October 2008

Spotlights he Advanced Environmental Geomatics Class Studies the Rutgers Ecological Preserve on Livingston Campus (Read more) utgers NJAES officially opened its new 23,000-square-foot Food Innovation Center business incubator and food-processing facility on October 17. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting

event took place at the state-of-the-art facility on 450 E. Broad Street in Bridgeton. Margaret Brennan, director of economic development for the NJAES and a founder of

the center, indicated, "Approximately 90 percent of the construction funding for the FIC incubator facility originated from outside of the university, which illustrates the tremendous support that the FIC has received from our partners." Construction and operations funding for the FIC originated from federal, state and local agencies, and has included Rutgers NJAES, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the State of New Jersey, the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Cumberland Empowerment Zone, and the City of Bridgeton.

Food Innovation Center clients include farmers and rural cooperatives, startup food companies, existing small and mid-sized food establishments and retail and foodservice markets that seek to purchase locally supplied New Jersey products.

A clip of the ABC Action News 6 report can be found here.

New Faculty Appointments and Hires Please welcome Heidi Fuchs, assistant professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. Her appointment begins November 1.

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Faculty and Staff Activities and Accomplishments Gary Huntzinger, Bonnie Wasielewski, and Phil Wisneski (all of the Office of Communications) were honored along with the other members of the Transforming Undergraduate Education Information Development Subcommittee at the President’s Recognition Program Awards Ceremony on October 14. The following individuals won awards at the 2008 Galaxy Conference in Indianapolis, IN, September 14–19: Laura Bovitz (Middlesex County 4-H agent), Abigail Kesely (Middlesex County 4-H program assistant), William Hlubik (Middlesex County agricultural agent), Rich Weidman (Middlesex County ARMA program associate), Patricia Brennan (Morris County FCHS educator), Barbara O’Neill (specialist in financial resource management), Mary Cummings (Gloucester County ARMA program associate), Karen Ensle (Union County FCHS educator), Rachel Lyons (Morris County 4-H agent), Karen Mansue (Ocean County 4-H program associate), Kathleen Morgan (Family and Community Health Sciences), Jeannette Rea-Keywood (Cumberland County 4-H agent), Linda Strieter (Gloucester County 4-H agent), Margaret (Peggy) McKee (Gloucester County 4-H program associate), Luanne Hughes (Gloucester County FCHS educator), and Alayne Torretta (Warren County 4-H agent). Rachael Winfree (Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources) was quoted in the Science News article “Bumblebees deliver disease.” Donna Fennell (Environmental Sciences) was appointed to the North Brunswick Township Environmental Commission by Mayor Francis Womack. She also participated in a meeting of the Science Advisory Board for Du Pont Corporation Chambers Works. Beth Ravit (Environmental Sciences) organized and led a community reed-cutting event for the Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Bergen County Parks. She was also elected to the Hackensack Riverkeeper Board of Trustees. George Carman (Food Science) has received this year’s Institute on Mentoring and Teaching’s “Mentor of the Year” award for his efforts on behalf of minority graduate students. Oscar Schofield (Marine and Coastal Sciences) served on the organizing committee of the “Integrated Ocean Observing System Modeling framework symposium,” which was held in Arlington, VA. He was also appointed to the steering committee for the Federation of Observing Environmental Networks for the NSF Computer Science Directorate. Carol Byrd-Bredbenner (Nutritional Sciences) has been selected to serve on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases expert panel that will draft “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy.”

Malcolm Watford (Nutritional Sciences) served as a judge (stages I–IV and semifinalist selection) for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology (formerly the Westinghouse competition), October 17–21. Harriet Worobey (Nutritional Sciences) was featured in a New York Times article on “6 Food Mistakes Parents Make.” JoAnne Crouch (Plant Biology and Pathology) gave an invited talk entitled "What caused the recent emergence of anthracnose disease on golf course greens in North America?" at the 9th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Torino, Italy, in August.

