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Academic Affairs Signature Areas Spring 2014 – COVER SHEET – Full Proposals Submission Deadline: April 21, 2014 by 4:30pm I.
Area of submission: Signature Research Proposal Title: Marine Research Solutions II.
Applicant information: Lead Faculty: Name: Fei Chai Professor and Director, School of Marine Sciences Phone: 581-‐4317 E-‐mail: [email protected] Co-‐Lead Faculty (listed in alphabetical order): Name: Paul Anderson Director, Aquaculture Research Institute Phone: 581-‐1435 E-‐mail: [email protected] Name: Pete Jumars Professor, School of Marine Sciences and Darling Marine Center Phone: 563-‐8101 E-‐mail: [email protected] Name: Mary Jane Perry Professor and Director, Darling Marine Center and School of Marine Sciences Phone: 561-‐8339 E-‐mail: [email protected] Name: Mario Teisl Professor and Director, School of Economics Phone: 581-‐3162 E-‐mail: [email protected] Name: Krish Thiagarajan Correll Energy Chair Professor, Mechanical Engineering Phone: 581-‐2167 E-‐mail: [email protected] Name: Rebecca Van Beneden Professor and Associate Director, School of Marine Sciences Phone: 581-‐2602 E-‐mail: [email protected] Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
April 2014
Marine Research Solutions
As part of the University of UMaine’s Blue Sky Project, we propose to formalize an already
integrated, trans-disciplinary marine research, outreach and educational alliance at the University
of Maine—Marine Research Solutions—as a signature research area. Our vision is to (1) improve
understanding of the physical, biological and socioeconomic processes that shape the ocean; (2)
be a reliable partner deeply engaged with policy makers, fisheries stakeholders, marine industries,
and coastal communities – helping to develop solutions for the broad array of issues associated
with Maine’s marine resources; and (3) provide high-quality, interdisciplinary undergraduate and
graduate education, extension training and outreach, and research activities for the Gulf of Maine.
Together, UMaine’s marine researchers, educators and outreach specialists respond to local,
state, regional and national needs. They integrate research and education at the University of Maine,
link with private enterprise for innovative product development and commercialization, provide
critical service in state planning for the sustainable use of marine resources and development of
coastal communities, collaborate globally in marine research, and educate and mentor students in
skills needed to become the future workforce and researchers in Maine and beyond.
Marine research needs, and UMaine’s marine research capacity, extend beyond a single
discipline or narrow group of disciplines. As examples: 1) UMaine’s visionary ocean observing
system documents rich offshore wind resources in the Gulf of Maine and allows accurate
calculation of tidal resources in Cobscook Bay. 2) UMaine researchers from School of Marine
Sciences (SMS), the School of Biology and Ecology, the School of Earth and Climate Sciences,
the College of Engineering, and Maine Sea Grant fill needs in all phases of state wind and tidal
energy initiatives. They supply information on the resource, aid in site selection, play key roles
in wind platform design and evaluation, help in impact prediction and assessment, and provide
informed outreach to educate and empower stakeholders. 3) UMaine’s cadre of marine researchers
stand ready to help Maine explore adaptive solutions to sea-level rise that will affect shorelines,
infrastructure, and important habitats. 4) To seize an EPSCoR opportunity, UMaine marine
researchers coalesced around the Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) to envision SEANET, “The
Coastal Social-Environmental Systems and Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network.” They
in turn entrained marine researchers from other Maine institutions with a shared vision of marine
aquaculture in the coastal zone having the potential to help solve several societal problems—
including bolstering global food and energy systems. SEANET will seek to accelerate adaptation
in a time of climate change by bringing together world-class expertise in marine sciences, climate
change, social sciences and engineering with a goal of developing new, science-based models for
sustainable ecological aquaculture that have great potential for significant benefits to society by
extending Maine’s maritime heritage in new, more sustainable ways as the climate changes.
UMaine’s signature Marine Research Solutions rests on a stable tripod of sciences and
technologies, marine resources, and societal solutions (Fig. 1). UMaine was early to include social
sciences as an integral component of marine research and education, and is now used as a model by
other institutions. By formalizing UMaine’s interdisciplinary marine alliances, the social science
integration that marine research has achieved will continue to excel.
1. Marine Research as a Strong “Fit to Place”
From its state flag to its quarter coin, it is difficult to imagine a Maine icon that does not include the
sea. Likewise it is difficult to imagine a University of Maine without the strong marine research
capacity to meet Maine’s rapidly evolving needs to understand and manage the marine resources in
its backyard. Indeed, it is incumbent upon the University to assume a leadership role in this area as
a designated National Sea Grant College. The over 3,000 miles of coast along the Gulf of Maine
supports commercial and recreational fisheries with a combined annual value to the U.S. economy
in excess of $1 billion, and provides upwards of 26,000 jobs. UMaine is doing a yeoman’s job in
this signature economic sector of our state:
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Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
April 2014
1) Through innovative approaches to ocean observing, stock and health assessment of living
resources, resource management and sustainable aquaculture. UMaine’s experts at DMC, CCAR,
GMRI, the Lobster Institute, and Sea Grant help to enhance the knowledge base for Maine’s
marine resources. This information is utilized by both industry and resource managers to ensure
both resource and business sustainability.
