New Allies Help MDI Bio Lab’s Research on Aging and Environmental Risks
The University of New England, Maine Seacoast Mission, Maine Senior College Network and Maine AARP are joining forces with the MDI Biological Laboratory’s “All About Arsenic+” program.
Continue ReadingCitizens and Scientists Team Up for Community Health
The MDI Biological Laboratory partners with citizen scientists, students and teachers on hundreds of data-collection projects around the globe, from Bar Harbor to the Bahamas, Spain and beyond.
Continue ReadingUNE, MDIBL Team up for Drinking Water Initiative
Collaboration with “Legacy Scholars” builds on the Laboratory’s “All About Arsenic” citizen science initiative
Continue ReadingStudents Wonder, “What’s In Your Water?”
More than 20 students from Conners Emerson School handed out water test kits at the Bar Harbor polls on election day. The eighth graders gave out more than 100 kits to local residents, allowing them to test their homes’ well water for arsenic and other trace minerals. This citizen science collaboration with the Town of...
Continue ReadingFunding Helps Expand Arsenic Awareness Program
Long-term exposure to arsenic can lead to a host of health issues, including heart disease; cancer of the bladder, lung, liver, prostate, and skin; diabetes, and more.
Continue ReadingNot Just a Drop in the Bucket
Students in Lynn Hanna’s class at Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor are working with Bar Harbor’s local health officer Mike Gurtler to test all residential wells in Bar Harbor for arsenic.
Continue ReadingCitizen Scientists Support Doctoral Research
Arsenic, lead, and uranium, naturally occurring contaminants in some groundwater, are not uncommon in New England, where significant portions of the population rely on wells for drinking water. Long-term or acute exposure to these contaminants can lead to multiple types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Federal and state guidelines regulate the maximum contaminant...
Continue ReadingMDI Biological Laboratory Gets Children Involved Through Citizen Science
So far, schools in the program have collected 1,200 samples and 15% of them have had higher than recommended levels of arsenic (the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level is 10 parts per billion). “All About Arsenic” aims to build scientific literacy and interest, and to show school-aged children that as citizen scientists they can...
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