fell into place.”… The Rutgers VETS program is a groundbreaking initiative launched in May 2014 to reduce immediate health risks to people who eat fish caught from the Passaic River, while empowering local, unemployed veterans with new green job skills that can be used immediately… “We keep hearing about people fishing on the river, but the veterans have been scouting and they aren’t finding them,” said Amy Rowe, an assistant professor with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Essex County and co-director of the Rutgers VETS program. “However, we’re only halfway through the fishing season and we intend to continue our efforts.”