A memorandum of understanding between Rutgers University and USDA APHIS-PPQ concerning the development of a new plant biosecurity certificate program was signed by Executive Dean Robert M. Goodman and Victor Harabin (Eastern Regional Director of USDA APHIS-PPQ) on September 24. Present at the signing were Rong Di (Plant Biology and Pathology), Jim White (Plant Biology and Pathology), George Hamilton (Entomology), and Gordon Gordh (USDA APHIS National Science Advisor). Rong Di is developing a new course titled

"Plant biosecurity issues and technologies" to be offered in spring 2009. This course will be part of the new certificate program. Student Activities and Accomplishments The following students were recent recipients of Aresty awards, which support undergraduate research: Allison Marquardt (Meteorology); Shravan Dave (Biotechnology); Matthew Bruno (Environmental Sciences); Alyssa Cocchiara (Nutrition); Maria Montano (Biotechnology); Puja Patel (Biochemistry); Marya Skvortsova (Genetics); and Michael Strug (Animal Sciences, Biotechnology). The students will present posters of their work at the Aresty undergraduate research symposium next April. The Rutgers Meteorology Club has been named to the Honor Roll in the 2007–2008 American Meteorological Society (AMS) competition for Student Chapter-of-the-Year. Of the 75 AMS student chapters, one is named Chapter-of-the-Year and three are named to the Honor Roll. The club officers will receive the award at the annual AMS Meeting in Phoenix in January 2009. Luis Mejia (Plant Biology graduate program) received the Backus Award from Mycological Society of America in August, 2008 for his research in the Gnomoniaceae (Ascomycetes). Donald Walker (Plant Biology graduate program) received an award for Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation at the Mycological Society of America's Annual Meeting in State College, PA(August 2008). The title of his poster was "Assessing the Monophyly of Gnomoniopsis comari (Gnomoniaceae, Diaporthales)."

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Eight students in the Plant Biology graduate program received awards at the Annual Meeting of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) held in Houston, TX, October 5–9. Jo Anne Crouch received the Gerald O. Mott Scholarship Award from the CSSA. This scholarship is provided each year to a student who has demonstrated outstanding potential for leadership. In the Soils and Water Session, John C. Inguagiato took 1st place for his oral presentation entitled, “Topdressing incorporation and sand shape effects on anthracnose severity of

annual bluegrass.” Patrick McCullough was awarded 1st place and Robert Shortell received 2ndplace honors from the Industry Committee for their talks on “Bispyribac-sodium Metabolism in Annual Bluegrass, Creeping Bentgrass, and Perennial Ryegrass,” and “The Influence of nitrogen fertility on the tolerance of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) to bispyribac-sodium herbicide,” respectively. Emily Merewitz was awarded 2nd place for her poster entitled, “Physiological responses of drought stressed creeping bentgrass transgenic for an Ipt gene controlling cytokinin synthesis” from the Turfgrass Breeders Committee. Jon Bokmeyer received 2nd place and Matt Koch took 3rd place honors for their oral presentations entitled, “Combiniability of brown patch resistance in tall fescue” and “Greenhouse screening of perennial ryegrass cultivars for salinity tolerance,” respectively. In the Physiology and Ecology Session, YaXu was awarded 2nd place for her talk on the “Effects of plant growth regulators and biostimulants on summer bentgrass decline.” (Photo, l to r: Rob Shortell, Jo Anne Crouch, Yan Jon Bokmeyer, John Inguagiato, Emily Merewitz, Patrick McCullough, and Matt Grants For a list of grants received, please visit http://execdeanagriculture.rutgers.edu/message. Five proposals were chosen for FY09 funding through the NJAES Competitive Hatch Awards program. They are: Dawn Brasaemle, PI; Joseph Dixon, Anita Brinker, Co-PIs (Nutrition); and George Carman, Co-PI (Food Science). Adipocyte lipidomics: Contributions of phospholipid metabolism to adipocyte lipolysis. Thomas Leustek, PI; and Melinda Martin, Co-PI (Plant Biology & Pathology). Correlating amino acid homeostasis and gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana – identifying global regulators. Mehmet Uzumcu, PI (Animal Sciences). Neonatal GFP ovary transplantation: A robust experimental system to study direct effects of endocrine disruptors on the ovary. Malcolm Watford, PI (Nutrition). The role of glutamine in the development of obesity related insulin resistance. Lori White, PI; and Max Häggblom, Co-PI (Biochemistry and Microbiology). Effect of brominated flame retardants on matrix metabolism in the developing zebrafish (Danio rerio). Awards ranged from $11,500 to $15,000 per year for 2-3 years, with funding for years beyond FY09 contingent on meeting requirements outlined in the original call for proposals.

