Rutgers University today dedicated the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH), a university-wide hub for interdisciplinary research whose mission is to make New Jersey the “Healthy State” and a model for the nation… Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno; Rutgers President Robert Barchi; Chancellor Richard L. Edwards; Executive Dean Robert Goodman, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; institute Director Peter Gillies; and Robin Mockenhaupt, chief of staff, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, participated in the ceremony… The institute offers nearly 40,000 square feet of research space and approximately 30,000 square feet of community space to facilitate communication and cooperation among scholars who pursue interdisciplinary research; policymakers who apply research to real-world problems associated with food and health; and parents, their children and students whose lives can benefit from wellness programs and health and education activities… Added institute Director Peter Gillies, “I’m very proud of what we’ve built. The institute is an amazing resource not only for the university but for the broader New Jersey community. The basic research and community outreach of the institute will help build a culture of health in the state.”
Archives for October 2015
Jacques Cousteau Research Reserve Watershed Coordinator Lisa Auermuller Receives Floodplain Management Leadership Award
Lisa Auermuller, watershed coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR), was presented the Floodplain Management Leadership Award at the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) annual conference on October 22 in Atlantic City. The award recognizes individuals who have achieved success in a significant aspect of floodplain management, including efforts in […]
New Jersey and Climate Change: Impacts and Responses (Video)
Produced by the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance, this video provides a comprehensive overview about impacts of a changing climate to people, places and valuable assets throughout the Garden State. Rutgers Professor of Environmental Sciences Tony Broccoli, Distinguished Professor at Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Michael Greenberg, Executive Director of Voorhees Transportation Center […]
Rotational Grazing Good For Horses Too
Rotational grazing is widely used for managing cattle on pasture, but it is also a good tool to use with horses. A good grazing system can maximize pasture health and forage yield. Laura Kenny, Rutgers University Department of Animal Sciences, is worki…
Low Vitamin D Levels a Dementia Risk Factor for Darker-skinned Individuals
Low vitamin D levels among the elderly is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and impaired performance, according to a study published online in JAMA Neurology. Researchers went so far as to say that for darker-skinned individuals, low vitamin D levels should be considered a risk factor for dementia… Vitamin D deficient individuals experienced cognitive declines two-to-three times faster than those with adequate serum vitamin D levels, according to researchers from from the University of California Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Rutgers University. In other words, it took only two years for the deficient individuals to decline as much as their counterparts with adequate vitamin D declined over the same time… “Independent of race or ethnicity, baseline cognitive abilities and a host of other risk factors, vitamin D insufficiency was associated with significantly faster declines in both episodic memory and executive function performance,” said lead author Joshua Miller, PhD, in a news release. Miller was professor in the UCD department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the time when the research was conducted and is now professor and chair of the department of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University. Vitamin D levels were not significantly associated with a decline in semantic memory or visuospatial ability.
Rutgers Annual “Monster Mash” Had its Origins as a Cook College Event in 2000
In 2000, Justin Gayliard’s (Cook College ‘03) goal to create a safe and fun environment for disadvantaged children in the New Brunswick area to go trick-or-treating was achieved with the inception of what is now an annual Rutgers event known as Monster Mash. As we approach the 2015 event, let’s do the time-hop to remember […]
Could Powerful Hurricane Patricia Impact NJ?
The strongest hurricane on record in the West Hemisphere smashed southwestern Mexico Friday night with wind speeds of 160 mph… Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 storm, was seen hovering over the eastern Pacific coast with a central pressure of 880 millibars, the lowest sea-level pressure ever recorded by the National Hurricane Center… “It’s not going to have any direct impact on us,” said David A. Robinson, the state climatologist and professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “It will fall apart over Mexico, but we are quite likely going to see some of its energy and moisture develop into a low-pressure system off the Texas coast.”… That low-pressure system, he said, likely will head up to the Northeast and bring rain over the next week. “If we get some rain later next week, it would be quite indirectly associated with some of the remnant energy and moisture from the storm,” Robinson added.
Students Help SEBS Fulbright Professor Document Changes in Local Fishing Community in Ghana
Heidi Hausermann, professor in the Department of Human Ecology and recipient of a 2015-2016 Fulbright Scholar Grant for research in Ghana, took two Rutgers University students with her on a field trip to Africa this past summer. The students’ participation was made possible by funding from Rutgers Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs and […]
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Receives Three Year Farm Education Grant
Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Cape May County received a $460,170, three-year grant from the United States Department of Agriculture recently.. The grant was awarded through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Funding was secured by Agricultural Agent Jenny Carleo and Agricultural Consultant Jenn Matthews, through a Rutgers proposal named “Ultra-Niche Crops for the Progressive, New Farmer.” … The program provides grants and implements training programs for new farmers through a variety of forums, such as workshops, educational teams, training, or technical assistance for farmers or ranchers who have been in the field for less than ten years… The project will include a stakeholder advisory council that consists of farmers to provide guidance on the program’s execution a well as make recommendations on the choice of crops. Additionally, the award will fund a series of classes that focus on growing 18 different crops.
Removing Winter Dredging Ban Means Business for South Jersey
A longtime ban on winter dredging, designed to protect a fish that isn’t even here in great numbers, has been lifted… The dredging ban’s lifting was announced by Lou Chiarella of the National Marine Fisheries Service. It was based on work done at Rut…