Julie Lockwood, professor and chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, has been appointed interim director of the Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) effective Feb. 3, 2022. A Rutgers faculty member since 2004, Lockwood is a global leader in the study of invasive species …
Häggblom, Lockwood, Reinfelder Elected as Fellows of the AAAS
By Carol Peters The three EOAS faculty members are among twelve Rutgers professors elected in 2022. Three EOAS faculty members have been elected to the newest class of fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They are Max Häggblom, Julie Lockwood, and Ying Fan Reinfelder. The three are among twelve Rutgers professors elected this year, the …
Rutgers Professor Pamela McElwee Among Co-Chairs Named to Two New Global IPBES Assessments
Pamela McElwee, professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, was among six new co-chairs named today by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) to lead work on two major new multi-year international scientific assessments. McElwee is one of three co-chairs to lead the IPBES assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, …
Ancient Mesopotamian Discovery Transforms Knowledge of Early Farming
Rutgers researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity’s earliest agricultural practices. Their findings appear in the journal Scientific Reports. “Overall, the presence of millet in ancient Iraq during this earlier time period challenges the accepted narrative of agricultural development in the region as well as our models for how ancient societies …
Rutgers Among Global Organizations Awarded Funding to Advance Data-Driven Climate Solutions
Rutgers New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center and the NJAES Office of Research Analytics are among 10 global climate action organizations named by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to its 2022 Accelerator Grant Program to advance their use of data and AI for impact, as part of the foundation’s $4.5 million commitment to climate action. Rutgers works to help New Jersey adapt to climate change …
Distinguished Professor Max Häggblom Leads $1.5 Million NSF Study on Microbiomes of Polar and Alpine Soils
Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Max Häggblom, is principal investigator of a collaborative, multinational project, “Dimensions US-China-South Africa: Establishing genetic, phylogenetic and functional mechanisms that shape the diversity of polar and alpine soil microbiomes,” funded by the National Science Foundation. Rutgers co-principal investigators are Lee Kerkhof, professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, …
Science Storytelling as Community Engagement: Rutgers Releases “Fields of Devotion” Short Film Trailer
The Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Departments of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Plant Biology, along with the Rutgers Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE)—a part of the New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health—are launching a unique “Science Storytelling as Community Engagement” initiative. The intent is to increase understanding and dialogue between Rutgers scientists and the broader community. Distinguished professor Oscar Schofield, chair of Marine and Coastal Sciences noted, “it is imperative for scientists to find innovative ways to engage the public in science learning. …
Scientists Discover Link Between Climate Change and Biological Evolution of Phytoplankton
Using artificial intelligence techniques, an international team that included Rutgers-New Brunswick researchers have traced the evolution of coccolithophores, an ocean-dwelling phytoplankton group, over 2.8 million years. Their findings, published this week in the journal Nature, reveal new evidence that evolutionary cycles in a marine phytoplankton group are related to changes in tropical seasonality, shedding light on the link between biological evolution …
U.S. Department of Education Awards $500,000 to Rutgers to Support Students Pursuing Advanced Education in Environmental Sciences
Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) was awarded $500,000 in Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) funding by the U.S. Department of Education to support students pursuing a doctoral degree in Environmental Sciences. The GAANN program provides grants to academic departments and programs of institutions of higher education in the U.S. to fund graduate fellowships for students with excellent …
Climate Action Can Lessen Poverty and Inequality Worldwide
The redistribution of revenues from a carbon tax can promote equity and protect vulnerable populations If all countries adopted the same tax on carbon emissions and returned the revenues to their citizens, it is possible to keep the global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius while also benefiting wellbeing, reducing inequality, and alleviating poverty, according to a Rutgers …