Diving Projects & News

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

UMaine & AAUS News

Jan. 2016- UMaine Scientific Divers in Alaska

Two UMaine scientific diving students, Elise Hartill and Ashley Rossin, recently accompanied UMaine researcher Dr. Rhian Waller on a scientific expedition to the fjords of Alaska. Read more about this adventure here. Watch the YouTube video here.

Oct. 2015- UMaine Scientific Divers Win Awards
Congratulations to Marissa McMahan and Amalia Harrington who both received awards at the recent AAUS Symposium!

Currently a PhD candidate at Northeastern U, Marissa is a former UMaine student and Assistant Instructor for SMS324 Introduction to Research Diving. Marissa was the recipient of the 2014 AAUS Kathy Johnston PhD scholarship, 2015 AAUS Kevin Flanagan travel award, and recently won Best Student Presentation at the 2015 AAUS Symposium. Amalia Harrington is currently a PhD candidate with Dr. Rick Wahle, and was selected as the 2015 AAUS Kathy Johnston PhD scholarship winner.

Aug. 2015- UMaine Scientific Divers Win Travel Awards

Two UMaine Scientific Divers have been awarded the 2015 AAUS Kevin Flanagan travel award! Former UMaine scientific diver and student, Marissa McMahan, and current UMaine Scientific Diving AAUS-OWUSS intern, Catherine Mitchell, were selected to receive this scholarship which will help them to attend the upcoming AAUS Symposium in Key West. Congratulations Catie and Marissa!

Feb. 2015- UMaine was once again selected as the site/host for the AAUS/OWUSS Scientific Diving Intern; Ms. Catherine Mitchell. More information about this internship can be found here.

Mar. 2014- UMaine served as the site/host for the AAUS/OWUSS Scientific Diving Intern; Ms. Katy Newcomer.

Nov. 2013- UMaine Diving Safety Officer featured in DiveTraining magazine article; Ocean Careers-Part II

Oct. 2013- At the 2013 AAUS Symposium, the UMaine Scientific Diving Program was awarded an additional $5000 to support the John Dearborn Scientific Diving Scholarship. Thanks to J.F. White Contracting Company for this generous donation!

2012-The UMaine Scientific Diving Program was awarded 2nd Place for our entry at the 2012 AAUS Organizational Member Poster night in Monterey, CA. See a .pdf of the poster here! In support of the Kevin Flanagan Student Travel Award, the $100 certificate was donated back to AAUS. Highlights of the program and the poster were recently featured in the November edition of the AAUS e-slate: E-Slate AAUS 2012 6 11.

Scientific Exploration & Research

“New Fish on the Block”- former UMaine student Marissa McMahan is investigating the expansion of Black Sea Bass into the Gulf of Maine.

Alaska Corals 2013

Deep sea coral.

Deep Sea Corals 2012

Scuba diver preparing for a dive.

Deeper Into Diving 2012- Dr. Rhian Waller and DSO Chris Rigaud train to extend their effective scientific diving range to 150fsw. These techniques will allow Dr. Waller to search for deep sea coral species in coastal Maine and other locales.

Alaska Corals 2012

Two divers, two spotters and a bucket.

Using Technology to Assess the Impacts of the Invasive Sea Squirt Didemnum Vexillum, on Fisheries and Ecosystems- 2010/2011

Training, Education, & Outreach

UMaine Today- “What a Dive!” article highlights scientific diver training program

Dive In Discover Scuba- In cooperation with the Darling Marine Center and School of Marine Sciences Dive In to Marine Science Program, UMaine scientific divers offered a first-time scuba experience for high school students.