Calling all Ag, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Cook, and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences grads!

Executive Dean Bob Goodman and alumnus Barry Adler ('72) invite you to join them for a "new tradition" -- the first annual "Let's Do Lunch with the Executive Dean" on Saturday, April 27, 2013. Taking place at Cooper Dining Hall on the Cook-Douglass Campus during the ever-popular Ag Field Day at Rutgers Day, the barbecue feast and beer tent will welcome alumni, spouses/partners, their children, and members of the G.H. Cook community.

The festivities are free, but sign-up is a necessity (so we have enough food and fun for everyone!) and space is limited. So sign up today on our registration website.

When the call went out in this newsletter for stories about alumni, Robert Gravani answered. He started out by saying he didn't want to talk about himself, but rather the profound influence of two faculty members -- the late Professors Dick Meritt and Libby Stier.

Bob, who is now a professor of Food Science and director of the National Good Agricultural Practices program at Cornell University,  received his B.S. in Food Science in 1967 and went on to Cornell to earn his master's and Ph.D. But the lessons he learned and the experiences he had while on the G.H. Cook Campus have stayed with him throughout the decades and guide the way he mentors and assists Cornell undergraduates "in all aspects of their adjustment to college life, course selection, ... and career development."

Read his story in the SEBS/NJAES Newsroom. If you have a story to share, contact Diana Orban, orban@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Is there a favorite faculty or staff person who touched your life and still is inspiring students and others at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences or the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station? You can nominate that individual for an Excellence Award in teaching, research, outreach, international, staff/administrative, or team excellence for the 2013 Celebration of Excellence Awards event.

The nomination process is easy: just link to the criteria and forms on the Discovery website. But hurry, the deadline is February 28, 2013. If you need help (or a brief extension) contact Diana Orban at orban@aesop.rutgers.edu.

 

As of press time for the March Discovery newsletter, the land-grant schools of the Big Ten were gathering in Washington, DC, at a reception for alumni, deans, legislators, and friends. Rutgers -- though not yet officially a part of the Big Ten -- was warmly welcomed by its peer institutions, including Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, University of Illinois, Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, and University of Wisconsin. Another newcomer, University of Maryland, also joined the festivities.

Forty Scarlet Knights signed up to meet and network with their colleagues from the greater DC area. A report and photos will be posted on the Discovery website soon.