Wildlife, Fisheries, & Conservation Biology_Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program_Ambassadors Changes Email

Email from Kate Ruskin, Lecture and Undergraduate Coordinator, Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program, University of Maine to students in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program (EES) with updates and information regarding the Ambassador Program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Wildlife, Fisheries, & Conservation Biology_Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program_COVID-19 News

Email from Brian J. Olsen, Chair, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Conservation Biology, Interim Director of the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program, and Associate Professor of Ornithology, University of Maine to students in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program (EES) with updates and information regarding the Program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

the video abstract in Ecology and Environmental Sciences

UIDB/05021/2020 UIDP/05021/2020 SFRH/BD/131072/2017In recent years, the use of videos by the scientific community has evolved continuously. Researchers, communicators, and other players are using audio-visual media to reinvent their stories, to deconstruct complex phenomena and to increase the outreach and impact of their scientific publications. An example of this trend is the video abstract: an audio-visual representation of the key findings described in the written abstract. Much of the research in this area is new and focused on content analysis and classification of online science videos. Furthermore, studies with videos and environmental communication are attached to specific topics like climate change. So far, a small fraction of publications has explored the study of the video abstract, its effects, and its potential, as one general scientific area. This paper provides the first characterization of video abstracts in the areas of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. We identified video abstracts in 29 scientific journals, based on impact, representativeness and visibility criteria. A database of 171 videos, from 7 publishers and 17 different video channels was created. Each video was analysed for different parameters. The analysis considered not only characteristics of each video, but also characteristics from the corresponding scientific papers. Results indicate that between 2010 and 2018 the number of video abstracts increased sevenfold. Despite this growth, there was no solid strategy for disseminating the videos. While most of them are still associated with classic models, such as documentaries, disruptive formats such as animation are the ones that arouse greater interest. Professional shorter videos (2-3 minutes in length) showed a significantly higher number of daily views and their papers garnered a higher number of citations per day. This data, combined with future qualitative research, will help to develop a model for validating the quality of an Ecology video abstract and provide new insights into the global study of audio-visual communication of science.publishersversionpublishe

Ecology and environmental sciences in Universities

Solution to the increasing environmental problems of today call for trained ecologists. Universities must create for ecology and environmental science for such training and for research

COVID-19_UMaine News_Tirrell poem in Science ‘Pandemic Haiku’ edition

Screenshot of UMaine in the News regarding “Spring Melt Date,” a poem by University of Maine graduate student in ecology and environmental sciences Andrea Tirrell, published in Science in the Pandemic Haiku collection

Olsen Appointed Associate Provost for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives

On April 30, 2021, Dr. Brian Olsen will join the Provost\u27s Office as the new Associate Provost for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives. Since 2018, Professor Olsen served as the chair of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, and was interim director of the trans-college Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program

A piece of the puzzle: Lydia Horne\u27s contribution to Mitchell Center\u27s community-based climate planning project

Lydia Horne recently graduated from the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program advised by Dr. Sandra De Urioste-Stone. She has since become a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Northern Colorado, but is continuing to collaboratively lead a project with fellow NRT students funded by the Mitchell Center, entitled Developing a Transdisciplinary Participatory Framework as a Tool for Community-Based Climate Change Planning

The use of video abstracts in Ecology and Environmental Sciences in the classroom

UIDB/05021/2020 UIDP/05021/2020As mudanças que a sociedade tem sofrido nos últimos anos tem feito com que seja necessário ajustar as práticas educativas a novos contextos. Simultaneamente, com o advento das novas tecnologias e com o aparecimento da pandemia COVID-19 o modo como comunicamos ciência tornou-se mais complexo. Nesta nova realidade, o vídeo aparece como uma das ferramentas essenciais para disseminar o conteúdo científico. Entre os vários formatos, o video abstract tem ganho especial destaque. Como versão audiovisual do artigo, assegura a qualidade e o rigor, porém apesar do seu potencial, ainda se desconhece de que forma os professores o podem incorporar nas suas aulas. Para isso foi aplicado um estudo de receção a um vídeo abstract original. Este artigo discute os resultados de uma série de entrevistas subsequentes a professores de Biologia e Geologia e ex-alunos para perceber de que modo o vídeo abstract pode ser integrado numa estratégia de ensino aprendizagem. The constant changes societies have gone through over time make it necessary to adjust educational methodologies to new contexts. At the same time, the way we communicate science has changed with the advent of new technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this new reality, video emerges as one of the essential tools for science dissemination. Video abstracts gained prominence among the different kinds of videos used for this purpose. As a link to scientific papers, it ensures quality and rigour, but despite its potential, little is known about how educators could integrate these innovative resources into their classes. For this purpose, a reception study using semi-structured interviews with Biology and Geology teachers was designed based on an original video abstract analysis. The results indicate that a video abstract should be short, with different formats and languages, and included in a broader pedagogical strategy. Also, this kind of resource works as a unique link between academia and high school.publishersversionpublishe

COVID-19_UMaine News_Campus as living laboratory

Screenshot of UMaine News press release regarding EES 217 field course led by Kate Ruskin, a University of Maine lecturer and undergraduate coordinator in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program being held on campus to assess the tick risk on UMaine’s campus, in collaboration with UMaine professor Allison Gardner’s lab, the EES 217 students examined the vegetation, wildlife and abiotic associations of ticks on campus

Not just another pretty reef: the Gainesville Florida Reef, a satellite of the worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project: poster presentation

The Gainesville Florida Reef, a satellite of the Worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, project not only shows the beauty of reefs but serves to: • Foster scientific communication through the visual arts • Raise awareness of the fragility of our coral reefs and the entire ecosystem • Support learning by creating physical models of geometric principles • Connect several areas on campus, including fine arts, mathematics and ecology and environmental sciences through collaboration and mutual interest • Encourage local community and alumni involvement through creating, observing and learnin