School of Biology and Ecology

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 […]

Many thanks to everyone who participated in our “Name the Queen” contest.  We had nearly 80 entries! And thank you to our panel of experts, Professors Frank Drummond, Dusty Dowse, and Michelle Smith, for considering all entries and thoughtfully selecting our winner. And the winner is: Phoe-bee, submitted by Jenny Shrum. Among the many other […]

Today was the unveiling of the bee colony in Murray Hall! A reception to welcome the bees was held at 11:15am, where Director Ellie Groden unveiled the bees, Professor Frank Drummond gave a brief history of the bees, and refreshments were served. Roughly 20,000 bees took residence in the Murray’s foyer on September 20th and […]

Murray Hall has some new residents! Please welcome our new bee colony by helping us name the queen. The queen can be identified because she is considerably larger than any of her subjects and she has a white dot painted on her. However, she is rather shy and may hide between the panels of the […]

Interviews for the Terrestrial Paleoecology faculty position will be taking place in the next few weeks. The position is a joint appointment between the School of Biology and Ecology and the Climate Change Institute. The first interview will be on October 10th, with a teaching seminar at 10:00AM in Murray room 304, and a research […]

New Ecology Journal Club to meet biweekly at the Bear Brew Pub for relaxed scientific banter and good humor. The club is interested in discussing science, understanding how to effectively critique articles, and how to take the best lessons away from articles. The club offers a place for PhD students to run ideas by other […]

Insect Ecologist Frank Drummond has received $3.3 million as part of a larger $6.6 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to further his study of native bees in fruit and berry pollination. Native bees are critical for pollination in the Northeast and have been declining due to parasites, pesticides and lack of wildflower habitat. […]

University of Maine recently donated more than 107,000 insects to the Maine State Museum in Augusta. The large and rare collection was being stored in an attic for about 10 years due to lack of money for proper storage and curation. Without proper curation the collection would soon become damaged and become useless for research. […]

SBE Doctoral candidate, Adrienne Leppold, has just been awarded a prestigious Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellowship!  The Switzer Foundation, a national program, “drives positive environmental change by recognizing and fostering a diverse network of environmental leaders, and mobilizing them through the Switzer Fellowship Network”.  Leppold works with Dr. Rebecca Holberton’s team conducting research on […]