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News from the Media

  • Eversource Works To Address Hazardous Trees

    September 2, 2022

    Rick Harper, environmental conservation, comments in an article reporting that electric utility Eversource is working to address trees made hazardous by this season’s drought.

  • Gill Seeks Grant for Public Safety Complex Weatherization

    September 1, 2022

    Ben Weil, environmental conservation, has provided recommendations to the town of Gill for weatherization of its public safety complex.

  • How and When to Harvest Onions, Plus Expert Tips on Curing and Storing Them

    August 24, 2022

    Genevieve Higgins, UMass extension vegetable production educator, provides advice on the harvesting, curing and storage of home-grown onions.

  • Beech Bum: A Microscopic Bug Is Threatening Trees in Massachusetts

    August 17, 2022

    Nicholas Brazee, UMass extension plant pathologist, is quoted on the problem of foliar nematodes that are attacking beech trees across Massachusetts and killing them for the first time.

  • Fresh or Frozen, Wild or Cultivated? What to Know About Blueberries and Health

    July 28, 2022

    Eric Decker, food science, is interviewed in a syndicated article about the – sometimes overexaggerated – health benefits of blueberries. “They’re the kind of things we should be eating but sometimes these things get overpromised,” Decker says of the berries. “Anytime you start talking about ‘superfoods’ and ‘super fruits,’ it's probably a little overexaggerated.”

  • Cranberry Growers On Alert As Heat Wave, Drought Sweep State

    July 25, 2022

    Giverson Mupambi, assistant professor at the UMass Cranberry Station in Wareham, is quoted in an article about the effect of current heat and drought conditions. If cranberries experience heat stress they can rot. “Right now is a critical moment, because we need enough water in the bog," Mupambi says.

  • Wine-drinkers of the World Rejoice! New Research, Led by UMass Amherst, Finds Key to Billion-Dollar Problem

    July 25, 2022

    New research led by a UMass Amherst team has unlocked the mystery of Grapevine Trunk Diseases which can cause more than $1 billion in damages to vineyards worldwide.

  • A Secret Path to the Season's Sweetness

    July 20, 2022

    An article praising wild blueberries includes suggestions from the UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment about when to prune the bushes (it’s early spring).

  • Fake Meats: How Sustainable Are They?

    July 20, 2022

    David Julian McClements, Distinguished Professor of food science, discusses his work to create realistic textures in plant-based meat substitutes in a story examining efforts to make products like Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat not only taste and feel like the real thing but also have far lighter environmental footprints.

  • Mass. Grants Millions to Nine Organizations for Offshore Wind Workforce Development

    July 18, 2022

    The UMass Amherst Clean Energy Extension (CEE) is among nine organizations in Massachusetts receiving state grants for offshore wind workforce development.

  • Which Meat Type Is Superior to Chicken?

    July 14, 2022

    David Julian McClements, Distinguished Professor in food science, is quoted in an article comparing how the digestibility of plant-based meats compares to chicken.

  • Vertosa, University of Massachusetts Amherst join forces to study CBG

    July 11, 2022

    David Sela, food science, is partnering with the cannabis company Vertosa to study the nutritional applications of cannabigerol (CBG) and its interactions with an individual’s diet.

  • ‘Plants Are Looking a Little Sad’: Where There Were Puddles Last Year, Western Massachusetts Now Sees Drought

    July 11, 2022

    David Boutt, geosciences, is quoted in an article about current drought conditions in Western Massachusetts.

  • Massachusetts Doesn’t Have a State Climatologist. Here’s Why That Matters.

    July 10, 2022

    Massachusetts is one of the few states in the U.S. that lacks a state climatologist. Michael Rawlins, geosciences and associate director of the Climate System Research Center at UMass Amherst, says he has tried to fill the need on a de facto unpaid basis, but that without a climatologist, “there is no clear point of contact for the public, businesses, educators, and policymakers.”

  • The Emerald Ash Borer Is Killing Millions of Ash Trees. A New ‘Biological Control’ Races to Save Them.

    July 6, 2022

    Tawny Simisky, Extension Entomologist, was quoted in an article discussing the damaging effects of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle species whose larvae feed on ash trees.

  • Trees Are Trying to Help with Climate Change, but We Need to Let Them

    June 30, 2022

    Richard W. Harper, urban and community forestry, is quoted in an opinion piece appreciating trees and their many positive contributions to our world.

  • Humans Tamed the Microbes Behind Cheese, Soy, and More

    June 29, 2022

    Research by John Gibbons, food science, is mentioned in a story on how humans have learned to tame the microbes behind cheese, soy and more

  • Is It Safe to Spin-Dry Leafy Greens in a Washing Machine?

    June 29, 2022

    A viral TikTok that shows a user placing home-grown kale into a washing machine to clean the vegetable references research from UMass Amherst, which examined whether the common practice among small farmers is safe.

  • Top-Rated Dairy-Free and Vegan Ice Cream

    June 28, 2022

    D. Julian McClements, Distinguished Professor in food science, comments in an article rating dairy-free and vegan ice cream. McClements says no one thinks a bowl of ice cream is a healthy snack and making it vegan really doesn’t change that, but considerable research shows that plant-based foods are better for the environment than animal-based ones.

  • Psychologist Focuses on Tackling Climate Change

    June 27, 2022

    Ezra Markowitz, environmental conservation, is interviewed about the psychological and social factors behind individual and group decision-making related to environmental issues.

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