A new study headed by Hang Xiao, University of Massachusetts food science, says eating strawberries could help people manage inflammatory bowel disease. Xiao reports the sedentary lifestyle and dietary habits of many people – high-sugar, high-animal fat, but low-fiber diets – may promote colonic inflammation and increase the risk of IBD. (Endopro 9/28/18; Daily Mail 8/20/18; Women’s Health [Australia], India TV, Xinhuanet.com [China], Outlook [India], 8/21/18; Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, NewsHealthDigest.com, News Medical Life Sciences, Laboratory Equipment, 8/20/18)
News from the Media
Strawberries could treat bowel disease, UMass professor reports
August 20, 2018
Hot, Wet Summer Unkind to Central Mass. Crops
August 16, 2018
Katie Campbell-Nelson, vegetable specialist with UMass Extension, comments on this year's difficult growing conditions in the central part of Massachusetts. Worcester Telegram & Gazette, August 16 2018.
Local Extension Continues to Support Rural Community
August 14, 2018
Recorder (Greenfield) columnist and former UMass Extension staffer talks about the value of the UMass Extension program. The Recorder, August 14, 2018.
Don’t Touch: Invasive Hogweed Plant Found in Central Mass.
July 22, 2018
Extension weed specialist Randy Prostak is quoted in article on discovery of the invasive plant giant hogweed growing in two towns in Worcester County. Worcester Telegram and Gazette, July 22, 2018.
UMass Amherst Researcher Studies Faba Bean, as Natural Source of L-DOPA Used by Parkinson’s Patients
July 12, 2018
Plant scientist Fatemeh Etemadi, a PhD candidate (Hashemi Lab) at Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst, investigated the accumulation trend and the amount of L-Dopa in various parts of of faba bean plant and concluded that the L-Dopa concentration was in the following order; leaves, seeds, flowers, roots, and stems. (News Office 7/9/18)
4-H Youth Shine at Heath Fairgrounds
July 12, 2018
Young people had a chance to showcase their farming skills at the Franklin County 4-H Fair, which was held Saturday, June 30, at the Heath Fairgrounds. (Recorder 7/6/18)
Connecticut River Flow Restoration Report Released
July 11, 2018
A new decade-long study of the Connecticut River watershed has provided scientists some valuable tools for understanding how dams affect a river’s ecological health, but also suggests that little can be done to alter dam operations for environmental gain. Christine Hatch, UMass extension associate professor of geosciences, comments. (Gazette 7/10/18; News Office 6/13/18)
Climate Change Is Making Allergies Worse, UMass Professor Comments
July 10, 2018
Kristina A. Stinson, environmental conservation, discusses how climate change affects allergies, that with warming temperatures, spring is coming earlier and in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, plants are producing more pollen. She also says warmer air traps smog and pollution. (WCAI 7/5/18)
UMass Tawny Simisky Discusses Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Issues on WBUR
June 22, 2018
When that rain-like sound in your oak trees is actually gypsy moth caterpillars pooping, and what you can do about it. (WBUR 6/22/18)
Mass leads Nation in Wildland-Urban Interface, UMass Professor Remarks
June 18, 2018
With changes in habitat, animal adaptation, restrictions on hunting and trapping, and the strategic reintroduction of extirpated wildlife, wild animals have become a fact of life in many communities around Greater Boston. "Because of the way Massachusetts is settled, growing wildlife populations are particularly likely to come into contact with humans," said Paige Warren, an associate professor of environmental conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (Globe 6/15/18)