Orono, ME04469-5703 5703 AlumniHall Division ofMarketing andCommunications UMaineToday • Spring/Summer 2017 Spring/Summer • UMaineToday UMaineToday

CREATIVITY AND ACHIEVEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE Out forblood the growingthreat of ticksinMain SPRING/SUMMER 2017 SPRING/SUMMER How dowestem e? C graduate education, outreach andresearch for theGulfofMaine. Maine’s marineresources whileproviding high-quality, interdisciplinary undergraduate and communities. UMaineisdedicatedtohelping developsolutionsforissuesassociatedwith engaged partnerwithpolicymakers, fisheriesstakeholders, marineindustriesandcoastal socioeconomic processes thatshapetheocean. Goalsincludebeingareliable, deeply multidisciplinary research toimprove understanding ofthephysical, biologicaland The University ofMaine’s Signature Area ofExcellenceinMarine Sciences includes We do it with — and for — the people of the state. omy. human health, food and natural resource-based econ- UMaine Extension to improve the protectionby of ouradministered laboratory new a have soon will of a 2014 bond approved by Maine voters, the state ofInland Fisheries and Wildlife.And with the help nership with agencies such as the Maine Department are involved in research in varied fields, and in part- search for answers, UMaine faculty, staff and studentsthe front lines of tick identification. In the ongoing on been long has Extension Cooperative UMaine and animal health issues related to tick-bornestate addressthehelpeffortsillnesses.growingto its human service. gain real-world experience and be engaged in public we serve. And throughout these efforts, students can munity groups and organizations to benefit theand peopleresearchers in different disciplines, and withneeds. com- UMaine partnerships are forged amongcommunicatingevidence-based scholarsknowledge tomeet discoverwhat’shelpingand solving, problem next statewidemission,we’ve ofrole the inalwaysbeen single person can think of everything. bers,thatleadership takesmany forms andthat no President Susan J. Hunter, Ph.D. That forward thinking is key to advancing Maine. Take the multiple UMaine research and outreach a with university research public Maine’s As OLLABORATING FOR understanding that there is strength in num- value in working together with shared vision,is rewarding and empowering. There is real the common good Photo byHollandHaverkamp

President’s message Features About UMaine 10 Cold context Leadership Susan J. Hunter, President

Contents Since 1968, Paul Mayewski has been conducting 46 10 Karlton Creech, Director of Athletics pioneering research on Earth’s coldest continent. Robert Dana, Vice President for Student Life and His 55-plus worldwide expeditions have contributed to Dean of Students our understanding of atmospheric circulation patterns, Jeffrey Hecker, Executive Vice President for abrupt climate change, alterations in atmospheric Academic Affairs and Provost chemistry and ramifications of climate change. Carol Kim, Vice President for Research and Graduate School Dean Market value James Settele, Chief of Staff 24 Jake Ward, Vice President for Innovation and For Maine food entrepreneurs — from home-based Economic Development business owners to multimillion-dollar enterprise Research centers managers — UMaine Extension safety expert Jason Advanced Manufacturing Center Bolton is a key ingredient in their recipe for success. Advanced Structures and Composites Center He’s a go-to, soup-to-nuts resource. Aquaculture Research Institute Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies 36 Tick check Center for Research on Sustainable Forests Maine is home to 14 tick species, two of which pose Center for Undergraduate Research Center on Aging significant health threats. With the increasing number of Climate Change Institute reported cases of Lyme disease and growing mortality Forest Bioproducts Research Institute

rates in moose, UMaine researchers in multiple disciplines Photo by Mariusz Potocki Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center are conducting research on ticks and the diseases they Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology spread in an effort to protect people, animals and the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education environment. Maine Sea Grant Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis 46 The company we keep Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Seminal psychology research at the University of Maine in Solutions the past two decades has contributed to our UMaine Today Magazine understanding of the role and value of children’s peer relationships and, just as important, the difference even Managing editor one friend can make. Margaret Nagle Digital content coordinator 54 Watching for eyes Amanda Lozier When the salmon farming industry in New England was Designers struggling with a decline in egg survival, reproductive Michele Bonin endocrinologist Heather Hamlin stepped in to help. Her Valerie Ireland research has the potential to address a major problem Carol Nichols facing hatcheries. Photographers/videographers 36 54 Holland Haverkamp Adam Küykendall Ronald Lisnet 24 UMaine Today is produced twice a year by the Division of Marketing and Communications, University of Maine, 5703 Alumni Hall, Room 213, Orono, Maine 04469-5703, 207.581.3745. Departments UMaine Today online Printing and distribution of UMaine Today are underwritten by the University of Maine Foundation. Flagship difference Students first On the cover umainetoday.umaine.edu Volume 17 Issue 1 4 Age bands 35 Summers in the lab In 2016, the state had 1,485 probable and UMaine Today magazine online provides web-exclusive features, including videos, photo galleries, ©2017 University of Maine System confirmed cases of Lyme disease, according to the full-length versions of articles and a comprehensive editorial archive. 5 Altered Arctic Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 Hemlock at high risk UMaine engaged but experts note the incidence could be nearly 10 times higher. University of Maine Cooperative The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of 7 Baby breaths 32 A click away Extension’s new Plant, Animal and Insect race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender Video magazine status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, 8 Scaling up Laboratory will expand researchers’ capabilities to disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, screen for blood-borne pathogens, including tick- umainetoday.umaine.edu/videos education, and all other programs and activities. Contact the 9 Flowing voice Insights Director, Equal Opportunity, 101 N. Stevens Hall, Orono, ME borne diseases. 04469 at 207.581.1226 (voice), TTY 711 (Maine Relay System), 58 UMaine news briefs [email protected] with questions or concerns.

2 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 3 HE KANGERLUSSUAQ region of southwest

Age bands Greenland is a 3,728-square-mile corridor difference stretching from the ice sheet to the Labrador ESEARCH PROFESSOR Rick Wahle and T Sea. In this area near the top of the world, graduate student Carl Huntsberger are test- flora and fauna range from microbes in the ice sheet ing a technique at the University of Maine to large herbivores — caribou and musk oxen — R Darling Marine Center to determine the living on the tundra, and aquatic plants and animals Flagship age of lobsters. in the diverse bodies of water, including silt-filled Unlike fish, mollusks and trees, Wahle says lob- rivers, ponds, lakes and mountain streams. sters and other crustaceans molt — or cast off The varied terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in this, their skeletons, thereby discarding exter- the country’s largest ice-free region, receive water, geological nal signs of growth. That means a material, organic carbon and nutrients from the glacier lobster’s age is estimated on size, but surface — an integrated system that has been undergoing it’s a rough determination because substantial change since 2000 due to rapid regional ocean conditions affect the crus- warming. tacean’s growth rate. In a recent article in the journal BioScience, “The Knowing a lobster’s age is important for scientists Arctic in the 21st Century: Changing Biogeochemical and fishery managers seeking to measure the health Linkages Across a Paraglacial Landscape of Greenland,” of the fishery and sustainability of the stock. researchers from seven countries, including a University Recent research by Dr. Raouf Kilada of the Uni- of Maine team led by Jasmine Saros, associate director versity of New Brunswick revealed that lobsters and of the UMaine Climate Change Institute, detail the other crustaceans have internal structures that ecosystems in southwest Greenland and explore how exhibit growth patterns similar to tree rings. Kilada rapidly changing environmental conditions may alter found tree-ring-like microscopic bands, only a frac- this landscape, including the flow of water, carbon tion of a millimeter thick, within a lobster or crab’s and nutrients. N. John Anderson at Loughborough gastric mill — a part of the stomach that grinds University is the lead author. Knowing a lobster’s age is food. The research collaboration, the outgrowth of a Kilada recently visited the Darling Marine Cen- 2015 international workshop in the U.K., highlights important for scientists and fishery ter to share his technique with Wahle and Hunts- the importance of looking across landscape ecosystems managers seeking to measure the berger. and time periods — including the paleoecological health of the fishery and The growth bands are located in the ossicles, record — to understand the interrelated, dynamic sustainability of the stock. which are tiny, bony, plate-like structures. To process processes affecting areas such as the Arctic that are a sample, ossicles are embedded in epoxy and cut expected to continue to warm. Saros is one of seven Altered Arctic into 150-micron sections. The number of bands can UMaine professors conducting research in the Arctic IN THE last two decades, the Arctic has seen some of the most rapid be counted using a microscope. (For reference, the in recent years. environmental changes on Earth. Synthesizing two decades of thickness of a human hair is about 75 microns.) Based on how the Arctic’s diverse geomorphic and multidisciplinary research in the Kangerlussuaq region — focused on Huntsberger, who is processing samples as part ecological systems have responded to the current changes in water, carbon, nutrients and other elements, and of a project funded by the Maine Department of warming trend, shifting temperature and precipitation anthropologic influences such as atmospheric pollution — highlights the complex linkages among glacial, aquatic and terrestrial systems in Marine Resources and Maine Sea Grant, says pre- levels have the potential to change such aspects as the deglaciated landscape, according to the researchers. liminary data indicate the bands do show annual mammal size and abundance, vegetation cover and Photo by Carl Tugend growth patterns. I type, and carbon and nutrient flows. I

4 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 5 AND MANAGERS in New England and east-

ern New York have a new tool to help identify difference eastern hemlock stands at greatest risk for L rapid growth decline by evaluating stresses on the trees, including response to the hemlock woolly adelgid and changes resulting from a warming cli- mate. Flagship Today, an estimated 26 percent of the region’s hemlock stands are at high risk. As winters get warmer, the decline will increase, with 43 percent of stands expected to be at high risk, according to a research team led by William Livingston, University of Maine associate professor of forest resources. To prioritize management efforts, the researchers’ comprehensive landscape model maps the varied response to the invasive Asian insect across the Northeast, and identifies the site characteristics of stands with the highest potential for tolerance and recovery. Eastern hemlock is a towering foundational species in North American forests from southern Canada to Baby breaths Alabama and as far west as Minnesota. But since the mid-20th century, eastern hemlock that can live more OUR UNIVERSITY of Maine bioengineering students have developed a new method AT THE start of their project, than 500 years have been increasingly threatened by of simulating pediatric respiratory distress in medical training manikins to better the students were given a full- size training manikin by the the hemlock woolly adelgid that can kill a tree within prepare health care professionals. For their bioengineering senior capstone design UMaine School of Nursing to four years by feeding on its needles and branches, pre- project, the students were tasked with creating a pediatric breathing simulator better understand how to build F one. With a $500 budget, the venting new growth. capable of displaying realistic lung and diaphragm movements. students used widely available After being introduced in Virginia in the 1950s, Most current manikins don’t have the ability to simulate lung and abdominal breathing materials — stretchable the Asian insect has spread northward and has now independently. The UMaine model more accurately simulates the breathing of children plastics, tubing, fittings and an infected hemlock along the Maine coast. As winters in critical conditions, including respiratory distress, when they typically only use diaphragm air compressor — to design a system that can accurately warm, an inward spread to more hemlock is likely. Hemlock or abdominal breathing patterns. replicate four types of By measuring changes in tree ring widths — basal Manikins designed to show different rates of breathing could potentially allow training children’s breathing patterns in area increment (BAI) measurement — in mature hem- doctors and nurses to make a diagnosis based on the breathing pattern, according to bio- the lungs and diaphragm. at high risk lock, the researchers quantified annual growth decline engineering professor Caitlin Howell, who, along with UMaine bioengineering professor in 41 hemlock stands across New England representing Karissa Tilbury, advised students Banton Heithoff of Oldwick, New Jersey; William Breeding a range of infestation density and duration, and species of East Granby, Connecticut; Amber Boutiette of Skowhegan, Maine; and Madeline vigor. The model also was applied to 15 hemlock sites Mazjanis of Portland, Maine. A UNIVERSITY of Maine-led research team predicts in Massachusetts. The students worked in collaboration with alumnus Dr. Denham Ward and Dr. J. that eastern hemlock will face increasing decline as winters warm. The results of the study, which also Among the findings of the research team using Randy Darby of the Hannaford Center for Safety, Innovation and Simulation at Maine involved researchers from the University of Vermont the growth decline metric: Eastern hemlock sited on Medical Center in Portland. and LandVest Inc., in Portland, Maine, were published steeper slopes with increased exposure to solar radiation The students are pursuing a patent for the pediatric respiratory simulation prototype. in the journal Biological Invasions. and warmer January minimum temperatures have a The team won one of two Innovation Awards at UMaine’s 2017 Student Symposium, an greater probability of experiencing rapid decline. I annual showcase of undergraduate and graduate student research and creative activity. I

6 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 7 8 UM aine Toda y Spring/Summer 2017y Spring/Summer A Maine’s Technology Research Center (TRC) in Old Town. Scaling up diesel and jet fuels — and the chemical ingredients — entirely from biomass. cialization.demonstratefullyplantswouldpilotcreatingpotentialtwothe of The platform chemicals to create larger quantities of biofuel — prototyping for commer- the use wouldthat plant pilotanother add researchersproduction.to FBRIhope the first step in scaling up UMaine’s jet fuel technology, which is still in bench-scale a partnership between UMaine and Biofine Technology, based in Massachusetts. developed by the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI). patented conversion technology to produce diesel and jet fuel from woody biomass, chemicals. industry, have multiple uses, including the production of plastics and other specialty fortheforest economy. Organic acidplatform chemicals, theyasareknown the in Chemicals made from biomass could one day be an importantrevenuesourcean be day onebiomasscouldChemicalsfrom made The Biomass to Bioproducts Pilot Plant occupying 10,000 square feet in TRC is Installation of the new Biomass to Bioproducts Pilot Plant was made possible by UMaine,“green”Atthese chemicalintermediates university’s thecriticalare in hours of continuous operation beginning May 1 at the University of University the at 1 May beginning operation continuous of hours biofuels, biochemicals and advanced materials, was demonstrated in 100 intochemicals manufactureusedthattobecan bioproducts, including PILOT plant capable of processing up to 1 ton of woody biomass per day I THE 100 and nanocellulose. focus onpulpandpaper, food UMaine’s otherpilotplants emerging bioeconomysector. commercialization ofthe new productstobenefit demonstrating technologiesand dedicated toprototyping, and research facilitiesthatare newest additiontoUMaine’s Bioproducts PilotPlantisthe plant inMaine. The Biomassto including thefirstcommercial considering suchdevelopment, engineering dataforcompanies operation isprovidingreliable hours ofcontinuous C Applicationwith Wave to Human Phonation.”Elastic Induced Flow by Production “Sound project, his for award in wind turbines. motion of heart valves, and the reduction of noise due to the blade-vortexsuch asinteractions the detection and diagnosis of heart murmurs generated by the flow-induced problems with their voice, according to the National Institutes of Health. and predict the outcome of the adjustment. determine the adjustments to the vocal folds to restore or improve a damaged voice, advance the knowledge of voice production. understandingflow-inducedofthrough flow-structuresound interaction,will and and uniqueness of the human voice. The research will contribute to the fundamental in sound production during phonation. by providing knowledge for how to voiceshelp peoplewhouse their extensively —teachers, performers, broadcasters — In addition to In additionto Flowing voice Zhengreceivedmore$513,000than aNational ScienceFoundation CAREER problemsflowappliedresearchbeyondtovoiceproduction,Thebe could also Inthepast year, estimatedan 17.9million people theinUnited States reported Researchers will develop diagnosis metrics for mucosal wave-related voice diseases, Theunderstandgoaltois themechanism responsible fortherange, complexity willuse computer models to look at the role of mucosal wave propagation researcher Xudong Zheng. The assistantMaine Universityof by led professorbeing study five-year a of focus ofthe mechanicalis voice engineering REATINGA improving diagnosis andsurgical procedures, better understanding of how humans use and controltheirand usehumans understandinghowbetter of I efficiently voices. useandcontrol their the researchthe could umaine today.umaine.edu

9 Flagship difference Cold context

Internationally recognized climate scientist Paul Mayewski documents the past to ensure the future

By Beth Staples

10 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 11 Cold context

OME DAYS, Paul Mayewski’s commute to work and been jolted awake in his tent by an 8.8 magnitude “I’ve been very fortunate,” says the director of the world- is a 75-minute drive. earthquake. renowned Climate Change Institute (CCI) at the University Other days, it involves traversing a glacier on the For decades — including on birthdays and holidays — of Maine. “I get to see what the world was like hundreds planet’s coldest continent or making land on the planet’s peaks and poles have been homes away from of years ago and to be in situations that allow me to be in SSouth Georgia after sailing the inhospitable Southern home for Mayewski, and teams of students and colleagues. tune with the natural surroundings.” Ocean. On these days after work, Mayewski stands atop The extended expeditions that have yielded ground- Mayewski and CCI colleagues seek to know what hap- glaciers, gazes at thousands of stars and, in the near absolute breaking discoveries about the climate also have provided pened from one second ago to a hundred thousand years silence that’s only possible in the Earth’s most isolated Mayewski with opportunities to better understand himself. and even more than a million years ago. reaches, hears the pulsing of his heart. From a multitude of remote high-altitude vantage points, the man dubbed the “Indiana Jones of climate research” Opening photo: A well-lit tent and hundreds of stars illuminate a UMaine campsite at an altitude of about 18,000 feet on Tupungatito — a also has admired the curvature of the Earth, witnessed volcanic crater. The summer 2012 night was calm and about zero degrees F. The high-elevation crater is a good spot to monitor atmospheric circulation patterns in South America. Tupungatito and surrounding Andean glaciers are water sources for major population centers, flashes of nighttime gunfire during Soviet-Afghan skirmishes including Santiago, Chile.

Below: Paul Mayewski, Gino Casassa and Jeff Auger traverse Murray Snowfield on the way down from the Esmark Glacier to Possession Bay on South Georgia. In 2015, a UMaine team conducted field reconnaissance for a potential future site to drill deep ice cores. Photos by Mariusz Potocki

Paul Mayewski Photo by Joan Meyers

12 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 13 Cold context

To find out, they often go great distances, and to great He asked to accompany the professor on his next research Mayewski has explored dozens of areas, including the traveling to the fifth-largest continent were encouraged to heights and depths. Their discoveries about the past have trek to the continent, where the lowest temperature on Earth Arctic, Canada, Central Andes, Chile, China, Greenland, stay as long as feasible. illuminated possible future scenarios. — a staggering minus 129.3 degrees F — had been recorded. Iceland, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, South Georgia “You’d get dropped off, traverse across the ice sheet on “I kept asking and taking courses. I really wanted to and Tibet (Mount Everest). foot, skis and snowmobiles, and then get picked up three MAYEWSKI’S JOURNEY began in Edinburgh, Scotland, go,” says Mayewski, who was a field assistant on that For Mayewski, it’s a rush flying over the ocean toward to four months later,” he recalls. where he loved the barren landscape of the Highlands. expedition in 1968. “It was a dream come true.” Antarctica. The air becomes noticeably colder. Icebergs When he moved with his parents to New York City, he was In the more than four decades since, Mayewski has led appear, spectacular mountain ranges come into view. Inland, MAYEWSKI SAYS it generally takes a couple weeks to adjust riveted by dioramas at the American Museum of Natural 55-plus expeditions, many to Antarctica. There, he’s said there are the vast — approximately 5 million square miles to the extreme conditions — the cold, snow and wind — History. The Boy Scout pored over National Geographic to be the first human to step foot in a number of locales. — human- and animal-free reaches of the Antarctic Plateau. and sleeping in unheated tents. Plus, there’s the oxygen magazines and dreamed of expeditions to remote regions. It’s commonly held that he’s traversed more land miles “It changes your perspective and your life,” he says. deprivation. There’s just 50 percent of the oxygen available He was a sophomore at the State University of New on the continent than anyone else. In that frigid desert, researchers need to be independent at the altitudes Mayewski works — including the Himalayas York at Buffalo when a professor showed him photographs The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names dubbed and self-sufficient. “There’s no escaping,” he says. “You can’t and Andes — as there is at sea level. of Antarctica. Mayewski was transfixed by the site of one summit in the Saint Johns Range of Antarctica “Mayewski just leave for the weekend.” Challenges come with the territory — from aggressive 90 percent of the ice on Earth. Peak” to honor his glaciological and geological work there. Due to logistics and high costs in the 1970s, researchers baboons in the jungle to being holed up 17 days in a tent

Paul Mayewski stands atop Nun Kun Plateau in the Himalayas. Photo courtesy of Paul Mayewski

14 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 15 Cold context

due to snow and winds of 115 mph, when Mayewski and colleagues went in one direction while their food supply and his assistant were caught in a blizzard away from the attitudes and technology have changed considerably. Com- his team had to be vigilant about shoveling to keep from went in another. For three days until they caught up with team camp. For several days, their clothes, sleeping bags munication, for the most part, was once confined to those being buried. the food, the team subsisted on Mayewski’s birthday cake. and tent were drenched. Battling hypothermia, Mayewski in the research party. Today, with satellite technology, On an early-career trip, a cooking stove flared, catching During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, Mayewski and his colleague ultimately got the snowmobile started explorers can connect with people on other continents, his tent on fire. Mayewski dove outside, taking time to snag was conducting research in northwest China. And in 2010, and made it back to the camp in blinding snow. including with schoolchildren learning about their research. a field notebook containing several months of data. when a magnitude 8.8 earthquake that killed hundreds and Less than a month later, he was at the University of Snowmobiles are far more powerful now and dogs are He also has pulled one of his teeth, stitched colleagues’ displaced 800,000 struck at 3:30 a.m. off the coast of Chile, New Hampshire for his first teaching appointment. no longer allowed on Antarctic expeditions because they’re gashes and carried people with altitude sickness off moun- he was sleeping in a tent in the Central Andes. not indigenous. (There aren’t indigenous people there either, tains. During a particularly challenging trek getting to the While boulders crashed down around them, he and his TO TRAIN for excursions, Mayewski skis or walks up an reminds Mayewski.) Himalayas, Mayewski lost 35 pounds in 17 days. teammates were safe on a plateau where they were camping. inclined field while pulling an 80-pound sled. While physical In the ’60s, the attitude that humans should strive to On another excursion in the Indian Himalayas, he and One Christmas Eve in the mid-1970s in Antarctica, he training has been a constant during his decades of exploration, conquer nature was pervasive. And many people, scientists

At a site 100 miles from the South Pole, Paul Mayewski and his research team found the first evidence of Chernobyl in the In fall 2015, Paul Mayewski and UMaine graduate students — Mariusz Potocki, Jeff Auger and Ben Burpee — traveled 1,600 Southern Hemisphere and a demonstration that the modern Antarctic ozone hole is much larger than those that are part of miles round-trip aboard the 73-foot sailboat Pelagic Australis in the Southern Ocean. Here, the Pelagic Australis takes shelter natural variability. Photo by Paul Mayewski in the relatively calm Sunset Fjord of South Georgia after the team collected ice cores on Esmark Glacier. Photo by Mariusz Potocki

16 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 17 Cold context

Mariusz “Mario” Potocki speaks included, thought the planet was so enormous that humans Union awarded him the Hans Oeschger Medal for his ice Polish, Russian, English and couldn’t permanently alter it, no matter what they did. core and climate research. And the World Ocean Observatory Spanish, but he finds that photographs express a universal Antarctica, in particular, was believed to be timeless. hailed him as a Citizen of the Ocean for his inspiring con- language. He loves the sound of “At the beginning of my career, the thought was we tributions to ocean knowledge and advocacy. the camera shutter clicking, and couldn’t do anything to Mother Earth — but we’ve done The International Glaciological Society gave Mayewski sharing the beauty of Earth with a lot and we’ve done it fast,” Mayewski says. “And the ram- its highest honor — the Seligman Crystal — for his con- those who may not have ifications of those things are unbeliev- tributions to glaciology. The Scientific opportunities to ski on glaciers, interact with seals and explore able.” Committee on Antarctic Research caves. “I like to show the world’s By the late 1970s and ’80s, his awarded him the first Medal for Excel- beauty in my photos so people team and many other scientists realized lence in Antarctic Research. may understand that it’s worth that glaciers were shrinking and climate And the Explorers Club presented caring for and saving for future generations,” he says. that should have been naturally cooling At the beginning of my him with the Lowell Thomas Award. was warming. career, the“ thought was Researchers also recognized that we couldn’t do anything THREE OF his discoveries have been Photo by Holland Haverkamp human activity could — and was — to Mother Earth — but critical in advancing climate science. impacting the planet. As examples, we’ve done a lot and One was that wind systems, or atmos- Mayewski cites the burning of fossil pheric circulation patterns, can change Photographing a ‘world worth saving’ fuels that resulted in acid rain, as well we’ve done it fast. patterns very quickly. as emission regulations that resulted And the ramifications Wind transports heat, moisture, COMPOSITION IS key to Mariusz “Mario” Potocki. shoot. The seals, which can grow to nearly 900 Antarctic ice core coincided with open pit mining in the subsequent reduction of acid precipitation and pollutants, and affects As it relates to chemicals and to photography. pounds, had periodically popped up through air in the Southern Hemisphere. of those things are The glaciochemist drills ice cores to obtain holes on the frozen Admiralty Bay while Understanding airborne distribution of rain, lead and other toxic substances. unbelievable.” sea surface currents and sea tempera- timelines of climate history. For example, a 700- following Potocki and other environmental uranium is important because exposure to the Climate science has evolved and ture. Rapid change in wind patterns foot-deep core reveals atmospheric conditions marine observers off King George Island. radioactive element can result in cancer, mental so has Mayewski. Paul Mayewski can result in temperature changes of 10 dating back about 1,000 years. The adventure-seeker cherishes traveling, development challenges, kidney toxicity and “I started more for the adventure degrees F in less than two years, he says. Ice core data also provide a base from which meeting and forging relationships with people, genetic mutations. to anticipate future climate changes, says the and experiencing various cultures. Until World War II, Potocki says most and travel, and I was driven by the opportunity to go to Rapid changes in atmospheric circulation also can result University of Maine doctoral candidate. Potocki’s childhood vacations involved atmospheric uranium was from natural sources, remote places,” says the Distinguished Professor in the in changes in frequency of storms and amount of precipita- Potocki’s recent analysis of an ice core from outdoor adventures. And today, his academic and such as rock, soil and seawater. But since 1945, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, School of Marine tion. And these shifts can remain in place for decades, if not the Antarctic Peninsula revealed that the region adventure pursuits — spelunking, increases in Southern Hemisphere uranium levels Sciences, School of Policy and International centuries, Mayewski says. has been — and is being — polluted by uranium mountaineering and underwater diving — are are from industrial sources, including uranium mining 6,000 nautical miles away in Australia. intertwined. mining in Australia, South Africa and Namibia. Affairs, and Maine Business School. This paradigm shift is tied to a second game-changing During breaks on research expeditions — The Poland native earned an undergraduate Uranium ice core concentrations increased as “Not until several discovery — abrupt climate change. whether ice coring, traversing a glacier or degree in geography and a master’s in physical much as 100-fold between the 1980s and 2000s, years after I earned The climate system, says Mayewski, doesn’t operate in observing marine wildlife — the Climate Change geography at the University of Warsaw. he says. a Ph.D. would I a slow or linear way. Abrupt climate change can happen Institute research assistant takes photographs of Those pursuits, in addition to his doctoral Potocki came to UMaine to pursue his his surroundings. education at UMaine, have landed him on every doctorate after what he calls a fortuitous consider myself a faster than a political cycle and can lead to considerable National Geographic-quality photographs. continent except Australia; he’s been to meeting with Paul Mayewski in 2007 in scientist.” challenges for communities or the collapse of civilizations. His photograph of king penguins on the numerous locales several times. Antarctica. Others consider Mayewski points to the eastern Arctic, where the tem- Falkland Islands was one of 30 chosen from In the vast Sahara, Potocki explored how Potocki was working as a meteorologist, him a pioneer. Maine perature has risen 8 degrees F in the last five years. It is as 9,000 entries to National Geographic for an groundwater levels affect the speed at which glaciologist, environmental marine observer and online June 2016 collection titled “Pristine Seas.” sand dunes move. guide at the Polish Antarctic Station on King magazine hailed him big a change in climate, and as fast, as the change that During his initial research excursions, Potocki He’s since spent considerable time in colder George Island when the director of the UMaine one of the state’s 50 Bold occurred during the remnants of the last ice age, he says. took pictures of landscapes and inhabitants — climates, including ice coring on the Detroit Climate Change Institute arrived with a “60 Visionaries. The Inuits who live, fish, trap and hunt in the Canadian including seals, penguins, sea turtles, elephants, Plateau on the northern Antarctic Peninsula, Minutes” crew to do a story. The European Geosciences Arctic are experiencing climate change firsthand. The results monkeys — to share with family and friends. which he describes as one of the most rapidly Mayewski now is Potocki’s adviser and the Now he also shares them on Instagram and changing regions on Earth. two have collaborated on several expeditions. his website for people worldwide to enjoy. Using state-of-the-art high-resolution Gathering as many ice cores as possible is Including his close-up encounter with curious technology, Potocki discovered that a significant vital, says Potocki, because of the rapid rate at Before GPS technology, Paul Mayewski used this sextant to navigate during expeditions. crabeater seals during a frigid underwater photo increase in uranium concentration in the which glaciers are melting.

