School of Biology and Ecology

BIO335 (Human Anatomy) recently closed the semester with this year’s Tissue Competition. Teams of students recreated a tissue of their choice, highlighting the tissues functionality and specialty. The judging was based on three criteria: relevancy, accuracy, and distinctiveness. Two teams were awarded first place with their models of skeletal muscle, and stratified squamous cells. For […]

The Maine Sea Grant College Program has awarded funds to Amanda Klemmer and Brian Olsen to study the role of rockweed and its harvesting in intertidal food webs.

Genes to Genomes, a blog from the Genetics Society of America, published an interview with Michelle Smith and her PALM mentee, Christopher Baker.  The PALM (Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring) network is an NSF-funded project established to allow faculty and postdoctoral fellows to gain hands-on experience and mentorship in bringing evidence-based, effective active learning strategies into […]

Link to a recent study describing effect of influenza virus on organisms afflicted with muscle dystrophy is featured on the front page of the University of Maine website. The study was conducted by assistant research professor Michelle Goody, associate professor Clarissa Henry (both with School of Biology and Ecology), professor Carol Kim (Department of Molecular […]

Dr. Christopher Cronan, Professor of Biology and Ecology, has published a new textbook – Ecosystem Biogeochemistry: Element Cycling in the Forest Landscape – in the Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography, and Environment series.  The book is available in hardcover (ISBN 978-3-319-66443-9) and e-book (ISBN 978-3-319-66444-6) versions from Springer International Publishing AG.

Dr. Jacquelyn Gill will be speaking at the upcoming Women Leadership in Science, Technology, and Engineering conference, held in Kuwait in two weeks. This is a joint effort by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, and the US Department of State. The theme of the conference, targeted at GCC nations, is “Science […]

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. Dr. Jeff Hall was an adjunct faculty member at the School of Biology and Ecology in 2005-2012. His primary […]

Dr. Joyce Longcore won the 2017 Golden Goose Award. This is a very prestigious award that recognizes the tremendous human and economic benefits of federally funded research by highlighting examples of seemingly obscure studies that have led to major breakthroughs and resulted in significant societal impact. The award was originally envisioned by Representative Jim Cooper […]

The University of Maine was awarded $497,000 by the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program to acquire a Leica TCS SP8 Digital LightSheet microscope. The PIs are Clarissa Henry, Rob Wheeler, Kristy Townsend, Leif Oxburgh, and Andre Khalil. LightSheet microscope is superior for imaging living organisms because the low light illumination and high-speed image […]

Erin Carter won the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering (GSBSE) service award and 3rd Place, Governor John E Baldacci Award for Best Oral Presentation. Elisabeth Kilroy won 3rd place, Poster competition, and Best photo in the photo competition. All awards were presented at the 2017 GSBSE annual meeting.

Dr. John H. Andrews, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, dedicated the second edition of his book Comparative Ecology of Microorganisms and Macroorganisms to Bob Vadas. Dr. Andrews took Bob’s classes in Ecology and Marine Phycology in 1967 and 1968. Both subjects became pivotal, lasting influences in his […]

Dr. Andrei Alyokhin, Professor of Entomology and Director of School of Biology and Ecology, received Communication Award from The National Association of County Agricultural Agents. The award was given for developing a learning module entitled Unifying Resistance Management Education.

Dr. Michelle Smith, who holds a C. Ann Merrifield Professorship in Life Science Education in the School of Biology and Ecology, will spearhead a project to improve first-year students’ transition from high school classes to college courses in the same subjects. Nation-wide data indicate that less than 50% of first-year undergraduates who start in science, technology, […]

Text below is an excerpt from UMaine News Update. The browntail moth is an invasive species that was introduced into northeastern North America in the late 1800s. In the past several years, the population and range of the browntail moth has grown significantly, with more than 24,000 acres in Maine defoliated by their caterpillars in […]

University of Maine researchers, including doctoral student Brianne Du Clos and her advisor Dr. Frank Drummond, have developed a tool called “BeeMapper” that will allow blueberry growers to assess the predicted wild bee abundance in the landscape surrounding their crop fields. Knowing the numbers and types of wild bees in the surrounding landscape will help growers […]

Elisabeth “Betsy” Trenkmann, Michelle Smith, the Master of Science Teaching program, Orono High School, and Murray Hall were all featured in this Channel 5 News piece http://wabi.tv/2017/05/09/ahead-of-umaine-graduation-future-teacher-stands-out-among-peers/ For more information, please refer to the University of Maine press release: https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2017/05/10/elizabeth-trenckmann-seeking-inspire-high-schoolers/

SBE Academic Awards Highest GPA in a major within the School First Year Bailey Carter Ryan M. LaGross Hilary A. Merrifield Sophomore Emily R. Gagne Emma R. Garner Lucia D. Guarnieri Junior Tyler J. Lang Jacqueline R. Lambert Callie W. Greco Senior Willow S. Bates Kaitlin E. Clark School of Biology & Ecology Academic Achievement […]

Betsy Trenckmann, a graduate student advised by Dr. Michelle Smith, won both the best presentation in the education category, as well as the Presidential Research Impact Award! The Research Impact award is given to both the graduate student and his/her advisor in recognition of research that has a potentially significant impact to the people of […]

May 2017 issue of The Scientist magazine contains a cover story by Jef Akst entitled “Evolution’s Quick Pace Affects Ecosystem Dynamics.” The article discusses in great detail research on contemporary evolution conducted in Dr. Michael Kinnison’s laboratory.

Elizabeth Kilroy received a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. She is working in Clarissa Henry’s lab on developing effective therapies for muscular dystrophy. Full story is available on the University of Maine website.