They look like tiny coriander seeds. And 6,000 of them can easily fit into the bottom of a half-dozen buckets filled with seawater. But the young horseshoe crabs released into the Cape May Canal on Friday, as part of the 26th anniversary of National Estuaries Day, are the essentials of a grow-and-release program at the Rutgers Aquaculture Innovation Center here…”They’re important to us because they play such a vital role in the health of the bay and provide myriad benefits to the local fishing industry, migratory shorebirds population, and the state’s biomedical industry,” said Michael P. De Luca, senior associate director of Rutgers Institute Marine and Coastal Sciences, which operates the center.
Botanists battle ‘plant blindness’ with seeds of knowledge
Since she began teaching at Rutgers 13 years ago, botany professor Lena Struwe has seen growing student interest in learning about plants. But that desire often comes without the basic plant knowledge that previous generations of students arrived on campus with…”Many times, I have to teach from scratch. ‘This is a petal. This is a leaf. This is a branch,’ ” said Struwe, who, like plant-science educators across the country, bemoans what has come to be known as “plant blindness” or plant illiteracy among not just college students, but adults and children, too.
Celebrating the much-maligned moth
You know about moths, right? They destroy wool sweaters, lay eggs in the Raisin Bran, and strip bare our shade trees. What’s not to hate? Turns out, there’s a little to hate and lots to love. Most moths are good guys, serving as important pollinators in the field and garden; protein-rich food for bats, birds, frogs and predatory insects, like praying mantises; and, because of their sensitivity, indicators of environmental change…Liti Haramaty, Moth Week cofounder, says the idea grew out of informal moth nights hosted by the Friends of the East Brunswick (N.J.) Environmental Commission in 2005. Soon 50 to 60 people were showing up. “It was amazing how many people came out at night to a park to see what’s flying,” says Haramaty, a researcher at Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.
Your Place: Is mold testing necessary?
Joe Ponessa, who spent 25 years as a housing, indoor environment and health specialist at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, responded to a recent column about mold testing. He said much of what he knows about mold remediation comes from associating with some of the top mold people in the country…Concerning testing, he said the sentiment is generally against it: “If you can see and/or smell mold, it’s there.” Testing provides little practical information, although there are some occasions when it is justified: lawsuit evidence, doctor’s request, validation of the effectiveness of a large, expensive cleanup, etc.
Commence the firestorms
Since Rutgers chemistry professor Robert Boikess successfully urged faculty last month to oppose Condoleezza Rice as commencement speaker for her role in the Iraq war, he has been called “racist,” “liberal” – and worse. The selection of the former secretary of state has set off nothing short of a firestorm on campus with Boikess and his colleagues planning a “teach-in,” launching a website to build opposition, and filing a flurry of public records requests aimed at uncovering how Rice was invited…”It’s a polarizing, divisive issue,” said Ann Gould, a professor in the plant biology and pathology department. She chairs the university senate, which has commissioned a study in the wake of the controversy on how Rutgers selects its speaker.
Friction among the flowers under master gardeners’ new supervisor
It was the second day of spring, and the sun beamed into the South Harrison greenhouse as a small contingent of volunteer gardeners filed in throughout the early morning. Sheltered from the chill, the Gloucester County master gardeners worked to the faint sound of spraying hoses and the quiet buzzing of fans. “It cheers you up,” said retired teacher Barbara Trueheart, 62, of Washington Township. Another gardener likened the county facility to Oz, a magical place where the gardeners – volunteers under Rutgers University’s county cooperative extension – can always escape the bitterness outside.
N.J.’s top weatherman is ready for the Sup- er, the Big Game
David Robinson doesn’t wear a top hat or have a carrot for a nose. The role of New Jersey’s chief snowman, after all, commands a certain dignity. But with rank comes responsibility. And so, when the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Managemen…
Study finds sea levels rising fast; concerns grow about Shore
As the planet warms, one of the biggest questions is how fast sea level will rise. A team of Rutgers University researchers has attempted to answer that question and localize it by studying past sea-level rise along the East Coast, as well as other fac…
Sweeping project allows look at depths of ocean
At this very moment, in 15 spots off the East Coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia, robots are surfing the depths of the ocean, taking its pulse. The robots – commonly referred to as "gliders" because of the way they move through the water – are m…
Rutgers fish surveys show effects of climate change
On a dark night in the middle of a wide marsh near Tuckerton, N.J., a team of Rutgers University researchers lowered a net over the railing of an old wooden bridge. Then they turned off their flashlights and waited. Below, in Little Sheepshead Creek, t…
