Transforming Troublesome Seaweed Into a Feedstock of the Future

Abi Cohen2024

Since 2011, enormous seaweed blooms have spread across the Atlantic Ocean, spanning over 5,000 miles from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.   Known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, the leviathan — visible from space — has wreaked havoc on environments and economies throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, where unprecedented quantities of seaweed routinely break away from …

Rutgers Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Professors Granted USDA/Sungrant Award

Abi Cohen2024

RCEI affiliate and PI Shishir Chundawat will lead a team of researchers to develop integrated technologies for conversion of cellulosic biomass and biomass-derived CO2 to fuels/chemicals. The project was selected for funding by the Northeast SunGrant program at Pennsylvania State University and supported directly by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For this project Chundawat will collaborate closely with …

Close-up of a bee.

Are Crops Worldwide Sufficiently Pollinated?

Abi Cohen2024

A Rutgers-led study shows diminished crop yield is globally common but low yields could be addressed by increasing the number of pollinators A team of researchers led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists has analyzed crop yields of more than 1,500 fields on six continents, and found that production worldwide of important, nutritionally dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and …

Firefighters on the ground in a forest fire.

Study Reveals Canadian Wildfires Are Affecting U.S. Air Quality and Raising Health Concerns

Abi Cohen2024

Rutgers researchers examined particulate matter from a June 2023 fire that triggered advisories for more than 100 million Americans in the Northeast. Climate-driven wildfire events are rapidly transferring harmful particulate matter containing toxic chemicals over long distances, compromising air quality in the New Jersey and New York City areas, according to Rutgers Health research. Published in Environmental Science & Technology and to …

Snowy beach

Rutgers to Lead $16 Million in Climate Projects Along New Jersey Coast

Abi Cohen2024

University researchers to lead green infrastructure, community engagement, K-12 education and planning initiatives as part of a $72.5 million federal grant Rutgers University researchers will lead several components of a $72.5 million federal initiative to fortify New Jersey’s coast against climate change and extreme weather events. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the grant to the New Jersey Department …

Rutgers Experts Testify at Joint NJ Senate and Assembly Environment Committees Hearing

Abi Cohen2024

By Marjorie Kaplan RCEI Affiliates Anthony Broccoli and Lisa Auermuller testified at a joint hearing of the New Jersey Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste and Senate Environment and Energy Committees in Toms River, New Jersey on August 1, 2024.   The committees  met to hear from invited speakers on the topics of beach replenishment, climate resiliency along the …

Charlie Dismukes

Distinguished Professor Charles Dismukes Receives the 2024 Edison Patent Award

Abi Cohen2024

RCEI affiliate Charles Dismukes, Distinguished Professor, and his Rutgers colleagues Anders Laursen, Research Associate; Martha Greenblatt, Distinguished Professor; and Karin Calvinho, PhD Candidate—all from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology—have received the 2024 Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. This is the state’s highest recognition for inventors and innovation for their Nickel Phosphide …

Saltwater Marsh

New Jersey Salt Marsh Sediments Offer Evidence of Hurricanes Back to the 1500s

Abi Cohen2024

Rutgers-led researchers show that geological records offer a new way to make storm predictions in a climate-changed world A Rutgers University-New Brunswick-led research team employing an emerging technique to detect signs of past hurricanes in coastal sediments has found evidence of storms dating back more than 400 years. In doing so, they have confirmed an approach that could give them …

Wooden sign that reads "Path to Decarbonization." In the background and out of focus is a lake and a snowy mountain.

Rutgers Start-up Receives $14.5M Grant from U.S. Department of Energy

Abi Cohen2024

Queens Carbon will use the funds to advance its plan to create carbon-neutral cement Rutgers start-up Queens Carbon will receive $14.5 million in government funding to advance its groundbreaking technology that aims to eliminate carbon emissions from the cement industry. The grant comes from U.S. Department of Energy’s SCALEUP program that funds the research, development and commercialization of new energy-efficient technologies. Queens …

Rising Temperatures and Poor Air Quality Signal Future Impacts

Abi Cohen2024

A Rutgers-led report details 2023 climate trends for New Jersey Canadian wildfires that severely impacted the air quality in New Jersey and other regions of the United States in June 2023 provide a glimpse into how climate change may affect future environmental conditions in the state, according to a new report released by researchers at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. The report, The State …