School of Biology and Ecology

MS Thesis Defense: Mandana Askarizadeh
2025-04-03 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | 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
