One hundred and fifty years ago, the New Jersey legislature designated Rutgers College (founded in 1766 as Queens College) as the state's land-grant institution after vigorous lobbying by George Hammell Cook, a young Rutgers professor and geologist, in a campaign that bested bids by Princeton and the state Normal School at Trenton.

The result was Rutgers Scientific School, which over the years evolved into the College of Agriculture, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Cook College, and -- since 2007 -- the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

We will celebrate 150 years of teaching, research, and service, starting in April 2014. To mark this milestone, the Discovery Initiative is collecting stories about interesting and influential alumni for a special area under construction on the Discovery website.

All stories are welcome. Tell us about recent alumni, alumni from any era, and even deceased alumni whose legacy lives on. Let us know how their impact was influenced by their college experience. And, if possible, send a jpeg to accompany the story -- with requisite permissions, please. Email your story, along with contact information, to Diana Orban Brown at orban@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Hurricane Sandy approaching the coast. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

Highlighting the scholarship that Rutgers' faculty and staff continue to bring to the climate change arena, the keynote address will be delivered by Joseph J. Seneca, professor of environmental economics and policy with the Bloustein School, on "Sandy, Climate Policy, and Rutgers: An Overview." Other speakers will represent a wide cross-section of faculty and staff from such departments as Marine and Coastal Sciences, Human Ecology, Social Work, Geography, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, and Mathematics. The welcome will be delivered by Richard L. Edwards, executive vice president for academic affairs.

The event is free of charge, but registration is required by October 8 to ensure seating. Further information and a copy of the full agenda may be accessed at the Institute's website. The event is co-sponsored by the Cook Campus Dean.

 

Alon Tal, a professor in the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology at Israel's Ben Gurion University, will visit the G.H. Cook Campus at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, to talk about "All the Trees in the Forest: Lessons Learned from the Afforestation in Israel." The lecture will take place in the Alampi Room of the Marine and Coastal Sciences Building.

Tal, currently a visiting professor in the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University, is a lawyer, author, and environmental activist. Among his many achievements, he founded the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, a graduate studies center in which Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian students join environmental scientists from around the world in advanced multidisciplinary research focused on ecology, pollution, and water management.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Additional information is posted on the website of the Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program, sponsor of the talk, along with the Office of the Executive Dean of the School.