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The discovery, synthesis, and dissemination of knowledge are the goals of graduate level study. The University provides varied sources of organized research and learning opportunities through which students are introduced to the concepts of independent thinking in order to reach these goals.
In the past few years, funding for sponsored research, teaching, and public service activities of the faculty has been approximately $50 million per year. These activities include research in areas as diverse as Forestry and the Environment, Marine Sciences, STEM Education, Climate Change, Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy, College of Engineering, Honors College, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Northeastern Americas: Humanities Research and Education, Data Science and Engineering, Sustainability Solutions and Technologies, Aging Research, and Finance Education.
The University Libraries.
Raymond H. Fogler Library, Maine’s largest research library, is a foundation for intellectual pursuits and information literacy at the University of Maine. The library owns 3.6 million print volumes, 1.6 million microforms, and provides access to more than 893,000 e-books, 130,000 online serials, 370 online databases, and 195,000 media titles. Through the library’s catalog, students and faculty may borrow print and non-print materials from libraries around the state. Other materials may be requested from the library’s Interlibrary Loan Department, which provides access to materials held by participating libraries around the world.
Fogler’s Reference and Information Literacy Department is the central location for information literacy instruction on campus. Librarians are available for both individual and classroom instruction. Through the Reference Department, patrons have access to librarians who can provide research consultations and subject-matter expertise across the different areas of study at UMaine. Research support is available in-person, over the phone, online at library.umaine.edu/ask-a-librarian, and through the live chat feature available on every page of the library’s website.
Special Collections at Fogler Library maintains an extensive collection of published bibliographical, historical, and descriptive works on Maine, as well as literary titles by Maine authors. These documents provide extensive insights into Maine cities, towns, counties, people, and institutions. The department also houses rare books and University of Maine publications and records.
Fogler Library is the regional depository for federal government publications and an official depository for Canadian federal and Maine state government publications. The library is also the designated State Research Library for Business, Science, and Technology, and is the only Patent and Trademark Resource Center in Maine. A small collection of Fogler Library material focused on marine sciences is located at the Darling Marine Center, in Walpole, Maine.
Please use the library’s web site http://library.umaine.edu/ to access the catalog, online resources, DigitalCommons@UMaine, and other collections. The site also gives detailed information on library services, subject guides to research, departments, collections, hours, and contacts. The general telephone number for the library is 207-581-1666.
The Office of Research Administration. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has broad responsibilities for fostering and encouraging research and other scholarly activities throughout the campus. The office provides support services to faculty and staff seeking extramural funding for research, teaching, or public service projects, and to those who direct extramurally funded projects. On behalf of the University, the office oversees the submission of proposals and shares with the Principal Investigator or Project Director responsibility for the management of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Office of Research Compliance. The mission of the office is to promote a culture of ethics, integrity, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing research. The office provides comprehensive regulatory guidance to the UMaine research community regarding specific components of research compliance, including protection of human subjects, humane care and use of animals, use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules or infectious agents, financial conflict of interest, responsible conduct of research, and export control regulations.
The Office of the Vice President for Research provides oversight, resources, and services in support of the research and graduate studies programs. It is also responsible for developing policies for research and related activities, including administrative oversight for: 15 research centers; the Office of Research Administration; the Office of Research Compliance; Maine EPSCoR; the Grant Development Office; and the Graduate School. The Vice President for Research is the University designated Scientific Misconduct Officer and monitors financial conflict of interests in externally funded research.
University Services: Information Technology
The University of Maine System’s Department of Information Technology (US:IT) is committed to providing and supporting the highest quality technology-based services for UMaine faculty, staff, and students. As the University’s central technology support agency, US:IT strives to perform in the timeliest and most cost effective manner. US:IT supports the University’s land-grant and sea-grant mission of creating and disseminating knowledge to improve the lives of its students and Maine citizens through teaching, basic and applied research, and public service activities. US:IT is also responsible for coordinating technology services provided to The University of Maine campus by the University of Maine System. US: IT’s UMaine main office is located at 220 Alumni Hall.
US:IT List of Services:
The IT Support Services Center (17 Shibles Hall) provides telephone, walk-in, chat, and email assistance for the FirstClass email/conferencing system, UMS accounts (MaineStreet, Wireless access, BlackBoard), software applications and all operating systems. The Support Services Center is an excellent resource for the detection and removal of computer viruses and malware and for assistance with data backup. The Center provides free remote support for software configuration problems, software installations, and network connectivity. Phone (207) 581-2506. Visit our website at https://www.umaine.edu/it.
