Sustainability Solutions and Technologies

Farms.com features UMaine’s partnership with WSU on fruit research

Washington State University is spearheading a nationwide research initiative, with collaboration from the University of Maine, to tackle the challenges posed by extreme temperatures on apple and pear crops. Farms.com reported on the $6.75 million project, which aims to develop effective strategies for mitigating climate-related stresses and improving resilience in pome fruit production.

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News Center highlights UMaine research to reduce potholes

News Center Maine featured researchers from the University of Maine’s Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center who are pioneering a method to stabilize soil beneath roads and reduce carbon emissions. Led by Aaron Gallant, associate professor of geotechnical engineering, this project involves injecting treated soil with carbon dioxide with the hope of transforming the soil into a […]

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U.S. capable of achieving seafood independence, new study shows 

From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the U.S. economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer. Through extensive data analysis and calculations, University of Maine researchers found the U.S. could achieve seafood […]

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USDA backs research into making sustainable jet fuel and fish feed from wood

Millions of pounds of low-value wood, such as small diameter trees and branches, have been left behind in Maine’s forests due to the decline in pulp and paper production, stymied by drought, fire suppression and dropping demand. While there are very few existing market opportunities for this low-quality woody biomass, University of Maine researchers believe […]

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Study revealing billions of microplastics in Frenchman Bay highlighted by media

National Parks Traveler and Spectrum News reported on a University of Maine-led study which found that there are an estimated 400 billion microplastic fibers on the surface of Frenchman Bay and several connected rivers and estuaries where freshwater from rivers meet salty seawater. The watershed contains an average of 1.8 fibers per liter of water. 

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UMaine expanding support for climate action and resilience throughout Maine coast

From the piers in Casco Bay to the marinas of the midcoast and wharves along Downeast shorelines, working waterfronts are crucial to Maine’s economy and communities. Faced with the threat of rising sea levels, stronger and more frequent storms, aging infrastructure and development pressures, Gov. Janet Mills and her administration have developed strategies and nature-based […]

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Waters along Bar Harbor, Acadia home to billions of microplastics

Along the shores of Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor and the Schoodic Peninsula are the vast, briny waters of Frenchman Bay. With 98 square miles of water and 39 islands, the bay is vital to shorebirds, fish, lobstermen and outdoor recreationists. University of Maine researchers, however, have discovered that Frenchman Bay and its tributaries are […]

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Kopec discusses mercury cleanup in the Penobscot River with the BDN

Dianne Kopec, a research associate with the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, spoke with the Bangor Daily News about upcoming efforts to extract, bury and dredge mercury in the Penobscot River. “You don’t let it sit there,” said Kopec, who previously conducted a study on mercury pollution in the […]

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