Lab News

Jamie Fogg holding an eDNA sampler.

Jamie Fogg, a Maine Top Scholar and undergraduate student working in the Cammen Lab, was recently awarded a fellowship from the University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR).  We are so excited to work with Jamie on her research project, “Beyond the shoreline: Investigating gray seal eDNA in coastal waters.” Co-advised by Kristina Cammen and Julia Sunnarborg, Jamie will use qPCR to analyze eDNA samples she collected with collaborators at the Center for Coastal Studies earlier this year off the coast of Cape Cod. Her research aims to better understand the dynamics of environmental DNA (eDNA) around gray seal haulouts.

Check out the latest UMaine press release about our research collaboration with Maine Sea Grant, NOAA, and Maine DMR to improve our understanding of river herring recovery in the Penobscot River.  Funded by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, this research explores environmental DNA (eDNA) as a complementary survey tool to existing hydroacoustic surveys of fish in the Penobscot River Estuary.  Julia Sunnarborg, a PhD candidate in the Cammen Lab, is leading this research in close collaboration with Justin Stevens at Maine Sea Grant.

Photo courtesy of Maine Sea Grant

Maine Public’s new outdoor series, Borealis, recently featured a visit to the Cammen Lab to talk with Kristina, Christina, and Julia about their seal research.  Our research stories were complemented by video footage from the Marine Mammals of Maine rehabilitation facility during pup season.  Check it out to learn more about the work we do at UMaine and with our collaborators in the stranding network!