Latest news with #UMaine
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
UMaine professor wins $1M grant to take a new look at old plants
Jun. 9—A University of Maine professor has won a $1 million National Science Foundation award to develop faster, cheaper ways to study plants by developing technology to analyze the 390 million specimens already stored in archived collections around the world. Jose "Dudu" Meireles, an assistant professor of plant evolution and systematics, will use the grant to develop an open source computer model that integrates genetic analysis and spectral imaging to assess the chemical makeup and function of collected plant leaves, ranging from nitrogen levels to defense mechanisms. The five-year grant supports Meireles' plan to unlock centuries of hidden data stored in the world's herbariums, which hold vast archives of preserved plant specimens. Studying collected plants will save time and money by dispensing with a lot of field work and lab tests while protecting the plants themselves from destruction. "It's sometimes hard to see the value in these places because it's a giant room full of dried plants," said Meireles, a Brazilian native who joined the University of Maine in 2019. "But the bottom line is we can do a lot of cutting-edge science using those specimens." Meireles' approach combines advanced computing with a technique called spectral phenotyping, which uses light to measure plant traits much like airport scanners do with luggage. Multiple traits can be measured with one test without spending time and money to find the plants in the field or running multiple laboratory tests. The result? A dramatic increase in the speed and scale of biodiversity research. If his methods are widely adopted, Meireles estimates that scientists could triple the amount of data they collect on plant function each year. He plans to teach these to University of Maine undergraduates in a class starting in the fall of 2027. Students at UMaine will work alongside him in the lab, gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools. The Meireles laboratory will also collaborate with other UMaine departments to produce a public biodiversity exhibit, aiming to bridge the gap between science and society, that will be displayed at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Meireles said his methods won't eliminate the need for field work, but instead will complement that boots-on-the-ground research to help understand how whole plant communities in an area adapt to environmental change over time. Just next week he plans to hike up Mount Washington to collect field measurements. He plans to hold workshops across the U.S. and Latin America to help train other plant researchers on how to use the computer models and spectral analysis to plumb the secrets of the collections they already have on hand. Over 100 people will have had the opportunity to learn the new methods by the end of the grant. "This will make biodiversity science faster, cheaper and more globally comprehensive," Meireles said. Meireles' team will partner with curators and researchers from New York Botanical Gardens' Steere Herbarium, The Field Museum in Chicago and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay and herbaria in Columbia and Brazil to develop protocols for the work, publicize it and train others on how to do it. "Every herbarium specimen has a story to tell, even specimens that are decades or centuries old," said Emily Sessa, the director of the Steere Herbarium. "This work will create an exciting new avenue for herbarium collections to inform us about biodiversity and new tools for collecting data on important plant traits at large scales." The implications stretch far beyond academia. Industries from agriculture to pharmaceuticals rely on plant-based products and services. A deeper understanding of how plants function and adapt, especially in the face of climate change, could lead to new crops, medicines and conservation strategies. "There are over 300,000 species of flowering plants, and we only know how a tiny fraction work," Meireles said. "They hold a huge library of solutions that evolution came up with over a very long time. And so far, we've only been able to harness a tiny portion of that." With this new funding, Meireles plans to show just how much those dried herbarium plants still have to teach us. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
88-year-old with dreams of being a teacher gets degree 6 decades after she was stopped due to pregnancy
*Attached video: How does the lottery benefit schools (WJW) – Decades after Joan Alexander started college in the hopes of becoming a teacher, she has finally received her degree at the age of 88. According to a press release from the University of Maine, Alexander was studying at the school in the late 1950s. At the time, career options were limited to education, English and home economics. Your Ohio electric bills are probably going up this month According to the release, Joan married her husband Jim during her sophomore year. That is when they were preparing for the arrival of their first of four children, Bonnie. Although Alexander had her sights set on earning her degree by 1959, she was prevented from doing so because she wasn't allowed to student teach while pregnant. More than six decades later, Alexander earned a Bachelor of Science in Education at UMaine, the release said. 'I didn't realize that it would mean so much to me, but I now feel that a hole in my heart has been healed,' Alexander said, according to the release. 