Research

katherine allen fossils

For Allen, fossils yield data to understand ocean circulation, climate

Katherine Allen is an ocean historian. But instead of pouring through old texts, she studies the chemical composition of tiny ancient fossil shells in Southwest Pacific marine sediment. Allen, a research assistant professor at the University of Maine, says these marine fossils — which have been accumulating on the seafloor for millions of years — […]

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Video: Conducting research to buoy aquaculture

Read transcript In summer 2016, students from the University of Maine, University of Maine at Machias and the University of New England became SEA (Science for Economic Impact & Application) Fellows. Knowledge gained from hands-on marine research projects involving oysters, lobster shell hardness and disease, clam growth and surface runoff in the Damariscotta River estuary […]

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2016-8-19 Fisheries-News-feature

Ph.D. candidate examines effects of licensing on resilience of Maine’s fisheries

A recent study by University of Maine researchers examines the history of the licensing system for commercial fisheries in the state and how it has changed fishermen’s access to marine resources. The findings suggest the evolution of the regulations threatens the resilience of the social-ecological system in Maine’s fisheries and highlight the paradox of the […]

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Olsen’s saltmarsh sparrow research cited in blog of PBS show ‘Nature’

Nature NOW, the blog of the PBS documentary show “Nature,” cited research conducted by Brian Olsen, an associate professor of biology and ecology at the University of Maine, in the post, “Can the saltmarsh sparrow keep its head above water?” According to the article, the tiny coastal bird is rapidly disappearing from the eastern United […]

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Kennebec Journal quotes Yarborough in report on blueberry crop, drought

David Yarborough, a professor of horticulture in the School of Food and Agriculture and blueberry specialist with the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Kennebec Journal for an article about how some Maine blueberry farmers are using irrigation systems to deal with the recent drought. Maine is about halfway through its typical harvest […]

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Ph.D. student’s research recognized at Institute of Food Technologists meeting

Adeseye Lasekan, a Ph.D. student in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Program in the School of Food and Agriculture, was awarded first place in the Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division student research poster competition organized by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). He is working with Balunkeswar (Balu) Nayak, an assistant professor of food […]

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whale phytoplankton baleen

Ocean salt, temperature can barricade phytoplankton, impact food web

Subtle, fleeting differences in ocean salinity or temperature can act as physical barricades for phytoplankton, which results in a patchy distribution of the most important food resource in the ocean and may explain the large biodiversity in the sea, say University of Copenhagen and University of Maine researchers. Ocean currents transport phytoplankton, or microscopic algae, […]

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Sargent-Lake-News-feature credit Stephen Norton

The environmental legacy of acid rain

For Stephen Norton, lakes hold a treasure trove of precious scientific information. For the past 40 years, Norton, professor emeritus at the University of Maine, has studied lakes by evaluating sediment cores from around the world. Using the cores taken from the bottom of lakes, he is able to determine the age of the sediment […]

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Students travel to Chile for international competition, WABI reports

WABI (Channel 5) reported 10 students from across the country who are participating in an intensive research course at the University of Maine are traveling to Chile for an an international competition. The students, who have been working at UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, will discuss sustainable product development and biofuel generation with a panel […]

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