Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Nebraska: Report Details Global Drought Impacts
LINCOLN, Nebraska, July 9 (TNSrpt) -- The University of Nebraska issued the following news:
* * *
New report details global drought impacts
National Drought Mitigation Center, U.N. collaborated on report
By Emily Case-Buskirk
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's National Drought Mitigation Center and the United Nations' Convention to Combat Desertification have released a report outlining the impacts of drought around the world since 2023.
The report was released July 2 at the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain.
The last two years represent some
... Show Full Article
LINCOLN, Nebraska, July 9 (TNSrpt) -- The University of Nebraska issued the following news:
* * *
New report details global drought impacts
National Drought Mitigation Center, U.N. collaborated on report
By Emily Case-Buskirk
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's National Drought Mitigation Center and the United Nations' Convention to Combat Desertification have released a report outlining the impacts of drought around the world since 2023.
The report was released July 2 at the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain.
The last two years represent someof the worst drought effects seen on a global scale, said Mark Svoboda, report co-author and director of the drought center.
"This is simply not just another dry spell," he said. "This is a global catastrophe covering millions of square miles and affecting millions of people, among the worst I've ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on."
The report covers food, water, energy crises and human tragedies resulting from drought events in dozens of countries around the world. It shares impacts within the most acute drought hotspots in Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America and Southeast Asia based on more than 250 studies, data sources and news reports.
"The Mediterranean countries represent canaries in the coal mine for all modern economies," Svoboda said. "The struggles experienced by Spain, Morocco and Turkey and many others to secure water, food and energy under persistent drought offer a preview of water futures under unchecked global warming. No country, regardless of wealth or capacity, can afford to be complacent."
El Nino triggered dry conditions across agricultural lands, ecosystems and urban areas in 2023-24, compounding effects in regions already suffering from heat, population pressures and fragile infrastructure, said report co-author Kelly Helm Smith, assistant director and drought impacts researcher at the drought center.
Drought impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including women, children, the elderly, those with chronic illness, subsistence farmers and agropastoralists, Smith said. Health risks include cholera outbreaks, acute malnutrition, dehydration and exposure to polluted water. People may also be forced to leave their homes and communities in search of work.
Coping mechanisms for drought events grew "increasingly desperate," said Paula Guastello, lead author and drought impacts researcher at the drought center. "Girls pulled from school and forced into marriage, hospitals going dark and families digging holes in dry riverbeds just to find contaminated water -- these are signs of severe crisis."
According to the report, forced child marriages more than doubled in the regions of Ethiopia that were hardest hit by drought during this time. Despite being an outlawed practice in the country, child marriage can provide families with income in the form of a dowry while lessening the financial burden of providing food and other necessities to the child.
The report underscores the importance of protecting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems, Guastello said.
"As droughts intensify, it is critical that we work together on a global scale to protect the most vulnerable people and ecosystems and re-evaluate whether our current water use practices are sustainable in today's changing world," she said.
Future suffering and devastation could be reduced by acting now, Smith said.
"Drought is not just a weather event -- it can be a social, economic and environmental emergency," Smith said. "The question is not whether this will happen again, but whether we will be better prepared next time."
Guastello emphasized the need to invest in water-efficient infrastructure and nature-based solutions, equitably distributing resources to those affected by drought and implementing policy changes regarding water use and human rights -- particularly of women, girls and Indigenous tribes.
It is crucial to act now to reduce effects of future droughts, Smith said, by working to improve access to food, water, education, health care and economic opportunity, especially for the most vulnerable people.
Enhancing support for the Sustainable Development Goals, a focus of the Seville meeting, would help reduce the effects of future droughts, she said.
"The nations of the world have the resources and the knowledge to prevent a lot of suffering," she said. "The question is, do we have the will?"
