University of Maine

Dr. Gregory Porter, a Professor of Agronomy, are working on developing potato varieties that are more resistant to changing weather and other conditions that could cause smaller potato crops, defects in the potatoes or potato decay.

This Thanksgiving, you may be helping yourself to a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. But scientists at the University of Maine and other researchers are concerned it may be harder to get those same spuds in the future because of climate change. “When temperatures are too high, potatoes often have quality problems,” said Dr. Gregory Porter, a Professor of Agronomy…

Maine’s public university system said most residential students have verified their coronavirus vaccination status. The percentage of the students who have done so is more than 95%, the University of Maine System said late Thursday. The percentage of full-time employees who have verified their status is about 83%, the system said. The system said it is dealing with 57 known…

A deputy sheriff shot and killed a man who waved a gun and fired shots into the air and into the ground during a standoff, officials said Thursday. The shooting happened Thursday afternoon when the man threatened officers with a firearm after attempts to negotiate with him over 50 minutes, officials said. It happened behind a business that’s across the…

In-state students in the University of Maine system will not see a tuition increase in the coming academic year. The $578 million budget approved Friday by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees holds in-state tuition flat for the seventh time in the last 10 years. “Holding the line on tuition makes our life-changing degrees more affordable and accessible,…

Maine’s governor has approved a proposal designed to promote manufacturing education, green technology and job growth in the state. The proposal, from Democratic Rep. Mike Sylvester, is designed to create cooperation between the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Finance Authority of Maine, private sector stakeholders and others. It also directs the Maine Council on...

University of Maine System seniors are getting their degrees during virtual ceremonies amid the pandemic. The University of Southern Maine and Universities of Maine at Augusta, Fort Kent, Machias, Presque Isle and Farmington held virtual celebrations on Saturday to keep students and staff safe. The University of Maine, the flagship campus, already held most of its commencement events. UMS Chancellor…

Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, are looking for a missing man who’s been connected to an alleged social media threat that prompted the cancellation of two college baseball games this weekend. Federal, state and local authorities are searching for 20-year-old Afshin Zarechian of Manchester, the city’s police department said Monday. “To this point, the investigation has not identified any...

The University of Hartford’s baseball doubleheader against the University of Maine was canceled due to a social media threat, school officials said. Officials with the University of Maine said both teams agreed to cancel Sunday’s doubleheader due to an ongoing campus investigation of a threat made on social media. Maine and Hartford exited the Mahaney Diamond Complex during warmups...

Colleges and universities across New England shifted campus life to a virtual setting last March as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. A year later, as vaccine distribution ramps up, many schools are planning for a more typical fall semester in 2021. Here’s a look of what universities across the region are saying about their fall semesters. Most Boston University students…

This week, the University of Maine System made decisions impacting thousands of college students going to school in Maine. The school announced it would return to a more “traditional campus experience” and “near normalcy” for the fall 2021 semester. “We are actively working toward normalcy,” said Dannel Malloy, the chancellor of the University of Maine System, during a press conference…

Students in the University of Maine System will make a return to near normal this fall.

The University of Maine is launching a program to offer training in food production to military veterans and farmers with disabilities. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension says the program is called “Boot-2-Bushels: Boot Camp for Market Gardeners and Farmers. It is slated to begin in January and will focus on training in small-scale farming for market sales. The...

The University of Maine said 10 employees who work in facilities management at the university have tested positive for the coronavirus. The university said it’s working to contain the virus by temporarily closing the facilities management office building and utilizing contact tracing and testing. All but one of the 10 employees work in an administrative role and they are all…

Someday in the not-so-distant future, plastic water bottles could be a lot more eco-friendly thanks to two Maine institutions who have decided to team up. Last week, the University of Maine and Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water announced the creation of a partnership to pursue the development of packaging made out of bio-based material. “Poland Spring is initiating…

Two Maine institutions are teaming up to create more sustainable packaging.

Classes are now underway at many New England colleges, and problems have begun cropping up on local campuses as students fail to abide by restrictions put in place by administrators as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools in Boston and throughout the region have seemed to fare better than many in other parts of U.S., but there have...

Classes are now underway at many New England colleges, and problems are already starting to crop up on local campuses as students fail to abide by restrictions put in place by administrators as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools in Boston and throughout the region have seemed to fare better than many in other parts of U.S., but...

Classes haven’t even started yet at many New England colleges, but already problems are starting to crop up on local campuses as students fail to abide by restrictions put in place by administrators as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools in Boston and throughout the region have seemed to fare better than many in other parts of U.S.,...

This week, students in the University of Maine System are returning to campuses across the state, and they’re being tested for COVID-19, symptoms or not. At the University of Maine in Orono, approximately 3,000 students were expected to be tested by Wednesday at an onsite drive-through location.   While three UMaine students had been found to be COVID-19 positive prior…