Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Hottest year in recorded history compounds global biodiversity risks
Published: 25 August 2025
Author(s): Cory Merow, Brian S. Maitner, Andreas Schwarz Meyer, Alex L. Pigot, Josep M. Serra-Diaz, Mark C. Urban (Professor, EEB)
Affiliations: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Eco-Evolution Lab
A team at Great Mountain Forests (GMF) in the Litchfield Hills, which span more than 6,000 acres across Norfolk and Canaan, is testing a new forest management method called pre-commercial trimming. The method removes competing trees in dense, young forest stands (areas of dense canopy growth where young trees must compete for water, sunlight, and nutrients). The GMF team, supported by a sustainability grant from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, have been practicing the technique in three stands, keeping the trees that are more resilient to climate change and disease as well as the most diverse trees possible. Results demonstrated an increase in not only more resilient trees but also regeneration due to more light reaching the forest floor. The team says that replicating the practice across New England can make trees more resilient to various stressors, including climate change.
Read the full article by Stephen Underwood on the Hartford Courant
UConn’s debut Tech Showcase highlighted Connecticut’s bright future of innovation and industry while paying tribute to an infrastructure built on manufacturing and security. The Showcase, hosted by UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS), was held at UConn Tech Park (Innovation Partnership Building) and drew nearly 200 visitors. The event celebrated Connecticut’s industrial history, economic recovery from recession, and promising new trends such as quantum technology and artificial intelligence.
Can Fairness Flow in Philly? Real Estate Assessment Equity for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Finance
Published: 17 June 2025
Author(s): Jeffrey P. Cohen, Kinnard Scholar in Real Estate and Professor
Affiliations: School of Business
Engineers as Problem-Solvers for Sustainable Development?—Exploring Students' Learning Outcomes From Sustainability and Human Rights-Centered Approaches in Engineering Education
Published: 26 May 2025
IoEE-Affiliated Author(s): Shareen Hertel
A parametric framework for evaluating power outrage risk trends under changing climatic conditions
Published: 28 March 2025
Author(s): Stergious Emmanouil
Affiliations: Eversource Energy Center
IoEE Executive Director Emmanouil “Manos” Anagnostou (Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Eversource Energy Endowed Chair of Environmental Engineering) is honored for contributions to remote sensing hydrology, hydrometeorology, and environmental engineering. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) Fellowship is a high honor for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of atmospheric and related sciences.
Marina Astitha, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UConn, was interviewed recently by FOX61 about her team's development of a new AI program designed to remove errors in weather forecasting based on previous storm data. The program would supplement existing weather forecasting models used by meteorologists to help them adjust their forecasts in regard to wind or snow storms, a frequent occurrence in Connecticut. The goal is to create a cycle where the AI program can help improve the original models, making them more accurate.
“On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice”
September 18, 2025
Ryan E. Emanuel
Associate Professor of Hydrology, Duke University
“The Declining Monarchy: A Butterfly’s Ecology Speaks to America’s Environmental Crisis”
October 16, 2025
Anurag Agrawal
James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies, Cornell University
“Does Evidence Even Matter? Using AI to Debunk Climate Misperceptions”
November 13, 2025
Gordon Pennycook
Associate Professor & Himan Brown Faculty Fellow, Cornell University
View recorded Gordon Pennycook lecture
“How Can Individuals, Organizations, and Nations Make Better Sustainability Decisions?”
February 26, 2026
Tom Dietz
University Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Environmental Science & Policy, & Animal Studies, Michigan State University
“Women, Water, Violence, and Wellbeing In The Face of Climate Change”
March 26, 2026
Susan J. Elliott
Professor & University Research Chair in Health Geography, University of Waterloo, Canada
View recorded Susan Elliott lecture
“Back to the Wall, Face to the Sun: The Climate Crisis and the Renewable Answer”
April 2, 2026
Bill McKibben
Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT; Founder of ‘350.org’ and of ‘Third Act’
View recorded Bill McKibben lecture