Centenary College's Earth Day Celebration Scheduled for April 25
www.nj.com, 4/21/2015
This year, Centenary College's Earth Week Committee welcomes members of the community to the
celebration of Earth Day, which will be held on Saturday, April 25, on the front lawn of the college. This is
the eighth anniversary of Centenary's celebration of Earth Day. This family-oriented event will appeal to
children of all ages... In addition, in an attempt to educate our community on Earth-related issues, the
college offers a presentation on April 22, with Tony Broccoli, Professor at the School of
Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. He will speak at the College at 2 p.m.,
in the Ferry Building, room 12... Broccoli's presentation titled "The Climate Ahead: Global Changes, Local
Impacts" focuses on the science of climate change, including a discussion of the basic physics, global
observations of climate change and model projections of future climate change.
Opinion: Steering Clear of the 2 Percent Trap for Water Utilities
www.njspotlight.com, 4/22/2015
In 2010, New Jersey adopted restrictions on local government budgets, limiting annual increases in
overall property taxes to an average of two percent per year (with certain exceptions). Recent articles and
press releases have pronounced this limitation a success, protecting taxpayers from continuing large
increases in property taxes... Municipalities especially are multipurpose governments that provide public
safety and health, public works, development review, solid-waste collection, libraries, senior citizen
services, among others. A 2 percent cap forces decisions regarding the relative priorities among all the
services. Making choices is a fundamental role of local governing bodies and forcing such decisions is
appropriate...This article was written by Daniel J. Van Abs, an associate research professor for
Water, Society and Environment at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Buzz Off! Rough Winter Delayed Insect Onslaught
www.usatoday.com, 4/22/2015
Just as the fierce winter in the eastern and central USA delayed the allergy season, it's also stalled the
start of the bug season. But it won't be long before warmer temperatures spur on the usual parade of
mosquitoes, termites, ants, ticks and stink bugs... Though weather affects when bugs emerge, it doesn't
necessarily affect the severity of the season. "Most people think that the cold winter we had last year and
again this year would have a big impact on insect populations," said entomologist George Hamilton of
Rutgers University. Though it may have killed some of the bugs, "overall, it probably isn't going to have
much of an effect," he said... Warmth and dryness in the West may impact insects that need water to
survive, such as mosquitoes, Hamilton said. "Without water, mosquito larvae can't survive, and that could
reduce populations in some areas, at least this spring," he said.
National Park Celebrates Earth Day with Children's Garden Opening
www.nj.com, 4/22/2015
The scissors were barely through the ribbon at the borough's newly opened children's garden, when
Mother Nature unleashed a brief Earth Day deluge on the soon-to-be growing crops. It was pretty good
timing all around, said National Park School Principal Carla Bittner... "Today for Earth Day, in addition to
opening the garden, we had health and wellness activities for the students, with different stations around
the school," said Bittner following the ceremony, which at the end saw about 275 students fleeing from
the rain. "Rutgers Cooperative Extension had a station where the students made veggie egg rolls, with
food provided by Food Corps."... In addition, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension is expected to
supplement some of the food supplies for some of the garden-related educational events at the school
next year.
Rutgers Day, Seed Libraries and More
www.mycentraljersey.com, 4/22/2015
Rutgers Day, Rutgers University's annual open house welcome and show-and-tell for New Jersey
residents of all ages, is this Saturday (April 25) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m... This year's highlights include the
Tent of Bog Ideas, an Athletics Mini Combine, Alumni Weekend, and "Where Science Happens"... Where
Science Happens- Visit the Engineering science fair on the Busch Campus to experience the Faraday
lecture and witness how ice cream is made with liquid nitrogen. Stuffed animals will receive checkups in
the Life Sciences area while sea creatures will be at arm's length at the Marine Sciences Building.
Guests may also excavate in an archaeological dig and handle 1.5 million-years-old artifacts on the
Cook/Douglass Campus.
Butler Water Superintendent Named Operator of the Year
www.northjersey.com, 4/22/2015
Keith Smith, the superintendent and water treatment operator for the Butler Water Department, has been
named Operator of the Year by the New Jersey section of American Water Works Association (AWWA)...
