544 research outputs found
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Recommendations for Establishing a Market for Invasive Green Crabs in New England
Full text linkGreen crabs are one of the most invasive marine species in the world. Their populations in New England have grown significantly due to climate change, increasing their environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Green crabs are voracious predators of soft shell clams, and have had a detrimental impact on the region’s valuable clam fisheries. They also prey on juvenile lobsters and other shellfish and compete with native crab species for resources. Green crabs burrow into and damage eelgrass beds, which are a vital habitat for many marine species and an important “blue carbon” sink. Due to their rapid rate of reproduction as well as other biological characteristics, green crabs are essentially impossible to eradicate. Attempts to remove them have therefore been largely unsuccessful. A more promising solution to the green crab invasion is to establish markets and incentives for their exploitation. Culinary and bait markets would support continuous harvest of the crabs, keeping their population in check without devoting resources to futile eradication attempts. A green crab fishery would diversify New England’s fisheries and make use of a highly abundant resource that is presently underutilized. Although there are challenges to developing a viable green crab fishery, it is likely the best strategy to combat their environmental impacts while simultaneously benefiting human communities
The North American tree-ring fire-scar network
No full textFire regimes in North American forests are diverse and modern fire records are often too short to capture important patterns, trends, feedbacks, and drivers of variability. Tree-ring fire scars provide valuable perspectives on fire regimes, including centuries-long records of fire year, season, frequency, severity, and size. Here, we introduce the newly compiled North American tree-ring fire-scar network (NAFSN), which contains 2562 sites, \u3e37,000 fire-scarred trees, and covers large parts of North America. We investigate the NAFSN in terms of geography, sample depth, vegetation, topography, climate, and human land use. Fire scars are found in most ecoregions, from boreal forests in northern Alaska and Canada to subtropical forests in southern Florida and Mexico. The network includes 91 tree species, but is dominated by gymnosperms in the genus Pinus. Fire scars are found from sea level to \u3e4000-m elevation and across a range of topographic settings that vary by ecoregion. Multiple regions are densely sampled (e.g., \u3e1000 fire-scarred trees), enabling new spatial analyses such as reconstructions of area burned. To demonstrate the potential of the network, we compared the climate space of the NAFSN to those of modern fires and forests; the NAFSN spans a climate space largely representative of the forested areas in North America, with notable gaps in warmer tropical climates. Modern fires are burning in similar climate spaces as historical fires, but disproportionately in warmer regions compared to the historical record, possibly related to under-sampling of warm subtropical forests or supporting observations of changing fire regimes. The historical influence of Indigenous and non-Indigenous human land use on fire regimes varies in space and time. A 20th century fire deficit associated with human activities is evident in many regions, yet fire regimes characterized by frequent surface fires are still active in some areas (e.g., Mexico and the southeastern United States). These analyses provide a foundation and framework for future studies using the hundreds of thousands of annually- to sub-annually-resolved tree-ring records of fire spanning centuries, which will further advance our understanding of the interactions among fire, climate, topography, vegetation, and humans across North America
Supporting the First Year Transition Through Experiential Learning
Full text linkIn this piece, we describe UMaine Farmington\u27s innovative First Year Fusion program, which merges an experiential pre-semester field week with a shortened half-semester first year seminar. Fusion courses were piloted to provide additional support and programming to first-generation and out-of-state students. We explain the reasons behind developing this program, the benefits to students of participation in Fusion courses, and some initial findings in terms of student success. We also explain how First Year Fusion was adapted to accommodate COVID pandemic disruptions to teaching and travel
Monstrous Women in the Monstrous Wonderland: An Exploration of Abjection and Trauma in the Silent Hill Franchise
Full text linkLiterary scholars have recently expanded their focus to include emerging media such as video games as literary texts. In particular, these scholars study how video games create an immersive experience with active agency for players. However, there has been little study of horror video games in this rapidly growing line of inquiry. Accordingly, this paper presents a feminist, trauma-informed reading on the horror video game Silent Hill (1999), with further consideration of the subsequent American film adaptation Silent Hill (2006). This exploration outlines the ways by which trauma organizes an active experience for players. In doing so, this examination applies Cathy Caruth’s foundational theory of how trauma manifests in literature as something unknown, as well as how literature attempts to explore this unknown terrain. I conclude that the film adaptation attempts to but does not successfully encapsulate a traumatic experience in the immersive way the original game does, given the player’s active role in exploring trauma. In support of this argument, the paper outlines how involving the player in puzzle-solving and the symbolism of the landscape enable the game to mimic traumatic experiences and create a connection between the player and the game’s characters not possible in the medium of film
Teaching Matters, Volume 3 : Essays by Faculty and Staff of the University of Maine at Farmington
Full text linkEssays by the faculty and staff of the University of Maine at Farmington.
Edited by Linda Britt
Forward by Edward Sernahttps://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/publications/1096/thumbnail.jp
Gyeongbokgung Palace (경벅궁)
Full text linkDescription: Gyeongbokgung Palace (경벅궁) is the largest of the four palaces in Seoul and resides in Jongno, (종러) which is the political capital of Seoul.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/study_away/1000/thumbnail.jp
Where Life and Language Meet: An Interdisciplinary Collection in Context of My Sámi Heritage
Full text linkWhere Life and Language Meet is an interdisciplinary project exploring my Sámi heritage through research and the creation of a poetry collection. Following a brief historical background on the Sámi, the project showcases how my original poems are informed by Sámi storytelling practices. The analytical essay also explores how these poems fit into a larger framework of contemporary literature. Overall, this project demonstrates the creation of poetry as not only cultural heritage work but also a showcase for a culture not significantly explored in contemporary Western scholarship
Presidential Swing States
No full textThe 2020 US presidential race was one of the most hotly contested and contentious in recent American history. While the election produced the greatest turnout in American history and the highest percentage turnout in 60 years, the election still came down to a handful of swing states that ultimately decided the election. In their third edition of Presidential Swing States, Rafael Jacob and David Schultz examine the 2020 presidential election, keying in on the few critical states that actually decided the election and why. With cases studies written by prominent political scientists who are experts on these swing states, Presidential Swing States also explains why some states were swing states but no longer are, why some continue to be swing states, and what states beyond 2020 may be the future swing states that decide the presidency.
The book contains in-depth case studies of the swing-states and swing-counties that decide presidential elections in the United States. Students in classes on American Politics and Government, Parties, Campaigns and Elections, State Politics, and the Presidency will all be well-served by the analyses in this volume, as will journalists reporting on presidential elections, and the general public.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/publications/1106/thumbnail.jp
Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
Full text linkThe photo was taken at Seljalandsfoss which is located in the south region of iceland. You are able to walk behind the waterfall which is where I took the photo. We stopped here on our first day in Iceland and it was absolutely captivating.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/study_away/1001/thumbnail.jp
Using the Campus Environment as a Classroom
Full text linkUniversity campuses are multi-purpose spaces, with public institution campuses typically hosting a suite of functions serving local communities, including access to libraries and scholarship, adult learning programs, and episodic events such as public health campaigns and tax preparation support. University campuses also provide excellent spaces for activities that enhance and support their educational mission, including open space that can be used for course-based research, inquiry-led projects, methods training in the social and natural sciences, and artistic work. Here, I explain how I have used the UMaine Farmington campus to teach inquiry-based environmental science while providing campus-based service-learning to the community garden and the campus forest. I also detail how campus-based environmental research was successfully conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic