News

The Emergence of Blue Crabs in Casco Bay with Brandon Henry

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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Using eDNA to Monitor Maine’s Rivers with Beth Davis

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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Maine-eDNA Undergraduate Student Employment Opportunity

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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Using eDNA to Create Tools for Blue Mussel Detection with Adam Copeland

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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Meet Maine EPSCoR’s Fall Internship Cohort

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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Maintaining Data on Maine-eDNA

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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WaYS Spotlight: Noela Altavera

By Caty DuDevoir The Wabanaki Youth in Science Program (WaYS) intertwines Indigenous cultural practices and knowledge with western science to help give Indigenous youth tools that can better help them understand environmental stewardship. WaYS offers an annual summer camp and opportunities for students to continue exploring their research interests with graduate students throughout the University […]

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Where are they now! Catching up with past Maine EPSCoR participants: Sonia Naderi 

By Stefania Irene Marthakis  In August of 2022, Sonia Naderi, who worked alongside Dr. Ali Abedi (Associate Vice President for Research and the Director of Center for Undergraduate Research), completed her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maine, with a thesis on  Low Cost and Reliable Wireless Sensor Networks for Environmental […]

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INSPIRES High School Teacher Spotlight: Amy Sidell

By Stefania Irene Marthakis  This fall, Amy Sidell began her 7th year as a biology teacher at Hampden Academy in Maine—specifically four levels of Biology: remedial, college prep, honors, and AP. Sidell has also been the advisor for Envirothon for the past 11 years. Envirothon is a national high school competition that focuses on solving […]

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