2) The University of Maine Ocean Observing System (UMOOS) in the Gulf of Maine is
critical to not only scientific research, but also merchant seamen, fishermen, recreational boaters,
the US Coast Guard, and NOAA. UMOOS was conceived, designed, and built by UMaine faculty
members, who also developed the operational models that incorporate and assimilate information
from UMOOS to produce short-term forecasts of ocean conditions in the Gulf of Maine. These realtime observations and forecasts have been used in fundamental research that now informs managers
of trajectories that organisms, from red-tide algae to lobster larvae, will follow in time-varying
coastal currents. It is abundantly clear that commercial interest in offshore wind development in
Maine would be far smaller without the decade of wind and wave data and the winter and hurricane
survivability demonstration that is UMOOS. From a climate-change perspective, buoys document
shifts in temperature and salinity that explain altered distribution ranges of commercial fishes,
and the system has potential to measure nutrients and rates of ocean acidification. UMOOS has
generated a wealth of information important to our future, and the need continues.
3) UMaine faculty members have been instrumental in the development of the integrated
comanagement of harvested marine resources, especially the lobster fishery. This method of
management is slowly spreading globally, and has led to the development of public fish auctions
that revolutionized the structure of fish markets in North America.
4) Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) relies on UMaine faculty for the
development of stock assessments methods and models. Two decades of lobster settlement indices
now cover the full range of American lobster from Canada to the mid Atlantic states in a program
conceived, implemented and maintained by UMaine faculty members. Together with changes
in winds and temperatures seen by UMOOS, this program gives insights into Maine’s eastwardshifting patterns of lobster settlement.
5) NOAA relies extensively on the collaboration between UMaine and GMRI that helped
create NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR). UMaine personnel
and data are integral to Maine’s coastal and marine spatial planning.
6) DMC was a pioneer of shellfish aquaculture in Maine and continues to provide research
capabilities and small-business incubation facilities in cold-water aquaculture. CCAR plays
the corresponding role in finfish aquaculture. DMC has become the nexus for mid-coast NGOs
to standardize and calibrate measurements monitoring the conditions of coastal and estuarine
environments. ARI coordinates marine science faculty with an interest in aquaculture at UMaine
and other institutions, and leads the NSF EPSCoR SEANET proposal noted earlier.
2. A Distinctive Area with a National and International Reputation
Most marine researchers at UMaine work in small research clusters that cross program and unit
boundaries and are known nationally and internationally in these specialties Fig. 1. This recognition
is confirmed by significant grants, prestigious awards and honors, editorships of top journals, key
committee appointments and memberships, and service activities.
1) UMaine is a recognized world leader in ocean observing, known for innovative measurements,
integration through assimilation modeling and application to basic and applied problems. This
skill is applied locally to coastal and Gulf of Maine waters and also globally. For example, this
modeling is used to understand the spring bloom in the North Atlantic and its crash (key in the
global carbon cycle); variability in coastal upwelling across regions and among continents; and,
the role of iron in ocean productivity. UMaine has been recognized for innovation in designing
and testing floating platforms for offshore wind energy harvest.
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Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
April 2014
2) UMaine is internationally
recognized as a leader integrating social
and natural sciences in developing
innovative management practices
MaRine
e
with an eye toward designing policies
Solutions
that induce resource users, such as
a
r
fishermen, to practice behaviors that
c
lead to sustainability.
h
3) The DMC is a magnet for
international visitors and conferences,
with scientists and students from 46
countries visiting the DMC in the
last decade. Over 700 international
visitors came to do research or attend
Marine
Society
Resources conferences, workshops, or courses;
including the international Optical
Fig. 1. Areas of marine research in which UMaine has established Oceanography course that is taught in
clusters of collaborating faculty recognized for expertise and alternate years at the DMC that drew
forming nuclei of research groups that include postdocs, staff and
participants from 26 nations. Highstudents at all levels and collaborators beyond UMaine.
level, web-based educational activities;
including webinars and archived lesson plans offered by the Center for Ocean Sciences Education
Excellence – Ocean Systems (COSEE-OS), are headquartered at the DMC.
4) The University’s Lobster Institute is the only organization of its kind. It was founded
jointly by Maine’s lobster industry associations and the University of Maine and quickly became
an international presence. It continues to work with the lobster industry from Long Island Sound
to Newfoundland. It co-hosts two annual international gatherings with the Atlantic Lobster
Sustainability Foundation, one geared toward industry, and one for lobster scientists.