* * *
REPORT: https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/2025-07/Drought%20Hotspots%202023-2025_ENG.pdf
* * *
Original text here: https://news.unl.edu/article/new-report-details-global-drought-impacts
UM Miller School of Medicine: Bascom Palmer Researcher Links Epigenetic Age to Glaucoma Progression
MIAMI, Florida, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine issued the following news:
* * *
Bascom Palmer Researcher Links Epigenetic Age to Glaucoma Progression
Summary
* A new study led by Dr. Felipe Medeiros has uncovered a connection between how fast your body is aging at the molecular level and how quickly glaucoma progresses.
* Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting more than 100 million people worldwide.
* Dr. Medeiros' ultimate goal is to develop blood-based biomarkers that help identify patients at highest risk of glaucoma progression.
*
A
... Show Full Article
MIAMI, Florida, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine issued the following news:
* * *
Bascom Palmer Researcher Links Epigenetic Age to Glaucoma Progression
Summary
* A new study led by Dr. Felipe Medeiros has uncovered a connection between how fast your body is aging at the molecular level and how quickly glaucoma progresses.
* Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting more than 100 million people worldwide.
* Dr. Medeiros' ultimate goal is to develop blood-based biomarkers that help identify patients at highest risk of glaucoma progression.
*
Anew study published in Ophthalmology has uncovered a connection between how fast your body is aging at the molecular level and how quickly glaucoma progresses. The research, led by Felipe Medeiros, M.D., professor of ophthalmology and vice chair of research at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, suggests that epigenetic age could be a powerful new biomarker for predicting glaucoma outcomes.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting more than 100 million people worldwide. While high intraocular pressure (IOP) is a known risk factor, many patients still experience vision loss even with well-controlled IOP. This study aimed to find out whether biological aging might help explain why.
"We've long known that patients can lose vision from glaucoma even when intraocular pressure is well-controlled," Dr. Medeiros said. "That raises the fundamental question of what else is driving progression. Given the parallels with other neurodegenerative diseases, we wanted to explore whether biological aging could be a hidden factor influencing vulnerability of the optic nerve to damage from glaucoma."
Epigenetic Age and Glaucoma
Epigenetic age is a measure of biological aging based on DNA methylation--chemical changes that affect how genes are expressed without altering the DNA sequence itself. Think of it as your body's internal clock, ticking away based on lifestyle, environment and genetics. When your epigenetic age is higher than your actual age, it's called epigenetic age acceleration. It's a sign that your body may be aging faster than your chronological age suggests.
Study researchers analyzed 200 patients with primary, open-angle glaucoma, split evenly between those with fast and slow disease progression. They used four different epigenetic clocks--Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, and GrimAge--to calculate biological age from blood samples.
Patients were classified based on how quickly their visual field (measured by standard automated perimetry) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness declined over time.
Study Findings: Faster Aging, Faster Vision Loss
* Faster aging equals faster vision loss: Patients with faster glaucoma progression had significantly higher epigenetic age acceleration, especially using the Horvath and Hannum clocks.
* Horvath clock stood out: Each additional year of Horvath age acceleration increased the odds of fast progression by 15%.
* Normal eye pressure: The link between biological aging and progression was even stronger in patients with glaucoma who had relatively normal eye pressure, suggesting that aging itself may make the optic nerve more vulnerable.
"This is the first study to show that accelerated epigenetic aging is associated with faster glaucoma progression," said Dr. Medeiros. "It suggests that biological age, not just chronological age, could be an important predictor of disease trajectory, especially in patients who don't fit the typical high eye pressure profile."
It also aligns with findings in other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, where accelerated epigenetic aging has been linked to disease risk and severity.
Future Research: Blood-Based Biomarkers
While the study was retrospective and can't prove causation, it lays the groundwork for future research. Could we one day use a blood test to predict who's at the highest risk of vision loss? Could anti-aging therapies slow glaucoma progression?
Early trials using nicotinamide (vitamin B3) have shown promise in improving retinal function. Combining these approaches with epigenetic insights could lead to more personalized and proactive glaucoma care.
