News

33rd Annual Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium

The Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium is an annual event that features presentations and discussion by Climate Change Institute graduate students and faculty on emerging research and topics related to global environmental change. Save the Date for 2026 The 33th Annual Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium will be held on April 15-16, 2026 at the […]

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Network of advanced weather stations helps Maine farmers save time and money

Mar 5, 2026 University of Maine Cooperative Extension recently completed installation of an advanced weather station in Orono, the third such station in what will become a statewide Mesonet, a network of research-grade weather stations designed specifically for agriculture. As droughts, downpours, extreme heat and spring frosts become more common, Maine farmers say they need […]

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Sample collection from boat at Playa El Dorado, Peru.

Summer 2025 Fieldwork in Coastal Peru

Expedition Location: Peru (Lima, Nuevo Chimbote, Chao, Huanchaco, Trujillo, Chiclayo)  Expedition Dates: July 7th – July 25th Field Team Members: Kate Johnson, Emily Blackwood, Dr. Daniel Sandweiss, Dr. Alice Kelley, Dr. Shaleen Jain, and Dr. Allen Gontz Funding Support: Sturgis Exploration Fund (SEF) Introduction:  My thesis, titled “Calibrating Isotopic Analysis of Mollusk Shell Material as […]

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Group photo of expedition team members.

Digital Data Capture from the Ostra Collecting Site, Peru

Expedition Location: Peru Expedition Dates: July 7th – 24th, 2025 Field Team Members: UMaine: Emily Blackwood (Ph.D. candidate), Katelyn Johnson (MS student), Dan Sandweiss* (Professor), Alice Kelley (Associate Research Professor), Shaleen Jain (Professor); Clarkson University: Alan Gontz (Professor); Ramiro Acosta (Peru). Funding Support: Sturgis Exploration Grant Introduction: For several weeks in July of 2025, I […]

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Arctic Silk Roads: An Anthropology of the Unbuilt – Matthew & Natalia Magnani, editors.

Two of our newest members (partially salaried into CCI) just published a book: Matthew and Natalia Magnani, editors, Arctic Silk Roads: An Anthropology of the Unbuilt. Berhahn Books, 2026. The book is available open access.  Description: As climate change accelerates, melting sea ice is fueling the global imagination and geopolitical anticipation of the Arctic region’s accessible transport routes […]

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Mariusz Potocki named to Explorers Club 50 Class of 2026

Mariusz Potocki, glaciochemist and field scientist at the Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, has been selected as a member of The Explorers Club 50 (EC50) Class of 2026. The EC50 recognizes fifty individuals from around the world whose work advances scientific exploration, environmental understanding, and public engagement. Potocki’s research focuses on ice cores from […]

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Antarctic Field Work – McMurdo Ice Shelf – 2025/2026

Expedition Location: McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica Expedition Dates: Dec. 2025 – Jan. 2026 Field Team Members: Ryan Cassotto, UMaine; Allie Berry, UMaine PhD Graduate Student; Ali Banwell, U Colorado; Michela Savignano, U Colorado PhD Graduate Student Funding Support: National Science Foundation In December 2025, we started fieldwork on an NSF-funded project to study the Ice […]

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Mayewski on Maine Calling

After leading the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute for 24 years, climate scientist Paul Mayewski stepped down from his role this past September. His transition comes amidst a shift in support for climate research. Mayewski joins us to talk about his career and research as a leading glaciologist, his outlook on the future of […]

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