The program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Marine Bio-Resources is a cooperative offering of Bio-Systems Science and Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, and Food Science and Human Nutrition. The graduate program in Marine Bio-Resources is designed to train professionals for a career in aquaculture and marine-related industries or for further academic training. The two degrees are intended to have a strong basis in the biological and/or physical sciences with an opportunity to emphasize one of the following specific areas: aquatic animal health, physiology and nutrition, aquaculture production, aquaculture/fisheries engineering, or food science and technology.
The Program Faculty come from multiple disciplinary areas including engineering, pathology, physiology, nutrition, seafood processing and population and habitat modeling. Faculty work with a variety of marine species including, but not limited to: cod, haddock, halibut, salmon, oysters, clams, sea urchins, and lobsters.
Consideration for admission to the program will be given to applicants holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent in one of the general areas of biology, animal science, food science, nutrition or engineering. Admission to the Ph.D. program requires a Master’s degree or equivalent in a science-related discipline with prior research experience. Applicants are expected to have at least a 3.0 grade-point average. Scores from the Graduate Record Examination aptitude test (GRE) will be evaluated along with undergraduate transcripts and references from persons knowledgeable of the student’s academic potential and work ethic. Applications will be considered by a six-member Program Committee representing each of the participating units. Upon acceptance by the Program Committee, the applicant’s file will be circulated among interested faculty. Admission into the program will rest on obtaining a suitable faculty advisor.
Upon admission, a program of study is planned by the student in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. Courses are selected from the graduate offerings of all University of Maine Departments. The interests, background courses, and future needs of the student will be considered in course selection. The student will participate in a research project developed in consultation with the advisory committee.
Extensive analytical facilities and associated research support are available on the Orono campus. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Marine Bio-Resource Program, student research efforts commonly involve facilities and faculty members of several departments.
The Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) is located on the Orono campus and houses numerous temperature-controlled recirculating saltwater systems from 150 gallons to 4000 gallons. Facilities are available for egg incubation of cod, haddock and halibut. A larval rearing laboratory allows the production of juvenile cod and haddock as well as other fish species. A live food production laboratory is available for the production of rotifers and brine shrimp. The Center houses numerous aquaria for holding lobsters, shellfish and sea urchins. A feed production laboratory allows for the production of experimental diets. A controlled environmental laboratory houses a micro-calorimeter and is used for physiological experiments. Dry lab space contains numerous microscopes including some equipped for computerized image analysis. The Center also houses a 120X 8X4 ft wave tank. The wave tank is used to conduct scale model tests.
Robert C. Bayer, Ph.D. (Michigan State), Professor. Biological Engineering. Lobster fisheries and aquaculture nutrition, management and physiology.
Brian F. Beal, Ph.D. (University of Maine), Assistant Professor University of Maine at Machias. Shellfish aquaculture and estuarine biology.
Alfred A. Bushway, Ph.D. (Purdue University), Professor. Food Science and Human Nutrition. Chemical, physical, and sensory properties of processed meat products, and fruits and vegetables, extrusion technology, enzymology
Rodney F. Bushway, Ph.D. (Texas A & M), Professor. Fate and impact
of agrichemicals in marine and estuarine environments.
William R. Congleton, Ph.D. (Kentucky), Associate Professor. Biological
Engineering. GIS, GPS numerical modeling of the nearshore environment and animal
breeding.
Darrell W. Donahue, Ph.D. (No. Carolina State), Assistant Professor.
Biological Engineering. Food engineering, value added food production systems,
information systems.
Ione Hunt von Herbing, Ph.D. (Dalhousie University), Assistant Professor.
School of Marine Sciences, physiology, morphology and development of early life
history of fish.
Linda J. Kling, Ph.D. (Maryland), Associate Professor. School of Marine
Sciences. Larval fish nutrition and microdiet development. Development of aquaculture
methodologies and strategies for alternate fish species.
H. Michael Opitz, D.V.M. (Free University of West Berlin), Associate
Extension Educator. Biological Engineering. Fish health, pathology and management.
Bryan R. Pearce, Ph.D. (Florida), Professor. Civil and Environmental
Engineering. Modeling of environmental impacts on estuarine and marine systems.
John M. Riley, Ph.D. (Cornell), Professor. Biological Engineering. Aquacultural
engineering, equipment design and construction.
Denise I. Skonberg, Ph.D. (University of Washington), Assistant Professor
and Graduate Coordinator. Food Science and Human Nutrition. Quality evaluation
of aquatic foods, seafood by-product utilization, and aquaculture feed development.
Robert L. Vadas, Ph.D. (University of Washington), Professor. Biological
Sciences, algal culture, marine ecology.
John E. Vetelino, Ph.D. (Rhode Island), Professor. Electrical and Computer
Engineering. Bio sensors and food quality.
Richard Cawthorn, (Atlantic Veterinary College), Professor.
Stephen Fegley, (Maine Maritime Academy), Associate Professor.
Margie Lee Gallagher, (East Carolina University), Associate Professor.
Graduate School
Return to: