Joseph Elkinton, environmental conservation, is quoted in an article about the hemlock woolly adelgid, a sap-sucking insect similar in appearance to tiny cotton balls, which has decimated the eastern hemlock population over the last 40 years. (Connecticut Examiner, 8/22/20)
News from the Media
The Destructive Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Professor Elkinton Researches
August 25, 2020
Toxic Weed Sprouts Along Falmouth's Bike Path, UMass Extension Comments
August 24, 2020
Jimsonweed, an incredibly toxic plant, has sprouted up along the Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth. University of Massachusetts Extension weed specialist Randy Prostak offers advice. (Falmouth News 8/21/20)
4-H Programs Go Virtual During Pandemic
August 17, 2020
Young people across Hampden County have not let the coronavirus pandemic stop them from participating in 4-H programs this year. “Western Massachusetts 4-H has not missed a beat in this pandemic,” said Tom Waskiewicz, a Western Massachusetts 4-H educator. (Westfield News 8/17/20)
Nature Blossoms in Our Retreat
August 10, 2020
Christine Hatch, extension associate professor of geosciences, has written a column about nature’s resurgence while humans have been quarantined due to COVID-19. (Gazette, 8/8/20)
Developing a Quicker, Safer Method of Cleaning Peanut Butter Factories
August 5, 2020
Lynne McLandsborough, University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist, has received a grant from the USDA to develop an oil-based system to clean and sanitize food processing equipment without water, reducing the high risk for Salmonella contamination associated with nuts. (Food Safety Magazine, News Medical Life Sciences, 8/5/20;Sound Health and Lasting Wealth, 8/4/20; News Office release)
Gardening Lessons in a Time of Pandemic
August 4, 2020
Responding to renewed interest in backyard vegetable gardening, a team at the Stockbridge School and UMass Extension has launched a series of how-to articles avaialble on the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment website. (The Sun Chronicle [Attleboro], 8/4/20)
Unsolicited Mystery Seeds Mailed to Local Residents
July 30, 2020
Amanda Bayer, extension assistant professor in the Stockbridge School, comments on mysterious seeds received in the mail by a Shutesbury resident. This appears to be part of national phenomenon of people receiving unsolicited and unlabeled seeds. (Western Mass News, 7/29/20)
Eating Moldy Food, UMass Scientist Discusses Food Safety
July 15, 2020
John Gibbons, food science, is interviewed in an article about allegedly moldy jam sold by a high-end Los Angeles restaurant. He discusses what mold is, how it grows on food, and whether it’s safe to eat. (Grub Street, 7/14/20)
Mosquito Season Discussed by UMass Professor Rich
July 13, 2020
Stephen Rich, microbiology and director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology, is quoted in a report about mosquitos in Western Massachusetts and concerns about Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). (Republican 7/13/20)
Common Food Additive Causes Adverse Health Effects in Mice
July 8, 2020
A common food additive, recently banned in France but allowed in the U.S. and many other countries, was found to significantly alter gut microbiota in mice, causing inflammation in the colon and changes in protein expression in the liver, according to research led by Hang Xiao, UMass food science. "I think our results have a lot of implications in the food industry and on human health and nutrition," he said. (SciTechDaily.com 7/26/20; StudyFinds.org 7/21/20; Phys.org; Austinindian.com, 6/25/20; News Office release)
