Latest news with #UniversityofMaine
Yahoo
18 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
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Maine grandmother graduates college at 88 years old
The Brief An 88-year-old grandmother in Maine showed the world it's never too late to achieve your dreams. Joan Alexander earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Maine in May, more than six decades after she was prevented from finishing her studies in education. An 88-year-old grandmother who attended the University of Maine in the late 1950s has graduated from college more than 60 years after she was prevented from finishing her degree. Joan Alexander's graduation means she's likely the oldest bachelor's degree recipient in the 160-year history of the University of Maine. The backstory Alexander was studying education at the University of Maine in the late 1950s so she could become a teacher. At the time, women were only allowed to study education, English and home economics. But after Alexander and her husband, Jim, were expecting the first of four children, she wasn't allowed to student teach because she was pregnant, thus she didn't meet the requirements to graduate. RELATED: Metro Atlanta teen goes viral for working at Burger King after graduation Decades later, Alexander's youngest daughter, Tracy, contacted the university to see what could be done. Justin Dimmel, associate dean of the school's College of Education and Human Development, helped bring Alexander's dream to fruition. Dimmel learned that Alexander had worked as a full-time aide for a home-based preschool program in Maine in the early 1980s, which fulfilled her student teaching requirements. What they're saying "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 in a statement provided by the University of Maine. "I was moved by Joan's story and was excited to do whatever it would take to ensure that she would be recognized for the work that she did, both as an undergraduate at the University of Maine and throughout her life," Dimmel said. "Joan's commitment to completing her undergraduate education was inspiring to me, my colleagues and the graduating class of 2025. Working with Joan, her daughter Tracy and Joan's family has been a highlight of my academic career." Local perspective Alexander was recognized during the university's commencement in May. She couldn't be there in person, but her daughter and one of her granddaughters attended in her place. "My parents did not complete college, so this was important to me," Alexander said. "My husband and four daughters have their college degrees, so I was the only one amongst my husband and daughters who had not received a college degree. It gives me a sense of closure and accomplishment." "For anyone who wishes to earn a college degree, my advice is to find something you are interested in and pursue it," she continued. The Source This report includes information from the University of Maine.
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Health
- Buzz Feed
One Easy Step To Reduce Your Colon Cancer Risk
Dense bean salads, which use beans as a salad base instead of lettuce, are all the rage on social media for good reason. The beans, along with the fresh veggies in the dish, help you reach your daily fiber goal, a number that experts say most Americans don't hit, which isn't good. Eating enough fiber is a crucial way to reduce your risk of colon cancer, a type of cancer that's on the rise in people 50 and younger in the US. (It's recommended that women eat roughly 25 grams of fiber each day while men consume about 38 grams, but most adults eat roughly 10 grams of fiber each day.) Decades ago, researchers found that people in Uganda had very low rates of colon cancer when compared to Americans because of their diet, which was high in fiber — veggies, fruits and grains — and low in meat, said Dr. Ron Quinton, the medical director of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. Specifically, colon cancer occurred at a rate of 3.5 out of 100,000 in men in Uganda compared to 51.8 out of 100,000 in men in Connecticut. 'And I think that's the first time that it was really noticed that this was a prevention for colon cancer,' noted Quinton. Meaning, it's really important to prioritize your fiber consumption. There are multiple ways that fiber benefits colon health and even more ways to reach the daily recommended amount. Here's what experts say: Eating enough fiber helps move your stool through your digestive tract. 