By Ilaria Bardini, Writing Intern Environmental DNA (eDNA) may be the answer for the detection and monitoring of vital species in the Gulf of Maine and freshwater systems. Across the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant, researchers are spearheading the development of novel eDNA techniques. With climate change impacting species behavior, dynamics, and oceans and […]
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By Evan Bartow, Writing Intern For undergraduate students, especially early in their academic career, field experience is often limited, but at University of Maine Farmington (UMF), faculty are working to incorporate more field and laboratory experience in their introductory biology classes to expand opportunities. Donelle Schwalm is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology at UMF […]
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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 Stefania Irene Marthakis and Mackenzie Roeder Saltmarshes (a.k.a. tidal marshes) are one of the most productive eco-systems on earth. As protectors of coastal landscapes and communities—that absorb flood waters as well as carbon—saltmarshes can also provide insight into climate change adaptation. Among this dynamic habitat that is full of bugs, not a lot of […]
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By Daniel Timmermann In early 2022, Maine-eDNA brought on new research coordinator Karen James. This inclusion to the project will help Maine-eDNA coordinate the grant’s vast amount of work happening across the state. James brings with her a deep knowledge of genetics, environmental DNA (eDNA), and its application in marine and terrestrial habitats. While James […]
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By Stefania Irene Marthakis The poet Charles Baudelaire defined modernity as “the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.” Given the time-sensitive nature of modernity, “this transitory, fugitive element, whose metamorphoses are so rapid” that once uncovered, offers yet more to unearth. In the […]
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By Daniel Timmermann The University of Maine is home to a number of prestigious research centers and institutes working on the cutting edge of their research fields. Many were developed by and grew out of research projects brought to Maine through NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ESPCoR). One example of this is the […]
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By Caty DuDevoir, Writing Intern Illustrations by Nhan Chau, Media Intern Maine’s forests, oceans, rivers, and land sustain vital economic and social opportunities, and understanding how to properly manage the state’s resources requires a level of stewardship. Involving undergraduate students in research is a small step in addressing resource management and promotes exploration within scientific […]
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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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