UMass Amherst researchers published a study in the journal PLOS Water that focuses on the Sudbury-Assabet and Concord watershed in eastern Massachusetts, linking hydrological changes, like floods, drought and runoff, to changing patterns of land use. “The watershed is a signature of the health of the landscape,” says Timothy Randhir, professor of environmental conservation and the paper’s senior author. “The quality of life in any particular landscape depends on how the watershed is functioning.”
News from the Media
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UMass Amherst Research Ties Land Use Shifts to Water Quality and Quantity
May 11, 2023 -
UMass Amherst Groundskeeper Fights for Campus Trees’ Champion Status
April 27, 2023Todd Cournoyer, head of grounds at UMass, is interviewed about UMass Amherst’s legacy trees, many of which are more than 100 years old, several of which are state “champion trees,” and his efforts to see them included on American Forests’ national register. Brian Kane, the Massachusetts Arborists Association professor at UMass is also interviewed.
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A New Vision For Soybean Meal: Designer Tempeh
April 25, 2023Hang Xiao, professor and Clydesdale Scholar of Food Science, has received a grant from the USDA to use “smart fermentation” to create a flavorful and nutritious protein using soybeans. Xiao says, “We will create a library of genes to produce more nutritional and more delicious tempeh food, and we can be very creative.”
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UMass Amherst Hosts Ribbon-Cutting for $8 Million Expansion of Cranberry Station in East Wareham
April 21, 2023Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy and other UMass leaders joined state officials and industry representatives Friday in celebrating the official opening of the expanded and modernized UMass Cranberry Station in East Wareham.
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With a Little Gardening Help from Some Friends
April 11, 2023Research led by UMass, UNH, and UConn researchers studied flowering plants to attract syrphid flies as biological control of common crop pests.
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Research Finds Surprising Science Behind Bumblebee Superfood
April 5, 2023Research led by UMass Amherst has found that sunflower pollen can be a powerful superfood that both reduces infection by a common bumble bee parasite by 81–94% and markedly increases the production of queen bumble bees.
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Fragrant and Beautiful Lilacs Are a Must in Any Garden
March 31, 2023A gardening column about tending to lilacs cites tips from the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program.
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Beneficial Bacteria in the Infant Gut Uses Nitrogen from Breast Milk to Support Baby's Health
March 28, 2023David Sela, food science, has published a paper reporting that he has demonstrated how beneficial microbes in the gut of infants use nitrogen from human milk to support their nutrition and development.
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Mahoney Life Sciences Prize Awarded to UMass Amherst Biologist Lynn Adler
March 27, 2023Biology professor Lynn Adler has won the Mahoney Life Sciences Prize for her research demonstrating that different kinds of wildflowers can have markedly different effects on the health and reproduction rate of bumblebees.
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Worcester Is Home to the Largest Lanternfly Infestation in Massachusetts
March 7, 2023Jaime Piñero, Extension professor in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, comments about the infestation of lanternflies in Worcester. Piñero says laying traps for the invasive species is not a simple option because of the city’s size.
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Earth Matters: Rewilding Is Letting Nature Take the Lead
March 4, 2023Christine Hatch, Extension associate professor in earth, geographic and climate sciences, writes about the evolving new science of rewilding, a conservation effort focused on restoring sustainable biodiversity and ecosystem health by protecting core wild and wilderness areas.
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PowerCorps Boston Provides Training in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry
March 2, 2023Kristina Bezanson, environmental conservation, taught the first arboriculture and urban forestry cohort for Power Corps Boston at the UMass Amherst Mount Ida campus during the fall semester.
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UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station Webinar Tackles Concerns About Wind Farm Projects
March 2, 2023A webinar led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Gloucester Marine Station, in partnership with the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association and Cape Ann Climate Coalition, explored concerns about wind farm projects in the Gulf of Maine.
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Getting Answers: Air Quality Concerns Following Ohio Train Derailment
February 20, 2023Richard Peltier, environmental health sciences, says there will be little local effect on air quality from pollution caused by the Ohio train derailment, as the pollutants will dilute in the atmosphere over the more-than-500-mile trip.
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Episode 5: Plant-Based Meat Challenges, Quality Pet Food Demand, Sensory Tech Toolkit
February 13, 2023Julian McClements, Distinguished Professor of food science, discusses plant-based meat-analogous food on the Omnivore podcast.
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Some of New England's Peach Crop Damaged in Frigid Temps
February 9, 2023Jon Clements, UMass Extension, is cited in a news report from Rhode Island about peach trees at a Smithfield orchard likely facing damage from the recent arctic cold snap.
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How to Rewild a Wetland (Hint: Focus on the Groundwater)
February 9, 2023UMass Amherst researchers report they have discovered the best way to restore freshwater wetlands and have demonstrated that these wetlands are operating as self-sustaining ecosystems.
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What Is Tree Biomechanics and Why Should I Care?
February 1, 2023Brian Kane, environmental conservation, writes about what tree biomechanics are why we should care. He says, “From an arborist’s point of view, biomechanics is mostly related to understanding the likelihood of tree failure.”
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Fact Check: Parmesan Cheese Flavor Additive Is NOT Toxic In Small Amounts
January 12, 2023Lynne McLandsborough, food science, is quoted in a story questioning the safety of parmesan cheese flavor additive .
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The Best Oils for Frying, According to a Food Scientist
January 6, 2023Eric Decker, food science, explains how to choose the best cooking oils for frying.