18 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 19 Cold context

of rapid warming there are significantly altering the way even storm-by-storm, analysis of the core. Ice cores, Mayewski they’ve lived for centuries. says, are the most robust way of understanding past envi- Jill Pelto says she uses data in Thirdly, through ice core analysis, Mayewski and col- ronment. And McCormick and More are interested in how her art to tell stories of leagues have made numerous contributions to understand- environments impact human societies. environmental change literally. ing the change in the chemistry of the atmosphere. The researchers learned after matching the written records She combines the intellectual information of graphs with In the last half-century, Mayewski says human-produced and ice core records that soon after the Black Death arrived emotional imagery to toxic metals, radioactive materials and greenhouse gases in Europe, due to death and sickness, industrial mining communicate climate change have dramatically changed the chemistry temporarily and abruptly ended. Lead, issues with a broader audience. of the atmosphere. arsenic and copper levels in the atmos- Ice core data indicate that “this is phere dropped to nearly zero. not the way the natural world works,” “Sadly, if you kill off half the pop- he says. The age of climate ulation of Europe, everything stops,” What will happen, he asks, to the decision is here, and Mayewski. “It’s tremendously impor- “ Photo by Holland Haverkamp already-troubling rates of asthma, our actions will tant because it shows the impact of an autism, cancers and neurological diseases define the course of abrupt disease event.” if we don’t stop putting pollutants into civilization, our About five years later when the Communicating science through art the atmosphere? health and the health plague subsided and mining resumed, “If you had abundant clean air and levels of lead and other toxic metals UNIVERSITY OF Maine graduate student Jill Pelto each summer as a supplement to the Bulletin of Pelto and Hall collected ancient algae water, there would be much less disease,” of our planet.” in the atmosphere increased substan- is passionate about communicating science in an the American Meteorological Society. several centimeters below the sediment and easily understandable and visually appealing The front cover features Pelto’s piece, mapped glacial geologic features in two field he says. “The human toll as a conse- Paul Mayewski tially. The findings are troublesome, way. To raise awareness of climate change, Pelto “Landscape of Change,” which uses data about locations — Robinson Bluff and Witalis Peak. quence of these things, of course, is Mayewski says. creates watercolors of landscapes and animals sea level rise, glacier volume decline, higher When the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger, tremendous. Even if you just want to think about it like a Before this project, he says the natural level of lead in that incorporate scientific data in the form of global temperatures and the increasing use of outlet glaciers such as Amundsen extended into graphs. fossil fuels. The data lines compose a landscape business person, the cost is phenomenal.” the atmosphere had not been documented. these now ice-free valleys. As the glacier “As a scientist, I am able to learn about and shaped by the changing climate, “a world in retreated, it exposed rocky peaks and valleys; ice Scientists had assumed that since environmental regula- conduct studies on both past and present which we are now living,” according to Pelto. tongues in these valleys dammed ice-marginal MAYEWSKI RECENTLY has been involved in a project with tions had been instituted that the lead level in the atmos- climate change,” Pelto says. “I see data every Art on the back of the report, “Salmon ponds, where algae grew, Pelto says. As the day that communicates research so effectively, Population Decline,” uses population data about glacier continued to move down in elevation, Michael McCormick, a Harvard University professor of phere was about 100 times higher than the natural level. but only to a particular audience. My goal is to the Coho species in the Puget Sound to depict these ponds followed the ice front; the previous history who’s creating a historical and scientific database of But the level of lead in ice cores over the last nearly 2,000 share this important and interesting information the struggle as spawning habitat declines. location of the pond was then preserved by the Europe’s climate from about 800 to 1500 AD. years — with the exception of during the Black Death — with a broader audience by creating pieces that Pelto, an honors student who graduated algae, which researchers can locate and date. raise awareness about environmental topics, and from UMaine in December 2015 with a double Given that the ice had to have been thick McCormick and colleague Alex More have assimilated has been considerably higher than that. eventually inspire people to take action.” major in Earth science and studio art, is pursuing enough to at least dam these ponds, this also and analyzed an extensive collection of detailed written What, Mayewski asks, are the health ramifications to In the past year, reports on Pelto have been a master’s degree in the School of Earth and provides a minimum glacier elevation. records and diaries that contain information about wars, this long-term high exposure? published by local and national news Climate Sciences. After Antarctica, Pelto traveled to New organizations, including Climate Central, Public In December 2016 and January 2017, Pelto Zealand to work with another group of UMaine weather events and food shortages in Europe. Radio International and PBS NewsHour. Actor spent four weeks in the field with her adviser, researchers looking at the glacial history of the Their analysis includes the approximate five-year period THE PROJECT with Harvard University reflects how the Leonardo DiCaprio also shared Pelto’s art on his glacial geology professor Brenda Hall, Southern Alps. beginning in 1347, during which the bacteria Yersinia pestis Climate Change Institute has broadened. official Instagram account, which focuses on reconstructing the deglacial history of the For the eighth consecutive year, she also climate issues. In summer 2016, Pelto was Antarctic Ice Sheet. The team focused on the spent part of the summer working with the — Black Death — killed about 25 million people. “Change is our middle name. We embrace it,” he says. featured in National Geographic as part of the Amundsen Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East North Cascade Glacier Climate Project, which For that same time period, Mayewski and his CCI team Researchers in archaeology, evolutionary ecology, forest series, “20 Under 30: The Next Generation of Antarctic Ice Sheet. monitors glaciers in the North Cascades in have analyzed an ice core from the Colle Gnifetti glacier soils, glaciology, marine ecology, paleoecology, renewable National Park Leaders.” To reconstruct the retreat history of this Washington state. The program is led by her Her art also has been featured in several glacier from its maximum extent during the last high in the Alps near the Swiss-Italian border. energy, volcanology and other fields contribute to the “under- father, Mauri Pelto, a professor of environmental publications, including on the front and back of glaciation to its present location, the researchers science at Nichols College in Massachusetts. He The state-of-the-art W.M. Keck Laser Ice Facility at the standing of the variability of Earth’s climate, the complex the State of the Climate in 2015, an are mapping landforms and dating deposits on started the project in the 1980s while pursuing a Climate Change Institute allows for a season-by-season, interconnections between climate, humans and the natural international, peer-reviewed publication released ice-free peaks alongside the glacier. Ph.D. at UMaine.

20 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 21 Cold context

world, and the unique challenge of abrupt climate change.” Showtime series “Years of Living Dangerously,” produced Their discoveries, according to the CCI website, “contribute starting in 2014 to showcase the impacts of climate change Kimberley Rain Miner is acutely to evidence-based solutions for pressing environmental on people and the planet. Mayewski was filmed while col- aware that humanity’s impact on problems and provide the basis for partnerships with diverse lecting ice cores 20,000 feet atop a glacier. the planet can’t be ignored. She stakeholders to create pathways to a climate-resilient future.” strives to make a difference by contributing to the development And they continue to push the boundaries of exploration SINCE 2001, Earth has experienced 16 of the 17 warmest of plans aimed at safeguarding with new initiatives, such as “Climate Futures” — a new years on record, resulting, in part, in drought, the spread the planet’s air, water, health way to predict climate. of diseases, worsening wildfires, water shortages, species and security. “If there’s the slightest risk, it’s worth planning Mayewski regularly shares his research, findings and extinctions and climate refugees. for,” she says. projections. Mainers can frequently find him presenting in “The age of climate decision is here, and our actions a library or hear him being interviewed on Maine Public. will define the course of civilization, our health and the CCI also hosted a recent forum for community planners health of our planet,” Mayewski has often said. to learn how to access and utilize online tools developed In court, cases are decided on evidence and facts. The Photo by Holland Haverkamp by UMaine researcher and state climatologist Sean Birkel. same, Mayewski says, should be true with regard to climate City leaders considering building a cooling center can policy. Facts, he says, are not political. Health and the planet review projections for heat wave frequency. Medical pro- aren’t either. Security matters fessionals can assess the potential increases in Lyme disease, “We can do without just about everything, except for

and community planners replacing stormwater drains can water and air,” Mayewski says. GROWING UP in Boulder, Colorado, Kimberley health of the ecosystem stronger,”she says. Development Center’s Geospatial Research examine projected precipitation. This fall, Mayewski and several students will again sail Rain Miner has long been at home immersed in Miner, a firefighter and first responder, says Laboratory in Virginia is Miner’s sponsoring Mayewski also frequently reaches larger audiences. a portion of a route in the Southern Ocean that polar nature, including while rock climbing and personal acts — including planting pollinator agency and supports her doctoral education. teaching children to grow food. flowers and delivering drinking water after a She anticipates working at the Geospatial He has been published in more than 425 scientific explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton made famous in 1914–16. When she was pursuing a bachelor’s degree hurricane — make a difference. Research Laboratory this summer and for two journals and wrote The Ice Chronicles with Frank White On the 1,600-mile excursion, they’ll disembark on a remote in environmental science and ecology at the In October 2012, when Superstorm Sandy years after she earns her doctorate in 2018. Her and Journey Into Climate: Adventure, Exploration, and the South Atlantic island and retrieve more ice cores. University of California, Santa Cruz, she made landfall along the Jersey Shore, Miner was responsibilities will include using geospatial sometimes lived in a hollowed-out portion of an pursuing an MPA in environmental science and technology to ensure mission security of U.S. Unmasking of Human Innocence with Michael Morrison. Then there will be expeditions to the Andes and Green- ancient redwood perched along a river. policy at Columbia University. troops. He has been featured in media ranging from several land. Today, she’s a Ph.D. candidate in Earth and While her graduate student apartment didn’t It’s encouraging, Miner says, that federal appearances on CBS’ “60 Minutes” to the BBC. And “There are still important places to go and climate sciences at the University of Maine. lose power, Miner remembers feeling powerless agencies in the United States — from the The IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education watching TV coverage about the devastation Department of Energy and Department of I he was highlighted in the Emmy Award-winning still students to train,” he says. and Research Trainee) at the Climate Change occurring just a few blocks away. Homeland Security to the Department of Institute has explored six continents. And she Soon after, she became involved in several Agriculture and NASA — have collaborated to says it has been difficult to locate places where projects, including mapping ADA-accessible strategically identify priorities, exchange data people’s impacts aren’t tangible — even on shelters in New York City that planners believe and build environmental resilience. The first entry in Paul Mayewski’s hardcover black geology pristine-appearing glaciers. will be safe from flooding in a 100-year storm. Worldwide, 194 countries are planning and field book is dated Oct. 29, 1974 and begins, “Flew into North For her doctorate, Miner is developing a Miner became interested in the intersection preparing, too. As a Switzer Foundation Fellow Fork of Wright Valley ...” One of the last entries of the season is framework to assess the threat of pesticides — of nature, weather-related disasters and and Fulbright awardee, Miner is gaining a global dated Jan. 3, 1975 and includes, ”Weather clears by 2:00 p.m., including DDT — that for years have been emergency preparedness, and she worked with perspective. first meal in 2 days, dry gear.” Inside his orange 2002–03 trapped in glacial ice and now are entering scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory In December 2016, she attended the International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition logbook watersheds as the glaciers melt. She seeks to and emergency managers at the New York City Planetary Security Conference in the is an email from Julie Palais, glaciology program manager quantify effects of pollutants downstream. Office of Emergency Management. Netherlands. There, worldwide experts on with the National Science Foundation. Jan. 3, 2003, she During her research, Miner says she has Now, she’s a Department of Defense Scholar climate change and security collaboratively congratulated Mayewski and his team for being the first benefited from CCI professor and adviser Karl and a volunteer research fellow at the Center for addressed emerging environmental challenges Americans in 40 years to reach the South Pole by ground Kreutz’s support, and from UMaine’s exploration Climate and Security in Washington, D.C. and safety concerns. travel. She intentionally closely replicated wording in a Jan. 11, culture and student-first mentality. Her funding is through the American Society And in February 2017 at Yale University, 1961 note that Admiral David Tyree sent to Major Havola, “Individuals make the difference in the long for Engineering Education SMART (Science, Miner was part of a panel that discussed leader of the Byrd-Pole Task Group, when it became the first run. There’s always something we can do to Mathematics And Research for Transformation) planning for worst-case scenarios at the New American party to ever reach the South Pole by ground travel. make a situation better, our lives better and the program. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Directions in Environmental Law Conference.

22 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 23 Market value For Maine entrepreneurs, food safety expert Jason Bolton is part of their recipe for success

By Walter Beckwith / Photographs by Adam Küykendall

ASON BOLTON’S phone begins to ring at 7:30 a.m. The first call is from a local butcher requesting information about a two-day course offered by University of Maine Cooperative Extension Jcovering new federal food safety regulations. The next is from the manager of one of the state’s thriving craft breweries, seeking advice on the design for a new facility and equipment needed to keep up with rising demand. Jason Bolton is one of Then a community member calls to ask whether it’s safe to eat homemade University of Maine Cooperative pickles that have been hidden in a pantry for over a decade. (Spoiler alert: Extension’s go-to resource people. The research and It’s not.) expertise he shares makes the Bolton, UMaine Extension food safety specialist and associate professor, difference in new product never knows what query the next call will bring — from a question about development, food companies’ growth and homemakers’ peace what to do with cheese someone “finally found,” to a request for laboratory of mind. In the past seven analysis of a new hot sauce created by a Maine-based company. years, he has worked with He also isn’t sure what the next office visit will bring, like the day someone more than 200 food companies in all 16 counties to help grow stopped by with a container of glowing shrimp covered in bioluminescent Maine’s food industry. bacteria.

24 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 25 Market value

Once the food product is ready, there’s the implementation of food safety controls and employee training, establishment of ingredient supply chains, packaging, labeling, storage, shipping and distribution. Business owners also need marketing and busi- ness plans, and knowledge of the day- to-day operation. In the past seven years, Bolton has worked with more than 200 food com- panies in all 16 counties to help grow Maine’s food industry. “It’s one of the few growing non- health care industries in the state,” says Bolton. “All of the industries that sup- port these new businesses are growing and being brought up by them. In Prospect Harbor, Jason Bolton and Maine Fair Trade Lobster production manager Bill Jackson touch on a range of topics — “When I started seven years ago, from plant expansion and the upcoming processing season to cooking validation and the placement of a summer food safety intern from UMaine. we only had a few lobster processors in the state. Now we have an additional When he’s not fielding calls and go-to resource people. The research THERE CAN be many hurdles to four, and I’ve worked or continue to visits, Bolton is on the road, traveling and expertise he shares makes the dif- clear before a new food idea makes it work with most of them. These are statewide to work one-on-one with ference in new product development, to market, says Bolton, and depend- large processors, processing at least food and beverage entrepreneurs — food companies’ growth and home- ing on the product, some can be 25,000 pounds a day during the peak both home-based business owners makers’ peace of mind. intense. The same goes for starting or season.” and managers of multimillion-dollar “Every day is different. A new expanding a food-related business. And of all the promising Maine- seafood facilities. As part of UMaine opportunity to learn and meet new First are regulatory and legal con- made products — pickles, sauces, ice Extension’s three-member food safety and exciting food entrepreneurs,” says cerns, which entail getting the neces- cream, tofu, jams and jellies — one is team, he consults on issues ranging Bolton, whose position is funded in sary permits and licenses. For some particularly effervescent. Beer. from facility expansion plans and best part by the Maine Economic Improve- industries, this process can be lengthy, As of January 2017, Maine was food safety practices to product devel- ment Fund, established by the Maine complex and expensive. home to 89 licensed breweries, 25 of opment and regulatory compliance. legislature in 1997 and funded through Next is the facility. Both small which opened since 2015. The industry He also organizes professional an annual state appropriation to lever- commercial kitchens and multimil- added $228 million to Maine’s econ- industry courses, teaches UMaine’s age economic development through lion-dollar processing plants must be omy in 2016 and its growth has out- popular Brewing with Food Science targeted investment in university-based designed to meet federal food safety paced the national average for five of class and a graduate-level food safety research and development. specifications. Specialized equipment the last six years. Jason Bolton and Maine Craft Distillery owner Luke Davidson discuss product and process course; and advises food science grad- “I do it,” he says, “because I have needs to be installed, processes reviewed “There is something that is said efficiencies and control as the Portland-based company prepares to move a few blocks up the street to its new location — a site nearly five times larger. Lining the walls are Maine-made barrels in uate student researchers. knowledge that can help others be and validated, and some products need when you produce a Maine-made which the various spirits — whiskey, rum and gin — are aging. Among them is Blueshine, made with Bolton is one of UMaine Extension’s successful.” to be lab tested before they can be sold. product: quality, safety, hard work, a Maine-grown barley, wild blueberries and maple syrup.

