Innovations in Workforce Development A CEDAS Academy Webinar Thursday, February 16, 2017 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Workforce development is one of the foundations of successful local and regional economic development strategies. Local, new and emerging businesses need a well-trained and accessible labor force. In light of recent industry location decisions in the state, more […]
Education
UConn CLEAR February Webinars
UConn CLEAR has announced their February webinars for the 7th and 14th. The first is Getting Started on Your New MS4 Permit, and the second is Road Salt Use in Connecticut: Understanding the Consequences of the Quest for Dry Pavement. Attendance is FREE! Register online now, and invest just one hour of your time in the […]
Worker Protection Standard Training
UConn Extension is hosting EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS) workshops for agricultural pesticides. This training is for agricultural employers of farm workers and or pesticide handlers on farms, forests, greenhouses, and nurseries. Also for commercial pesticide application employers. The revised worker protection standard went into effect on January 2, 2017. There will be further requirements […]
Celebrate Martin Luther King Day 2017
Join UConn this afternoon to celebrate Martin Luther King Day 2017 with a presentation by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill at 4 pm in the Jorgensen Center.
Exploring the Results of Low Impact Development (LID)
In addition to reviewing the land use regulations of towns, the NEMO team created an interactive online “Story Map” allowing users to explore the data further (http://s.uconn.edu/stateoflid). The story map combines interactive maps, text, graphics, photos and other media to tell a more compelling story than could otherwise be done by a publication or website. […]
Lifelong Learning: February Classes
CLIR lifelong learning classes for February, held in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot campus, all from 1:15-2:45 p.m. except for Memoirs: Memoir Club – Thursdays, February 2, 9, 16, 23 10:15-11:45 The Politics of War and Peace – Wednesday, February 1 Crumbling Foundations in CT Homes: A Contractor’s Perspective – Tuesday, February 7 The Role of […]
Stormwise: There’s An App For That
Undergraduate students in the Department of Computer Science are developing a Stormwise app. The app will have two functions; tree failure reporting where individuals can provide a description and photo, and the app will walk people through a hazard tree assessment process. Collecting tree failure data will be of great value for research down the […]
EFNEP: Making an Impact
The nutrition programming through EFNEP has three components: healthy food and physical activity choices, making funds go farther, and learning skills to improve food preparation and food safety practices. Clients participate in four to eight lessons, meet with the educator at least four times, complete pre and post assessments, participate in food and nutrition activities, […]
Hydroponics at UConn Extension
Hydroponics is a growing area of agriculture that uses mineral nutrient solutions in a soilless system to grow plants. Rosa researches chemistry and water clogging of hydroponics in her greenhouse. “With the CARE project, a set of growers in Connecticut have problems with low quality water clogging systems,” Extension educator Rosa Raudales mentions. “Samples are […]
CLEAR Story Maps
Extension faculty at CLEAR are creating Story Maps for their projects, inspired by the successful maps of Emily Wilson. Dave Dickson has created one, called the State of Low Impact Development in Connecticut, which describes the results of research done over the summer of 2015 by CLEAR’s NEMO Project on the use of “low impact […]
Partnerships Create a Food Safety Culture
Extension educators from throughout the Northeast consider collaboration essential to the success of their work with fruit and vegetable growers. In 2012, regional food safety specialists from the Universities of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Cornell received a NEED-NERA (Northeast Extension and Experiment Station Directors) planning grant focused on coordinating efforts to […]
NEMO Program to Help Communities Navigate the New Stormwater Permit
By Dave Dickson CLEAR’s venerable, award-winning NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) Program is embarking on a five-year program to assist Connecticut communities in complying with the state’s revised “General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems,” or the MS4 permit. Stormwater runoff is a major source of flooding, […]
4-H National Youth Science Day
Each fall, UConn 4-H members in every county across Connecticut participate in 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD), which is the world’s largest youth-led science experiment. The hands-on experiment incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Motion Commotion, the 2015 experiment, taught 4-H youth members about physics and speed, while addressing the serious public safety […]
Drought in Connecticut? Who Knew?
