Gloucester resident Katie Kahl was named to a newly created position, extension assistant professor in sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience, at UMass Amherst’s School of Earth and Sustainability at the Gloucester Marine Station. Kahl will serve as a contact between community interests and the university’s research resources. (Globe 1/19/18; News Office)
News from the Media
-
Katie Kahl Named Extension Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station
January 22, 2018 -
Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association Names First Female President
January 16, 2018The Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association elected Joanne M. DiNardo as its first female president at its recent annual business meeting. UMass Extension educator Jon Clements, said, “In this day and age, gender difference is not what it used to be, although farming and apple growing were largely male-dominated. That is changing now and most apple growers just view Joanne as an extremely competent, well-versed advocate of apple growing.” (Telegram 1/3/18)
-
Experts Dash Hopes That Frigid Temps Will Kill Local Ticks
January 13, 2018Ticks have a natural antifreeze system that helps them survive cold — even severe cold — weather. "Ticks lying underneath the snow pack could be larvae, nymphs or adults,” said Dr. Stephen Rich, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Adults will be active as soon as the snow melts and temps warm,” he said. “Nymphs will follow in late May/June.” (Cape Cod Times 1/13/18)
-
MassWildlife Proposes Limits on Dogs in Preservation Areas, UMass Professor Weighs in
January 10, 2018After repeated complaints regarding negative and unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and issues with dog waste, MassWildlife is now taking action. They’ve proposed regulations that require dogs to be leashed and their waste to be removed from wildlife management areas. UMass professor Paige Warren offers comments. (Hampshire Gazette 1/9/18)
-
Release of 1 Million Gallons of Sewage into Nantucket Harbor a 'Serious Concern,' UMass Professor comments
January 8, 2018The release of over 1 million gallons of raw sewage into Nantucket Harbor following a sewer main break on Thursday could cause significant harm to the harbor's ecosystem and shellfish populations, according to a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor of environmental conservation, Timothy Randhir. (Masslive 1/6/18)
-
Winter Moth May Become a Non-Pest Says Professor Elkinton
January 3, 2018“We are in the process of turning the winter moth into a non-pest,” said Joe Elkinton, professor in the Agricultural Engineering Department at UMass Amherst, who heads an effort to control the winter moth with the Cyzenis albicans fly. (Wicked Local Ipswich 12/27/17)
-
UMass Amherst Food Scientists Find Transient Effects on Gut Microbiome
December 20, 2017Antimicrobial compounds added to preserve food during storage are believed to be benign and non-toxic to the consumer, but there is “a critical scientific gap in understanding the potential interactions” they may have with the hundreds of species of microbes in our intestines, say David Sela, a nutritional microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and colleagues. (Globe, 12/20/17; Technology Networks, 12/19/17; News Office release)
-
UMass Chemist Tracy Allen and Staff Analyze Soil Across the U.S.
December 18, 2017Tracy Allen, chemist and supervisor, UMass Soil Laboratory, discusses soil samples the lab tests for and amendment recommendations made across the country. (Gazette 12/15/17)
-
Developing a New Mosquito Control District in the Pioneer Valley, Stephen Rich Comments
December 13, 2017Rich says the biggest health threat from mosquitoes is the spread of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which is very rare but untreatable and often fatal. (Gazette 12/13/17)
-
Some Trees Are Not Dropping Leaves, Richard Harper Explains Why
December 11, 2017This year, the balmy weather has scrambled the classic autumn script.
As a result, some tree species, particularly Norway maple, oak, and pear, are “not giving up the ghost in terms of winding up the growing season,” said Richard W. Harper, extension assistant professor of urban forestry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (Globe 12/8/17)
-
Prashant Shenoy named to Fellows of American Association for Advancement of Science
December 5, 2017University of Massachusetts professor, Prashant Shenoy, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of his “efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.” Professor Shenoy is the Principal Investigator of the Massachusetts Energy Extension Initiative. (Gazette 12/5/17, News Office 11/20/17)
-
Sandler Discusses Cranberry Growing on Public Radio
November 23, 2017Technology in cranberry farming has come a long way in just a handful of years. Hillary Sandler, director of the Cranberry Station at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explains how drones, lasers and smartphones are used to grow and harvest cranberries. (WUMW 11/23/17)
-
Sylvia Discusses Wild Cranberry Bogs
November 22, 2017Martha Sylvia, a research technician at the University of Massachusetts Cranberry Station in Wareham and scientists have studied the wild bogs in Provincetown and Truro for the last 25 years, in part to learn how a bog behaves without the cultivation practices used in cranberry farming. (Cape Cod Times11/22/17)
-
Why This Autumn Has Been Less Colorful Than Previous Ones
November 6, 2017According to Richard Harper, professor in the Environmental Conservation department at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, warmer nights can certainly delay and even mute the color of fall leaves. (Crain's New York Business 11/7/17)
-
Test Soil Now for 2018 Spring Planting
November 6, 2017Tracy Allen, supervisor, UMass Soil Laboratory, explains that soil properties are not going to change much in the winter because soil processes slow way down in the cold, so soil test results and recommendations that offered this fall will be accurate and useful for the whole growing season in your garden next year.
In the spring, the lab is deluged with requests and that can cause a backlog. "It could take twice as long to get your results back and that is valuable time in the planting season," Allen said. (MassLive 11/1/17, News Office 11/1/17, Recorder 11/4/17)
-
Remove Pesticide Residues on and in Apples With Water and Baking Soda
October 30, 2017Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, led by Lili He, Ph.D., found a baking soda and water combination was the most effective way to reduce pesticides on apple skins. (Agriculture and Food Chemistry, International Business Times, Mother Nature Network 10/30/17, Chemical and Engineering News 11/3/17, Healthline 11/8/17, NY Times 11/10/17, Well and Good, 11/13/17, Emax Health 11/30/17)
-
UMass Amherst Researchers Find Anti-bacterial Chemical Accumulates in Toothbrushes
October 25, 2017A team of environmental chemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by Baoshan Xing, report that triclosan, an antibacterial agent in some over-the-counter toothpastes, accumulates in toothbrush bristles and is easily released in the mouth if the user switches toothpaste types. (Chem Info; Boston Globe; News Office, Time magazine, Infection Control Today, Science Codex, Health Day, Chemcial & Engineering News, UPI 10/25/17 )
-
Research at UMass Cold Spring Orchard Bears Fruit
October 10, 2017BELCHERTOWN — The University of Massachusetts Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center — its full name — is a facility where researchers are hard at work addressing sustainability, pest management, and climate change, in the name of growing the best possible fruit. (Boston Globe 10/10/17)
-
Editorial Praises Work at UMass's S. Deerfield Farm
September 28, 2017An editorial praises two UMass Amherst agricultural initiatives in South Deerfield—a dual-use farm, combining solar panels and crops, and a student-run vegetable farm. “Both farms are providing an impressive demonstration of successful, practical education for an occupation as old as the earth but in a modern world,” the editorial states. Amanda Brown, Stockbridge School of Agriculture and director of the Student Farming Enterprise program, is quoted. (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 9/28/17)
-
Extension Professor Tells Town About Online Tool
September 28, 2017Scott Jackson, extension associate professor in environmental conservation, explained new online tool to area leaders at a Creating Resilient Communities forum. (The Recorder, Greenfield, 9/28/17)