5) The University of Maine is a designated Sea Grant College, one of 33 nationally. Sea Grant
is a partnership of academia, government, and industry focusing on coastal and marine resources.
It operates through a university-based network to meet marine environmental and economic needs.
In partnership with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, members of the Sea Grant Marine
Extension Team work on issues of concern to Maine’s coastal communities.
3. High Historical and Current Level of Productivity
Marine research funding at the University is substantial. SMS has consistently secured greater
extramural funding than any other academic unit or research center at UMaine, rivaled only by
the ASCC. A substantial fraction of ASCC funding is marine research aimed at offshore wind.
External research funding brought in by SMS faculty alone over the past 13 yr has constituted
from 15 - 25% of the total research funding received by UMaine, and from 20 - 35% of the indirect
costs (IDC). Based on the ranking of all UMaine faculty receiving grants and IDC during the past
13 yr period, 11 of the 30 top UMaine grant recipients are SMS faculty members; 26 SMS faculty
members have been awarded more than $1 million over that period. In that same time frame,
the Lobster Institute has collaboratively written and/or participated in successful grant proposals
totaling $3,200,000. Had we been able to gather data on all non-SMS research before the proposal
deadline, we would likely find that 1/3 to 1/2 of UMaine’s research grant dollars were marine related.
Marine researchers at UMaine have excellent track records in publishing in high-quality, peerreviewed journals, such as Nature, Science, PNAS, and other top journals in their fields. Several
SMS faculty have h indices above 30 based on the Web of Science—high among marine scientists
nationally. The publication rate among SMS faculty members averages about 3 peer-reviewed
journal articles and invited book chapters per year per faculty FTE. This rate reflects steady
Sciences &
Technologies
Ocean
Modeling and
Prediction
Ocean
Observing
& Sensors
Ocean &
Marine
Engineering
Marine Climate
Change & Acidification
Marine
STEM Education
& Outreach
Social Sciences,
Policy &
Economics
Sustainable
Marine
Aquaculture
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
OrganismEnvironment
Interactions
Ocean
Renewable
Energy
Fisheries
Sciences
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Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
April 2014
scholarly output with demonstrable influence. The majority of publications by SMS faculty and
other faculty members involved in marine research involve graduate students, with many of these
students publishing their thesis research work as lead authors. These faculty also publish peerreviewed articles with undergraduate students, often resulting from their Capstone projects or
Honors thesis work.
4. A Proven Record of Sustainability
UMaine is a recognized leader in marine research, with an extensive and diverse human and
physical “infrastructure,” the result of five decades of strategic investment, including a number
of successful EPSCoR grants. Extramural funding for UMaine marine research outlined above
is obtained in part due to a proven record of delivering research results to the funding agencies.
UMaine faculty members have a reputation of outstanding expertise, civility and collegiality
that continues to lead to new cross-college and external collaborations. A majority of UMaine’s
marine researchers and several quality laboratory facilities are located on the Orono campus. As
examples: 1) the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) provides faculty and students with flowing
artificial seawater in a versatile laboratory setting. In addition to supporting faculty research and
graduate thesis projects, ARC is used by undergraduates for training and senior capstone projects.
2) The Maine Animal Health Lab brings in aquatic contract work with industry partners, which has
continued to grow in the past five years. In FY13 it garnered $651,000 in external contracts, and
is on pace to meet or exceed that in FY14. 3) The Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research
(CCAR) is a unique aquaculture R&D facility with large-scale systems available for commercial
partners. The CCAR’s business incubation program and commercial-scale hatchery are supporting
the growth of innovative companies in Maine. It is also becoming recognized for the development
of sustainable solutions to land-based aquaculture, alternative marine species technology and
ornamental aquatics production on a national and international level.
UMaine’s capacity is substantially enhanced by facilities and expertise beyond the Orono
campus: at the Darling Marine Center (DMC, Walpole), the Gulf of Maine Research Institute
(GMRI, Portland) and the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR, Franklin). Soon
to be added are a unique multidirectional wind-wave generating system, developed collaboratively
with Sandia National Laboratories and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) at MMA; and a marine
engine testing facility developed jointly with the U.S. Department of Transportation DOT and
MMA. Maine Sea Grant’s Marine Extension Team (MET) and the Lobster Institute stretch the
geographic reach and capacity of UMaine’s marine research further, from Wells to Eastport and
into the Canadian Maritimes, through education and outreach programs. The Center for Ocean
Sciences Education Excellence - Ocean Systems (COSEE–OS) uses the web to bring UMaine’s
marine research to the rest of the world at all learning levels.
5. Leverages Existing Resources
UMaine marine researchers are passionate and persistent in acquiring and leveraging the resources
needed to accomplish world-class research. Here are just a few of numerous examples:
1) The early success of ocean observing leveraged intervention by Maine’s delegation in
Washington, D.C., to obtain federal funds to successfully advance this program.
