University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have identified an enzyme that might be responsible for increased colon inflammation in obese people — and they’re hoping that, by inhibiting it, they might someday prevent colon cancer, said Guodong Zhang, a food science professor at UMass Amherst. (Globe; New China 4/30/18)
News from the Media
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UMass Amherst Food Scientists Discover How Obesity Could be Linked to Colon Cancer
April 30, 2018 -
Quebec Cree Camp Hosts UMass Students
April 30, 2018UMass professor Paul K. Barten, environmental conservation, takes annual trip with students to the James Bay region of Quebec where they visit a Cree culture camp. “The Cree in particular, how self-reliant and resourceful they are, by any standard measure it defines what conservation and sustainability really is,” Barten says. (CBC [Canada] 4/27/18)
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Vegetable Growing Season Set Back By Cold Spell
April 24, 2018The cold, wet weather this month has set the vegetable growing season behind, according to Katie Campbell-Nelson, a vegetable expert with the UMass Extension in Amherst. (NEPR, 4/24/2018)
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Faba Fix for Corn's Nitrogen Need, UMass Tests Cover Crop
April 17, 2018Masoud Hashemi and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst tested faba bean as a cover crop before planting sweet corn with good news for growers. (Science Newsline 4/12/18)
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UMass Amherst Food Science Study Cited in Article About Clean and Dirty Foods
April 10, 2018A news story on the cleanest and dirtiest fruits and vegetables mentions that a recent study done at UMass Amherst found that soaking produce in a solution of baking soda and water does a good job of removing pesticides. (Food Safety, 4/10/18)
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Dr. Oz TV show Features Bacteria Detection Tool Being Developed by UMass Food Science
March 26, 2018Food scientists at UMass Amherst report that they have developed a new, rapid and low-cost method for detecting bacteria in water or a food sample. Once commercially available, it should be useful to cooks using fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, and aid workers in the field responding to natural disasters. The new process is featured in “The Next Big Thing” segment of the Dr. Oz show. (Dr. Oz Show, 3/26/18)
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Less Mowing Helps Bees According to UMass Researcher
March 13, 2018Homeowners concerned about the decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects need look no further than their own back yards, says UMass ecologist Susannah Lerman, environmental conservation and the USDA Forest Service. In new research, she and colleagues suggest that homeowners can help support bee habitats in suburban yards, specifically their lawns, by changing lawn-mowing habits. (Science Friday [NPR] 3/30/18; Global News Connect, 3/21/18, Tribune-Review [Pittsburgh], 3/13/18; News Office release)
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Study Suggests Native UK Pine Martens (Weasels) Help Control Invasive Gray Squirrels
March 6, 2018An international research team including Christopher Sutherland, Assistant Professor, Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with others in Scotland and Ireland, report that native pine marten (weasel) suppression of the invasive gray squirrels in Scotland is helping recovery of native red squirrel populations. (HortWeek 3/8/18, Globe, Daily Mail [U.K.], Science Codex, 3/6/18; News Office release)
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Elkinton Says Number of Winter Moths Damaging Trees is Declining
February 27, 2018Experts say the number of winter moths damaging trees in New England has fallen after years of growth. UMass Amherst professor Joseph Elkinton says the population has hit a record low in Massachusetts. (USNews & World Report, WBUR, WTNH.com 2/26/18)
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The 100-year flood: Building ‘RiverSmart’ Communities for Flood Resiliency in the Connecticut River Valley
February 15, 2018Christine Hatch, extension associate professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, comments on planning for the real potential for more powerful and frequent storms due to climate change. "There can be more than one '100-year flood' in a decade," she says. (Gazette 2/14/18)
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Reports Detail the Health of School Cafeterias, UMass Food Scientist Comments
February 5, 2018According to state law, local health inspectors must inspect school cafeterias at least twice a year. Amanda Kinchla, a food safety expert in food science, says corrective actions are the most important item to note when reviewing inspection reports.(Western Mass News 2/5/18)
