By Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Gloucester County What is agritourism? Webster.com defines agritourism (agriculture plus tourism) as “the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and participate in farm activities.” There are other names for agritourism– “agritainment,” “rural tourism” and “farm visits.” All are a form of commercial enterprise that links […]
Rutgers Faculty SNAP to It With Community College Students to Counter Food Insecurity
A social scientist and a graphic designer join forces with Hudson County Community College to create art, gather food stories and engage northeastern New Jerseyans Two Rutgers faculty members – a health psychologist who studies food insecurity and a design professor whose work engages marginalized communities in self-advocacy – teamed up with staff and students […]
Daniel Van Abs (CC’77): A Leader on the Environment and in Philanthropy
“Dan is the state of New Jersey’s undisputed leader in the field of watershed planning and management and as accomplished a professional as you will ever find. His students have benefitted tremendously from Dan’s real-world experience in solving environmental challenges and his service to nonprofit watershed organizations has been exemplary,” said Jim Waltman, executive director […]
SEBS/NJAES Faculty Honored with 2022-2023 Universitywide Faculty Year-End Excellence Awards
Congratulations to Matthew Newman and Grace Saba on being recognized by the university with Faculty Year-End Excellence Awards, which honor outstanding members of the Rutgers community selected by their colleagues for exceptional contributions to teaching, research, or public service through a program of seven awards. For each award, the recipient receives a commemorative certificate and […]
SEBS Graduate Among Those Inducted into the Matthew Leydt Society
Sohaib Hassan has dreamed of becoming a scientist since doctors diagnosed him with muscular dystrophy at age 10. But he feared his physical limitations would prevent him from keeping up with his peers in the lab, making it impossible to run experiments and move the needle forward on finding a cure for the disease. This […]
Community Selections for the Chancellor-Provost Challenge: Toward the Common Good
SEBS faculty are involved in three out of these four cross school collaborations, interdisciplinary projects chosen to foster innovative research benefiting the public and addressing pressing global issues. Rutgers University–New Brunswick has selected four submissions to the Chancellor-Provost Challenge: Toward the Common Good, which invited innovative proposals from the Rutgers community for transformational, campus-wide initiatives to help fulfill […]
2023 SEBS Convocation Remarks by Executive Dean Laura Lawson
Good morning! Thank you, Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway, for sharing this wonderful moment with our school. It is an honor to once again have you celebrate with us. Thank you for your words of welcome and best wishes to our graduating students, and to their families and friends. I’ve had the privilege of joining Dr. Conway […]
In Memoriam: Tim Casey, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Entomology
Our friend and colleague, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Tim Casey, died at home on March 7, 2023, after a short time in hospice care. Tim struggled valiantly over the past few years with Parkinson’s Disease. He served Rutgers in many capacities over his long tenure, some of which are described below. He is survived by his […]
Rutgers Master Gardeners Never Lose Sight of Their Mission
By Nicholas Polanin, chair, Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Jan Zientek, senior program coordinator and former statewide Rutgers Master Gardener coordinator. The dozen or so seed catalogs that I’ve received in the mail and the seeds and seed starting kits appearing in my local hardware store are a reminder that gardening season is upon us. […]
Award-winning Film Highlights Rutgers Efforts to Protect Basil from Blight
Fields of Devotion provides a window into the science behind developing disease- and climate change-resistant food crops When a devastating disease wiped out New Jersey farmers’ basil fields, growers turned to Rutgers scientists for help. Now the public will be able to follow the unique partnership between local farmers and Rutgers scientists in Fields of Devotion, […]










