Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UMPI Hosts Groundbreaking for Teaching and Research Greenhouse

  • 05/06/19

PRESQUE ISLE, ME – The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) celebrated the forthcoming construction of its state-of-the art, four-season Teaching and Research Greenhouse with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on April 25. The greenhouse—a $935,000, 2,400-square-foot structure to be located close to the campus’s year-round composting site—will include two climate-controlled research labs, a teaching classroom, and a faculty office for the Dr. Robert Vinton Akeley, chair of Agricultural Science and Agribusiness.

University of Maine greenhouse

The greenhouse’s state-of-the-art design, by Dirigo Architectural Engineering of Turner, will maximize energy and operational efficiency. PNM Construction of Presque Isle will serve as general contractor on the project. Key features of the greenhouse include double layer polycarbonate transparent panels for the roof and walls, LED grow light systems, watering and ventilation systems—including destratification, exhaust, and circulation fans—and an advanced climate control system and sensor capacity. The technology will help support UMPI’s current research efforts such as disease management, soil fertility, and economic opportunities for Maine growers and agricultural producers.

The greenhouse will be used for various educational and research activities, including courses on plant biology, soil science, plant and crop science, and integrated pest management. Students will receive training in greenhouse crop production, sensor utilization, and analyzing remote monitoring, production, and energy cost data in order to develop a deeper understanding of greenhouse economics that they can bring into the workforce. Faculty will utilize the new facility to host professional development workshops for training in techniques such as seedling production and grafting, and collaborate with community and state partners such as the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Farm Bureau, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Future Farmers of America, Maine Farmland Trust, the Maine Potato Board, McCain Foods, and the Maine Sustainable Agriculture Association.

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.