What is a legacy? It can be a bequest, as in a will. It can be a tradition that survives the test of time. It can be a body of work or set of values or an achievement that lives on after one retires or dies. In the case of the late Professor Roy H. […]
Archives for November 2015
A New Nutrition Research Center Set on Making New Jersey a Healthier State
Last month, Rutgers University opened the doors to the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH), a new interdisciplinary research hub for scholars, policymakers, students, and parents to advance, educate and promote issues of nutriti…
OPINION: Let’s Talk Turkey About Cranberries
For most families, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without turkey. Or cranberries… Cranberry cultivation soon caught on in New Jersey, since cranberries grow wild on long-running vines in South Jersey’s sandy bogs and marshes. The Pine Barrens …
Just Why Was Sunday’s Sunset So Spectacular in N.J.?
In case you’re wondering why the sky over New Jersey and New York City looked so spectacular Sunday evening as the sun began its descent, it all came down to perfect timing by broken clouds… A colorful sunset like Sunday’s – with pretty shades of pin…
For African Cooks One New Jersey Farmer Has What They Need
Tomatoes, corn, and peaches are the staples of New Jersey agriculture. But at Morris Gbolo’s farm in the state’s southern tip, crimson-hued amaranths and plump Liberian bitter ball are the prized crops… The Gbolos are believed to be New Jersey’s only African-born farm owners. They devote nearly 80 percent of their acreage to specialty crops like nightshade, jute leaves, roselle, Ghanaian pea eggplant (a berry-size vegetable, which Gbolo calls “kittley”), okra, habanero peppers, and a Liberian variety of bitter ball (a type of eggplant)… “Ethnic farms like Morris’s cater to recent immigrants who cannot find the fresh specialty produce [of] their homelands,” said Richard VanVranken, an agricultural agent at Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County who has studied New Jersey’s ethnic food industry since the 1980s… VanVranken hired Gbolo to work in his extension program in 2006 and soon realized it was an opportunity to study African crops and learn from Gbolo, who had been a farmer and agriculture educator in Liberia.
Thinning Ice Leads to Winter Warming in the Arctic
Even when the Arctic goes dark and cold, thinning ice could keep the North Pole from cooling off… The loss of insulating ice between the ocean and atmosphere increases the amount of heat-trapping water vapor and clouds in the Arctic air. That extra moisture keeps air temperatures relatively warm during fall and winter and melts even more ice, new climate simulations suggest. This self-reinforcing cycle could partially explain why Arctic warming has outpaced the global average over recent decades, researchers report online November 11 in the Journal of Climate… The work “demonstrates that it’s really the Arctic that’s causing the Arctic to warm so fast,” says atmospheric scientist Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. “There’s a lot more going on up there than just this [summer sea ice melting] that we’ve been hearing about for so long.”
How to Control Holiday Debt Without Being a Humbug
“It’s only once a year,” Bob Cratchit tells Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.” And it’s that kind of un-Scrooge-like thinking that can turn the merriest holiday season into one that piles on months of debt… As Barbara O’Neill, personal finance professor at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, notes, “People could save themselves a whole lot of stress and money if they just had a plan. But so many don’t.”… If paperwork gives you migraines, O’Neill recommends using online planners. Google “holiday spending calculator” and several options will come up. The budget planner at practical moneyskills.com has spaces for all of your holiday expenses, from gifts and home entertaining to travel and charitable donations… As far as holiday entertaining is concerned, O’Neill says a potluck is a time-honored option, but why not add a little fun to it? Have your guests vote for the best soup, entree or dessert, with a $50 gift card going to the top vote-getter.
Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences Presents Richard Lutz with NOGI Award
Professor of marine and coastal sciences Richard Lutz was presented the NOGI Award by the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences on Nov. 5 in recognition of his lifelong contributions to ocean sciences, and for making those sciences accessible to the public. Lutz is known for deep-sea research and is considered one of the world’s […]
Bracing for the Next Deluge
“I see a screw-up coming.” John Pomeroy shook his head in disbelief as the rainfall warnings arrived at his research station in southwestern Alberta. Environment Canada had predicted 100 millimetres of rain or more might fall in the Canadian Rockies. And now they were issuing a “high flow advisory, instead of the flood warning” that he fully expected. Where were the clanging alarm bells?… A compelling explanation comes from Jennifer Francis, a research professor at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University. Because the Arctic regions are heating up faster than any place on earth, she explains, the temperature difference between north and more temperate regions is shrinking… “Theory tells us that a decrease in the west-east flow tends to slow the eastward progression of waves in the jet stream,” she says. “Because these waves control the formation and movement of storms, slower wave progression means that weather conditions will be more persistent. In other words, they will seem more “stuck.”
Award-Winning Journalist Andrew Revkin Launches SEBS 250th Anniversary Focusing on the Anthropocene
As we celebrate Rutgers 250th anniversary, will Rutgers see its 500th anniversary? This was one of the questions Executive Dean Bob Goodman challenged the audience to consider as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences launched its 250th Anniversary celebration events under the theme, “Exploring the Anthropocene: The Age of Us,” on November 12. Tony […]