Sarah J. Nelson

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Associate Research Professor, Senator George J. Mitchell Center; Cooperating Assistant Research Professor in Watershed Biogeochemistry, School of Forest Resources

247 Nutting Hall
207.581.3454
sarah.j.nelson@maine.edu

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Ph.D., Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Maine

M.S., Ecology and Environmental Sciences – Water Resources, University of Maine

B.A., Columbia University

My research focuses on understanding the effects of atmospheric pollution and climate change on forests, foodwebs, and freshwaters in remote and protected ecosystems. One of my signature programs is the Dragonfly Mercury Project which engages citizen scientists in collection of dragonfly larvae for mercury analysis in national parks, allowing for national-scale assessment of this neurotoxic pollutant.

I am the UMaine lead PI for US EPA’s Long Term Monitoring (LTM) Network [https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/clean-air-markets-monitoring-surface-water-chemistry], which is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990. This project includes lakes that have been sampled since 1982 as well as specialized lake sets (e.g., high-elevation lakes) that serve as sentinel sites for environmental change. I also work on research at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine [https://umaine.edu/bbwm/], where effects of experimental acidification and recovery are under study.

I participate in a set of projects focused on changing winters in Maine and beyond [https://changingwinters.wordpress.com/]. We are to developing indicators of changing winter conditions across northeastern North America, identifying unique winter weather events, and coordinating research across Maine on winter processes. All of these projects involve stakeholder inputs or link with social and economic effects of changing winters.

For about a decade, I have worked with high school teachers and Schoodic Institute [https://www.schoodicinstitute.org/] at Acadia National Park in a series of projects focused on teacher professional development regarding mercury in watersheds, snowpack and climate, and data literacy.