Dan Cooley, Stockbridge School, and UMass Extension fruit tree specialist Jon Clements have received about $430,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a smartphone app that will let apple growers more quickly and accurately measure and thin fruit. (Environmental News Network, 10/28/20; News Office release)
News from the Media
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Helping Growers Care for the Apple Crop – They’re Working on an App for That
October 29, 2020 -
First Pygmy Hippo Born At Franklin Park Zoo, UMass Professor Assisted
October 14, 2020Carlos Gradil, veterinary and animal sciences, assisted during the pregnancy and birth last week of the first-ever Pygmy hippo born at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo. The baby hippo weighed 13 pounds. (WJAR, The Boston Globe, 10/13/20)
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UMass Entomologist Offers Help To Deal With Stink Bugs
October 13, 2020Tawny Simisky, Extension entomologist, gives advice on how to deal with stink bugs, a non-native insect that feeds on 300 species of plants. (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 10/12/20)
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New England Needs More Tree Doctors, Catanzaro Discusses
October 8, 2020Paul Catanzaro, extension associate professor, is quoted in article about the health of New England forests. He discusses large shifts in land ownership with heightened awareness of climate change impacts and the role of their land in mitigating changes. (Christian Science Monitor, 10/13/20; NY Times 10/7/20)
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Seeking New Mother Volunteers for Breast Cancer Study, Professor Arcaro Explains
October 5, 2020A radio report notes that Kathleen Acaro, veterinary and animal sciences, is looking for volunteers for a study on the impact that a diet of increased fruits and vegetables may have on the breast health of recent mothers, specifically with an eye on breast cancer risk. (WBZ-AM Boston, 10/3/20)
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Recent Rainfall is Not Enough for Drought-Stressed Trees to Keep Leaves From Dropping Early
October 1, 2020Rick Harper, environmental conservation, says this week’s rainfall is not enough to keep drought-stressed trees from dropping leaves early. (WWLP, 9/30/20)
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UMass Cranberry Station Receives Boost
October 1, 2020This year, the work at UMass Cranberry Station got a huge boost in the form of $5.75 million in state support to expand their labs at and modernize the facility. “It’s really momentous. It’s going to be a game-changer for us and for the industry,” said Director of the Cranberry Station Hilary Sandler. (Wareham Weekly 9/30/20)
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Massachusetts Will Get Some Drought Relief This Week, Says UMass Professor
September 29, 2020David Boutt, geosciences, says Massachusetts has a long way to fill the “massive rainfall deficit” from worsening drought conditions. (Boston Herald, 9/28/20)
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Fall Foliage in Western Massachusetts Still on Track, UMass Professor Weighs In
September 16, 2020Rick 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)
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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)
