At the forefront of this effort is Bashir Khoda, a professor in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing at 91����, whose laboratory conducts research on growing algae cells while simultaneously working to train the next generation of STEM researchers through new education initiatives. 

With a background in manufacturing, Khoda and his team developed an innovative method to grow and harvest algae cells with greater efficiency. Microalgae traditionally are grown in a “soup” of cells floating freely in liquid, but Khoda’s technique places the algae cells in small gel beads, forming what he calls a droplet necklace. Encapsulating the cells in these beads creates a more controlled environment and reduces stress on the cells. 

“We are hypothesizing that this stress-free technique can produce at least 50% more volumetric output than the status quo, allowing us to grow more in a smaller space. Since this is a closed system, quality and consistency are extremely important and can be achieved with this technique,” Khoda said.

This work is made possible by a kickstarter grant from the NSF EPSCoR E-RISE RII-funded Maine Algal Research Infrastructure and Accelerator (MARIA) project, led by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences to further his research and educational objectives at 91����. The seed funding is part of a broader effort to advance algae-based solutions and manufacturing to further the blue economy in Maine, positioning the state as a leader in this field. These research projects work to advance the accessibility of algae cultivation while developing innovations that could benefit both human and animal health.  

With support from the kickstarter funding provided by MARIA and Bigelow Laboratory, Khoda’s lab plans to expand their research by scaling the technology for commercial use, training more students in biomanufacturing, and growing laboratory capabilities for further biofabrication and smart manufacturing. 

The field of algae research and development is increasingly used for high-value products in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and nanomaterials, creating many applications for Khoda’s manufacturing technique. He hopes his methods will help increase the production and output of algae, as part of a broader effort to cultivate sustainable products compared to animal or petroleum-based systems. 

Beyond the biomanufacturing process, Khoda’s lab is part of a broader initiative to expand multidisciplinary work at 91���� and prepare students for the STEM workforce. The educational component of his work focuses on creating more opportunities for research and teaching in smart manufacturing of living systems across science and engineering disciplines. He plans on utilizing this funding to create more interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning opportunities, and new courses at 91���� related to biomanufacturing, manufacturing engineering, and digital manufacturing.  

Additionally, Khoda hopes to establish an “Algae Corner” at 91���� as the core of his educational initiative. This space would support hands-on learning, research, and network development in living systems engineering within the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, enhancing workforce development aligned with Maine’s growing bioeconomy. 

With support from the MARIA team, Bigelow Laboratory and new bioengineering facilities in the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, Khoda’s research opens new avenues for both biomanufacturing and educating the future STEM workforce.

By Heather Johnson, Graduate Assistant

As the country’s most forested state, Maine requires a multifaceted approach to resource management. Forests must be managed to sustain growth while allowing timber and other wood products to be harvested. Weiskittel first became involved with EPSCoR in 2008, when he began his affiliation with the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) at 91����. FBRI was established in 2006 as part of an EPSCoR grant to advance Maine’s progress in the bio-economy by leveraging forest products. A large part of Weiskittel’s work there focused on reframing the narrative on these products. 

“One of the challenges that we face with the forest sector is just people. People don’t really like seeing trees harvested, and I think we’re all taught at an early age that cutting a tree is a bad thing. So I think a lot of what we deal with is not necessarily technical issues, but more societal and policy issues,” said Weiskittel. 

