Facility supports micro- and nanoscale fabrication, microsensor development, and atomic-scale materials synthesis. Provides comprehensive technical capabilities, including microlithography (mask aligners, photoresist processing, laser lithography), thin film deposition (e-beam evaporation, sputtering, PECVD, atomic layer deposition), and advanced characterization tools (profilometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry). Fabrication processes are supported by both dry etching (DRIE, RIE) and wet chemical processing (RCA clean, KOH etch, solvent benches), as well as thermal processing systems such as diffusion furnaces and rapid thermal annealing.

Core offers processing and testing of environmental DNA samples, assay development, field surveys and training services. The equipment housed in the center allows users to receive fluorescence-based qPCR analyses, for quantifying DNA concentration and abundances, and plate preparation.

Facility is outfitted with the Aquatic Habitats for Accelerated Bioresearch (AHAB) fish rearing system (Aquatic Habitats, Apopka, FL). This system is composed of five-foot wide, five-level, stainless steel racks using any combination of tank sizes (3 and 10 liter). Water input lines deliver UV-sterilized water to each tank through an independent valve. The fish tanks have self-cleaning bottoms and the effluent system features an optically clear design. The filter system requires minimal maintenance, and maintains high water quality, dramatically reduced disease and mortality.

Core provides animal care and assists investigators in fulfilling their obligation to plan and conduct animal research in accordance with scientific, humane and ethical principles. SARF has a multizone temperature and airflow control to allow for various environments necessary to research projects. SARF also features quarantine suite with separate entrance and personal protective equipment (PPE), and is outfitted with RAIR HD Super Mouse 750 ventilated rack holding 126 cages. Daily care and feeding is provided by trained staff, and surgery prep, surgical area, and recovery area are available for use.

Core offers tools and technical expertise for research and training in microscopy with both light and electron microscopes. Maintains and operates electron microscopes (SEM with EDS), confocal laser scanning microscope, and tancillary equipment needed for preparation of specimens for EM and other microscopy. Light microscopes encompass optics for bright-field, phase-contrast, Nomarski differential-interference, polarizing, and fluorescence imaging.

The University of Maine CORE DNA Sequencing facility provides high quality and reliable Sanger sequencing and other services to labs on campus and beyond. Users can choose the degree of in-house processing to accommodate individual needs, providing flexibility for clients of all levels. The facility is in the process of expanding our services so keep an eye out for future developments. We’re happy to answer questions and discuss your research needs.

Core offers imaging for diverse applications, including multi-color experiments, live sample imaging, protein colocalization, large sample tiling, and Z-stack 3D/4D imaging, as well as weak label detection. Provides expert guidance in microscopy and image analysis, training and support to advance research across various model organisms.