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.
Purpose of Cookies:
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
Types of Cookies:
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.
What They Do:
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"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
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
What They Track:
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:
1. Google Chrome
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).
2. Mozilla Firefox
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.
3. Safari
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.
4. Microsoft Edge
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.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
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.
Be Aware:
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.
Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally
Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally
CAHNR is uniquely positioned to initiate and support efforts to enhance health and well-being in Connecticut and beyond. The Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally SVIC has a strong, multidiscipline plan that is placing the College among the preeminent colleges in the nation regarding its teaching, research, extension, and service initiatives in human, animal, plant, and environmental health.
This SVIC seeks to identify growth opportunities and explore ways to leverage CAHNR’s expertise in these important fields. The entire spectrum of advancements, from big picture ideas to integral incremental innovations, will be a critical part of this SVIC’s strategy. The SVIC focuses on the following areas:
Promote health and prevent disease
Build connections at the nexus of human, animal, plant, and environmental health (One Health)
Develop and apply digital health technology to optimize health
Foster health equity, including food security, using a broad range of approaches, including community engagement
Maximize sport and physical performance and improve injury prevention, recovery, and rehabilitation
Develop and test personalized lifestyle interventions informed by research.
Examples
A $10 million USDA Poultry Sustainability grant, the largest CAHNR has received to date is safeguarding animal, human, and environmental health. The multi-institution project led by CAHNR is Research found that older adults can lower their blood pressure by increasing their daily physical activity by 3,000 steps. This simple lifestyle intervention is as effective as structured exercise and some medications, and more easily accessed by the target population. The goal is for older adults with high blood pressure to take at least 7,000 steps daily.
UConn’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program added mental health components to its educational and treatment programming. All students now receive Mental Health First Aid training. Students and community volunteers also offer events and health checkups on campus. Physical therapists assist patients from the community through the pro bono UConn PT C.A.R.E.S. clinic.
Vaccines continue to proactively protect public health and that of livestock and pets. Researchers are unlocking a decades-long mystery that has prevented the development of a vaccine for walking pneumonia, a respiratory infection that can have serious health impacts on immunocompromised individuals.
Antibiotic resistance is a challenge for humans and animals. Simultaneously, animal proteins are a popular food source, and there is a need for high-quality proteins raised without antibiotics. A CAHNR researcher filed a provisional patent for spraying chicken eggs with commercially available probiotics to promote embryonic and post-hatch growth, eliminating the need for antibiotics.
CAHNR uses digital health methods to provide researchers with previously unseen levels of insight into behaviors that influence health. Dietary tracking, a cornerstone of weight loss interventions, is not necessary for weight loss to occur but increased tracking is associated with greater weight loss.
Food insecurity impacts many in our state, region, and nation. Helping families learn about healthy eating, shopping on a budget, cooking, and physical activity improves knowledge and awareness of healthy choices, and food security indicators. Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) participants in UConn Extension have access to supportive discussions in six-week cohorts where they learn to prepare delicious, low-cost, healthy meals for their families.
In the global health realm, mobile device technologies (mHealth), including apps, are used in HIV prevention efforts for disadvantaged populations. In Southeast Asian countries where sexual behaviors between men are highly stigmatized or criminalized, vulnerable individuals do not seek services through traditional healthcare avenues. CAHNR uses mHealth approaches to scale up HIV prevention approaches and provide much-needed services.
