Relative to New Hampshire

COVID-19 at UNH with Dr. Peter Degnan

University of New Hampshire — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Neuroscience & Behavior student, Tyler Stetson ’21, follows HB220 establishing medical freedom in immunizations. Tyler interviewsDr. Peter Degnan M.D., Medical Director of Health and Wellness at UNH’s Durham campus, in order to get a perspective of how this bill could impact life on campus.

The bill

http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=202&txtFormat=pdf&v=current

CDC resource on how COVID vaccines work

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html

Information on UNH’s COVID testing lab:

https://youtu.be/dlIt-4ko_5Q

Protection of Human Subjects in Research with Julie Simpson, Melissa McGee and Susan Jalbert

University of New Hampshire — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Neuroscience & Behavior student, Tyler Stetson ’21, follows HB220 establishing medical freedom in immunizations. Tyler interviews experts working for UNH’s Research Integrity Services, Julie Simpson, Melissa McGee and Susan Jalbert. We discuss the Institutional Review Board (IRB), risk assessment in human subject research, and ask these experts in risk assessment how they feel about the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed.

The bill

http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=202&txtFormat=pdf&v=current

CDC information on how vaccines work:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html

Information on the Institutional Review Board at UNH:

https://www.unh.edu/research/institutional-review-board-protection-human-subjects-research-irb

Nature article on COVID vaccine development:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2798-3

Soil Health & Climate Change with Serita Frey, Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0500

UNH Biology student Ella Caughran ’22, follows HB 199: an act including soil health and soil conservation in the state soil conservation plan. She interviews UNH’s Dr. Serita Frey, Professor of Natural Resources & the Environment, about the connection between soil health and climate change.

Resources

· HB 199 an act including soil health and soil conservation in the state soil conservation plan. http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=374&txtFormat=pdf&v=current

· NHPR Outside/In episode about biodiversity inside the Lee Traffic Circle: http://outsideinradio.org/shows/e23

· The Frey Lab website: http://unh.edu/freylab/

· UN video on soil biodiversity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbdsHOnd_gw

· And another one for the Soil Science Society of America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qas9tPQKd8w

· TED Talk on soils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzZ6ACiXtlE

NASA video on A Year in the Life of Earth’s CO2: https://youtu.be/x1SgmFa0r04

Produce Safety with Mary Saucier Choate and Heather Bryant

University of New Hampshire — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

UNH Biology student Marissa Gast ’21, follows HB 345: establishing a license for mushroom harvesters. The group discusses food safety more broadly with UNH Extension’s Mary Saucier Choate (Food Safety Specialist) and Heather Bryant (Fruit & Veg Production Specialist). We discuss the potential dangers we face when eating fresh foods, be they wild harvested foods, farmed or processed foods. We also dip into the risks and benefits of consuming raw milk.

Resources

· HB 345 establishing a license for mushroom harvesters http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=149&txtFormat=html

· HB 226 relative to the repeal of laws on produce safety: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2021&id=295&txtFormat=html

Alternative Energy with Clayton Mitchell & Chris Skoglund

University of New Hampshire — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 22:57:59 -0500

UNH Environmental Sustainability & Conservation student, Emily Thompson ’21, follows HB 172 establishing greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state and establishing a climate action plan. Emily interviews Clay Mitchell (UNH Department of Natural Resources & the Environment) Chris Skoglund (NH’s Department of Environmental Services) to gain some perspective on the feasibility of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions in New Hampshire by 2050.

Resources

HB 172: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=128&inflect=2
SB 721: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/results.aspx?adv=2&txtbillno=sb71
Energy consumption in New Hampshire: https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NH#tabs-1
Information on understanding energy grids: https://www.energy.gov/articles/infographic-understanding-grid
Information on how solar panels work: https://solect.com/the-science-of-solar-how-solar-panels-work/
NHPR podcast on Offshore Wind: https://www.nhpr.org/environment/2021-07-17/windfall-the-transition-to-a-renewable-economy

Compost with UNH Professor Emeritus, John Aber

University of New Hampshire — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 08:00:00 -0500

UNH biology student (and solid waste management enthusiast), Patrick Kaplan ’20, covers the basics of composting. Patrick also shares his conversation with UNH’s Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, Dr. John Aber, who is not only a leader in sustainable agriculture but an expert in making the most of compost.