Public Computer Clusters - Computer clusters are available in the basement of the Memorial Union, and in Fogler Library’s Information Commons. The clusters are available for student, staff and faculty use. Users may choose either Windows or Macintosh systems. IT is actively engaged in providing the most current software available. The software provided follows the industry standards for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation graphics. Consultants are available to offer support and answer questions. Printing stations are available in both locations. Faculty, staff, and students are granted $16.00 in free print funds on their MaineCard each semester for use in the clusters. Instructions for printing from a non-cluster machine are available on our IT website at https://umaine.edu/it/resources/wireless-printing/
Collaborative Media Lab - The CML is located in Fogler Library’s Information Commons on the first floor. It was designed to provide space specifically for high end graphic, and video and audio production for the University of Maine community. A conference room equipped with teleconferencing capability is also available. Printing services include an HP Banner 5500ps color laser jet printer, used for large format printing in color (posters and presentations).
Media Services (Room 19 Shibles Hall) - Provides classroom technology equipment support, audio and video equipment assistance, help configuring or operating equipment, video conference support for classes and meetings. For more information, call 581-2500.
Video conference reservations - To reserve a video conference room, call 207-581-1610.
The Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology (LASST) is an interdisciplinary research unit within The University of Maine comprised of faculty, staff, post-docs, graduate students and undergraduates from the departments of Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical & Biological Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering. LASST engages in research, public service, and educational activities providing a focus for training students and carrying out research in high technology areas related to surfaces, interfaces, thin films, and nanotechnology. Research of advanced materials spans the spectrum from basic science to applied technology in areas related to industries both within and outside the State of Maine. Current projects include development of chemical and biological sensors, synthesis of ceramic films and coatings, studies of friction, wear, and lubrication of surfaces, interfaces in composite materials, surface science of paper coatings, surface adhesion of polymers, catalytic reactions, acoustic wave devices, microsystems, MEMS, microelectronic materials, and biomedical devices. The research effort benefits from a full-time support staff of technical and administrative personnel, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and funding from a mix of university, state, federal, and industrial sources. More than thirty five graduate students are carrying out thesis projects at LASST pursuing advanced degrees in Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. LASST awards research assistantships to carry out graduate research and also participates in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program. Well-equipped facilities are available for synthesis, analysis and characterization, and processing of surfaces, interfaces, thin films, sensors, microsystems and electronic devices. These facilities include several instruments including ion beam and plasma-assisted thin film deposition sources, reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), nanotribometer for friction and wear measurements, pin-on-disk tester, gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GCMS), and focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy. LASST also maintains a class 1,000 clean room for fabrication and testing of sensors, microsystems, MEMS, and microelectronic devices including photolithographic patterning, metallization, etching, and packaging equipment, high temperature furnaces, computer-controlled gas delivery systems, a Hall effect apparatus, and microwave test equipment. For additional information, see http://www.umaine.edu/lasst/.
The Climate Change Institute (CCI) is an interdisciplinary research unit organized to conduct research and graduate education focused on variability of the earth’s climate, ecosystems, and other environmental systems and on the interaction between humans and the natural world. Institute investigations cover the Quaternary Period, a time of numerous glacial/interglacial cycles and abrupt changes in climate, ranging in time from the present to nearly 2 million years ago. Research activities include field, laboratory, and modeling studies that focus on the timing, causes, and mechanisms of natural and anthropogenically forced climate change, and on the effects of past climate changes on the physical, biological, chemical, social, and economic conditions of the earth. CCI research is supported by grants from a variety of sources including the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, W.M. Keck Foundation, Heinz Endowments, an endowment from the Bingham Trust, and private gifts such as the Dan and Betty Churchill Exploration Fund.
To accomplish its goal of better understanding climate change and its impact on humans and ecosystems the Institute includes faculty, staff, and students from the departments of Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, History, and Marine Sciences. Facilities include the Stable-Isotope Laboratory, the ICP-MS laboratory, the W.M. Keck Laser Ice Facility, the Ice Core Microparticle and Tephrochronology Laboratory; the Ion Chromatography and Glaciochemistry Laboratory; the Marine Geology/Geophysics and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, the Micropaleontology Laboratory, the Laboratory for Paleoecology and Paleohydrology; the Zooarchaeology Laboratory; the Laboratory for Northeastern Prehistory; and the Andean Archeology Laboratory.
