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BIDDEFORD, Maine

‘Press Herald’ reports that 51Æ·²ètakes lead in pursuit of voter-approved marine funding

The November 6, 2014 issue of the Portland Press Herald featured an article on the front page of the Business section about UNE’s lead in the pursuit of marine funding, which became available after the recent passage of a $7 million state bond to enhance Maine’s marine industry.

According to the article, 51Æ·²èis assembling a team that will likely include the Marine Science Program at Southern Maine Community College, the University of Maine’s Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research and Education, the Cobscook Learning Center in Trescott, the Portland kelp harvesting company Ocean Approved and the planned New England Ocean Cluster in Portland.

Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., director of the Marine Science Center and chair of the Department of Marine Sciences, commented on the strength of the team.  "If you aggregate Maine’s marine institutions, we are world class," said Costa-Pierce.

The article states that 51Æ·²èis considering using the money to build a permanent pier on the Saco River and expand its marine laboratories so it can work with industry partners.

51Æ·²è the 51Æ·²è

The 51Æ·²è is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.