Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Maine Lobstermen's Association Whale Update, Amber-Jean Nickel, Maine Lobstermen's Association

Fisheries

The Maine Lobstermen's Association “has been closely following the death of Right Whale 5120 found dead on Martha’s Vineyard on January 28th. The MLA was shocked and dismayed when NOAA Fisheries announced on February 14th that the rope removed from the deceased whale 'is consistent with the rope used in Maine state water trap/pot buoy lines.’”

“Maine lobstermen have made many changes to how we fish to avoid harming a Right whale which makes this news hard to believe. As we move forward, MLA will push back on NOAA’s finding until the industry’s questions about the entanglement and how NOAA …

S8e8: How Will Ai Impact Our Lives?, Ron Lisnet, Salimeh Sekeh, Vikas Dhiman

The Maine Question

Artificial intelligence, or “AI,” is a hot topic in 2023. AI and machine learning make headlines every day, with stories ranging from the technology’s helpful capabilities, like self-driving cars, to its scariest potential — think “deep fake” videos fooling the public, or human workers being made obsolete by tools like ChatGPT.

At the University of Maine, AI is central to research and classroom activities across disciplines, from forestry and farming to sensors and satellites.

In this episode, we speak with two UMaine researchers who are at the forefront of AI research. Salimeh Sekeh is an assistant professor of computer science …

Stratigraphic Architecture Of Pozuelo Mounds As Revealed By Earth Resistivity Tomography, Caeli Connolly

Honors College

This study is a geoarchaeological analysis using earth resistance tomography (ERT) surveys of two of four mounds at Pozuelo (Formative Period, cal yr 3000 BP) in the Chincha Valley of coastal, southern Peru. Layers identified in the subsurface were to determine the presence or absence of regional continuity between the mounds. This effort is part of a larger investigation examining the paleoenvironmental setting of the site, and its influence on site location and use. Ten earth resistance tomography profiles were collected using an ABEM Terrameter LS2 and 81 pin array. These profiles were then topographically corrected using topographic survey data …

Incel Bonding: Masculinity And Storytelling In Online Misogynist Spaces, Gunnar Eastman

Honors College

The incel subculture, short for “involuntary celibate,” is one that exists mostly online, but boasts a relatively large number of dedicated members. The goal of this research is to determine how the incel subculture shares their ideology and develops a sense of group identity. The study reviewed 76 threads of posts across two incel forum websites, and was able to conduct three interviews of members from one of those sites. That content was analyzed iteratively for cohesive themes. Several themes emerged, chief among them was the activity of storytelling, which appeared to be done in three different major ways, with …

S7e8: What Is The Legacy And Future Of The Climate Change Institute?, Ron Lisnet, Paul A. Mayewski, Daniel Sandweiss, Cynthia Isenhour

The Maine Question

The nation’s first multi- and inter-disciplinary research institute to study Earth’s recent and long-term climate variability was founded in 1972 at the University of Maine. That institute, now known as the Climate Change Institute, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, a milestone that honors the many groundbreaking discoveries its scientists have made in the field of climate science.

CCI have scientists first mapped the difference between climate during the Ice Age and today in the 1970s; discovered the importance of marine-based ice sheets in the 1980s; connected acid rain to human causes in the mid-1980s; uncovered the concept of …

Arcmap Basics: Wpes, How Do I...? Quick Guide, Bea E. Van Dam

Non-Thesis Student Work

This document is a quick guide to performing common geospatial tasks in ArcMap 10.x (ArcGIS Desktop) for new users. Covered are basic navigation of the ArcMap window; importing, opening, querying, editing, and exporting data; and map preparation. In many cases, there are multiple ways to accomplish different tasks; presented here are the methods the author finds easiest or most straightforward. Mouse click sequences and menu/tool layout may differ if using previous versions of ArcMap.

S7e4: How Can We Eliminate Pfas?, Ron Lisnet, Onur Apul

The Maine Question

In recent years, communities across Maine and the U.S. have discovered the presence of toxic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in their land and water. Also known as forever chemicals because they are difficult to destroy, PFAS have been incorporated in various products, including food containers, clothing, rugs, teflon pans, fabrics and dental floss, for decades. Emerging research, however, has linked PFAS to several health issues, including weakened immune systems, increased risk of obesity and multiple cancers, developmental problems in children and harm to negative effects on reproduction.

Onur Apul, assistant professor of environmental engineering at the …

S6e9: What Does Maine Need To Expand Electric Vehicle Use?, Ron Lisnet, Jonathan Rubin

The Maine Question

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Maine will require a broader adoption of electric vehicles, according to University of Maine economist Jonathan Rubin. Officials from the Maine Department of Transportation and other state agencies have a role to play in fueling the transition away from gas-powered cars and trucks. To guide them, Rubin, professor of economics and director of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and his colleagues from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) released a report that outlines strategies for reducing emissions from the transportation sector.

