By Nathan Deveney, Media Intern This spring, approximately 300 students at Lewiston Middle School participated in field investigations of a local ecosystem. The seventh graders surveyed three vernal pools in the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston, Maine documenting the presence or absence of different indicator species including caddisflies, fairy shrimp and amphibian egg masses. Vernal […]
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by Jesse Bifulco, Maine EPSCoR media intern It can be challenging for researchers and tree farmers to get their hands on the precise equipment they need to monitor their ecosystems. A dendrometer, an automated measurement device that wraps around a tree’s trunk, can provide insights into growth and health. These measurements are critical to monitoring […]
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By Emma Beauregard, Even though the award period of the NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Maine-eDNA project comes to completion on December 31, 2024, the researchers involved remain as busy as ever going through data samples. One of these researchers is Yasmina Shah Esmaeili, a postdoctoral fellow bringing together previously collected data to reveal how kelp forest […]
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Dear STEM Leaders, My name is Leonard Kenyon, and I am a STEM Education Specialist at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA). I’m reaching out to share an exciting opportunity through the Maine EPSCoR E-CORE RII Program, which aims to enhance research infrastructure and capacity in targeted areas across Maine. The project, Strengthening Maine’s Research Ecosystem […]
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Over the past two centuries, river herring (alewife and blueback herring) experienced a decline in their populations due to the construction of dams blocking migration paths. However, the recent removal of dams and construction of fishways and other infrastructure has led to the start of their recovery. As part of the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 […]
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By Ryan Abedi and Lauren Crofton-Macdonald, As the Gulf of Maine warms, new species, invasive and not, are moving in. The delimitation between invasive and noninvasive species can be difficult to discern. At a simple level, it can be the level of human involvement in the species movement. For example, the European green crab made […]
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By Camryn Sudimick While not as expansive as the renowned kelp forests of California and other parts of the world, the Gulf of Maine (GoM) is also home to a diverse kelp forest ecosystem on its rocky reefs. These out-of-sight underwater forests are known to foster biodiversity, providing vital resources and habitats for various marine […]
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By Camryn Sudimick In the vast expanse of the Earth’s ocean, our planet’s largest ecosystem, lie countless mysteries that have yet to be explored. Dedicated to uncovering such mysteries is Jamie Fogg, a sophomore studying Marine Science at the University of Maine. Fogg began exploring marine biology during high school when she was involved in […]
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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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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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