Institute research is of international scope and significance, and includes projects in the United States, Antarctica, Asia, Canada, Europe, Greenland, New Zealand, South America, and selected regions of the world’s oceans. The Institute maintains a strong program of international collaboration with a variety of organizations such as: Stockholm University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Government of Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (Nepal), the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Canadian Geological Survey and has a tradition of honorary members including Thor Heyerdahl.
Field, laboratory and modeling aspects of the Institutes research routinely involve graduate and undergraduate students.
The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions.
For the last decade, the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions has been a leader in launching and supporting partnerships in which interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty from universities and colleges throughout Maine collaborate with diverse stakeholders to tackle and help find solutions to a wide range of urgent sustainability challenges that directly benefit Maine and other regions. These challenges, which reside at the intersection of environmental, social, and economic issues, include renewable energy, local agriculture, municipal planning, forest management, solid waste, and coastal water quality.
The field of sustainability science offers unprecedented opportunities for students to experience a truly integrative learning experience. Students participate in collaborative research experiences with interdisciplinary faculty teams and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes for teams to work effectively. All research teams include experts in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability challenges as well as researchers skilled in linking knowledge with action. This focus on knowledge systems research opens up new connections between researchers and stakeholders to maximize the relevance and potential value of research for decision-making. Building strong stakeholder relationships based on a foundation of mutual respect, open communication, and a belief in the value of diverse ideas and experiences is key to this process. The Mitchell Center’s overall goal is to provide an innovative world-class sustainability science research program focused on research that is stakeholder-engaged, solutions-driven and interdisciplinary.
For additional information on all Mitchell Center programs, please visit our web site at http://www.umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/.
The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station.
For more than 125 years, the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station has undertaken research for Maine and its people. Originally devoted to research for Maine’s farm community, the Experiment Station is now Maine’s most important center for research in agriculture, forestry and wood products, marine fisheries and aquaculture, wildlife, rural economic development, and tourism. The Experiment Station maintains its offices and principal research laboratories in Orono. Additional research facilities include Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center in Old Town and Stillwater, the Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden and the Roger Clapp Greenhouses in Orono, and the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest in Old Town and Orono. The off-campus facilities of the Experiment Station provide an essential platform for applied field research that is integrated with research at campus laboratories.
The Experiment Station’s research programs improve the quality of life for Maine people by enhancing the profitability and sustainability of Maine’s natural-resource-based industries and by protecting Maine’s environment and the health of its citizens. Station scientists use cutting-edge tools to address current challenges for Maine’s natural resource-based industry and provide the new knowledge that fuels innovation. Discoveries are translated into new production methods, new pest-management and disease treatments, new value-added products, and new programs to improve the nutrition of Maine citizens. http://umaine.edu/mafes/
University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s community presence creates unparalleled opportunities for innovative work-study, internships and assistantships for students. UMaine Extension supports the university’s public education and service role by delivering research-based outreach programs in every county in the state. Based in Orono, 16 county offices, and five farms of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Research Station, UMaine Extension includes almost 200 staff and thousands of volunteers who provide community-based education, with a focus on the Maine food system and 4-H, the most successful out-of-school youth development program in Maine.
UMaine Extension is part of a nationwide system, supported by a three-way partnership among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the land grant colleges and universities, and county governments. It conveys community issues, needs and opportunities to inform University of Maine research and development. UMaine Extension’s reach is amplified via partnerships with Maine Sea Grant, the Maine Food and Agricultural Center, and the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station.
UMaine Extension engages young people in a variety of roles. Youth ages 5-18 have achieved success and helped UMaine Extension move forward in such diverse areas as communications, Native American connections and 4-H Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program development, working collaboratively with faculty and developing partnerships with community groups. In addition, UMaine Extension has had students work in personnel management, publications, IT support and new media development.
More information is available online (extension.umaine.edu) or by contacting UMaine Extension at extension@maine.edu; 207.581.3188.
The Department of Industrial Cooperation. ORED’s Department of Industrial Cooperation (DIC) arranges all fee-for-service work and industry-sponsored collaborative research, matching companies with the appropriate UMaine expertise and facilities. DIC helps UMaine achieve its goals of research and public service, while avoiding conflicts of interest with the private sector and ensuring that the university is compensated for private use of its state-supported resources.
The Office of Innovation and Economic Development. (OIED) helps support new and existing businesses by linking them with industry experts; facilitating commercialization activities, such as new innovations developed at UMaine; and transferring university research and development into marketable products and services. Their work helps innovation across Maine grow, creates future innovators and new jobs, and enhances the state economy. The office is also a responsive liaison, facilitating the relationship between the University of Maine at large and elected officials.
Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the development of novel advanced composite materials and technologies.
The UMaine Composites Center has gained national and international reputation from major research and development projects such as: the VolturnUS 1:8, the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the US and the first in the world made out of concrete and composite materials; inflatable composite arch bridges technology now approved in AASHTO Code; the first Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) approved by the US Army to protect troops in tents from blast and ballistic threats; development of coated wood technology for blast and hurricane resistant wood buildings; and the longest carbon-fiber composite vessel built for the US Navy, MAKO.
Learn more about the UMaine Composites Center at https://composites.umaine.edu/.
Graduate education is one of the UMaine Composites Center educational highlights. More than 125 graduate students have been affiliated with the UMaine Composites Center since its founding in 1996. While most graduate students have been in civil engineering, forest resources, or wood science, most recently, several have majored in a variety of programs such as economics, international trade and commerce, and business.
Graduate students gain hands-on experience and professional training in research ethics, industrial safety, supervision and leadership, equipment operation, and ISO 17025 quality management. Graduate students are expected to become full research partners and are encouraged to develop professionally not only in the classroom but also through writing, conference participation, networking with academic and industrial colleagues, and production of intellectual property.
The Pulp and Paper Foundation. Supported by private funding from more than 70 companies located in over 40 states as well as several hundred individual donations annually as well as endowment gifts, the $22 million foundation encourages a strong teaching and research program in Chemical Engineering, with a significant undergraduate scholarship program available to qualified students throughout the College of Engineering and the School of Engineering Technology.
The School of Marine Sciences (SMS) is a large unit of the University residing in the College of Natural Sciences Forestry and Agriculture. SMS is the focal home of both graduate and undergraduate academic programs, research, and public service activities related to scientific policy and resource topics of marine and coastal zone environments. At present, approximately 48 faculty are affiliated with SMS including full-time, part-time, and cooperating appointments. SMS, by its very nature, is an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to research, education and public service. Current areas of expertise and research include oceanography, aquaculture, marine biology, marine geology, seafloor ecology, fish and fisheries biology, fish pathology, seaweed biology, marine resource development and policy, and ocean engineering.
The School of Marine Sciences offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of M.S. and Ph.D. in Oceanography, M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Biology, M.S. in Marine Policy and Masters in Professional Sciences. An M.S. in Aquaculture may be developed in the near future.
Faculty of SMS provide leadership in research programs with emphasis on the Gulf of Maine, its related coastal zone, and in other cold-water and global systems. SMS faculty are headquartered at both the University’s Orono campus and its coastal marine laboratory campus, the Ira C. Darling Center (see below).
The School also develops and maintains relationships with other marine research institutions within the region. Examples include Maine Maritime Academy, the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Bigelow Laboratory, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Maine Geological Survey.
The Darling Marine Center (DMC), the University’s marine laboratory, is located on the Damariscotta River estuary, approximately 100 miles south of the Orono campus in mid-coast Maine. Approximately 50 faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and support staff are in residence at the DMC and conduct research encompassing the disciplines of aquaculture and marine fisheries; biogeochemistry and microbial ecology; remote sensing, phytoplankton ecology, and ocean optics; invertebrate biology and biodiversity; marine archaeology; and marine conservation science and policy. A variety of unique field-oriented undergraduate and graduate courses are offered annually at the DMC including: Semester By the Sea, Summer University, and specialized Ph.D. and professional-level training workshops in biology and the marine and environmental sciences. The DMC is a full service marine field station with two flowing seawater laboratories equipped with ambient, heated, and chilled seawater for the culture of marine organisms. The laboratories have resident and visitor lab spaces, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and teaching classrooms. A small boat fleet (19’ to 42’) enables researchers to access a wide variety of near and offshore marine and estuarine habitats. Also available are oceanographic sampling gear, SCUBA support, and a marine library, as well as housing, meal service and meeting space for scientific and educational conferences. More information is available at https://dmc.umaine.edu/
The Maine Sea Grant College Program www.seagrant.umaine.edu is a nonprofit program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) based at the University of Maine. This federal-state-university partnership supports marine science research, outreach, and education. In addition to providing graduate research assistantships and a statewide undergraduate scholarship in marine sciences, Sea Grant recruits applicants for a number of NOAA fellowship and scholarship programs, including the National Sea Grant Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, the Coastal Management Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship Programs in Population Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics, and the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. Students interested in graduate study in marine-related fields should contact the School of Marine Sciences.