'Fiber plays an important role in the health of the colon, and when the colon gets unhealthy, then we're set up for development of cancer and other inflammatory diseases,' said Quinton. Overall, fiber adds bulk to the stool, which helps with proper colon function. '[Fiber] makes the stools more easy to move along, so the time that the stool spends in the colon is lessened, so less chance for constipation, more normal stools,' explained Quinton. This is also good for the removal of toxins: 'If there are any toxins in the stool that lead to cancer, they spend less time in the colon, and therefore lessen the chances of cancer exposure or other diseases,' he said. Fiber also benefits the microbiome, which is protective against colon cancer, too. Fiber is also important for the microbiome, which has been the main focus of research in the past decade, said Mary Ellen Camire, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine. Fiber is often prebiotic, meaning it's food for probiotic bacteria, Camire added. And probiotics help rebuild and balance your microbiome. 'When the bacteria get a nice fiber meal, they are very active, and they make compounds that help protect the colon' against colon cancer, along with other kinds of cancers, she explained. More, the cells that line the colon, which are called colonocytes, get their energy from the microbiome, added Quinton. 'And when the colonocytes are healthy, then they form an intact barrier along the colon, so that substances that may cause disease or cancer can't cross that barrier,' Quinton said. 'It also helps the colon produce mucus [and] thick mucus lining also protects the colon, so without enough fiber, our microbiome gets diseased and they don't produce the energy or nutrients that our colon needs to stay healthy,' he noted. Here's how you can eat more fiber: 'Fiber is a really critical part of our overall diet, and the typical American only gets 5 or 10% of the recommended amount of fiber in their diet on any given day,' said Quinton. As mentioned above, women need about 25 grams of fiber each day and men need about 38 grams, he said. Beans and legumes are very high in fiber and certain fruits and veggies are, too. Lentils have 18 grams of fiber per cup, black beans have about 15 grams in 1 can, chia seeds have 10 grams in 2 tablespoons, barley has 6 grams in 1 cup, raspberries have 8 grams in 1 cup and a pear has 6 grams, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This summer, you could make a bean and whole wheat pasta salad to up your fiber intake, or make some cold barley salads, said Camire. You can also lean into seasonal produce, she said. Camire added that it's important to spread your fiber intake out across the day and to consume different kinds of foods for fiber. 'The mistake a lot of people make when they decide 'I'm going to make fiber a priority' is they don't give their system time to adjust. If you're used to eating 15 grams of fiber a day, and you start eating 30 grams a day, the bacteria think they're having a party and so you may have some gas and cramping,' Camire said. You should start out gradually and slowly build up, she noted. 'Once you find the foods that you tolerate well and that you like, getting enough fiber won't be difficult or expensive,' Camire added. And fiber supplements don't cut it. It's tempting to turn to fiber supplements as a quick and easy way to reach your fiber goal, but experts say you shouldn't. 'None of the supplements ... are an adequate replacement for natural fiber,' Quinton said. Also, since you need so much fiber, fiber supplements end up being just a drop in the bucket, Camire added. While some of the supplements can increase your stool bulk and help constipation, 'they don't necessarily have the soluble fiber elements that feed the microbiome and keep it healthy, which keeps your gut healthy,' said Quinton. 'I don't think you can just replace the fiber with supplements. You need to be eating whole food,' Quinton added. Beyond fiber intake, there's more you can do to lower your colon cancer risk. It's important to also take other preventative steps to lower your risk of developing colon cancer. These include monitoring yourself for concerning symptoms such as ongoing stomach pain, blood in your stool or a change in your bowel movements. If you notice these symptoms, talk to your doctor. It's also important to let your doctor know if colon cancer runs in your family as you may be eligible for an early colonoscopy screening. Colonoscopy screenings start at 45 for those with no family history and without the symptoms mentioned above, but no matter when you're eligible, colonoscopies are the best way to screen for colon cancer and remove potentially precancerous polyps. 'During a colonoscopy, if we see a polyp, and we believe it to be the precancerous kind, which the vast majority are, we will remove those polyps at the colonoscopy,' Dr. Jeffrey Dueker, a gastroenterologist at UPMC and an associate professor of gastroenterology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, previously told HuffPost. 'And in doing so, we are reducing the colorectal cancer risk going forward,' Dueker added. With rising colon cancer rates in the U.S., it's important to do what you can to lessen your risk, which includes eating a high-fiber diet, going to necessary doctor's appointments and monitoring yourself for symptoms. HuffPost.
