School of Biology and Ecology

  Frank Drummond, professor of insect ecology, explains how bees play a major role in the Maine blueberry industry.  According to Drummond, Colony Collapse Disorder plays a large role in the decreasing number of bees in Maine.  Because of this, thousands of hives are trucked to the state each year to increase bee population and […]

Helen Call, a School of Biology and Ecology student and attendant on UMaine’s University Volunteer Ambulance Corps (UVAC), recently rescued a dining hall coworker from choking. Helen completed her first year at UMaine as a recipient of the SBE Academic Award and the Dr. Joseph W. Warren Scholarship, both awarded for high academic standing. Read […]

Adria Elskus works for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) whose purpose is to provide scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. In its surveys, the USGS found fungicides in US surface waters that could affect valuable native fungi as well as other aquatic organisms. However, there is little information on the effects […]

Congratulations to Minna Mathiasson and Sara Bushmann who were recently presented the Outstanding Women in Science awards! The awards ceremony took place at Fogler Library on April 21,2013.  For the undergraduate category, Minna gave a presentation entitled “Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Maine Native Plant-Pollinator Interactions.” For the PhD category, Sara gave a presentation […]

The 2013 Undergraduate Research & Academic Showcase took place on April 16 at the Wells Conference Center.  Many students and faculty presented their research and gave oral presentations, including five students affiliated with the School of Biology & Ecology.  These four students were awarded the CUGR Fellowship Awards in the fall, and received a stipend, […]

On April 17th, The School of Biology & Ecology held their sixth annual recognition Ceremony in 102 Murray Hall, which recognized undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty for their hard work and commitment to their academic studies.  During the ceremony, Ellie Groden, director of the School of Biology & Ecology, and Christa Schwintzer, […]

On April 5, 2013 the University of Maine Career Center hosted the 4th annual Health Professions Career Day, which highlighted a variety of different professionals in the medical field.  This event gave students the opportunity to learn about their prospective career and how the pre-med concentration at Umaine can prepare students for their future.  “Most […]

A Former Miss Teen Maine recently visited the BIO 350 Concepts and Application of Genetics course and spoke about living with a genetic disorder know as Marfan syndrome. The course is taught by Dr. Michelle Smith, an assistant professor in the School of Biology & Ecology and the research in the STEM Education Center (RiSE […]

The winners of the SBE video contest have been announced. The following students will be making videos that highlight various aspects of the School of Biology and Ecology: Zachary Batz Kimberly Dao Matthew Jones Hillary Morin Alexandra Perry Jenny Shrum Winners will work in collaboration with the BioMediaLab to create the 2-3 minute videos, which […]

Congratulations to the four students working in the School of Biology and Ecology who have been awarded CUGR Fellowship Awards! In addition to a stipend, they will receive funds to purchase equipment and supplies to conduct their research. Rafael Garcia has received $1000. His project involves looking for mycotoxins in contaminated maple syrup. Specifically he uses […]

This spring, faculty from Biology & Ecology, Economics, and Wildlife Ecology will offer a weekly seminar open to all who are interested that will meet every week. The course will cover three potential themes across both non-human and human systems: Ecology, Evolution and Complex Adaptive Systems. Broadly, meetings will alternate between themes one and two, with potential sporadic offerings in […]

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL SBE 2012 NEWSLETTER The School of Biology and Ecology (SBE) had an exciting year as we continue to balance our mission to provide an excellent educational experience to each of our students, conduct a broad array of significant research, and serve the needs of Maine’s natural-resource-based economy. We welcomed […]

This semester we are privileged to welcome several new professionals that have joined us at SBE. Elissa Ballman—Entomology Elissa Ballman received her Master of Science in entomology from the University of California-Riverside. Before working here, she was living in the Midwest and working for North Dakota State University studying parasitoids of soybean aphids. Now, she […]

Congratulations to SBE Research Professor Joyce Longcore for being selected as a 2012 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Longcore has been hugely influential in the field of chytrid research, her lab containing hundreds of chytrid isolates from all over the world. She was the first to describe the amphibian pathogenic […]

SBE graduate student Maureen Correll was named University of Maine graduate student of the month. The University of Maine Graduate School chooses students based on their academic work as well as their involvement with the graduate community. She is currently the president of Graduate Student Government, which operates on a separate budget from the University and […]

SBE graduate student Kaitlyn O’Donnell, along with University of Massachusetts Entomologist Joe Elkinton, are working to assess the impact of winter moth (Operophtera brumata) on host trees. Winter moth is native to Europe and is now outbreaking in parts of New England. O’Donnell and Elkinton are investigating the invasive moth problem in several properties in […]

A group of UMaine researchers led by SBE professor Clarissa Henry, found that by boosting the activity of a vitamin-sensitive cell adhesion pathway, they could increase the potential to counteract the muscle degeneration and reduced mobility caused by muscular dystrophies. The researchers found that they could improve muscle structure and function in a zebrafish version […]