UMaine EPSCoR Announces Partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

  • 01/11/18

ORONO, ME – Environmental DNA will be the research focus of Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine in its proposal for national Track I EPSCoR funding—a five-year, $20 million grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The research topic was selected for Maine’s next Track I proposal by the state EPSCoR committee following a deliberative review process. The final proposal will be submitted to NSF in August 2018.

The University of Maine (UMaine) will be partnering with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences as co-lead. Kody Varahramyan, UMaine vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, will serve as principal investigator; David Emerson, senior research scientist at Bigelow, as a technical lead.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to DNA that can be extracted from environmental samples without first isolating or physically observing target organisms. And, it can be applied to all aquatic life.

The research in Maine will focus on developing state of the art molecular monitoring techniques that can be integrated with chemical and physical diagnostics. The information acquired will be analyzed using advanced computational methods to assess the “big data.” This will provide an unprecedented, comprehensive analysis of Maine’s coastal aquatic ecosystems.

Through this work, researchers will be better prepared to predict how an ecosystem will respond to change, to understand what mitigation strategies might be most effective to counter such change, and to develop plans for how communities might adapt to ongoing change.

Maine’s marine resources are powerful economic engines, and it is critical that the state continues to develop and maintain a strong presence in relevant areas of ecosystem science, Emerson says. The goals of this project are to unify Maine’s marine research community toward common objectives, to conduct a research program that encourages innovation and the professional development of young researchers, and to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship and development through collaboration that will contribute to the state’s economic viability.

The University of Maine and Bigelow Laboratory will engage a network of stakeholders on this proposal to make Maine a center for molecular monitoring of aquatic ecosystems based on an array of eDNA technologies and cyberinfrastructure resources.

Featured

  • University of Southern Mississippi Starts Construction on Oyster Hatchery

    The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently announced that construction has begun on a new oyster hatchery at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs, Miss., according to a news release.

  • Tennessee Tech Starts Construction on New ACME Building

    Tennessee Tech University recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering (ACME) Building on its campus in Cookeville, Tenn., according to university news. The $89.6-million facility is the second in a recent expansion of the College of Engineering’s buildings on campus. It’s currently scheduled to open at the end of 2028.

  • Kraus-Anderson Completes Improvements at Minnesota Middle, High Schools

    Construction management, real estate, and risk management firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that it has finished two K–12 renovation projects in Minnesota, according to a news release.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.