The Spring 2017 issue of Explorations, the School's magazine for alumni, donors and friends, will be posted in the Publications section of the Discovery website on May 15. The issue also has been mailed to alumni and will arrive during this month.



The cover story focuses on the new Stormtracker 4 weather radar that was installed on the George H. Cook Campus by NBC 4 New York (see the March 2017 Discovery Newsletter) to enhance its coverage of the tri-state area and to open up learning opportunities for our students. Other features include profiles of graduating seniors who overcame tough obstacles to "walk" this month at graduation; two professors -- Pal Maliga and Henry John-Alder -- who are the newest Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; several faculty who are in the forefront of research; and our world-renowned work in aquaculture.



The alumni section of the magazine introduces a new feature called "Fast Track," a breezy question-and-answer session with four recent alumni whose careers are, well, on the fast track. Interviewed are William Christopher Alston CC'10, a member of the risk management group at Mars, Incorporated; John Cambridge GSNB'16, entrepreneur and CEO of Plan A, Inc.; Megan Linkin CC'04, who works for global reinsurer Swiss Re; and Marc Valitutto CC'02, a zoo/wildlife veterinarian with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute/National Zoo. Read all about their careers and how Rutgers helped get them to where they are today. And as a special bonus, look for the lovely centerfold image of Passion Puddle in the spring, which  you can download and frame.

On Sunday, April 30, 2017, alumni, friends, and family gathered to honor six graduates selected by the Cook Community Alumni Association (CCAA) for their career accomplishments, community service, and leadership.



Undergraduate alumni receiving the George Hammell Cook Distinguished Alumni Award were Michael Hlubik CAES'70, a retired teacher of agriculture at Northern Burlington High School and a Chesterfield Township Committee member for 15 years, including six as deputy mayor and four as mayor; Kerry Kirk Pflugh CC'80, who serves with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as liaison for environmental affairs for all 565 New Jersey mayors and 21 county administrators; and Marc Kollar CC'95, freelance media and communications consultant and current president of the CCAA.



Honored with the Dennis M. Fenton Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award were Ann Marie Grover Carlton ENG'95,GSNB '99, '06, associate professor at the University of California-Irvine and former associate professor with the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; Gregory DiLalo CC'77, GSNB '79, director of information technology with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and a member of the Rutgers University CIO Leadership Council; and Apostolos Pappas GSNB '99 (not pictured), research manager and fellow with Johnson & Johnson. Congratulations to all!

 

May 5, 2017 -- Opening day of the summer season for the Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 112 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ



May 6, 2017 -- Hall of Distinguished Alumni gala, starting at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick (see details)



May 12-14, 2017 -- Rutgers Gardens Spring Flower Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p...m.



May 14, 2017 -- Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Commencement, 10 a.m., High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway



May 15, 2017 -- School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Convocation, 10 a.m., Passion Puddle



Every Friday through November 17, 2017 - Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rutgers Gardens