More recently, Weiskittel led the multi-institutional NSF EPSCoRTrack-2 INSPIRES project, Leveraging Intelligent Informatics and Smart Data for Improved Understanding of Northern Forest Ecosystem Resilience (Award #OIA-1920908), which laid the groundwork for cross-disciplinary forest management and increased regional capacity. As a Track-2 grant, INSPIRES highlighted the value of collaboration with regional partners, enabling Maine to share expertise and learn from other jurisdictions. Awarded in 2019, INSPIRES fostered collaboration among Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with a focus on strengthening relationships with similarly forested states that have a vested interest in the forest sector. A key aspect of this work was increasing monitoring efforts by developing new technologies. The INSPIRES project team furthered this task by developing new remote sensing technologies to assess forest conditions in real time and by creating models for future use. Remote sensing is an important tool for forestry, as it provides easier access to data. Many research sites are densely forested and lack cell service, making on-site data collection challenging. The challenge of data collection and the use of new technologies in forestry is part of Weiskittel’s current work with Maine-FOREST, an EPSCoR project that began in 2024. This research track, along with his prior work with FBRI, has led Weiskittel to consider how Maine can better conduct research, prepare for changing forests, and optimize output. 

The culmination of Weiskittel’s previous work with 91���� EPSCoR grants is manifested in his role as primary investigator and manager of the NSF E-RISE Maine-FOREST project (Award #OIA-2416915). Maine-FOREST highlights research on emerging technologies in the forestry sector that grow Maine’s capacity to measure and manage important aspects of forests. This grant is dedicated to advancing Maine’s forest-based economy through four intersecting themes: Environmental AI, Cellulosic Nanomaterials Bioproducts, Rural and Tribal Resilience, and Smart Rural Development. With this project, a diverse team of researchers across the state is working together to increase Maine’s position as a leader in forest-sector technology and innovation. 

“The overarching goal is, how do we do this in Maine? How do we take disruptive technologies like AI and some emerging uses of wood fiber to make new products, and how do we do that within the context of doing that in Maine? We’re dominated by a lot of rural communities, as well as the number one challenge that everyone in the state seems to be having, which is workforce development,” said Weiskittel. 

Currently, Weiskittel is helping 91���� embark on a new, exciting chapter in forestry. The university is a for place-based development and research under the NSF Engines Initiative. “This is a bold, new program for NSF, which is very interested in research that is relevant to the local economy and the state itself,” said Weiskittel. The Engine program awards a sizable investment to institutions working to improve their state through economic development and research aligned with a specific theme. 91���� is one of 15 finalists nationwide to advance to the final round of the program.

The mission of 91����’s engagement in the Engine program continues all of Weiskittel’s work, “It’s the integration of our emerging new products, technologies, and AI, which are really going to drive the management of our forest, at the same time it’s developing and expanding the use of invaluable tools like LiDAR and other remote sensing platforms,” said Weiskittel. Along with related programs under 91����’s Center for Research on Sustainable Forests and Weiskittel’s past work and continued efforts to better Maine’s forest sector, the future is bright and growing. 

Researchers at the University of Maine are advancing UAV technology as part of the NSF E-RISE Maine-FOREST project. 91���� Assistant Professor of Engineering Vikas Dhiman and Electrical Engineering Ph.D. student Arman Kiani are at the forefront of this effort. 

The team assembled custom-ordered drones that encompass a small computer that the AI runs on. Kiani works on the building and programming process, enabling the drones to observe and react to their environments. Guided by Dhiman, Kiani also debugs technical issues so the drones can successfully get off the ground. Once the drones are assembled, they have to learn how to navigate the unpredictable environment under the tree canopy.   

 “Instead, we aim to fly the drones below the tree canopy which is challenging because the drone needs to plan a path around shrubs and thin branches. To accomplish obstacle avoidance, we plan to use AI for detecting trees and placing them in a 3D model around which the drone plans its path,” said Dhiman. 

Once these challenges are addressed, Dhiman and Kiani will be able to collect a wide variety of data that has traditionally been challenging and time-consuming to collect. By combining data from under the tree canopy with previously collected data from above the canopy, researchers can see a complete view of the forest. 

“The aim is to get a unified picture of a forest, like measuring tree trunk width, the presence of different species and any diseases. We’re trying to get as much forest health data as we can,” said Dhiman. 

While this research is still in the preliminary stages, Dhiman and Kiani are hopeful that these advances in UAV technology will allow for a more streamlined process in capturing forest data. Beyond the forest sector, Dhiman believes that AI-guided UAVs can be applied to many other scenarios. 

