Photosynthesis is the oldest carbon-capture technology on Earth. For eons, plants have pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locked carbon ā€” the building block of life on our planet ā€” into their bodies and roots. 

In young forests, the widespread consensus is that this process rapidly pulls, or sequesters, carbon from the atmosphere. As forests mature, more trees start to die, releasing the carbon they captured in their wake. Carbon sequestration, the thinking goes, slowly stalls and old forests eventually release roughly as much carbon into the air as they capture.

Thirty years of measurements taken by 91±¬ĮĻ scientists at a remote 550-acre forest challenge this idea.

At Howland Research Forest, located about 30 miles north of Orono, Maine, in the towns of Edinburg and Howland, 98-foot towers rise above the spruce and hemlock canopy. They are topped by instruments that measure carbon dioxide flux ā€” the exchange of the gas between the forest canopy and the atmosphere. The measurements are so precise that they can detect the breath of a technician working nearby.

What they have recorded is a carbon record of exceptional length drawn from a mature, undisturbed forest. The data generated here is reshaping how the world understands forests and their influence on climate. The towers on Howland have been collecting data since 1996, making them among the longest-running records of their kind in the United States, second only to Harvard Forest. 

These findings are used by scientists, educators and land managers worldwide, informing forest management, timber production, carbon budgets, conservation and policy. But the future of this research is uncertain. For decades, the Howland towers were supported through the federally funded AmeriFlux network. As research priorities shifted, that support was interrupted, putting the long-running record at risk. 

A recent $175,000 private gift to the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation ā€” equal to the siteā€™s annual operating costā€” has temporarily filled that gap, keeping the research running through next year. Without it, the towers would have gone offline this August, bringing 30 years of continuous monitoring to a standstill. 

ā€œWe have funds to continue another year. But our latest research, the student experience, the experimental work on managed versus unmanaged forests ā€” all of it depends on the towers being operational. If the tower goes offline, we lose the context this monitoring data provides, and everything that has been built on it.ā€ Shawn Fraver, Associate professor of forest ecology.

While the gift provides a one-year lifeline, it does not solve the underlying challenge. Sustaining this irreplaceable observatory and training ground for 91±¬ĮĻ students aspiring to become foresters, conservationists and researchers requires .

A living benchmark

Mature, unmanaged forests are exceptionally rare in New England. Centuries of timber harvest have reset the ecological clock across nearly every landscape. 

At Howland, the forest canopy is dominated by trees between 100 and 200 years old. Some are even older. They had already stood for centuries when Henry David Thoreau passed through central Maine on his way to Mount Katahdin in the 1840s.

A yellow birch documented in the forestā€™s permanent research plots dates to the mid-1600s ā€” at least 367 years, the oldest of its species on record in Maine. Cedar and hemlock that sprouted in the 1700s stand alongside fallen logs in every stage of decay. Their slow decomposition is a critical part of the carbon cycle that researchers here are still working to fully understand.

Coarse woody debris ā€” the fallen logs and standing dead trees so characteristic of old forests ā€” are largely absent from managed landscapes. At Howland, it is everywhere. 

The forest is surrounded by active timber operations, which makes it something else: a control site. Without Howland as a baseline for what an unmanaged forest looks like, the comparisons that inform forest management across the Northeast would be far less meaningful.

The Northeast Wilderness Trust recognized that value in 2007, when it purchased the 550-acre site and permanently protected it as forever-wild. The protection came at a critical moment: the previous owner had considered resuming active management, which would have disrupted decades of research.

ā€œWe permanently protected Howland because ancient forests are rare and have so much to teach us,ā€ said Shelby Perry, the Northeast Wilderness Trustā€™s wildlands ecology director. ā€œHowland shows us the unique value of wild places amid managed landscapes. What researchers learn here informs forest policy at a global scale. Keeping this land wild and keeping the research going are inseparable.ā€ 

For these findings, time is priceless

When a carbon flux tower was installed at Howland in 1996, it became a founding site of the AmeriFlux network, which has spread to more than 500 monitoring stations across the Americas. 

ā€œWe measure temperature, wind speed and direction, and the airā€™s carbon dioxide, water and methane concentration every tenth of a  second. Thatā€™s over 315 million data series a year,ā€ says Roel Ruzol, 91±¬ĮĻ research associate and Howland Forestā€™s site manager. 

Ruzol keeps the towers running, coordinates access for researchers and works with Fraver to eliminate what he calls ā€œnoise,ā€ or anomalies in the data created by rain, snow, power fluctuations or a bird perching near the equipment. They then convert these measurements into precise half-hour flux rates, that is, how much carbon the forest absorbs and releases. The findings are online for anyone to access.

ā€œScience is a continual and ever-building process. The continuity of monitoring at Howland is a big part of what makes this data so powerful.ā€ Chris Hettwer, 91±¬ĮĻ alum.

The Howland record is now 30 years old. The forest has stored, on average, nearly 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year. That was not unexpected, but the long-term trend was surprising, even to the researchers who built the flux network. The rate of carbon uptake is increasing over time. This old forest has not plateaued; itā€™s accelerating sequestration.

ā€œIf you considered just the first 10 years, you would see a slight decrease and might conclude the forest was declining as a carbon sink,ā€ said Shawn Fraver, associate professor of forest ecology at the 91±¬ĮĻ, who has conducted research at Howland since 2015. ā€œHowever, when viewed over 30 years, we actually see an increase. That long-term view completely changes the story.ā€

The trend held through climate extremes. The 30-year record spans the warmest, wettest and driest years in the past 125 for Maine. Scientists do not yet know why, but the findings, which were in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, provide the basis for experimental research that can provide actionable insights. 

Another study co-led by Fraver, whose research program is partially supported by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station and the National Science Foundation, aims to identify the mechanisms by which forests switch from methane sources to sinks and back. Previous research showed that forest soils emit methane in wet conditions. Waterlogged soils favor the microbes that generate it. But those studies largely focused on landscapes that are known methane sources, ignoring sites like Howland that, depending on soil moisture, alternate between being a source and a sink. 

The documented source-sink switch at Howland has led to a National Science Foundation-funded project, now entering its final year, which attracted researchers from institutions across the country ā€” San Diego State University, North Carolina State University, Arizona State University, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, as well as the 91±¬ĮĻ. The findings are expected to meaningfully revise how methane is accounted for in forest carbon budgets.

The data from Howland have been downloaded more than 16,000 times since being made publicly available in 2007. Researchers around the world have used Howland and the data gathered there to build climate models, calibrate satellite data, advise policymakers and teach the next generation of forest scientists.

A living lab for forest management

Howlandā€™s scientific value extends beyond the conservation land itself. Three flux towers now operate across the area: two on Northeast Wilderness Trust land and a third on property managed by American Forest Management (AFM), a forestry consulting company that has been managing harvest activity nearby in recent years. ā€œNot every forest company would be willing to cooperate with us on this. Itā€™s a huge benefit to us as researchers,ā€ Fraver said. 

The AFM tower, established in 2012, has been tracking carbon dioxide fluxes continuously through a period of active shelterwood harvest. With the Howland towers providing an unmanaged comparison site, researchers have a rare before-and-after opportunity that almost never presents itself in landscape-scale ecology.

A newly funded $243,000 study from the will extract maximum value from that natural experiment. Combining forest inventories, LiDAR-derived biomass estimates, ground and tower-level flux measurements and carbon modeling will give managers the most comprehensive picture ever assembled of how partial harvests affect the forest carbon budget.

ā€œAmerican Forest Management has always believed that good forestry and good science go hand-in-hand. Hosting the tower on our clientā€™s land is one of the most tangible ways we can contribute to that.ā€ said Jeremy Miller, Region Technical Manager at AFM and alum of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s School of Forest Resources. ā€œThe NSRC study will give us an idea of how partial harvesting affects carbon dynamics in the short and long term.ā€

The results will give forest managers who want to incorporate carbon objectives into their planning, alongside timber production, a quantitative foundation to build on.

A proving ground for people and technology

Howland also serves as a key research site for 91±¬ĮĻ graduate students, along with undergraduate field technicians who spend summers gaining hands-on experience with advanced instrumentation and long-term ecological research methods. 

