Community Presentations
NEWVEC offers community support in many ways, including being available to present educational talks for the public. Please reach out at the link below to coordinate a talk or presentation to improve your community's tick awareness.
Dr. Stephen Rich is featured on the fifth episode of the Guardians Against Ticks Summit series. He shares his experience on vector-borne diseases, specifically focusing on ticks and Lyme disease. This video was published on July 29, 2024.
NEWVEC in the News
Watch and listen to interviews with NEWVEC’s executive director, Dr. Stephen Rich.
Read and watch news stories featuring NEWVEC scientists.
Tick Season is in Full Swing. Here’s How to Stay Safe.
The Boston Globes’s newsletter, Starting Point, reviews seasonal reminders for tick safety. Subscription required. May 1, 2025.
New Strain of Bacteria in Tick Discovered at UMass Amherst
WWLP News visits the lab at UMass Amherst and talks to Dr. Stephen Rich about rickettsioses. April 28, 2025.
Ticks from Maine Backyard Found to Carry Bacteria that can Cause Fever in Humans
Researchers found rabbit ticks in a residential backyard carrying Rickettsia sp., a bacteria that can cause spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR), which can be life-threatening in humans. April 25, 2025.
Dr. Stephen Rich answers questions for The Boston Globe about new discovery in Maine. April 24, 2025.
Tick Season Returns with New Concerns
Western Mass News reports on a strain of bacteria found in rabbit ticks. April 24, 2025.
No More Steak, Burgers? Research Links Allergic Reaction to Red Meat to Ticks Found in New England
Boston 25 News reports on alpha-gal syndrome. April 24, 2025.
The discovery in Maine raises the possibility that rabbit ticks could be a vector for serious infections in humans. April 23, 2025.
UMaine Seeks to Thwart Ticks by Helping Landowners Weed out Invasive Forest Plants
NEWVEC co-investigators Allison Gardner (UMaine) and William Landesman (VSU) secured funding from the National Science Foundation to study where invasive plant removal and tick control intersect. January 10, 2025.
Vermont State University (VSU) announces that it was recently awarded a $1.8 million National Science Foundation grant, along with researchers from the University of Maine. Two of the researchers leading this work are NEWVEC co-investigators. September 23, 2024.
Tick-borne Illnesses Exploded in New England with Climate Change
This article in The Boston Globe identifies the most common species of ticks in the New England area and the bacterial diseases that can be transmitted to people. July 8, 2024.
UMass Research: White-Tailed Deer Blood Kills Lyme Disease-Causing Bacteria
Dr. Stephen Rich and his team talk about their recently published study of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases, specifically the blood of the white-tailed deer kills the corkscrew-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease. April 2, 2023.
Cancer Treatment Could Halt Lyme Disease in its Tracks
This Boston Globe article focuses on a cancer research drug that has been shown to decrease the severity of Lyme Disease symptoms. Dr. Stephen Rich talks about how the similarities between Borrelia burgdorferi infections and cancer cell developments led to Dr. Patrick Pearson, a graduate student in Dr. Rich'’s lab at the time and now postdoctoral researcher at NEWVEC, came up with the idea that both illnesses could be treated with the same LDH drug therapies. July 28, 2023.
WWLP News crew visits a NEWVEC lab at UMass Amherst in late April 2025.