Announcement by Nicholas Polanin, chair of the Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources Please join me in welcoming Patrick McMullen as our newest tenure-track faculty member. Patrick joins us from Cornell University, where he recently completed his PhD focused on soilborne pathogen management and healthy crop establishment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from […]
Faculty
Retired Faculty and Staff Return to Cook Campus for Annual Holiday Tradition
On December 4, 2025, retired faculty and staff of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) gathered for the annual Retired Faculty and Staff Luncheon at Nielson Dining Hall on the George H. Cook campus. Smiles and fond memories filled the Rectangle Room as former colleagues […]
Rutgers Scientists Honored at AGU with Prestigious Flinn Award
Rutgers scientists John Wilkin, professor, and Hernan Arango, research programmer, in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS) along with Andrew Moore, professor at University of California-Santa Cruz, have been honored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) with its 2025 Edward A. Flinn III Award. A coveted AGU honor for mid-career or senior scientists, the […]
Plant Biologist Elected to National Academy of Inventors, Receives Highest Honor for His Work
The Rutgers plant biologist was elected to the 2025 Class of the National Academy of Inventors When basil crops across the United States began collapsing 15 years ago, farmers were desperate. A mysterious strain of downy mildew began wiping out crops with no treatments, no way to stop the disease from spreading and no basil […]
Michelle Infante-Casella Named “Woman of the Year” By NJ Farm Bureau
Michelle Infante-Casella, agricultural agent and department head, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County, was recognized as a “Woman of the Year” by the New Jersey Farm Bureau (NJFB) Women’s Leadership Committee on November 17. Infante-Casella was also recognized with a New Jersey Legislative Joint Commendation from Senator John Burzichelli, Assemblyman David Bailey, and Assemblywoman Heather […]
Connecting Campus and Coast: SEBS/NJAES Faculty and Staff Experience Rutgers’ Collaborative Impact Down the Shore
“At the end of the day, the more connections you have with other colleagues, the bigger the difference you can make at Rutgers.” This is the ethos behind the ‘SEBS/NJAES Field Trips’ according to the SEBS Office of Finance and Administration, which is piloting this new initiative. With these quarterly trips, they hope to connect […]
Scientists Map Genome of Hybrid Oyster to Advance Sustainable Aquaculture
Oysters are one of the world’s most important seafood products, with farms producing about seven million metric tons each year. Now, researchers have unlocked the complete genetic code of a special hybrid oyster, providing a valuable tool that could help improve how these shellfish are farmed. The study, published in Scientific Data, presents the first […]
Large Ice Sheets Existed Much Earlier Than Scientists Thought
Scientists have long reconstructed the extent of ancient ice sheets by analyzing chemical signatures in seafloor sediments. The traditional view held that the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets started small about 3 million years ago and gradually grew larger over time, reaching their maximum extent only in the last 800,000 years. This progression seemed to explain […]
Rutgers Center for Lipid Research Holds 10th Annual Symposium
On November 7, the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research (RCLR) held its 10th annual symposium under the theme, “Lipid regulation of cell stress and death.” The symposium, which was held at the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH) on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus, was attended by more than 90 participants. The annual […]
Teaching Professor Allyson Salisbury Wins ISA Early-Career Scientist Award
Allyson Salisbury, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is the recipient of the 2025 International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Early-Career Scientist Award. This Award of Distinction recognizes an individual who shows exceptional promise, with high potential to become an internationally recognized scientist. The ISA Awards […]