"The Harold V. Florence, Jr. Meritorious Operator Award is presented annually by the AWWA New Jersey
Section to an operator who has brought a higher degree of excellence, learning, initiative, and
resourcefulness to bear in the operations of a public water system," said Frank Marascia, a member of
the award committee, who is also production manager for the New Jersey American Water Co. in Short
Hills... A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in environmental science, Smith also holds
several advanced certifications in water management and treatment. He also lectures at Rutgers.
Legislators Bemoan 20-Year Delay in Adopting Water-Supply Master Plan
www.njspotlight.com, 4/23/2015
It has been nearly 20 years since the state updated its water supply master plan, a delay that legislators
and conservationists said could jeopardize the ability to deliver safe and adequate drinking water to
residents in the future... In those two decades, population has grown, water use has increased, and
potential problems with providing potable water to consumers have multiplied. These include depletion of
groundwater supplies, increased pollution, and uncertainty about where the supplies to meet tomorrow's
needs will come from... "In most cases, it comes down to ratepayers," said Daniel Van Abs, an
associate professor at Rutgers University and a former project manager at the state Department of
Environmental Protection, which developed the state's last water supply master plan in 1996.
Billions of Dollars in Debt
www.app.com, 4/23/2015
U.S. millennials have more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt, according to data from the
U.S. Department of Education. In New Jersey, total student loan debt hovers around $30.8 billion, which
is just shy of the amount that's needed to run the state of New Jersey in 2015... The skyrocketing cost of
education and the Great Recession forced many students to finance their education with loans. Officials
say as they graduate into the real world with significant debt and, in many cases take low paying jobs
they're overqualified for, economic activity isn't as significant as it's been when past generations were
coming into adulthood..."There are a whole lot of people out there living postponed lives," said Barbara
O'Neill, a personal finance professor at Rutgers University New Brunswick. "It's got a dampening
effect for people of all ages- not just the young people themselves. It ripples."... Debt prevents millennials
from forming households, which means they're not renting apartments or buying homes. With 80 million
nationwide, they could be boosting the economy, O'Neill said. But they're not -- and it's because of their
debt.
Winter's Back: Flurries and Freeze Watch
www.app.com, 4/23/2015
Spring sprang more than a month ago, but winter-like cold is back and a little snow is possible. A few
flurries are possible through Thursday afternoon, mainly in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern New
Jersey, but no accumulation is expected, according to the National Weather Service Mount Holly Office...
"It's been a very late spring," said William Sciarappa, Monmouth County agricultural agent with
Rutgers Cooperative Extension. "It's more like an extended winter."... The local freeze watch follows an
abnormally cold and snowy winter in New Jersey, and temperatures are expected to be largely below
average for the next two to three weeks, according to David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state
climatologist at Rutgers University.
Candidate Jennifer Francis Focused on Master Plan
www.villagesoup.com, 4/23/2015
With a new master plan to write, Marion Planning Board candidate Jennifer Francis hopes voters will
send her to the board for the first time... "The next few years are going to be really important ones for the
town," said Francis, a research professor at Rutgers University for the past 20 years... The board
should consider writing bylaws that have the legal authority to stop developments that might harm the
community, she said. Additionally, Francis said she wants to foster positive discussions on the board.
Business Partnership Joins Sustainable Raritan Collaboration
www.nj.com, 4/23/2015
At the recent meeting of the Board of Directors, the Somerset County Business Partnership (SCBP)
unanimously approved a resolution to support the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative (SRRI) and become
a Collaborative Member... The Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative is a network of organizations,
government entities, and businesses in the Raritan River region that work together to balance social,
economic, and environmental objectives with the goal of restoring the Raritan River and its tributaries and
estuary… The SRRI is a joint initiative of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy and
the School of Environmental & Biological Sciences at Rutgers University.
Climate Change Affecting High-Altitude Regions at Faster Rate, Rutgers Study Finds
www.thejerseytomatopress.com, 4/24/2015
Global warming is occurring at an accelerated pace in many high-altitude regions around the world and
among the consequences could be water shortages, according to a new study co-authored by Rutgers
climate scientist Jim Miller... A professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Miller collaborated with an international team of
scientists on a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The researchers say evidence
is showing that global warming often occurs more rapidly in high mountains and that further study is
needed to fully grasp the true impact of the phenomenon... "Somewhere on the order of 1 billion people a
day don't have access to good clean water," Miller said. "Climate change will exacerbate that and what
happens in mountains is going to be a major part of that." Globally, the team of researchers found that as
altitude rises, the rate of temperature change often accelerates. In the past 20 years, temperatures above
4,000 meters (13,120 feet) have warmed 75 percent faster than at altitudes below 2,000 meters (6,560
feet).
