Diverse Sustainability and Water Research Reflected in Conference Posters

IMG_2834The poster exhibition at this year’s Maine Sustainability & Water Conference reflected the conference’s broadening agenda on urgent issues affecting New England and beyond. Diverse research on citizen science, fisheries, energy conservation and other sustainability topics grabbed the interest of attendees, who had a midday opportunity to peruse the poster gallery.

The poster session offered students from the high school to graduate level an opportunity to present innovative research and early conclusions. Awards were given to poster presenters on three levels.

Andrew Moreira, a senior at Old Town High School and winner of the high school competition, said the conference gave him a chance to present research in a somewhat rarified environment, at least for a high school kid. The result, he says, is a win-win across the board: for young researchers, for academia and for the fast-moving field of sustainability science.

“Participating in scientific research allows high school students to build upon their curiosity or discover a new passion,” Moreira said. “I believe we need fresh scientific perspectives. And getting high school students involved in scientific research now is key to improving the world of today and the world of tomorrow.”

Moreira’s research looked at finding an industrially viable way to convert organic acids into fuel. Experimenting with the creation of organic salts through the reactions of divalent bases and organic acids: “From the data we collected we can conclude that the process of creating oil from organic acid is possible,” he said.

Brenda Rudnicky, a senior at University of New England (UNE), received first place in the undergraduate poster competition for her study of juvenile fish populations in the Saco River estuary. She found that this community was influenced by temperature and salinity, particularly the latter. As these elements shift, so, it seems, do the fish.

“Additionally,” she said, “the results suggest that juvenile fish abundance fluctuates on relatively short (month) and long (year) temporal scales.”

Jason Smith, an Environmental Science graduate student at University of Southern Maine (USM) worked with USM and UMaine researchers last summer to set up a citizen science pilot project. The big question: can citizen fish counts along herring runs help government managers and university researchers amass important data on spring run alewife and other fish – something too expensive to accomplish otherwise? A more immediate question: how should the program even work?

Smith, first place winner of the graduate level poster competition, reported on volunteer feedback. An online survey found that citizen scientists participating in Maine and Massachusetts liked to get feedback from program coordinators. They cited concern for the environment a top motivational factor. They also expressed interest in more diverse involvement. About half would like to identify research questions and get involved in discussions about management of their local runs.

A total of 29 posters were entered in the competition. Two students received honorable mentions:

  • Undergraduate: Lars Hammer, UNE, Seasonal Fluctuations in Species Assemblage and Abundance of the Saco River Estuary, Maine
  • Graduate: Jessica Balukas, UMaine, Ecology & Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, Advancing innovative conservation tools by improving knowledge of decision-making on private lands