Chris Hettwer, who earned his masterā€™s degree from the School of Forest Resources in 2025, said the opportunity to work at Howland helped draw him to Fraverā€™s lab. 

ā€œWorking at Howland was an instrumental experience that fundamentally shaped me as a scientist,ā€ says Hettwer, who is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. ā€œIn addition to learning the technical field skills for researching ecosystem processes, I gained a deeper understanding of how scientific research is conducted, communicated, and built cumulatively over time. Much of what I do now is grounded in what I learned at Howland.ā€

A network of approximately 150 permanent research plots distributed around the flux towers provides a training ground unlike any classroom. 

So does a 7.4-acre research plot, established by NASA in 1989 to ground-truth satellite instruments. This project led the site to be photographed from space more than anywhere else on the planet at the time. Every tree above 10 centimeters in diameter was mapped and measured. In 2015 and 2025, Fraver and his research team repeated the inventory and took core samples from 10% of the trees to track growth trends. 

That plot revealed the 367-year-old yellow birch. It also told the story of a forest shaped by centuries of disturbance: spruce budworm outbreaks, wind storms, selective harvests in the 1800s and the slow return of a mature forest carpeted with deadwood and moss. 

Howland is where emerging scientists and technology learn to read the forest.

One more year

Maintaining Howlandā€™s flux towers, sensors and core infrastructure costs approximately $175,000 per year. That annual cost was historically covered through the federally-funded AmeriFlux network, but shifting research priorities have left the site without consistent support.

ā€œWithout this gift, the AmeriFlux tower would have shut down this August,ā€ Fraver said. ā€œWe have funds to continue another year. But our latest research, the student experience, the experimental work on managed versus unmanaged forests ā€” all of it depends on the towers being operational. If the tower goes offline, we lose the context this monitoring data provides, and everything that has been built on it.ā€

The recent private gift ensures operations through next year, but it does not establish a long-term solution. Keeping one of the longest carbon dioxide flux records in the Americas running, and preserving decades of continuous data, requires sustained annual investment.

ā€œScience is a continual and ever-building process. The continuity of monitoring at Howland is a big part of what makes this data so powerful,ā€ Hettwer said.  

The science at Howland is answering questions that matter in Maine and globally ā€” how much carbon do mature forests sequester, how harvest practices affect forest-atmosphere interactions, and whether forest soils remove methane. These are not strictly academic questions. The findings help forest managers and policymakers make data-driven decisions in a changing world.

ā€œThe questions we are asking now about carbon, methane and how managed and unmanaged forests compare will offer critical insights for forest management in the coming decades,ā€ Fraver said. ā€œThis forest is capable of providing those answers. It just needs the towers to keep running.ā€

Those interested in supporting monitoring at the Howland Research Forest may donate or contact Elizabeth Erickson,  senior director of philanthropy at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, at elizabeth.erickson@maine.edu or 207.581.1145. 

Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu

Categories:

School of Forest Resources / 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation

The 91±¬ĮĻ Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) has announced the award winners from the 2026 91±¬ĮĻ Student Symposium for Research and Creative Activity, which drew over 2,400 attendees.

The symposium awards undergraduate and graduate students who displayed outstanding research, presentation and creative ability. Award winners were selected through judging across academic categories, all receiving a medal and a $500 cash prize. There were also several special awards, including the Student Innovation and Commercialization Awards, given to students and faculty. 

Over 350 projects from researchers at 91±¬ĮĻ and its regional campus, the 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias, were submitted to the annual event, co-hosted by CUGR, Student Government and the Graduate Student Government. 

Undergraduate category award winners

• Allied Health: Alyson Shook and Hannah Maker, for their project titled ā€œStrengthening EMS Retention in Maine: A Path to Improved Patient Outcomes.ā€ They were advised by Sarah Hanscome.
• Arts: William Fortier, Oliver Rodi and Mikey Arbelo, for their project titled ā€œThe Creativity of Mapping.ā€ They were advised by Andy Mauery.
• Biomedical Sciences: Hayden Kittell, Diana Goode and Moria Weese-Myers, for their project titled ā€œMHCII Expression in Differential Doses of Chemotherapy Treatment on Mice.ā€ They were advised by William Otto.
• Business: Brady Merritt, for the project titled ā€œCan Large Language Models Pass the CFA Exam.ā€ Merrit was advised by Sebastian Lobe.
• Education: Carly Philbrook, for her project titled ā€œComparison of High School Mathematics Textbooks Analyzing Higher Order Thinking Skills in New England.ā€ Philbrook was advised by Kamal Chawla.
• Engineering and Information Sciences: Elsa Perez Abella and Ahmed Kandil, for their project titled ā€œSurface Flow Visualization Enhancement Using AI.ā€ They were advised by Ahmed Aboelezz.
• Engineering and Information Sciences: Wyatt Fessler, Cadence Kluck, Isabelle Irani and Marc Zoorob, for their project titled ā€œA Tissue-integrating, Resealable Hemodialysis Port for Reducing Complications Associated with Repetitive Vascular Access.ā€ They were advised by David Neivandt.
• Interdisciplinary Research: Richard Viveiros, for the project titled ā€œSublethal PFAS Exposure During Larval Stages of Culex: Consequences for Development, Survivorship, and Tissue Bioacculation of PFOA, PFBA, and PFBS.ā€ Viveiros was advised by Allison Gardner.
• Interdisciplinary Research: Luke Connolly, for the project titled ā€œNano-Pattern Fabrication Using Electron Beam Lithography.ā€ Connolly was advised by Dinh Loc Duong.
• Natural Sciences: Josie Aprea, Brendan Dahl, Emma Perry and Ian Bricknell, for their project titled ā€œpH vs. Predator.ā€ Bricknell also served as advisor for the project.
• Physical and Mathematical Sciences: Avery Richard, Ziyad ur Rehman, Henry Carfagno and Nuri Emanetoglu, for their project titled ā€œFabrication and Characterization of Indenofluorene-based Organic Single Crystal Field-effect Transistors.ā€ They were advised by Dinh Loc Duong.
• Social Sciences and Humanities: Maya Aylesworth, for the project titled ā€œRobert Johnson, the Crossroad Mythos, and the Lasting Effects of a Legend.ā€ Aylesworth was advised by Jennifer Moxley.

Graduate category award winner

• Allied Health: Katherine Brewer, for the project titled ā€œTelehealth and Prenatal Care Utilization in Rural Communities: Addressing Access, Satisfaction, and Health Outcomes.ā€ Brewer was advised by Kathryn Robinson.
• Arts: Celena Powell, for the project titled ā€œAt the Threshold: Domestic Space as a Site of Contemporary Resistance.ā€ Powell was advised by Susan Smith.
• Biomedical Sciences: Chloe Bossow, Lydia McCarthy and Melody Neely, for the project titled ā€œInteractions Between Group B Streptococcus and Candida albicans Are Influenced by Environmental Stress.ā€ Neely also served as the advisor for the project.
• Education: Kayla McLagan, Kate Ruskin, Alison Jolley, Karen Pelletreau and Edgelynn Venuti, for their project titled ā€œTo What Extent Does a Weekend-long Field Course Influence Studentsā€™ Sense of Belonging? A Focus on Influential Course Elements.ā€ They were advised by Kate Ruskin.
• Engineering and Information Sciences: Mahbuba Daizy, Yu Zhang, Douglas Bousfield, Jinwu Wang and David Neivandt, for their project titled ā€œComparison of Stabilization Systems for Soybean Wax Emulsions to Produce Sustainable Water-resistant Paper Based Packaging: Surfactant vs. Pickering.ā€ Neivandt also served as the advisor for the project.
• Interdisciplinary Research: Zainab Jafri, for the project titled ā€œReimagining the Waste Disposal Landscape ā€“ Industrial Symbiosis in Maine.ā€ Jafri was advised by Reed Miller.
• Natural Sciences: Nabanita Das, Islam Hafez, Colleen Walker, Douglas Bousfield and Mehdi Tajvidi, for their project titled ā€œFactors Influencing the Effectiveness of Cellulose Nanfibril Coatings on Molded Fiber Substrates.ā€ Tajvidi also served as the advisor for the project.
• Physical and Mathematical Sciences: Hettikankanamge Kalani Samarasekara, for the project titled ā€œPaving the Way for Novel Drug Delivery Systems: Peptoid Nanoparticles.ā€ Samarasekara was advised by Alessia Battigelli.
• Social Sciences and Humanities: Catherine Segada, Chyanne Yoder, William Breneman and Gianna DeJoy, for their project titled ā€œReuseME: Investigating Waste Reduction and Cost Benefits in Coastal Communities Through a Pilot Reusable Food Packaging Program.ā€ They were advised by Cynthia Isenhour.
• Social Sciences and Humanities: Cynthia Cushing, Catherine Taylor, Rachel Coleman, MaryLou Ciolfi, Jennifer Crittenden, Len Kaye and Sarah Currie, for their project titled ā€œBuilding a Workforce Readiness Model for Older Adults: Partner Insights From AmeriCorps Seniors Workforce Development Program.ā€ Crittenden also served as advisor for the project.Ģż