2) NASA funds provided a widely used regional facility for satellite data acquisition, which
in turn has been leveraged by marine research PIs in proposals to other agencies (and for satellite
monitoring of blueberries and other crops by non-marine researchers in CNSFA). It is the only
download facility in its class on the East Coast (including Canada) north of Rutgers University.
3) Ocean modeling and forecasting capabilities at UMaine have been advanced with support
from the Advanced Computing Group (ACG) at the UMaine System (UMS). ACG provides highperformance and cloud computing needs for research and education at UMaine and UMS.
4) Both flowing seawater laboratories at the DMC were built by leveraging NSF funds with
modest endowment funds, and about one-fourth of facility maintenance costs there are borne
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by outside users. Expertise of DMC resident faculty attracts visitors and industrial partners
(BioProcess Algae and Aquaculture Business Incubators) to collaborate and use DMC facilities.
5) Placing two faculty at GMRI in Portland enhanced UMaine visibility in southern Maine,
and leverages tremendous capabilities in fisheries science in the form of non-SMS scientists who
support SMS graduate student research and collaborate with SMS scientists. UMaine, GMRI,
Rutgers, WHOI, and the University of Maryland leveraged complementary capabilitiesto form the
NOAA Cooperative Center for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR), opening additional NOAA
resources to UMaine faculty.
6) ARI effectively leverages opportunities such as the pending NSF EPSCoR, as previously
described; and NOAA’s recently developed extramural funding program in aquaculture.
7) SMS expertise has leveraged an ongoing, NOAA-funded sentinel survey of groundfish
resources in the northern Gulf of Maine, which is a collaborative effort between SMS and Penobscot
East Resource Center (PERC) for monitoring groundfish resources in an area critically dependent
upon fisheries. Funding is already in place for 2014, and future funding appears likely.
6. Is Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary
UMaine would be hard pressed to identify a more interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary signature
area than marine research. Marine sciences and engineering are inherently interdisciplinary,
involving physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes and human behaviors that
control marine environments and their spatial and temporal rates of change. Each example given
thus far in this proposal clearly demonstrates the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary character
of UMaine’s marine research, outreach and education. Additionally, UMaine has been unique
among marine research units around the world as a model of integrating social with natural sciences
in developing knowledge and sound management processes. People are integral to the problems
and the solutions. With the majority of Maine’s citizens concentrated within 100 km from the
coast (similar to the rest of the world), it is essential to associate human and “natural” influences.
A new joint hire with the School of Economics and SMS is expanding the social sciences reach of
UMaine’s marine research.
Cross-unit collaborations embody an interdisciplinary approach. For example, the partnership
among Earth and Climate Sciences, the Climate Change Institute and SMS in offshore geological
mapping as part of the effort to develop offshore wind energy capacity in Maine. This effort is
expanding, through CNSFA’s collaboration with the College of Engineering on companion studies
of the potential for tidal power in Cobscook Bay. It is crossing many boundaries. A decade of
experience with ocean observing is helping to design sensors for wind platforms that will reliably
report under the rigors of a wet and salty environment.
7. Integrates with the Teaching and Service Missions
Characteristic of a research university, marine research at UMaine involves more than faculty.
It incorporates contributions from: postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and
sometimes middle and high school students and teachers. Authentic experience in handson research laboratories that address problems relevant to the ocean is what sets the Capstone
experience of students at UMaine apart and feeds the word-of-mouth buzz that in turn fuels growth
in undergraduate enrollments. Student opportunities extend to internships in ocean and marine
engineering with the U.S. Department of the Navy. Substantial extramural funding provides
student experience in cutting-edge technologies and problem solving. The Wind Blade Challenge
extends the excitement of original research to middle and high school students.
SMS is planning to add to its already successful service-learning opportunities for undergraduate
students (with Maine DEP, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, and Sea & Reef and others) by regularly
assessing coastal and marine spatial planning needs of state government and specific information
needs of DMR and DEP. Plans include a service-learning class in the innovative Semester-by-theSea (SBS). The research environment at SMS will also be an important part of the “exposure” of
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students in a proposed Professional Science Master’s in Marine Science. Upon approval it will
provide research training for students as non-academic professionals.
UMaine’s service mission is well served by marine outreach efforts in many areas: ARI
in technical support to industry; the School of Food and Agriculture (SFA) in food safety and
product development; the Lobster Institute in communications, technical support and product
development; and, the Maine Animal Health Lab in industry contract work for fish health and
product development.
Conclusion
Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Area is unparalleled at the University of Maine
for its fit to the Blue Sky Plan, and the needs of the State of Maine. It will integrate a proven area
of distinction and re-energize its connections within the University and to the people of Maine. As
the Blue Sky Plan calls for, it will foster a “major impact on the future growth and prosperity of
our state in the 21st century.”
