News from the Media

University of Massachusetts Amherst food science researchers have pinpointed a set of enzymes involved in tumor growth that could be targeted to prevent or treat colon cancer. “We think this is a very interesting discovery,” says Guodong Zhang, assistant professor of food science. “Our research identifies a novel therapeutic target and could help to develop novel strategies to reduce the risks of colon cancer.” (Drug Target Review 2/27/19; Medicine News Line, News Medical Life Sciences, 2/26/19; R & D magazine, News Office Release 2/25/19)

Massachusetts Senator Eric Lesser discusses his experiences when touring the UMass Farm at Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown. He is tackling myraid food security issues in the next legislative term including closing food deserts and expanding innovative programs. He said, "At the heart of each of these efforts is our state's own homegrown economic engine: our farms." (Republican 2/16/19)

Andrew J. Danylchuk, environmental conservation, is one of a group of experts featured in a public television show about efforts to understand several species of fish, bonefish tarpon and permit, that live in flat sections of the ocean off the coast of Florida. (Changing Seas)
 

Going beyond traditional Chamber of Commerce activities, the 900-member Cape Ann Chamber is teaming with UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station and UMass Dartmouth to grow the region’s maritime economy. (Gloucestertimes.com 1/31/19)

DEERFIELD — Representatives from the University of Massachusetts Amherst attended this week’s Board of Health meeting to address public concerns regarding the spraying of chemicals at the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center in South Deerfield. (Gazette 1/27/19)

Marco Keiluweit, assistant professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and collaborators are studying how climate change affects the capacity of soils to remove carbon from the atmosphere and retain enough nutrients for food production. (Science & Technology Research News, 1/15/19;  News Office Release). 

Jon M. Clements, UMass Extension, says tariffs on the fruit and nut industries aren’t likely to have much impact on this region because, “It has become primarily a retail/direct market.” He says the top issues he sees are regulations and recordkeeping and lack of labor for smaller jobs and retail. (Growingproduce.com, 12/29/18)

Julie Brigham-Grette, geosciences, says a new report from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that says climate change could turn back the geological clock 50 million years in just 200 years, shows there is less time than scientists thought to prevent warming and the changes it will cause. “It’s a real call to action to all countries, including our own, to really quickly ramp up technologies that get us away from fossil fuels.” (La Crosse Tribune, 12/10/18)
 

Joseph S. Elkinton, environmental conservation, comments in a science news story about efforts to restore Puritan tiger beetles to the Connecticut River basin. The tiny insects currently are found only along the banks of the Connecticut River and in the Chesapeake Bay area. Elkinton has been helping Rodger Gwiazdowski, the entomologist who is leading the project. (New York Times, 12/4/18)