School of Biology and Ecology

SBE Seminar Series: Dr. Stephanie Miller, UMaine
2025-02-21 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, 5710 Norman Smith Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Dr. Stephanie Miller, UMaine SBE and Mitchell Center for Sustainable Solutions: Understanding Conservation through the Lens of Quantitative Ecology
Growing threats to ecological systems from climate and land-use changes have led to increased public interest in environmental conservation efforts. However, the process by which conservation actions are formulated and informed by scientific research may be less apparent to people not engaged in active conservation efforts. In this seminar, Dr. Miller will describe her understanding of conservation as a scientific discipline, present a systematic planning framework, and use this framework to connect her previous, ongoing, and prospective research endeavors to conservation planning. The presentation of her research will cover results from a past project aimed at evaluating the Conserving Nature’s Stage concept, as well as two projects she is now working on linked to short-term forecasting of breeding bird populations and blueberry crop production under changing climate scenarios. She will conclude the presentation by outlining her future research interests in sustainable landscape planning, using it as a setting to highlight how bringing conservation planning strategies to a broader audience could promote more mutualistic outcomes in human-environmental systems.
Dr. Stephanie Miller is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Biology and Ecology and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at The University of Maine, working with Dr. Brian McGill. She is a quantitative ecologist interested in understanding biodiversity distributions and ecological processes across spatial scales and developing products from ecological research that can inform planning solutions for conservation and climate change adaptation. Dr. Miller has received degrees in Zoology, Population and Conservation Biology, and Forest Science. She considers herself a lifelong learner motivated to find ways to improve humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Hosted by Brian McGill

SBE Seminar Series: Dr. Jessie Williamson, Cornell University
2025-03-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, 5710 Norman Smith Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
TITLE: Avian migration, physiology, and speciation at elevational extremes
ABSTRACT: Dr. Williamson will discuss her research on birds that make extreme seasonal shifts in elevation during migration, and will talk about how these movements affect ecology, evolution, and physiology. She will focus on her recent work with giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) in Peru and Chile, in which she’s combined migration tracking, genomics, and field physiological approaches to uncover a spectacular long-distance migratory journey with an extreme elevational ascent––and cryptic speciation between the world’s largest hummingbirds.
BIOGRAPHY Jessie is an integrative ornithologist who combines approaches across disciplines and timescales to study how elevation affects the migration, physiology, and genomic divergence of birds. Her research takes place in the U.S. and the South American Andes.Currently, Jessie is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Rose Fellow, sponsored by Dr. Irby Lovette and Dr. Maren Vitousek at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates. She completed her Ph.D. with Dr. Chris Witt at the University of New Mexico and Museum of Southwestern Biology, where she is a Research Associate.
In August 2025, Jessie will join the University of Wyoming as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology & Physiology.
Hosted by WFCB, Kurt Ongman

UMaine Institute of Medicine: Dr. Zhao Xuan
2025-03-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Via Zoom only
Speaker: Zhao Xuan, Ph.D., Assistant professor of neurobiology, School of Biology and Ecology, UMaine
About the speaker: Dr. Zhao Xuan is an assistant professor of Neurobiology at the University of Maine, specializing in cellular and molecular biology of neurons, synapse development, and invertebrate genetics. She earned her Ph.D. from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2014. Dr. Xuan’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of synapse formation and function, intending to reveal novel mechanisms underlying synaptic deficits in neurological diseases. Learn more about Dr. Xuan
About the seminar: The brain consists of neurons that communicate via synapses, and the loss of these connections is linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Our goal is to maintain synapse health. With 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, the human brain is complex, making direct study challenging. In my lab, we use C. elegans, a 1mm worm with a fully mapped connectome, to investigate neuronal communication. Despite its simplicity, C. elegans shares molecular similarities with humans, including DNA, proteins, and signaling pathways. In this talk, I will present our discovery of Clarinet, a novel synaptic protein, using forward genetics and microscopy. I will discuss its role in synaptic processes, such as autophagy, by bridging the active and periactive zones.
The event is free but registration is required. Register here!