Student Innovation and Commercialization Awards

• First Place: Nabanita Das.
• Second Place: Amir Baharvand.
• Third Place: Noro John.

Additional awards

• Dean of Graduate School Undergraduate Mentoring Award: Joshua Hamilton.
• Dean of the Graduate School Faculty Mentor Award: Christine Beitl
• Bruce and Joanne Fournier Award: Gregory Simms, Mikayla Reynolds, Isabelle Irani and David Neivandt.
• Provostā€™s Innovative and Creative Teaching Award: Jillian Fedarick.
• Susan J. Hunter Undergraduate Award: Madelynn DeBest.
• Susan J. Hunter Graduate Award: Mya Griffith.Ģż

Categories:

Outreach / Research / Student Life

At the 91±¬ĮĻ, 41 faculty members have received tenure and/or promotion or just-cause protection status and promotion effective July 1, 2026, or September 1, 2026. The annual announcement recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship and research, and community engagement.

Tenure for 17 of the faculty members was approved by the 91±¬ĮĻ System Board of Trustees on March 16.

ā€œThese promotions highlight the excellence of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s faculty. Whether in the classroom, in the lab, or the field, their accomplishments are impressive and are a testament to their commitment to student success, discovery, and service to the state. We take great pride in the achievements of these faculty,ā€ says Gabriel Paquette, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at 91±¬ĮĻ.

ā€œEach promotion and tenure decision reflects both individual excellence and the strength of our academic community,ā€ said 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œAs a learner-centered R1 university, we advance research that matters while keeping students at the heart of all we do. These faculty exemplify that mission.ā€

91±¬ĮĻ

Promoted to Professor

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Alicia Cruz-Uribe, Petrology and Mineralogy
  • Adam Daigneault, Forest Policy and Economics
  • Shawn Fraver, Forest Ecology
  • Daniel Hayes, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing
  • Anil Kizhakkepurakkal, Forest Operations
  • Melissa Maginnis, Microbiology
  • Caroline Noblet, Economics
  • Aaron Putnam, Earth Sciences
  • Kelley Strout, Nursing
  • Timothy Waring, Social-Ecological Systems of Modeling
• College of Education and Human Development
  • Catharine Biddle, Educational Leadership
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Ryan Dippre, English
  • William Gramlich, Chemistry
  • Gregory Zaro, Anthropology and Climate Change
• Maine College of Engineering and Computing
  • Caitlin Howell, Bioengineering
  • Thomas Schwartz, Chemical Engineering

Promoted to Extension Professor

• Cooperative Extension
  • Colt Knight, Extension Livestock Educator

Promoted to Professor with Tenure

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Lisa Kerr, Fisheries Science

Granted Tenure at Current Rank of Professor

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Jonathan Barron, English

Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Noah Charney, Conservation Biology
  • Katherine Weatherford Darling, Health Science
  • Philip Fanning, Agricultural Entomology
  • Jonathan Malacarne, Agricultural Economics
  • Jane Puhlman, Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Jessica Riccardi, Communication Sciences and Disorders
• College of Education and Human Development
  • Melissa Cuba, Special Education
  • Kathleen Gillon, Higher Education
  • Daniel Puhlman, Family Studies
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Gilbert Moss, Mathematics
  • Neel Patel, Mathematics
  • Franziska Peterson, Mathematics Education
  • Nimesha Ranasinghe, Spatial Informatics
  • Johanna Richlin, Anthropology
  • Jane Wang, Mathematics

Promoted to Associate Extension Professor with Continuing Contract

• Cooperative Extension
  • Sean Birkel, Climate Services
  • Michael Habte-tsion, Fish Nutrition
  • Glenda Pereira Parente, Animal Science/Dairy Specialist

Promoted to Associate Professor

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Christina Murphy, USGS Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Promoted to Senior Lecturer with Just-Cause 

• College of Education and Human Development
  • Maria Frankland, Educational Leadership
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Matthew Bates, Mathematics

91±¬ĮĻ at Machias

Promoted to Senior Lecturer with Just-Cause 

• 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias
  • Daniel Ellis, English

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

The 91±¬ĮĻ will honor five faculty members with its 2026 Presidential Awards, recognizing excellence in research, teaching, innovation, public engagement and extraordinary impact.

This yearā€™s recipients are:

• Mehdi Tajvidi, Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award.
• Darren Ranco, Presidential Public Engagement Achievement Award.
• Jay Wason, Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award.
• Melissa Ladenheim, Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact.
• William Davids, Presidential Innovation Award.

ā€œThese awards recognize the very best of the 91±¬ĮĻ,ā€ said President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œEach of these individuals demonstrates a deep commitment to excellence, innovation and service. Their work strengthens our university, advances knowledge and makes a meaningful difference for the people of Maine and beyond.ā€

Mehdi Tajvidi

Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award

Mehdi Tajvidi, professor of renewable nanomaterials in the School of Forest Resources and Advanced Structures and Composites Center, is recognized for internationally distinguished research and scholarship. The award honors faculty whose work contributes knowledge to issues of local, national and global significance.

Since joining 91±¬ĮĻ in 2013, Tajvidi has focused on the production, characterization and performance of renewable nanomaterials and their composites. His research centers on cellulose nanomaterials for applications including coatings, packaging and building products, spanning work from foundational science to industrial trials.

ā€œMehdiā€™s work reflects research leadership that brings global visibility to 91±¬ĮĻ while delivering real value to our state,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHis focus on sustainable innovation is helping address important challenges in materials and manufacturing.ā€

Tajvidiā€™s lab has developed bio-based alternatives to synthetic materials, including technologies to replace formaldehyde-based resins in building products and PFAS in molded fiber packaging, as well as foam products used in packaging. He has also launched a line of research in mycelium-based biocomposites, using fungal materials to produce low-density insulation and packaging products.

His work supports collaborations with Maine-based and national companies and contributes to new product development in the forest products industry. He also mentors graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates who have gone on to careers in academia, industry and national laboratories.

Darren Ranco

Presidential Public Engagement Achievement Award

Darren Ranco, professor of anthropology, faculty fellow in the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, and chair of Native American Programs, is recognized for public engagement that applies academic expertise to enhance the public good.

Since returning to Maine in 2009, Ranco, a Penobscot Nation citizen who grew up in Orono, has worked with Wabanaki Tribal Nations on environmental and cultural issues. His work includes leadership on responses to the emerald ash borer, an invasive species that threatens ash trees used in traditional basket making. His efforts contributed to agreements among tribal nations, the state and federal agencies.

ā€œDarrenā€™s work reflects a deep commitment to partnership and to connecting the universityā€™s expertise with community needs,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHe builds relationships that lead to meaningful, lasting impact.ā€

He has also supported tribal climate resilience and land return efforts, working with communities to develop priorities, establish baselines and create plans to address environmental change. 

Ranco has contributed to strengthening relationships between the university and tribal communities, including efforts to support collaboration and culturally informed research practices.