26 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 27 Market value

strong sense of community. Things lobster annually with a value of over heavy metal content in lobster meat — that could be used in nutraceuticals that define the state as a whole,” $36 million, says Tad Pawlowski, a and tomalley, the liver-like organ that or biotech research. Bolton says. quality control director. The lobsters is a delicacy in some brave Maine cir- Two years into his program, he are harvested by local fishermen from cles. joined UMaine Extension. Commit- ON A rainy morning in Prospect Har- the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Canada. Bolton stayed at UMaine for a mas- ted to the engaged student experience bor, Maine, Bolton tours the Maine The frozen lobster products are shipped ter’s and Ph.D. in food science and he had, Bolton advocates for intern- Fair Trade Lobster facility with Bill worldwide. human nutrition. He developed a non- ships, plugging undergraduates into Jackson, the production manager. The Jackson says Bolton’s food safety invasive, handheld device to analyze food businesses. That includes three plant is quiet, with large segments of experience, expertise and advice have optical properties of the protein hemo- food safety interns at MFLT. the processing line disassembled for been incredibly helpful. “I fully believe in the Extension maintenance in preparation for the “We aim to be leaders in terms of mission to bring UMaine research and start of another busy season. processing excellence and quality assur- information to the public,” says Bolton. When the operation is in full ance. His input has been invaluable “In my case it is to help grow food swing, the brightly lit and sparkling as we continue to grow and provide There is something that companies and ensure they are properly clean factory will hum as more than meaningful employment to the state is said when“ you educated to manufacture safe foods.” 150 employees handle hundreds of of Maine,” says Jackson. produce a Maine-made thousands of lobsters from one end of product: quality, AT THE Gelato Fiasco Flavor Foundry the production line to the other. BOLTON IS no stranger to the state’s safety, hard work, a in Brunswick, Maine, freshly filled Bolton knows this facility. Years most iconic sea-bug. His uncle, Robert strong sense of pints of Madagascar Vanilla Bean ad- ago as a UMaine undergraduate, he Bayer, directs the Lobster Institute at community. Things that vance along a conveyor belt. On the visited what was then Stinson Seafood UMaine and inspired Bolton to move lid of each hand-packed container, a define the state as a Cannery, one of the last canneries in to Maine from Arizona to study food sticker highlights the 10th anniversary the country, and watched a team of science. whole.” Jason Bolton of the award-winning gelato. older women deftly pack tins of sar- In 2006, Bolton earned a bachelor’s In the last decade, the company dines. The next time he saw the facility degree in food science and human cyanin, or lobster blood, which is cor- has created over 1,500 flavors of gelato was in 2010, when the new owners, nutrition at UMaine. related with lobster health and vitality. and sorbetto, most of which are only Live Lobster Co., wanted help retooling “Coming from Arizona, Maine was The sensor informs distributors about available at the company’s stores in the century-old cannery into a state- a new place and a new culture, but the health of a live lobster prior to Brunswick and Portland. These pints of-the art processing plant. the opportunities at UMaine gave me shipping and its ability to survive long- of vanilla, however, are destined for Bolton came in on the ground floor. a huge leg up in my overall confidence term storage. grocery store freezers nationwide. By the time East Coast Seafood and abilities,“ says Bolton, who as an Bolton continued the development Bolton began working with Gelato and Garbo Lobster purchased the plant undergraduate was a teaching assistant of the sensor as he began his Ph.D. as Fiasco in 2015 during a period of major and started MFTL three years later, in both biology and chemistry, and the principal investigator of a $98,000 growth for the company. Bolton knew the place inside out and collaborated on research projects with National Science Foundation grant. “When we first reached out to him, offered MFTL recommendations on faculty and staff. He also was a National For his doctoral research, Bolton we had virtually no mechanization on equipment, safety training for employ- Science Foundation Teaching Fellow, designed analytical methods to rapidly the production line. We were in a stage ees, meeting state and federal regula- leading STEM classes at local elemen- identify, quantify, isolate and extract where we needed to start producing a tions, and more. tary schools. small molecules in foods — proteins lot more gelato quickly to fill customer

A new filling line at Gelato Fiasco Flavor Foundry was part of the 2016 expansion of the Brunswick- In the years since, MFTL has pro- For his undergraduate thesis in in lobster blood, polysaccharides in orders,” says Lila Wilmerding, Gelato based company. Jason Bolton provided expertise on sanitary design, product flow and operation. duced upward of 8 million pounds of food science, Bolton quantified the aloe and potent antioxidants in peppers Fiasco’s quality control director.

28 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 29 Market value

Bolton helped the growing com- Gelato Fiasco hopes to hire Conrad by Davidson, dubbed “Frankenstill.” UMaine Extension to come up with pany design its new plant and build when she graduates in 2018. In 2012, Maine Craft Distilling a way to ensure consistency and develop its food safety plan. With the expansion, approached Bolton and UMaine Exten- quality-control procedures. the gelato company shifted from pro- THIRTY MILES south of Brunswick sion with questions about regulations, Bolton worked with Kinkade to ducing about 2,400 pints a day to in Portland’s East Bayside neighbor- licensing and distillation technology. validate a new production process for nearly 12,000. hood, Luke Davidson, chief distiller “I was able to use less of my food the sodas. He also provided training Amid the clatter of empty containers and owner of Maine Craft Distilling, safety background and use more of to test each batch for potential micro- and lids feeding into the production is in the middle of moving the business my food science background to help biological contaminants. line, Molly Delan, Gelato Fiasco’s plant to a larger facility. them with flavors, packaging and a Over the clinking of glass and the manager, and Joshua Davis, co-founder few other things,” says Bolton. rhythmic hiss-snap-click of the auto- and CEO, talk with Bolton about the Over the years, Bolton has assisted mated bottle labeler, a two-person implementation of the new Food Safety Maine Craft Distilling with its devel- crew packs cases with Blueberry Dream Modernization Act (FSMA). opment of a few flavors, including soda. Kinkade shows Bolton where FSMA represents a massive change I fully believe in the Blueshine, a potent spirit flavored with new production machinery will be in commercial food processing regu- Extension“ mission Maine blueberries and maple syrup. installed. The new equipment will lations, says Bolton, who is the lead to bring UMaine “The Maine wild blueberry is a allow Green Bee Soda to significantly in FSMA education and programming research and mystical creature,” says Davidson, hold- increase daily production and further for the state. Under the new regulations, information to the ing a bottle of the dark indigo fluid ensure the quality of the product. all food producers will be required to up to the light. “They (the blueberries) Recently, Green Bee Soda part- public. In my case, it is have specific practices and controls in are more of an experience, and they nered with Luke’s Lobster to create an place to prevent food safety issues. to help grow food aren’t what people normally expect.” exclusive Maine Blueberry Lemonade “Cooperative Extension is providing companies and ensure Bolton provided Davidson with soda for the restaurants. Bolton con- the required education for these com- they are properly expertise to distill, bottle and capture nected the two after working with the panies to meet these new mandates,” educated to that unexpected experience — right restaurant’s affiliated company, lobster says Bolton, who also teaches courses manufacture safe down to the color. processor Cape Seafood in Saco, and works with Maine companies, like “The Blueshine is a unique Maine Maine. foods.” Jason Bolton Gelato Fiasco, to help them get ready product,” says Bolton. “It’s been fun Luke’s Blueberry Lemonade will for compliance. to see how all of (Davidson’s) products be sold at Luke’s Lobster restaurants Bolton placed UMaine food science Maine Craft Distilling locally have evolved over the years.” nationwide and in Japan. student Olivia Conrad as an intern sources many of the ingredients it uses Watching Maine’s food community with Gelato Fiasco, and she helped to make spirits. Even its whiskey is CHRIS KINKADE, beekeeper and grow, and seeing companies he’s built the company start to compile required aged on peat and seaweed from Wash- founder of Green Bee Soda, began relationships with succeed and share FSMA documentation. ington County in Maine-made barrels making all-natural sodas in five-gallon what they’ve learned with others starting “She exceeded all of our expecta- built from Maine-grown oak. batches at his home in 2010. Now in out is a rewarding experience, he says. tions,” Delan says. After five years, the approximately a ground-floor suite in Brunswick’s A rising tide lifts all ships. Many companies want an intern 1,500-square-foot “farm-to-flask” dis- Fort Andross Mill Complex, Kinkade’s “I try to make connections between with experience in food safety, says tillery is bursting at the seams. Barrels honey-sweetened beverages are made Maine’s food companies as often as I Bolton. The interns often bring valuable full of finishing spirits and open-topped in two 1,000 gallon-stainless steel tanks. can,” says Bolton. “I think as they At Green Bee Craft Beverages in Brunswick, owner Chris Kinkade, right, discusses the company’s pasteurization process with Jason Bolton. The full line of Green Bee Craft Beverages includes a knowledge and become essential team fermenters line the walls. And at the As the company began scaling up grow, they can often bring others with Maine Blueberry Lemonade, made exclusively for Luke’s Lobster restaurants throughout the United members during their experience. center of it all is the still, engineered production in 2012, Kinkade contacted them.” I States and in Japan.

30 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 31 To help overcome these challenges, the Speech Therapy On the other side of the globe, four children with dis- A click away Telepractice Program was established in 2012 at the University abilities at the International School Suva in Fiji also are engaged of Maine’s Madelyn E. and Albert D. Conley Speech, Lan- receiving speech therapy through UMaine’s telepractice guage and Hearing Center in collaboration with colleagues program. The tropical archipelago does not have speech at Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast. therapists, and like some children in Maine’s rural schools, Speech-language teletherapy breaks the bounds of isolation

Using a secure web-hosted video conferencing system, without telepractice they would not receive consistent UMaine graduate student clinicians provide speech therapy services speech therapy. By Erin Miller to clients anywhere in the state through computers or other In Maine, Buckfield Junior-Senior High School started devices connected by high-speed internet. Instead of traveling using UMaine’s speech therapy telepractice services following to a speech and hearing center, clients are able to receive the retirement of its speech pathologist almost two years Y THE time most people reach kindergarten, enter the room, people with aphasia, an impairment of lan- speech therapy while sitting at their ago. Principal George Reuter says the speaking is second nature. But for some children guage frequently caused by a stroke, often live in a secluded computers in their homes, schools or school adopted the new model to ben- B in Maine, verbal communication does not come world. Maine’s rural geography can compound this social any other setting. efit students. easily. That’s also true for a growing population isolation, and many small communities have limited treatment “In a predominantly rural state, In a predominantly “For me and my position as prin- of older adults in the state. options, requiring caregivers and patients to travel long dis- telepractice is an efficient, cost-effective cipal, we really want a quality level of rural state, telepractice Unable to verbalize needs or to greet loved ones as they tances, or do without. way to provide speech therapy services “ service provided on a consistent basis, that are beneficial to children and is an efficient, cost- and without telepractice, I don’t know adults with communication disorders,” effective way to that we would be able to provide such says Judy Walker, an associate professor provide speech a consistent level of service,” Reuter in UMaine’s Department of Commu- therapy services that says. nication Sciences and Disorders, who are beneficial to Special education technician Tina developed the program. children and adults Hicks says the UMaine team is “accom- with communication modating and flexible with our schedule, THE UMAINE Speech Therapy Tele- and takes a lot of what we do daily practice Program was one of the first disorders.” Judy Walker and incorporate that into their lessons.” of its kind in the nation to offer speech “The kids love it. I think they prefer therapy telepractice training for graduate students and serves this,” Hicks says. “I never have any of them not want to as a model for other academic institutions worldwide. go. The kids are really engaged and we have seen improve- As part of their clinical training, graduate student clinicians ment.” provide speech therapy telepractice services to 36 children Telepractice also created new opportunities to improve and adults from York to Aroostook counties. A client and the quality of clients’ lives, including helping senior citizens his or her eHelper — the person who is assisting — log stay in their homes. Walker recently completed a research onto a password-protected site for the telepractice therapy project that focused on reducing social isolation of people session. Clients converse with graduate student clinicians with aphasia through participation in a telepractice com- through an interactive monitor, where they can jot their munication group. lessons on the computer screen so the therapist responds Bob and Kathy Jackson of South Gardiner, Maine joined to what they are doing in real time. Family members from the group to connect with other people. other remote locations and collaborators who assist and “It was great just having somebody new to talk to,”

As part of their clinical training, UMaine graduate students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders encourage the client between therapy sessions also can Kathy says. provide speech therapy telepractice services to children and adults throughout Maine. “attend” the session. Kathy lost the ability to speak following a stroke four

32 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 33 A click away first

years ago. Thanks, in part, to individual speech treatment three times the national average for job growth overall. through telepractice, she regained her speech. In states with rapidly aging populations like Maine, the Phone conversations, though, can still be a challenge, demand may become even more critical. Maine is the oldest

making it difficult to keep in touch with family and friends state in the nation, with the population of citizens 65 years Summers Students out of state. Following individual therapy, Kathy has par- of age or older on track to increase by almost 90 percent ticipated in two telepractice aphasia communication groups. over the next 15 years. “This support group helps make connections and friend- UMaine is home to the state’s only undergraduate major in the lab ships that you lose because in speech-language pathology people don’t know how to deal and Maine’s only accredited with you,” Bob says. master’s program that leads to Physics, electrical “I look forward to it,” says national certification in speech- engineering major Kathy. language pathology. “They can talk together “Our workforce develop- a Goldwater Scholar because they all understand ment is critical for meeting each other,” says Bob. Clients participate in Clients receive current and future demands RAHAM VAN Goffrier, a physics and electrical communication groups. one-on-one therapy. for speech-language patholo- engineering major at the University of Maine, FOLLOWING THE success of gists, and the telepractice serv- G has been named a 2017–18 Goldwater the telepractice aphasia com- ice delivery model will enhance Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and munication groups, Walker the ability to reach those in Excellence in Education Foundation. The Norwell, also is focused on building need of services,” says Nancy Massachusetts native was awarded one of 240 telepractice caregiver support Hall, chair of UMaine’s scholarships to outstanding undergraduate sopho- From Orono, Maine, the telepractice groups in future research proj- program connects with clients. Department of Communica- mores and juniors nationwide who are studying ects. tion Sciences and Disorders. mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. In addition to the teleprac- Experience with telepractice SUMMER RESEARCH: Van Goffrier, who also is tice program, the Conley Cen- was essential for Anastasia Val- pursuing minors in nanotechnology and mathematics, ter has expanded to meet the court, a graduate of the com- has spent past summers involved in UMaine research growing demands for speech munication sciences and dis- in the Maine Software Agents and Artificial Intelligence therapy and audiology services, orders master’s program, when Laboratory, Biophysics Research Group, and Laboratory along with serving as the on- Children and adults Caregivers, teachers and she entered the workforce. for Surface Science and Technology. This summer, benefit from therapy. parents observe in real time. site training facility for graduate “UMaine is one of the few he will participate in the University of Michigan’s and undergraduate students. universities in the country that Research Experience for Undergraduates Program UMaine’s Audiology Clinic offers the telepractice program. at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. and Speech-Language Clinic offer services for people across From day one, we had opportunities to practice our skills BEYOND ACADEMICS: Van Goffrier has been the lifespan. The Speech-Language Clinic includes com- working with a range of different age groups, from preschool involved in various extracurricular activities, including prehensive speech and language diagnostic evaluations, fam- to adult-age clients,” Valcourt says. ice skating and theatre. He also launched a Rubik’s ily-based approach to therapeutic services, and support She now works for Mark R. Hammond Associates, Inc. Cube club. He has worked as a teaching assistant services for children and adults who stutter. in Portland, Maine, where she trains other speech language and has been active in professional associations, “We have over 50 clients in our on-campus center — pathologists on telepractice. including the student chapters of the Society of from 18 months to 93 years — all working with our For families like the Jacksons, more telepractice-savvy Physics Students, IEEE and Tau Beta Pi. Van Goffrier students,” says Judith Stickles, the center’s director. speech pathologists is great news. plans to pursue doctoral research in theoretical From 2014–24, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics antic- “The whole telepractice program was a godsend for us,” physics. He credits his UMaine professors and staff ipates the speech pathology field will grow 21 percent — Bob says. I for much of his success. I

34 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 35 Tick check Multiple initiatives focus on stemming a growing threat in Maine

By Elyse Catalina / Photographs by Adam Küykendall

N MAINE, the threat is growing. Fourteen tick species have been found in the state. Of those species, two pose significant health threats — one to humans and another to one of I Maine’s most iconic animals. Researchers at the University of Maine — in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture; Climate Change Institute; and University of Maine Cooperative Extension — are studying the arachnids and the diseases they spread in an attempt to better protect the health of people, animals and the environment. The deer tick or blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is responsible for the

majority of tick-borne illnesses affecting humans and domestic animals in Maine. Maine is home to 14 tick species, two of which pose The winter tick or moose tick (Dermacentor albipictus) prefers ungulate hosts, significant health threats. According to the Maine including moose, whose population is under attack as a result of the blood- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease, sucking pests that latch on by the tens of thousands to a single animal. reached a high of 1,485 in 2016, which researchers Cases of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease, reached a high believe is a small fraction of the actual incidence.

36 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 37 Tick check

At University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Insect and Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, integrated pest management specialist Griffin Dill and other team members offer diagnostic services, including plant disease identification, plant nutritional and cultural problem assessment, and insect identification. Dill, who runs UMaine Extension’s tick identification program, is pursuing a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences. His research is concentrated in the ecology of ticks, particularly the relationships among tick densities, habitats and small mammal hosts, including mice.

of 1,485 in 2016, according to pre- Dill says an increase in deer ticks Maine CDC data for 2016 reported For 25 years, tick identification in early 2018, will include a Biosafety liminary data from the Maine Center began to appear in southern Maine in 373 confirmed and probable cases of the state was provided by Maine Med- Level 3 (BSL-3) area that will allow for Disease Control and Prevention the late 1980s and early ’90s. Since anaplasmosis, up from 186 in 2015; ical Center Research Institute’s Vec- for safe screening of blood-borne (CDC). Those reported cases then, the pests have increased their 83 cases of babesiosis, up from 56. tor-borne Disease Lab in Scarborough. pathogens, such as tick-borne diseases. “Those reported cases are believed are believed“ to be only population in southern Maine, as well Anaplasmosis is a bacterial disease In 2014, the center eliminated its pro- UMaine Extension hopes to offer to be only a small fraction of the actual a small fraction of the as their distribution statewide. Deer that can infect white blood cells. Symp- gram due to funding concerns and pathogen testing for Lyme, anaplas- cases,” according to Griffin Dill, an actual cases. It’s ticks have been found in all 16 counties toms of anaplasmosis include fever, turned it over to UMaine Extension. mosis and babesiosis at a cheaper rate integrated pest management specialist thought that it’s a and as far north as Madawaska, accord- headache, malaise and body aches. “We thought it was a very impor- than out-of-state services, which can with UMaine Extension. “It’s thought tenfold difference, so ing to Dill. Babesiosis is a potentially severe disease tant service to offer,” says Dill, who cost around $50, according to Dill. that it’s a tenfold difference, so 1,000 1,000 cases is actually that can infect red blood cells. Signs has taken on coordination and expan- The BSL-3 area will be a biocon- cases is actually more like 10,000 cases.” EVEN THOUGH ecologists predicted of babesiosis usually range from no sion of the UMaine Extension tick tained environment, according to Anne more like 10,000 cases.” The disease is caused by a bacterium the dry conditions of 2016 would symptoms at all to extreme fatigue, identification program. Lichtenwalner, a UMaine professor, (Borrelia burgdorferi) transmitted by Griffin Dill reduce Maine’s tick population, the aches, fever, chills, sweating and anemia, Since UMaine’s program began, it veterinarian and director of the Animal the bite of an infected deer tick. Ticks overall incidence of Lyme disease hit according to the Maine CDC. has averaged about 275 tick identifi- Health Laboratory, which also will be don’t hatch carrying the disease, but The disease is easiest to treat with a record high. According to the UMaine UMaine Extension operates the cations per year, Dill says. UMaine relocating to the new facility. contract it in the larval stage by feeding antibiotics in the early stages. If left report “Maine’s Climate Future: 2015 only tick identification program in the Extension staff can identify the type One of Lichtenwalner’s major on an infected rodent, according to untreated, it can lead to arthritis; neu- Update,” the spread of Lyme disease state. John Rebar, UMaine Extension of tick submitted, as well as the com- research initiatives is monitoring the Dill. The ticks then transmit the disease rological problems, including numbness, has been linked to temperatures that executive director, says the free service mon hosts and diseases that species health of Maine’s moose. For about to animals and humans during the pain, facial paralysis and meningitis; make habitat more suitable for deer is a more affordable, faster option that can carry. Currently, the lab does not seven years, the Animal Health Lab nymphal and adult stages. memory and concentration difficulties; ticks and their hosts. gives people peace of mind sooner than test for disease-causing organisms. has been working with the Maine Early Lyme disease symptoms can or heart inflammation. In rare cases, Other tick-borne diseases, including if they sent a tick out of state. The Department of Inland Fisheries and include a bull’s-eye rash, fever, headache, Lyme disease can be fatal, according anaplasmosis and babesiosis, also have program also adds to UMaine Exten- UMAINE’S NEW Plant, Animal and Wildlife (IF&W) to study moose sur- joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. to the Maine CDC. been increasing in the state. Preliminary sion’s surveillance and research efforts. Insect Laboratory, slated to open by vival rates and mortality sources.

38 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 39 Tick check

University of Maine researchers in multiple disciplines are conducting research on ticks and the diseases they spread in an attempt to better protect the health of people, animals and the environment. In the Animal Health Lab, pictured far left, UMaine veterinarian Anne Lichtenwalner, left, partners with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists to study moose survival rates and mortality sources. UMaine Climate Change Institute doctoral student Susan Elias, pictured near left, a vector ecologist with Maine Medical Center Research Institute, conducts research on the eco-epidemiology of tick-borne disease in an era of abrupt climate change.

The lab is part of a multiyear study weather is changing, and the moose Deer and other animals have the ability and hunting permits. The number of deer ticks can quest longer into the assessing the health of the animal in have used up a lot of their metabolic to groom ticks from their bodies. moose permits issued in Maine fell late fall and start earlier in the spring. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. stores for the winter, and we’re a little “Moose tend to rely on rubbing, from 4,110 in 2013 to 2,140 last year That improves their probability of Since 2014, IF&W has fitted 286 We need to be thinking early for new growth they may be but the ticks oftentimes can survive — largely because of concerns about finding a blood meal, and once that Maine moose with GPS collars, which ahead when“ we’re browsing on. That’s when we tend to the rubbing. (The moose) end up losing survival rates due to winter tick infes- female deer tick is fed, then she can enable biologists to track movement, managing our yards, lose moose,” says Lichtenwalner, who their hair, but not the ticks,” Lichten- tation. State wildlife biologists are pro- overwinter and lay eggs in the spring.” as well as receive messages if a moose our communities, our affectionately refers to the animals as walner says. Infested adults are often posing to reduce moose permits to One adult female deer tick lays dies, according to Lee Kantar, state state. We need to be “charismatic megafauna.” referred to as “ghost moose” because 2,080 for the 2017 season to meet between 1,000 and 2,000 eggs that moose biologist. thinking about how to A single moose can carry tens of of their patchy and pale appearance population goals, Kantar says. result in larvae the following August, When the moose are collared in reduce our risk of thousands of winter ticks. University caused by their attempts to rid them- according to Elias, who is researching January and February, IF&W biologists of New Hampshire researchers esti- selves of the pests. RESEARCHERS BELIEVE tick survival the factors that affect the spread of infectious disease.” collect fecal, hair and blood samples; mated one moose in the study carried The IF&W study began in western may be increased by warming temper- deer ticks in Maine, as well as the dis- count parasite loads; and do a general Susan Elias more than 60,000, with the average Maine in 2014. That year, 73 percent atures and shorter winters. In the fall, eases they carry. assessment. Researchers at the UMaine being around 47,000, Kantar says. A of the collared calves died, followed ticks wait in vegetation to attach them- Elias has a master’s degree in wild- Animal Health Lab then process, ana- Lichtenwalner and her students test mature winter tick can expand to the by 60 percent the next year. In 2016, selves to passing animals. The later life science and is a research associate lyze and store the samples. for diseases and parasites. Many of the size of a grape and fill itself with up 26 of 35 collared calves in the western winter starts, the more time the ticks at the Maine Medical Center Research “It’s IF&W’s procedure; we provide moose samples the lab has analyzed to four milliliters of blood, according Maine study area did not survive, as have to find an animal to grab onto Institute’s Vector-borne Disease Lab the service and help interpret the have been infected with winter ticks, to the researchers. well as 17 of 36 in the newly added to escape the cold and snowy weather. (VBDL). She also is part of the Adap- results,” Lichtenwalner says. lungworms and lung cysts. An infested moose can become northern Maine area, Kantar says. “What we’re experiencing in Maine tation to Abrupt Climate Change When a radio-collared moose dies, In late March and early April, the anemic, and essentially be drained of Lichtenwalner says the data from now is compression of winter,” says (A2C2) Integrated Graduate Education IF&W biologists conduct a necropsy biologists usually see a surge in deaths. its blood. Calves are more likely to die the IF&W study can be used to help Susan Elias, a doctoral student in the and Research Traineeship (IGERT) at in the field. They bring back samples, “This is when the winter ticks are because their smaller bodies are some- predict moose populations and inform Climate Change Institute. “It’s become the Climate Change Institute (CCI). including the lungs and brain, which taking their biggest blood meal. The times unable to handle the blood loss. decisions related to forest management a shorter season, so that means adult The program provides funding to

40 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 41 Tick check

Personal Protection Tips Ph.D. students for interdisciplinary better understand the community and, “Babesiosis is the most geographically disease because it is of more concern from UMaine Cooperative Extension research projects aimed at improving upon invitation, go in and consult, confined; currently substantial human in the region. Avoid direct contact climate change adaption strategies. and then help streamline this quasi- cases only are being seen in the southern Gardner says the primary defense • Avoid areas that may be infested with ticks, including In collaboration with CCI, Elias political process to try to grapple with part of the state.” Maine residents have against tick-borne wooded and brushy spots with tall grass and leaf litter. says VBDL predicts climate change tick control,” she says. Gardner’s research will look at disease is awareness. • If unavoidable, plan activities involving tick habitat for will increase the risk of vector-borne Tick management works best as a whether land use and/or climate change “People need to take steps to pro- the hottest, driest part of the day. In general, ticks tend illness to humans in Maine. Tentative community effort, Elias says. In com- is responsible for the state’s emergence tect themselves by wearing appropri- to be found in wooded areas, tall grass or brush, edges where woods and lawn meet, and leaf litter; and conclusions are that milder winters munities that are split on how to handle and distribution of tick-borne disease. ate clothing and being aware of times around stone walls and woodpiles where small and adequate moisture in summers, deer overabundance, she recommends All land use changes — increased of year that are particularly high risk mammals live. as well as higher daily temperatures, tick control committees look into ways residential development, forestry prac- for tick-borne disease,” she says. • Walk in the center of mowed or cleared trails to avoid will allow the deer tick to complete its to tackle a less polarizing issue, such tices and terrestrial plant invasions — The most important personal pro- brushing against vegetation. life cycle statewide, according to Elias. as eliminating invasive plant species, result in reduced complexity of habitat, tection technique, according to Elias, Dress appropriately In addition to climate change, Elias which can create a dense microhabitat Gardner says. As habitats become more is the tick check. • Wear light-colored clothing for easier tick detection. is looking into other variables thought and protective environment for ticks. simplified, many large mammals leave. Also essential, Gardner says, is being • Wear long pants tucked into socks or boots, and tuck to affect the spread of deer ticks. Elias says understanding the spread These animals include predators of better informed to make land use deci- your shirt into your pants to keep ticks on the outside “Certainly one driver is climate. of Lyme disease is important because mice — the primary reservoir hosts of sions that can either drive or inhibit of your clothes. That’s one piece of the puzzle, but it’s it speaks to the larger issue of the eco- Lyme disease. the transmission of vector-borne disease. • Do not wear open-toed shoes or sandals. not the whole puzzle,” she says, citing epidemiology of infectious disease. In the case of climate change, Gard- Dill, who runs UMaine Extension’s other factors, such as deer and small Tick removal spoon “Tick-borne disease is just one; ner says one possibility for the spread tick identification program, is pursuing Use repellents mammal host density, and changes to other diseases could spread northward of Lyme disease is that the deer tick a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental • Repellents that contain up to 30 percent DEET can effectively repel ticks from exposed skin and clothing tick habitat, including land use and and we need to be prepared,” she says. has been transported north by animals sciences. His tick ecology research for several hours. invasive plants. The main reproductive host for “We need to be thinking ahead when capable of moving long distances, such focuses on their relationship to their • Use products that contain permethrin to treat clothing With help from other UMaine cli- the deer tick is the white-tailed deer. we’re managing our yards, our com- as birds or deer. However, they haven’t hosts. and gear; do not apply permethrin directly to your skin. mate scientists, Elias is creating models Some small island communities that munities, our state. been able to survive the winter to form In summer 2016, he conducted a • Other tick repellents recommended by the Centers for that better integrate the variables by don’t have a history of a regular firearm “We need to be thinking about a reproductive population until now. pilot project at farms statewide. At Disease Control and Prevention include picaridin, lemon eucalyptus oil and IR3535. using existing data sets and software season have an overabundance of the how to reduce our risk of infectious Trying to assess the relationship each, he live-trapped small mammals, that simultaneously take into account animal, Elias says. disease.” between climate change and vector- removed any ticks and took an ear snip Perform checks several factors and indicate the relative Thirteen of Maine’s 15 unbridged borne disease is a complex problem, to test for tick-borne disease. While • After being outdoors, conduct a full-body check. Ticks importance of each. islands with year-round residents have ALLISON GARDNER, an assistant pro- according to Gardner and Elias, be- his initial study looked at farms and may be found anywhere on the body, particularly under In 2016, Elias conducted a survey deer herds that carry ticks. Matinicus fessor of arthropod vector biology in cause of the many components to trans- potential risks for workers, Dill plans the arms, behind the knees, between the legs, in and of Maine’s island residents to better never had a deer population, and Mon- the School of Biology and Ecology, mission, including the vector, pathogen to expand his research to look into the around the ears, in the belly button and in hair. • Examine gear and pets before returning indoors to understand the attitudes and beliefs hegan eliminated its herd in the 1990s also is looking into the ecological and hosts. relationships among tick densities, ensure no ticks are carried inside. people have toward ticks, as well as after contacting VBDL about its increas- processes that facilitate the expansion “The Lyme disease ecological model habitats and small mammal hosts. He • Tumble clothing in a dryer on high heat for one hour to what they’re doing to protect themselves. ing number of Lyme disease cases. of vector-borne diseases. is one of the most complex models of will do that at the new Plant, Animal kill any ticks. “We’re seeing fairly high tick den- The lab continues to be contacted The three tick-borne diseases in disease out there,” Elias says. “Working and Insect Laboratory. sities out on the islands and fairly high by island residents who are concerned Maine that are currently undergoing out this puzzle is fascinating. We need “There’s a lot of fear and disinfor- Safely remove ticks infections. There seems to be a high about the prevalence of ticks and Lyme substantial geographic range expansions people from so many disciplines to get mation related to ticks out there, so • Remove an attached tick using tweezers or a tick entomological risk out on these islands,” disease, says Elias, who hopes the survey — Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and this figured out.” it’s incredibly important to have a removal spoon. says Elias, who cites high deer densities can be the first step in developing a babesiosis — are spreading at different Before coming to UMaine in 2016, facility like this where we can conduct • Thoroughly clean the bite area, your hands and the tick removal tool with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or and invasive plants, such as Japanese response to the increasing problem. rates and spatial patterns, Gardner says. Gardner’s research primarily focused research, but also (operate) as a hub soap and water. barberry and oriental bittersweet, as “Our approach to finding out what “Lyme has spread the farthest north on diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. for disseminating information directly • If you experience a rash, headaches, fever and flu-like possible reasons for the increased risk. people are thinking and feeling is to and the fastest at this point,” she says. Now her focus has shifted to tick-borne to the public,” Dill says. I symptoms after a bite, see a physician.

