Congratulations to RCEI affiliate Carmelo Ignaccolo for his upcoming role as a 2026-27 Provost Teaching Fellow in Provost’s Teaching Fellows Program. The program supports pedagogical innovations designed to improve learning outcomes for our students. The Office of the Provost launched this initiative to support faculty excellence and student success through the adoption of new practices and redesigned courses. Find the full list …
Rutgers Department Co-Launches Educator-Community Climate Resilience Initiative
The Rutgers Department of 4-H Youth Development and the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR) have launched a multi-year initiative designed to engage New Jersey educators, students, and community partners in climate resilience planning and action. The project is part of EduCATE (Education, Climate Awareness, Training, and Engagement), a program within New Jersey’s broader Building a Climate Ready NJ …
World Cup Will Be Played on Rutgers Turfgrass
More than half of the games in the soccer tournament are being played on turfgrass bred by a Rutgers team of experts While soccer fans watch their favorite teams compete at this summer’s World Cup, Rutgers University’s plant biologists will be looking under the players’ cleats—eyeing the lush, green natural turfgrass they created. Ten of the tournament’s 16 soccer stadiums …
Reimagining the SEBS Campus as a Health and Wellness Arboretum
What if a walk across campus could be as restorative as it is educational? That question is inspiring a new vision for the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), where faculty, students, and campus leaders are exploring how the grounds of the George H. Cook Campus might evolve into a Health and Wellness Arboretum—a living landscape that supports …
The Prehistoric Creature that Became a Rutgers Icon is Now Destined for Literary Fame
He roamed the Earth thousands of years ago, navigating his massive, elephant-like body through North American forests and using his tusks to strip the bark off trees for his dinner. Even in death, he captivated anyone who saw him: New Jerseyans paid 10 cents apiece to view his big bones at county fairs and circuses in the 19th century. Now, …
Climate change alarms are flashing. Washington isn’t paying attention.
An article from E&E News examines the growing disconnect between worsening climate change impacts and the lack of political attention in Washington. The piece explains that while scientists are raising increasingly urgent warnings—such as accelerating global warming, shrinking Arctic ice, intensifying El Niño effects, and the potential collapse of major ocean currents—U.S. policymakers are largely focused elsewhere, particularly on energy …
SoE Professors Awarded 2026 Rutgers Global Grants
Rutgers Global Grants provide seed grants to support faculty engaging in collaborative international research, partnerships, and new educational initiatives. According to Vice President for Global Affairs Eric Garfunkel, the grants reflect Rutgers’ commitment to expanding global engagement, and belief in the ability of research and education to help transform lives the world over. This year, three School of Engineering professors …
Assistant Professor Fiorella Prada is the 2026 Alpha Zeta “Teacher of the Year”
RCEI affiliate Fiorella Prada, assistant professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, was named the 2026 Alpha Zeta Professor of the Year at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS). Prada was first recognized at the school’s Baccalaureate where she was presented with a certificate by Alpha Zeta. Prada joined Rutgers in November 2021 as a postdoctoral …
Why Scientists Retired the Dire Climate Scenario Used for Over a Decade
An article from The New York Times examines a major shift in climate science: researchers have decided to retire one of the most widely used and alarming emissions scenarios, known as RCP8.5, and replace it with updated projections. This change has sparked debate among scientists, policymakers, and the public about whether climate risks have been overstated—and how to better communicate …
Rutgers Students Bring Science Stories to the National Stage at Planet Forward Storyfest
For eight Rutgers students, the George Washington University Planet Forward Environmental Storyfest in April was more than a conference. It was an opportunity to show how science storytelling can transform complex research into deeply human stories that connect with audiences far beyond the laboratory. Representing the university at one of the nation’s leading gatherings for environmental communicators, the students presented Research …