By Mike Dietz Connecticut is not the first place that would likely come to mind if I asked you to come up with a part of the country that experiences drought; the desert southwest and California might typically be first on the list. However, southern New England has received less than normal amounts of precipitation […]
Lifelong Learning – January Classes
The Center for Learning In Retirement, or CLIR is offering classes for January, focusing on lifelong learning. All classes are held in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot campus, all from 1:15-2:45 p.m. except for Memoirs: Memoir Club, Thursdays, January 5 – March 30; 10:15-11:45 Making Cladograms, Tuesday, January 10 American Elections: Myths, Legends and Modern Reality […]
New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide 2017-2018
– 300+ pages of current recommendations for nonchemical and chemical management of greenhouse insects, mites, diseases, weeds and algae, plus recommendations for using plant growth regulators – Guidelines specific to New England, in a durable plastic comb binding – Extensive, practical information about using biocontrol organisms to manage insects and mites – Information about how […]
Oak Wilt: A Threat to Our Oak Trees
Oak wilt is an important disease to be on the lookout for in New England. This is especially true for Connecticut because it has been confirmed in three locations in our neighbor to the west and south, New York. The disease is important because it kills trees in the most susceptible red oak group (northern […]
Food Safety Modernization Act Info Session
Are you still wondering how the FSMA Produce Safety Rule will affect your life and your livelihood? The University of Connecticut Extension in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture/USDA Specialty Crops program is providing an opportunity for farmers to learn more about FSMA. We will discuss the rule, exemptions from the rule, key […]
Low Impact Development in Connecticut
Connecticut towns are increasingly recognizing the impact of stormwater runoff on water quality. Low impact development (LID), also called green stormwater infrastructure, is a major strategy to address these issues. The Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program at the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) has been working with towns on these […]
Welcome Lindsey Brush to CT FANs IM!
Lindsey is the new Program Assistant for the Connecticut Fitness and Nutrition Clubs In Motion. Lindsey is a recent graduate of the University of St. Joseph’s in West Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. Lindsey is also pursuing a certification as a personal trainer from National Academy of Sports Medicine. She […]
Giving Tuesday
With the end of year and holidays approaching, consider making your gift to UConn Extension. Here are ways you can show your support: Make a Gift Online You can make a gift online by accessing the UConn Extension Online Giving Page: http://s.uconn.edu/extension There are three UConn Extension Foundation accounts featured on the site: The Cooperative […]
Become a First Detector
By Joan Allen The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) was formed along with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) in 2002. The mission of the NPDN is to enhance national agricultural security by quickly detecting and identifying introduced pests and pathogens. This is accomplished through the creation of a nationwide network of diagnostic laboratories […]
Put Local on Your Tray
To our neighbors across the ocean, lunch in American schools is evidence of our culinary inferiority. The fact that one third of the nation’s children are growing up overweight and obese leads many to point a finger at school food. But in reality, the age of sloppy joes and tater tots is steadily giving way […]
5 Tips for a Food Safe Thanksgiving
WASHINGTON — This week millions of Americans will gather family and friends around the dinner table to give thanks. But for those preparing the meal, it can be a stressful time. Not to mention, for many it is the largest meal they have cooked all year, leaving plenty of room for mistakes that could cause […]
Making a Better Cheese
UConn Extension’s Dennis D’Amico works with Arethusa and other small businesses on food safety in their cheese and dairy production plants. Watch this short video from USDA Rural Development to learn more.
Water Solutions
Irrigation and plant pathogens, or infectious organisms, in water are recurring themes for Rosa Raudales, an Assistant Professor of Horticulture and Greenhouse Extension Specialist. Rosa’s first job was on a plantain irrigation project in Honduras. As an undergraduate, her thesis focused on pathogens in hydroponic systems, where plants are grown in a soilless system. Rosa […]
CYFAR Summer Experience at Auerfarm
By Sherry Gray The Auerfarm is a 4-H Education Center with 120 acres located in the northwest section of Bloomfield, Connecticut. The Farm was deeded to the non-profit Connecticut 4–H Development Fund in 1976; however; has a rich history dating back to the early years of the 20th Century. The farm served as a model […]
Creating a Food Safety Culture
A report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published in 2013 described the increasingly evident relationship between produce and foodborne illness: over a ten year period, from 1998 to 2008, produce was responsible for 46% of diagnosed foodborne illness where a source was determined. This often surprises consumers who normally consider meat and poultry […]
Pumpkins are a Terrible Thing to Waste…
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH UConn Extension Educator/Food Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America. Early colonists learned of pumpkins from Native American Indians for whom pumpkin was a dietary staple. They would often cut strips of pumpkin and roast them on an open fire before eating. These resourceful people […]
NIFA Programs Salute and Assist Veterans and their Families
Posted by Brent Elrod and Desiree Rucker, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Whether protecting our nation and its highest ideals with military service or ensuring a safe, abundant, and nutritious food supply as veterans, we are grateful for their willingness to serve. For more than 35 years, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) […]
Telling Stories With Maps
Most people like to look at maps. How many times have you looked at a map just to figure out where you’re going, and then become distracted by towns, rivers and mountains off to the side? And in this day and age, maps—including satellite imagery—are all around us, on our phones and in our cars. […]
Communities Invited to Apply for First Impressions
First Impressions Community Exchange Program “great reminder of what matters” As a new holiday season approaches, most of us know how hard it is to take time off from our commitments and busy schedules to do something new. But recent research by organizational psychologists and neurologists finds that having new experiences – new sounds, sights, […]
PEP Celebrates 20th Anniversary
In 1993, Extension Educator Cherry Czuba and a social services coordinator in a Windham low-income housing project taught family life information and community development strategies to five natural leaders in the community. Each participant committed a year, attended ten 2-hour training sessions, went to monthly meetings, and addressed community issues through projects. In 1994, Cherry […]
A Foundation in 4-H
Solomon “Sol” Boucher of Tolland exemplifies the 4-H motto of making the best better. Sol has taken the foundation in leadership and citizenship skills developed through the 4-H program to a global stage, impacting his community, and a wider audience. In 2003, 10-year old Sol joined the Mighty Mix 4-H Club. Deb Couture and Felicia […]
Environmental Leadership Award Winners
The UConn Environmental Policy Advisory Council recently awarded their 2013-2016 Environmental Leadership Awards, and we are pleased to announce that UConn Extension educators were recognized. The NEMO Rain Garden Outreach Team, consisting of Dave Dickson and Mike Dietz won the Team Award. Mike Dietz also won the Alumni award. Luc Dang, a former intern with our […]
Connecticut Sea Grant Receives Research to Application Award
Sea Grant Association Research to Application Award Presented to Connecticut (CT), Maine (ME) and New Hampshire (NH) Sea Grant Programs NEWPORT, RI— Seaweed cultivation is a rapidly growing industry in New England, providing new economic opportunities for seaside communities and would-be sea vegetable farmers. The widespread efforts to improve the growth and marketing of seaweeds in […]
Conversations Around Food
Imagine running out of food, with small children to feed, and no food stamps for another week. Friday’s paycheck has to pay your utility bill, or they will cut off your electricity. Feeling panicked yet? Picture what it was like, over 40 years ago, to have someone from UConn Extension knock on your door and […]
4-H Volunteer Marcia Johnson
Twenty-eight years as an elementary school teacher has not dampened the enthusiasm of 4-H volunteer Marcia Johnson. She’s upbeat, energetic and clearly excited about teaching. Five years ago, Johnson created a school gardening program for her students at John Barry Elementary School in Meriden. When Johnson took a position at Meriden’s Nathan Hale School, she […]
Master Gardener Volunteer Tracy Burrell
We have 1,587 active Master Gardener volunteers in Connecticut. In 2015, they donated 34,555 hours of community service to towns and cities throughout the state, with an economic value of $797,183. Master Gardener offices are in each of the county offices, on the Storrs campus, and the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford. Tracy Burrell of Mystic […]
Open House This Sunday
Join our Windham County Extension Center for an open house this Sunday, October 23rd from 9 am – 1 pm at their office on Wolf Den Road in Brooklyn. There will be activities for all ages.