The University of Maine celebrated Earth Week this year from April 18 through April 22. The university’s Green Campus Initiative (GCI) hosted several interactive events around campus, aiming to involve students in daily activities promoting their own wellbeing as well as the health and sustainability of the planet. 

The end of Earth Week this year culminated with the release of Spire, the Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability.

The goal of Earth Week is to dedicate time to educating and engaging with individuals on issues revolving around sustainability and environmental decline. UMaine’s GCI helped create a week for UMaine students that furthers that goal. 

Monday consisted of a craft and plant swap sponsored by the UMaine Green Team, where students were encouraged to bring their own planting and craft supplies to exchange for new ones. The primary goal was to assist the community in reducing their waste and consumption. 

On Tuesday, GCI sponsored microgreen planting where students were invited to the University Mall to plant microgreens with all the necessary materials provided. 

There were also activities during Earth Week that focused on the health and wellbeing of students, including the Fresh Check event on Wednesday, sponsored by the UMaine Student Wellness Resource Center. The purpose of this event was to increase awareness surrounding mental health and suicide prevention amongst college students.

Additionally, on Wednesday there were earth-inspired crafts sponsored by GCI and a pop-up shop to help reduce waste and overconsumption, courtesy of the Black Bear Exchange and UMaine Green Team. Students had the opportunity to attend the pop-up shop and exchange their old clothes for new ones.

GCI continued to add fun to environmental sustainability and education on Thursday by hosting a Maine recycling trivia-style event named Redemption Center Bottle Toss on the University Mall. On Thursday, the Feminist Collective also contributed to Earth Week by offering education about sustainable options for menstrual products, and the UMaine Campus Activities Board finished up the day with more sustainable crafts.

On Friday, Spire launched its sixth issue of its interdisciplinary journal. The goal of the journal is to bring together communities across Maine to further propel efforts toward creating environmental change and sustainable practices. The journal brings together people with various backgrounds to become a part of an ongoing global conversation regarding conservation and sustainability. 

The artwork on the cover is by Rachel Murphy, the winner of the 2022 Spire art cover competition.

The journal features an array of different types of work including discussions and essays tackling pressing environmental issues, several poetry collections and nature-centered photography.

Johnny Sanchez is an artist whose work is featured in this year’s issue of Spire. Sanchez contributed his art series titled “Wild Bees on Flowering Plants.” This photojournalism article features four high resolution photographs of bees pollinating wild flowers.

These photos allow people to see the natural beauty that goes hand-in-hand with bees fulfilling their duties as pollinators. Being able to view the bees in this way allows people to gain an appreciation for the work done by the bees, supporting the idea that rather than being considered pests, bees should be seen as insects that play a crucial role in conservation and sustainability.

Another artist whose work appears in this year’s issue of Spire is Jeremy Sudzer, who contributed two poems to the journal. 

The first poem is titled “Gardens During Rain.” This poem is written in a way that romanticizes a rain storm. The piece lets the reader reflect upon the same appreciation for rain that the artist had when they created the poem.

“Nature Consoles” is the name of Sudzer’s second poem in his collection. Reading this poem reflects the feeling of comfort that Sudzer finds in nature. The poem depicts nature as the remedy to despair, which increases its value in the eyes of the reader.

These poems provoke emotion around nature and the earth, making it an impactful addition to the journal.

To check out this year’s newly launched issue of Spire, the Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability, visit https://umaine.edu/spire/spire-2022-issue/. To view previously released issues of the journal you can visit https://umaine.edu/spire/issues/.

Brian McNaught held a discussion in Dr. Sandra Caron’s human sexuality class on Tuesday, April 5, at 12:30 p.m. McNaught is a world-renowned corporate diversity consultant dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer issues in the workforce. He is the author of 13 books and has traveled around the world for his work, where he uses his own personal experience and professional skills to help companies create a workplace where everyone feels safe and valued.

McNaught talked about how he hopes his work will help normalize the queer experience.

“By putting a face on the issue, which is the most effective thing I do, I help those who don’t know gay people understand what our lives are like,” McNaught said. “Most people have good hearts and want to do the right thing. They don’t want others to experience such fear and loneliness as children. My talk helps allies better understand the most effective strategy, and it helps LGBTQ+ people feel empowered. While my story is about my growing up gay, I always continually reference lesbians, bisexuals, people who are transgender, queers and others.”  

McNaught’s talk stressed the importance that understanding and accepting people in the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t mean changing one’s personal morals or values. Rather, it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to talk about who they love.

Throughout his life, McNaught has experienced society progress in its acceptance of gay and transgender people, but he still comes across individuals and groups of people who still have a hard time addressing the issue.

“Traditionally, those with the most conservative religious beliefs have the hardest time with the issue, but I assure them that this is simply about treating colleagues with professional respect; that everyone wants and needs to feel safe and valued,” McNaught said.  

McNaught has noticed growth in the corporate world, where businesses are recognizing the need to create inclusive workplace environments.

“Corporations, believe it or not, have been way ahead of universities and churches in not only enacting policies, such as domestic partner benefits [before marriage equality], but also in seeing the need for education throughout the company,” McNaught said.

McNaught explains that education is the key to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at school and in the workplace. He emphasized the idea that policy change won’t be effective if people don’t also understand the need for the change. 

“There is no substitution for education in the effort to create a welcoming, inclusive environment,” McNaught said. “Ignorance is the parent of fear, and fear is the parent of hatred. Policies don’t change people’s beliefs or behaviors. All of us need help in understanding things that are beyond our life experiences.”

To find out more about Brian McNaught and his work, visit his website at https://www.brian-mcnaught.com/ to learn more about him and his mission in creating inclusive work environments for the LGBTQ+ community.

4/5 Stars 

Netflix found a way to play with time by releasing their new film “The Adam Project” on March 11. The light-hearted action and adventure film is currently at spot number three on Netflix’s list of Top 10 Movies in the U.S Today. With a runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes, “The Adam Project” will pull its viewers into a witty reality that is not bound by time.

Starring Ryan Reynolds as Adam Reed from 28 years in the future and Walker Scobell as 12-year-old Adam Reed, this pair creates a humorous dynamic that will have viewers wishing they could catch up with their younger selves in pursuit to save the world. This interesting relationship between two different versions of himself adds a new perspective that gives insight on the character development of Reed and why he is the way he is. 

Other notable actors in the film include Mark Ruffalo as Louis Reed, Jennifer Garner as Ellie Reed and Zoe Salaña as Laura Shane.  

The film is about Reed, a man from a dystopian version of the year 2050 where time travel is possible. On a mission to find his missing wife, Reed steals a time jet to travel back to 2018, the year of his wife’s alleged death, but becomes injured and crash lands in the year 2022 where he meets his 12-year-old self who is still coping with the death of his father. 12-year-old Reed is also the key to powering the jet and assisting the future Reed in his journey. The duo finds Reed’s wife seeking refuge in the year 2022, where she warns them about a woman named Maya Sorian who is using time travel with evil intentions. With this in mind, they jump back to 2018, where the younger Reed gets to reunite with his father and save time travel—or rather, destroy it. 

Netflix brings its viewers a mix between reality and fantasy, taking life as we currently know it and placing it in a world with advanced technology where time travel exists and technology advances quickly. The costumes for the earlier years visited in the film are ordinary everyday clothes that stay true to the characters and their personal styles. The costumes worn by individuals from the year 2050 have a sleek, modern feel to them. The officers from 2050 are equipped with a futuristic space suit-style uniform and helmets that covers them from head to toe.

“The Adam Project” provides an enjoyable viewing experience. The witty and humorous dynamic between 12-year-old Reed and his older self will have older audiences wishing they could hash it out with their younger selves while younger audiences wish they could take on the world with the person that they will one day become. Director Shawn Levy’s applaudable work strikes the perfect balance between action and humor, making it a movie that can please a variety of audiences. The film is worth your attention the next time you find yourself on Netflix scrolling through the Top 10 Movies in the U.S Today.

The Maine Masque production of “Montgomery v. The People of the United States” premiered in Hauck Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on March 24. The student-led production, supported by the University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts, had additional showtimes held on March 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m and on March 27 at 2 p.m. 

“Montgomery v. The People of the United States” was written by UMaine student Connor Bolduc and directed by UMaine student Karissa Mierzejewski.

Actors starring in the production include Haley Connor as Montgomery Madison, Katie Luck as Quinn Higgins, Wyatt Sykes as Alex Sylvester and Matin Guarnieri as Taylor Johnson.

Other notable performers include Isabelle Olson as Elizabeth Fitzpatrick-Madison, David Olski as Hugo Madison and Lincoln Hawthorn, Emily Voight as Claire Madiason, William Bickford as Avery, Clare Capuzzi as Riley and Jaron Durkee as Jordan.

The production is a gender-fluid, modern take on what Socrates’ life would be like in the 21st century.

The production follows Madison’s life from high school through late adulthood. Over the course of Madison’s life, they find themself in several morally conflicting situations, throwing them feet-first into several debates and drawing clear boundaries of what is right and what is wrong. As their life progresses and becomes increasingly more complicated, the line of what is right and wrong becomes blurred. 

“The play features several adaptations of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato’s Socratic dialogues,” Bolduc said. “The show is designed to create conversation, as it is also my intent for the show to be accessible to those who may not have been able to study philosophy before.”

As intended, the play can be followed along easily and enjoyed by individuals who do not have a background in philosophy, although having some background knowledge in philosophy may contribute to a deeper understanding of the story.

Bolduc is a fourth-year philosophy and theater student and a member of the Honors College at UMaine. Throughout his time at the university, Bolduc has remained involved in the School of Performing Arts and has participated in several productions including “Woods,” “Rumors” and “Twelfth Night.” Following his graduation, Bolduc plans on heading to Boston to continue gaining experience before continuing his education in theater. 

Karissa Mierzejewski is a fourth-year student at UMaine. She said in her Director’s Note that she’s fortunate to have had the opportunity to direct this production after her time at UMaine was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The play used gender neutral pronouns for the characters throughout the play.

“The script is written with gender-neutral pronouns to allow the freedom to cast whichever [actor] fits the role best,” Mierzejewski said. “It was incredible being able to cast more on talent than character descriptions and perimeters. The dynamics of having a script with gender with gender-neutral characters lead to seemingly endless possibilities to interpret and stage the material.”

From the perspective of an audience member, it is evident that the actors connected personally with the characters they were portraying. Perhaps leaving gender roles and expectations as a thing of the past was key to finding the core of the characters in the play. Taking away more superficial and redundant qualities of the characters allows the audience to see the characters as how they are truly meant to be understood and allows the performers to connect with their roles as they saw fit.

Along with making the play a gender-neutral performance, the production also addressed other relevant and pressing issues in the U.S. by adapting conversations that come from Plato’s Socratic dialogues to fit topics such as racial injustices. 

Anyone interested in viewing “Montgomery v. the People of the United States,” or any other performances held by UMaine’s School of Performing Arts can find out more at https://calendar.umaine.edu/organizer/school-of-performing-arts/.  

Every Tuesday from 9 to 10 p.m. Margaritas Mexican Restaurant on Mill St. in Orono hosts a trivia night. With new topics every week, Margaritas provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy dinner and drinks accompanied by a competitive game that engages the whole restaurant.

Front doors lock to avoid any new guests entering in the middle of the game, so be present before 9 p.m. to secure a spot in the restaurant for trivia. 

Before the game begins, the tables are given a chance to come up with a team name, which is then given to the game’s officiator. The teams are also given a sheet of paper where they will be able to write their final answers to the questions once the game begins. They will announce the topic of the questions at this time.

The game was well organized and easy to follow along. The officiator of the game asks questions related to that night’s topic, then teams are given a certain amount of time to discuss the question amongst themselves. Teams write their final answer on the sheet of paper that was handed to them at the beginning of the game, and at the end of the event, these papers are passed in. The points are added up and the winner is announced the same night. 

This past Tuesday, the topic of trivia night was Ireland. The questions were relatively difficult and seemed very black and white in a “you either know them or you don’t” type of way. Without having previous knowledge of the topic, coming up with a reasonable answer or educated guess was unobtainable for the most part. Some people may have found that this took away from the competitive edge of the game, however, it also had a tendency to strike up good conversations within the teams and helped encourage everyone on the team to put their minds together and come up with the answers.

Although it was not allowed, there was no system put in place to deter people from using their phones to search for the answers. Based on observation however, the honor code seemed well respected amongst the teams playing. 

Drinks and food can be ordered throughout the entirety of the event. While there are specials on Tuesdays including $3 regular margaritas and $6 appetizers, they are only available from 3 to 6 p.m. and will have ended before trivia night begins.

For more information regarding Specials and Events at the Margarita’s in Orono visit their website at https://www.margs.com/orono or call them at (207)-866-4863.

On March 3, the University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduates presented the “AI in Art” webinar, which discussed some of the ways in which artificial intelligence can be used as an artistic tool. This webinar is part of a series the center hosts that showcases the different ways in which artificial intelligence technology can be utilized.   

The “AI in Art” webinar was sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was moderated by Dr. Julia Upton, the associate professor of mathematics at Husson University. 

Pinder Van Arman, an AI artist and roboticist whose work focuses on “painting robots that explore the differences between human and computational creativity,” presented at the webinar. Arman shared his experience with creating paintings using artificial intelligence and spoke about making AI art more accessible to mainstream audiences.

“I started in 2005 building my own robots,” Arman said. “At first they were really simple algorithms like ‘connect the dots’ and ‘paint by numbers.’ As time went on I started adding algorithms to improve the AI.” 

Arman then explained how creating artificial intelligence that was capable of creating more complex artwork wasn’t something that could be built overnight. He would add algorithms every month, and eventually once a year. Arman went into detail explaining some of the algorithms he added over time to improve his artificially creative robots, before revealing the one thing he added that ultimately led to his breakthrough in AI art: a camera.

“The big thing I added, and this is the breakthrough that really opened up the art for me and also got me the accolades, is that I added a camera, and the camera would actually watch what the robot was doing and it would do feedback loops,” Arman said. “When I added these cameras I started recording what the robot was doing and started programming algorithms to respond to what was emerging on the canvas…which in a way is similar to how a lot of artists paint.”

Arman described the feedback loops as a similar process to when an artist will paint a couple strokes and then take a step back to see how the marks look on the canvas before continuing to paint.

This gradual process of adding algorithms and viewing feedback loops is essentially the key to creating art with artificial intelligence.

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMaine Vikas Dhiman also spoke at the webinar on Thursday. His presentation focused on the art behind artificial intelligence “imitating human-driving using inverse reinforcement learning.” 

“While I’ll share my thoughts on AI and art, my work is primarily about teaching robots how to navigate the world and how to understand [the] world around them,” Dhiman said.

Dhiman explains that teaching a robot to do anything is difficult and the equations involved aren’t as straightforward as something you would see in physics, for example. He then explains what reinforcement is, which is the foundation of his research. 

“In reinforcement learning we divide the system into two parts, the environment and the agent,” Dhiman said. “The agent is the robot, and the environment is everything else. The agent takes some actions on the environment and then the environment changes and then the environment gives back the agent some observations and based on what the environment is the agent gets a reward or not. It can get a high reward if something good happens, or a low reward if something bad happens.” 

Dhiman then provided an example about reinforcement when looking at imitating human driving.

“If a car runs into a sidewalk or curb it gets a low reward but if it’s driving consistently in the lane then it gets a high reward,” Dhiman said. “Rewards are telling the robot what to do, not how [to] do it, and reinforcement learning is responsible for figuring out how to do it.”

In a world where technological advancements are being made all around us, seeing the relationship between artificial intelligence and art is fascinating. Anyone interested in the relation between art and technology who is interested in learning more about AI can visit  ai.umaine.edu or reach out directly via email um.ai@maine.edu.

3/5 Stars

Fox Searchlight Pictures’ 2017 Oscar-winning film, “The Shape of Water,” may leave viewers wondering how it found so much success. The movie has a run time of just over two hours and can be streamed on Hulu. This fantasy romance film attempts to tell a love story despite seemly insurmountable social pressure but instead creates an uncomfortable dynamic that is difficult to take seriously.  

This film is directed by Guillermo del Toro, who is known for his work with fantasy films. del Toro is also known for “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Pacific Rim” and “Crimson Peak.” 

“The Shape of Water” stars Sally Hawkins as Eliza Esposito, a mute maid, and Doug Jones as her love interest Amphibian Man, a humanoid amphibian creature. Jones is best known for portraying non-human creatures such as in roles including Abe Sabian in “Hellboy” and Saru in “Star Trek.”

Other notable actors in the film include Octavia Spencer as Zelda, Michael Shannon as Strickland and Richard Jenkins as Giles.

This film is about Esposito, a woman who is working as a maid in a high-security government research laboratory and is unable to speak. Kidnapped from South America, Amphibian Man, whose mannerism, size and general shape is that of a human but otherwise resembles an amphibian, is held captive in the same government facility where she works. Esposito stumbles across this creature during one of her shifts and they immediately form a connection. With the help of her friends, she embarks on a mission to save Amphibian Man. In doing so, their emotional and physical connection grows.

The setting of the film takes place in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland in a seemingly oppressed society that appears to have a distinct social pattern. The costumes throughout the movie stay relevant to the time period as well as the occupation, style and social class of each character. 

Amphibian Man’s costume was a large, full-body commitment that consisted of extremely realistic amphibious characteristics including scaly blue-green skin that covered him from head to toe. The attention to detail that was put into creating this costume is admirable and left Jones looking far more like a water-dwelling creature than a human throughout the film. 

Fox Searchlight Pictures fell short in creating a romance film that depicted a relationship that felt real and authentic, which made it difficult to become emotionally invested in the film. Although the acting in the film was impressive, there was something about watching a human form an intimate relationship with something so animalistic that puts the overall impression of the film somewhere between disturbing and corny.

“The Shape of Water” is an acquired taste that deserves a shot from anyone who appreciates del Toro’s work in fantasy romance. Otherwise, this movie may just find itself at the bottom of your Hulu watch list.

The Bangor Public Library’s current art exhibition, “Our Changing Landscapes” opened at the beginning of February and will be open until March 31. The exhibition aims to showcase the work of Maine artists that demonstrate their interpretation of the theme of ‘Changing Landscapes.’ The exhibition is held on the third floor of the library and is open to the public during the library’s regular hours. 

Due to the pandemic, the Bangor Public Library briefly switched to an online virtual gallery so that they could continue to safely showcase the work of local artists, but they are excited to be able to bring their in-person exhibitions back to life.

Candis Joyce, the library’s adult program coordinator, helped put this event together.

“This was the first physical exhibit that we’ve had in the building [since the pandemic], and we worked with Kate Dickerson and our art committee to coordinate the theme with this year’s science festival, and the theme ‘Our Changing Landscapes’ came out of that,” Joyce said.

The exhibit features multiple artists and displayed a variety of different styles of art including several different types of paintings, a bas-relief carving, mixed media art and photography. With the theme being open to the artists’ interpretation, there is a lot of variation of works on display. 

The exhibition features the work of Mary-Michael Billings, who has an acrylic oil painting being showcased titled “Empty Chairs.” Her artist statement explains that this painting represents ‘Changing Landscapes’ for her in two ways, the first one being that there is a physical change in the colors and lighting across the landscape in her paintings that depict the visual difference of the landscape at different times during the day. 

“…The empty chairs have often been interpreted as representing the spiritual presence of a lost loved one,” said Billings in regard to the symbolism found in her painting. “Such a loss changes the tone and texture of our lives. Something is missing in the landscape. Someone once cherished is gone.”

Renate Klien’s “Growth and Production” is a painting made from watercolor on yupo that shows a different interpretation of the ‘Changing Landscapes’ theme. 

“[Yupo] is a plastic material that does not absorb water. The water sits on the material and dries slowly, leaving the pigment behind,” said Klien. “In the drying process, the pigment can be moved around and natural forces like gravity, wind and melting ice participate in making the image.” 

Klien’s artist statement also explained that “Growth and Production” was created during 2020 in which Klien’s work dealt with the complex topic and process of photosynthesis. 

Right now, the art exhibitions at the Bangor Public Library do not see much participation from students at the University of Maine, but are excited to hopefully see more involvement and are open to art students inquiring about collaborating on an exhibit. 

 “I would love to get the word out… the more artists interested in applying for a show the better, and I think it would be great if some students wanted to pull together a collaborative show,” Joyce said. 

The Bangor Public Library welcomes artists of all backgrounds and ages to submit their work. Artists being featured in “Our Changing Landscape” range from 12-year-old Izraelle Allen, who submitted the acrylic painting “Shifting Tides” to Eddie Harlow, a retired physician who has lived in Maine for 40 years and is showcasing bas-relief carving “Sandhill Cranes.” 

Art exhibitions at the Bangor Public Library are ongoing. If you are interested in learning more about an exhibit or submitting your artwork you can visit www.bangorpubliclibrary.org/artist or reach out to Joyce directly via email at candis.joyce@bangorpubliclibrary.org.

5/5 Stars

The Netflix original series “You” is nothing short of a twisted and suspenseful treat for those who prefer to be on the edge of their seats. This psychological thriller is currently made up of three seasons, but the puzzling ending to season three has people itching for the fourth season, which will hopefully be released soon.

The most recent seasons star Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg and Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn, Joe Goldberg’s love interest and later his wife. The dynamic between Goldberg and Quinn is an unbalanced combination of passion, infatuation, love and hate, which all seems to boil down to one thing: together, they are dangerous.

Notable actors who also appear in the series include Elizabeth Lail as Guinevere Beck, Shay Mitchell as Peach Salinger and Tati Gabrielle as Marienne Bellamy.

The series centers around Goldberg, a young man who has a love for books and a tendency to fall a bit too hard for the girls that catch his eye. Really though, he is a stalker, and an extremely dangerous one at that. Willing to go to the extreme lengths to get as close to his love interests as he can, Goldberg finds himself breaking into other people’s homes, kidnapping and murdering anyone that stands in his way. 

In the first season, Goldberg obsesses over Beck, a young aspiring writer. In the second season, he becomes infatuated with Quinn, a baker who eventually becomes his wife and proves herself to be just as insane as he is. The third season sees the newly married couple navigate through their violent and dangerous habits as parents in a suburban neighborhood, all while trying to cover up their evergrowing trail of dead bodies and missing people. Eventually, the trail leads somewhere that you wouldn’t expect.

This series shows that Netflix knows exactly how to keep you coming back for more. The series is narrated mostly by Goldberg himself, placing the audience directly inside the mind of the person that you want to hate the most, creating a show that allows for an intense viewing experience.

The setting of “You” has changed every season so far, with the first one being set in New York City, the second one in Los Angeles and the third one in Madre Linda, California. It is presumed that the fourth season will take place in Paris, France. 

“You” is thought-provoking and thrilling. The writers of “You” seem to know how to stay just a half step ahead of you. Close enough to where you think you predicted everything, but far enough ahead to create a twist that you never saw coming.

On Feb. 11, the Versant Power Astronomy Center at the University of Maine hosted the Science Lecture Series event “COVID: Alpha and Delta and Omicron, Oh My!!” Dr. Benjamin King presented on behalf of the research he is doing alongside Dr. Melissa Maginnis, who was unable to attend the event. This detailed presentation explained the importance of genome technology in making medical advancements and understanding the transmission and course of viral infection including the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

King explained how in February of 2014 researchers were able to characterize a complete human genome with $1,000 worth of chemical reagents, but over time the technology has become more affordable. This breakthrough was transformative because it allows researchers to advance their studies in human disease. 

King’s lab, in collaboration with the Northern Maine Medical Center, is studying chronic kidney disease using genome technology.

“In the lab we are surveying the entire genome, looking at different locations of the genome and looking for alleles that correspond with individuals with chronic kidney disease, who would have a version of that gene that is different from those without kidney disease,” King said.

What makes this technology even more transformative is that you can sample DNA from almost anything ranging from insects to frozen tissue.

“Certainly with the nature of the pandemic that we are still currently in, one of the really amazing things that’s been done is to use this $1,000 genome technology to sequence the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” King said.

The genomes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus differs from that of human genomes because it is composed of RNA instead of DNA. In light of this sequencing technology, researchers are able to convert the RNA into DNA, making it possible for them to sequence it.

King took some time to explain how researchers were able to go about sequencing the first coronavirus genome that appeared in China in January of 2020.

“They had a little baby illumina sequencer called a MiniSeq, this sequencer at the time cost about $50,000 … it is great but not tremendous,” King said. “It can’t generate as many sequencing readings as the other instrument (Illumina NovaSeq 6000). The one that I showed you earlier costs more than $1 million to purchase, and every time you run it, it might cost $15,000. What the group did was take a sample from the lung of a sick patient …They extracted the RNA from that sample … and while they were doing that, they were also extracting RNA from human cells. They generated over 28 million reads and found that only 100,000 of them align.”

This research can help survey the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it evolves and changes, allowing us to be aware of the prevalence of specific variants in different countries. It also allows us to monitor the different variants as they appear.

While COVID-19 is still relatively new, King’s experience with studying genomes is not. Before working at UMaine, King led bioinformatics core facilities at MDI Biological Laboratory and The Jackson Laboratory. He has conducted a variety of research including using zebrafish and genome technology to get a closer look at how the immune system responds to Influenza A.