Episodes

S9E2: Can Maine become a global pioneer in renewable energy and infrastructure?

Finding possible solutions to the nation’s ailing infrastructure, affordable housing deficit and renewable energy needs is all in a day’s work for the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). At Maine’s largest university-based research facility, faculty, staff and many students are feverishly developing new materials and technologies to help address national and […]

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S9E1: Can Maine lead a revolution in consumer goods with nanocellulose?

In every plant and tree exist tiny fibers called nanocellulose, a building block like no other with the potential to be the next material that changes the world. This plant matter, which is a billionth of a meter in length, can be used to make packaging, building products, insulation, water filters, medical tools and countless […]

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S8E10: How can nature-inspired engineering improve human health?

Antibiotic resistance has become a growing problem in the treatment of bacterial infections. In addition to minimizing or negating the effects of existing medicine, these antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” are mutating faster than the development of new remedies. Caitlin Howell, University of Maine associate professor of biomedical engineering, is working on new tools that take […]

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S8E9: What’s the music scene like at UMaine?

The University of Maine is home to 18 formal vocal and instrumental ensembles and many informal musical groups, each one with a distinct sound that enriches the academic and cultural life on campus. Many of these groups welcome students of all majors and community members. These performers tour Maine, New England and beyond, promoting the […]

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S8E8: How will AI impact our lives?

Artificial intelligence, or “AI,” is a hot topic in 2023. AI and machine learning make headlines every day, with stories ranging from the technology’s helpful capabilities, like self-driving cars, to its scariest potential — think “deep fake” videos fooling the public, or human workers being made obsolete by tools like ChatGPT. At the University of […]

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S8E7: How can Indigenous and western knowledge help preserve the planet?

Darren Ranco has spent his life determining how to help Indigenous and non-Indigenous people protect the land they inhabit. Through his work as an anthropologist and chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, Ranco has studied tribal sovereignty, cultural resource protection, environmental justice and ways Native American communities can resist environmental destruction. […]

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S8E6: What is the UMaine Honors College experience?

Established in 1935, the University of Maine Honors College is one of the oldest continuously-running honors programs in the U.S.  Its intellectually-curious students, who are among the top undergraduates at UMaine, explore texts, ideas, the arts and current events through an interdisciplinary lens in an academically rigorous environment. Their class sizes are small and emphasize […]

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S8E5: How do athletics help universities fulfill their missions?

University of Maine Athletics, the state’s only Division I athletics program, is undergoing some major changes. A new director, Jude Killy, stepped up to bat in January, and several facilities are undergoing extensive upgrades as part of a $110 million master plan, funded primarily by the Harold Alfond Foundation as part of the UMS TRANSFORMS […]

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S8E4: How can art help enrich our lives and solve everyday problems?

Art — whether it’s created on a page or computer or in a studio or theater — can do more than showcase creativity for amusement and cultural enrichment. Art can help teach people about historical and contemporary societies, advance research, support economic development and combat daily and systemic issues. Inspired by the significance and utility […]

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S8E3: How can athletic trainers help people live more healthy, active lives?

Athletic trainers help both athletes and non-athletes recover from injuries and get back in the game, and their services are in high demand. Job opportunities in athletic training have been growing rapidly in recent years, and so too have the places in which athletic trainers work. The University of Maine has long offered a bachelor’s […]

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