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Massachusetts Success Stories Featured in USDA SNAP-Ed Connector
January 29, 2018UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) program partnered with Pernet Family Health Service of Worcester. Various program elements are showcased in national online publication. (SNAP-Ed Connection 1/2018)
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Hurricane Irene: It Wasn’t the Wind, it was the Water, UMass Professor Explains
January 29, 2018Christine Hatch, UMass extension associate professor of water resources and climate change, pens editorial about the devastating weather event of August 28, 2011.“Tropical Storm,” Irene’s official designation, doesn’t do justice to what occurred in watersheds along the mid-Atlantic coast, Connecticut River Valley and tributaries: a catastrophic flood. (Gazette 1/26/18)
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UMass Food Scientists Developing Low-cost Tool to Detect Bacteria in Food, Water
January 23, 2018Food scientist Lili He and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report that they have developed a new, rapid and low-cost method for detecting bacteria in water or a food sample. Once commercially available, it should be useful to cooks using fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, and aid workers in the field responding to natural disasters, He says. (Indianpublicmedia.org 3/1/18, MSN.com 2/23/18, wellandgood 2/22/18, WFCR, KPCC 2/19/18, NEPR 2/6/18, Wonderful Engineering 1/27/18, Cooking Light, News Medical Life Science 1/25/18, The Tribune [India], 1/25/18, The Health Site, Morning Ag Clips, The Baltimore Sun, Swiftnary, Deccan Chronicle [India], R & D magazine, Feedstuffs, 1/24/18, Science Codex, Phys.org, Daily Meal 1/23/18)
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Katie Kahl Named Extension Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station
January 22, 2018Gloucester resident Katie Kahl was named to a newly created position, extension assistant professor in sustainable fisheries and coastal resilience, at UMass Amherst’s School of Earth and Sustainability at the Gloucester Marine Station. Kahl will serve as a contact between community interests and the university’s research resources. (Globe 1/19/18; News Office)
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Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association Names First Female President
January 16, 2018The Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association elected Joanne M. DiNardo as its first female president at its recent annual business meeting. UMass Extension educator Jon Clements, said, “In this day and age, gender difference is not what it used to be, although farming and apple growing were largely male-dominated. That is changing now and most apple growers just view Joanne as an extremely competent, well-versed advocate of apple growing.” (Telegram 1/3/18)
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Experts Dash Hopes That Frigid Temps Will Kill Local Ticks
January 13, 2018Ticks have a natural antifreeze system that helps them survive cold — even severe cold — weather. "Ticks lying underneath the snow pack could be larvae, nymphs or adults,” said Dr. Stephen Rich, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Adults will be active as soon as the snow melts and temps warm,” he said. “Nymphs will follow in late May/June.” (Cape Cod Times 1/13/18)
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MassWildlife Proposes Limits on Dogs in Preservation Areas, UMass Professor Weighs in
January 10, 2018After repeated complaints regarding negative and unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and issues with dog waste, MassWildlife is now taking action. They’ve proposed regulations that require dogs to be leashed and their waste to be removed from wildlife management areas. UMass professor Paige Warren offers comments. (Hampshire Gazette 1/9/18)
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Release of 1 Million Gallons of Sewage into Nantucket Harbor a 'Serious Concern,' UMass Professor comments
January 8, 2018The release of over 1 million gallons of raw sewage into Nantucket Harbor following a sewer main break on Thursday could cause significant harm to the harbor's ecosystem and shellfish populations, according to a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor of environmental conservation, Timothy Randhir. (Masslive 1/6/18)
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Winter Moth May Become a Non-Pest Says Professor Elkinton
January 3, 2018“We are in the process of turning the winter moth into a non-pest,” said Joe Elkinton, professor in the Agricultural Engineering Department at UMass Amherst, who heads an effort to control the winter moth with the Cyzenis albicans fly. (Wicked Local Ipswich 12/27/17)