“For example, emergency responders could utilize drones when it’s unsafe for them to go inside a building, like in the case of a fire or earthquake. With algorithms for obstacle avoidance and multi-drone collaboration, the research we are doing is fundamental in terms of drone navigation and exploration autonomously with as little human input as possible,” said Dhiman. 

This research was made possible through funding from the NSF EPSCoR RII E-CORE Maine-FOREST award.

Story by Heather Johnson, Graduate Assistant

Q: How did you become involved with Maine-TREE?
A: After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I worked as a land trust steward on trails in southeastern Massachusetts. During that time, I had a phone call with a professor in the School of Forest Resources that changed the trajectory of my career. I hadn’t previously considered this path, but that conversation led me to pursue a master’s degree in forestry. While completing my degree, I worked with the Maine Tree Farm Program, where I was first exposed to Maine TREE. I later continued contract work with Maine TREE through its Forest Ecology Research Network and now serve as the full-time Executive Director.

Q: What has your work been like with Maine-TREE?
A: Historically, the Maine TREE Foundation has offered a wide range of programming, from long-term ecological research to its Certified Logging Professionals program, which provides safety and skills training. The organization primarily focuses on K-12 engagement through educator professional development and student programming. Over the past few years, we’ve worked to develop a central theme across our programs: preparing people for careers in Maine’s forests. For students, that means introducing them to career opportunities in forestry and related fields. We also engage the broader community, highlighting the range of careers connected to Maine’s forest economy. Our overall goal is to support the long-term, sustainable stewardship of Maine’s forests. 

Q: How have you connected your work to Maine-FOREST?
A: Getting involved with Maine-FOREST was a watershed moment in my career. With support from the grant, we’ve expanded the Forest Ecology Research Network, which gives students the opportunity to collect data from forests near their schools, develop research questions, and track changes over time. There has long been a strong interest from educators and the broader community, but funding constraints have limited the program’s growth. Maine-FOREST has allowed us to create new resources and pathways that better support educators and students in monitoring forest change. This aligns closely with the mission of EPSCoR by engaging communities in ongoing research.

Q: What are your future goals with Maine-TREE with the support of Maine-FOREST?
A: Through Maine-FOREST, we are continuing to expand the Forest Ecology Research Network and build a platform for student data analysis. Our goal is to help students interpret and analyze data collected across the state and visualize trends in forest change. Organizationally, we are also developing a forest technician curriculum to increase educational pathways and workforce development in the forest products sector. There is currently a gap between formal education and on-the-ground forestry work. We are working with career and technical education centers to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to work in the woods after graduation. Ultimately, this will evolve into a credential that bridges that gap and provides clear value to employers.

The Maine Forest Collaborative is part of the Rural Aspirations Project, which works to honor the inherent value of rural schools, places and people by collaboratively designing educational opportunities that inspire youth aspirations and strengthen community vitality for students in rural Maine.  They operate in collaboration with educators and school administrators from across the state, providing support to rural schools through professional development, networking and connecting community partners, and designing student programs. The Maine Forest Collaborative student program works with local schools to empower students to create and implement projects in their community related to forest economies and management. The program aims to expose students to the breadth of job opportunities in these fields and awareness of natural resources that is often lacking in traditional education.  

“These cohort days allow students to see natural resource and forestry sectors from a different perspective. While students do learn about the challenges facing Maine in these sectors today, they also get to experience opportunity, innovation, and real-world problem-solving and research,” said Sara King, the Maine Forest Collaborative Program Coordinator. 

At 91����, students were mixed up into groups with students from other schools, allowing them to get to know each other while attending different sessions related to forestry-related technologies, sustainability initiatives, and career pathways in natural resources. One group toured the Process Development Center to learn about cellulose nanofibrils manufacturing. Students learned how this versatile non-toxic bio-product is created and its many uses, and even explored the material hands-on. 

