For clam harvesters in Maine, invasive green crabs are voracious predators that threaten their livelihood. One green crab (Carcinus maenas) can devour 40 half-inch clams in a single day, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Which might be one reason Maine’s soft clam harvest dropped from 9.3 million pounds in 2015 to […]
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Psychology professor Rebecca MacAulay and music education professor Philip Edelman have partnered on an innovative cognitive research project that teaches older adults to read and play music. The Maine Understanding Sensory Integration and Cognition (MUSIC) Project recently wrapped up pilot programs with two groups of older adults in Brewer. Participants in the project, many of whom had […]
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Despite an abundance of egg-bearing adult lobsters and record-breaking harvests, the number of young lobsters continues to fall in the Gulf of Maine. That’s the 2016 update from the American Lobster Settlement Index (ALSI), an international monitoring program founded in 1989 by University of Maine marine scientist Rick Wahle. The ALSI, a collaboration between fishermen […]
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A database of more than 6,000 community-based renewable energy projects nationwide developed by University of Maine researchers is now online. The website will aid those interested in pursuing group, shared, municipal or nonprofit energy projects to connect, learn from each other and develop. “Community energy is a growing movement in the U.S. and around the […]
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As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, variations in the global distribution of rainfall can be expected, impacting water resources in many places on Earth, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. The researchers, led by University of Maine glacial geologist Aaron Putnam, predict a seasonal response in rainfall […]
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University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development, Riverside Adult Education Partnership and Literacy Volunteers of Bangor have teamed up to provide much-needed educational opportunities for female inmates at Penobscot County Jail. The pilot program called “What Now? What’s Next?” lets the women choose from a menu of services, ranging from help with completing […]
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A new analysis of highly detailed ice core data and historical records shows that human-made lead air pollution has been elevated for approximately the last 2,000 years, except for a four-year period during a devastating pandemic in Europe that halted lead mining. The findings have significant implications for current public health and environmental policy that, […]
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Registration has begun for The Beaches Conference on July 14 at Wells High School. After nearly two decades and 10 events, this year’s conference will include the beaches of both Maine and New Hampshire. The day-long program will include presentations, workshops, field trips, demonstrations and exhibits — all opportunities for people interested in beaches and […]
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A highly skilled workforce, technology-using companies and energy-based resources are the most important factors supporting economic development in the United States, according to a University of Maine economist. Workforce skills and high-tech businesses are particularly key to the performance of the nation’s largest cities, says Todd Gabe, a professor in UMaine’s School of Economics. In […]
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Bridie McGreavy grew up in Brownfield, Maine, but until arriving at the University of Maine in 2010, she hadn’t been on a clam flat. Walking on exposed intertidal mud for the first time, she says, was like entering a “world that was so foreign, so beautiful.” Now, thanks to the Clam Cam — which opens […]
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