How Rutgers Is Forging the Next Generation of Climate Change Problem Solvers

Larry Niles, an independent wildlife biologist, describes the ecosystem of the Cumberland County shore to Rutgers students, with the Delaware River behind him. The students are banding migratory shorebirds. Photo: Lisa Auermuller

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 – …

Scientists Believe Evolution Could Save Coral Reefs, If We Let It

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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 …

Bee It Known: Biodiversity Is Critical to Ecosystems

Bumble Bee on Virginia Bluebells. Photo: Matt Drews

A Rutgers-led study on bees shows how different species pollinate the same plants over time. Rutgers has conducted the first study showing how many more species of bees are needed to maintain crop yields when a longer-term time frame is considered. In the paper, which was recently published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, scientists said biodiversity of the bee population is …

Nuclear War Would Cause a Global Famine and Kill Billions, Rutgers-Led Study Finds

Even a nuclear conflict between new nuclear states would decimate crop production and result in widespread starvation More than 5 billion people would die of hunger following a full-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia, according to a global study led by Rutgers climate scientists that estimates post-conflict crop production. “The data tell us one thing: We must prevent a nuclear …

Cultivating Super Corals Alone Is Unlikely to Protect Coral Reefs From Climate Change

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Restoration efforts need to be conducted at much greater spatial and temporal scales to have long-term benefits A popular coral restoration technique is unlikely to protect coral reefs from climate change and is based on the assumption that local threats to reefs are managed effectively, according to a study co-authored by Rutgers, Coral Research Alliance and researchers at other institutions. …

SEBS Faculty Pamela McElwee and Malin Pinsky to Begin Earth Leadership Program Training

Pamela McElwee, professor, Department of Human Ecology, and Malin Pinsky, associate professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, who were named Fellows of the Earth Leadership Program (ELP), will join their colleagues in the North American Cohort in an ELP training session in Racine, Wisconsin, from June 12-18. Elected in 2021, McElwee and Pinsky are among 22 academics working within a wide …

RU COOL Awarded $2.5 Million Funding for New Jersey Offshore Wind Studies

Grace Saba prepares to deploy an autonomous underwater glider equipped with sensors to monitor for ocean acidification on the New Jersey coastal shelf. Photo credit: Eric Niiler, WIRED.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently announced the award of funding for studies to provide enhanced scientific information on the impacts of offshore wind energy development off New Jersey’s coastline as well as the state’s entry into a regional offshore-wind science collaborative. The development of New Jersey’s offshore wind resources is …

SEBS Faculty Win Rutgers Global Grants

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SEBS faculty, representing a broad range of majors and programs at the school, were awarded 2022 Rutgers Global Grants, annual seed grants open to all Rutgers faculty, including tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and non-tenure track faculty.   These grants help to support a strong core of SEBS faculty who are dedicated to international research and collaborations. This international component to SEBS research and …

How You Can Help Mobilize Rutgers for Climate Action

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Registration is open for the May 4 event Mobilizing the University for Climate Transformation As Rutgers advances a climate action plan, which includes a university commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, President Jonathan Holloway and the Office of Climate Action are inviting the university community to help develop and advance equitable climate solutions and to contribute to the decarbonization of Rutgers, New …

Rutgers Among University Teams Awarded $28.7 Million in Department of Defense Funding

Malin Pinsky

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently announced $28.7 million in grants to 17 university-based faculty teams through its FY2021 Minerva Research Initiative to support research in social and behavioral science. Among the DoD awardees is a faculty team comprising Malin Pinsky, associate professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, that was awarded $1.3 million to fund a three-year project …