Training program created in wake of Superstorm Sandy brings graduate students from varied disciplines together to solve real-world climate problems. As a child, Dan Blanco watched low-income neighborhoods in his native Chicago flood during storms while the more affluent enclaves did not. Now, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in atmospheric sciences at Rutgers so he can further explore – …
Blue Acres: The Art and Science of Managing Flood-Prone Open-Space Properties in New Jersey
By Carol Peters, EOAS Communications A wildlife and conservation management expert for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, EOAS faculty member and Associate Professor Brooke Maslo works with local NJ municipalities to help them manage and restore properties in FEMA-established flood-prone areas purchased through the DEP Blue Acres program. Imagine the plight of families in New Jersey who own homes in the state’s …
JC NERR Plays a Key Role in New Jersey Coastal Community Resilience Consortium
Task One: Complete Last December, the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR), along with multiple other NJ partners and institutions, were awarded a grant to fund the implementation of the newly-established New Jersey Coastal Community Resilience Consortium. In addition to the JC NERR, partners include Monmouth University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stockton University, NJ Sea Grant Program, Montclair …
Max Häggblom Co-directs 2022 European Microbiological Societies’ Professional Development Summer School for Postdocs
Max Häggblom, chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, severed as lead instructor and co-director of the 2022 FEMS Summer School for Postdocs held Sept. 3-13 in Split, Croatia. FEMS, the Federation of European Microbiological Societies, was set up in 1974 and is a growing coalition of 56 member societies from 40 countries. FEMS summer schools are designed …
Living Shoreline Combats Coastal Erosion Caused by Sea Level Rise
Rutgers scientists and high school volunteers from Camden are using nature to mitigate the effects of coastal erosion in southern New Jersey. Together they built a living shoreline, near the New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center in Cape May, that uses marsh grasses and recycled oyster and clam shells. The shells, incorporated into modified concrete blocks called oyster castles, fit together like Legos to …
4-H Launches 2022 STEM Challenge Focused on Marine Science and Climate Change
15th annual youth-led initiative provides hands-on learning opportunities during 4-H STEM Month and throughout the year. October is 4-H STEM Month. Rutgers Cooperative Extension has teamed up with Cooperative Extension at Cornell University in New York to bring educators from across two states to the New York Aquarium for an immersive full-day professional development experience. They will be introduced to …
Charlie Kontos Memorial Scholarship for Environmental Activism Awarded to High School Senior
The Charlie Kontos Environmental Activist Award is named for Charlie Kontos, who passed away in 2010 and was, at the time, enrolled as a doctoral student in the Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program administered by the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Before his premature passing at age 33, Kontos had already made a significant contribution to wildlife biology studies with …
SEBS Researchers Receive NSF Funding to Explore Social and Ecological Factors of Pathogen Occurrence in Amphibian Pet Trade
Professor Julie Lockwood, Department of Ecology Evolution and Natural Resources, and Ryan Almeida, School of Graduate Studies, will work with collaborators across four universities to characterize the trade of pet amphibians within the United States, including the range of amphibian species sold as pets and which species are the most common and cheapest to purchase. For the next five years, the team—which …
Scientists Believe Evolution Could Save Coral Reefs, If We Let It
Research shows protecting “hot reefs” is key to saving coral reefs. Coral reefs can adapt to climate change if given the chance to evolve, according to a study led by Coral Reef Alliance, Rutgers University, the University of Washington and other institutions. The recent study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, finds that coral reefs can evolve and adapt …
Understanding the Impact of Marine Viruses on the Ocean’s Carbon Cycle and Role in Climate Change
By Carol Peters, EOAS Communications To address one of the most pressing issues impacting human civilization, pioneering work by EOAS faculty members Kay Bidle and Kimberlee Thamatrakoln is, for the first time, changing the ways scientists understand the impact marine viruses have on phytoplankton, the ocean’s role in the carbon cycle, and ultimately on Earth’s changing climate. Arriving on the …