Resources:

· HB 1704 (2020): http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2020&id=2245&txtFormat=html

· Composting at the UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNTX5vqN2Fs

· BioCycle Article on Heat Recovery from Aerated Static Pile Compost at UNH: https://www.biocycle.net/heat-recovery-from-compost/

· UNH resource on making compost: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/composting-home-gardener-fact-sheet

· UNH resource on buying compost: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/purchasing-compost-tip-sheet

Read essays on weather, climate and climate change at: https://lessheatmorelight.substack.com/

Dental Health & Fluoride with Dr. Maggie Dylewski Begis

University of New Hampshire — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0500

After attending public hearings held by the NH House Committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs and the House Committee on Resources, Recreation & Development, UNH Nutrition student, Max LaPointe ’21, leads a conversation on how dental health influences our overall health.

Max interviews Dr. Maggie Dylewski Begis, Clinical Professor in UNH’s Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics. They discuss how to evaluate health information we read on the internet and try to figure out …what the deal is with fluoride?

Resources:

· HB 103 establishing a dental benefit under the state Medicaid program: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/Results.aspx?q=1&txtbillnumber=HB103&txtsessionyear=2021

· HB 611 abolishing fluoridation in water: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/Results.aspx?q=1&txtbillnumber=HB611&txtsessionyear=2021

· Recommended tutorial for learning how to evaluate internet health information: https://medlineplus.gov/webeval/webeval.html

· Tool to see which water systems add fluoride: https://nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF/Default/Default.aspx

· Alaska community water fluoridation study: https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-018-0684-2

· CA adult Medicaid dental study: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1358

Light Health with Joanna Chiu, Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:53:17 -0500

After attending public hearings held by the NH House Committee on Executive Departments and Administration, UNH Sustainable Agriculture student, Allie Pisano, ’22, leads a conversation on how a potential change in time zone might affect day to day life in the northeast.

The group is joined by chronobiologist, Dr. Joanna Chiu, University of California, Davis, to discuss the dangers of daylight savings time and gives us some tips on improving our light health.

Resources:

HB 85 relative to using Atlantic Standard Time in New Hampshire

The Society for Research on Biological Rhythms

Joanna Chiu’s Lab Website

Hemp Production in New Hampshire with Cheryl Smith, Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 09:45:04 -0500

UNH Biology student, Ryan Spelman ’20, summarizes the state of northeast hemp production in 2020.

Ryan shares his conversation with Dr. Cheryl Smith, Extension Professor & Plant Health Specialist Emerita from UNH’s Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, and Extension’s Plant Diagnostic Lab Director. Dr. Smith provided insights into the legality of producing hemp in New Hampshire and what is in store for those who might like to get into this business.

New Hampshire became the first state approved for licensing to grow hemp under the U.S. Domestic Hemp Program, with the first six growers receiving licenses in early 2020. Lawmakers laid this bill on the table in June 2020, as the creation of this federal licensing program and low demand for a state-run program made the passing of HB 1658 an unnecessary step in the legal production of hemp in New Hampshire.

Resources:

HB 1658 (2020) relative to the growth of hemp

UNH Extension update on hemp production in NH

Federal update on hemp production in the U.S.

Cornell study on influence of growing practices on THC content in hemp crops

Maintaining Healthy Soil in the Granite State

University of New Hampshire — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 00:05:21 -0400

What is the state soil conservation plan in New Hampshire? Who is in charge of following through with these guidelines and plans? Who does this legislation impact? And what even is a conservation district? These are some of the questions that the team of student science liaisons had when beginning to research HB199 and soil conservation as a whole in the state of New Hampshire. Luckily, Carl Majewski, Cheshire County Extension specialist, and Amanda Littleton from Cheshire County Conservation District were just the right people to ask! Join us as we learn all about the work being done in the state of New Hampshire to protect soil health, and the roles of the state, the legislation, and private landowners and businesses in this mission to protect our soil.

Resources:

The bill: HB 199 including soil health and soil conservation in the state soil conservation plan

New England Farmer’s Union

We’ve Got It Covered