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
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts Say Doing This 1 Thing Can Lower Your Risk Of Colon Cancer — And It's Easier Than You Think
Dense bean salads, which use beans as a salad base instead of lettuce, are all the rage on social media for good reason. The beans, along with the fresh veggies in the dish, help you reach your daily fiber goal, a number that experts say most Americans don't hit, which isn't good. Eating enough fiber is a crucial way to reduce your risk of colon cancer, a type of cancer that's on the rise in people 50 and younger in the US. (It's recommended that women eat roughly 25 grams of fiber each day while men consume about 38 grams, but most adults eat roughly 10 grams of fiber each day.) Decades ago, researchers found that people in Uganda had very low rates of colon cancer when compared to Americans because of their diet, which was high in fiber — veggies, fruits and grains — and low in meat, said Dr. Ron Quinton, the medical director of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. Specifically, colon cancer occurred at a rate of 3.5 out of 100,000 in men in Uganda compared to 51.8 out of 100,000 in men in Connecticut. 'And I think that's the first time that it was really noticed that this was a prevention for colon cancer,' noted Quinton. Meaning, it's really important to prioritize your fiber consumption. There are multiple ways that fiber benefits colon health and even more ways to reach the daily recommended amount. Here's what experts say: 'Fiber plays an important role in the health of the colon, and when the colon gets unhealthy, then we're set up for development of cancer and other inflammatory diseases,' said Quinton. Overall, fiber adds bulk to the stool, which helps with proper colon function. '[Fiber] makes the stools more easy to move along, so the time that the stool spends in the colon is lessened, so less chance for constipation, more normal stools,' explained Quinton. This is also good for the removal of toxins: 'If there are any toxins in the stool that lead to cancer, they spend less time in the colon, and therefore lessen the chances of cancer exposure or other diseases,' he said. Fiber is also important for the microbiome, which has been the main focus of research in the past decade, said Mary Ellen Camire, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine. Fiber is often prebiotic, meaning it's food for probiotic bacteria, Camire added. And probiotics help rebuild and balance your microbiome. 'When the bacteria get a nice fiber meal, they are very active, and they make compounds that help protect the colon' against colon cancer, along with other kinds of cancers, she explained. More, the cells that line the colon, which are called colonocytes, get their energy from the microbiome, added Quinton. 'And when the colonocytes are healthy, then they form an intact barrier along the colon, so that substances that may cause disease or cancer can't cross that barrier,' Quinton said. 'It also helps the colon produce mucus [and] thick mucus lining also protects the colon, so without enough fiber, our microbiome gets diseased and they don't produce the energy or nutrients that our colon needs to stay healthy,' he noted. 'Fiber is a really critical part of our overall diet, and the typical American only gets 5 or 10% of the recommended amount of fiber in their diet on any given day,' said Quinton. As mentioned above, women need about 25 grams of fiber each day and men need about 38 grams, he said. Beans and legumes are very high in fiber and certain fruits and veggies are, too. Lentils have 18 grams of fiber per cup, black beans have about 15 grams in 1 can, chia seeds have 10 grams in 2 tablespoons, barley has 6 grams in 1 cup, raspberries have 8 grams in 1 cup and a pear has 6 grams, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This summer, you could make a bean and whole wheat pasta salad to up your fiber intake, or make some cold barley salads, said Camire. You can also lean into seasonal produce, she said. Camire added that it's important to spread your fiber intake out across the day and to consume different kinds of foods for fiber. 'The mistake a lot of people make when they decide 'I'm going to make fiber a priority' is they don't give their system time to adjust. If you're used to eating 15 grams of fiber a day, and you start eating 30 grams a day, the bacteria think they're having a party and so you may have some gas and cramping,' Camire said. You should start out gradually and slowly build up, she noted. 'Once you find the foods that you tolerate well and that you like, getting enough fiber won't be difficult or expensive,' Camire added. It's tempting to turn to fiber supplements as a quick and easy way to reach your fiber goal, but experts say you shouldn't. 'None of the supplements ... are an adequate replacement for natural fiber,' Quinton said. Also, since you need so much fiber, fiber supplements end up being just a drop in the bucket, Camire added. While some of the supplements can increase your stool bulk and help constipation, 'they don't necessarily have the soluble fiber elements that feed the microbiome and keep it healthy, which keeps your gut healthy,' said Quinton. 'I don't think you can just replace the fiber with supplements. You need to be eating whole food,' Quinton added. It's important to also take other preventative steps to lower your risk of developing colon cancer. These include monitoring yourself for concerning symptoms such as ongoing stomach pain, blood in your stool or a change in your bowel movements. If you notice these symptoms, talk to your doctor. It's also important to let your doctor know if colon cancer runs in your family as you may be eligible for an early colonoscopy screening. Colonoscopy screenings start at 45 for those with no family history and without the symptoms mentioned above, but no matter when you're eligible, colonoscopies are the best way to screen for colon cancer and remove potentially precancerous polyps. 'During a colonoscopy, if we see a polyp, and we believe it to be the precancerous kind, which the vast majority are, we will remove those polyps at the colonoscopy,' Dr. Jeffrey Dueker, a gastroenterologist at UPMC and an associate professor of gastroenterology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, previously told HuffPost. 'And in doing so, we are reducing the colorectal cancer risk going forward,' Dueker added. With rising colon cancer rates in the U.S., it's important to do what you can to lessen your risk, which includes eating a high-fiber diet, going to necessary doctor's appointments and monitoring yourself for symptoms. You're Probably Not Eating Enough Fiber. Here's How To Tell, Including... You Know. I'm A Colorectal Cancer Doctor. Here Are 5 Things I'd Never Do. The 1 Unexpected Sign Of Colon Cancer, According To Doctors