"We're now building on this work with prospective studies and deeper molecular analyses," Dr. Medeiros said. "The ultimate goal is to develop blood-based biomarkers that help identify patients at highest risk of progression and eventually to test therapies aimed at slowing the biological aging process to preserve vision."
The Four Epigenetic Clocks
Epigenetic clocks estimate biological age based on DNA methylation patterns. Here's a quick guide:
Horvath Clock
- What it measures: Methylation at 353 CpG sites across multiple tissues (blood, brain, skin, etc.).
- Why it matters: It's a "universal" clock that works across tissue types and is widely confirmed.
- In this study: Showed the strongest link to glaucoma progression.
Hannum Clock
- What it measures: Methylation at 71 CpG sites specific to whole blood.
- Why it matters: Tailored for blood-based aging studies, reflecting changes in hematopoietic cells.
- In this study: Also showed a significant, though weaker, association with disease progression.
PhenoAge Clock
- What it measures: Methylation at 513 CpG sites, combined with clinical markers like glucose and inflammation.
- Why it matters: Designed to capture physiological decline and mortality risk.
- In this study: Did not show a statistically significant link to glaucoma progression.
GrimAge Clock
- What it measures: Methylation patterns linked to plasma proteins and smoking history.
- Why it matters: Predicts lifespan and health span.
- In this study: Showed moderate association with glaucoma progression.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.med.miami.edu/bascom-palmer-researcher-links-epigenetic-age-to-glaucoma-progression/
Slippery Rock University: Sajad Hamidi Conducting Federally Funded Research About Greenhouse Gas Emissions
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pennsylvania, July 9 -- Slippery Rock University issued the following news:
* * *
Sajad Hamidi conducting federally funded research about greenhouse gas emissions
A Slippery Rock University faculty member is a visiting researcher this summer working with leading scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, one of the top research centers in the country that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Sajad Hamidi, an SRU associate professor of engineering, was invited to expand his research on greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic systems and build on work
... Show Full Article
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pennsylvania, July 9 -- Slippery Rock University issued the following news:
* * *
Sajad Hamidi conducting federally funded research about greenhouse gas emissions
A Slippery Rock University faculty member is a visiting researcher this summer working with leading scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, one of the top research centers in the country that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Sajad Hamidi, an SRU associate professor of engineering, was invited to expand his research on greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic systems and build on workinitiated during his sabbatical at ORNL in the summer and fall of 2024.
During Hamidi's appointment this year, May 27 to Aug. 2, he is working remotely on a manuscript for a research paper with colleagues from ORNL as they use computational models to analyze data collected by field sensors and satellite images to investigate the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases.
"My research is a portion of a much larger project all around the country to build a database that managers of lakes, reservoirs or dams can use to understand water quality," Hamidi said. "The knowledge is beneficial for policymakers or dam operators and many other stakeholders who rely on hydroelectricity and agricultural activities."
Hamidi and the ORNL research team are investigating the effects of eutrophication, the process where freshwater lakes and reservoirs become excessively enriched with nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, from agricultural and sewage runoff that damage the ecosystem. Eutrophication causes harmful algal blooms, oxygen depletion and the release of methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Their study is based on data collected from Douglas Reservoir, not far from the ORNL in Tennessee.
Hamidi presented findings from the ongoing research at the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress, May 18-21, in Anchorage, Alaska, and further findings will be published in a peer-review journal by Hamidi and the co-authors, led by Carly Hansen, a water resources engineer at ORNL.
"I'm honored to return to Oak Ridge and continue this important research as we enhance our understanding of climate-related challenges," said Hamidi. "As a professor at an institution like SRU that is focused on teaching, working on research helps me better understand the problems and issues that are current in our field. I'm gaining knowledge that will enrich the students in the classes that I teach, especially by working with very prestigious research and an institution like Oak Ridge."
Hamidi said that the partnerships he is forging could also lead to opportunities for SRU students to engage in high-impact research through internships at Oak Ridge and other world-class laboratories.