Appendices to Marine Research Solutions
Descriptions of Marine Research Clusters:
A. Fisheries Sciences
Fisheries oceanography assesses how oceanographic processes influence abundance, production
and condition of fish stocks. Issues include source and sink regions of or for recruits and timing
of food availability at critical life stages. New methods, e.g., molecular techniques, recently have
greatly improved the ability to define genetically separate stocks and source and sink regions.
Fish health and ecosystem management are critical to sustaining marine resources and commercial
fisheries. It is important to understand impacts of environmental changes, fishing effort,
anthropogenic influences and other factors affecting the marine environment. Such information is
also a vital aid to fisheries management and coastal policy considerations.
B. Sustainable Marine Aquaculture
Challenges in marine aquaculture include the identification of suitable species, development
of complete diets, control of parasites and pathogens, development of methods to accelerate
reproduction and increase fertilization success, and limitation of environmental impacts, relevant
social science research, not to mention achieving a production rate that can turn a profit. Methods
range from adaptation of techniques long established in animal husbandry to novel molecular
genetics to identify and alter particularly useful strains
C. Marine Climate Change
The oceans interact with climate drivers in manifold ways that range from obvious to subtle. This
largest water bath stores heat and dampens temperature swings. Oceans also dissolve, store and
cycle radiatively active gases such as carbon dioxide, thereby reducing their greenhouse effects.
Dissolution of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the sea causes ocean acidification. Sea-level rise
occurs at time scales from geological to seasonal due to melting glacial ice, ocean heating, and
ocean dynamics. Turbulence enhances phytoplankton nutrient uptake. Enhanced stratification
from global warming is expected to decrease average turbulence intensities but to raise turbulence
intensities locally and episodically in more violent weather events.
D. Sustainable Marine Environments and Energy Dynamics
The marine environment offers carbon-neutral energy extraction in wind, waves, tides, currents,
and biomass. Balancing development of these resources with conservation of the environment is
an emerging challenge of our time. The research required involves characterizing the resource and
building a basic understanding of the conditions that may change as a result of that development.
Interdisciplinary teams of faculty members are engaged in coupled human-environment systems
research involving marine hydrokinetic and offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine
E. Ocean Modeling and Prediction
Ocean modeling includes unusual diversity of numerical, analytical and analog models, all an
integral part of modern marine science. Physical models play an important role in identifying and
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predicting environmental conditions, and coupled physical and ecosystem models are essential
for understanding consequences for living marine resources. Models also can create alternative
scenarios, allowing people to consider risks associated with climate change or management choices.
F. Ocean Observing Systems and Sensors Development
Exciting new technologies include novel moorings and gliders, as well as better-known, satellite
remote-sensing methods. SMS, through the University of Maine Ocean Observing System
(UMOOS), is at the forefront of observing-system development nationally. SMS is involved in an
unusual diversity of such sensors and platforms, and benefits immensely from a world-renowned
University of Maine graduate program in geographic information systems (GIS).
G. Marine Social Sciences, Policy and Economics
The University of Maine has exceptional strength in the area of coupled natural and human
systems, with a significant emphasis on marine and coastal systems. Faculty members have a
history of cooperative work with: NGOs; other academic institutions; local, state and federal
regulatory agencies; and, a variety of industry and community stakeholder groups. Faculty have
been instrumental in developing new methods of resource governance, new market structures and
citizen participation in ocean and coastal science. Undergraduate and graduate student research
is closely aligned with state and national needs. UMaine is an international leader in the study of
closely coupled human and natural systems research and has an exceptional working relationship
between natural and social scientists, and relevant stakeholders.
H. Ocean and Marine Engineering
Ocean and marine engineering is an interdisciplinary area founded on civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, and naval architecture principles. Ocean and marine engineers design, build, operate
and maintain ocean and marine infrastructure for various purposes (e.g., energy extraction and
production, transportation, aquaculture, coastal hazard amelioration, and site protection). This
focus area forms one of the main research areas for the listed collaborators in this proposal, and
contributes directly to the State’s priorities in R&D. Within the University, the focus area captures
the interest of key faculty members from various departments working in the area of ocean energy,
including: wave, wind and tidal energy themes; biofuels, biosensors, coastal engineering; floating
structures; marine geology, sediments and offshore geotechnics. CoE researchers in this focus area
have excellent opportunities for collaboration with other academic units, including the Schools of
Marine Sciences and Earth and Climate Sciences.
I. Marine STEM Education and Outreach
Today’s marine scientists are asked not only to conduct their own research but also collaborate
with experts in other disciplines and communicate their findings to broad audiences. The ability
to juggle these disparate expectations requires critical thinking skills in connecting to new topics
and with new people. Faculty and staff members in the School of Marine Sciences, Maine Sea
Grant, the Aquaculture Research Institute, and the Lobster Institute have extensive background in
training emergent scientists to work with diverse STEM audiences using a spectrum of techniques,
from traditional stakeholder interactions to leveraging social media infrastructure. Workforce
development is also emphasized using place-based approaches that are relevant to regional coastal
communities, creating new opportunities for strengthening Maine’s future STEM-related economy.
J. Marine Organism-Environment Interactions and Organismal Biology
From viruses to whales, marine organisms both shape and are shaped by their environment.
Understanding how organisms function, and what factors and mechanisms coordinate behavior,
development, survival, and reproduction is critical to accurate predictions of how marine organisms
will respond to climate change and other anthropogenic changes. Organismal biology encompasses
anatomy, behavior, development, functional morphology, genetics, and physiology. Predictive
organismal biology requires integration of these complex biological systems with quantitative
modeling approaches to yield critical insights into human and natural system interactions.
UMaine researchers lead active research programs that develop physical, chemical, geological and
biological constraints on organism responses to environmental variables. The fundamental issue
is to equate the number of equations with the number of unknowns.
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Appendix Table 1. Expertise of individual marine researchers at UMaine.
Name, Affiliation
Clusters Expertise
Paul Anderson, SG & ARI
B, G, I
Microbiology related to seafood safety and fish health, harmful algal blooms, pollution monitoring, policy
related to coastal natural resource management, outreach and community engagement
Chris Bartlett, SG
B, G, I
Marine extension; commercial fishing and finfish aquaculture (training technical field assistance, organizational
support)
Robert Bayer, FSA &
Lobster Institute
A, B,
G, I
Current issues of the lobster fishery and lobster biology, including lobster health, chemosensory behavior
relative to lobster baits, lobster nutrition, value added lobster products, utilizing processing waste
Christine Beitl,
Anthropology
A, G
Human dimensions of marine science, common pool resources, collective action, fisher decisions, coastal
mangrove forests, fisheries, Latin America, research design and social science methods
Dan Belknap,
SECS & CCI
C, D
Sedimentology and stratigraphy of coastal and nearshore marine systems, sea-level change, and
paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Kathleen Bell, SOE
B, G
Environmental and natural resource economics, coupled natural and human systems, spatial economics, public
economics, environmental and natural resource policy and management, sustainability science
Cathy Billings,
Lobster Institute
A, B,
G, I
Communications and outreach relative to lobsters and the lobster industry. Writing, strategic planning event
management
Jason Bolton, FSA & SG
G
Emmanuel Boss, SMS
E, F, I
Biological-physical interactions, geophysical fluid dynamics, Lagrangian and Eulerian dynamics and
kinematics, marine optics, mesoscale (fronts, jets, and eddies) dynamics, science teaching methodology
Deborah Bouchard, ARI
A, B, J
Microbiology, cell culture, virology, and bacteriology; laboratory management, animal and aquatic animal
health diagnostics, inspection, and research
Timothy Bowden,
FSA & ARI
A, B, C
Aquatic animal health and the environmental impacts on health, especially climate change and its influence on
the health of aquatic animals
Damian C. Brady, SMS
D, E, J
Marine biogeochemistry, environmental oceanography, marine physiological ecology, water quality modeling,
individual-based modeling, ocean modeling and prediction
Susan Brawley, SMS
J
Ian Bricknell, SMS & ARI
A, B
Nick Brown, CCAR
B
Fei Chai, SMS & CCI
A, C, E
Xuan Chen, SOE
B, G
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
Food safety, quality control, food processing
Phycology, marine reproductive biology, marine molecular genetics, aquaculture.
Marine aquaculture, finfish culture, parasitology, sea Lice, fish immunology, fish vaccinology, fish health.
