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UMaine researchers welcome Alaskan colleagues to campus

Online Niel November 14, 2024

ORONO, Maine (WABI) – The University of Maine welcomes Arctic and climate researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks for a five-day visit to Maine.

The two universities have come together for what is known as “Bridging Arctic Gateways”, which is a partnership aimed at strengthening research connections between the two states.

“The opportunities for collaboration, I think, are really interesting in the different technologies that the two universities are promoting. And also in the educational opportunities we have for our two student bases. And I think there are a lot of opportunities for students in Alaska to take advantage of some of the programs that are here in Maine and vice versa,” said Seth Danielson, professor of physical oceanography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The trip comes after UMaine researchers visited colleagues in Alaska last year.

“They can see what we have for facilities versus what they have for facilities, where we could have synergies between different infrastructure, different resources. They may have resources that we don’t have and vice versa. So we can bring those resources together to make a more valuable presentation for some of the science, research and education we’re trying to do,” said Seth Campbell, associate professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences. Change Institute at the University of Maine.

This research revolves around the impact that climate change will have on the arctic and surrounding areas.

“I think climate change can be very doom and gloom and yes, we have done a lot of damage to the environment and it will continue to spread. But I think there’s also a lot of opportunities for mitigation, opportunities for resilience. And all of our communities, both in Alaska and in Maine, have demonstrated this resilience and adaptation. So I think a lot of the conversations we’re having here are about how we can mitigate the impacts, how we can see what those impacts are and adapt to them in a positive way so that we can build and more resilience than we already have in our community,” said Kristin Schild, assistant professor at the University of Maine.