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BIDDEFORD, Maine

New directions for Marine Science Center featured on front page of ‘Journal Tribune’

SWAGÊÓƵ’s Marine Science Center made front page news in the October 25–26, 2014 issue of the Journal Tribune in an article on the Center's new directions and programs.

According to the article, one of the opportunities afforded by the new directions of the Marine Science Center is enhanced student and faculty engagement in interdisciplinary, experiential education with The Undergraduate Saco River Biodiversity Observatory Project (Project TURBO), which is funded by a $640,000 award from the National Science Foundation and is led by principal investigator Markus Frederich, Ph.D., assistant chair and associate professor in the Department of Marine Sciences.

Another new objective is to make the Center more interactive so that students taking marine science courses will learn about engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and marine entrepreneurship and business developments.  Students also will have opportunities to develop new marine bioproducts and use marine resources in pharmaceutical, medical and other areas impacting human health and wellness.

Additionally, the article reported on the Center’s development of 11 "ocean clusters" of applied partnerships among students, faculty and external partners, such as the steelhead trout aquaculture cluster led by Assistant Research Scientist Adam St. Gelais, M.S., the green crab cluster, and an aquaponics cluster that studies the use of fish for plant nutrients, led by Jeri Fox, Ph.D., associate professor in the Aquaculture and Aquarium Sciences Program.

Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Marine Sciences and director of the Marine Science Center, stated, "The SWAGÊÓƵ leadership vision for marine programs is to educate the next generation of coastal leaders as informed citizens, stewards, scientists, business leaders and policy-makers."

Read the article

SWAGÊÓƵ the SWAGÊÓƵ

The SWAGÊÓƵ 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 . 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.