More information about engineering at SRU is available on the department's webpage. More information about ORNL is available at www.ornl.gov.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.sru.edu/sajad-hamidi-conducting-federally-funded-research-about-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
NJIT Researchers Develop Rapid Method to Detect Micro- and Nanoplastics in Seconds
NEWARK, New Jersey, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The New Jersey Institute of Technology issued the following news release:
* * *
NJIT Researchers Develop Rapid Method to Detect Micro- and Nanoplastics in Seconds
Microplastics and nanoplastics -- tiny fragments shed from everyday plastic products -- are increasingly found in our food, water, soil and even inside the human body. Their accumulation has been linked to fertility issues, metabolic disorders and other potential health risks in animal models. Yet detecting these pollutants has remained a time-consuming challenge.
To combat this challenge, researchers
... Show Full Article
NEWARK, New Jersey, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The New Jersey Institute of Technology issued the following news release:
* * *
NJIT Researchers Develop Rapid Method to Detect Micro- and Nanoplastics in Seconds
Microplastics and nanoplastics -- tiny fragments shed from everyday plastic products -- are increasingly found in our food, water, soil and even inside the human body. Their accumulation has been linked to fertility issues, metabolic disorders and other potential health risks in animal models. Yet detecting these pollutants has remained a time-consuming challenge.
To combat this challenge, researchersat New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers have developed a powerful new method that can detect microplastics and nanoplastics in as little as 10 seconds, using a streamlined approach called Flame Ionization Mass Spectrometry (FI-MS).
The research, recently published in Journal of Hazardous Materials, shows that the technique can detect sub-microgram levels of plastic pollution in a wide range of samples, including bottled water, apple juice, agricultural soil and biological tissue. In one striking example, the team identified polystyrene nanoplastics in mouse placental tissue -- a feat typically requiring complex chemical digestion and separation.
"It is amazing to have a method that can detect plastics in 1 milligram of tissue without time consuming sample prep," said Genoa Warner, assistant professor in NJIT's Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science and a co-author on the study.
Warner, who runs the Laboratory of Endocrine Disruption & Chemical Biology (EDC Lab), investigates the toxicity and mechanisms of endocrine disrupting chemicals in biological systems. She plans to use FI-MS to measure plastics in tissue samples.
A powerful new method that can detect microplastics and nanoplastics in as little as 10 seconds.
"Traditional detection methods require hours or even days of sample preparation," said Hao Chen, professor of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT, and lead author of the study. "With FI-MS, we can skip all of that. You can burn a dried sample -- soil, tissue, even filter paper from water -- and immediately detect trace plastics by their molecular fingerprint."
The speed and simplicity of FI-MS could make it a valuable tool for both researchers and policymakers. While agencies like the EPA have yet to establish regulatory limits for microplastics in drinking water, rapid detection methods like this could help lay the groundwork for future public health standards.
"There are few techniques or methodologies currently available to accurately and consistently measure the micro/nanoplastic concentrations in environmental or biological samples," said Phoebe Stapleton, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. "Understanding those concentrations is vital to studying the toxicology of micro- and nanoplastic exposures.
"Those tools that do exist are expensive to acquire and may be out of reach for many groups. This technique provides a viable alternative for the measurement of plastics."
Unlike other mass spectrometry techniques, FI-MS uses a small open flame to simultaneously break down and ionize plastic particles at the point of analysis. The resulting ions are captured and analyzed by a high-resolution mass spectrometer, allowing researchers to identify the type and quantity of plastic without elaborate cleanup.
"Our method offers both speed and sensitivity, as it avoids sample loss and contamination during preparation," said Mengyuan Xiao, a Ph.D. student in Chen's research group. "And it also allowed quantitative analysis of microplastics and nanoplastics in soil and tissue samples."
Chen's lab has filed a patent for the FI-MS technique, and is currently exploring commercial applications with instrumentation partners. The group is also developing rapid methods for the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), another group of harmful environmental contaminants.
Looking ahead, the team plans to expand the method to analyze plastic accumulation in biological samples such as blood and brain tissue -- work that could help illuminate the long-term health effects of microplastic exposure.
"The public doesn't always realize how easy it is to ingest microplastics," said Chen. "Using hot liquids in plastic bottles or heating food in plastic containers can release particles directly into what you eat. The more we can measure and understand these exposures, the better we can protect human health."
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Herbert W. Hoover Foundation and an NJIT faculty seed grant.
This research was conducted by Chen's group at NJIT (Mengyuan Xiao, Yongqing Yang, Terry Yu, Jerry Liu, Alex Guo), in collaboration with Warner's group at NJIT (Hanin Alahmadi, Allison Harbolic, Genoa Warner) and Stapleton's group at Rutgers University (Gina Moreno, Phoebe Stapleton).
* * *
Original text here: https://news.njit.edu/njit-researchers-develop-rapid-method-detect-micro-and-nanoplastics-seconds
Georgia Institute of Technology: These 'Exploding' Capsules Could Deliver Insulin Without a Needle
ATLANTA, Georgia, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The Georgia Institute of Technology issued the following news:
* * *
These 'Exploding' Capsules Could Deliver Insulin Without a Needle
Engineers use sodium bicarb to "self-pressurize" a pill able to deliver drugs that usually require injection directly to the small intestine.
*
Georgia Tech engineers have created a pill that could effectively deliver insulin and other injectable drugs, making medicines for chronic illnesses easier for patients to take, less invasive, and potentially less expensive.
Along with insulin, it also could be used for semaglutide
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, July 9 (TNSjou) -- The Georgia Institute of Technology issued the following news:
* * *
These 'Exploding' Capsules Could Deliver Insulin Without a Needle
Engineers use sodium bicarb to "self-pressurize" a pill able to deliver drugs that usually require injection directly to the small intestine.
*
Georgia Tech engineers have created a pill that could effectively deliver insulin and other injectable drugs, making medicines for chronic illnesses easier for patients to take, less invasive, and potentially less expensive.
Along with insulin, it also could be used for semaglutide-- the popular GLP-1 medication sold as Ozempic and Wegovy -- and a host of other top-selling protein-based medications like antibodies and growth hormone that are part of a $400 billion market.
These drugs usually have to be injected because they can't overcome the protective barriers of the gastrointestinal tract. Georgia Tech's new capsule uses a small pressurized "explosion" to shoot medicine past those barriers in the small intestine and into the bloodstream. Unlike other designs, it has no complicated moving parts and requires no battery or stored energy.
"This study introduces a new way of drug delivery that is as easy as swallowing a pill and replaces the need for painful injections," said Mark Prausnitz, who created the pill in his lab with former Ph.D. student Joshua Palacios and other student researchers.
In animal lab tests, they showed their capsule lowered blood sugar levels just like traditional insulin injections. The researchers reported their pill design and study results DATE in the Journal of Controlled Release.
Read about the technology on the College of Engineering website (https://coe.gatech.edu/news/2025/07/these-exploding-capsules-can-deliver-insulin-without-needle).
* * *
Original text here: https://news.gatech.edu/news/2025/07/08/these-exploding-capsules-could-deliver-insulin-without-needle
FAU: AI Reveals Astrocytes Play a 'Starring' Role in Dynamic Brain Function
BOCA RATON, Florida, July 9 (TNSjou) -- Florida Atlantic University, a component of the state university system in Florida, issued the following news:
* * *
AI Reveals Astrocytes Play a 'Starring' Role in Dynamic Brain Function
By Gisele Galoustian
Long overlooked and underestimated, glial cells - non-neuronal cells that support, protect and communicate with neurons - are finally stepping into the neuroscience spotlight. A new Florida Atlantic University study highlights the surprising influence of a particular glial cell, revealing that it plays a much more active and dynamic role in brain
... Show Full Article
BOCA RATON, Florida, July 9 (TNSjou) -- Florida Atlantic University, a component of the state university system in Florida, issued the following news:
* * *
AI Reveals Astrocytes Play a 'Starring' Role in Dynamic Brain Function
By Gisele Galoustian
Long overlooked and underestimated, glial cells - non-neuronal cells that support, protect and communicate with neurons - are finally stepping into the neuroscience spotlight. A new Florida Atlantic University study highlights the surprising influence of a particular glial cell, revealing that it plays a much more active and dynamic role in brainfunction than previously thought.
Using sophisticated computational modeling and machine learning, researchers discovered how astrocytes, a "star" shaped glial cell, subtly - but significantly - modulate communication between neurons, especially during highly coordinated, synchronous brain activity.
"Clearly, glial cells are significantly implicated in several brain functions, making identifying their presence among neurons an appealing and important problem," said Rodrigo Pena, Ph.D., senior author, an assistant professor of biological sciences within FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science on the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. "To that end, modeling can be helpful. However, the simulation of the complex interactions between glial cells and neurons is a challenging task that requires advanced computational approaches."
The research, in collaboration with the Federal University of Sao Carlos and the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, addresses a fundamental gap in neuroscience.
"While neurons have long dominated the conversation, glial cells - and predominantly astrocytes - have been treated as passive support structures. But recent discoveries have challenged this neuron-centric view, suggesting astrocytes are active participants in processes like synaptic modulation, energy regulation and even network coordination," said Laura Fontenas, Ph.D., co-author, an assistant professor of biological sciences within FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science on the John D. MacArthur Campus, and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute.
The study, published in the journal Cognitive Neurodynamics, takes those ideas further, showing that astrocytes influence how groups of neurons fire together, especially when the brain is in a "synchronous" state - where large populations of neurons fire in a coordinated rhythm, a condition crucial for functions like attention, memory formation and sleep cycles.
To explore this, the team generated artificial brain network data and applied a suite of machine learning models including Decision Trees, Gradient Boosting, Random Forests, and Feedforward Neural Networks to classify and detect the influence of astrocytes under different network states.
Findings reveal that Feedforward Neural Networks emerged as the most effective, especially in asynchronous (less coordinated) conditions, where capturing subtle patterns required richer and more complex data.
"Our goal was to identify the presence of glial cells in synaptic transmission using different machine-learning methods, which do not require strong assumptions about the data," said Pena. "We found that the Mean Firing Rate - a common experimental measure - was particularly effective in helping these models detect glial influences, especially when paired with robust algorithms like Feedforward Neural Networks."
According to Fontenas, the researchers can now investigate these computational findings in appropriate animal models such as in the Zebrafish.
One of the study's key findings is that astrocytes exert their strongest influence during synchronous brain states. In these conditions, advanced statistical tools such as spike-train coherence, which measures the timing relationships between neural signals, detected a shift toward more coordinated and frequency-diverse firing when astrocytes were present. This suggests that astrocytes not only support but may also fine-tune the rhythmic dynamics of brain networks, potentially contributing to stability and information flow.
"Even with the difficulties of identifying the presence of glial cells, our study highlights the utility of machine learning in detecting their influence within neural networks, particularly by leveraging the Mean Firing Rate as an effective data collection method," Pena said.
Traditional brain activity metrics like firing rate and coefficient of variation often miss these subtleties. The study shows that although astrocytes affect network behavior, their contributions don't always produce large changes in conventional measures. As a result, detecting their influence requires more nuanced tools - ones that can see beyond the obvious and identify the deeper patterns in brain activity.
As science continues to unravel the complexities of the human mind, this study is a reminder that some of the brain's most important contributors have long gone unnoticed. Thanks to machine learning and computational neuroscience, the invisible influence of astrocytes is now coming into view - and with it, a richer, more complete picture of how the brain really works.
"By enhancing our ability to detect glial influence through advanced statistical methods, we open new avenues for exploring how neuron-glia interactions shape brain function," said Pena. "It's a critical step toward understanding neurological disorders and could inform future therapies that target not just neurons, but the entire cellular ecosystem of the brain."