Other students visited the Hudson Museum to learn about brown ash basketmaking in Wabanaki communities. They additionally learned about the invasive emerald ash borer, an insect posing a threat to ash trees. 

In another session, students learned about autonomous drones used for forest management and data collection. They utilized virtual reality to tour a local Maine forest, mimicking the way drones collect data under the tree canopy and the challenges faced in this endeavor. As one student noted, “I loved using the VR and seeing the challenges they face in the building of drones.” Finally, students gained an economic perspective in a session focused on resource allocation. Students used trees as a shared resource and simulated the difficulties in allocating trees for paper, energy, furniture, and construction, obtaining skills in real-world decision making. 

After these sessions, students were given the opportunity to present their own progress on their class project. As part of MFC, and guided by their teachers and Rural Aspirations staff, students at each school develop a place-based project related to a natural resource challenge affecting their school or community.  At Schenk High School, the class is working to design and construct an outdoor classroom for elementary students in their school, utilizing trails behind their school to help younger students connect with nature. At Tri-County Technical Center, students are exploring ways to educate their community on invasive fish species in Maine. At Telstar High School, students are in the process of determining a natural resource challenge in their community, such as flooding, pollution, and lack of recycling options. All students and teachers were then able to share feedback and recommendations for each school. At the end of the school year, students will present their work to the MFC group and local stakeholders at a final cohort day. 

Through this experience, students were able to connect with others from around the state, explore innovative activities and research at 91����, learn about careers and post-secondary opportunities, and further their own progress with sustainability and forest management. 

This work was supported in part by the NSF RII E-RISE Maine-FOREST grant.

Story by Heather Johnson, Graduate Assistant

Pips Veazey is the inaugural director of the University of Maine Portland Gateway, a strategic hub providing streamlined access to 91����’s comprehensive research, education and outreach resources. Previously, Veazey led the Alaska NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), where she developed extensive expertise in leading large-scale, interdisciplinary research initiatives. In her current dual capacity with the Portland Gateway and the NSF E-CORE RII Maine-SMART (Strengthening Maine’s Research Ecosystem and Pathways Through Strategic Capacity Building) project, she facilitates the growth of research and development networks at the state and national level. A Maine native, she brings a profound dedication and unique regional perspective to her leadership role.

Q: How did you become involved with the Gateway?

Prior to my start at the University of Maine, several colleagues identified this role as a natural extension of my professional background. I was immediately drawn to the position’s strategic location and the opportunity for an inaugural director to define the Gateway’s institutional mission. I felt compelled to establish a presence in Portland that could effectively bridge diverse capabilities, disciplines, and perspectives. One of my objectives was to leverage the field of team science to bolster the research infrastructure within the State of Maine. My previous work centered on “co-creative” frameworks—initiatives designed to facilitate cross-boundary collaboration and build collective team capacity. The vision for the Portland Gateway aligned perfectly with that experience. It has been a privilege to collaborate with amazing colleagues, curate cross-sector engagements, and expand the state’s research capacity through innovative, high-impact connections.

Q: What work does this entail?

The mission of the Portland Gateway is defined by our core pillars: “Connect, Convene, and Converge.” We facilitate novel partnerships between ideas and stakeholders, inviting experts from diverse sectors to engage in rigorous dialogue about the challenges facing Maine today. Issues such as limited housing, food security, changes in our natural systems, human migration and social polarization are global in scope, yet we address them through a localized, disciplinary lens. By convening research teams alongside legal experts, business executives, municipal and state policymakers, and non-profit organizations, we foster an environment conducive to holistic and shared problem-solving.

In addition to these statewide engagements, we oversee a flagship graduate course, “Complex Problem-Solving for Future Leaders.” This year, 15 graduate students representing law, business, policy, and interdisciplinary research met weekly to analyze complex challenges and the sophisticated methodologies used by experts to mitigate them. The students’ final projects were remarkably diverse, proposing integrative solutions to global issues by synthesizing multiple methodologies. This work cultivates a rigorous academic environment that prioritizes innovative, cross-functional thinking over traditional, siloed approaches.

