Ike Levine, Ph.D., assistant professor of natural and applied
sciences at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, has been
awarded a $150,000 research grant from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
Dr. Levine is working on a fascinating technology that will
enable nori seaweed - the kind found at sushi bars - to grow
in fresh water. “Nori grows wild in Maine’s coastal
waters, but not commercially,” says Dr. Levine. “Because
seaweed is also useful in breaking down fish waste, hatcheries
could pump effluent into a seaweed tank, eliminating discharges
into rivers and streams. This would help reduce water pollution
and give fish hatcheries and farms an additional cash crop,”
explains Levine.
Levine conducts much of this work in LAC’s new aquatic
research lab. A number of LAC students have assisted him in
this research. Rebecca Lebrun of Lewiston, now the laboratory
supervisor, manages the experiments and other student researchers.
Bobbi Cooke of Lewiston and Tony Legee of Poland, both students
in the natural and applied sciences major concentrating in
environmental issues, are involved in cultivation experiments,
data collection and analysis. Levine’s project is also
a collaborative effort with colleagues at Northeastern University
in Boston and Shimonoseki University in Japan.
Dr. Levine earned his doctoral degree in botanical sciences
at the University of Hawaii. His area of expertise is algal
physiological ecology and marine agronomy. He teaches courses
in biological principles, applied botany, environmental science,
ecology, and marine biology. He lives in Poland.
