Current Maine EPSCoR Programs

Maine Environmental DNA (Maine-eDNA) – Track-1 FY 2019-2024

Maine-eDNA is a 5-year research, education and outreach program that seeks to transform our understanding and sustainability of Maine’s coastal ecosystems via environmental DNA (eDNA) innovations that unlock new scales of inference and new scales of collaboration. 

Learn more about Maine eDNA.

Past Maine EPSCoR Projects

SEANET Buoy
Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) - Track-1 FY 2014-2019SEANET was established under this five-year award to help understand how we can create more sustainable coastal communities and ecosystems through a deeper understanding of how these systems interact with and influence each other.
New England Sustainability Consortium - The Future of Dams (NEST) - Track-2 FY 2016-2019A new $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program will fund a four-year study examining the future of dams in New England. This project marks an expansion in partners and scope for the New England Sustainability Consortium (NEST), adding Rhode Island to the existing partnership between Maine and New Hampshire.
New England Sustainability Consortium (NEST): Track-2 FY 2013-2016A team of researchers led by the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire conducted a three-year study of many factors affecting the health of our shared coastal ecosystem. The collaboration strengthened the scientific basis for decision-making related to the management of beaches and shellfish harvesting.
Image of students testing river water
Stormwater Management Education Track-3 FY 2013-2016This grant is brought high school students and their teachers together with university researchers, community leaders, and environmental professionals to create innovative solutions to environmental problems related to stormwater management.
Advanced Engineering Wood Composites (AEWC) & Marine Aquaculture FYThis project supported the creation of the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (AEWC), including construction of a 30,000 sq. ft. facility, major equipment purchases, and new faculty hires. It also allowed for the construction of a new Marine Culture Laboratory at the University's Darling Marine Center to support a broad spectrum of aquaculture research and education.
image of the NECC logo
New England Cyberinfrastructure Consortium FY 2010-2012This $1,350,000 three-year project supported high-speed fiber networks that allowed researchers greater access to a regional and national computer, analysis, and visualization resources.
Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) Track-1 FY 2010-2014This five-year project was a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional effort leading to the creation of the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. Research addressed the intersecting ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability science, with an emphasis on making connections between knowledge and action.
photo of scientists at FBRI lab
Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative (FBRI) FY 2006-2009FBRI Vision is to advance understanding about the scientific underpinnings, system behavior, and policy implications for the production of forest-based bioproducts that meet societal needs for materials, chemicals and fuels in an economically and ecologically sustainable manner.