Q: How does this overlap with your work for Maine-SMART?

I have been fortunate to have a partner in all of this work, Associate Director Anne Heberger Marino—who also serves as the Associate Director for Maine EPSCoR— and who possesses an extensive background in Team Science. We have dedicated much of our careers to studying and optimizing the efficacy of large-scale research teams. This work involves developing formal collaboration plans, clarifying roles, establishing robust communication protocols, and creating shared cognitive maps for complex projects. We use evidence-based research to guide teams through the intricacies of collaboration. Anne and I have designed a suite of exercises that allow teams to integrate their expertise and recognize the interdependencies required for success. Given that EPSCoR functions as a “team of teams,” it is essential that these units remain integrated and interdependent as they pursue a unified strategic objective.

Q: What is the process like to expand Maine’s network of resources?

The collaborative network within Maine is exceptional, and its expansion is a primary strategic driver for our office and NSF’s interests with an E-CORE RII project. Our methodology involves identifying synergies between University of Maine faculty and external partners in the private and public sectors—including business, law, and engineering—to address specific challenges. As these key constituencies engage with us, our network evolves organically. Partners recognize the capabilities within EPSCoR and the broader University system, and they increasingly look to us as a long-term resource. This creates a self-sustaining cycle of growth that strengthens the state’s intellectual and economic infrastructure.

Q: Do you find there are a lot of similarities between working for EPSCoR in Maine and Alaska?

Upon returning to Maine, I was struck by the significant parallels between the two universities and the potential for strategic alignment. Several years ago, we secured funding from the National Science Foundation through the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. to facilitate a researcher exchange between Maine and Alaska. This initiative allowed participants to identify areas of complementary expertise, such as 91����’s preeminent engineering programs and Alaska’s leadership in cold-weather and Arctic engineering.

Both Maine and Alaska are rural, resource-dependent states that serve as critical entry points to the Arctic. Maine has a vested interest in the North Atlantic regarding trade, tourism, and emerging geopolitical shifts. As the Arctic becomes increasingly accessible, new opportunities and challenges will emerge, requiring proactive collaboration. Maintaining this interstate relationship is essential for exploring these collaborations and preparing for future global developments.

Maine’s forests are a vital component of the state’s cultural, historical, economic and social identity. They provide a wide variety of jobs within different industries, offering many unique employment opportunities for local communities. In order for Maine’s forests and related industries to continue to grow, students must see a future for themselves in the forest sector.  Additional educational opportunities can provide students with hands-on learning to supplement traditional curriculum helping them better understand the opportunities the forest sector can provide them. 

University of Maine researchers have partnered with Rural Aspirations Project to enhance forest sector education for students in rural Maine communities. Rural Aspirations works with educators and school administrators across the state to provide support to rural schools in the form of responsive professional development, connecting with community partners across the state by participating in a number of networks, and designing and implementing collaborative programs. These provide hands-on learning opportunities to students and teachers, focused on real-world applications and solving authentic community challenges. One of their programs is the Maine Forest Collaborative which educates students on the importance of maintaining forest economies and the career opportunities available within them. The program’s mission is to empower students to actively contribute to their forest communities now and in the future. The collaborative aims to provide forest sector and natural resource awareness that is often lacking in traditional education, especially regarding the breadth of job opportunities. Exposure is vital for students to see they can make a living in this field, and highlights opportunities for students ranging from forestry and forest product manufacturing, to conservation, recreation, and policy. Faculty from the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources are contributing their expertise in social science research, helping Rural Aspirations evaluate the impact their work has on students and communities.

