UMaine Scholars Win Environmental Research Prizes
Contact: Tom Weber (207) 581-3777
ORONO — Robb Freeman, a University of Maine Ph.D candidate in ecology and environmental science, was recently named the first-place winner of the Inez Boyd Environmental Research Prize by the Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon.
Freeman, who hopes to receive his doctorate in December, won the $1,000 top prize for his research titled “Modeling the Impacts of Land Use Change on Vernal Pool- Breeding Amphibians.”
In his work, which was based in the town of Falmouth, Freeman first used an economic model to predict where residential growth was likely to occur, and then used a landscape permeability model to estimate how well wood frogs in the area were able to travel between habitat requirements. Ultimately, he says, his model could help land-use planners to determine which growth management and conservation policies are best suited to the welfare of vernal pool-dependent species.
The second-place Inez Boyd prize of $500 was awarded to Michael Bailey, a UMaine scholar who hopes to receive his Ph.D in zoology in May 2009. Bailey’s winning research effort is titled “Effects of Age and Size on Relative Survival of Newly Stocked Atlantic Salmon Fry.