University of Maine student researcher Autumn Lauria samples plankton from the deck of the R/V Ira C., in 2019. (Courtesy photo)
Scientists, students, and staff at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center are gearing up for a busy summer season. More than 20 undergraduate and high school student interns will participate in research projects this summer at the Darling Marine Center’s Walpole campus and nearby field sites, on topics ranging from biology of oysters and lobsters to the physics and chemistry of the ocean environment.
Researchers based at the Darling Marine Center year round will be joined by visiting scientists from a variety of institutions, including Brown University, Dartmouth College, Franklin & Marshall College, and the University of North Carolina. Visiting college groups from as far away as Utah will join the Darling Marine Center community this summer to investigate the ecology of the estuary and nearby ocean ecosystems.
“We are looking forward to welcoming visiting scientists and college groups back to campus this summer,” said Darling Marine Center Director Heather Leslie. “While our core group of faculty, graduate students, and staff have been working on campus throughout the pandemic, this summer will be the first since 2019 that we are able to host students and visiting groups at the same level as earlier years.”
Summer science seminars will be hosted by the Darling Marine Center in July, as well as campus tours. These events will be ticketed and advertised through the lab’s social media channels and website beginning in June.
To support planned education and community engagement programs, the Darling Marine Center is recruiting a new full-time staff member. The outreach and residential life coordinator will live in the dormitory and support both K-12 and visiting college programs throughout the summer and fall.
“We are looking for someone who has a strong passion for experiential environmental and marine science education and the desire to develop a positive intentional residential community at our busy marine science field station,” said Programs and Communications Manager Matthew Norwood.
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply soon as applications are already under review. More information about the position, as well as other employment opportunities at the Darling Marine Center, is available at dmc.umaine.edu.
Founded in 1965, the Darling Marine Center’s mission is to connect people to the ocean. The Center’s researchers, staff and students work alongside fishermen, aquaculture entrepreneurs, marine industry professionals and other members of the community in Maine and around the world. For more information, go to dmc.umaine.edu.
