News

Three indivisuals in diving suits sit together on the water.

Maine’s kelp forests and the impact of environmental change

By, Camryn Sudimick, Maine EPSCoR Writing Intern The Gulf of Maine (GoM) is warming rapidly, and ecosystems contained within, including Maine’s rocky reefs, are undergoing significant changes. The kelp forest habitats along Maine’s coast are transitioning to red algae turf reefs. These kelp forests stand from one to a few meters tall that fish and […]

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White Shark Migration and Taking Part in the Research Process with Patrick Tardie

By Camryn Sudimick, Writing Intern White sharks are one of the most iconic species in the sea. While they have gained a fearsome reputation, researchers like Patrick Tardie, a Maine-eDNA undergraduate intern, argue they should instead be recognized for their vital role as apex predators in marine ecosystems. While white shark populations faced a decline […]

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Maine EPSCoR is Hiring Writing Interns!

Maine EPSCoR is hiring student interns for the fall 2023 semester to help produce written and digital content about Maine-eDNA, Track-2 EPSCoR projects, and other research in Maine. Apply through CareerLink or email a cover letter, resume, and, if able, examples of past work to Maine EPSCoR (maine.epscor@maine.edu.) If you have any questions contact Maine […]

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MERITS Scholar Program Celebrates Summer Research

This year’s high school MERITS Scholars celebrated their summer work in August at the 2023 MERITS Program Celebration Day. Hosted at the University of Maine’s Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center (IMRC), the 20 scholars presented their summer work conducted at research institutes, universities and colleges, and Maine companies. Of the 20 scholars, several worked […]

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Congratulations to Maine-eDNA Summer Internship Cohort

Congratulations to Maine-eDNA’s summer internship cohort! The NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Maine-eDNA project provided support to 32 undergraduate interns this summer. Working up and down the coast and into the interior of Maine, these interns made meaningful contributions to the project by helping advance efforts like Maine-eDNA’s Index Site Sampling project.  The interns used eDNA […]

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INSPIRES Researcher Spotlight: Geospatial Research using LiDAR with Daniel Hayes

by Stefania Irene Marthakis Daniel Hayes, University of Maine (UMaine) Associate Professor of Geospatial Analysis & Remote Sensing and the Director of the Barbara Wheatland Geospatial Analysis Laboratory, teaches undergraduate courses in Remote Sensing (i.e., acquiring information from a distance) and Geospatial (i.e., maps) Science as well as graduate courses in Ecology in the School […]

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Understanding Squid and Food Chain Dynamics in the Gulf of Maine

By Stefania Irene Marthakis “Maine-eDNA was one of my main inspirations to continue to study Zoology at the University of Maine, Decorey Bolton Jr. said. “I’m especially interested in animal’s behavioral patterns, how different environmental factors are affecting their movement patterns, and their interactions with other animals.” DeCorey Bolton Jr. is an alumni and now […]

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Investigating Harmful Algae Blooms with Robin Sleith

By Evan Bartow, Writing Intern Located across the many aquatic enviroments of Maine, harmful algae blooms (HABs) are caused by algae that can grow uncontrollably, and cause the production of naturally produced toxins. These toxins negatively impact other organisms within the aquatic ecosystems. Robin Sleith, who started as a postdoctoral scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for […]

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Exploring Fungal Communities and eDNA with Lucia Goldman

By Ilaria Bardini, Writing Intern Natural ecosystems, including Maine’s plants and forests, are increasingly being impacted by pollution and climate change. Mycorrhizal fungi, fungal communities that have often unseen symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants, are vital to forest communication and their consequent growth and success. The build-up of toxic chemicals and pollutants in […]

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