Study co-authors are Joao Pedro Pirola, first author and a student at the Federal University of Sao Carlos working in the Pena lab; Paige DeForest, a recent graduate from FAU's Wilkes Honors College; Paulo R. Protachevicz, Ph.D., University of Sao Paulo; and Ricardo F. Ferreira, Ph.D., Federal University of Sao Carlos.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/dynamic-brain-function.php
Cornell, Wegmans Partner to Train Growers in Food Safety
ITHACA, New York, July 9 -- The Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences issued the following news:
* * *
Cornell, Wegmans partner to train growers in food safety
By Laura Reiley
For the last 15 years, Cornell has helped Wegmans and its growers comply with government regulations and keep consumers safe from foodborne illness. Fresh fruits and vegetables account for a significant portion of outbreaks, in part because they are often grown in open fields in soil, and in part because they are frequently consumed raw.
Farmers and produce buyers meet these challenges by doubling
... Show Full Article
ITHACA, New York, July 9 -- The Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences issued the following news:
* * *
Cornell, Wegmans partner to train growers in food safety
By Laura Reiley
For the last 15 years, Cornell has helped Wegmans and its growers comply with government regulations and keep consumers safe from foodborne illness. Fresh fruits and vegetables account for a significant portion of outbreaks, in part because they are often grown in open fields in soil, and in part because they are frequently consumed raw.
Farmers and produce buyers meet these challenges by doublingdown on food safety protocols, from practices in the field to new technology in the grocery aisle. The Cornell-based Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) has been essential in effectively disseminating information and instituting new training, according to Steve Strub, manager of produce food safety for Wegmans Food Markets.
The PSA was established in 2010 through a cooperative agreement between Cornell, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
Strub said a lot of his growers are people he's known for more than a quarter century, and that he spends much of his time visiting the farms and having hard conversations about what is required to keep fruits and vegetables safe.
"In 2010, we started working with the Produce Safety Alliance," he said. "It was not long after the spinach E. coli outbreak occurred, which affected 26 states and Ontario, Canada; that's what got Wegmans involved."
Strub, who has worked for Wegmans for 28 years, the past nine as produce manager for the company's 110 stores, credits Elizabeth Bihn, director of the PSA and director of the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) Program at Cornell AgriTech, as a central reason the Wegmans-PSA collaboration has been so successful.
"Betsy has been with us since the get-go," Strub said. "Talk about real and practical. She's an annual part of our training; she's the star of our show and has a great connection with our growers. They know her and respect her knowledge and experience. She and her PSA team have been helpful to Wegmans, participating in trainings and sharing their knowledge with our growers."
On every farm, one person must be trained in food safety best practices, per the FDA's Produce Safety Rule as well as Wegmans' own requirement of vendors, he said. The PSA Grower Training curriculum includes seven modules that farmers work through, ranging from worker health and hygiene to agricultural water and postharvest handling and sanitation.
"The trainings are pulled together in whatever states we do business in - we invite the experts, reaching out to land-grant universities and state agriculture departments," Strub said. "And food safety trainings aren't just about food safety - they're about decreasing plant diseases, increasing shelf life, less shrinkage at stores and a better overall customer experience."
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) went into effect in 2011, but its Produce Safety Rule was not completed until 2015, representing the first time produce had been federally regulated. A further phase of FSMA will be instituted in the next few years, adding greater traceability for food categories like produce, as well as increased record-keeping requirements, especially for "high risk" foods.
This will increase the urgency of the work the PSA and Cornell AgriTech do, Bihn said, and challenges persist: Foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. rose in 2024, with confirmed cases increasing by 25% compared to the previous year. Several factors contributed to this increase, including changes in food handling practices, increased consumption of certain risky foods, a wider distribution of contaminated products and better science for the detection and tracking of outbreaks.
"So much of this is dependent upon trust," she said. "We work to make sure growers have the information they need to discern between hazards and risks, and are able to effectively do what they need to do to reduce risk."
* * *
Original text here: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/07/cornell-wegmans-partner-train-growers-food-safety