The Lobster Institute, a cooperative program of research, outreach, and education with the lobster industry. It generates information about the Maine lobster which is used to help conserve and enhance the resource and ensure the continuance of this strong and healthy industry in Maine and adjacent areas including Canada. The Institute works with representatives of the industry to identify problems and help solve them.
The National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) is a research center focusing on a broad spectrum of investigations in geographic information science. NCGIA is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and many other Federal agencies, and is considered one of the world-leading research centers in GI science. The Center welcomes graduate students and long-term visitors interested in pursuing research in any area of geographic information science. . The President of the world-wide leader in GIS software products stressed the importance of this area in the information systems age, highlighting the lack of qualified people, and requesting that “the nation needs a program ten times the size of the one at Orono.”
NCGIA supports graduate research assistants at the Ph.D. and Master’s levels and enables the participation in cutting-edge research projects including geosensor networks, data stream processing, spatial semantics, spatial reasoning, spatial cognition, human computer interactions, and geospatial information policy.
The College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture’s programs advance society’s understanding of the natural world and the health of its citizens and communities. Our faculty, whose research spans both the health and natural sciences, represent the largest assemblage of scientific expertise in Maine. The College’s extensive teaching and research facilities host some of the most sophisticated research equipment available and are spread throughout Maine to take advantage of the state’s diverse opportunities for discovery. From Maine’s rural hospitals and forests, to the depths of the Gulf of Maine and glaciers of Antarctica, our faculty and graduate students conduct science that transforms lives and informs decisions that will create a bright future for our world. www.nsfa.umaine.edu
The School of Forest Resources supports an array of research facilities and equipment. Well-equipped laboratories are available for research in physiology, structural microscopy, tissue culture, and tree-ring analysis/dendrochronology. Physiological instrumentation includes a state-of-the-art portable photosynthesis system, programmable growth chambers, spectrophotometer, foliar image analysis system, and sterile transfer hoods. A full range of field instrumentation includes a TDR soil moisture system, water potential meter, hemispheric canopy analyzer, laser plotting system, GPS receivers and base station, and automatic dataloggers with sensors for light, temperature, humidity, wind, etc. Greenhouse space with environmental control is available, and the college has access to computer clusters with statistical analysis and image scanning capabilities.
The School of Forest Resources Forest Products Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for modern wood science and industrial forest products teaching and research. The 5,500 square foot facility contains equipment for the protection and preservation treatment of wood and biotechnology facilities for fiber processing and bioremediation, including a spectrophotometer, laminar flow hood, centrifuge, and gas chromatograph. Laboratory equipment includes an experimental-size dry kiln for wood drying research and a variety of wood drying and conditioning chambers. A full-sized conditioning room is maintained at standard conditions for testing wood and wood-based materials. The lab is equipped with a 200-ton position controlled hydraulic press, and support for the preparation of laminates and reconstituted board materials. Computer facilities include data acquisition stations, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) devices, image analysis, and Silicon Graphics work stations.
The School of Forest Resources also maintains laboratories for image analysis and information management. The Maine Image Analysis Laboratory is a research facility for the application of satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems to natural resource management. The laboratory maintains facilities for image processing, geographic information analysis and photointerpretation. Research programs focus on the integration of satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems, forest mapping, tropical landcover/land use change analysis, conservation easement monitoring, wildlife habitat analysis, and landscape ecology.
The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, administratively part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and functionally an integral part of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture, is one of approximately 40 such units across the country. The nationwide Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit program was established in 1935 to meet the growing need for trained wildlife professionals and technical information for natural resource management. It is a cooperative effort of the USGS, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the University of Maine, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute. Maine has one of the oldest such units in the country with the wildlife component established in 1935, fisheries in 1962, and in 1985 the two were combined into the present-day Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.
Most of the research projects conducted by the Maine Unit are identified and funded by the major cooperators, such as the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, USGS, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
More information on the MCFWRU and a list of personnel, can be found at: www.coopunits.org/Maine/
The Canadian-American Center. Founded in 1968, the Canadian-American Center is one of the leading institutes in the United States for studying Canada. Designated a National Resource Center in Canada by the U.S. Department of Education in 1979, the Center coordinates all Canadian Studies activities at The University of Maine. The Center organizes international conferences, promotes student and faculty exchanges with Canadian universities, coordinates outreach activities in schools and in the community, and supports graduate research on Canadian-American topics.
The principal graduate programs in Canadian Studies are in the Department of Modern Languages, which offers an M.A. in North American French studies, and in the Department of History, which has a Canadian concentration at both the master’s and doctoral levels. Individualized graduate programs are also available in many departments. The Canadian collection at the Fogler Library is outstanding. Holdings include numerous journals, newspapers, the pre-1900 Canadian series, government documents, dissertations, and the Mason Wade collection.