SBE Seminar Series: Dr. Melissa Aikens, University of New Hampshire
2025-03-14 15:00 - 16:00 | Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, 5710 Norman Smith Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Quantitative skills are an essential core competency for undergraduate life science students. As part of their undergraduate curriculum, students should be learning how to interpret and construct graphs, apply statistical analyses to data, and understand how to use and interpret mathematical models of biological phenomena. However, learning these skills can be challenging for students. It first requires that students engage with quantitative problems, which may be difficult if they have negative self-beliefs and values for math. Once engaged, students must then apply appropriate cognitive resources to these problems. My research seeks to understand how we can support biology students’ learning of quantitative skills from both a motivational and cognitive perspective. In this talk, I will discuss how different classroom practices contribute to student motivation to engage in quantitative tasks. I will also discuss recent research we have started in my lab that aims to understand how students reason when interpreting graphs of covarying quantities. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to inform approaches we can take to teaching quantitative skills in our biology courses in order to equip life science majors with the skills they need to be successful in their careers.
Dr. Aikens is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Education at the University of New Hampshire. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Virginia where she studied ecology and evolutionary biology. She then completed a postdoc in biology education at the University of Georgia and the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Aikens’ research primarily focuses on understanding pedagogical strategies that foster positive attitudes and support student learning of quantitative topics in biology. She teaches courses in introductory biology, evolution, and plant ecology and was the recipient of her department’s inaugural Patty Bedker Teaching Award in 2023. Dr. Aikens is also heavily involved in university activities that support undergraduates. She serves as the Director of the Pathways to Professions in the Biosciences program, an NSF-funded scholarship program that supports community college transfer students in the life sciences, and is a co-developer and co-facilitator of the UNH Mentorship Academy, which provides training to faculty, staff, and students on mentoring undergraduate researchers in STEM.
Hosted by Angela Mech

SBE Seminar Series: Dr. Melissa Aikens, University of New Hampshire
2025-03-14 15:00 - 16:00 | Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, 5710 Norman Smith Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
TITLE: Building Quantitative Skills in Biology Students
ABSTRACT: Quantitative skills are an essential core competency for undergraduate life science students. As part of their undergraduate curriculum, students should be learning how to interpret and construct graphs, apply statistical analyses to data, and understand how to use and interpret mathematical models of biological phenomena. However, learning these skills can be challenging for students. It first requires that students engage with quantitative problems, which may be difficult if they have negative self-beliefs and values for math. Once engaged, students must then apply appropriate cognitive resources to these problems. My research seeks to understand how we can support biology students’ learning of quantitative skills from both a motivational and cognitive perspective. In this talk, I will discuss how different classroom practices contribute to student motivation to engage in quantitative tasks. I will also discuss recent research we have started in my lab that aims to understand how students reason when interpreting graphs of covarying quantities. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to inform approaches we can take to teaching quantitative skills in our biology courses in order to equip life science majors with the skills they need to be successful in their careers.
BIOGRAPHY: Dr. Aikens is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Education at the University of New Hampshire. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Virginia where she studied ecology and evolutionary biology. She then completed a postdoc in biology education at the University of Georgia and the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Aikens’ research primarily focuses on understanding pedagogical strategies that foster positive attitudes and support student learning of quantitative topics in biology. She teaches courses in introductory biology, evolution, and plant ecology and was the recipient of her department’s inaugural Patty Bedker Teaching Award in 2023. Dr. Aikens is also heavily involved in university activities that support undergraduates. She serves as the Director of the Pathways to Professions in the Biosciences program, an NSF-funded scholarship program that supports community college transfer students in the life sciences, and is a co-developer and co-facilitator of the UNH Mentorship Academy, which provides training to faculty, staff, and students on mentoring undergraduate researchers in STEM.
Hosted by Angela Mech

MS Thesis Proposal Defense: Kwaku Agyekum
2025-03-25 09:30 - 10:30
Name: Kwaku Agyekum
Toitle: Unraveling the intracellular transport and local regulation of endocytic factors in C. elegans neurons
Advisor: Dr. Zhao Xuan
Location: Nutting Hall 257
Date: 25 March, 2025
Time: 9:30 am

MS Thesis Defense: Mandana Askarizadeh
2025-04-03 10:00 - 11:00 | 202 Rogers Hall
Name: Mandana Askarizadeh
Title: Investigating the efficacy of Bacillus velezensis BAC03 in promoting plant growth and enhancing defense against powdery scab in potato plants
Advisors: Jianjun Hao
Location: Roger’s Hall 202
Date: April 3, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM

PhD Proposal Defense: Nahida Kabir
2025-04-04 09:00 - 10:00 | 101 Norman Smith Hall
Name: Nahida Kabir
Title: Impact of Mummy Berry and Red Leaf Diseases on Physiology of Wild Blueberry in Maine
Advisors: Co-advisor Dr. Seanna L. Annis and Co-advisor Dr. YongJiang (John) Zhang
Location: Conference Room 101, Norman Smith Hall
Date: April 4, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM
Zoom Link: https://maine.zoom.us/j/81052672725?pwd=[REDACTED]

MS Thesis Proposal: Elijah Bradshaw
2025-04-04 09:00 - 10:00 | Bryand Global Sciences Building, Room 300
Name: Elijah Bradshaw
Title: Investigating the Spatiotemporal patterns of Asimina trilby since the Last Glacial Maximum
Advisors: Jacquelyn Gill
Location: Bryand Hall 300
Date: April 4, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM

SBE Seminar Series: Dr. Jess Gersony, Smith College
2025-04-11 15:00 - 16:00 | Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, 5710 Norman Smith Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
TITLE: Tangled up in blue: Understanding carbon movement in trees during water stress
ABSTRACT: Plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and convert it into sugars through photosynthesis. Once carbon dioxide is in the form of sugar, it is then transported all throughout the plant through the “sugar highway” known as the phloem to aid in respiration and growth. Let’s take a moment to imagine if this transportation pathway was slowed, or even blocked: in this scenario there would be a buildup of sugars in the leaves and large deficits in other parts of the plant, which would result in severely limited growth, severely limited photosynthesis and, in the extreme scenario, plant death. Despite this crucial role of the phloem, we currently lack an understanding of how shifts in environmental conditions (e.g. climate change) could alter sugar transportation through the phloem, which is exacerbated by a general dearth of foundational knowledge about phloem functioning. In this talk, Gersony will discuss her research seeking to fill in our knowledge gaps about the sugar highway in the context of water stress, one of the key environmental stressors of climate change. In addition to this scientific content, she will also talk about art-science integration in the context of climate change research.

BIOGRAPHY: Jess Gersony is a plant physiologist, artist, and educator. She currently runs the PLACE (PLant physiology, Art, and Community Engagement) Lab as an Assistant Professor at Smith College. She is passionate about exploring human-planet interactions through both scientific and artistic inquiry, and strives to do this work through an intersectional, social justice lens. The ultimate goals of her work are to increase and deepen our awareness of (and relationship to) the natural world, to further diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM spaces, and to improve our understanding of how plants are responding to climate change. Scientifically, she investigates the physiological processes underpinning how plants interact with the changing climate around them. In parallel, she explores topics related to water and carbon movement, environmental change, time and relationships (between people, other organisms, and places) in her poetic practice. Additionally, she is passionate about re-imagining what STEM classes and research environments can look like and learning about/implementing equity-based pedagogical practices. Lastly, she seeks to support K-12 students in the public school system, collaborate with community college plant biologists and engage with various stakeholders who work with northeastern forests.

