The latest Maine EPSCoR print newsletter is out now. This newsletter covers some of the amazing work researchers across both Maine and the state’s EPSCoR grants. Maine EPSCoR Newsletter March 2023: Featured Stories: Maine-eDNA Research Learning Experience Forest Bioproducts Research Institute Mind the Gap: Ecology, evolution, and the impact of humans on the natural […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Media Intern We are already seeing the repercussions of our changing climate through altered weather patterns, development of new diseases, increasing numbers of annual natural disasters, and warming oceans. The NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 Biodiversity and Rural Adaptation to Climate Change Using Data Analysis project (Barracuda) is working to develop tools with […]
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By Caty DuDevoir, Media Intern In the fall of 2016, shellfisheries in the Gulf of Maine were closed and five tons of clams and mussels were recalled due to an unprecedented harmful algal bloom (HAB) of toxin producing species Pseudo-nizschia australis that spread from the Bay of Fundy to Rhode Island. Pseudo-nizschia australis can produce […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Media Intern As the world’s climate changes, ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them are changing as well. This holds true for blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, which are beginning to populate areas along the coast of Maine. Native to warmer waters along the U.S. coastlines, the rising temperatures in the Gulf of […]
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By Caty DuDevoir, Media Intern Across the NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant, researchers are partnering with local communities and organizations to maintain dialogue and expand conservation in Maine’s waters. Located close to the University of Maine Orono campus, the Penobscot River, New England’s second largest river system, provides Maine-eDNA researchers studying freshwater systems or species […]
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Undergraduate Student Employees Environmental DNA (eDNA) Maine-eDNA Full-time, starting May 2023 Overview: The Maine-eDNA program is seeking undergraduate students to join our team, a state-wide, multi-institutional initiative establishing Maine as a national leader in environmental monitoring, ecological understanding, and sustainability of coastal ecosystems (https://umaine.edu/edna/). Students will have the opportunity to participate through internship experiences in a […]
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By Ilaria Bardini Writing Intern, A vital aspect of the NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant is the multidimensional collaboration across skill sets. One of the ways to assure continued, cross-generational interest in the world of STEM and the progression of environmental DNA (eDNA) research is through science-based programs and educational opportunities for youth. The development […]
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By Ilaria Bardini Writing Intern, Along the rocky intertidal zones of New England, blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), a native species of filter feeding bivalves, cling onto rocks, piers, and other structures. Although seemingly mundane and relatively sedentary in nature, these molluscs are essential to biodiversity, commercial aquaculture, and serve as habitats for a myriad of […]
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Caty DuDevoir: Writing Intern Caty (she/her) is a junior at the University of Maine (UMaine), studying Anthropology and Journalism. She joined Maine EPSCoR in spring of 2022 as a writing intern. After noticing a disconnect in public understanding of science, she wanted to help bridge the gap in information access. Caty appreciates learning more about […]
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By Caty DuDevoir Data is the core of any scientific project. Proper data management practices and documentation are imperative to allow for the standardization and comparison of results. This is especially important on large projects, like the NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant, which rely on the collaboration of dozens of researchers. Maine-eDNA recently completed its […]
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