Students make a splash at the Maine Water and Sustainability Conference

The 20th Annual Maine Water and Sustainability Conference is the premier scientific meeting in Maine for showcasing and sharing research about all aspects of water science and sustainability solutions. Students in the Environmental Communication class, taught by Christine Feurt, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sustainable Communities, co-director of the Saco Estuary Project, and assistant lecturer, presented eight posters highlighting the diversity of undergraduate contributions to sustainability science, environmental studies and marine science.

Marine science major Brenda Rudnicky (’15) earned first prize in the undergraduate poster competition for her poster, “Abiotic Influences on the Juvenile Fish Assemblage of the Saco River Estuary.” Rudnicky’s poster presented her on-going research aimed at learning how abiotic factors like water temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen influence populations of juvenile fish using the Saco River estuary.

Marine science major Carolyn Wheeler (’14) earned the second place prize in the competition for her poster, “Determining Sex Ratios and Sexual Maturities of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Saco River, ME.”  Wheeler presented her work developing and testing innovative methods using portable ultrasound technology to determine the sex and fertility of Atlantic Sturgeon.

Both Rudnicky and Wheeler will receive cash awards, and their names will appear on a plaque maintained at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center on the University of Maine Campus in Orono.

Six additional posters developed by UNE undergraduates were accepted into the conference. Three of the posters focused on the sustainability work of students involved in experiential learning projects in UNE classes.

Andrew Mahoney (Environmental Science ’16) presented, “Sustaining the Saco River: Projects to Promote Awareness” based on seven sustainability projects completed as part of the fall 2013 Sustaining Water class.

Jennifer La Comfora (Environmental Studies ’14) presented her project from her Landscape Ecology course, taught by Michele Steen-Adams, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, which was titled “A Scenario Approach to Sustainable Forest Management in Kennebunk, Maine: Undergraduate Experiential Learning at the University of New England.” Working in collaboration with the Maine Department of Forestry, students in this class developed scenario based forestry plans.

Ryan Curran (Communications ’16) presented “Sustainability Power of Omeka, Capturing the Flow of Information on the Saco River” highlighting his work in the Digital Humanities class, taught by Michael Cripps, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of English, in which he developed a digital archive for information related to the Saco Estuary Project.

Eugenio Hernandez (Environmental Studies ’16) shared his research on student awareness of wastewater treatment on campus “What’s in the water? Exploring connections between environmental awareness and stewardship.”

David Hague (Environmental Studies ’15) presented his work using GIS to track the spread of invasive species in “Mapping as a Tool for Documenting the Invasive Phragmites australis along the Saco River Estuary.”

The final UNE poster was presented by members of Fossil Free UNE, Kelsey Oullette, (Environmental Studies ’14) and Jesse Pirtel (Environmental Studies ’15). Their poster “Fossil Free UNE: How Divestment Fosters Sustainability” was of special interest to Bates College students attending the conference where divestment efforts were successful.

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.