42 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 43 Tick check

A focus on Maine plants, animals and insects

IN NOVEMBER 2014, Maine voters and Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab on approved an $8 million bond referendum College Avenue, and the Animal Health to support state agriculture, facilitate Lab in Hitchner Hall were in danger of economic growth in natural resource- becoming obsolete. based industries, and monitor human The original plan called for health threats related to ticks, mosquitoes constructing a facility off College Avenue. and bedbugs through the creation of a But when a mostly vacant, 28,000-square- Plant, Animal and Insect Laboratory, foot commercial laboratory building More information is online: administered by University of Maine became available for sale in Orono a few extension.umaine.edu/newlab Cooperative Extension. miles from campus, it was clear that The new facility, expected to open by buying and renovating would offer more early 2018, will house UMaine’s Animal options for the budget, according to Rebar. Health Laboratory and Extension’s Insect “It went from good to great to and Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. unbelievable,” he says of lab plans. barriers in the form of lab facilities. The lab will bring together scientists The building on Godfrey Drive across The area will be a biocontrolled researching mammals, agriculture, insects the river from campus was built about environment, according to Anne and plants under one roof, according to 15 years ago and already contained lab Lichtenwalner, a UMaine professor, John Rebar, executive director of UMaine and office spaces. About 3,500 square feet veterinarian and director of the Animal Extension. The unique combination of of space in the facility is, and will continue Health Lab. Researchers will be required to researchers will provide many teaching to be, leased to an office of the National take extra precautions, such as wearing opportunities for students, as well as Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. lab-specific clothing, showering and premier research and outreach facilities. The building is a prime location for sterilizing all materials coming out of the The new Plant, Animal and Insect Laboratory will facilitate: By allowing for research contributions bringing in large animals to be autopsied. facility. The section also will have its own to agriculture, public health, communities It also sits on a six-acre site with room for air-handling system to keep pathogens • Expansion of the animal diagnostic program and wildlife, the lab will benefit Maine in a expansion. from escaping, she says. to work on large mammals, including horses, cattle and wildlife, variety of ways, including protecting the The new Plant, Animal and Insect Other improvements to the Animal to aid in the detection, diagnosis and management of emerging diseases natural resource- and food-based Laboratory will include a Biosafety Level 3 Health Lab’s necropsy space include a • Screening of ticks for Lyme disease and other disease-causing organisms economies, adding to food safety and (BSL-3) area that will allow for screening glassed-in viewing area for students and • Statewide mosquito monitoring and a disease prevention/awareness human health, and providing unique of blood-borne pathogens, such as tick- livestock owners, as well as a private drop- program to combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases diagnostic and testing services to farmers, borne diseases. According to the Centers off at the back of the building, complete • Increased monitoring for invasive pests of landscapes, forests and gardens homeowners and the public. for Disease Control and Prevention, BSL-3 with a monorail system, to more easily The need for new facilities dates back requires primary barriers and personal transport large mammals, such as moose • Cooperation with veterinarians to enhance detection and management of about 20 years, Rebar says. Both the Insect protective equipment, as well as secondary or cows. preventable diseases in domestic animals

44 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 45 N A car ride home, Douglas Nangle’s 12-year- but also who sent them,” says Nangle, a University of old daughter and her friend were sitting in the Maine professor of psychology and director of the doctoral backseat, their noses glued to their smartphones Clinical Training Program. “It was a whole conversation The company O as they chatted about the “likes” they’d received that seems pretty silly on the surface, but they were process- on the cat photos posted to their social media profiles. ing the information at an incredibly detailed level, balanc- Left unsaid: the mutual understanding of the meaning ing the number of likes and the relative social standing of behind each of those likes. the senders and what that said about them.” we keep “I’ve only got five likes on this one, but one is from In the 20-plus years since Nangle and Cynthia Erdley, a Sarah.” UMaine psychology professor, began studying the science “Oh really? You got one from Sarah?” of children’s friendships, much has changed in the under- Research focuses on the role and value For a researcher like Nangle, who has been studying the standing of how these early relationships help — and, in of friendship in the lives of youngsters and adolescents interactions of children for over two decades, the exchange some cases, hinder — social adjustment. Through their is particularly fascinating. seminal research, Nangle and Erdley have been major con- By Walter Beckwith / Photographs by Adam Küykendall / Illustrations by Rylie Bonin and Lucy Küykendall “They are not only analyzing how many likes they got, tributors to the understanding of the core functions of early

46 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 47 The company we keep

peer relationships, and the implications of the game-chang- not get from the other important relationships in their lives, ers through the years, including the rapid rise of technology such as parental bonds, because their friends are often on and social media. Together, they have collaborated on equal footing. As children grow older, their friends become numerous publications, including two books — one on the an important source of social and emotional support. role of friendship in psychological adjustment and another Early research into children’s relationships focused on on the clinical assessment of social skills. peer group acceptance — how popular a child was among Two years ago, the UMaine psychologists were joined peers — rather than the more nuanced one-on-one rela- by assistant professor Rebecca Schwartz-Mette, whose tionships. research also focuses on peer relationships. Together, the sci- In the ’70s and ’80s, it was generally understood that entist-practitioners are working to develop crucial social positive peer group acceptance predicted more positive intervention programs to help youngsters and youths build behavioral outcomes. That is, the popular kids tend to be more positive friendships in a world that is more complex friendlier, more generous, cooperative and empathetic, than ever. while youngsters rejected from the social group tend to be The three have published a practitioner’s guide to more aggressive, disruptive or hostile. They also are lonelier Relationship challenges understanding depression in childhood and adolescence. and have more depressive symptoms, according to Erdley. They are now working on a book that will explore how But as social researchers began to look closer at interac- RELATIONSHIPS ARE fundamental to how people social behaviors and skills impact adjustment through tions between individual children in the 1990s, a more experience the world around them, says Douglas Nangle, professor of psychology, director of the childhood and adulthood, as well as their role in certain complex picture surfaced. Among those researchers were UMaine Clinical Training Program and recipient of psychological and developmental disorders, like depression, Nangle and Erdley, who focused on the “protective role” of UMaine’s 2011 UMaine Presidential Outstanding aggression or anxiety. The volume will highlight the inter- children’s friendships. Teaching Award. Since joining the university in 1994, Nangle’s vention programs that have been developed to help aid in Peer group acceptance and friendship are related. Chil- research has focused on child and adolescent peer these social challenges. dren and adolescents who are more accepted are more likely relations, and social skills assessment and treatment. “For a long time, there was a focus on trying to change to have more friends. But friendships, in their own right, He has examined how the friendships in children and adolescents impact, and are impacted by, kids’ social behavior to get them liked by more of their are distinct, meaningful, and have a direct relationship to internalizing symptoms, like depression and social peers in general,” says Nangle. “But changing social status feelings of loneliness and, in turn, depressive symptoms. anxiety. His work also explores how friendships and at the group level is difficult and these programs did not “We ended up finding out that friendship more strongly other peer experiences help shape the development of early romantic relationships. always have as much success as people had hoped for. Now, predicts to adjustment than peer group acceptance does,” In many ways, friendships are important training instead of trying to get a kid liked by everyone in their class, Erdley says. It’s probably uncommon to find somebody grounds for future relationships, says Nangle. some are trying to help them become better participants in who is depressed and not lonely. inclusion and community, says Nangle, but friendships pro- Early friendships provide opportunities to learn skills in communication, empathy and intimacy. the friendships they do have.” Having just one friend is often all it takes to reap these vide more. With friendship comes a mutual expectation of Inhibition and withdrawal associated with social protective qualities. support. anxiety can create challenges for early friendship A FRIENDSHIP, as defined by peer relationship researchers, “One is the magic number. One friend makes the dif- Some of the core functions of a friendship include com- formation and impede development of relationship- building skills. Without them, or exposure to broader is a dyadic relationship distinguished by “reciprocated posi- ference. You don’t seem to be any better off with three or panionship, help, loyalty, nurturance, validation, affection social networks that good friendships offer, tive nominations.” Put simply, two individuals are friends if five or more friends, but there is a huge difference between and intimacy. Early friends are often the first sources of adolescents’ romantic relationships may suffer. they like one another and identify each other as a friend. zero and one,” Erdley says. “We know that children who these social and emotional qualities outside of immediate Nangle’s research has identified a path connecting social anxiety to friendship and romantic Equality and mutuality are the relationship’s defining char- don’t have friends are more likely to be bullied by peers.” families. relationship impairments in adolescence. He also has acteristics, Nangle says. While youngsters with friends can be victims of bully- “Friends help us learn positive social skills,” Erdley says. found evidence linking social anxiety and dating Childhood friends are important because they help ing, the risk for negative outcomes, including low self- In many ways, the friendships children forge on the aggression in college-age romantic relationships. Most recently, Nangle has explored this link shape the way we think, the way we see the world and the esteem, depression and anxiety, decrease if a child or adoles- playgrounds and neighborhoods become important training between social anxiety and forms of aggression. behaviors we engage in. In many ways, we are the company cent has a friend — someone to turn to for comfort, sup- grounds for relationships later in life. Skills such as commu- Rather than physical or overt aggression, he and we keep — the good and the bad. port and, most importantly, validation. nication, conflict resolution and intimacy are learned and other researchers have begun to identify more indirect forms of aggression in peer relationships. Friendships provide children with something they can- Being accepted by a group of peers provides feelings of honed in early friendships.

48 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 49 The company we keep

For example, disagreements are a part of every rela- it,” says Schwartz-Mette. “You are part of the fabric and tionship, but youngsters and adolescents with friends tend you’re not on the outs.” to be better at conflict resolution, which becomes crucial One is the magic number. While friends and friendships may change dramatically in adulthood, not only in interactions with family mem- One friend makes the difference.” throughout a lifetime, those social provisions of friendship bers and friends, but co-workers and other people in our “ — companionship, validation and greater self-esteem — Cynthia Erdley lives. are important no matter the stage of life. While they are “When friends fight, they care about the relationship particularly crucial when coming into one’s own during and they want to preserve it,” says Erdley. “Skills like nego- children who had more friends or who were able to make childhood and adolescence, they also are important during tiation and communication become important.” new friends at the beginning of the transition into school crossroads in later life, says Erdley. Early friendships also can be important predictors for developed a more positive outlook and showed greater aca- “In a time when you’re losing some of your roles — per- romantic relationships later in life. demic gains throughout the year. Additionally, academic haps you are retiring, your kids have moved on or maybe “We know there is a continuity between high-quality success and extracurricular involvement of older students your spouse is no longer with you — you’re still looking for friendships as a young kid and high-quality dating interac- can be predicted by the same qualities in their friends. that connection with somebody,” says Erdley. “You’re still tions as a young adult. And if you have high-quality friend- “I think that peer relationship research has uncovered trying to enhance that feeling of, ‘Wow, this person wants ship and dating interactions, you’re more likely to have what humans have probably known for generations about to be with me, this person enjoys being with me, I must be Virtual friendships high-quality interactions in your marriage,” Nangle says. the social provisions we get from friendships,” Schwartz- somebody good.’” Friendships are an important source of support during Mette says. “It all boils down to the simple fact that having CYNTHIA ERDLEY can trace her interest in the science of peer relationships to her days as a babysitter in life’s many transitions. In the case of schoolchildren, peer a friend scratches that very basic human itch we all have — UNDERSTANDING THE dynamics of children’s friend- high school when she was fascinated by the way relationships also can have an impact on students’ aca- needing to be accepted and to have a connection with other ships is just as important when it comes to helping youth children interacted. demic, social and emotional success in school. people.” deal with the downside of early relationship building. Since joining UMaine in 1992, her research has focused broadly on understanding the relationship While studying the transition of adolescents into mid- Meaningful friendships equip people with the social “In the early 2000s, people were really looking at friend- between children’s friendships and social and dle school, Erdley and her colleagues discovered that both armor that protects against deeply seated fears of not being ships as an all-good thing,” says Nangle. “We used to think emotional adjustment. She’s explored how having a the quantity and quality of a student’s friendships during accepted and provides tangible proof that one is OK — that if you did all the things that the socially competent friend can impact both internalizing problems, like loneliness, anxiety or depression, as well as elementary school predicted loneliness, self-esteem and aca- and loved. kids did, then other kids would like you. However, (we) externalizing problems, like aggression. Her research demic performance when entering middle school. “Having a friend, even just one friend, unconsciously found that that was not necessarily true.” has also shown how quality friendships predict both Others’ research has shown similar results. Kindergarten communicates that you are connected and you are worth Children and youth who are less popular don’t necessar- academic performance and success in social transitions, like moving to a new school. For Erdley, ily admire the most socially competent kids. Rather, they seeing how friendships have changed and evolved gravitate toward those more like themselves, with common throughout her career is particularly exciting. behaviors, attitudes, interests and ethical principles. Some of Erdley’s most recent research has been on the use of social media and its impact on the And once a bond is formed, pairs of friends tend to friendships of adolescents. Social media has been a grow more similar to each other over time; for better or for game-changer in terms of the amount of contact worse. peers can have with one another. Adolescence used to be the stage when older youth began to spend In recent years, peer relationship research has begun to more time with their friends and gained more control look into the less-than-positive qualities of friendship. In over their social lives. Now, though, due to the this “dark side” of friendship, children who form close rela- omnipresence of social media, that stage occurs as early as late elementary school. tionships with those who exhibit delinquent behaviors or Social media has certainly provided an avenue for depressive symptoms are more at risk of developing the bullying or other types of negative interaction, but in same problems. general, Erdley sees it as a mostly positive thing. When used appropriately, the online social lives “You can feel really close to someone and feel supported of children and adolescents in many respects mimic by them, but their engagement in certain risk behaviors their face-to-face friend networks, says Erdley. It has confers a risk for you to also develop those behaviors,” allowed children and adolescents to greatly expand their friendship networks, and has provided the tools Schwartz-Mette says. to support and maintain ties with peers from all over.

