The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, hosted the Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey Conference on Dec. 2 at the Pines Manor in Edison… “The many advocates and supporters who work diligently to make a difference in the health of our communities are to be commended for their efforts – both in the field and behind the scenes,” said Anderson. During the conference, the inaugural “Culture of Health Champion Awards” were presented to four organizations/affiliations for outstanding efforts in four categories: Community: The Rutgers Cooperative Extension recognized for providing leadership, collaboration and science-based education through partners – NJPHK and Department of Health; implementation of Get Moving – Get Healthy New Jersey; and partnering in advancing environment and policy change.
GARDENER STATE: N.J.’s Newest Ambassador Named
This article was written by Nicholas Polanin, associate professor and agricultural agent II at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension of Somerset County… Rebecca Carmeli-Peslak of Millstone Township has been chosen a…
Rutgers Helps Friends School Students Get a Taste of Gardening
Students were skeptical at Friends School Mullica Hill, an independent PreK to 8th grade school in Harrison Township, when Luanne Hughes passed around tiny cups of a green frothy brew at her lunchtime demonstration. Hughes, a registered dietician and professor at Rutgers University Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County, was visiting as part of a partnership to help the school develop its on-campus gardening project… Using fresh spinach the students at Friends School grew and collected in their own raised bed garden, Hughes blended together a shake that also included bananas, orange juice and fresh kiwi. Watching the ingredients whipped together into a bright green shake elicited a few groans of disapproval from some of the middle schoolers. The kids were encouraged to “be brave” and “try something new” by Hughes as she passed around the sample cups… “Having our garden supported by Luanne and Rutgers University has been invaluable,” said Reaves. “They are helping us to teach kids the importance of fresh farm produce.”
Richard Lutz Recognized by Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences for His Contributions
Rutgers marine scientist Rich Lutz will go to deep depths for public access to science. He has spent hundreds of hours since his first dive in 1979 in a variety of submersibles exploring hydrothermal vents throughout the world’s oceans… Last week, The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences agreed. In recognition of his lifelong contributions to ocean sciences, and for making those sciences accessible to the public, Lutz joined such luminaries as filmmaker James Cameron and the late oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and received the academy’s highest award – the NOGI… “Some of the scientists told me, ‘Well, I can go down there and take pictures just as well as these guys can,'” Lutz recalls. “Well, no, you can’t. Some of those scientists never forgave me, but if I had it to do again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Grardener State: Equine Evening of Science and Celebration at Rutgers Center
This article was written by Nicholas Polanin is associate professor, Agricultural Agent II Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension of Somerset County… The Evening of Science and Celebration is an opportunity to unite …
Monster Mash 2015 [PHOTO GALLERY]
More than 80 Rutgers student groups participated in this year’s Monster Mash – an alternative Halloween event at Rutgers, and welcomed more than 2,500 local elementary school children and their families on the Cook/Douglass campus on Oct…
Celebrating Rutgers 250th Anniversary Through Food
Most of the food Rutgers students eat today did not exist when the university was founded in 1766. Pizza hadn’t been created yet, sushi was unheard of, and spaghetti and meatballs wouldn’t appear in the dining halls for nearly 200 years. Even something as basic as the bread students ate 250 years ago would have been different because wheat was not widely available… “Students in 1766 would have been entirely unfamiliar with ramen noodles, Pop Tarts, Oreos, peanut butter, Cheerios, tacos or many other things that are the mainstay of the diets of many of our students today,” said William Hallman, chair of Rutgers Department of Human Ecology… As Rutgers gears up to mark its 250th anniversary, Hallman is working with two other human ecology professors – Cara Cuite and Mary Nucci – teaching a class that celebrates the university’s history by studying the evolution of the foods we eat. The course also highlights Rutgers’ role in shaping the food supply since the university’s first classes were held in a downtown tavern called The Sign of the Red Lion.
Jess Niederer — NJ’s 2016 Outstanding Young Farmer
This article was written by Nicholas Polanin is associate professor, agricultural agent II, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension of Somerset County… Jessica Niederer, a Hopewell Township organic produce and flower farmer, has been chosen as New Jersey’s 2016 Outstanding Young Farmer by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture… Niederer will be presented with her award at the February 2016 New Jersey State Agricultural Convention in Atlantic City… As well as being a dedicated farmer, Niederer enjoys giving back to the community. In 2014, she was voted the “Local Hero” by Edible Jersey readers in the Farm/Farmer category. To add to her community accomplishments, Niederer also is an active member of the Mercer County Board of Agriculture, teaches classes on organic farming through the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey, and volunteers as an EMT during the slower months.
Rutgers Dedicates N.J. Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health
Rutgers’ new hub for interdisciplinary research in food, nutrition and health aims to make New Jersey the “healthy state” and a model for the nation… The $55 million New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health on the George H. Cook Campus formally was dedicated Tuesday as college, state and private officials looked on. Financing came from a $35 million grant from the Building Our Future Bond Act and a $10 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation… Students in the building will study the country’s major nutrition-related health issues, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The building, designed with nature in mind and an open-space concept, also boasts New Jersey’s largest interior living wall. There also is space for conferences, meetings, laboratories, “smart” classrooms and offices.
Rutgers Master Gardeners — Growing on Excellence
This past Saturday, Oct. 3, saw the annual Rutgers Master Gardener “Fall Conference” hosted at the Cook Campus Center of Rutgers University in New Brunswick… Members of the Rutgers Master Gardener Association of New Jersey facilitated the entire conference, from topics and speakers to signage and handouts to more than 300 attendees from all across the state… This single largest gathering of Rutgers Master Gardeners also hosts the Annual Awards of Excellence presentations, which were established as a means of annually recognizing the contributions and service of these volunteers who are trained and certified under the Rutgers University Master Gardener program. Selected by their peers and program coordinators in their home county, Award for Excellence winners provide a high degree of service to their communities, generously contributing their expertise, creativity, professionalism, leadership, and passion to expand the outreach mission of Rutgers Cooperative Extension in their home county and across New Jersey… Rutgers Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the general public.