His public engagement includes educational initiatives supporting the development of Wabanaki studies curriculum, public talks, working with legislators to support environmentally and culturally sound legislation, and participation in projects that address community needs.

Jay Wason

Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award

Jay Wason, associate professor of forest ecosystem physiology in the School of Forest Resources, is recognized for advancing student learning through teaching and mentorship.

Since joining 91±¬ĮĻ in 2018, Wason has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in forest biology, plant structure and function, and research methods. His teaching emphasizes scientific thinking and applying knowledge to new problems.

ā€œJayā€™s teaching reflects a commitment to student learning that both challenges and supports students,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHe helps students build confidence and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.ā€

His courses incorporate hands-on laboratory work, group activities and opportunities for students to design experiments and analyze data. These approaches support active learning and encourage students to engage directly with course material.

Student evaluations consistently highlight his preparation, clarity and enthusiasm, as well as his ability to help students understand complex topics.

In addition to teaching, Wason mentors undergraduate and graduate students and contributes to instructional development within his department.

Melissa Ladenheim

Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact

Melissa Ladenheim, associate dean of the Honors College, is recognized for exceeding expectations and making an extraordinary impact through service and leadership.

She coordinates the Maine Day Meal Packout, a campus-wide initiative that provides meals to food-insecure communities across the state. A central part of Maine Day Week of Service, the effort engages approximately 400 to 500 volunteers each year. Since its early years in the 2010s, the initiative will surpass 800,000 meals packed and distributed with the culmination of this yearā€™s event.

ā€œMelissaā€™s leadership shows how service can bring people together while creating opportunities for students to lead,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHer work inspires a strong culture of engagement on campus and beyond.ā€

The Maine Day Meal Packout is student-driven, with a leadership team playing key roles in fundraising, logistics and partnerships, while Ladenheim oversees and coordinates the initiative. Through that work, students gain experience in leadership, project management and community engagement while contributing to a statewide effort to address food insecurity.

Ladenheim is also involved in the Servant Heart Research Collaborative, which develops educational initiatives addressing social and learning challenges in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Haiti and Uganda. Through this work, she helped create and build the National Education Test Tool, an online platform that prepares students in Sierra Leone for national exams, as well as the Attachment Theory Workshop, a caregiver training program focused on fostering healthy attachments in children who have experienced trauma.

Her work reflects a sustained commitment to service and student development, with impact across campus, throughout Maine and internationally.

Bill Davids

Presidential Innovation Award

Bill Davids, Bodwell University Distinguished Professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering, is recognized for translating research into technologies with economic and societal impact.

Over nearly three decades at 91±¬ĮĻ, Davids has focused on engineering research that supports innovation and real-world application. He is a co-inventor of the CT Girder, a fiber-reinforced polymer bridge beam that is significantly lighter than steel and resistant to corrosion. The technology has been used in bridge construction projects in Maine, Rhode Island and Florida.

ā€œBillā€™s work demonstrates how research at 91±¬ĮĻ can translate into practical solutions that strengthen infrastructure and support economic development,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHe connects innovation with real-world impact.ā€

He has also contributed to the development of the Continuous Forming Machine, a manufacturing technology for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials. This work has supported the creation of a startup company that is generating revenue, attracting investment and building a manufacturing facility in Maine.

His research has also contributed to improved methods for evaluating and maintaining bridges, helping extend the service life of infrastructure and reduce the need for repair and replacement.

Through collaboration with students and industry partners, Davidsā€™ work has produced practical outcomes that advance engineering practice and support infrastructure solutions.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

Categories:

News / Outreach / School of Forest Resources

As the May 1 college decision deadline approaches, students are showing increased interest in academic programs with clear career pathways.

At the 91±¬ĮĻ, that trend is evident across disciplines tied to growing sectors of the U.S. economy, including engineering, health care and biomedical sciences, business, natural resources and environmental sciences, agriculture and food systems, communication sciences and disorders, and biotechnology.

University data highlight several indicators of that demand:

• Mechanical engineering enrollment has increased by more than 30% over the past decade, with a 95% student satisfaction rate.
• The wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology program reports that 95% of graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school, with 82% working in natural resource fields.
• The Maine Business School, which will enroll 330 first-year students, filled nearly half of those seats before April and reports a 94% positive outcome rate.
• In animal and veterinary sciences, about 20% of graduates continue to veterinary or medical school.
• Health-related fields tied to several majors are projected to see continued jobgrowth over the next decade.

Mechanical engineering

91±¬ĮĻā€™s mechanical engineering program, now the universityā€™s largest major, has expanded in response to national demand for engineers in industries including manufacturing, technology and transportation.

Enrollment has increased by more than 30% over the past decade. Graduates are recruited by employers such as Bath Iron Works, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman, Texas Instruments, GE and NASAā€™s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The curriculum progresses from foundational coursework in math and physics to advanced engineering applications, with an emphasis on analysis, design and problem-solving. Experiential learning is integrated throughout, with students participating in internships, co-ops and a yearlong senior capstone design sequence focused on design, prototyping and testing.

Students may pursue concentrations such as aerospace engineering, along with minors or certificates in robotics, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing. The program reports a 95% positive student sentiment rate.

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Wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology

The wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology program has more than doubled in enrollment over the past two decades, reflecting sustained interest in conservation and natural resource careers.

The curriculum emphasizes field-based learning. More than half of courses include outdoor labs, and students complete a required immersive field experience in Downeast Maine that is frequently cited as a defining part of their education. More than 80% of undergraduates report that fieldwork influenced their decision to enroll.

Students gain experience through field surveys, internships and research. About 70% complete field experiences, and more than half participate in faculty-led research. Faculty and students have also produced more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and secured nearly $16 million in research funding during the past five years.

Among graduates, 95% are employed or enrolled in graduate school, and 82% work in natural resource fields.

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Speech, pre-medical and biomedical sciences

91±¬ĮĻ is reporting increased interest in programs that prepare students for careers in health care, research and biotechnology, reflecting broader national workforce trends.

Fields such as speech-language pathology and audiology are projected to experience above-average job growth over the next decade, according to federal labor data. Demand is influenced by factors including an aging population and expanded access to care.

Programs in communication sciences and disorders, biology, biochemistry and microbiology provide preparation for graduate study and professional careers, including speech-language pathology as well as medical, dental and veterinary school.

Students frequently participate in faculty-led research, gaining experience that supports applications to graduate programs or entry into the workforce. Faculty say the programs emphasize both academic preparation and applied learning.

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Business

The Maine Business School is nearing capacity for its incoming class, reflecting strong student demand for business education.

The program will enroll 330 first-year students, and nearly half of those seats were filled before April. Administrators say the pace of enrollment indicates sustained interest throughout the admissions cycle.

Students are drawn to the flexibility of the degree, particularly the general business major, which allows exploration across disciplines before selecting a concentration. Finance and marketing remain among the most popular areas of study.

The school reported a 94% positive outcome rate for the Class of 2024, defined as graduates employed, enrolled in graduate school or participating in service programs within six months. Officials say the program is designed to prepare students for a range of careers across industries.

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Animal and veterinary sciences

Enrollment in 91±¬ĮĻā€™s animal and veterinary sciences program has increased since before the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting demand for careers in animal health, veterinary medicine and agriculture.

The program prepares students for careers in veterinary medicine, research and agriculture-related fields. About 20% of graduates continue to veterinary or medical school, while others enter the workforce directly.

Students gain hands-on experience at the universityā€™s J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center, where they work with animals in applied settings and develop practical skills.

All students also participate in research with faculty on topics including animal health, environmental systems and disease. Faculty say the program is structured to support both exploration and career preparation as workforce demand continues to grow.

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Contact: David Nordman, david.nordman@maine.edu 

91±¬ĮĻ ecology professor Brian McGill has been named a 2026 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, one of the highest honors in the scientific community.

AAAS Fellows are a group of scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. 

