University of New England

UNE marine biologist Stine Brown receives Fulbright Award to conduct research on charr in Norway
 
BIDDEFORD, Maine - Anne Christine “Stine” Brown, chair and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of New England, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
 
Brown received the prestigious Fulbright Award to conduct research on Arctic charr at the Institute of Aquatic BioSciences, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø in Norway during the fall 2008 and spring 2009 semesters.

The research project examines the ability of charr (fish in the salmon and trout family) to regulate body salt and fluid levels as they migrate annually from fresh to ocean water, or remain in fresh water throughout the year.
 
Arctic Charr
The Arctic charr is the northern-most freshwater fish species and is represented by both landlocked and anadromous strains. The proposed research will provide significant information regarding the regulation of smoltification, a key physiological process in salmonids, including Arctic charr.  It is currently not clear if landlocked Arctic charr are lacking a hormonal signal and are thus unable to develop the appropriate hypoosmoregulatory capacity to survive in the sea.
 
The initial portion of the experiment will be completed by members of the Even Jørgensen laboratory prior to Brown’s arrival in Tromsø, which is necessitated by the seasonal nature of the work, and the timing of her sabbatical to coincide with the academic year.  Upon Brown’s arrival in Tromsø in August 2008, she will join with the project and engage in the analysis of gill activity and plasma levels of relevant hormones.

The research activities should lead to one, and possibly two, peer-reviewed publications in the appropriate scientific journal(s).  In addition, a required condition of sabbatical at UNE is a public presentation of sabbatical activities upon return to UNE.
 
Brown's Experience
Brown has been teaching Comparative Animal Physiology and Marine Biology to undergraduates in the Marine Biology and Aquaculture and Aquarium Science programs at the University of New England since 1993.  Her lecture topics include environmental physiology of marine invertebrates, topics in comparative animal physiology, introductory topics in marine biology and various topics in crustacean development and physiology - osmotic and ionic regulation, oxygen transport and metabolism.
 
Over the past year, Brown has communicated with Dr. Jens-Eric Eliassen, Head of the Institute for Aquatic Biosciences at UiT and Dr. Even Jørgensen, in whose lab she will be working, to develop the proposed research plan. 

The University of New England has a nascent student exchange program with UiT.  For the past three summers, two aquaculture and aquarium science or marine biology students each year have completed internships in Aquaculture at UiT.  Brown would like to develop additional ties to UiT, and the development of personal and professional relationships with faculty and students in Tromsø will strengthen the affiliation. Brown is proficient in her ability to read Norwegian and expects to become fluent in spoken Norwegian since she is fluent in the Danish language.
 
Several experiences have prepared Brown to undertake a sabbatical several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle in Norway.  First, as an eight-year-old, Brown accompanied her family for a summer on a sabbatical that took them to Denmark, France, and Switzerland.  Second, during her career as a marine biologist and comparative physiologist, Brown has had the opportunity to explore a variety of marine systems.  Third, her year in Denmark as an undergraduate was not a typical exchange year.  Brown did not enroll in an English language study-abroad program.  She took a leave of absence from Bowdoin College and matriculated directly into the University of Copenhagen, took all of her course work in Danish and shared an apartment with three other Danish students.
 
Brown looks forward to her research in Norway, and to bringing her eight-year-old daughter with her for the experience.

Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Program’s purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world.  Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has exchanged approximately 273,500 people - 102,900 Americans who have studied, taught or researched abroad and 170,600 students, scholars and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States. The Program operates in over 150 countries worldwide.
 
Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.  Recipients are among over 30,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year.  For more than forty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.  The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
 
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit http://exchanges.state.gov

(Press release posted April 3, 2008)