Marine & freshwater aquaculture, larval biology, aquaculture engineering and economics, reproductive biology,
vertebrate and invertebrate aquaculture production systems, integrated aquaculture
Physical-biological interactions, fisheries sciences, ocean modeling and prediction, carbon cycle and ocean
acidification, and climate change
Risk management, production economics, spatial econometrics, assessment of government policies
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Name, Affiliation
April 2014
Clusters Expertise
Yong Chen, SMS
A, G
Quantitative fisheries ecology, fisheries ecosystem dynamics, population dynamics modeling, fisheries stock
assessment and management, trophic dynamics, Bayesian statistics
Laurie Connell, SMS
B, J
Harmful algal blooms (HABs). Detection, sensor development, trophic interactions and consequences, species
distribution, shellfisheries management (relating to HABs), toxin detection
Annette deCharon,
SMS & DMC
I
Marine sciences education and outreach, oceanography, interactive multimedia, ocean-climate systems product
development, ocean remote sensing, and marine policy
Habib Dahger,
CSE & ASCC
D, H
Civil and structural engineering, materials and structures technology development for deepwater offshore
wind, civil infrastructure, boat-building, residential and light commercial construction, defense, and homeland
security
Brian Dzwonkowski,
SMS
E
Biological-physical interactions, coastal physical processes
Kevin Eckelbarger,
SMS & DMC
J
Reproductive and developmental biology of marine invertebrates; deep-sea biology, marine biology
William Ellis, SMS
I
Introductory courses in marine science and chemistry, undergraduate marine education
Keith Evans, SMS & SOE
G
Marine and fisheries economics and policy, valuation
Todd Gabe, SOE
G
Regional and community economic development
Kristin Grant, Sea Grant
G, I
Andrew Goupee, ASCC
H
Heather Hamlin,
SMS & ARI
A, B, J
Samuel Hanes,
Anthropology
B, G
Environmental anthropology, human ecology, cultural and historical geography
Gary Hunt, SOE
H
Renewable energy, economic growth and development, applied econometrics
Lewis Incze,
SMS & DMC
A, C
Cynthia Isenhour,
Anthropology
G
Economic and environmental anthropology, political ecology; climate change; sustainability, environmental
movements, environmental risk perception and decision making; urbanization, climate adaptation and global
cities
Zhihe Jin, MEE
H
Fracture mechanics of engineered and Earth materials
Scott Johnson, SECS
H
Rheology of Earth materials including marine sediments
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
Marine extension; interactions between the people, the resources, and the ecosystems of the coast
Numerical simulation and experimental testing of floating offshore wind turbines, structural optimization, and
multiscale homogenization techniques for composite and geologic materials
Endocrinology, finfish, aquaculture, contaminants
Biological-physical interactions, zooplankton dynamics, coastal processes
9
Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
Name, Affiliation
April 2014
Clusters Expertise
Teresa Johnson, SMS
A, B,
D, G
Richard Judd, History
G
Peter Jumars,
SMS & DMC
C, D,
F, H, J
Keri Kaczor, SG
G, I
Lee Karp-Boss, SMS
C, I, J
Phytoplankton ecology, biological-physical interactions, interaction of phytoplankton with small-scale
turbulence, competition/allelopathy in phytoplankton, sexual reproduction in diatoms, phytoplankton culturing
Joe Kelley, SECS & CCI
C, G, J
Marine geology; measuring past changes in sea level and the response of shoreline environments to those
changes; erosion in salt marshes, on beaches and bluffs; Seafloor mapping; coastal zone management
Sharon Klein, SOE
D, G
Renewable energy, sustainable energy economics & policy, environmental impacts of energy, multi-criteria
decision analysis
Irv Kornfield, SMS
J
Anne Lichtenwalner, FSA
A, B
Laura Lindenfeld,
Communications
G
Environmental communication, science communication, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, social
resilience, food and culture, media studies
Sara Lindsay, SMS
I, J
Organism-environment interactions, benthic oceanography, marine physiological ecology, marine invertebrate
zoology, marine biology, sensory biology, microscopy, polychaetes, education research and assessment
Larry Mayer,
SMS & DMC
B, C, J
Coastal biogeochemistry: bioavailability and cycling of nutritional and contaminant materials; organic matter
cycling; land-ocean coupling; photochemical processes
Melissa Maynard, CIE
D, H
Offshore geotechnics, including site characterization, physical modeling of soil-structure interaction, and
foundation engineering for offshore tidal and wind infrastructure
Dana Morse, SG
G, I
Marine extension; education, outreach, and applied research in aquaculture and commercial marine fisheries
(technical and social based)
Caroline Noblet, SOE
B, D, G
Mary Jane Perry,
SMS & DMC
C, F, J
Phytoplankton oceanography, physiology, optical measurements of biomass, in-water and above-water remote
sensing of phytoplankton and dissolved organics, training in optical measurements
Andrew Pershing,
SMS & GMRI
A, C, E
Zooplankton population dynamics, including coupled-physical biological modeling; cetacean distribution and
ecology, especially feeding ecology of right whales; impact of climate variability on zooplankton, fish, and
whales
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
Marine policy/fisheries management, marine environmental anthropology, stakeholder participation and local
knowledge in policy-making, collaborative fisheries research, ethnographic fieldwork, social impact assessment
Environmental history
Structure and function of benthic communities, deposit feeding, mysid ecology, bio-acoustics of the seafloor
and near the seafloor, biological-physical interactions, effects of turbulence
Marine extension; ecosystem health, Maine Healthy Beaches, water quality monitoring
Marine nolecular genetics, marine Iivertebrate zoology, marine biology
Director of UMaine Animal Health Lab; infectious disease, animal models.
Environmental and economic psychology, information processing, sustainability science, environmental
economics
10
Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
Name, Affiliation
April 2014
Clusters Expertise
Experimental acoustics, waves in solids and biomechanics; mechanics of biological systems and impact
assessment.