Other AAAS Fellows from 91±¬ĮĻ have included Susan Brawley, professor emerita of plant biology and marine ecology and 2012 AAAS Fellow; Joyce Longcore, research professor of fungal pathogens and 2012 AAAS Fellow; Daniel Sandweiss, professor of anthropology and climate studies and 2014 AAAS Fellow; and R. Dean Astumian, professor of physics and 2016 AAAS Fellow; and Heather Leslie, professor of marine sciences and 2022 AAAS Fellow.

ā€œI am grateful to have my research recognized by this honorary fellowship. Iā€™ve been lucky to have great collaborators and students throughout. I take this recognition as a challenge to do bolder, more innovative research and teaching to find the solutions so badly needed to enable humans to successfully coexist with nature before irreversible changes happen,ā€ McGill said. 

McGill studies biodiversity at large scales of space and time across many species. His 

ideas have a wide-ranging impact in his field of macroecology. 

McGillā€™s work established the importance of prediction in ecology and identified unifying principles in the field. He also pioneered solutions to conceptual issues in his discipline related to the widely-used and vaguely-defined term biodiversity. He and his colleagues developed a series of scientifically measurable concepts to resolve this long-standing source of ambiguity in the field of ecology and provided concrete tools to better measure and assess biodiversity in management contexts.

Through the blog ā€œDynamic Ecology,ā€ McGill and two co-authors shape the way research is conducted in labs across the planet and provide mentorship globally on successfully navigating academic cultures. The blog, with as many as 700,000 visits per year, is the most widely read in academic ecology.

In addition to being named a AAAS Fellow, McGill was named one of the most cited researchers in the world in 2019, 2020 and 2021 by Web of Science. His research is also featured in textbooks from high school to the graduate level. 

McGill is a lifetime honorary fellow of the Ecological Society of America, which is bestowed to approximately 250 of the organizationā€™s 9,000 members. In 2023, he was awarded the Humboldt Research Award, one of the most prestigious scientific honors in Germany. He also received the  91±¬ĮĻ Presidential Research and Creative Achievement award in 2024, 2020 Outstanding Faculty Research Award from what is today 91±¬ĮĻā€™s College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. 

McGill, whose lab is part of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, has been a faculty member in the School of Biology and Ecology since 2010. He also holds a joint appointment in the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and a cooperating appointment in the Climate Change Institute. He served until recently as editor-in-chief of Global Ecology and Biogeography and formerly as associate editor of Frontiers of Ecology and Environment, American Naturalist, and Global Ecology and Biogeography. 

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

From potato farms to global shipping lanes, ideas from Maineā€™s R&D department are making an impact 

Mainers are known for their Yankee ingenuity, and researchers at the 91±¬ĮĻ are no exception. Our knack for making do and inventing better ways of doing things embodies the resourceful culture of the Pine Tree State. 

For 160 years, Maineā€™s public research university has created practical, accessible education and discoveries that drive progress for the state and beyond. Today, thousands of projects across Maine and around the world work to make life better. 

Here are just a few of the bright ideas from :

Invented at 91±¬ĮĻ:

Maineā€™s favorite potato

That satisfying signature crunch in your next bag of potato chips may be a product of 91±¬ĮĻ innovation. 

The high-yielding Caribou Russet matures quickly and performs well for chip and french fry processors and fresh retail markets ā€” attributes that made the potato Maineā€™s most sown spud in and . The variety, developed by 91±¬ĮĻ in partnership with the Maine Potato Board at the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Stationā€™s Aroostook Farm, debuted in 2015 after more than a decade of development. 

More than 80% of Maineā€™s vegetable cropland is dedicated to potatoes. The crop an estimated $1.3 billion and more than 6,500 jobs in 2022. 91±¬ĮĻ tests more than 250 new potato varieties each year to find the next spud that will outperform others from the field and to the fryer. 

More bridge for your bucks 

91±¬ĮĻ engineers have reimagined how bridges are built. Inventions like 91±¬ĮĻā€™s award-winning ā€” which helped raise the Gristmill Bridge in Hampden ā€” encases concrete arches in composite materials that protect against corrosion, effectively doubling structural longevity. Meanwhile, 3D printed girders from 91±¬ĮĻ spinoff AIT Composites, a part of Basalt International, will uphold the new bridge under construction over the Stillwater River in Old Town. 

Other 91±¬ĮĻ-originated technology, like 3D printed culvert diffusers, strengthens and extends the life of aging infrastructure, offering cost-savings and keeping roads running. On the horizon, the aims to develop AI-assisted design tools and advanced composite materials that make it possible to construct bridges at half the cost, in half the time, and with twice the lifespan of many conventional designs. Other 91±¬ĮĻā€™s spinoffs like are creating lighter, corrosion resistant alternatives to steel construction materials like flexible rebar. 

A sculpture that harnesses the sun to make learning math fun

The helps people visualize multiplication and division through play. 

91±¬ĮĻ mathematics educators and artists put their heads together to develop the interactive outdoor sculpture, which made its debut in Oronoā€™s Webster Park in 2022. As users adjust the sculptureā€™s reflective plate, beams of light shift across a grid to model how numbers scale and relate. 

The solar calculator invites learners of all ages to illuminate abstract mathematical concepts through light and motion.

Transforming wood waste into affordable housing

Layer by layer, 91±¬ĮĻ researchers are driving down the cost, build time and environmental impact of housing. is the worldā€™s first fully forest-derived, 3D-printed house. The structure, built outside 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Advanced Structures and Composites Center in 2022, is made from corn glue and sawdust.  

Houses like BioHome3D can be customized, transported and assembled in a fraction of the time of traditional homes. At the end of the structureā€™s life, it can be ground up and reprinted, cutting construction waste and costs. It also creates a new market for Maineā€™s forest sector, which is awash with wood pulp following the decline of paper mills. 

The first prototype has withstood three Maine winters, proving that affordable, locally sourced materials that require far less labor that require far less labor can help replace traditional stick built homes. Now, 91±¬ĮĻ is with the nonprofit Penquis to build an affordable housing community in Brewer with nine 3D-printed homes to help address the stateā€™s housing shortage. 

Helping people with limited vision live and learn

More than 23 million Americans have vision impairment. Those affected are significantly less likely to earn a degree ā€” about two-thirds lower than in the general population ā€” and 30% do not travel independently. Researchers at 91±¬ĮĻ aim to change those statistics through innovation. 

The 91±¬ĮĻ spinoff UNAR (Universal Accessibility Research) develops technology that helps make digital information accessible to people ā€” no matter how well they can or cannot see. Products like Morf, which instantly transforms math documents into a format that is compatible with screen readers or as a Braille file for embossing, help make education more accessible. 

91±¬ĮĻā€™s VEMI Lab led the development of an award-winning app, Autonomous Vehicle Assistant (AVA), that people with visual impairments and seniors safely navigate around obstacles, like ice, on foot and summon self-driving vehicles offered by ride-sharing services. 

Cargo containers that tattle on thieves

Researchers at 91±¬ĮĻ and Georgia Tech developed shipping containers that guard against cargo theft, which Homeland Security Investigations costs the American economy $15-35 billion per year. The team developed a faster method for constructing lighter shipping containers with embedded sensors, integrating security directly into the structure.

The technology sparked a spinoff company, Global Secure Shipping, which embedded the sensor the team developed into composite shipping containers, enabling supply chain managers to track whether they have been tampered with, and in the process, created dozens of jobs for Mainers. 

A spinoff that saves soldiersā€™ lives

What started as an idea at 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Advanced Structures and Composites Center has grown into a life-saving enterprise. Founded by Paulā€ÆMelrose (ā€˜02, ā€˜04 G) , Compotech is rooted in 91±¬ĮĻ-developed materials and methods. Today, the Brewer-based company designs, manufactures and deploys next-generation protection systems for the U.S. military, creating high-paying jobs in the state.

Compotechā€™s flagship product, the Expeditionary Shelter Protection System, uses lightweight fiber-reinforced composite armor panels that are easy to transport, fast to deploy and protect against ballistic and blast threats. The companyā€™s precipitous growth has been recognized as one of the nationā€™s fastest-growing on the Inc. 5000 list for the . 

Steadfast steel

From machine bearings to airplane parts, high-carbon steel keeps manufacturing and travel running smoothly. 

While people have been smelting steel for millennia, manufacturers in the 1920s were able to examine the metal with new precision. They found microscopic cracks were covertly lowering the steelā€™s resistance to bending, twisting and impact. 

Corporations spent decades studying the issue, but it wasnā€™t until the 1980s when Professor John Lyman, a mechanical engineer at 91±¬ĮĻ, found a solution after combing through all the technical literature he could find on the issue for about 15 years. ā€œHappily, the very first thing I tried worked,ā€ he said in a of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Alumni Association magazine. 

Lyman introduced additional steps to the final hardening process that controlled the formation of crystals in the steel, essentially eliminating the troublesome cracks. It was a question, Lyman said, of ā€œgetting all the available knowledge in my head and walking around with it. It popped into my head; I tried it and it worked.ā€

On the horizon: The worldā€™s next super product

Throughout history, peopleā€™s lives have been shaped by the tools and products they use. From Stone Age tools to todayā€™s pervasive plastics, what we use makes one of our most lasting marks on history. If the promising possibilities being developed in 91±¬ĮĻā€™s research labs are realized, future archaeologists may struggle to find traces of the next big everywhere material.

Nanocellulose is natureā€™s super polymer. This biodegradable, plant-derived substance is poised to revolutionize everyday products. 

The potential applications for nanocellulose are nearly limitless. At 91±¬ĮĻ, researchers work on the leading edge of these developments. These products of 91±¬ĮĻ ingenuity include:

• An alternative to current implantable materials that can be resorbed by the body as bones heal, reducing the need for costly follow-up surgeries.
• Completely compostable food containers that are free of plastic and forever chemicals.Ģż
• A that uses nanocellulose and wild blueberry extracts to help chronic wounds heal faster and more completely.
• Tougher particle board for furniture and countertops that sequesters carbon and is free of cancer-causing formaldehyde.Ģż
• A new class of building products that includes scratch-, fire- and water-resistant flooring systems, moldable wall panels and a fire-resistant alternative to drywall that is lighter and offers superior insulation.Ģż

91±¬ĮĻ leads the nation in the supply of cellulose nanofiber and powers research with this promising material by supplying it to research labs around the globe. At the universityā€™s Process Development Center, nanocellulose is primarily made from the wood pulp generated by forest stewardship activities. The material can also be made from wood waste and recycled fiber.

Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu. 

Whether itā€™s conducting cutting-edge research, commenting on current events or receiving that diploma, 91±¬ĮĻ faculty, students and leaders made headlines locally, nationally and internationally in 2025.

From research labs and classrooms to commencement stages and championship arenas, 91±¬ĮĻ was featured in more than 18,000 stories published from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. In addition, our faculty, students and leaders were quoted or referenced 25,000 times in outlets based in every U.S. state and over 40 countries. 

Below is a sampling of 91±¬ĮĻ media placements in 2025.

Portland Press Herald ā€” ā€˜Think of 91±¬ĮĻ as the R&D department of Maine itselfā€™

In an op-ed published in the , 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy encouraged Mainers to think of the university as the stateā€™s research and development department. 

ā€œWhile all research universities provide value to their home states, 91±¬ĮĻ is invaluable to Maine,ā€ wrote Ferrini-Mundy, who also serves as vice chancellor for research and innovation for the 91±¬ĮĻ System. ā€œWith an economy almost entirely reliant on small businesses that typically lack in-house expertise and facilities necessary to develop and improve products and processes, our university is Maineā€™s Research & Development (R&D) Department.ā€

Bangor Daily News ā€” Showcasing campus capital projects, 2026 look-ahead 

In December, the touted the many capital projects which will move the university and the state forward in the coming years. The BDN interviewed Ferrini-Mundy, Interim Vice President for Research Giovanna Guidoboni, and many others.

The BDN highlighted upcoming facilities like the GEM Factory of the Future and Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce and Innovation Center.

ā€œI think we can see how our faculty, staff and students have helped to make all of these things attractive and possible. We have the talent here on this campus to warrant these kinds of facilities, and so itā€™s appropriate that they happen,ā€ Ferrini-Mundy said.

People Magazine ā€” Two senior citizensā€™ road to graduation

At age 88, Joan Alexander likely became the oldest undergraduate degree recipient in 91±¬ĮĻā€™s 160-year history, concluding a journey she began in the 1960s. Local and national news organizations, including magazine, told Alexanderā€™s story, and how she was acknowledged during one of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s undergraduate ceremonies in May

also featured Jules Hathaway of Veazie, Maine, who graduated with a masterā€™s degree in student development in higher education from 91±¬ĮĻ at age 73.

Bangor Daily News ā€” Multi-story graduation celebration

When hundreds of students were awarded diplomas amid cheers from family and friends at the Cross Insurance Center, the BDN celebrated alongside them with not one, but four stories on 91±¬ĮĻā€™s 2025 commencement ceremonies. The package included a , , and . 

ā€œI myself realized that we are all blessed by an immeasurable amount of families,ā€ said valedictorian Meg Caron during her speech, as quoted by the BDN. ā€œFrom the sports teams Iā€™ve been a part of, the labs Iā€™ve researched in, the teachers and classmates Iā€™ve grown close to, and the roommates Iā€™ve had in Maine, Michigan, France, Costa Rica and Canada, Iā€™ve formed familial relationships with a thousand souls, and theyā€™ve each gifted me a part of themselves.ā€

The New York Times ā€” ā€˜How healthy are potatoes?ā€™ 

When exploring the nutritional benefits of potatoes before Thanksgiving, the tapped an expert from the home of the popular Caribou Russet. 

Mary Ellen Camire, professor of food science and human nutrition at 91±¬ĮĻ, spoke to the Times about how potatoes contain a modest amount of vitamin B6, which is needed for cardiovascular, immune and mental health. Purple and red potatoes have pigments called anthocyanins that promote cardiovascular health, slow starch digestion and help stave off cognitive problems, she said.

The Boston Globe ā€” Hockey East champions 

The 91±¬ĮĻ menā€™s hockey team secured its sixth Hockey East Tournament title with a 5-2 win over UConn at Bostonā€™s TD Garden. and were among the dozens of media outlets that reported on the Black Bearsā€™ first conference championship since 2004.

And they did it before a sellout crowd of over 17,000, most of them making the trip south from Maine.

ā€œIā€™m extremely proud of them, and happy for the guys in the room, happy for the school, and really the whole state of Maine, because it felt like the whole state was there,ā€ coach Ben Barr said after the game.

Scientific American ā€” The dire wolf debate 

As memes and social media chatter spread worldwide about Colossal Biosciencesā€™ genetic modification of gray wolf pups to resemble the dire wolf, publications like got the rundown from the experts. 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Jacquelyn Gill, professor of terrestrial paleoecology, spoke to the inability of such extinct species to exist the same as they once did. 

ā€œ[The pups] donā€™t have any traits that would allow us to understand the dire wolf any better than we did yesterday,ā€ Gill said, adding that understanding ice age organisms isnā€™t just a matter of knowing what they looked like or what they ate ā€” but also about knowing what they did in those ancient ecosystems. ā€œSome of those things are coded genetically; some of those are cultural.ā€

The New York Times ā€” Struggles of rural children

The struggles of children in rural America and why they are dealing with increasing barriers to support services was explored in a op-ed published in November. 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Catharine Biddle, associate professor of education, discussed the challenges rural districts face when trying to provide food, health care and counseling services to students who canā€™t access them elsewhere.

The op-ed notes that ā€œIn , where she spoke to over 100 educators in rural Maine about how they dealt with children with adverse childhood experiences, a teacher mentioned that the school nurse is on site just once a month, and that teachers feel as if they are acting as ad hoc social workers on a daily basis.ā€

WABI-TV (CBS) ā€” Seeking a universal flu treatment 

91±¬ĮĻ students are using physics to fight the flu, and joined them in the lab to showcase their work. 

A group of undergraduate and graduate students, led by physics professor Sam Hess, has been doing single molecule microscopy combined with molecular simulations to learn about how influenza viruses mutate and hijack the cells of their host. Their discoveries could lead to the creation of a universal flu treatment with potential applications for other viruses, offering more effective treatment options to defend against cold and flu season. 

