UNE Students share research on Saco River Estuary Project at Campus Compact Field Trip

Eight UNE students shared their research experiences working on the Saco River Estuary Project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, at the Campus Compact Field Trip, hosted by UNE on October 25, 2013.

The event was titled “Sustaining Quality of Place on the Saco Estuary through Community-based Ecosystem Management – Best Practices for Engaging Students in Sustainability Science.”

Samantha Mills (sociology) shared her research as a sustainability intern at the Wells Reserve, working with stakeholders and writing a stakeholder assessment to guide future work on the estuary. Katie McDermott (marine science) shared her research on water quality monitoring and pollution detection. Kayla Smith (graduate student Marine science), Natalie Ingram, Ashleigh Novak and Melanie Kolacy (marine science) ran a beach seine and discussed the fish sampling protocols they are using on the river. Sarah Cowles and Shane Murphy (environmental science) told the group about their work in tidal wetlands, documenting both rare and invasive species in the estuary.

The workshop was attended by people from Maine and New Hampshire universities, nonprofits and high schools.

Students at UNE are learning about sustainability science as part of a Maine Sustainability Solutions Initiative project on the Saco Estuary. The Saco River Estuary is a living laboratory for ecological studies and a place to learn about community-based ecosystem management through classroom activities and interdisciplinary research.



 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.