'My parents did not complete college, so this was important to me. My husband and four daughters have their college degrees, so I was the only one among my husband and daughters who had not received a college degree. It gives me a sense of closure and accomplishment.' Alexander's youngest daughter, Tracy, began the process of helping her obtain her degree by first contacting UMaine's College of Education and Human Development to identify an alternative solution. I-TEAM: Senate leaders introduce new funding plan for Browns dome According to the release, the Associated Dean of the college, Justin Dimmel, enthusiastically pursued getting the degree for Alexander. After some conversations and research, Dimmel learned that Alexander did, in fact, meet the student teaching requirement for UMaine in 1980-81 while she was working as a full-time aide for a home-based preschool program in Southwest Harbor, Maine. The college recognized that as a year of full-time work, meaning she was able to meet the final requirement needed for her degree, because she completed all of the other work for her degree decades ago. According to the release, Alexander was recognized during UMaine's afternoon undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 11. Air Quality Advisory issued in Northeast Ohio: What to know Although she was unable to participate, Tracy and one of Alexander's granddaughters, Isabel Beck, attended for her. 'For anyone who wishes to earn a college degree,' Alexander said. 'My advice is to find something you are interested in and pursue it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University system warns of uncertainty as more than $50 million in federal funds disrupted
Students walk on campus at the University of Maine Orono. (UMaine photo) Nearly $50 million in federal funding to Maine's public university system has been paused, withdrawn, or remains in limbo, leading to layoffs and uncertainty. The University of Maine System announced Wednesday that the future of 42 federally funded programs remains uncertain, with some awards terminated, others paused, and some inaccessible despite the university in some cases receiving no official notice of disruption. The grants were awarded by several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy, and funded various research and training projects. The Trump administration has been criticized by members of Congress for not being transparent about the use or withdrawal of congressionally-appropriated funds. Further, since President Donald Trump's tense exchange with Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes, several federal agencies — including the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services — have threatened funding cuts or temporarily frozen funds, some of which were later reinstated. The USDA eventually deemed the university system in compliance with the Trump administration's interpretation of anti-discrimination rules. The system did not clarify the reasons for the cancellations or pauses but emphasized the operational disruptions they have caused. Of the impacted awards, 23 grants worth more than $7 million have been formally terminated as of Wednesday, according to a news release from the university system. Nineteen are paused, with $17.1 million in outstanding funds, and 10 grants that were not yet finalized. representing more than $21 million, are also on hold or terminated. UMS leadership has warned that further workforce reductions may be necessary if the state appropriations proposed by Mills are not approved and federal instability continues. The Board of Trustees recently approved the budget for the 2026 fiscal year with cautionary notes tied to these uncertainties. While the state budget is still being negotiated, the Maine Senate and House of Representatives this week both approved a 6% increase for university system funding for the next two fiscal years. Meanwhile, the federal funding changes are having 'immediate effects on UMS operations, research, and public service initiatives,' according to the news release. The programs have predominantly affected the University of Maine, the state's only top tier research institution. One prominent casualty is the Maine AgrAbility program, which provides support to farmers, fishermen, and loggers with chronic health conditions or disabilities. The university has been unable to access its grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture since early April, despite receiving no notice of cancellation. Without a formal termination notice but with no access to funds, UMaine has canceled all upcoming AgrAbility trainings and client services. The Advanced Structures and Composites Center at UMaine in Orono, which receives about 85% of its funding from federal sources, has already announced layoffs of nine employees due to the suspension of three U.S. Department of Energy awards. In March, days after the Maine Sea Grant program was terminated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over apparent retaliation against the state, the agency said it would 'reopen bilateral negotiations' after appeals from members of Maine's congressional delegation. The system confirmed Wednesday that funding has been restored. Earlier this year, UMaine paused financial offers to graduate students, including paid research and teaching assistantships, even as graduate student enrollment continues to increase because of federal funding uncertainties. However, the university is maintaining its current financial commitments to incoming graduate students for the upcoming academic year. Last year, the university system received a total of $226.1 million in federal funds, including $137.8 million in federal student financial aid; $87.9 million in federal grants, contracts, and appropriations; and $355,000 in pandemic-related relief. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Maine marine scientist elected to America's oldest honorary society
May 19—A University of Maine marine scientist has earned a place among the likes of George Washington, Albert Einstein, Duke Ellington and Madeleine Albright as members of the nation's oldest honorary society. Bob Steneck is one of nearly 250 members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year. His four decades of research at UMaine has impacted how lobster fisheries research is conducted — and, in working closely with fishermen, focused on research to support the industry and its harvesters. He's the first University of Maine faculty researcher to be named to the society. Steneck said in a statement that he was shocked he had been elected. And he's excited to collaborate with members of America's art and scientific fields. "I didn't see this coming," he said. "We all live on the same planet; we see similar things but integrate our experiences in new ways that sometimes shines a new light where it belongs or opens someone's mind to something new." The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780, in part by John Adams, John Hancock and James Bowdoin — the namesake of Bowdoin College. It's an honorary society and independent research center that "recognizes excellence" and gathers interdisciplinary researchers together "to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people." Candidates are first nominated by two people who are already members. They then go through multiple rounds of review, which includes a vote by all society members. The academy does not disclose which member make nominations. The 2025 cohort also includes CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and activist Gloria Steinem. Steneck retired in 2023 and is a professor emeritus of oceanography, marine biology and marine policy. He's also continued his research at UMaine's Darling Marine Center in Walpole. UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said Steneck's election was "well-earned," a sign of his "transformative impact." "The honor is a testament to the lasting benefits of Bob's legacy, she said, "which include changing our understanding of Maine's most lucrative fishery, establishing a multidecadal relationship with our fishermen and coastal communities and helping preserve vital ecosystems across the Western hemisphere." Many of Steneck's former students have grown into leaders within the marine research and fisheries communities. That includes Carl Wilson, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Wilson has committed to collaborating with fishermen to best oversee the future of Maine's fisheries, a principle he said he learned from Steneck. "Bob has been one of the most influential people in my career. He instilled in me the importance of being curious, of questioning, and being open to new ideas," Wilson said in an email. "That perspective is why I will continue to work to ensure that fishermen have a place at the table." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Maine marine scientist elected to America's oldest honorary society
May 19—A University of Maine marine scientist has earned a place among the likes of George Washington, Albert Einstein, Duke Ellington and Madeleine Albright as members of the nation's oldest honorary society. Bob Steneck is one of nearly 250 members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year. His four decades of research at UMaine has impacted how lobster fisheries research is conducted — and, in working closely with fishermen, focused on research to support the industry and its harvesters. He's the first University of Maine faculty researcher to be named to the society. Steneck said in a statement that he was shocked he had been elected. And he's excited to collaborate with members of America's art and scientific fields. "I didn't see this coming," he said. "We all live on the same planet; we see similar things but integrate our experiences in new ways that sometimes shines a new light where it belongs or opens someone's mind to something new." The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780, in part by John Adams, John Hancock and James Bowdoin — the namesake of Bowdoin College. It's an honorary society and independent research center that "recognizes excellence" and gathers interdisciplinary researchers together "to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people." Candidates are first nominated by two people who are already members. They then go through multiple rounds of review, which includes a vote by all society members. The academy does not disclose which member make nominations. The 2025 cohort also includes CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and activist Gloria Steinem. Steneck retired in 2023 and is a professor emeritus of oceanography, marine biology and marine policy. He's also continued his research at UMaine's Darling Marine Center in Walpole. UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said Steneck's election was "well-earned," a sign of his "transformative impact." "The honor is a testament to the lasting benefits of Bob's legacy, she said, "which include changing our understanding of Maine's most lucrative fishery, establishing a multidecadal relationship with our fishermen and coastal communities and helping preserve vital ecosystems across the Western hemisphere." Many of Steneck's former students have grown into leaders within the marine research and fisheries communities. That includes Carl Wilson, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Wilson has committed to collaborating with fishermen to best oversee the future of Maine's fisheries, a principle he said he learned from Steneck. "Bob has been one of the most influential people in my career. He instilled in me the importance of being curious, of questioning, and being open to new ideas," Wilson said in an email. "That perspective is why I will continue to work to ensure that fishermen have a place at the table." Copy the Story Link