On this week’s episode of “The Maine Question,” Rubin discusses the report …

S6e6: How Do Changing Conditions In The Arctic Affect Maine?, Ron Lisnet, Karl Kreutz, Kristin Schild

The Maine Question

Changes in the Arctic affect Maine, despite them being separated by more than 1,000 miles. Several scientists from the University of Maine study these shifting conditions of the climate and environment in the region and their impacts. In 2018, the UMaine Arctic Initiative was formed to build on their work and enhance collaboration in the campus community and with outside stakeholders.

In this episode of “The Maine Question” podcast, scientists Karl Kreutz and Kristin Schild from UMaine Arctic and the UMaine Climate Change Institute discuss their research, and elaborate on the region and its shifting conditions influence the state.

S6e1: What Happens If Mount Everest Loses All Of Its Snow And Ice?, Ron Lisnet, Paul A. Mayewski

The Maine Question

No place on earth can escape the effects of climate change, not even Mount Everest. The highest glacier on the world’s tallest mountain — the South Col Glacier — is rapidly disappearing. A new University of Maine-led study found that the glacier is losing several decades of ice and snow accumulation annually due to human-induced climate change.

These findings are the latest from the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, led by UMaine Climate Change Institute director Paul Mayewski. In this episode of “The Maine Question,” Mayewski and UMaine Ph.D. candidate Mariusz Potocki, both co-authors of the …

Arcmap Hydrology Toolset: Wpes, How Do I...? Quick Guide, Bea E. Van Dam

Non-Thesis Student Work

This document provides guidance for performing hydrologic tasks using the Hydrology Toolset in ArcMap 10.x (ArcGIS Desktop). Covered here are an overview of the uses and limitations of the tools within the Hydrology Toolset, related tools from from additional ArcGIS toolsets, and step-by-step instructions for hydrologic workflows including digital elevation model (DEM) preparation, pit fill detection, "burning in" culverts for proper flow path routing, watershed and stream network delineation, and flow network statistics.

A Practical Solution: The Anthropocene Is A Geological Event, Not A Formal Epoch, Philip L. Gibbard, Andrew M. Bauer, Matthew Edgeworth, William F. Ruddiman, Jacquelyn L. Gill, Dorothy J. Merritts, Stanley C. Finney, Lucy E. Edwards, Michael J. C. Walker, Mark Maslin, Erle C. Ellis

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

The Anthropocene has yet to be defined in a way that is functional both to the international geological community and to the broader fields of environmental and social sciences. Formally defining the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch with a precise global start date would drastically reduce the Anthropocene’s utility across disciplines. Instead, we propose the Anthropocene be defined as a geological event, thereby facilitating a robust geological definition linked with a scholarly framework more useful to and congruent with the many disciplines engaging with human-environment interactions. Unlike formal epochal definitions, geological events can recognize the spatial and …

S5e4: What Can Mud Reveal About The History Of Oceans?, Ron Lisnet, Katherine Allen

The Maine Question

Oceans serve as the dominant feature of the Earth. They sustain life, which began in their salty waters, and influence weather and climate.

Despite the significance of Earth’s oceans, much of their history remains a mystery. Katherine Allen, and assistant professor from the School of Earth and Climate Sciences at the University of Maine, looks to literally dig up that history, which can be found in mud along the ocean floor and the many objects embedded in it. Dredging up the record of Earth’s oceans from the seafloor requires detective work, and provides exciting adventures.

In this episode of “The …

Tisher Hopes Climate Timeline Provides Perspective, Serves As A Springboard For Action, Beth Staples

General University of Maine Publications

For more than a decade, Sharon Tisher, a lecturer in the School of Economics and Honors College, has been researching and writing, "A Climate Chronology" which serves as a record of events in climate science, U.S. policy, and international policy that spans from 1824 to early 2021.

Effects Of The Transportation And Climate Initiative On The Maine Economy: An Analysis Of Cap-And-Invest And Its Heterogeneous Impacts On Rural And Urban Households, William L. Somes

Honors College

In December 2020, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was released by the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P), a collaboration of 13 jurisdictions in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Modeled on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the TCI-P follows a cap-and-invest framework to reduce emissions from the transportation sector by 26% from 2022 to 2032. Since the TCI-P is expected to raise the price of gasoline by 5¢ to 9¢ per gallon, there has been concern that some populations may be disproportionately affected. The present research studies the potential heterogeneous impacts of the TCI-P …

S4e9: How Can We Get The Most Out Of Technology?, Ron Lisnet, Richard Corey, Nicholas Giudice, Caitlin Howell

The Maine Question

Refrigerators tell us when we’re out of juice. Digital assistants schedule appointments and alert us to the weather forecast. Driverless cars slide into tight parallel parking spaces. Today, many of us increasingly rely on devices, apps and artificial intelligence in our daily lives.

