Michaela Murray Captures First Place Poster at 2018 MSWC
Third-year UMaine ecology and environmental science major Michaela Murray took first place for her poster “Uncovering the Current National Perceptions of Aquaculture Practices” at the 2018 Maine Sustainability and Water Conference (MSWC) held March 29 at the August Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.
The work is the result of research she’s been doing for the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network or SEANET, a five-year, multi-university project funded by the National Science Foundation. On the project, Murray has worked with her graduate student mentor Ross Anthony and her academic advisor/faculty mentor Caroline Noblet—both of the School of Economics.
According to Murray’s research, aquaculture production has expanded across the globe in recent decades and, when practiced sustainably, can work to feed growing populations while also fostering economic development.
“Maine has an opportunity to further develop its sustainable marine aquaculture industry alongside its well-regarded wild-harvest fishing industry,” says Murray. “However, citizen perceptions of the industry are diverse and may include concerns about the environment, health consequences, and ethical interests. Awareness of consumer and citizen perceptions are imperative for both the aquaculture industry and relevant stakeholders as efforts are made to increase aquaculture production.”
Using survey data collected through an Internet panel in 2017, Murray explored how attitudes towards aquaculture differ across regions of the United States with a particular focus on areas that are aquaculture producers.
She used a mapping software program to decipher what regional perceptions pertaining to economic, environmental, and ethical repercussions of aquaculture currently exist. She reports that the differences observed could help aquaculture decision-makers enhance their communication strategies with areas that have potentially limited awareness of aquaculture products and practices.
Why does she think she took top honors in the undergraduate posters category?
“I worked extremely hard on this poster and feel as though that’s apparent in its aesthetic appearance and in the content of my work.”
Murray notes that, when making posters, students are taught that they need to get their message across very quickly. “You don’t want to distract your reader with lots of words or a confusing layout, so I spent a lot of time making sure that I said everything I wanted to say in the most concise way possible and without using jargon,” Murray says.
Murray notes that the SEANET project is one of two undergraduate research projects she has been involved in concerning sustainable food systems.
Murray says that while aquaculture and F2I are two very separate efforts, “if aquaculture promotes a sustainable food system alternative to conventional wild harvesting of seafood, then the two practices aim towards the same end.”
You can read a recent story about Murray’s F2I undergraduate research project here.