When a student confessed he had been going hungry, program coordinator at the Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE), Fran Koppell, took money out of her own wallet to help him buy groceries. When a formerly homeless student was struggling academically, Fran made sure he had the support he needed. And when students had nowhere […]
Are “Eco-Friendly” Plastics Really Better for the Environment?
You’ve probably seen products labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable” at the store and assumed they were better for the planet than regular plastic. But a new study suggests it’s not that simple. Researchers reviewed dozens of studies on bioplastics — plastics made from plant or biological materials rather than fossil fuels — to find out whether […]
Antarctic Plankton Are Adapting to a Brighter Ocean — And It’s Telling Us Something Important About Climate Change
Tiny plant-like organisms (phytoplankton) living in the ocean waters around Antarctica are changing the way they handle sunlight — and the reason why reveals just how much climate change is reshaping one of Earth’s most remote ecosystems. A new study published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography found that over the past 27 years, microscopic […]
Announcement: New Leadership at the NJ Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH)
Announcement by Laura Lawson, SEBS Executive Dean and NJAES Executive Director I am pleased to announce new leadership for the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH), positioning the institute to further advance Rutgers University’s commitment to excellence in food, nutrition, health, and community engagement. I would like to thank the faculty members whose contributions […]
Can Financial Tools Save Biodiversity? A New Review Says “Not So Fast”
The world is losing plants, animals, and ecosystems at an alarming rate, with several causes of this biodiversity decline including habitat loss, climate change, and overexploitation. However, reversing these trends will likely require substantial amounts of funding. Experts estimate the gap between what’s currently being spent on biodiversity protection and what’s actually needed is at […]
Reading the Ocean’s Past to Understand Our Climate Future
To understand how Earth’s climate is changing, we first need to understand how it has changed before. One of the best tools for doing that sits at the bottom of the ocean — tiny, fossilized shells of microscopic, single celled creatures called foraminifera. A new study published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology takes a […]
Graduate Students Help Professor Bring Plant Species Back to Life
Sue Huang is using speculative and critical design to bring long-dead plant species in New Jersey back to life in the collective human consciousness. Her latest work is a collaborative effort founded in both science and the imagination – one that involves graduate students and mixes research, history, software development, visual design and plant biology. […]
Hidden Patterns in Fish Movement and Life History Strategies Revealed
Scientists have developed a powerful new statistical approach that can reveal complex patterns in how fish move and adapt to their environments—information that’s been hiding in plain sight within fish ear stones. A study published in the journal Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries introduces an advanced framework to analyze chemical signatures in fish otoliths—small […]
Can Penguins Help Teach Kids About Climate Change? New Research Says Yes
Penguins waddling across Antarctic ice might seem far removed from a classroom in New Jersey, but a new study shows that these charismatic birds can be a powerful hook for teaching young people about climate change — and inspiring them to see themselves as future scientists. The study was led by researchers at Rutgers University, […]
New Model Shows How Plants Optimize Photosynthesis From Top to Bottom of Canopy
Plants are remarkably good at adjusting how they capture sunlight and produce food through photosynthesis. A new computer model helps scientists better understand these adjustments by looking at what happens at different heights within a plant canopy, from the sun-drenched leaves at the top to the shaded leaves near the ground. Chi Chen, assistant professor […]
