Research report
What's new and noteworthy in Rutgers research
Archived article from Feb 4, 2000
By Margaret Sullivan
Oh, deer
With a new state-of-the-art facility and an expanded deer study group, research on the problem of white-tail deer overpopulation is broadening at Cook College, according to Larry Katz, associate professor of animal science.
Researchers at the new facility are working on contraceptive methods to control urban and suburban deer populations. The goal is to develop a treatment that will sterilize females with a single injection while causing no undesirable behavioral or health side effects.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States and has one of the densest herds of white-tailed deer. These animals damage the natural ecosystem, destroy crops and landscaping, and injure people in automobile collisions, said Katz, a nationally recognized authority on deer reproduction and behavior, who began his research in this area in 1991.
"The development of a one-shot contraceptive will be of great benefit to New Jersey's residents and to citizens of all urbanized states," Katz observed. "The fact that deer in some locations have become the source of economic and health problems is regrettable but reversible. These beautiful animals can be restored to their position as a valuable and aesthetic resource if we are able to develop novel, nonlethal wildlife management tools."
The new facility can accommodate 60 female deer in a natural setting and includes a barn that permits researchers to handle the animals without stress or injury.
The research is supported by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Game, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the Rutgers/NJAES Center for Wildlife Damage Control.
-- Margaret Sullivan
Parfum de granny
The wise old grandmother who can calm every fear and soothe every woe is a staple of folklore, but there may be some fact among the fiction. A Rutgers professor and her former graduate student have found that the odor of post-menopausal women can lift the spirits. The research is preliminary but fascinating, said psychology Professor Jeannette Haviland-Jones.
Working with former graduate student Denise Chen, now at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Haviland-Jones collected the underarm secretions of donors ranging in age from young children to senior citizens. Volunteers were unknowingly exposed to one of the scents and asked to complete a survey that included questions on their own mood. After just a few minutes of surreptitious "aroma therapy" the volunteers' mood changed. The scent of an older woman improved their mood, a baby's scent had little effect and the scent of a teenage boy had a negative effect. Haviland-Jones is quick to note that the mood change was slight but, since no change was expected, significant.
So, will parfum de granny be the next perk-me-up scent? It's too soon to say. "It's possible that the group of older women we chose is really happy and that being a young man is a difficult time of life," Haviland-Jones said. More research is planned. In the meantime, it won't do your mood any harm to hang around with some happy old ladies.
--Laurel Van Leer
Mandatory community service
When high schools began establishing community service as part of their graduation requirements, not everyone was happy. In fact, the mandate led to three lawsuits in which students and their parents claimed their constitutional rights had been violated.
Education Professor Ronald Hyman recently revisited these cases in his book "Mandatory Community Service in High School: The Legal Dimension" (Education Law Association), which details the legal challenges brought against the school districts and analyzes the court decisions, all of which ruled against the plaintiffs.
Students in Pennsylvania, New York and North Carolina claimed that the act of performing community service in the mandatory programs was unconstitutional because it meant they were forced to express a belief in altruism. They also claimed violation of their personal liberty, involuntary servitude and violation of their privacy, and they asked that the requirement be removed from the curriculum. The courts, however, disagreed.
continued...
Page 1 of 3
Next >
|
