Climate and the Environment

Students engaging in different ways at UMaine

Why students are choosing UMaine: Strong job outcomes drive decisions ahead of May 1

As the May 1 college decision deadline approaches, students are showing increased interest in academic programs with clear career pathways. At the University of Maine, that trend is evident across disciplines tied to growing sectors of the U.S. economy, including engineering, health care and biomedical sciences, business, natural resources and environmental sciences, agriculture and food […]

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UMaine ecologist and MAFES faculty member Brian McGill named 2026 AAAS Fellow

University of Maine ecology professor Brian McGill has been named a 2026 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, one of the highest honors in the scientific community. AAAS Fellows are a group of scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, […]

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Eddie Nachamie wins prestigious scholarship

From the gardens to the farms and forests, Eddie Nachamie has dedicated his undergraduate career toward protecting the environment. At the University of Maine, he has worked on projects to reduce food waste, preserve wild blueberries and mitigate the spread of a group of chemicals known as PFAS. As a result of his efforts, Nachamie […]

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Forest with sensor on tower

Forty years of forest ecology research from canopy to floor

Established in 1986 through a partnership between the University of Maine and International Paper Company, the Howland Research Forest is a forest ecosystem research site in central Maine, representing a low-elevation conifer/northern hardwood transitional forest dominated by spruce and hemlock. In 2007, the Howland Research Forest was purchased by the Northeast Wilderness Trust. Home to […]

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Highmoor Farm keeps pumpkin and apple season alive in Maine

Pumpkin season starts at the University of Maine’s Highmoor Farm early in June. David Handley, a small fruit and vegetable specialist at University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and Mark Hutton, associate professor of vegetable crop, watch as the pumpkins grow, taking calls along the way from farmers in Maine who may be experiencing their own […]

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State’s future economy anchored in the sea, University of Maine president says

Joan Ferrini-Mundy highlighted the university’s leadership at today’s Maine Blue Economy Innovation Summit. ‘You don’t get to focus on an economy without thinking about the people who make and drive that economy,’ she said. On Maine’s rugged coast, where shipbuilding, fishing and working waterfronts have defined generations, leaders say the future is once again tied […]

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Amanda Gavin: Investigating Greenland’s rapidly changing water supply

For nearly a decade, Amanda Gavin has studied and conserved lakes, including many in Maine, that provide drinking water and support agriculture. Today, she’s investigating what the future may hold for tens of thousands of crystalline blue lakes within an Arctic country experiencing rapid ecological change: Greenland.  More frequent heat waves, drought, heavy rain and […]

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Meireles to illuminate centuries of biodiversity data with $1M award from NSF

Jose Eduardo Meireles, assistant professor of plant evolution and systematics at the University of Maine, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to develop faster, cheaper methods to study biodiversity and plant function. The CAREER, or Faculty Early Career Development, awards are among NSF’s most prestigious and support research and education activities led […]

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American lobster population, habitat preferences shifting, study finds

American lobsters along Maine’s coast have relocated to new habitats, while the population simultaneously shrunk in abundance and grew older, according to a new study by University of Maine researchers. For decades, the vast majority of adult lobsters resided in boulder shelter habitats. This knowledge helped inform longtime conservation efforts and regulations within the more […]

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