ā€œThe idea is, can we come up with something more universal. So that way weā€™re not playing this guessing game every year,ā€ said David Winski, a graduate student at 91±¬ĮĻ working on his PhD in Biophysics.

CNN ā€” ā€˜How do we identify hazing?ā€™ 

Following a staged kidnapping at a high school in Syracuse, New York, interviewed 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Elizabeth Allan, professor of higher education leadership, about the culture of hazing, its relevancy in schools and prevention methods. 

ā€œItā€™s not really focused on ā€˜thou shall not haze,ā€™ itā€™s more, how do we think about the groups weā€™re in and the relationships we have with our teammates or with our fraternity brothers or with our band mates?ā€ she said.

Allan is a national expert on hazing, founder of and director of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Hazing Prevention Lab. 

HISTORY ā€” Life during the American Revolution

During the American Revolution, the British Army captured and held many major cities like New York and Boston for months, if not years. In an interview with , Liam Riordan, a 91±¬ĮĻ professor and chair of the history department, presented a picture of what the war was like beyond battlegrounds and street protests, as Americans lived under British occupation. 

ā€œNo matter your political allegiance, most people are just hunkering down and trying to survive the war without sacrificing their families,ā€ he said.

FOX Bangor/ABC 7 News ā€” Training with cutting-edge robotics for manufacturing 

joined the grand opening of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s B.O.T. Loft, a new robotics and automation training facility inside the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC). The facility is committed to ā€œbuilding, optimizing and trainingā€ the manufacturing workforce in Maine and beyond. This in-demand workforce needs to know how to operate new and efficient industrial technology for everything from wood products to composite materials.

ā€œA lot of manufacturers are hesitant to put in technology and automation unless they have a workforce thatā€™s really trained in it,ā€ said John Belding, director of the AMC. ā€œOur goal is to help upscale that workforce and help train their existing workforce so that they are comfortable using robotics and automation in the workplace.ā€

Good Morning America ā€” Printing affordable homes 

During Earth Week, featured BioHome3D, the first 100% bio-based 3D-printed home in the world. Made from local wood fiber and other recyclable materials, BioHome3D was developed by the 91±¬ĮĻ Advanced Structures and Composites Center to address labor shortages, supply chains issues and affordable housing shortage. 

ā€œIn Maine, we produce about a million tons of wood waste every year in our sawmills. So we thought, ā€˜How do we take that waste, and make it into something valuable?ā€™ā€ said ASCC executive director Habib Dagher during the interview. 

Nautilus ā€” ā€˜Has culture surpassed genes?ā€™ 

reported that human evolution may no longer be driven primarily by genetics, according to a new theory by 91±¬ĮĻ researchers. 

Timothy Waring and Zachary Wood argue that cultural systems are now shaping the way humans survive, adapt and reproduce. ā€œCultural evolution eats genetic evolution for breakfast,ā€ Wood said. ā€œItā€™s not even close.ā€

Maine Public ā€” Exploring cosmic phenomena with Neil DeGrasse Tyson 

Before a total lunar eclipse illuminated the night sky with an eerie red glow in Mid-March, Maine Public hosted famous astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson for a segment of its ā€œā€ radio show on the latest astronomy news. Joining them on the call was 91±¬ĮĻā€™s own Shawn Laatsch, director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center on campus. 

NPR ā€” Origins of the word ā€˜broadcastingā€™

What is the connection between broadcasting and agriculture? 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Michael Socolow, professor of communication and journalism, got to the bottom of it with for a report that explored the origins of the word ā€œbroadcasting.ā€ 

What began as a word describing a method of spreading plant seed expanded its meaning in the early 20th century as radios became the most common way for people to receive news, starting with the election of President Warren G. Harding in 1920. 

ā€œBy the end of the 1930s, when you used the word ā€˜broadcasting,ā€™ Americans all knew it meant radio broadcasting,ā€ Socolow said.

Gizmodo ā€” Tiny technology advancing nuclear generation 

praised the tiny, but powerful sensor created by 91±¬ĮĻ researchers to enhance monitoring capabilities and safety for next-gen nuclear reactors. These microelectronic sensors are capable of withstanding extreme environments ā€” temperatures up to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit and intense radiation. 

Mauricio Pereira da Cunha, the Roger Clapp Castle and Virginia Averill Castle Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was the principal investigator on the project. The breakthrough positions 91±¬ĮĻ at the forefront of high-temperature, radiation-resistant materials innovation. 

CBS News ā€” New tick species for Maine 

In August, 91±¬ĮĻ Cooperative Extension and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) confirmed the presence of a new species of tick for the state: the invasive Asian longhorned tick. The news of its detection for the first time in Maine garnered headlines nationwide, including on .

ā€œThis discovery underscores the critical importance of continued tick surveillance in Maine,ā€ said Griffin Dill, director of the 91±¬ĮĻ Cooperative Extension: Tick Lab. ā€œWhile this appears to be an isolated case, we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with state and federal partners.ā€

News Center Maine ā€” Providing meals for those in need 

joined hundreds of students and other volunteers as they packaged 52,920 meals to donate to people experiencing food insecurity for the Maine Day Meal Packout on April 30 at the Memorial Gym.  

The event was organized by Honors College faculty, staff and students, who raised over $19,400 to purchase the meals, which were given to over two dozen food banks and pantries in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo and Washington counties. 

ā€œItā€™s really wonderful to now be on this side and now see the full circle of how we get these meals to communities in need,ā€ said Jasper Makowski, 91±¬ĮĻ student and outreach coordinator for the Maine Day Meal Packout. 

U.S. News & World Report ā€” Growing the blue economy workforce 

A story from highlighted 91±¬ĮĻ degrees that help prepare students for careers in the blue economy. Those include the bachelorā€™s degree in marine science with options to specialize in aquaculture, marine biology or physical science, MaineMBA that offers a blue economy concentration.

U.S. News interviewed Jason Harkins, executive dean of the Maine Business School, and Diane Rowland, dean of the College of Earth, Life and Health Sciences, and director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station.

Mainebiz ā€” Reynolds gym revitalization 

In April, students, regional and state leaders and other guests celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated Reynolds Gymnasium on the 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias campus. 

highlighted facility updates, which include new, NCAA-compliant hardwood floor, new bleachers, upgraded scoreboards, a new sound system and other enhancements to support student and community events. 

ā€œThis project represents more than just a new floor and bleachers ā€” it represents a revitalized space for our students, faculty, staff and the wider Downeast community,ā€ said Megan Walsh, 91±¬ĮĻ Machiasā€™ dean and campus director. 

Associated Press ā€” Energy and environmental cost of AI 

With the use of artificial intelligence growing rapidly nationwide and the emergence of many data centers designed to support it, the examined the impacts of the technology on our energy and the environment. 

Jon Ippolito, professor of new media at 91±¬ĮĻ, spoke to AP on the potential impact of AI and showcased his that explores the environmental footprint of using it for different digital tasks. Ippolito said tech companies are constantly working to make chips and data centers more efficient, but that does not mean AIā€™s environmental impact will shrink. This story was shared in about 200 news outlets across the globe.

WMTW (ABC) ā€” Little insect and its big threat for Maine woods

Spruce budworms are among the most destructive native forest pests in North America. Outbreaks kill trees, rendering the timber useless, increasing the risk of wildfire and causing a series of ecological effects.

In February, Angela Mech, director of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Spruce Budworm Lab, spoke with about their destructive impact on Maine woods and efforts to curtail their damage. 

ā€œItā€™s normally here all the time, but in very low densities, we canā€™t normally find it. But about every 40 years, it explodes,ā€ Mech said. 

Newsweek &²Ō²ś²õ±č;ā€” Tackling prescription drug costs with science

Researchers discovered a sustainable method to produce the key ingredient in a broad range of pharmaceuticals, which could help address high prescription drug costs in the U.S. 

Thomas Schwartz, project lead and associate director of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, and Philip Kersten, research collaborator from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spoke with about their work. They explored a new, cost-reducing pathway to produce one of these crucial building blocks, (S)-3-hydroxy-Ī³-butyrolactone (HBL), from glucose at high concentrations and yields. 