How can technology be designed to do the most good? How can scientists make it easy to use and put people, rather than the technology, in charge? This is the work of the University of Maine VEMI Lab. VEMI stands for Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction. This week, directors Rick Corey, Nick Giudice and Caitlin Howell talk …

A Climate Chronology, Sharon S. Tisher

School of Economics Faculty Scholarship

The most challenging of all endeavors in human history will likely be that of understanding the impact of our industrial and technological enterprises on the planet’s climate and ecosystems, and responding effectively to the threats posed by that impact. I began writing this chronology while developing a climate policy course at the University of Maine. It has grown substantially during the ensuing nine years, and continues to grow.

By juxtaposing developments in climate science, U.S. policy, and international policy over the previous two centuries, I hope to give the reader new insights into where we have been, where we are …

2021 Film Series: Human Dimensions Of Climate Change, Jen Bonnet, Cindy Isenhour

Library Staff Publications

In the spring of 2021, Jen Bonnet and Cindy Isenhour coordinated the seventh annual Human Dimensions of Climate Change film series, sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, the Climate Change Institute, the Communication and Journalism Department, Fogler Library, and the School of Marine Sciences. Each week for three weeks a different film was shown, followed by a discussion with campus scholars. A library guide accompanied the series and highlighted a wide range of resources related to the topic. This poster represents the series, and was designed by Brad Beauregard.

Assessing The Potential Equity Outcomes Of Maine’S Climate Action Plan: Framework, Analysis And Recommendations, Senator George J. Mitchell Center For Sustainability Solutions

General University of Maine Publications

The recommendations of these groups have now been completed and the equity assessment that you see before you contains an analysis that was carried out by the University of Maine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (hereafter, Mitchell Center) to assess the recommendations’ attention to equity issues.

While the impacts of Maine decreasing its greenhouse gas emissions will not be large relative to global emissions, the state’s Climate Action Plan is an important step in the right direction. Maine is not only leading by example, but is also creating policies that will reduce emissions as well as enhance …

Exploring The Intersection Of Climate Change And Cultural Heritage: The Case Of Croatia’S Eastern Adriatic Coast, Lilja Bernheim

Honors College

Over the latter half of the Holocene – approximately the past 5,000 years – along the Adriatic Coast, the climate regime has been relatively stable with mild temperatures and a low tidal range. Humans have adapted and interacted with their environments within this context, building settlements and expanding civilizations close to sea level. These anthropogenic legacies left behind and modified over the millennia constitute cultural heritage.

Croatia’s Central Dalmatian Coastline, extending between the modern-day cities of Zadar and Split along the Adriatic Sea, is a rich repository of both built and landscape cultural heritage. Croatia’s cultural heritage is and will …

The Impact Of Climate Change: An In-Depth Analysis Of Warming Ocean Water Temperatures And The Effects On Maine’S Lobstering Industry And Subsequent Effect On The State Economy, Bryce Nitchman

Honors College

The effects of climate change are often not visible to the human eye and can, therefore, be hard to detect. As society has progressed since the industrial revolution, the effects of climate change are omnipresent in global, regional, and local air and water temperatures. This research aims to highlight the correlation between the effects of climate change on potentially rising ocean water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, and the possible resulting adverse impacts on Maine’s lobster industry and state economy. I will be using data compiled over the last several decades from the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute …

College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences_Covid-19 Course Content, Kristin Vekasi, Frederic Rondeau, Marcella Sorg, Derek Michaud, Ayesha Miller, Kirsten Jacobson, Lillian Herakova, Mark Brewer

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

List of COVID-19 related course content in the University of Maine's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences during the 2020 Spring Semester. Includes descriptions from:

• Kristin Vekasi, Associate Professor, Political Science for POS 349: Politics of Media and Censorship;
• Frederic Rondeau, Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Classics for Introduction to French Classics Novels of the XX-XXI century;
• Marcella Sorg (Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, Climate Change Institute, and Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center for ANT 260: Forensic Anthropology;
• Derek Michaud, Lecturer, Philosophy; Coordinator of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies for PHI 105: Introduction to Religious Studies and PHI 100: Contemporary …

Forecasting Labor Force Participation At The Regional Level In The United States: The Case Of Maine, Maryam Kashkooli

Honors College

This project attempts to investigate the future of labor force participation in Maine using an econometric forecasting approach. Forecasting has become an increasingly popular form of statistical analysis which uses historical distributions to help estimate future distributions of econometric models. There exists extensive literature on forecasting employment, however the literature on forecasting labor force participation is relatively small. I adapt existing econometric models and make use of time series information on sociodemographic factors such as age and net migration in order to determine how Maine’s changing demographic structure is affecting its labor force and how these effects will carry on …

An Agent-Based Model Of Urban Sprawl: York And Cumberland Counties, Maine, Kaitlyn G. Lavallee

