Cutler Institute

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $1.75 million grant to the University of Southern Maine to create and run a training and technical assistance network overseeing environmental efforts along a section of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastline.

In the November episode of "The USM Update," USM President Glenn Cummings sits down to talk about groundbreaking biology research at USM, global leadership through the Maine Model United Nations program, and how USM is leading the way in sustainable seafood initiatives.

Research conducted this summer by USM student Tyler Walsh, through an internship with the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP), aims to better understand nutrient pollution in Casco Bay.

Maine’s young people who are returning to their communities following involvement in the child welfare or youth justice systems should receive more help from local agencies, according to a new report released by researchers from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service.

For five University of Southern Maine students and recent graduates, it seemed like an icy mission impossible. Fly 2,300 miles to the edge of the Arctic Circle and while still fighting the four hours stolen by an eastbound red-eye flight, team up with students from a variety of prestigious Nordic universities, and find a way to save the world. It became the Iceland challenge.

The new report, “School-Based Policing in Maine,” funded by the Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, examines Maine’s increasing use of school resource officers (SROs) and finds that by itself, school policing is not evidenced to significantly reduce school violence or improve school safety.

USM is among 79 organizations nationwide to receive the one-year grant and is the research team’s sixth consecutive award from OSHA.

During July and August, high school students from Portland, South Portland and Westbrook participated in Gateway to Opportunity — six-week, work-based learning program helps connect local youth with tangible work experiences during the summer.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $60,607 grant to the University of Southern Maine to help ignite study of the northern New England coastline and its resilience to climate change.

"The USM Update" is back. This month, we discuss the relatively new Promise Scholarship, the Gateway to Opportunity program, which engages local youth and with meaningful work experiences, and two internships completed by our Food Studies students.