ā€œInitial economic analysis suggests our process can be used to produce HBL much less expensively than the current process, which opens the door to producing new consumer products as well as more affordable pharmaceuticals,ā€ Schwartz and Kersten explained.

WGME (CBS) ā€” Improving cancer detection with AI

A research team led by two 91±¬ĮĻ Ph.D students developed an artificial intelligence system that could make it easier and faster for doctors to identify signs of breast cancer in tissue samples, possibly preventing delays and saving lives.

Jeremy Juybari and Josh Hamilton spoke with (Channel 13 in Portland) about this new tool, which introduces a deep learning architecture designed to interpret microscopic images of tissue with greater precision than conventional AI models.

ā€œWe have one part of the model that looks at a detailed resolution of an image, you can see down to the cell level,ā€ Juybari said. ā€œItā€™s not just the detailed tissue region that matters, itā€™s the surrounding tissue structure that also contains a lot of information thatā€™s important for the model to figure out if this detailed region has cancer or not.ā€

The Independent ā€” Safely enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers

Many people enjoy eating Thanksgiving leftovers, but without proper storage, they can lead to foodborne illness. In an article warning readers against leaving leftovers out too long, shared tips from Extensionā€™s Gulsun Akdemir Evrendilek on how to safely enjoy Thanksgiving for a second time. In particular, the publication noted Evrendilekā€™s tips on reheating food and reboiling gravy. 

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

Discover campus and coastal life at the 91±¬ĮĻ through ā€œLife in the Pines,ā€ where real students share their experiences studying, exploring nature and embracing community on both the Orono and Machias campuses.

ā€œLife in the Pines,ā€ an unscripted video series sharing stories of students at the 91±¬ĮĻ and 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias, has launched its second season.

Each episode follows a student along their academic journey, whether it takes them to the coast, wild blueberry fields, medical research labs, K-12 classrooms, basketball courts or, literally, through the pines. Prioritizing authenticity, this series seeks to show what life is really like for students at both campuses. Visit to watch the full series.

Students to be featured this season include: 

• Alan Chausse, a forestry major who also plays in a band and rock climbs.
• Quincy Clifford, a business management major who has studied abroad in Costa Rica and played basketball with other students from around the globe.
• Jasper Makowski, a microbiology major, Honors College student, medical research lab student researcher and Circle K New England district governor.
• McKenna Chappell, a parks, recreation and tourism major who spends mornings creating art and afternoons teaching children about Maineā€™s outdoors.
• Nico Durkee, a studio art major in the marching band who plays with molten metal in the sculpture studio.Ģż
• Lauren Smack, a sociology major, singer and dancer whoā€™s made Orono her new home.Ģż
• Isabelle Puccio, a biomedical engineering major who conducts breast cancer research and searches for ways to combine music and science.
• Samantha Ney, an elementary education major who lives life on Marsh Island to the fullest, from walking the trails to cheering on the Black Bears.Ģż
• Jeffrey Nowack, who never thought he would be a drum major until he recently discovered his passion ā€” and possible career paths ā€” for music education.
• Joey Ferguson, an integrative biology major who conducts wild blueberry research and responds to marine mammal strandings in Downeast Maine.Ģż

Donā€™t miss this insiderā€™s look at 91±¬ĮĻ through the lens of a dynamic group of students living life in the pines.

Transcript:

I have friends that are going to school right now in Colorado and Nebraska and theyā€™re beautiful, but Maine is forged by nature and forged by the people that are here. I feel like itā€™s a flex.

On any given day, ā€œchemistry magicā€ is happening inside the 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Spruce Budworm Processing Lab. Thatā€™s how scientific research assistant Tucker Wile described the work he does.

Wile started there as an undergraduate and said the experience began to legitimize his confidence as a scientist. Now he is one of three full-time staff who supervise undergraduate students as they help process samples of tree branches sent in from timber companies, the Maine Forest Service and landowners. They work with chemicals, fume hoods, microscopes and lab equipment like separating flasks and petri dishes.

And their work is integral to the health of Maineā€™s forests.

A recent $600,000 federal award from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture is going to help the lab better detect, track and respond to spruce budworm outbreaks by funding new equipment and a renovation of the lab space. The award is the result of Congressionally Directed Spending secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill. The investment comes at a moment of growing regional concern ā€” and growing recognition of the labā€™s leadership.

Earlier this month, the Maine Forest Products Council honored lab director Angela Mech with its 2025 Abby Holman Public Service Award, which recognizes individuals who show exceptional dedication to Maineā€™s forest products industry and to good government. 

As the organization noted, Mechā€™s leadership and research at 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Spruce Budworm Lab have been ā€œinvaluable in the early intervention effort to prevent a major outbreak in Maine,ā€ directly informing management practices across millions of acres of forestland.

Mech, who opened the lab in 2021, said the new federal funds will help meet both current and future needs of the stateā€™s heritage forest industry.

A from the Maine Forest Products Council and Maine Department of Economic and Community Development found the industry contributed $8.3 billion to the state economy in 2024 and supported 29,000 jobs across all 16 counties. 

Cyclical outbreaks

Spruce budworms, the most destructive native forest pest in North America, are always on the landscape. Periodically, they rapidly reproduce, causing population outbreaks, defoliating spruce and fir trees and creating major implications for Maineā€™s foresters, loggers and communities. Outbreaks kill trees, rendering the timber useless, increasing the risk of wildfire and causing a series of ecological effects.

Services from the lab now extend beyond Maine to New Hampshire, Vermont and even New York ā€” states that, like Maine, deal with cyclical outbreaks of spruce budworm. The last outbreak to affect Maine occurred in the 1970s and 80s, spanned 7 million acres and cost the forest industry hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a from 91±¬ĮĻ and the 91±¬ĮĻ at Fort Kent. 

Between 2023 and 2024, spruce budworm hotspots ā€” areas that are nearing outbreak levels ā€” jumped from 30,000 acres to 300,000. Data shows population outbreaks have been increasingly severe since the turn of the 20th century. 

ā€œThe reason why the outbreaks got worse is actually because of us,ā€ said Mech, associate professor of forest entomology. ā€œHumans changed the landscape when we cut down the old growth forests.ā€ 

What came up was a higher number fir tree stems compared to what was removed. ā€œFir is really the budwormā€™s favorite tree,ā€ Mech added. ā€œIt should have been named the fir budworm.ā€

Early intervention

Krysta West, executive director of the Maine Forest Products Council, said the forestry industry is transitioning to offer more diverse products, supported by wood product innovation research from 91±¬ĮĻ. But they need healthy forests to support these new products, such as wood-based insulation, packaging and siding, as well as to continue support for Maineā€™s existing manufacturers. 

ā€œIf left unchecked, the Spruce Budworm Taskforce estimates that an outbreak would have an annual impact of $794 million in lost contribution to Maineā€™s economy,ā€ West said. ā€œThe entire Early Intervention Strategy, designed to prevent the next outbreak and keep our forests healthy,  hinges on the monitoring services provided by 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Spruce Budworm Processing Lab.ā€

The Early Intervention Strategy aims to find population hotspots in their early stages and prevent damaging outbreaks. A across the Northeast region allow researchers to determine densities of spruce budworm and provide stakeholders with data to make informed management decisions. 

ā€œWhen we opened in 2021, we only had about 250 sites that we were processing in a year, and this year, weā€™re approaching probably 1,000, if not more,ā€ Mech said. ā€œWe have to have more of everything.ā€

To encourage more samples that help track the spread of spruce budworm, additional funding acquired earlier this year allowed the lab to process 700 sites for free as part of its monitoring program so that more stakeholders, including small woodlot owners, could participate.

ā€œWeā€™re recognizing that everybody needs to participate if weā€™re really going to see whatā€™s going on in the landscape,ā€ Mech said.

In addition to the spruce budworm, the Mech Forest Entomology Lab researches other pests that affect forests in the Northeast, including browntail moth and hemlock woolly adelgid.

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu