Extension in Western Massachusetts

Michael DiPasquale, UMass assistant professor and co-founder, reopened the creative downtown maker-space for in-person events. He said, “5 years and still going strong in spite of a pandemic. I’m glad the legacy continues.”

Susan Scheufele, Extension educator in the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, is quoted in an article about how local farms are handling plant pests. She says, “Plants and their pests have been co-evolving for millions of years, so it’s usually not simple to figure out how to get rid of them.”
 

Christine Hatch, UMass geosciences, participated in a “Climate Change Carnival” at Amherst Regional Middle School to educate middle school students about effects of climate change on natural landscapes.

An article about a group of Northampton residents calling for changes to the city’s Main Street redesign plan includes a photo of Michael Di Pasquale, landscape architecture and regional planning. 

Brian Kane, Massachusetts Arborists Association professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation, writes about the need to preserve a historic tree in Sunderland – the largest tree in Massachusetts — that’s at risk from a North Main Street reconstruction project. (Greenfield Recorder, 4/18/21) 
 

AMHERST, Mass. – All seven original ice cream flavors concocted by University of Massachusetts Amherst food science students in a popular annual competition are now being scooped up for sale at Herrell’s Ice Cream & Bakery in Northampton (News Office 12.8.20)

Dan Cooley, Stockbridge School, and UMass Extension fruit tree specialist Jon Clements have received about $430,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a smartphone app that will let apple growers more quickly and accurately measure and thin fruit. (Environmental News Network, 10/28/20; News Office release)

A radio report notes that Kathleen Acaro, veterinary and animal sciences, is looking for volunteers for a study on the impact that a diet of increased fruits and vegetables may have on the breast health of recent mothers, specifically with an eye on breast cancer risk.

Rick Harper, environmental conservation, says this week’s rainfall is not enough to keep drought-stressed trees from dropping leaves early. (WWLP, 9/30/20)

Rick Harper, environmental conservation, says that despite the warm and dry summer, “If we don’t see a warm, humid, drawn out fall, we should see typical beautiful coloration” as shorter days trigger tree leaves to change color. (WWLP, 9/16/20)

Young people across Hampden County have not let the coronavirus pandemic stop them from participating in 4-H programs this year. “Western Massachusetts 4-H has not missed a beat in this pandemic,” said Tom Waskiewicz, a Western Massachusetts 4-H educator. (Westfield News 8/17/20)

Amanda Bayer, extension assistant professor in the Stockbridge School, comments on mysterious seeds received in the mail by a Shutesbury resident. This appears to be part of national phenomenon of people receiving unsolicited and unlabeled seeds. (Western Mass News, 7/29/20)

Stephen Rich, microbiology and director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology, is quoted in a report about mosquitos in Western Massachusetts and concerns about Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).  (Republican 7/13/20)

Chris Von Achen, food science research assistant, is one of the organizers of a free webinar on residential composting that will be presented by the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance’s Food Waste Reduction and Composting Working Group on May 29. (Recorder, 5/27/20)

Wendell is one of three Western Massachusetts communities set to benefit from a 15-month grant awarded to a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Clean Energy Extension that will lead development of solar siting and financing procedures. (Recorder 5/19/20, News Office)

UMass Springfield urban design studio (LARP) won first prize in the state's "MassInc Transformational TOD" competition. The winning plan called "In the Loop" proposes a new bike park and bike path network that is accessible to all. (MassInc 4/27/20)