Honors College

Urban sprawl is defined as the movement of populations towards the fringes of urban centers, leading to the conversion of rural land to suburban consumption. This expansion in the distribution of populations has many implications for local and state policymakers, business owners and consumers. In Maine, sprawl is particularly prevalent in Cumberland County and York County, where the state’s population is the densest. The objective of this paper is to develop an agent-based model (ABM), which attempts to reflect the movement of households within these counties. These households make decisions sourced in microeconomic theory that are built into the model. …

2017 Film Series: Human Dimensions Of Climate Change, Cindy Isenhour, Jennifer Bonnet

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

In the spring of 2017, Cindy Isenhour and Jen Bonnet coordinated the fourth annual Human Dimensions of Climate Change film series, sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, the Climate Change Institute, and Fogler Library. Each week for three weeks a different film was shown, followed by discussion with campus scholars. A library exhibit accompanied the series and highlighted a wide range of resources related to the topic. This poster represents the series.

Bees Of Maine, With A State Species Checklist, Alison C. Dibble, Francis A. Drummond, Constance Stubbs, Michael Veit, John S. Ascher

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

We present a new county checklist developed from bee research in Maine since the 1800s. The list contains 278 bee species in 37 genera and 6 families, of which all but 8 are native, with ≥50 taxa each in Andrena and Lasioglossum. Data for 16 counties from publications, museum collections, and recent surveys varied in number of species from 8 (Androscoggin) to 197 (Hancock). Research since 1930 on Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush Blueberry) led to many records. Twenty-one species are considered unusual, including 3 first recorded in 2016: Epeoloides pilosulus, Melitta melittoides, and Holcopasites calliopsidis. Maine records …

Leveraging The Power Of Place In Citizen Science For Effective Conservation Decision Making, Gregory Newman, M. Chandler, M. Clyde, B. Mcgreavy, M. Haklay, H. Ballard, S. Gray, R. Scarpino, D. Mellor, J. Gallo

Publications

Many citizen science projects are place-based - built on in-person participation and motivated by local conservation. When done thoughtfully, this approach to citizen science can transform humans and their environment. Despite such possibilities, many projects struggle to meet decision-maker needs, generate useful data to inform decisions, and improve social-ecological resilience. Here, we define leveraging the ‘power of place’ in citizen science, and posit that doing this improves conservation decision making, increases participation, and improves community resilience. First, we explore ‘place’ and identify five place dimensions: social-ecological, narrative and name-based, knowledge-based, emotional and affective, and performative. We then thematically analyze 134 …

Planning For Sustainability In Small Municipalities: The Influence Of Interest Groups, Growth Patterns, And Institutional Characteristics, Vanessa R. Levesque, Kathleen P. Bell, Aram J K Calhoun

Publications

How and why small municipalities promote sustainability through planning efforts is poorly understood. We analyzed ordinances in 451 Maine municipalities and tested theories of policy adoption using regression analysis.We found that smaller communities do adopt programs that contribute to sustainability relevant to their scale and context. In line with the political market theory, we found that municipalities with strong environmental interests, higher growth, and more formal governments were more likely to adopt these policies. Consideration of context and capacity in planning for sustainability will help planners better identify and benefit from collaboration, training, and outreach opportunities.

Transdisciplinary Research Partnerships In Sustainability Science: An Examination Of Stakeholder Participation Preferences, Karen H. Beiluch, Kathleen P. Bell, Mario F. Teisl, Laura Lindenfeld, Jessica Leahy, Linda Silka

Publications

Sustaining coupled natural and human systems requires multiple forms of knowledge, experiences, values, and resources be brought into conversation to address sustainability challenges. Transdisciplinary research partnerships provide the opportunity to meet this requirement by bringing together interdisciplinary scientists with stakeholders in some or all stages of the knowledge production process. However, building partnerships to produce sustainability outcomes is a complex process requiring an understanding of the social psychological and contextual variables impacting partnerships. Here, we explore local government officials’ (LGOs’) preferences for participation in these partnerships. Using data from a statewide survey, we develop a theoretically and empirically derived model …

Moving Up The Waste Hierarchy In Maine: Learning From “Best Practice” State-Level Policy For Waste Reduction And Recovery, Cindy Isenhour, Travis Blackmer, Travis Wagner, Linda Silka, John Peckenham

Publications

As Maine residents look toward the future, it is increasingly clear that more sustainable waste and materials management solutions will be necessary. A recent stakeholder engagement process involving nearly 200 industry professionals, municipal representatives and citizen groups confirmed this point. As we move together toward a more sustainable waste management system, participants in the engagement process identified an outstanding need to learn more about policies options. This article responds to that need with a review of state level policies designed to reduce waste generation and increase material recovery rates. We find there are a wide variety of state-level policy tools …