In the News

This week, President Biden marked the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by pushing for a reform that would allow people with long-term symptoms of COVID-19 to be protected against discrimination under the law. With this year’s milestone, advocates take stock of the progress made and the work remaining for those with different needs — an issue magnified during the pandemic, and one being highlighted during New Jersey’s Disability Pride Month.

Rutgers University professor and chair of the NJ Disabilities COVID-19 Action Committee, Javier Robles, explains where the state stands.

Click here for the NJ Spotlight News Interview with Dr. Robles.

Mike Finkelstein, Executive Director of the Global Sports Business M.S. Program at Rutgers University, on how adding experiential learning and "soft skills" into courses helps differentiate students as they begin their careers.

Character is illustrated in what you do, how you act, how you show up. Creating the maturity and discernment we seek, to infuse ourselves with personal success, development and leadership require traits that we build off of “real world” experiences. Those experiential and applied experiences in our lives differentiate us and speak to our immediate ability to add value in our given areas of interest. 

Click here for the full SportBusiness University article

Mary-Margaret Remchak, a doctoral student in the AMP lab, was recently awarded the 2021 Michael L. Pollock Student Scholarship for Clinical Research as well as the Gail E. Butterfield Nutritional Registrational Award through the American College of Sports Medicine. The title of her work is Altered TCA cycle flux parallels insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility in late chronotypes with obesity. Co-authors were: Dr. Emily M. Heiston, Ms. Anna Ballantyne, Ms. Brielle L. Dotson, Mr. Nathan R. Stewart, Dr. Andrea Spaeth, and Dr. Steven K. Malin.

Individuals often identify as being a “morning” or “evening” person. While this reflects generally when they may feel most productive, some research has suggested whether this identification (known as early and late chronotype) is linked to chronic disease. In fact, “evening” people have been associated with higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Read more: 2021 Michael L. Pollock Student Scholarship, Gail E. Butterfield Nutritional Registrational Award

NEWARK, NJ--After leading the NJIT fencing programs to a fourth place team finish at the 2021 National Collegiate Fencing Championships, head coach Jason Henderson has been selected as a NCAA Men's Team Coach of the Year Finalist the United States Fencing Coaches Association announced on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

Click here for the full NJIT Highlander article

Youth Sports Research Council recognized as a NYSS Champion^SM to Promote Participation in Youth Sports

Youth Sports Research Council becomes an NYSS Champion

(New Brunswick) – The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pleased to recognize the Rutgers Youth Sports Research Council (YSRC) as a National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) Champion.

Read more: Youth Sports Research Council recognized

"Since the beginning, it's been pretty detrimental for people with disabilities in the state of New Jersey, specifically as it relates to just finding out what was going on with COVID and how it affected people," said Javier Robles, Chair of the NJ Covid-19 Disability Action Committee and Professor at Rutgers University.

Click here for the full Eyewitness News ABC7 interview

The Rutgers University instructor, a quadriplegic paralyzed from the chest down, could see that the pandemic was taking a disproportionate toll on marginalized communities, including people with disabilities.
“Every day I’m watching the news and seeing people being dragged out of nursing homes in body bags,” says Robles, a teaching instructor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health in the School of Arts and Sciences. “This isn’t something where I can just sit back and say maybe things will get better.”
Robles, in fact, has never been one to just wait for things to get better.
As a Rutgers undergraduate in the 1980s, he was a self-described “pain in the neck” to university officials, forming the Handicapable student group to demand a more accessible campus. Since joining the faculty in 2013, he has been a pioneering teacher, introducing the first undergraduate course to explore the lived experience of people with disabilities.  Click here for the full Rutgers Today article.

"If we are going to say that we are going to protect some people with disabilities, then we should protect all people with disabilities," said Javier Robles, chair of the New Jersey Disabilities COVID-19 Action Committee (DAC).
The DAC wants the existing state ombudsman office to expand its role.  Change the name of the relatively new and tiny office so the man who runs it can advocate for everyone with a disability.  After all, the devil is in the details, Robles said.

Click here for the full northjersey.com article.  northjersey.com

Sara Campbell, Ph.D. along with a team of faculty and staff from multiple SEBS/NJAES departments and units have received the 2020 Team Excellence Award.   Dr. Campbell has long been a part of the 4H Summer Science Program that has provided underserved high school students the opportunity to be immersed in research for a week at Rutgers University.  This year the entire 4-H STEM Ambassador Team has been recognized for their shared commitment to enriching the interest and competency of underserved urban youth in science, technology, and engineering.