Author Archive
As Big E celebrates 100 years, partnerships with College still going strong
By Sara Putnam. Eastern States Exposition, or the Big E, as it is called, was established in 1916 in West Springfield, Massachusetts, with the goal of improving agriculture and highlighting the role it played in an increasingly industrializing world. J.L. Brooks, a Massachusetts businessman, founded the organization, which soon attracted support from all the New […]
Economist seeks to determine the contribution of food and agriculture industries to US economy
By Richard Dunn and Jason M. Sheldon. Richard Dunn, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, is recognized as one of the leading scholars in the economics of obesity; in 2015 he was a plenary speaker on the topic at the International Health Economics Association Biennial World Congress in Milan, Italy. Prior […]
Muscle biologist investigates muscle growth and development in horses and sheep
By Jason M. Sheldon. In the Department of Animal Science, Sarah Reed is researching molecular and cellular biology related to muscle growth and development in horses and sheep. While focusing on livestock, she hopes her work can also help address common human health challenges related to aging and nutrition. The equine research Dr. Reed conducts […]
UConn raises awareness, confronts the challenges of food waste
By Jason M. Sheldon. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency recently announced national goals last year to reduce food waste. Setting the mark at a 50 percent reduction by 2030, the agencies stressed the staggering costs of discarded food. Nationally, an estimated 40 percent of food is thrown away, amounting to […]
Center for Learning in Retirement celebrates 25 years of offering lifelong learning opportunities
By Sara Putnam. This fall, the UConn Extension Center for Learning in Retirement (CLIR) is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary of providing interesting and engaging lifelong learning activities for retirees and other adults. The milestone was celebrated October 19 with a luncheon at the Deanston House in Storrs. The UConn Board of Trustees first chartered CLIR […]
Members of new urban elementary school 4-H club grow bountiful harvest
By Sara Putnam. Amy Walker, third grade teacher at W.B. Sweeney Elementary School in Willimantic, serves as adult leader for the school’s new 4-H Club. Funded through a CT FANs IM 4-H STEM grant, the program started last winter with the planning and construction of six raised bed gardens. “This school garden has been a […]
Landscape ecologist studies human dimensions in natural resource management
By Jason M. Sheldon. The research of Anita Morzillo, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, incorporates the social sciences into natural resource management. She studies human dimensions of natural resources, a field that seeks to determine how people value, use and make decisions about the environment. Such knowledge may help […]
Turfgrass Field Day brings together researchers, industry professionals
By Jason Sheldon. A clear, breezy morning on freshly watered grass, thanks to a rainstorm the afternoon before, marked an auspicious opening for the fifth biennial Turfgrass Field Day. The event was held Tuesday, July 19, at the Plant Science Research and Teaching Facility. Hosted by the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA), […]
Extension partners with NRCS to help agricultural producers prepare for drought
By Kim Colavito Markesich While Connecticut residents live in a state with ample water resources, we are beginning to notice some changes in precipitation trends. “Connecticut is very fortunate as we’re actually quite water rich,” says Angie Murdukhayeva, research assistant in UConn Extension. “We are getting rainfall, but there’s a shift in what we are […]
Physical therapist studies risk and prevention of falling
By Kim Colavito Markesich. According to the CDC, each year 2.5 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. “We are more prone to falls are we age,” says Jeffrey Kinsella-Shaw, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT). “Keeping people from falling and […]