Students interested in graduate study on Canada or a Canadian-related field may write to the Canadian-American Center, 154 College Avenue, or contact Canadian Studies faculty in Anthropology, English, Modern Languages, History, and the Climate Change Institute.
Intensive English Institute (IEI) prepares international students and non-native speakers of English for university study or for professional activities where English is the medium of communication. Intensive English is offered year-round. Custom short programs are also offered. In addition to a full-time course of study, the IEI offers academic advising, cross-cultural counseling, tutorials and self-study opportunities in a variety of content and skill areas. The Institute administers the TOEFL every semester. Students may also participate in the Conversation Partners Program.
Full-time study consists of eighteen hours per week. The IEI also offers a TOEFL workshop series for students and a TESOL Certificate Program for Teachers.
Students are charged a tuition fee for each IEI course. Conditionally admitted students may take a combination of language study courses and degree courses. For more information please contact the IEI by telephone: (207) 581-3821, e-mail: um.iei@maine.edu, or the website: www.umaine.edu/iei/.
The Maine Folklife Center is a unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The staff of the center teaches courses through the Anthropology department in folklore and oral history and the director serves on graduate committees. The Maine Folklife Center publishes the annual monograph, Northeast Folklore, occasionally prepares exhibits, and workshops. Undergraduate and graduate work-study students conduct archival work. Graduate assistantships are sometimes available and internships for credit are available; students should contact the center in January of the year before they want an assistantship. The Center is located in South Stevens and is open by appointment. For further information, email: folklife@maine.edu, telephone 581-1891 or visit our website: www.umaine.edu/folklife.
The National Poetry Foundation (NPF) is a center for research on modern poetry. Established in 1971 by Carroll F. Terrell (1917-2003) as a center for Pound scholarship, the NPF’s mission was expanded by Burton Hatlen (director from 1990 until his death in 2008) to include the entire tradition of innovative poetry from modernism to the present day. NPF publishes a scholarly journal, Paideuma, which is devoted to scholarship on modernist and postmodernist poetry. NPF also publishes books of poetry and scholarly books devoted to modern poetry. Books of poetry have included volumes devoted to the poetry of Helen Adam, Joanne Kyger, Evelyn Scott, Ted Enslin, Armand Schwerner, and Constance Hunting. NPF also publishes the Modern Poets Series, which consists of substantial volumes of biographical and critical commentary on such poets as Louis Zukofsky, George Oppen, Basil Bunting, William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, H.D., T.S. Eliot, Hugh MacDiarmid, Mina Loy, and many others. To date, fifteen volumes have been published in this series, the newest on Ronald Johnson. Graduate students have regularly found opportunities to provide editorial assistance in the development of books in this series. NPF also regularly organizes conferences that bring to UMaine major figures in contemporary poetry and contemporary criticism. NPF’s 2017 conference is “Poetry of the 1990s”. Participants have included Allen Ginsberg, Carl Rakosi, Lewis Simpson, Ruth Stone, Hugh Kenner, Marjorie Perloff, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Joan Retallack, Charles Bernstein, and many other distinguished poets and critics. UMaine graduate students regularly participate in these conferences. For more information, go to the NPF blog: https://nationalpoetryfoundation.wordpress.com
The Department of Psychology. Facilities for experimental and clinical research include laboratories for the study of human and animal behavior, cognition, perception, and emotion. Among departmental research foci are depression and anxiety disorders, peer relations, developmental psychopathology, cognitive aging, and socio-cognitive factors influencing health and well-being. There are rooms designed for observation and audio-visual recording of behavior, as well as electrically shielded rooms for psychophysiological recordings. The department also operates a psychology clinic (Psychological Services Center) for instructional and research purposes. Through faculty affiliation with Eastern Maine Healthcare, research opportunities are also provided at Eastern Maine Medical Center.
The Psychological Services Center, maintained and administered by the Department of Psychology, has three interrelated functions. It is a community mental health clinic which serves central Maine residents of all ages through the provision of psychotherapy, and psychological assessment on site. Referrals are accepted from area physicians, family members, other mental health agencies/professionals, and from clients themselves. Graduate students in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program serve as clinic staff under direct supervision of licensed psychologists. Facilities for direct observation of treatment and audio-video recording are available. The clinic also provides mental health consultation services to community agencies. These services may involve consultation to agency staff on mental health matters, provision of direct services to individuals served by various agencies, and the provision of workshops and training seminars for residents and staff. The third function of the clinic is to serve as a clinical research facility. From time to time specialized treatment/research programs may be offered to the community free of charge. These programs aim to identify particular client populations and provide new and innovative approaches to the treatment of specific disorders.