The Maine Forest Collaborative now works with five high schools and three middle schools in the state. In the program, students use the design thinking process to select a challenge relevant to course objectives, community need, and interest with support from Maine Forest Collaborative Program Coordinator Sara King. As the year progresses, students learn about the challenge and develop a prototype that helps to solve that challenge. Students and teachers are supported with classroom visits from the coordinator and meetings and field work with experts that help them iterate their designs before sharing out their project at a culminating presentation at the end of the year. Students are able to explore a wide variety of topics within forestry and natural resources, such as a class in Tremont that designed an experiment to determine the optimal growing conditions of salt marsh grass. Other projects include sowing native plants, invasive species monitoring and removal at the school/community level, student created management plans for school forests, and more. As King explained, “The big thing is that collaborative projects help engage students in making a positive change in their community and being activated in their communities in a real and meaningful way.” 

Beyond the classroom, Maine Forest Collaborative facilitates cohort days where students from across the state come together for a day of learning, skill building and fun. Last fall, students visited the Maine Local Living School to learn about non-timber forest products and engage in different activities. They rotated in different stations centered around forest caretaking, wood construction, and foraging for edible plants.

Through the Maine Forest Collaborative program, Rural Aspirations hopes that students in Maine will consider all the ways they can have a positive impact on the forest sector and potentially have a career in it. This hope is shared by Lydia Horne, a post doctoral fellow in 91����’s School of Forest Resources and one of the faculty members involved in the partnership. Horne became involved through her research on the human dimensions of natural resources management and passion for STEM education. Her work includes survey development to better understand what needs to be evaluated within the organization and collecting data on projects. 

Horne is particularly interested in helping Rural Aspirations educate students on the importance of forest sector awareness, a passion shared by King. She and her team define this as understanding all of the different career paths that intersect with the forest, such as forest management, outdoor recreation, wood engineering, and more. “We’re hoping that students can be an active part of their community through these types of hands-on learning experiences,” explained Horne. “We’re also enhancing people’s awareness of why the forest is important from an economical, environmental, social and cultural perspective.”    

Horne and King believe that with the additional education provided by the Maine Forest Collaborative, students will be prepared for the future. According to Horne, “The nature of the work is changing, we want to make sure Mainers at all ages who are interested in working in this industry are prepared for the changes that are happening.” This includes awareness on emerging areas of interest in the forest sector, such as environmental artificial intelligence and new advances in bioproducts. 

Beyond creating opportunities for students, Horne and King hope that their work changes how rural communities in Maine are viewed. King said, “The dialogue in many rural communities is that there’s no future in the forest industry due to closing paper mills and changing technologies…our program helps show students there is a future in the forest sector, that it is varied and that it may look different than it used to.”

Horne agreed saying “We talk about rural areas in a deficit model, but should approach rural communities from an uplifting perspective and an asset-based perspective.” Through the partnership of 91���� and Rural Aspirations, students in Maine are becoming an asset for the future through their education and impact on their communities with forest sector projects. 

This collaboration was made possible through funding from the NSF RII E-CORE Maine-FOREST award (#OIA-2416915). 

Understanding tree and forest health provides resource managers, land owners and researchers with the information needed to make important decisions about one of Maine’s most important ecosystems. Over the past three years, Leo Edmiston-Cyr, a scientific and technical computer programmer at the University of Maine’s Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF), has led a team of undergraduate students developing a new wireless band dendrometer that supports this effort. These devices measure tree growth, girth and health, and provide crucial data for land managers, foresters and researchers studying ecosystems. With support from the NSF E-RISE Maine-FOREST project and other NSF awards, the team engineered a cost-effective band dendrometer that can transfer data wirelessly, provide immediate results and eliminate frequent trips into the field to retrieve data manually. 

This summer, Edmiston-Cyr and Maine-FOREST partnered with University of Maine at Presque Isle’s (UMPI) Mark Royer, assistant professor of computer science, and a group of undergraduate students to create a web interface that pairs with the dendrometers. UMPI second-year students Jason Mantello, studying cybersecurity, and Mayan Pratt, studying computer science, worked to develop a web application that allows researchers to monitor and analyze data from the dendrometers remotely. 

