Center for Urban Policy Research

Center for Urban Policy Research

Rutgers/Raritan Mini-grants Awarded

News | Raritan River Initiatives

The Rutgers Raritan River Consortium has awarded five minigrants to support research by Rutgers faculty, staff and post-doctoral researchers on Raritan River, basin and bay resource issues.  All five mini-grants involve partnerships with Raritan stakeholders.  The five recipients and their projects are:

  • Nicole Fahrenfeld, PhD (Dept. Civil & Environmental Engineering, RU-ENG) and Kristi MacDonald, PhD (Raritan Headwaters), “Controls on the Fate and Ecotoxicity of Microplastics in the Raritan River”
  • Olaf Jensen, PhD (Dept. Marine and Coastal Sciences, RU-SEBS), with NJDEP and New Jersey American Water Company, “Monitoring Fish Migration on the Raritan River: A Live Stream of Fish Ladder Passage”
  • Josh Kohut, PhD (Dept. Marine & Coastal Sciences, RU-SEBS), and Robert Schuster (NJDEP Marine Water Monitoring Bureau), “2017 Raritan River Water Quality Sampling: Introducing Rutgers Students to NJDEP Sampling and Quality Control Standards”
  • Max Häggblom, PhD (Dept. Biochemistry & Microbiology, RU-SEBS), and wastewater treatment plants discharging to the Raritan, “Anaerobic Biodegradability of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Raritan River Sediments”
  • Beth Ravit, PhD (Dept. Environmental Sciences, RU-SEBS), and Keith Cooper, PhD (Dept. Biochemistry & Microbiology, RU-SEBS), with NY/NJ Baykeeper, “Microplastic Pollution in the Raritan River”

Each mini-grant award was for $7,500 with the grant related work to be conducted between February 1 and August 31, 2017.  More information about the recipients and their Raritan projects can be found here.

The Consortium, a program of Chancellor Richard Edward’s Strategic Plan Initiative, is a collaborative effort of Rutgers New Brunswick-Piscataway schools, programs, and departments that have joined together to advance Rutgers’ mission to be a better steward of the Raritan River and its environs. The Consortium has two primary goals:  to utilize the Raritan River and its environs to inform university-based education, research and scholarship; and to apply Rutgers’ efforts, research and programs to collaborate with other Raritan partners to advance improvements in regional planning, policy and decision-making that positively affect the Raritan region and resources.  By facilitating collaboration among Rutgers faculty, staff and students and engaging the greater Raritan community of businesses, municipalities, NGOs and other Raritan stakeholders, the Rutgers Raritan River Consortium will bring the university’s resources to bear to address concerns for the Raritan.

The Rutgers Raritan River Consortium is facilitated by Rutgers’ Sustainable Raritan River Initiative.  For more information visit our website at www.raritan.rutgers.edu or contact Sara Malone at sjmalone@ejb.rutgers.edu.

Click here for descriptions of the mini-grant projects.

Check back soon for updates on these projects.