Stephen M. Rich, microbiology and director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology and the Tick Testing Lab, is quoted in an article highlighting the dangers of tick bites. UMass Amherst, the report says, “is ground zero for tick research. Every week, thousands of people from across the country send ticks to its TickReport program to be tested for diseases." (CNN 5/26/18)
News from the Media
UMass Amherst is Ground Zero for Tick Research
May 26, 2018
A Serious Tick Season is Here, Just Like Always, Professor Rich Comments
May 15, 2018
Prof. Stephen Rich, a microbiologist at UMass-Amherst and the director of its Laboratory of Medical Zoology, says there’s no such thing as a light tick season. They’re all bad. (The Sun Chronicle 5/14/18)
Using Biodiversity to Weather a Changing World, UMass Weighs In
May 9, 2018
UMass extension educator and “Fruit Advisor,” Jon Clements advises commercial fruit growers across the state on the best practices to cultivate their crop and turn a profit against the reality of a changing climate. (Gazette 5/9/18)
Tens of Thousands Likely to Get Tick-borne Disease in MA This Year
May 8, 2018
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns of a recent surge of tick-borne disease incidence in the United States said microbiology professor Stephen Rich, director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A new $100,000 grant from the state’s public health department, using CDC funding, will help to subsidize the cost of tick testing for Massachusetts residents through a contract with the LMZ. ( Berkshire Eagle, Keene Sentinel [via Cape Cod Times], 5/21/18; WFXT-TV 25, WPRI-TV 12, Medicine News Line, 5/9/18; Phys.org, WWLP-TV 22, 5/8/18; News Office; Globe 5/7/18)
Richard Peltier Examines Causes of Air Pollution and Human Health Impacts
May 7, 2018
Richard Peltier, UMass Amherst, environmental health sciences, examines the causes of air pollution and its adverse impact on human health. (The Conversation, 5/7/18)
UMass Amherst Food Scientists Discover How Obesity Could be Linked to Colon Cancer
April 30, 2018
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)
Quebec Cree Camp Hosts UMass Students
April 30, 2018
UMass 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)
Vegetable Growing Season Set Back By Cold Spell
April 24, 2018
The 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)
Faba Fix for Corn's Nitrogen Need, UMass Tests Cover Crop
April 17, 2018
Masoud 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)
UMass Amherst Food Science Study Cited in Article About Clean and Dirty Foods
April 10, 2018
A 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)