Hosted by John Zhang

MS Thesis Defense: Shehnaz Munnaf Chowdhury
2025-04-14 14:00 - 16:00 | 204 Nutting, 2755 Nutting Hall, Orono, 04469, United States
Shehnaz Munnaf Chowdhury MS Thesis Defense
Title: Assessing the overwintering and impact of augmentorium on populations of the Samba Wasp (Ganaspis Kimorum) in Maine
Date: April 14
Location: Nutting Hall 204
Time: 2-4PM
Advisor: Dr. Philip Fanning
Zoom: : https://maine.zoom.us/j/83876656215?pwd=[REDACTED]
Password: [REDACTED]

MS Thesis Defense: Shayli Morris
2025-04-17 10:00 - 12:00 | 202 Rogers Hall
Title: Exploring the Impacts of Repeated or Successive Fumigation with Metam Sodium on Verticillium Wilt of Potato and Soil Microbial Community
Date: April 17
Location: Rogers Hall 202
Time: 10AM
Advisor: Dr. Jianjun (Jay) Hao
Zoom: https://maine.zoom.us/j/2239538421 Zoom meeting ID: 223 953 8421

MS Thesis Defense: Kara SantaLucia
2025-04-18 08:30 - 10:30 | Williams Hall 207
Title: Exploring Concentrations, Exposure Routes, and Trophic Transfer of Per-and Polyfluoroalkl Substances (PFAS) in Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) in an Impacted Area of Maine
Date: April 18
Location: Williams Hall 211
Time: 8:30am
Advisor: Matthew Chatfield

PhD Proposal Defense: Alyssa Marini
2025-04-18 11:00 - 13:00 | 107 Norman Smith Hall
Title: Investigating wildlife hosts and tick densities across an urban to rural gradient
Date: April 18
Location: Norman Smith Hall 107
Time: 11AM
Advisor: Dr. Thomas Rounsville
Zoom: https://maine.zoom.us/j/87492998112. Meeting ID: 874 9299 8112

PhD Thesis Proposal: Megan Schierer
2025-04-21 10:00 - 12:00 | 107 Norman Smith Hall
Title: Investigating Cross Disciplinary Tools for Improved Mosquito Detection, Control and Management
Date: April 21
Location: 107 Norman Smith Hall
Time: 10AM
Advisor: Allie Gardner

MS Thesis Proposal: Jenna Donovan
2025-04-29 14:00 - 16:00 | 107 Norman Smith Hall
Title: Invasion Buckthorn and the Ecology of Tick-Borne Disease
Location: 107 Norman Smith Hall
Date: April 29
Time: 2PM
Advisor: Allie Gardner

MS Thesis Proposal: Donne Sinderson
2025-05-05 12:00 - 14:00
Title: Larval Winter Tick Questing Success in Wind and Rain Conditions
Location: 106 Nutting Hall
Date: May 5
Time: 12PM
Asvisor: Allie Gardner

MS Thesis Proposal: Michael Galli
2025-05-06 10:00 - 12:00 | 104 Murray Hall, UMaine, 5751 Murray Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Title: Understanding the Effectiveness of Tick Control Measures on Maine Properties
Location: 104 Murray Hall
Date: May 6
Time: 10AM
Advisor: Allie Gardner

PhD Thesis Proposal: Christiana Teye
2025-05-29 08:00 - 17:00 | 101C Deering Hall
Name: Christiana Teye
Title: eDNA Applications to Species Conservation
Time: 2-3PM
Date: June 5
Location: 101C Deering Hall
The Zoom link is https://maine.zoom.us/j/86092856081?pwd=[REDACTED]

PhD Proposal Defense: Emily Kanach
2025-11-03 13:00 - 15:00 | 204 Nutting, 2755 Nutting Hall, Orono, 04469, United States
Name: Emily Kanach
Title of Defense: Control or Consequence? Host Preference and Range Expansion in Biological Control Systems
Place: 204 Nutting Hall
Time: 1PM
Date: November 3
