News Stories - Page 107

LED lightbulbs, programmable thermostats, high-density insulation and electric vehicles — despite these innovations, about two-thirds of the energy produced in the U.S. is lost to inefficiencies, according to national studies. For scientists and economists who work on the barriers between people and a sustainable future, that’s a dire number, but modern data management is helping to reduce it.

As the spring harvest approached, members of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association knew they would need assistance to provide important information about COVID-19 safety measures and food handling protocols to workers who make up the majority of the seasonal agricultural workforce, many of whom are native Spanish speakers.

Home gardeners who want to expand their edible backyard bounty to include fruits are invited to participate in the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Backyard Fruits webinar series that runs through June 5.

An online tool developed by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is helping produce growers assess their water quality and prepare for increased testing requirements.

From late summer into fall, Southerners start looking for muscadines — a popular grape native to the Southeastern U.S. Selections run from the dark purple, thick-skinned traditional muscadine to a light golden green variety. Soon, growers and consumers can add a new red variety to the mix.

Learn how seven faculty members tackled distance learning.

When COVID-19 was identified, Malak Esseili stopped taking her children along on trips to the grocery store and she told her sisters to start wearing scarves as makeshift masks while in public. As an assistant professor of food virology at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Esseili studied the emerging viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Would you like to enclose your backyard so that you can enjoy your coffee on the patio without your neighbor’s security camera spotting your pajamas? Maybe you want to screen out your view of the neighbor’s yard art collection? Is your house buffeted by wind that you want to block? A hedge may be in order.

University of Georgia Associate Professor Alexa Lamm has earned the 2020 Borlaug CAST Communication Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). The award is presented annually for outstanding achievement by a scientist, engineer, technologist or other professional working in the agricultural, environmental or food sectors for contributing to the advancement of science in the public policy arena.