The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) is a constituent school of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

campus. Formerly known as Cook College—which was named for

George Hammell Cook George Hammell Cook (January 5, 1818 – September 22, 1889) was the state geologist of New Jersey and vice president of Rutgers College. His geological survey of New Jersey became the predecessor for the U.S. Geological Survey. Biography He w ...

, a professor at Rutgers in the 19th Century—it was founded as the Rutgers Scientific School and later College of Agriculture after Rutgers was named New Jersey's

land-grant college A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Signed by Abraha ...

under the

Morrill Act of 1862 The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or ...

. Today, unlike the other arts and sciences schools at Rutgers, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences specializes in environmental science,

animal science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...

and other life sciences. Although physically attached to the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, most of the SEBS campus lies in

North Brunswick, New Jersey North Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 43,905, reflecting ...

. The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is also home to the ''New Jersey Agriculture Experiment Station'' and the

Rutgers Gardens Rutgers Gardens (130 acres) is the official botanic garden of Rutgers University, located on the outskirts of Cook Campus, at 112 Ryders Lane, North Brunswick, New Jersey. The grounds include 60 acres of designed beds, specialty gardens, tree and ...

, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

. Cook campus is crossed by the

Westons Mill Pond The Westons Mill Pond is a dammed section of the Lawrence Brook located in the Westons Mills section of East Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. It is one of a series of dams on the Lawrence Brook. The Westons Mill Pond Dam is the dam that co ...

section of the scenic Lawrence Brook, which flows along Rutgers vegetable research farm, Rutgers equine research farm,

and Rutgers Helyar's woods. A continuing professional education unit that provides professional education and training for environmental related program areas sits on the edge of Cook Campus and is part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education.

History

Originally called New Jersey College of Agriculture, the name was changed in 1965 to the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and was again changed in 1975 to Cook College. It was also at this time that Cook College became residential with the building of the Newell Apartments. In 2007 it was again renamed as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences as part of a larger reorganization of the university. Martin Hall on Cook Campus was the location of Nobel Prize winner

Selman Waksman Selman Abraham Waksman (July 22, 1888 – August 16, 1973) was a Jewish Russian-born American inventor, Nobel Prize laureate, biochemist and microbiologist whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discover ...

's research in soil microbes. It was here that Waksman and his colleagues are credited with isolating several

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

most notably

streptomycin Streptomycin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex, endocarditis, brucellosis, ''Burkholderia'' infection, plague, tularemia, and rat bite fever. F ...

which was used successfully against diseases such as tuberculosis.

Academics

Programs

* Agricultural Science *

Animal Science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...

Biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

Biological Sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

* Bioenvironmental Engineering *

Biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

* Chemistry *

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

, and

Natural Resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

* Entomology *

Environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

and

Business Economics Business economics is a field in applied economics which uses economic theory and quantitative methods to analyze business enterprises and the factors contributing to the diversity of organizational structures and the relationships of firms with ...

* Environmental Planning and

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

* Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior *

Environmental Sciences Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geo ...

Exercise Science Exercise physiology is the physiology of physical exercise. It is one of the allied health professions, and involves the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. Exercise physiologists are the highest qualified exercise ...

and Sports Studies *

Food Science Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...

Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

Geological Sciences Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

* Independent Major *

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

and Media Studies * Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS) *

Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

* Microbiology * Nutritional Sciences *

Plant Science Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

Campus and student life

Residence halls on the G. H. Cook Campus

*Perry Hall (Freshman Residence Hall) *Voorhees Hall (Freshman Residence Hall) *Nicholas Hall (Freshman Residence Hall) *Newell Apts. (On-campus apartments for non-freshmen) *Starkey Apts. (On-campus apartments for non-freshmen) *Helyar House (Cooperative Living)

SEBS Governing Council

Th
SEBS Governing Council (SGC)
currently serves as the student government for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. The council is composed of student representatives from every major, a number proportionate to the number of students in that major, as well as Class Representatives, University Senators and RUSA Representatives. The council was established as the Cook College Council (CCC) in 1974, and was later renamed the SEBS-Cook Council (SCC) in 2006 with the renaming of the school. Beginning with 2010-2011 academic year, Rutgers University merged all the student councils into an elected Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA), but the professional schools remained separate councils. The SEBS Governing Council fulfills this role.

Recreation Activities Crew

The Recreation Activities Crew (formerly known as Recreation Advisory Council and known as RAC on the Cook Campus) is an organization that is composed of student volunteers and meets weekly. The mission of this group is to get students involved with community events both within Rutgers University and with the city of New Brunswick. They have put together events like Special Friends Day, Price is right, Deal or No Deal, Trivia Bowl and other small events. Special Friends Day is one of the biggest community events that the Recreation Advisory Council hosts. Volunteers set up the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center into a themed place. Their parents get a day off from taking care of them and allows them to spend some alone time. Also the students that volunteer get a unique and special experience that will last a lifetime. Each year, the theme is different. The most recent theme (March, 2009) was Board Games. Each year, hundreds of hours of student time are poured into creating this one special day. The Special Friends Day past themes include—2008:

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

: 2007; Heroes.

Agricultural Field Day

Rutgers Agricultural Field Day is a farm-oriented event held at

's Cook Campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, on the last Saturday of April. The event includes 4-H animal fairs, farm tours, plant sales, and department-specific exhibits such as the entomology department's cockroach races. The event is also known for BBQs and student parties, at which attendance peaked well over 20,000 people. It—and the New Jersey Folk Festival on the adjoining Douglass campus—still attract over 10,000 people annually. Started in 1906, "Ag Field Day" began as a way for farmers to learn about the NJ Agricultural Experiment Station's studies. It expanded to lectures, demonstrations and tours in 1917, and was later embraced by students as a party focal-point. By the mid-90s, university administration scaled back the evening party atmosphere to decrease attendance by non-students and curb underage drinking. The event's daytime activities continue unabated, and are open to all. Since 2009, Ag Field Day has been coincident with the university-wide Rutgers Day.

Notes and references

External links

Cook College Timeline

School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers NJAES Office of Continuing Professional Education

Rutgers Agricultural Field Day