Publications and Editorships Oscar Schofield (Marine and Coastal Sciences) has been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Marine Biology. Conferences, Seminars, and Other Events Members of New Jersey 4-H from around the state participated in the National 4-H Science Experiment with Steve Spangler, a science author, teacher, and TV personality, in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences building. The 4-H National Science Experiment, the designated science activity of 4-H National Youth Science Day (October 8), focused on the environment and used science principles to teach youth across the country about the importance of water conservation. Wendie Cohick (Animal Sciences) and Tiffany Polanco (graduate student, Animal Sciences) attended the 15th Annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring in Tampa Florida from Oct. 24 to 26th. The meeting was presented as part of the Compact for Faculty Diversity, a partnership of regional, federal and foundation programs that focus on minority graduate education and faculty diversity. Ming Xu (Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources) was the keynote speaker the Conference on Carbon and Biogeochemical Cycles on Tibetan Plateau, July 27–30, in Xining, China. His presentation was titled “The Tibetan Plateau is potentially a large carbon sink in the 21st century.” Xu was also an invited scientist at a Joint Workshop on Climate Change by NSF and NSF-China, held September 4 in Shanghai. Valdis Krumins, Brian Wartell, and Donna Fennell (Environmental Sciences). Anaerobic digestion of equine waste with softwood bedding. Invited presentation at the 8th Annual BioCycle Conference on Renewable Energy from Organics Recycling, Madison WI, October 6–8. Peter Strom (Environmental Sciences) gave an invited presentation titled “Fundamentals of wastewater microbiology” at the NJWEA Technology Transfer Seminar in Eatontown, NJ. Brian Schilling (Food Policy Institute) gave an invited public information seminar on “An overview of farmland assessment in New Jersey” at the Cape May County Office of Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension on September 4. William Hallman (Food Policy Institute) gave an invited presentation to a joint session of InnoVet 2008 and the 4th Colloque International Francophone De Microbiologie Animale titled “Will cloned animal products sell?” The event took place at the Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, on September 23.

Dawn Brasaemle (Nutritional Sciences) presented an invited lecture on "Lipid droplet associated proteins and control of triacylglycerol metabolism" at the Southeast Lipid Research Conference in Pine Mountain, GA, October 3–5. Daniel Hoffman (Nutritional Sciences) was the keynote speaker for the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Laval University in Quebec, where he gave a seminar on "Growth retardation as a risk factor for obesity" on September 25. Hoffman was also the keynote speaker at the 12th National Symposium on Human Nutrition in Medellin, Colombia on October 20. Hoffman gave an invited seminar on "Developmental origins of adult disease: biological and economic consequences" at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy & Civic Engagement and Department of Biology at St. Johns University, Collegeville, MN, on September 26. Mark Your Calendars!

Dupont Clear into the Future Seminar Series WHEN: November 3. Lectures are from 7–8 p.m.; guests are invited to come at 6 p.m. for refreshments and to meet the speaker WHERE: Luciano Conference Center, Cumberland County College WHAT: Radley Horton, Columbia University, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, speaks on “Climate Change in the Mid-Atlantic Region.” MORE INFO: Contact Eric Powell, director of Rutgers Haskin Research Lab (856-785-0074, ext. 4300, elaine@hsrl.rutgers.edu) or Mary Ann Westerfield, Cumberland County College’s division chair of health and science (856-691-8600, ext. 344, mwesterfield@cccnj.edu). 2008 Hans Fisher Lectureship WHEN: November 5 at 3 p.m. WHERE: Trayes Hall, Douglass Campus Center WHAT: The speaker will be Richard W. Hanson of Case Western Reserve Medical School. Annual Equine Science Update WHEN: December 9, 6–9 p.m. WHERE: Cook Campus Center on Rutgers G.H. Cook Campus WHAT: The Equine Science Update, geared to professionals, horse owners, farm owners and managers, students, science teachers, 4-H horse program participants and educators, will include presentations highlighting the Equine Science Center’s work in advancing equine health, horse management practices, and solutions to equine industry issues. The event starts with a supper at 6 p.m. Optional tours prior to the update include a visit to the current crop of weanlings in the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program at 4 p.m. and a demonstration of the center’s high-speed equine treadmill at 5 p.m. The seminars and tours require reservations, which can be made by calling 732-932-9419 or emailing ESC@njaes.rutgers.edu. The suggested donation for the day’s activities, including the supper, is $25 for adults and $10 for students. Please send contributions, photos, and questions to Amanda Kolling, kolling@aesop.rutgers.edu. Photos must be of high resolution and should add to the editorial value of a submission. Issues of the Dean’s Monthly Message are published on the last Monday of each month. Deadline for submissions is one week prior to publication.