Two academic programs at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are again joining forces this fall to provide the campus and community with an innovative way to explore the world of science. The Environmental Studies and Sustainability and the Biology programs are hosting a lunchtime seminar series that will provide a forum to present scientific research conducted by UMPI students and faculty as well as other local and regional scientists.

“There is a lot of research, management and other application of science right in our own backyard,” Dr. Jason Johnston, coordinator of the Science Lunchtime Seminar Series, said. “The purpose of this seminar series is to foster greater communication and collaboration among UMPI faculty and students, working professionals, and community members who are conducting or interested in hearing about these scientific pursuits. This semester’s seminar series brings topics ranging from fish and climate change research in Mongolia by our own David Putnam, to long-term climate trends in our own backyard.”

Seminars generally will be held Thursdays from 12:15-1:30 p.m. in Folsom 201, UMPI’s GIS Lab, unless otherwise noted. Faculty, students, staff and community members are welcome to attend this free event and are encouraged to bring their lunches and join the discussion.

The series begins on Oct. 9, with a presentation by David Putnam, a professor in climate change and archaeology at UMPI, on Ice, Water, and Fish at the Pole of Continental Inaccessibility: Field Research in Northwestern Mongolia.

On Oct. 23, Dr. Peter Butzloff, President of the Honey Bee Research Institute, will deliver his talk A System Process for Ranking Attributes of Insect Performance in Free Flying Honey Bees leaving and entering an Underground Test Chamber.

The fall series ends with a presentation on Nov. 6 titled Weather Patterns and Trends in Maine by Corey Bogel, forecaster and meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Caribou.

For more information about the Science Lunchtime Seminar Series, contact Dr. Jason Johnston at 768-9652.