Blue Horizons news

A photo of a person looking at a trap

Pest predictor identifies ingredients for ecological recipe for destruction

If you’ve felt the familiar itch of browntail moth rash, seen the grayish-green needles of an infested hemlock or watched as woodpeckers bore into ash trees for a meal hidden beneath the surface, you’ve experienced the devastating effects of non-native pests. Browntail moth, hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer are only three of the […]

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Maine’s first research satellite enters orbit

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the successful launch of Maine’s first research satellite into orbit early morning on Thursday, July 4. Maine’s first research satellite launched into the stratosphere in the early morning on Thursday, July 4. During its six-month to two-year orbit, MESAT1 will use its astronomical view to gather […]

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A photo of a foggy forest in fall

Forest-based economy, jobs focus of new university-nonprofit partnership

A $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a four-year statewide collaborative project led by the University of Maine to foster resilient forest communities in Maine.   Maine-FOREST, or Forest-based Opportunities for Resilient Economy, Sustainability and Technology, will expand the state’s research and educational capacity to connect human and ecosystem focused innovations and […]

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Photo from New Student Orientation of one of our incoming students working with a graduate research assistant in Justin Dimmel's VR lab

UMaine receives NSF award to help rural schools recruit, educate and train STEM teachers

With rural schools facing significant shortages of highly-qualified teachers, particularly those in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development will use a grant from the National Science Foundation to boost support for future and current STEM educators in rural school districts. The nearly $100,000 award […]

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Math teachers enhance instruction with support from UMaine’s RiSE Center 

Derek Bizier doesn’t teach his eighth grade math students the same way he learned in middle school — primarily through lectures. Instead, his students at Leonard Middle School in Old Town spend most of class out of their seats solving problems in small groups on large vertical whiteboards throughout the classroom. The questions students answer […]

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A photo of two people kayaking on a lake in front of Mount Katahdin

Maine lakes are worth $14 billion, according to UMaine study

Anyone who has been to a Maine lake can feel their value — its beauty, the rich wildlife, the memories created there — but communicating that value to policy makers when they are deciding where to allocate funds for conservation can be challenging. Thanks to a University of Maine study supported by the Senator George […]

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A photo of people in a lab setting

New initiative unites Maine’s innovators to bolster STEM research and workforce

An $8 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a four-year initiative led by the University of Maine to bolster STEM research capacity and education from Kittery to Fort Kent and dismantle systemic barriers to innovation. Maine-SMART, or Strengthening Maine’s Research Ecosystem and Pathways Through Strategic Capacity Building, will support more than 200 […]

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A photo of hands and a microscope

Innovative medical research underway through UMaine, USM partnership 

New technology to study cancer, unique materials for medical devices and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are among the areas of research being conducted through a new partnership between the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine.  Led by UMaine’s Institute of Medicine, the pilot program provides fellowships to USM faculty to conduct research through […]

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