Rick Harper, environmental conservation, says that despite the warm and dry summer, “If we don’t see a warm, humid, drawn out fall, we should see typical beautiful coloration” as shorter days trigger tree leaves to change color. (WWLP, 9/16/20)
News from the Media
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Fall Foliage in Western Massachusetts Still on Track, UMass Professor Weighs In
September 16, 2020 -
Growers Say Aid to Cranberry Station Will Help Industry Adapt
August 27, 2020UMass Cranberry Station Director Hilary Sandler comments on recent state funds dedicated to modernize facilities that will help with the growing need for research and support for cranberry growers. (CapeCodTimes 8/27/20)
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State Provides Grant for UMass Cranberry Station
August 27, 2020The state of Massachusetts has granted $5.75 million to the UMass Cranberry Station in Wareham in an effort to promote the cranberry industry. (CapeCod.com, 8/27/20; News Office release)
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The Destructive Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Professor Elkinton Researches
August 25, 2020Joseph 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)
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Toxic Weed Sprouts Along Falmouth's Bike Path, UMass Extension Comments
August 24, 2020Jimsonweed, 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)
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4-H Programs Go Virtual During Pandemic
August 17, 2020Young 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)
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Nature Blossoms in Our Retreat
August 10, 2020Christine 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)
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Developing a Quicker, Safer Method of Cleaning Peanut Butter Factories
August 5, 2020Lynne 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)
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Gardening Lessons in a Time of Pandemic
August 4, 2020Responding 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)
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Unsolicited Mystery Seeds Mailed to Local Residents
July 30, 2020Amanda 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)
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Eating Moldy Food, UMass Scientist Discusses Food Safety
July 15, 2020John 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)
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Mosquito Season Discussed by UMass Professor Rich
July 13, 2020Stephen 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)
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Common Food Additive Causes Adverse Health Effects in Mice
July 8, 2020A 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)
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UMass Researchers Helped Develop WattScale
July 8, 2020Researchers including faculty members David Irwin, Prashan Shenoy, engineering, and Benjamin Weil, environmental conservation, have developed WattScale, an open-source AI tool that identifies energy-wasting homes. (VentureBeat, 7/7/20)
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Nanoplastics Can Build up in Plants and Stunt Growth, Xing Discovers
June 23, 2020Research by Baoshan Xing, environmental and soil chemistry, and colleagues in China, is showing direct evidence that nanoplastics can accumulate in land plants. Xing says, “Plant accumulation of nanoplastics can have both direct ecological effects and implications for agricultural sustainability and food safety.” (BioplasticsNews 7/6/20; Technology Networks, 6/24/20; iCrowdNewswire, 6/23/20 Environmental News Network, ScienceDaily, 6/22/20; News Office release)
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NIFA Grant Funds Study on Anti-inflammatory Benefits of Strawberries
June 18, 2020Hang Xiao, food science, has received a federal grant to expand his research into the health benefits of strawberries. Xiao and colleagues will aim to identify the mechanism by which whole strawberries affect the gut in positive ways. (Vegetable Growers News, 6/17/20)
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UMass Magazine Lists Extension As Gardening Resource
June 16, 2020UMass magazine publishes article about home gardening, touting extension fact sheets as great resource. (UMass Magazine, summer 2020)
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Ohio Gardening Tip Sheet- UMass Extension Resource Mentioned
June 16, 2020An article in Ohio newspaper offers advice for vegetable gardening and includes a tip sheet from UMass Extension among its list of resources. (Akron Beacon Journal, 6/11/20)
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UMass Tick-testing Service Temporarily Halted by Work Furloughs
June 16, 2020TickReport, UMass Amherst’s tick-testing service, is closed until June 19 because of staff furloughs. Stephen Rich, professor of microbiology and director of the lab, says one can send ticks in after June 19 when they reopen. (MassLive, 6/10/20)
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Validating Climate Change Refugia, Morelli Reports in Special Issue
June 8, 2020Conserving biodiversity in a rapidly changing world, Toni Lyn Morelli, UMass Amherst ecologist, along with her team, synthesized refugia science developments to date. (ESAjournal 6/1/20, News Office release 6/1/20)
