Research

salmon egg lab

Saving salmon, one embryo at a time

Read transcript For the past 15 years, aquacultural salmon farmers in Maine have struggled with plummeting embryo survival rates, forcing them to drastically increase the number of eggs they produce — which comes with a hefty price tag. LeeAnne Thayer, Ph.D. candidate in marine sciences at the University of Maine, is determined to find out […]

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berlynna student snake

Berlynna Heres: From working with rattlesnakes to American eels

Berlynna Heres, a doctoral student in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation, is applying her passion for snakes to her new research focus at the University of Maine — the American eel. American eels, common residents in Maine’s lakes and waterways, migrate to the ocean to spawn. Occasionally the fish must navigate one of […]

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buoy marine

Doctoral student seeks to end trial-and-error aquaculture

Locals and tourists flocking to the coast to eat fresh shellfish may not know about costs and risks that aquaculturists encounter getting the seafood to the table. One of the biggest issues for aquaculture farmers is selecting lease sites without knowing the physics and biology of the estuary environment, which can result in unpredictable productivity. […]

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darling marine center

Public invited to university-industry research symposium at DMC

Students, researchers, fishermen, aquaculturists and other marine professionals will gather at the University of Maine’s marine laboratory, Darling Marine Center (DMC), on Thursday, Aug. 11 for the SEA Fellows Summer Science Symposium. The SEA (Science for Economic Impact and Application) Fellows program is a new initiative developed by UMaine and the University of Maine at […]

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UMaine solar energy research included in White House Fact Sheet

The University of Maine was mentioned in a fact sheet published by The White House, titled “Obama Administration Announces Clean Energy Savings for All Americans Initiative.” UMaine was listed among 25 members of the administration’s National Community Solar Partnership that have new commitments to deploy nearly 145 MW of community solar, including projects to scale […]

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mongolia putnam

Putnam pursues climate clues in Mongolia ice fields

Aaron Putnam, assistant professor with the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, is searching for clues in Mongolia about what “caused the Earth to lurch out of the last ice age.” Kevin Stark, a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, is embedded with Putnam’s research team and is blogging about the expedition. […]

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Chantel Banus

Chantel Banus: Exploring consumer acceptance of seaweed products

Chantel Banus, second-year master’s student in human nutrition at the University of Maine, is working to determine the factors that influence consumer purchase of seaweed products in the United States. Banus is conducting a survey to see what consumers are looking for in seaweed products and what influences their decision to purchase them. She wants […]

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Antarctica Pollution

Climate scientists: Australian uranium mining pollutes Antarctic

Uranium mining in Australia is polluting the Antarctic, about 6,000 nautical miles away. University of Maine climate scientists made the discovery during the first high-resolution continuous examination of a northern Antarctic Peninsula ice core. Ice core data reveal a significant increase in uranium concentration that coincides with open pit mining in the Southern Hemisphere, most […]

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Kimberley Rain Miner

Emerging environmental leader earns prestigious Switzer Fellowship

Kimberley Rain Miner, Ph.D. candidate in Earth and climate sciences at the University of Maine, was recently selected as a Switzer Environmental Fellow by the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. This year, the Switzer Foundation awarded 20 fellowships of $15,000 each for emerging environmental leaders who are pursuing graduate degrees and are dedicated to positive […]

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