The University of Maine at Farmington Public Forum series is set to present a lecture by biology professor Timothy Breton, “Making waves with big ideas on science education and research in western Maine.”

In this talk, Breton will discuss growing the life science economy in Maine and the National Science Foundation grants that he recently received that are helping to make that possible.

This free event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Emery Community Arts Center on Main Street of the UMF campus. The lecture will be followed by a discussion and a reception with light refreshments.

The life science economy is growing in Maine, and building the future workforce will require innovative approaches in education and research. This talk focuses on two new National Science Foundation-funded initiatives in western Maine, received by Breton, that have collectively resulted in nearly $1 million to both train students and teachers and perform cutting-edge biology research, according to a news release from April Mulherin with the university.

The first project aims to better understand a new hormone system with potential commercial and therapeutic applications, and to bring this data to four western Maine high school classrooms and teachers. The second project aims to leverage collaborations across six universities to grow workforce training at UMF and build its capacity to innovate in science.

According to Breton, National Science Foundation grants are an excellent example of how small universities are able to explore interesting research questions and leverage them into further student opportunities.

The UMF Public Forum was created to share research, insights and creative works with the greater Farmington community.

For more information, email Breton at timothy.breton@maine.edu.

 

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