50 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 51 The company we keep

Depressive symptoms can be contagious and can pass from one friend to another. “The risk for depression in childhood is roughly equal for boys and girls,” Schwartz-Mette says. “At adolescence, that risk increases, but for girls it increases much more sharply.” This disparity continues into adulthood. A female’s risk of developing depressive symptoms is twice that of males, and women are more likely to experience one or more peri- ods of depression in their lives. A social mechanism called co-rumination may in part explain the contagious and gendered nature of depression. Co-rumination is the excessive discussion of problems between a set of friends, and it encompasses both positive Emotional adjustment and negative traits of friendship. All people share problems with their friends on some level. It’s a natural part of build- REBECCA SCHWARTZ-METTE has always been ing trust and intimacy in a relationship, but can have some fascinated by the nuances of human nature and understanding why people do what they do. Now, unintended and serious consequences. drawing inspiration from her experiences and social “It’s a process that makes friends feel pretty close to one interactions, the assistant professor of psychology is another, but it also, unfortunately, increases emotional looking into the complex mechanics — the microsocial processes — of the peer relationships of adjustment problems like depression,” says Schwartz-Mette. children and adolescents. Research by Erdley and other psychologists has shown Schwartz-Mette came to UMaine in 2015. Her that girls’ friendships are generally characterized by a greater Being accepted by a group of peers provides feelings of inclusion and research broadly focuses on the ways psychological problems and health-risk behaviors are influenced by exchange in emotional provisions. They tend to place more community, but friendships provide more. With friendship comes a mutual interpersonal context — the needs, values or emphasis on intimacy, disclosure and emotional support in expectation of support. personality a person brings to an interaction. friendships. For girls, friendships are a greater source of self- In adolescence, friendships become very important. At the same time, youth are at increased definition, according to Erdley. Co-rumination also is risk for unhealthy behaviors, like self-injury or suicide. much more frequent in girls’ friendships. Schwartz-Mette is interested in understanding how Girls who engage in a lot of co-rumination report hav- tionships, disclosure and co-rumination can be attributable a lot to offer in helping explain the gender differences in constructs like contagion and co-rumination in friendships relate to these adjustment issues. ing high-quality, intimate friendships, but at the price of to the ways in which young girls and boys are socialized, depression. It also can help researchers understand the con- Schwartz-Mette has developed a community greater feelings of depression, says Erdley. says Schwartz-Mette. tagion effect of depression, self-harm and suicide. outreach program that works with local school “What we found was that co-rumination was sort of a Typically, girls are encouraged to share and label their “If you spend a lot of time talking about it, maybe it districts and community organizations. The program provides training for teachers and school counselors, missing piece of the puzzle in understanding why girls, ado- emotions more so than boys. Relationships are emphasized raises the level of importance and it starts to impact behav- and consultations with school guidance departments. lescent girls in particular, are at an especially high risk of and connectedness to others is explicitly valued. Society ior,” she says. There also are presentations for students on a variety depression,” says Schwartz-Mette. sometimes sends the message to boys that displays of emo- This is a particularly important issue for a rural state of issues. From this outreach, her lab is gaining information Boys who co-ruminate appear to experience increased tion should be avoided and that ideal masculine traits like Maine, where access to mental health care is limited about the unique needs of the state’s children. She feelings of intimacy and connection, but don’t seem to have include being strong, stoic and independent. and the risk of depression and suicide in youth is higher hopes the research will give these schools a better the negative trade-off of being more depressed. “Of course we know that being emotional and strong than the national average, according to Schwartz-Mette. sense of how their students are doing and, perhaps, will inform policy. “We might have uncovered a hidden strength of boys’ aren’t mutually exclusive, but in a society where we like “Wouldn’t it be great if we could understand the unique This year in her lab, Schwartz-Mette is testing friendships,” Schwartz-Mette says. “They seem much more things in neat boxes, these gender stereotypes persist,” says needs of this population? To figure out what we can do for school-based prevention and intervention programs, focused on solving rather than internalizing the problems.” Schwartz-Mette. the schools, and provide good evidence-based services for which help students develop stronger social skills and I potentially prevent emotional adjustment problems. In some respects, the gender differences in valuing rela- Schwartz-Mette thinks research into co-rumination has the kids who really need it,” Schwartz-Mette says.

52 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 53 Watching for eyes Reproduction endocrinology research could improve survival rates of Atlantic salmon embryos

By Jay Field / Photographs by Holland Haverkamp

T’S A mystery that has puzzled University of Maine assistant professor of marine biology and aquaculture Heather Hamlin and the salmon farming industry in New England: the decline in egg survival. IThe survival rate of fertilized salmon eggs had been as high as 80 percent. But beginning in 2000, salmon embryos began dying in large numbers and the average How do I use what I’ve survival rate fell to around 50 percent. done in the past to address Previous studies have shown that a range of factors can negatively impact egg “ quality and production, including nutrition, stress, temperature and the endocrine problems that are status of the female. Until recently, businesses such as New Brunswick-based Cooke important to Maine? It’s a Aquaculture, which runs farming operations at several sites in Maine, knew little really important part of our about why some of its eggs were dying and others were surviving, despite having scholarship and research.” come from same-strain females, cultured under similar conditions. Heather Hamlin Now a UMaine study has found that two hormones may play significant roles in achieving an 80 percent embryo survival rate. Hamlin and LeeAnne Thayer, a UMaine Ph.D. candidate in marine sciences, wrote about their findings in the journal Aquaculture Research. For the past five years, Hamlin and Thayer have been taking tissue samples from Atlantic salmon ages 2–4 at three Maine sites: the National Cold Water Marine Aqua- culture Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at UMaine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin; and two owned by Cooke Aquaculture — a freshwater breeding site in Bingham and a sea cage site in Eastport. Hamlin and Thayer incubated fertilized eggs and monitored their development. What they watched for was the development of the embryos’ eyes in the bright orange eggs — a good indication that the egg will ultimately hatch. For Hamlin and Thayer, a major focus of their research has been the endocrine

LeeAnne Thayer, a Ph.D. candidate in marine sciences, monitors Atlantic salmon development by looking for the embryos’ eyes — a good indication that the incubated fertilized eggs will ultimately hatch.

54 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 55 Watching for eyes

system, which includes hormones, the tissues that produce them and the genes that Cooke Aquaculture operates salmon farming operations in New Brunswick, Nova regulate them. Because hormones regulate much of reproduction and embryonic Scotia, Newfoundland, Chile, Scotland, Maine and Washington, and sea bass and sea development and many other systems, the researchers wanted to determine if there bream farming operations in Spain. Cooke representatives were among the industry was a difference in the hormone profiles of the females producing batches of eggs officials at the salmon hatchery roundtable in Bangor. Hamlin introduced herself after with high and low survival rates. hearing about the salmon embryo survival problem, and proposed working together Hamlin and Thayer found that female Atlantic salmon with the highest levels to solve the issue. of 11-Ketotestosterone, an androgen, and 17-beta estradiol, an estrogen, were more The declining embryo survival rate creates unpredictability, which means the likely to produce embryos with an 80 percent survival rate. company must produce more eggs than needed to ensure a consistent supply of salmon for the marketplace. THE PROJECT was a natural next step in Hamlin’s research Hamlin will now turn her attention to hormonal processes related to egg assembly, career focused on the intersection of endocrinology and repro- ovulation or postovulatory aging. In the next phase of her research, Hamlin plans to ductive health. The Hampden, Maine native received her analyze arrays of mRNA transcripts, or transcriptomes, in the tissues of farmed bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UMaine. She was an Atlantic salmon to see which systems in the fish are the most stressed. assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gyne- “That could really help us sort of identify that needle in the haystack,” says cology at the Medical University of South Carolina before Hamlin. “We can start to identify very specific pathways that might be affected. returning to her alma mater in 2011. Then we might be able to definitively identify causes. That’s a relatively new area of “How do I use what I’ve done in the past to address research.” I problems that are important to Maine?” she asks. “It’s a really important part of our scholarship and research. It has less utility, in my opinion, if it can’t benefit the people of Maine.” Hamlin found the research project that would allow her to fulfill this goal a few months before beginning her job in Orono. That spring, she was invited to a salmon hatchery roundtable in Bangor. Commercial aquaculture producers, marine scientists, and state and federal officials gather biannu- ally to discuss challenges facing hatcheries in New England. At the meeting, Hamlin learned about declining embryo sur- Beginning in 2000, Atlantic salmon embryos vival rates in farmed Atlantic salmon. began dying in large numbers and the average survival rate fell to around 50 percent. UMaine Hamlin’s Ph.D. research at the University of Florida researchers wanted to determine if there was examined how pesticides, nitrates and chemicals in plastics a difference in the hormone profiles of the affected the reproductive health of alligators, sharks, chickens, females producing batches of eggs with high and low survival rates. Siberian sturgeon and turtles. In South Carolina, the repro- ductive endocrinologist worked at the Hollings Marine Lab- oratory, where she did research on marine animals in an effort to learn more about problems impacting maternal fetal health. In the declining survival rates of salmon embryos in New England, Hamlin saw an opportunity to use her expertise in endocrinology and reproduction to help solve a major problem facing an industry vital to Maine’s economy.

Student researchers sort the live salmon embryos to determine the percentage that have reached the eyed stage.

56 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 57 Tomah Project 58 The Sabattis UM

Peter Neptune, left and Sabattis Tomah at Peter Dana Point, Indian Township, Maine. Photo courtesy of Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Tribe aine Passamaquoddy tribeto annotating thenotesof N. Smith, whichwillbe ethnographer Nicholas finish transcribing and Toda part ofanexhibitin Micah Pawling will y Spring/Summer 2017y Spring/Summer Indian Township.

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The eight were selected from more than 80 than more from Theselected were eight an assistant professor of history of professor assistant an alternative totraditionalconstruction. structural lifespanupto100yearsandisan system lowersconstructioncosts, extends markets. The innovative compositebridge with theintenttoexpandintoglobal arch bridgetechnologyinNorth America, adoption ofUMaine’s patentedcomposite Company. The agreementwillhelpgrow Terre Armee Group/ReinforcedEarth marketing agreementforNorth America with signed anexclusivedistributionand Composites Centerspinoffcompany, has University ofMaine Advanced Structuresand machines. chemistry Nobelprizeonsyntheticmolecular the scientificbackgroundfor2016 molecular machines. Hisworkwas citedin microscopic reversibilityingoverning particularly, forclarifyingtheroleof biological andsyntheticmolecularmotors; significant contributionstothefieldof Fellows to10. Astumian was citedfor UMaine facultymembersnamed AAAS selection bringsthenumberoffull-time Advancement ofScience(AAAS). His fellow ofthe American Association forthe professor ofphysics, hasbeennameda ADVANCED INFRASTRUCTURE GLOBAL SPAN R. DEAN ASTUMIAN, AAAS FELLOW University ofMaine Technologies, a THE UNIVERSITY WHAT’S NOW — AND NEXT be afocusofherhonorsthesis. also isworkingontheproject, whichwill Sirois, ajunior pursuingateachingdegree, doctoral studentJanet Nichols. Rachel Professor ofEducationSidMitchell and parenting classesprovidedby Associate team includechilddevelopmentand opportunities totellpersonalstories. addition toteachingwritingskills, provides participated inthegroup, which, in Armistead. To date, about30womenhave William NicholsandSusanBennett- group, ledbyUMaineliteracyprofessors “What Now? What’s Next?” isawriting community,” shesays. can haveapositiveeffectonour know thatthisworkisanotherway we diploma orclassifiedaslowliterate, “we state prisoninmateslackingahighschool the college. With ahigh percentageof longstanding workingrelationshipwith Literacy Volunteers ofBangor, whichhasa Mary MarinLyon, executivedirectorof is stronger, saferandmorevibrant,” says in readingandwriting. parenting classes, toone-on-onetutoring college, tochilddevelopmentand completing highschoolandpreparingfor a menuofservices, rangingfromhelpwith Now? What’s Next?,” womenchoosefrom Penobscot CountyJail. opportunities forfemaleinmatesat up toprovidemuch-needededucational Literacy Volunteers ofBangorhaveteamed Riverside Adult EducationPartnership and Education andHumanDevelopment, Other servicesofferedbytheUMaine One oftheservicesofferedthrough “A moreliteratecommunityisonethat In thepilotprogramcalled “What of MaineCollege BRIDIE MCGREAVY CLAM CAM supporting theproject. Humanities Centerare Solutions andagrantfrom Center forSustainability Senator GeorgeJ. Mitchell Foundation award tothe challenges theyface. environmental, economicalandsocial essential tothisvitalMaineindustry, andthe to educatethepublicaboutpeoplewhoare videos, interviews, information anddata. The goalis (nest.maine.edu/clamcam) showcasingtheproject’s pounds offreshlocalclamsfordinner. physical laborthatgoesintosecuringevenafew pulling techniques. And moremud. mesh bagsandgloves, aswellvarious diggingor show thetoolsoftrade—rakes, buckets, hods, including sunrises, thickfogandmud. They also strap totheirchests. harvesters —fromFreeport toRoqueBluffs— clams, McGreavy’s teamsuppliedGoProsfor learn abouthislivelihoodbyvicariouslydigging foster communities’resiliencyandsustainability. practices) anddigitalmediainitsresearchtohelp in-depth descriptionsofpeople’s dailylifeand of Maine. people whoharvestclamsforalivingonthecoast way oflifeandsomethepressing challengesof Maine. 2017 UMainegraduateinjournalismfrom Turner, Kelowna, BritishColumbia, andCarterHathaway, a Quiring, aPh.D. studentincommunicationfrom She’s collaboratingontheprojectwith Tyler Department ofCommunicationandJournalism. — otherswillbeabletoexperiencethatworld, too. a windowintothelivesofMaineclamharvesters so foreign, sobeautiful.” time, shesays, was like enteringa “world thatwas she hadn’tbeenonaclamflat. but untilcomingtotheUniversityofMainein2010, the UniversityofMaine A NationalScience The researchershaveawebsite McGreavy saystheClamCamcaptureshard The videosdepictwhatharvesterssee— After aharvestersuggestedthepubliccould The teamusesethnographicmethods(detailed, A goal, saysMcGreavy, istosharetheunique McGreavy isanassistantprofessorinthe Soon, thankstotheClamCam—whichopens Walking onexposedintertidalmudforthefirst grew upinBrownfield, Maine, research.” ethically mindful engaged and generation supports traditional data on This variation isdepicted. industry shaping how their embodied role in substantial, The clammers have a “ umaine Tyler Quiring today.umaine.edu