Michael Peterson, ME
D, H
Neal Pettigrew, SMS
D, C, F
Coastal physical oceanography, subtidal circulation, ocean observing systems, buoy designs, autonomous
vehicles, surface current measurements with HF RADAR, Doppler technology, applications of artificial neural
networks
Paul Rawson, SMS
B, J
Marine aquaculture, marine physiological ecology, marine molecular genetics, marine invertebrate zoology,
marine biology
Sarah Redmond, SG
B, G
Marine extension; aquaculture research, sea vegetables, seaweed production
Warren Riess, DMC
Underwater archaeology
Jonathan Rubin, SOE
C, D, G
Environmental regulation and design; economics of alternative fuels; economics of greenhouse gas reductions
Jeffrey Runge,
SMS & GMRI
A, E
Zooplankton ecology, copepod life history strategies and population dynamics, trophic interactions,
zooplankton vertical distribution, fish recruitment processes and connectivity, laboratory experiments and field
sampling
Catherine Schmitt, SG
I
Scientific communication and writing, education and outreach
Denise Skonberg,
SFAFSHN
G
Utilization of crustacean processing by-products, seafood quality evaluation, fish oil fortification of foods,
effects of aquaculture practices on food product quality
James Settele, SOE
G
Policy and international affairs; environmental and climate change security
Malcolm Shick, SMS
C, J
Marine physiological ecology, marine invertebrate zoology, marine biogeochemistry, phycology, marine
biology, marine climate change
Linda Silka, SOE
G, I
Community-university partnerships, program evaluation, knowledge into action, community environmental
issues
Natalie Springuel, SG
G, I
Marine extension; maritime heritage, sustainable tourism planning, working waterfronts and coastal access, and
expedition-based education throughout the Gulf of Maine
Esperanza Stancioff, SG
I
Robert Steneck
A, C,
G, J
Marine ecology, benthic oceanography, marine invertebrate zoology, marine biology, Gulf of Maine’s subtidal
zone, ecology of coral reefs.
Mario Teisl
B, G
Environmental and health economics; valuation;
environmental policy; technology acceptance
Jeff Thaler
G
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
Marine extension; climate change education and adaptation planning
Energy and environmental law and policy
11
Full Proposal: Marine Research Solutions as a Signature Research Program
Name, Affiliation
April 2014
Clusters Expertise
Krish Thiagarajan, ME
H
Marine renewable energy, wave energy conversion, offshore wind energy systems, other energy conversion
mechanism – tidal energy, OTEC, hydrodynamics and dynamics of deep water offshore structures,
hydrodynamics of subsea and marine operations, dynamic response of marine platforms and vessels to
environment, hydrodynamic model testing, computational fluid dynamics.
Andrew Thomas, SMS
C, E, F
Multi-platform satellite oceanography, physical forcing and regulation of phytoplankton biomass time/space
patterns, biological-physical coupling, ocean surface habitat mapping, ocean monitoring, HAB and coastal
toxicity, GIS and remote sensing: data reception, management, products and solutions
Kate Beard-Tisdale, SISE
E, F, I
Modeling, analysis and visualization of spatio-temporal phenomena, ontology of ocean-related events,
detection of oceanographic events from multiple ocean observing sensors, methods for exploration of event
patterns
David Townsend, SMS
C, F
Biological oceanography; nutrient chemistry; phytoplankton, zooplankton and larval fish ecology; biologicalphysical interactions; estuarine ecology
Rebecca Van Beneden,
SMS & MBMS
J
Environmental toxicology, molecular genetics, molecular carcinogenesis, marine biology
G. Peter van
Walsum, CBE
D
Renewable energy, sustainable fuels and chemicals, bioprocessing, process engineering
Richard (Rick) Wahle,
SMS & DMC
A, G, J
Rhian Waller,
SMS & DMC
C, J
Mark Wells, SMS
B, C, F
James Wilson, SMS
A, G
Huijie Xue, SMS
C, D, E
Physical oceanography, coastal and shelf dynamics, boundary currents and frontal dynamics, air-sea
interactions, modeling of circulation, distributions of biogeochemical elements, and particle and larval
transport in coastal seas
Qingping Zou, CEE
E, D, H
Turbulent boundary layers, wave dynamics and breaking waves, wave and current interaction with fixed and
floating structures, marine renewable energy, coastal flood risk and erosion, sediment transport, mixing and
dispersion of pollutants in the coastal region, air-sea interactions
Gayle Zydlewski, SMS
A, D,
F, G, J
Fish ecology, behavior and population dynamics, application of acoustics to document diadromous and marine
fish presence and movement in rivers, estuaries, and tidally dynamic environments
Advancing the Blue Sky Plan
Benthic oceanography, fisheries sciences, marine invertebrate zoology
Marine invertebrate zoology; benthic oceanography; marine climate change
Trace metal biogeochemistry, analytical chemistry, effects of trace metals on phytoplankton production,
phytoplankton physiology, species composition, and the development of harmful algal blooms Bioeconomic modeling, agent-based and evolutionary (learning) agent-based modeling, multi-scale/spatial
approaches to human/natural systems, natural resource markets, regulatory policy
12