Stephen 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)
News from the Media
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Mosquito Season Discussed by UMass Professor Rich
July 13, 2020 -
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)
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New Evidence on Bed Bug Burden in Urban Neighborhoods, UMass Research Reveals
June 8, 2020In a new study published in People and Nature, researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found a higher prevalence of bed bug infestations in neighborhoods with lower incomes, higher eviction rates and crowding. (Washington Post, 6/6/20; News Office release)
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Free Composting Webinar Led by UMass Food Science Research Assistant
May 28, 2020Chris Von Achen, food science research assistant, is one of the organizers of a free webinar on residential composting that will be presented by the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance’s Food Waste Reduction and Composting Working Group on May 29. (Recorder, 5/27/20)
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Article on Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs Mentions UMass Extension
May 28, 2020An article about the best ways to fertilize various plants, trees and shrubs mentions and links to tips offered by the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program. (Markets Insider, 5/27/20)
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Identify Poison Ivy with CAFE Guidance
May 26, 2020 -
Warmed Over Flavor From Cooked Meat Explained by Food Scientist, Decker
May 21, 2020Eric Decker, food science, is cited in an article explaining why re-heated chicken often no longer tastes good. (Merkur.de [Germany], 2/20/20; Serious Eats, 9/25/19)
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Wendell to Get Solar Planning Help Thanks to UMass Amherst Clean Energy Extension Grant
May 20, 2020Wendell is one of three Western Massachusetts communities set to benefit from a 15-month grant awarded to a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Clean Energy Extension that will lead development of solar siting and financing procedures. (Recorder 5/19/20, News Office)
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Leaf Lily Beetles Video Released by Simisky
May 15, 2020Tawny Simisky, UMass extension entomologist, is cited extensively throughout a gardening column about lily leaf beetles, which feed on tiger lilies, Asiatic and Oriental lilies and martagon lilies, ans well as a few other plants. (Gazette, 5/13/20)
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Bumble Bee Disease, Reproduction Shaped by Flowering Strip Plants
May 11, 2020Rows of plants known as flowering strips are designed to be pollinator-friendly, but a new study co-authored by Lynn Adler, biology, suggests they have some drawbacks. In the study published in the journal PNAS, Adler and colleagues at North Carolina State University report that they have found that while flowering strips can help boost bumble bee reproduction, they also facilitate higher rates of disease. (MassLive, SciTechDaily, Vegetable Growers News, News Office Release 5/14/20; Futurity.org 5/13/20, Earth.com, Science Daily, PNAS, 5/11/20 )
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CNS dean Tricia Serio Identifies Key Protein in Group of Fatal Diseases
May 11, 2020Research by Tricia Serio, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, might lead to a cure for a group of fatal diseases, including mad cow disease. (Feedstuffs, BioSpace, 5/8/20; Sound Health and Lasting Wealth, News Office release 5/6/20)
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Waltham Land Trust Statement On City's Field Station Purchase
May 7, 2020Representatives of the Waltham Land Trust have written a letter congratulating the city’s government on the purchase of the 28-acre Waltham Field Station property from UMass Amherst. (Waltham Patch, 5/6/20)
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UMass Researchers Seek Link of Strawberries to Colon Health
May 6, 2020Hang Xiao, food science, has received a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to expand his research into health benefits of strawberries. Xiao’s earlier studies suggest a strong scientific basis for using strawberries to support colon health and suppress, reduce or prevent, inflammation of the colon. (MassLive, Phys.org, 4/30/30; News Office release)