Scientists Pore Over Warm West, Cold East Divide
www.greenbiz.com, 4/24/2015
The curiosity of a growing group of researchers has been piqued by the tenacious temperature divide that
has separated East from West over the past two winters as a wild zigzag of the jet stream has brought
repeated bouts of Arctic air and snow to the East and kept the drought-plagued West baking under a
record-breaking dome of heat... That study, also detailed in Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that
while the Pacific heat set the atmospheric pattern in motion, Arctic sea ice loss in a particular region
made the warm/cold difference so extreme, said Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University... Francis, who
wasn't involved with either study, is one of the main proponents of an idea that by altering how much heat
the ocean lets out, sea ice melt and Arctic warming also can change atmospheric circulation patterns, in
particular by making the jet stream form larger peaks, or highs, and troughs, or lows. Hence the more
intense difference between East and West the last two winters.
Wildfire Risk and Freeze Watch in NJ
www.app.com, 4/24/2015
Talk about a bizarre combo, in this case hot and cold. There's a risk of too much heat today and too much
cold late tonight through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service... More
specifically, there's an enhanced threat of wildfires spreading today, with minimum relative humidity
values expected to drop into the low- to mid-20s by this afternoon, according to the service... The New
Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University offers numerous tips on how to protect
plants from cold weather.
Thousands Come Out for Rutgers Day
www.nj.com, 4/25/2015
Visitors from around the state came out to Rutgers' campuses in Piscataway and New Brunswick
Saturday for a showcase of the state university's activities... Dylan Klein, a second-year PhD student at
Rutgers, is studying the effects of exercise on horses. Later in the day, the students put a horse on a
treadmill to show the visitors what kind of research they do. Klein is in the beginning stages of data
collection, trying to determine, on a molecular level, what happens when exercise happens. His subject is
Gentlemen Start Your Engines, a retired 7-year-old racehorse.
Rutgers Day 2015 Attracts Record Crowd
www.tapinto.net, 4/26/2015
Despite cool morning temperatures, sunny skies brought out a record crowd of 91,000 to the seventh
annual Rutgers Day, where visitors had the opportunity to learn about the research, service and
education taking place at New Jersey's only Big Ten research university... The Rutgers New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station used Rutgers Today to unveil the Rutgers Scarlet Strawberry, which
went on sale to the public for the first time at the master gardener plant sale Saturday morning. The
Scarlet Strawberry, in development for the last 10 years, is bred to thrive in the New Jersey climate...
Meanwhile, at the start of the 4H State Dog Show on Cook Campus, a band of about 20 deer ran
around the perimeter of the show grounds. "It felt like we were on the Serengeti!" said Jean Scalea
Bjugstad, who was attending the show with her son, Julian, and his Collie/Newfoundland dog, Bear. "All
the dogs sat up and took notice and there was lots of barking."
Ocean Bacteria Get 'Pumped Up' by Dying Phytoplankton
www.sciencecodex.com, 4/27/2015
The ocean has been sucking up heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) building up in our atmosphere--with
a little help from tiny plankton. Like plants on land, these plankton convert CO2 into organic carbon via
photosynthesis. But unlike land plants that are held fast to terra firma, plankton can sink into the deep
ocean, carrying carbon with them. Along the way they decompose when bacteria convert their remains
back into CO2... In a new study published April 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their colleague from Rutgers
University discovered a surprising new short-circuit to the biological pump. They found that sinking
particles of stressed and dying phytoplankton release chemicals that have a jolting, steroid-like effect on
marine bacteria feeding on the particles... Edwards, her advisor, WHOI scientist Ben Van Mooy, and coauthor Kay Bidle from Rutgers University went to sea to collect and analyze particle samples from
several locations across the North Atlantic, including the Sargasso Sea, the subarctic North Atlantic near
Iceland, and the western North Atlantic near Massachusetts. The spatial coverage was important, Van
Mooy said.
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