The Child Development Learning Center, in the College of Education and Human Development, offers observational facilities and a setting in which to work with young children. Individuals have an opportunity to be involved in teacher training programs, curriculum development, and research focused on topics related to child and family development. Research may be interdisciplinary with other departments such as Communication Sciences and Disorders and Psychology. Graduate assistantships are available and assistants become part of the Center staff. The Learning Center is licensed as a nursery school by the State of Maine and is also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. http://www.umaine.edu/edhd/professionals/katherine-m-durst-child-development-learning-center/
The Madelyn E. and Albert D. Conley Speech Language and Hearing Center, located in Dunn Hall, is a center for clinical education and research as well as a facility for comprehensive state-of-the-art speech, language and hearing services. Both the Speech-Language Clinic and the Audiology Clinic provide services for individuals across the lifespan. The Speech-Language Clinic offers both evaluation and treatment services as well as outreach services to preschools, public/private schools, hospitals and group homes. The Audiology Clinic offers comprehensive services including hearing testing, hearing aid evaluations and hearing aid fittings. Additionally, the Conley Center offers speech therapy telepractice training and speech therapy services to children and adults across Maine and internationally. This graduate level telepractice training program is one of the first in the country to teach telepractice as a service delivery model to future Speech-Language Pathologists. The training program has three learning components that are guided by ASHA requirements of knowledge and skills in providing speech therapy telepractice clinical services. Graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders complete supervised clinical practicum experiences in both Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the Conley Center. Additionally, graduate students complete clinical placements in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and community speech and hearing centers. The Master’s Program at the University of Maine is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.
The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center is a nonpartisan, independent research and public service unit of the University of Maine. Created in 1989, the Center was named to continue the legacy of Senator Margaret Chase Smith who served as a model of civil discourse and integrity. The Policy Center conducts non-partisan, evidence-based research on significant issues facing Maine and the nation and assesses the needs of policymakers, communities, and other stakeholders in Maine and their interest in collaboration.The Policy Center’s mission is to inform public policy processes and societal decision-making through timely research and applied public policy activities focused on critical issues facing Maine and the nation. In the spirit of the Honorable Margaret Chase Smith, we strive to advance a tradition of independent, objective research designed to support effective, transparent, and equitable policy processes. The Policy Center supports a community of researchers across all policy relevant areas of expertise at the University of Maine who advance linkages between research and decision making. We build effective partnerships across diverse institutions in and beyond Maine, create and sustain linkages among policymakers, other key stakeholders and researchers, and provide policy relevant information and objective research findings to decision makers.The Policy Center helps mobilize UMaine’s collective capacity to serve the state by providing professional development opportunities for faculty, staff and students to advance their ability to become more directly involved with societal needs and policy processes, and by engaging students in opportunities to advance their understanding of government and governance. Graduate and undergraduate students from multiple disciplines may become involved in the Policy Center’s activities through coursework, projects, and graduate assistantships. In addition, the Policy Center manages several student programs including: the Maine government Summer Internship Program, the Maine NEW Leadership program, the Margaret Chase Smith Public Affairs Scholarship, the Margaret Chase Smith Library Research Scholarships and the Maine Policy Scholars program. For more information contact the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, 5784 York Complex #4, 581-1648, or website: http://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/
The Bureau of Labor Education (BLE) The Bureau of Labor Education is a department within the University of Maine’s Division of Lifelong Learning. The Bureau maintains an undergraduate Minor in Labor Studies as well as a Labor Studies Track that is part of the Bachelor of University Studies degree. The Bureau also conducts educational programs and research on issues of interest to workers, labor unions and policy makers. Topics include labor and employment law, labor history, labor relations, political economy, collective bargaining, arbitration and administrative hearing advocacy, mock arbitration, Robert’s Rules of Order, union officer training and leadership development.
