Networks, Initiatives, Centers and Institutes

The Undergraduate Research Program That Will Keep You Intrigued

By Wumni Awelewa Hello all! My name is Wumni Awelewa and I’m a rising sophomore at Williams College. At my home campus, I work as a research assistant studying wetland mitigation, while actively participating in clubs such as The Black Student Union and Sisterhood. This summer I have the amazing opportunity to join nine of […]

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Can Essential Oils Defeat “the Superbugs”?

By Asad Ali I am currently a rising fourth-year at the University of Virginia, majoring in Environmental Sciences. This summer, I am researching the effectiveness of alternative medicine, namely essential oils, as antimicrobials.  This research aims to help us reduce antibiotic use, addressing concerns over the risks of antibiotics inducing resistance in the very bacteria […]

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Diver surveys coral reef in the tropical waters off the Dominican Republic.

Coral detectives: Steneck, student team study reef health in Dominican Republic

The coast of the Dominican Republic is home to coral reefs, the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems. But the reefs are rapidly degrading, threatened by the effects of climate change, overfishing and other human activities. University of Maine researcher Bob Steneck and UMaine students traveled there May 12–25 to collect data, increase knowledge and diagnose […]

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stoll marine lobster umaine

From coast to coast, companies team up to fund UMaine lobster research

A $75,000 gift from two seafood companies will fund a fourth field season for a University of Maine deepwater lobster settlement monitoring program. The deepwater research is an extension of the American Lobster Settlement Index, which was initiated in 1989 by Rick Wahle, a research professor in the School of Marine Sciences and director of […]

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UMaine, UMM marine experts to present to legislative committee Jan. 17

University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias marine experts will give a 90-minute briefing to the 129th Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources during its Jan. 17 meeting that begins at 1 p.m. The intent of the briefing is to provide an overview of the expertise and resources UMaine and UMM have […]

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Press Herald quotes Wahle in article on turning lobster shells into plastic

The Portland Press Herald quoted Rick Wahle, a professor of marine biology and director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, in the article, “Researchers find new way to convert lobster shells into durable plastic.” Researchers at McGill University in Montreal are creating plastic from chitin, a material present in the exoskeletons of […]

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umaine lobster boat fishing ocean

From south to north, young lobsters find cool refuge in deep water

Maine fishermen hauled in 110.8 million pounds of lobsters in 2017 with a value of more than $400 million. While still incredibly large, this volume represented a 16 percent decline and $100 million loss compared to previous years of record-setting landings. Since the late 1980s Maine’s lobster landings have multiplied six fold, while the area […]

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lobster umaine

Wahle named director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine

University of Maine marine sciences research professor Richard Wahle has been named director of the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, effective Sept.1. He succeeds Robert Bayer, who has directed the institute since 1995 and is retiring from UMaine this year. Wahle joined UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences in 2009. He is based at the University’s […]

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Undergraduate research for Maine’s marine economy

Diatoms, sugar kelp, green crabs, lobsters and oysters are iconic organisms on our coast. Their roles in marine ecosystems, their importance as fished and cultured species and their responses to changing ocean conditions were topics of SEA Fellows’ research from Casco Bay to Eastport this summer. The third annual SEA Fellows Symposium featured the work […]

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