Imagine a tractor-size machine that can tell the difference between a vegetable and a weed – and then zaps the unwelcome plant with a laser. It’s not science fiction. It’s being tested in New Jersey by Rutgers University scientist Thierry Besançon. An associate professor with the Department of Plant Biology in the School of Environmental and […]
Distinguished Professor Eric Lam Awarded 2025 Agriculture Innovation Award
Eric Lam, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Biology, was the recipient of the Agriculture Innovation Award at the Rutgers Office of Research banquet on Oct 7, celebrating the 2025 awards winners with peers, industry executives and Rutgers University leadership. The Rutgers Innovation Awards, hosted by the Rutgers Office for Research for the second […]
NJ Governor’s STEM Scholars Explore Sustainability and Science at Rutgers SEBS
Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) recently welcomed students from the prestigious Governor’s STEM Scholars program for an immersive day of scientific exploration and sustainability-focused learning. The program was hosted at the Ludwig Global Village Living Learning Center and featured a full day of activities focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The […]
Ocean Currents Act Like Underwater Highways, Delivering Food to Antarctic Wildlife
In Antarctica’s frigid waters, tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill are the foundation of the entire ocean food web, feeding everything from penguins to whales. But how do these krill—and the microscopic plants they eat—end up in the right place at the right time? A new study reveals that ocean currents act like invisible highways, concentrating […]
Meltwater Pools on Greenland’s Ice Are Speeding Up Melting More Than Expected
Thousands of small pools and streams of melted water sitting on top of Greenland’s massive ice sheet are absorbing more heat from the sun than scientists previously realized, according to new research. This discovery means the ice sheet could be melting faster than current models predict, which has important implications for rising sea levels. Åsa […]
Celebrating Nicki Graf CC’77 and Her 37-Year Career of Cultivating Plants and People at Rutgers
Perhaps as iconic to Cook Campus as Passion Puddle and the Rutgers Farm, the Floriculture Greenhouse with its towering smokestack has long been a joyful place for plant-minded people at Rutgers. One of the oldest buildings on Cook campus, the Floriculture Greenhouse originally served as a research station focusing on cut flower production and preservation […]
Rutgers Plays Strategic Role at the 2025 Middlesex County Business Summit
The Middlesex Business Summit 2025 attracted hundreds of New Jersey’s visionary business leaders, entrepreneurs, advisors and government officials on October 9, 2025, at the Heldrich Hotel and Conference Center in New Brunswick. Themed “Thriving Through Change: Business, Innovation, and the Future of Work,” the business conference featured presentations on the groundbreaking efforts underway to develop […]
Climate Solutions That Work for People and the Planet
Many climate change solutions can help nature, water, food systems, and human health at the same time, but only if they are designed and managed in holistic ways. A new study shows that a range of climate actions have positive effects across all these areas, including planting forests to sustainable agricultural practices to changing what […]
Joyce Carlson Retires After a Quarter Century of Service at Rutgers
Joyce Carlson, senior executive assistant in the Office of the Executive Dean at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), has retired after a 25-year career at Rutgers University. In recognition of Joyce’s dedication to creating a welcoming environment and supporting the SEBS/NJAES community, a retirement gathering of her family and Rutgers colleagues was […]
Scientists Meet in Cape Town to Plan Future Climate Intervention Research
Scientists around the world are studying different ways we might respond to climate change, including controversial approaches called solar radiation modification (SRM), which aims to reflect some of the sun’s energy back to space to cool the Earth. To better understand how these approaches might work, researchers need to run complex computer simulations using climate […]