The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) is an interdisciplinary research unit of the University of Maine. The work of CCIDS is guided by the principles of universal design/access, inclusion, diversity, and social justice. CCIDS faculty and staff represent diverse disciplines and engage in a broad range of initiatives that enhance the quality of life for individuals with developmental and other disabilities. CCIDS offers interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate study, and supports the conduct of research, evaluation, and policy analysis in the areas of education and early intervention, autism, child care, health, employment, housing, transition, mobility, and other aspects of community living for individuals with disabilities and their families. As Maine’s federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), CCIDS is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and collaborates with other universities and research centers throughout the country and internationally to address disability-related research, practice, and public policy. Graduate and undergraduate students from any discipline may become involved in the Center’s activities through coursework, independent studies, projects, and research. For additional information, please contact the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, 234 Corbett Hall, phone 207.581.1084 or 800.203.6957, TTY users: call Maine Relay 711, or visit the CCIDS website: www.ccids.umaine.edu.
The Innovative Media, Research and Commercialization Center (IMRC Center), at Stewart Commons, is a 15,000+ square foot facility provides comfortable, state of the art prototyping facilities, audio and video production spaces, a resource library, performance and installation spaces, classrooms, and offices. IMRC is outfitted with a variety of tools and equipment, including a full shop, 3D printers and 3D scanner, computer controlled machine tools, a cutting and engraving laser, plastic vacuum former, large format printers, a range of design and production software, electronics workbenches, video and still cameras, audio recording and mixing equipment, and a variety of tools for supporting interactive environments and installations. The facility is also home for the Intermedia Master of Fine Arts program. Visit www.imrccenter.com for more information.
The Virtual Environments and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory is part of the Spatial Informatics program in the School of Computing and Information Science at the University of Maine. The VEMI Lab is a one-of-a-kind research and educational facility with the mission of studying and designing cutting-edge nonvisual and multimodal technologies in order to improve environmental perception, navigation, and information access for blind/visually impaired people, for older adults, or for anybody in need of eyes-free environmental access. Visit http://www.vemilab.org/ for more information.
Graduate Interdisciplinary Endeavors at The University of Maine
The University of Maine is firmly and deeply committed to the expansion of knowledge and understanding by encouraging various forms of interdisciplinary academic endeavor. Such activities have become the hallmark of academic excellence and a clear indicator of the intellectual vitality of modern institutions of higher learning. The University of Maine accordingly boasts a vibrant array of interdisciplinary activities that provide an exceptionally wide range of opportunities for all members of the University community - undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members, staff members, administrators - to participate in scholarly undertakings that involve multiple academic disciplines. The following list covers opportunities currently available to graduate students at the University of Maine; other endeavors may be in the planning stages, and the University actively fosters the expansion of this critical aspect of its overall mission of teaching, research, and public service.
I. Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs
Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources
Disability Studies (graduate specialization) and certificate
Earth and Climate Sciences
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Financial Economics
Food and Nutrition Sciences (Ph.D. program)
Forestry (MFY {non-thesis}, M.S., Ph.D.)
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. (various concentrations available, e.g., Engineering in the Natural Sciences)
Intermedia (MFA)
Landscape Horticulture emphasis within the M.S. degree program in Horticulture
Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
Master of Science in Teaching (concentrations in Physics, Earth Sciences, Mathematics, or Generalist Option)
Plant Science (Ph.D. program; multi-departmental)
Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree
Quaternary and Climate Studies
Marine Policy (M.S.)
Marine Sciences and Marine Policy Dual Degree Program (3 years: with an M.A. in Policy and and M.S. in one of the marine sciences)
Women’s Studies (graduate specialization)
II. Other Interdisciplinary Endeavors
Academy of Public Service (joint endeavor of UM Dept. of Political Science; M.C. Smith Center, and the Muskie Institute of USM)
Advanced Structures and Composites Center
Canadian-American Center
Center for Community Inclusion and Disabilities Studies
Cooperative Extension
Division of Lifelong Learning
Forest Bioproducts Research Institute
Franco-American Center
Climate Change Institute
ITHCRA (Interdisciplinary Training for Health Care for Rural Areas Project)
Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology
Maine Folklife Center
Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy
Pulp and Paper Process Development Center
Research Collaborative on Violence Against Women
Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research
Solar Vehicle Team (College of Engineering)
University of Maine Center on Aging
Wabanaki Center
William Cohen Center for Public Policy and Commerce
Cooperative Research Relationships
The University of Maine maintains active cooperative research relationships, formally and informally, with a variety of institutions and agencies in Maine, the United States and other countries. A partial listing follows:
Augusta Mental Health Institute
Bangor Counseling Center
Bangor Mental Health Institute
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Center for Learning Disabilities
Eastern Maine Medical Center
Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada
Jackson Laboratory
Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Maine Geological Survey
Maine Medical Center
Maine Municipal Association
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Geological Survey
Veterans Administration Hospital, Togus
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Graduate School