School of Biology and Ecology

School of Biology and Ecology Professor Brian McGill’s Ecology blog titled “Dynamic Ecology” has been ranked one of the most influential Science Blogs, according to a University of Michigan news release.  The survey was conducted by the science blog “From the Lab Bench, a blog about all things science,” and consisted of 600 respondents. McGill is […]

Dr. Michelle Smith, assistant professor of biology and researcher for the Maine Center for Research in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education at the University of Maine, was recently featured in an article for the National Science Foundation.  The article, titled Rules of engagement: Transforming the teaching of college-level science, explained how Smith uses […]

The School of Biology and Ecology is pleased to welcome our new Director, Dr. Andrei Alyokhin.  Alyokhin, Professor of Applied Entomology, assumed his position at the beginning of this spring semester. Alyokhin received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1999, and has been a valued and committed member of the department since […]

The School of Biology & Ecology is pleased to welcome Dr. Kristy Townsend, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology.  Townsend arrived at the University of Maine at the beginning of November, but will not be teaching until the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year.  She will be spending the rest of this year setting up her laboratory and […]

Jacquelyn Gill, assistant professor of paleoecology and plant ecology, will be leading a research project in the Falkland Islands, a remote group of islands east of South America,  from Dec. 4-22.  Gill will be joined by two SBE graduate students- Kit Hamley and Dulcinea Groff.  The researchers will study the island’s environmental history throughout the […]

This past Friday, the School of Biology and Ecology welcomed Dr. Aniruddh Patel, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Tufts University, to give a talk as part of the SBE seminar series. The presentation, titled  “The evolutionary neuroscience of musical beat perception,” sparked the interest of many individuals across campus, drawing members from the Music, […]

Need another course for this spring semester? Take EES 397- Biophysical and Ecological Economics! Taught by Dr. Steve Coghlan, Associate Professor of Freshwater Fisheries Ecology, the course will be a three-credit lecture/discussion course that will provide students with the biophysical framework necessary for understanding how real economics operates as metabolic systems on planet Earth. The course […]

Hamish Greig, assistant professor of stream ecology, and Jacquelyn Gill, assistant professor of terrestrial paleoecology at the Climate Change Institute, have joined forces in order to study the impact that hemlock tree die-offs have on freshwater forest ecosystems.  The importance of this research is rooted in the great impact these trees have on the ecosystem.  […]

The study of evolution is not only the study of our past, but also the study of our future.  Dr. Michael Kinnison, an applied evolutionary biologist at the University of Maine, believes that many evolutionary principles and applications could provide potential solutions for many major challenges our world faces today. In a paper published in […]

This semester SBE will be having a bi-weekly teaching and learning journal club. All faculty, staff, postdocs, and students are invited to join. We will meet for one hour and discuss one journal article on a topic picked by attendees. A list of potential articles will be provided. Our meeting dates for the fall semester […]

The School of Biology & Ecology is please to present this years Seminar Series schedule! The purpose of these seminars is to highlight an array of research fields and interests from professors and researchers  across the country. Seminars will be held on Fridays at 3:10 pm in Murray Hall, Room 102 unless otherwise noted.  Light […]

SeacoastOnline published an article titled “Groundbreaking bird study under way in southern Maine,” featuring the research of School of Biology and Ecology professor, Dr. Rebecca Holberton, and SBE grad student, Sean Rune. The research on shorebird migration is a collaboration between Holberton and Rune, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Maine Department of Inland […]

Dr. Brian McGill, assistant professor of biological sciences, recently co-published a comprehensive analysis of global biodiversity change and species loss in Science magazine.  Maria Dornelas and Anne Magurran of the Centre lead the international research team for Biological Diversity and Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. The analysis used data from 100 monitoring […]

Applications are being accepted for the 2014 Schoodic Experience Scholarship. The deadline is June 27, 2014. Click here to download the 2014 Schoodic Scholarship Application The Schoodic excursion is part of the School of Biology and Ecology’s biological sciences orientation course (NFA 117). This course introduces students to their major and informs them about important […]

  Congratulations to School of Biology & Ecology student, Elizabeth Wood, for being named the America East Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year! Wood is a sophomore at the University of Maine, studying biology with a concentration in pre-medical studies.  She was recently awarded a SBE academic award for receiving one of the highest GPA’s […]

It has been a busy year for SBE graduate students and faculty! Graduate student awards: Gabriel Al-Najjar, MS in ZOO (Entomology) with Dr. Frank Drummond and me, was awarded a UMaine IPM Grad student grant for his work on spotted wing drosophila. Matthew Altenritter, a PhD in BioSci working with Dr. Mike Kinnison, was awarded […]

On April 25th, The School of Biology & Ecology held their seventh annual award’s ceremony in 102 Murray Hall, which recognized undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, for their hard work and commitment to their academic endeavors.  During the ceremony, Dr. Ellie Groden, director of the School of Biology & Ecology, and Dr. […]