Advance Rutgers

Hunger on college campuses is a nationwide problem, with one in three students experiencing food insecurity. This episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast explores what food insecurity is, what makes students particularly vulnerable, and the steps Rutgers is taking to address this critical issue. The episode features Cara Cuite, an assistant extension specialist with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and an assistant professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers–New Brunswick, and Kerri Willson, associate dean of students and director of off-campus living and community initiatives at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Cuite has conducted several surveys to better understand the scope of student hunger at Rutgers, and Willson leads the team that operates the Rutgers Student Food Pantry in New Brunswick. Together, they help us understand the many ways the university is working toward the day when no student goes hungry. Visit Rutgers' website to learn about more initiatives taking place at Rutgers and how you can support them.   

Every year in the United States, more than 40,000 people die by some form of gun violence. Still more tragic, firearms are the leading cause of death among children nationwide. In this episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast, Michael Anestis, Ph.D. describes how the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC) uses evidence-based research to address the causes and consequences of gun-related violence, as well as potential solutions to this epidemic. He explains why this research has been so difficult to conduct, what we've lost because of a lack of research, and how legal, safe gun ownership and use is critical to making us all safer.  To learn more about the GVRC and gun violence prevention, visit the center's website, and click “Get Involved” to participate in this important work. Visit Rutgers' website to learn about more initiatives taking place at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

Sea level rise is the biggest threat to coastal communities when it comes to the effects of climate change, according to Alexander Gates. Gates is a distinguished service professor at Rutgers University–Newark and the founder of the Institute for Coastal Climate Change in Urban Areas. In this episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast, he explains why northern New Jersey and New York are at particular risk —plus how the institute will help communities, government agencies, and businesses prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. Visit our website to learn about similar initiatives at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

Growing up in Camden City, New Jersey, Nyeema Watson dreamed of attending college. But as a first-generation student, her parents didn't know how to help her, and her high school guidance counselor tried to dissuade her. In this episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast, Watson, now vice chancellor for Diversity, Inclusion, and Civic Engagement at Rutgers University–Camden, explains how the right people came along at the right time to make her dream a reality and her college experience a success. Today, she's devoting her career to doing the same—helping kids in Camden realize their passions through programs like the Rutgers–Camden Schools Partnership, Rutgers–Camden Ignite, and the Hill Family Center for College Access. Visit our website to learn about more signature initiatives at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

A healthy gut microbiome lowers our risk for disease and helps maintain overall health. So, it's critical for all of us to nurture our distinct microbiota. This episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast is the second in a two-part microbiome mini-series. In it, Professor Liping Zhao, Eveleigh-Fenton chair of applied microbiology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, explains why not all sources of dietary fiber are created equal. He also shares how feeding the microbes in his own gut helped him overcome obesity, the simple steps we all can take to improve the health of our microbiome, and how the Rutgers University Microbiome Program will help transform the lives of generations to come.Visit our website to learn about more signature initiatives taking place at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

Our human microbiome helps us do so many things, like digest our food, train our immune system, and protect against illness. But modern-day practices are changing our microbiome and potentially increasing our risk for disease. This episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast is part one of a two-part microbiome mini-series. It features Dr. Martin Blaser, Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome and professor of medicine and pathology, and Professor Gloria Dominguez-Bello, Henry Rutgers Professor of Microbiome and Health, who are cofounders (along with Professor Liping Zhao) of the Rutgers University Microbiome Program. They shed light on why our microbiome is changing, the impacts of that change, and how the Rutgers University Microbiome Program will help people understand the role of microbes in improving health—specifically the health of our children.Visit our website to learn about more signature initiatives taking place at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

Crime scenes generate an enormous amount of evidence. Solving crimes requires a vast network of professionals—from law enforcement to death scene investigators, medical examiners, forensic scientists, and prosecutors. In this episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast, Kimberlee Moran, an associate teaching professor and director of forensics at Rutgers University–Camden, explains how the Rutgers University Crime Lab Unit will bring all those services under one roof, creating a one-stop shop for New Jersey's crime investigation needs that will lead to safer communities.  Visit our website to learn about more signature initiatives taking place at Rutgers and how you can support them. 

We're on the brink of a new era, one in which machines aren't simply tools we use but partners we work with. Developing that partnership in a way that is ethically, morally, and socially just is the subject of the first episode of the Advance Rutgers podcast. Peter March, executive dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished Professor of mathematics at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, explains how an exciting interdisciplinary effort called Minds and Machines will push the frontiers of science and responsible innovation in the age of intelligent tools.Visit our website to learn about this and other signature initiatives taking place at Rutgers.