Mantello and Pratt spent their summer coding the foundation for a functional, user-friendly web interface that makes dendrometer data easy to view and download. Moving forward the team is debugging and adding features to the web interface to improve visuals and functionality, which will allow the users to see map views in relation to the data from the dendrometers. These features will increase usability including, dendrometer network status, data formatting, geospatial maps and visual components. Having access to real time data in this way, the web interface is able to provide stakeholders with brand new ways to monitor Maine’s forests. 

This research project has offered the opportunity for the students to collaborate as they work through different challenges. “This project has been a major stepping stone in my understanding of programming as a whole,” said Mantello, who credits this project for shaping his perception of computer science in a real world environment.

Discussing the ultimate goal of this work, Edmiston-Cyr said, “My passion is making good software and helping people do it”. This project originally started with the goal to make a wireless band dendrometer that had features that other products on the market did not but has evolved further into making dendrometer data accessible online in real time. Edmiston-Cyr described the goal of the web interface as, “The cream of the crop. Being able to see all of the data accessible online in real time will be amazing.” This interface will make viewing dendrometer data the easiest it’s ever been. As Edmiston-Cyr puts it, “This three-year journey has been a long enjoyable path to make something really cool that has the potential to help land managers, foresters and researchers far into the future.” This wireless technology allows hundreds of dendrometers to be in use with data accessible on one web interface.  This research has provided  undergraduate students with opportunities to develop a product that will be directly applied within its field of study. 

Additional funding for this project was provided by the NSF RII Track-2 INSPIRES award and the PERSEUS grant USDA NIFA SAS Award.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technology in the United States and worldwide.
Increased use of AI has many implications across different sectors and presents a significant shift in the labor market. A widespread concern, one especially seen in news and media, is the role of AI in changing the supply and demand of jobs. However, according to the latest research, AI can have positive impacts on industry productivity if it is used correctly.

Researchers with the NSF EPSCoR RII Maine-SMART project are working to understand how AI is changing the economic landscape in Maine. Working with University of Maine Professor Andrew Crawley, Research Associate Elinor Hunt is researching the impact of AI on Maine’s labor market. The team collaborates closely with industry stakeholders to determine the economic impacts of AI and conducts research to measure AI skill demand. To measure this demand, Crawley and Hunt look at the amount of online job postings that include AI skills in the job description.

Hunt’s findings show that Maine is adopting AI but not at the same rate as other states in New England. The implementation and growth of AI is dependent on the industrial composition of a region. Hunt explained, “The type of AI that is more accessible to users, both through ease of use, accessibility, and cost, is more easily adoptable by professional and technical servicess…due to the nature of the industries.” Maine has a higher composition of heritage industries compared to other states in the region. This includes areas like agriculture, forestry, and fishing. These fields are vital to Maine’s economy, culture, and history and are slowly beginning to utilize AI technology. Due to this, jobs in manufacturing, finance, technology services and professional science have experienced the most AI growth in the state.

In a rural state like Maine, AI growth provides positive economic benefits. Hunt explained, “AI can be this great equalizer if people have the desire and resources to use it as such.” AI technology can fill roles that rural economies lack due to smaller populations. Businesses can use it for mundane and automated tasks and filling roles that lack available labor. Individuals can also use generative AI, like creating new content, to fill gaps in the supply of technological computer skills. This saves time and improves productivity, which Hunt said, “Equalizes that difference between urban and rural labor markets.” Hunt emphasized that individuals in Maine should not be afraid of AI but instead learn how to use it to their advantage. According to Hunt, “AI is only as great as the person using it,” and needs to be asked the right questions to be helpful.

It is important to acknowledge that AI is a rapidly evolving field of technology, and research is constantly evolving to better understand AI and the labor market. Hunt hopes to discover more about the interaction between AI and Maine’s labor market, such as where jobs may become automated and how workers can adapt to this change. In the meantime, AI has proven to be beneficial in filling key gaps in Maine’s rural workforce.