59 Insights 60 UM have always had have doawide to specialized urban then the teachers the then and teach awide aine necessarily havenecessarily variety ofthings subjects, which to doinamoreto they doattract Rural schools teachers, Toda environment.” they wouldn’t a hard time “ y Spring/Summer 2017y Spring/Summer attracting Catharine Biddle variety of and take amoreholisticlook atissuesofplace. schools. They recommendeducationresearchers itself asacauseoftheproblemsfacing rural cautioning researchersagainstseeing rurality in turn, ruralschools, shesays. on thepoliticalcapitalofruralcommunitiesand, early 20thcentury. That’s hadanegativeimpact that rural America haslostpopulationsincethe attracting andkeeping teachers. rural schoolscontinuetohaveadifficulttime teacher recruitment, retentionandtraining. between 1910and2015focusedonrural examined nearly150academicarticlespublished reformers oftheearly20thcentury. They school problem” totheprogressiveeducation Virginia Tech, tracetheoriginsof “rural assistant professorofadolescentliteracyat Research.” School Problem’: A CenturyofRuralEducation “Constructing andReconstructingthe ‘Rural the problem,’” saysBiddle, whoco-wroteanarticlein kind oftheechoforward ofthe ‘rural school there’s atendencytostilldothattoday. That’s focused onthethingsthatruralschoolslack, and change, themoretheystaysame. University ofMaine, it’s this: The morethings professor ofeducationalleadershipatthe United States?For CatharineBiddle, assistant academic writingaboutruraleducationinthe WHAT CAN THE ‘RURAL SCHOOLPROBLEM’ Review ofResearchinEducation Biddle and Azano concludetheirarticleby An aspectthathaschanged, Biddlesays, is A longviewofthiscriticaltopicshowsthat Biddle andco-author Amy Price Azano, an “A lotofliteratureattheturncentury you learnbystudying100yearsof titled drove changesin Arctic phytoplankton. — light, nutrientsandgrazing—predominantly arctic phytoplanktonstocksandecologicalprocesses ice coverchangesdominatedthevariability in Ant- dynamics. a slightimbalanceinherbivore-phytoplankton annual cycleofplanktonbiomasscanbeexplainedas will bepossible. phytoplankton verticaldistributiononaglobalscale designed foratmosphericmeasurements), quantifying technology foroceanmeasurements(CALIOPwas takeaways. Oneisthat, ifNASAoptimizeslidar when nolightwas available duringpolarwinters. phytoplankton biomass(microscopicalgae), including decade ofuninterruptedgrowth-decaycyclespolar ocean, Bosssays. good predictorofparticleconcentrationintheupper CALIOP haveonlyrecentlybeenfoundtoprovidea path. Returnsignalsfromtheoceanmeasuredby signal duetointeractionwithmatteralongthelight light andmeasures, asafunctionoftime, thereturn instrument. Lidar withOrthogonalPolarization (CALIOP) around thecountryutilizedNASA’s Cloud-Aerosol oceanographer EmmanuelBossandcolleaguesfrom in the Arctic and Antarctic, UniversityofMaine of free-floating, life-sustainingoceanphytoplankton TO GAIN THE MARINEFOOD WEB A BETTERLOOK AT THE BASE OF And theteamlearnedthatinlast10years, Boss andhiscolleaguesalsoconcludedthe Boss saidtheprojectyieldedseveralimportant With thistechnology, theteamexamineda Lidar isanactivesensorthatemitsapulseof greater understandingoftheannualcycles podcast willbeavailable. expected toairearlythisfall, anda energy balance. The Bangorshowis system andhowthebrainregulates unravel themysteriesofnervous field. Inthelab, Townsend worksto focused onferretingoutherresearch — fortheraucousgameshowsegments Jr., MichelleButeauandCharlieHankin and theothercomedians—Roy Wood of neurobiology, joinedhostChrisDuffy UMaine alumnaandassistantprofessor exciting”to thepublic. Kristy Townsend, academic researchmoreaccessibleand The goaloftheprogramisto “make distinguished scientiststudiesallday.” who “try togetthebottomofwhata show featuringapanelofcomedians taping of “You’re theExpert,” alive Festival inBangor, Maineincludeda THIS YEAR’S SHE’S THE EXPERT annual MaineScience

Whittling Fog Photography CONCUSSIONS ARE A MATTER OFBALANCE THERE ARE geological epoch Dawn ofanew association witharchaeologicalmaterials. environments. A few were evenfoundin mining. Othersareattributedtoindustrial attributed tohumanactivitiesrelated the planetover2.2billionyearsago. since theGreatOxidationEventimpacted minerals onEarththananyotheragent done moretoincreasethediversityof for Science, suggeststhathumanshave Robert HazenoftheCarnegieInstitution activities. principally orexclusivelythroughhuman mineral speciesthatformedeither catalog, forthefirsttime, agroupof208 beryllium. containing theelementsboronand Australia toEurope—particularlythose from fivecontinents— Antarctica to studied andhelpeddiscovernewminerals School ofEarthandClimateSciences, has petrologist Edward Grew. University ofMainemineralogistand hydroxyledgrewite —arenamedafter (IMA), twoofwhich—edgrewiteand the InternationalMineralogical Association recognized mineralsonEarth, accordingto sustain headinjuries. A teamledby term healthandsafetyofplayerswho leagues lookforways toensurethelong- numerous professionalandamateursports a personwalks, theyaredeveloping device calledOptoGait, whichevaluates how people whosustainconcussions. Usinga might leadtoanewmethodofmonitoring Many ofthe208mineralsare The research, acollaborationledby Most recently, hehelpedidentifyand Grew, aresearchprofessorinthe recently conductedapilotstudythat researchers fromtheUniversityof Maine andLoganUniversity roughly 5,200officially in thenewsthesedaysas education. professor ofathletictrainingandphysical Christopher Nightingale, UMaineassistant indicate long-termconcussioneffects, says understanding variations inbalancethatcould patient’s symptoms. OptoGaitcould beatoolfor professionals additionalinformationabouta OptoGait maygiveathletictrainersandmedical of balancecanbeanindicatoraconcussion, concussion toresumephysicalactivity. Sinceloss person hassufficientlyrecoveredfroma measures ofbalancethatcouldindicatewhena 208 officially recognized minerals onEarth 5,200 which theywere formed. the environments andconditions under mediated minerals, butrather helpedshape People didnotdirectly create thesehuman- exclusively through human activities formed eitherprincipallyor mineral speciesthat umaine today.umaine.edu

61 Photo courtesy of the RRUFF project InsightsInsights SPRING BREAK GETAWAYS

AGE-FRIENDLY LIVING Insights SPRING BREAK 2017 for some members of the Spring WHEN AARP announced last summer that Bangor would be Break University of Maine community involved a variety of named the 100th community in the country to earn “age- engagement activities. Among them: Fifteen students friendly” status, leaders in Maine’s third-largest city had to and a faculty member from the School of Nursing were in make a big commitment. To receive this distinction, a city must Costa Rica on a medical mission trip. For the 19th year, agree to devise a comprehensive strategy to become more UMaine’s Alternative Breaks program sent volunteers into livable for its oldest residents. communities to undertake service projects, this time at sites AARP had already done one survey on how well Bangor in Virginia and New York state. Eighteen students majoring currently meets the needs of its seniors. But city leaders, in anthropology, zoology, wildlife ecology, and ecology and including Patty Hamilton, director of health and community environmental sciences were in Tanzania for a field studies services, felt they needed to dig deeper. We remain the course in ecology led by two faculty members. And four Bangor partnered with the University of Maine’s Center on only campus in engineering majors traveled to Florida to work on a Habitat Aging to hold seven community forums last fall to gather “ for Humanity project. feedback from seniors on how well Bangor is complying with the system that the eight domains of livable communities, as defined by the has a Center on World Health Organization: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social Aging that’s HUNGRY 100K inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication devoted to the and information, and community and health services. MAY 3, members of the University of Maine Attendees also were asked to fill out voluntary demographic research of community set a meal-packing record. During The PLANTS IN THE PITS forms. Hungry 100K: Maine Day Meal Pack-out at the issues of aging. FOR TENS of thousands of years, the warm, sticky natural asphalt The Center on Aging research team found that Bangor has Memorial Gym on campus, UMaine set a record for that occasionally bubbled to the Earth’s surface in the area now already made significant progress living up to its age-friendly This is what the most meals packed in one event by a university. called Los Angeles was a death sentence for some ice age animals. status, says Lenard Kaye, Center on Aging director. UMaine is now ranked in the top 10 of all pack-outs held we do.” Lenard Kaye Woolly mammoths, camels, rabbits, horses, bison, sloths, “We’re not starting from scratch here,” he says. “Bangor in 18 states. More than 250 volunteers helped the UMaine rodents, snails, turtles, birds and saber-toothed cats perished after has pretty good grades on all counts.” Honors College and Bodwell Center for Service and becoming mired in the liquid asphalt — sometimes referred to as Kaye says the Center on Aging is committed to working Volunteerism exceed their goal by packing 107,562 meals Retirement tar pits. with Bangor officials and residents to figure out how to — about 5.5 tons of food — that were sent to food banks For Jacquelyn Gill, the fossils, twigs and plants encased in this saving prioritize suggestions — from improving sidewalks to the need and shelters around the state. The pack-out was one of sticky petroleum at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in downtown for housing and expanding bus service. more than 70 volunteer projects undertaken by over 1,500 Los Angeles provide opportunities to examine the climate and flora NEW RESEARCH by the University of The older adults living in Bangor who attended the students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members on and fauna of the past, and observe evolutionary changes. Maine commissioned by AARP Maine community forums and responded to the Center on Aging’s UMaine’s annual day of service. The University of Maine paleoecologist’s findings will be added reveals the fiscal impact of inadequate survey also noted that they want an intergenerational to the broader mosaic of what’s already known about the very retirement savings in the state. community that they can benefit from, where they can interact large animals of that era. “The Fiscal Implications of with folks of all ages. Gill and other scientists involved with Project 23, as it’s called, Inadequate Saving for Retirement” ONE OF THE BEST BATTALIONS intend to reconstruct the food web — from mastodons and bison report shows that an aging Maine BLACK BEAR Battalion, the University of Maine’s to rodents and plants — during 2,000- to 5,000-year snapshots workforce moving into retirement is H Army ROTC unit, has won the prestigious MacArthur across an approximate 50,000-year period. increasingly reliant on public assistance, WALK BANGOR Award, which recognizes the top eight schools, selected “Many of these are ice age survivors,” Gill says of the animals signaling a trend that could have from among the 275 senior Army Reserve Officers Training and plants trapped in the oil seeps. “What made them so resilient important fiscal implications for the LAST FALL, a group of UMaine students gave a Corps (ROTC) programs nationwide. The award, presented to climate change and extinction?” state, according to AARP Maine. presentation on what could be gained by Bangor by Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur By reconstructing the food web, Gill and the team of The study was led by Philip Trostel, becoming a more walkable city, as well as the Foundation, recognizes the ideals of “duty, honor and researchers will learn how various species were connected for an economics and public policy professor steps needed to get there. The students outlined country.” It is based on achievement of the school’s extended periods of time when they were not under climate stress. at the UMaine School of Economics and the potential benefits and costs of two commissioning mission, its cadets’ performance and Understanding those connections could help protect today’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center. scenarios: creating about 5 miles of new bike standing on the command’s National Order of Merit List, biodiversity in a changing climate, she says. “This report can serve as a catalyst lanes, and launching a “Walk Bangor” campaign and its cadet retention rate. Cadet Command and the “We can see how species relied on each other, and use those for change,” Trostel says. “Helping by placing 30 signs citywide. Their analysis found MacArthur Foundation have given the annual awards since relationships to predict extinction risk based on food web workers save during their career will that taking these two steps could save residents 1989. Black Bear Battalion won top honors for 2nd Brigade, connections,” says Gill. “It’s a useful model to apply to our modern reduce government spending for retiree money, bring local businesses more customers, whose 42 schools include MIT, Northeastern, Boston ecosystems.” benefits. It is important for the state of improve home values by attracting more people University and Rutgers. It’s the first time Cadet Command Fossils in the tar pit tombs were unearthed recently when the Maine to consider options that will to the city, increase social activities and make has selected UMaine Army ROTC for the award. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which is adjacent to La Brea create more vehicles for workers to save Bangor greener and less car dependent. Tar Pits and Museum, excavated a site to build an underground toward retirement through their parking garage. workplace.”

62 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017 umainetoday.umaine.edu 63 Insights Acadia’s small critters

ALESSIO MORTELLITI, an assistant The University of Maine professor of wildlife habitat conservation is home to some of the at the University of Maine, is one of “ three scientists who have been awarded most loyal and caring fellowships to conduct research in Acadia National Park. donors I have worked The fellowships were awarded as with in my career. part of Second Century Stewardship, an initiative of the National Park Service, LESSONS IN STORYTELLING They provide a level of Schoodic Institute at Acadia National THIS SPRING, 11 undergraduates in a class on adult development and aging in the College excellence at UMaine that Park, and the American Association for of Education and Human Development participated in a project called Legacy Storytellers the Advancement of Science (AAAS). would not otherwise be through the Alzheimer’s Association of Maine. They interviewed elders with early to middle- Second Century Stewardship stage Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia about their life and wrote narratives to give possible. This building is launched in 2016 during the centennial to their families. of the National Park Service to provide one example of that The students worked from a list of questions covering different parts of a person’s life: top-quality science research for park childhood and early adolescence, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood and generosity.” stewardship, build public appreciation parenthood, and, finally, life’s wisdom. for science, and pursue solutions to Ian Cameron, a lecturer in human development and family studies, teaches the course Jeffery N. Mills ’82, Ph.D. critical issues for parks and society. that examines the misconceptions, myths and stereotypes about the aging process and the President/CEO, University of Maine Foundation The collaboration is initially focused elderly, with a focus on social, physical, cognitive, economic and demographic issues. at Acadia National Park, with plans to Cameron wants students to understand that as humans live longer, rates of Alzheimer’s and partner with national parks across the other forms of dementia increase. country over time, according to the The Legacy Storytellers program came to UMaine through a partnership with the Schoodic Institute. Alzheimer’s Association, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, and the UMaine Center for The fellowship will fund Mortelliti’s Community Inclusion and Disability Studies. research on how small mammals may Cameron says the primary goal for the students was to produce a story about the affect the expansion of plants due to residents’ lives. A secondary goal was to have the students form a personal relationship climate change in Acadia National Park. with someone living with Alzheimer’s. The results of the field experiments Home is where the heart is will allow managers to predict how local forest communities might change in the coming years and take the appropriate FIFTEEN YEARS ago, alumni and actions, Mortelliti says. friends celebrated the opening of the ONLINE SPIRE Robert D. Buchanan ’44 Alumni Please contact the University of Maine Foundation if you would like to discuss making a gift to benefit THE INAUGURAL issue of Spire, an online journal of House. After years of planning and conservation and sustainability at the University the University of Maine. of Maine, launched in May. The student-produced hard work by University of Maine journal promotes “awareness-raising dialogue” alumni leaders, reunion classes and to unite Maine communities to affect positive friends, the dream of having “A Place to Call Home” became a reality. environmental change. The first issue (umaine.edu/spire) features photos and original With more than 13,000 alumni taking part, the campaign to construct artwork, and articles from the fields of biology Buchanan Alumni House was the largest in UMaine’s history. Built and ecology, folklore, climate science, English, and maintained entirely through private monies, Buchanan Alumni umainefoundation.org graphic design, nursing and forest resources. Kaitlyn Abrams, a graduate student in English, House is home for more than 100,000 alumni and friends of the founded the journal and is editor-in-chief. university. Since opening, the house has hosted 9,000 events, with Two Alumni Place 75 Clearwater Drive, Suite 202

Illustration by Colby Fogg over 275,000 attendees and countless numbers of visitors, including Orono, ME 04469-5792 Falmouth, ME 04105-1445 Dr. Buchanan this spring to celebrate his recent 95th birthday. 207.581.5100 or 800.982.8503 207.253.5172 or 800.449.2629

64 UMaine Today Spring/Summer 2017

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